Come...

Tonight, when the sun was setting, it was so low that there was only an orange glow on the horizon. I immediately thought of the fact that Satan roams at night (although he also roams during the daytime) and how perilous darkness/night becomes to us. Darkness covers the dangers that await us, whether it be road hazards or predators, human and none. I have found that I'm not fond of the darkness. It used to not bother me but somehow its been customary to having some light on in the house, somewhere that I can see.


If you flip the coin, you find that darkness is also (usually) quiet and still - very intimate (and intimidating). While Alex worked third shift, I grew accustomed to being awake during the night when many most people are asleep. This time of quiet nights also gave me a special quiet time to spend with God. Admittedly, I did not use all of the potential God time that I could have. When we went back to daytimers, I felt as though I lost that connection time.


Over the last several months, when I've stayed up too late for my good (sleep issues), I've felt the drawing in the darkness. It has been as if God himself has pulled on my heart, tugging me to spend time with Him in the stillness. During the night, there's no phone calls, no chatting with friends/relatives online, no major worries - only time to spend in His presence.

Earlier I was feeling frustrated because I like sleeping normally and couldn't sleep although I felt the familiar drawing. Yet, I enjoy the nighttime intercessions.




Is it just me or does God call to us frequently in the still of the night?


It seems as if God is just saying, "Come!"


My papa used to spend long hours in prayer anytime he could. My dad would pray sitting on his bed while my mom unknowingly slept beside him. I've found that this MUST be legacy as I have been in prayer during the night while Alex is peacefully slumbering.


A while back, I found out that a few of my friends were being awakened or just awake at 3am with the urgency to pray. They were not alone as I felt that same drawing then. We never figured out why nor was it an issues. It lasted for a couple weeks.


Lately it seems as though I've had so many things on my prayer list that desperately need to be prayed over that I've overwhelmed myself into silence. God has given me "dreams" (not sleeping kind) for different things over the past few months. I've taken the liberty to write some of them down and share them with Alex. The crazy part of it is that I've been dreaming things that I have no control over. I know that it's God's way of moving into those needs if I'd only spend time praying over them. Sometimes, it's hard to spend that time praying especially when I have things to do for Him and I believe that this is one of the reasons why I feel the nighttime drawings.


Tangent alert!


I've struggled with getting the lessons written lately because before I start on them, I like to spend time in prayer for direction and so on. I've found that I delay on both parts lately. Why does it feel like a chore yet at the same time, an intimidating privilege?!


I sat in on a class which used one of the lessons that I wrote. As the teacher went through the Bible story that I picked to go with that particular commandment, I watched the faces of the children in the class. I was thinking that the teacher was making the impression on the kids. I had a sudden realization that the kids were being influenced by me. The marveling point to me was that it didn't matter what I did but it did matter what they learned. What God gave me to put into the lesson was what each teacher read and hopefully followed but whether they did use my lesson or not, He ultimately taught those kids.


Now, I am facing that realization again as I move into the new writing. This was not something I'd considered when I wrote any other lessons. It's terrifying yet a marvelous opportunity.

Commandment Three

I normally don't blog about my personal views. I also realize that my views, beliefs and personal convictions are not usually very popular. I've held back from this posting because I worry over making others upset. I've realized though, the older I get, the less I care of what others think I'm too extreme about. Is it extreme to follow the commandments??

I've grown so tired of reading/hearing people of God using His name in vain. They flippantly throw His name into their exclamations that have no need for His name. Why don't we realize that His name is holy? His name is to be revered and respected!

A few months back, I wrote lessons for the Ten Commandment series (for grades K-5 for our church). When I was delving into each commandment, different things stuck in my heart like #3 ... don't use God's name in vain. I'd made the personal decision (although the thought of that being personal is probably audacious to God himself) to change the way I spoke/typed a long time before and since having written those lessons, it's only spurred deeper hurt to hear the way His children use His name as something to just spit out when they are "awed". It even cuts deep to hear people in public throw His name out without actually referring to Him!

What am I specifically referring to? Well... I hesitate to even type it but I think sometimes people have to point out things to others that should be obvious already. Although, it's also obvious that it's not clear in their minds already! It literally hurts me to know that so called "Christians" teach their children to be respectful of "church property", older adults and so on but how many times have they witnessed our disrespect for God in this one particular way?!?

So what are they? - OMG (ANY way it's stated, spoken, acronyms or anything else), MG (same diff.), and several others. Why do we NEED to say OMG? If you think about what you're saying, you're breaking the commandment.

Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain."

I thought I'd include the definition of "vain" so that its meaning would be clear. While #1 & #2 do not apply, all the others fit, in my opinion.

–adjective, -er, -est. 1. excessively proud of or concerned about one's own appearance, qualities, achievements, etc.; conceited: a vain dandy. 2. proceeding from or showing personal vanity: vain remarks. 3. ineffectual or unsuccessful; futile: a vain effort. 4. without real significance, value, or importance; baseless or worthless: vain pageantry; vain display. 5. Archaic. senseless or foolish. —Idiom 6. in vain, a. without effect or avail; to no purpose: to apologize in vain. b. in an improper or irreverent manner: to take God's name in vain.

I ask you... Do you really think you could justify yourself to God why (if you are guilty of this) you use His name in such a senseless and needless way?

Remember, it's not too late to change the way you exclaim yourself. Step 1: Ask for forgiveness. Step 2: Be conscious of when you normally use His name in vain and just don't do it. Try not to replace it, if possible.

*Once again: this is my personal view but if you find fault with me... take it to God first.

Heros

I posted this on the forum, in case you're one of the forum buddies too.


he·ro –noun, plural -roes; for 5 also -ros.
1. a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.
2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal: He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child.

Don't you just get so annoyed when you find out who some people's heros are?
Sometimes, I'd just like to sit their "hero" down on a stool, shine a light into who they really are and allow the person to view the real person their "idolizing as their hero". I think a lot of people's opinions would change.

I say that because I know first hand about a certain case. Myspace has this nifty little section called "Heros". People fill this in with who they think are their heros. I have a friend, whom I've known since I was about 4 and she was 1. We haven't kept in touch too much over the years but we share something, rather someone who, frankly doesn't live up to par when it comes to being someone's hero.

This friend named one of my aunts as her hero. My aunt has been good to this friend. They even tried to adopt her when she was 1 before the people who adopted her finally did so. Thus, why she is close with my family.

The issue I have with her naming my aunt as her hero is that my aunt has a reputation. Ah, once ruined, it's hard to mend. She likes to waggle her tongue, put her nose in dirt, and step all over people. She masks this side of herself by what the world calls chrisitianity. Oh my, the problems she has caused in our family, alone not to mention with people that I know and am friends with still. She's left a stink in their noses. I can't begin to imagine what stink God smells of her.

The irony of it all is that one person, one of my friends is friends with my friend who calls my aunt her hero. (did you get that?) You'd think that Friend-A would know what my aunt did to Friend-B and cause her not to think she's her hero anymore but you'd be wrong.
I'm praying that she finds a new hero. I'm also praying that her calling my aunt her hero isn't for the sake of following in that path but hopefully, more than anything else, just for show since my cousin (my aunt's daughter) is also on her friend's list. Ah, that was a confusing thing.
Yes, I am aware that people change and God can do anything! Don't think I'm not praying for my aunt either.

"We're not keeping secrets, we're telling them; we're not hiding things, we're bringing them out into the open." Mark 4:22

Do you really know who your heros are?? I know some of you do for a fact know who your heros are and who they REALLY are. ;-) At least, I've hopefully given you something to think about then.