Worship In a Shed

Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Psalm 100:2 NIV

"How great is our God, sing with me, how great is our God..." we sang together in a small chapel. My mother's heart was proud as I had entered in and saw my daughter singing praises to the Lord. I had come to pick her up and bring her home, but she was into worshiping the Lord. So I stayed and soon I found myself joining in.

This small chapel is really something special. It is a very small building, not bigger than a shed. That's because it was a shed, and building where junk was thrown to be retrieved at a later date. We know how that goes, soon there is so much stuff in there no one wants to even attempt removing anything. It's much easier to shut the door and forget about it.

Someone though had a vision, a change in this building's appearance. He began to clean out the junk. Once that was gone, he constructed a wooden ceiling. He added stain glass windows and an altar area. He constructed pews and added a hardwood laminate floor. So now at this camp there could be a place to pray and worship God.

This is exactly what we were doing this past Saturday night. It didn't matter the size. Our voices blended together and we sang praises to our creator. There weren't many of us, only nine but it didn't matter. This little shed had really turned into something beautiful.

The Lord can do the same with each of us. We may have filled our heart with junk; so much stuff that we don't even know where to begin. It's become easier to just add to the pile or shut the door and forget about it. Jesus though can come in and clear away the junk the stuff we don't even want to touch again. He can make our hearts pure again, he can clean up the debris. Put in new desires and make us someone beautiful.

Love Can Be Tough

Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. Proverbs 10:4 NIV

"Lord, I just don't know what to do anymore. I've encouraged, I've left him alone, I've waited and waited, but he keeps wasting his days. He's your child, I leave him at your feet. Please do with him what you will. Amen"

A few weeks ago I prayed this prayer. Our mechanical son is now finished with tech school, and now came the time for him to get a job. He had the opportunity at one place, but he blew it because he didn't follow up. He's been waiting for them to come begging him to work for them-not gonna happen.

Now another opportunity was at his doorstep. I wasn't going to sit back and watch him blow it again. I prompted him to call back, or at least e-mail the person who interviewed him. After some resistance he did send an e-mail. Now for him to call. In his normal fashion he put it off.

So after more praying, it was time to get drastic. No call, no phone. The next day I took his most prized possession-his cell phone. After all I'm paying for it-at least until the contract runs out. I tried shutting it off, somehow though he was still able to use it for the Internet. So it was time to take it.

He was not pleased with this new event. He sulked and got madder, but still didn't do the couple things I asked of him. Finally, he apologized and did one of the things. "Son, I just want you to be the man of God you were created to be. It's time to grow up and get the job." I explained.

The day after the call he had his second interview. The following Monday he went for drug testing, and a week later he was employed. It wasn't easy. I want to treat him like the man he is, but it's hard when he was being lazy. Now his hands can earn him wealth.

An Eagle Soars

They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not feel faint. Isaiah 40:31b

An eagle can soar at speeds up to 43 mph. It glides through the sky, soaring at the top of the food chain. An eagle is brave and strong. It is the national bird for the United States, a symbol of strength and long life. Not a bad choice.

It is also use for the highest rank it Boy Scouting-an Eagle Scout. Becoming an Eagle Scout is not an easy task, but one that is an honor to those who achieve it.

I have had the honor of being a mother of not just one, but two Eagle Scouts. To achieve this a boy must be in scouting for several years as he goes through the different ranks. He must have been a leader and shown responsibility during his Eagle Scout Project.

This project must somehow benefit the community. He must have put in countless hours of planning, approval, working, and completing paper work. He must also recruit volunteers to help him accomplish this project; along with raising the funds to complete this project.

Scouting is a great program for boys to become men. Sure they goof off at times, sure they pull pranks on each other; but there is a bonding of friendships that goes deep. They will look back at their time in scouting and remember it as an experience they won't forget. Why do you think fathers encourage their sons to become a scout?

Not only is this a great experience for them, but is a benefit to us. Most of our political leaders are Eagle Scouts or have been in scouting. Quite a few astronauts as well. Some of our military leaders are Eagle Scouts as well; helping them to serve this great country of ours.

They soar on wings of eagles, they are not afraid to run or grow weary...

How Much Help Do We Give?

For even when we were with you, we gave this rule: 'If a man will not work, he shall not eat.' We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 NIV

The urge to help runs deep in some of us. We see the person at the corner and we want to help, but is it the right thing? Are we truly helping this person or is he/she taking advantage? For me it doesn't feel right giving them money. I'd like to have a manna bag( a bag with water, a granola bar, hygiene items) to hand out, but I haven't taken the time to make any.

Someone in our family needs help and we want to run to his/her rescue, but how many times do we do this. When can the problem be solved by himself or herself. It's tough to see our child go through something tough, but that experience maybe what he/she needs in order to trust in the Lord.

So how do we know when we should help, and when we should let the circumstance solve itself without our involvement? Tough question.

There are times when we need to come along someone and help them. An illness, a death in the family, a job loss, but how do we know when we're being taken advantage of? I guess it comes down to when you begin to feel drained because the person your helping isn't even trying to work things out then it might be time to cut off the help. He/She has begun to depend on you more than the Lord.

At our church we had a food pantry. The idea was good: to help people who couldn't get through the week without food. The problem began though when the people who came began to depend on the free food and spend their money on things that were not a necessity. They learn how to cheat the system. The people who were running it somehow began to leave God out and were giving themselves the glory. Unfortunately, this food pantry had to close its doors. They became busybodies instead of earning the bread they ate.

We must not give up helping people, we just need to remember to let them earn the bread they eat.