Lent Study - Day 5

Wow.... for those that think God doesn't speak to them all I have to say is, maybe you just aren't listening closely! Today was Sunday, my favorite day of the week! Our family is usually joyful as we get up and prepare to go to church. Coming home, fixing lunch together and joking and laughing, taking afternoon naps, playing games and watching NASCAR. (I'm rolling my eyes, but must include hubbies hobbies right?!) lol

I hadn't read forward to see what today's Lent study was until this evening. I know, I should have, if I'm going to keep this study going I need to be prepared at least a day before and plan accordingly. When I opened my study guide to see what it was.... talk about a moment of awe. God was preparing me for today without me even realizing it.

My hubby and I went out for dinner last night on our date night and I tend to feel a bit guilty overindulging in good food at times. We didn't eat breakfast this morning before church and let me tell you our bellies were both growling mid-way through this mornings sermon!

We looked at one another and spontaneously and at the exact same time said, "I'm hungry!" lol We had just talked about fasting the day before and a friend who had just done a three day fast who is working in Haiti. Discussing our thoughts on how difficult or easy it might be. Then during the sermon it led to fasting. Which of course brought food to our minds even more!

I told my husband that I feel ashamed when I say I'm hungry. Knowing there are soooo many people....children....in the world who are hungrier than I can imagine. I feel ashamed of being overweight and binging on junk food so often.

We get home from church (after an hour drive that should have only taken ten minutes. Can you say SNOW! but that's a post for another time), I started fixing lunch after changing my clothes and we all sat down and ate. I marveled at my children laughing, fighting over the ketchup. Arguing over who gets the last piece of homemade cheesy bread. I'm praying in my mind for all the children who are hungry right now. Right at this very moment dying because their bellies are empty, their bodies are malnourished and starving. Trying not to cry when my family is enjoying the sabbath.

After the kids leave the table I confess to my husband the thoughts of guilt and sadness. How can something that is such a blessing for us be so barren for another. How or why did God decide in his grace to allow my family to be born in America rather than Africa? Rather than Haiti? My heart aches for the ones I want to help, but can't seem to reach. I want to feed the world!

I imagine in another time, if I were born to another generation I would have been in the Peace Corp and would have never looked back. I dream of a day when I can go on missions for weeks... months on end. I often times ask the Lord to break my heart with what breaks His. And sometimes I have to be reminded.... be careful what you wish for. Not that it's a bad thing, but you better be prepared for the helplessness you sometimes feel. The agony it can bring to a Christian heart when you feel you have never done enough.

Wanna know what the Lent lesson was today?

"Think about a day in your life when you were hungry. Really, really hungry."

Yes Lord, I'm listening.......

Every THREE seconds a child dies because he or she was hungry.

That's a hard fact to grasp huh. When my children claim they are hungry, what's for supper? They have no idea what it really means to be hungry. So desperate that you are dying.

--James 1:27

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:

to look after orphans and widows in their distress

and to keep oneself from

being polluted by the world.

Lent Study - Day 4

Yep, today I'm rich! Filthy....stinkin.....rich! How do you define rich? The dictionary of course defines it by ones worth. Wealth, luxury, social prestige and privilege. My Lent study challenge today....defining RICH.

My definition of rich is far from that. And believe me, it's been a struggle teaching it to our children through the years. Thinking their friends at school are rich because of their big fancy houses, their nice new cars, the gaming systems and countless cell phones (before cell phones were ever so popular). Teaching our children that riches come not from possessions but love. Our love for one another, our love for and from the Lord. Our love of fun and spending time together. I'm rich beyond measure.

My children are healthy. School comes easily to them, there's no struggle in studies or frustration from lack of understanding when it comes to their homework. And believe me I have friends that this is not the case and oh the times I've prayed for their sanity and patience with their children.

My husband and I have our health (for the most part....he claims he's getting old) lol. Up until this past summer when I had a case of the dizzies that turned out to be a side effect from some vitamins, I had never once spent time in the hospital other than to give birth to my children. I'll be 40 this year. I have friends and family that have had numerous health issues, surgeries, taking regular medications.

We've most always been able to pay bills and provide for ourselves with necessities of food and shelter (and yes, even the splurges of cable television, cell phones, etc.).

We are blessed. We have a paper stuck to our refrigerator that, basically summed up, says that we dare not complain about earthly things for our Heavenly Father gave such a great sacrifice for our souls. How dare we complain. Isn't His grace enough? It's more than sufficient! I've always loved reading that over and over. It's been on our fridge for over 10 years.

My riches can be found in my header image. Three children and my wonderful husband. Yes, I think he's pretty wonderful. Even the days when I want to call him ugly names. I know I am his greatest love and am second only to God in his life. I can't ask for more than that.

Don't get me wrong. We've had our share of troubles, misfortune and heartbreak. But overall our lives are blessed.

As I traveled to Haiti and saw people with so little..... no shelter, no food on a regular basis, no clean water....how could they laugh and smile so at times I wondered. Then it dawns on you. Our families are what makes us rich. The exact things I try to teach and instill in my children I was seeing in action. They have the love of God and their families and children. Of course they smile and laugh. But that alone shouldn't keep us from helping to make their lives even richer with the blessings we can share with them.

lent Study - Day 3

A large number of the world's poor can fit all of their possessions into a small suitcase. Today my study challenges you to make it personal and imagine you live in a poor family, in a poor country. Select five of your possessions and pack them into a suitcase or duffel bag.

FIVE!

Five? Seriously?

Just five...

And I know I should be sensible about this too right? Like...my laptop is out of the question. Even if I took it, I wouldn't have electricity to charge it. Lucky for me I've spent time in a third-world country, and had to wait on my luggage. ;o) I know what is 'necessary' for me. lol But five? I can fit more than five things in a carry on bag. I can fit WAY more than that in my purse!

After much thought, here are my top five:

1. The Good Book -- My Study Bible

2. A good sturdy pot. I'm no 'Pioneer Woman' with fancy turquoise crockery but I get by.

I could cook and boil water with ease. Of course I'd grab my biggest one, but it's got leftovers in it, in the fridge. Wow... I have a refrigerator. :s

3. Extra underwear. I'm not about to show them, so you get a view of the front of my dresser. ;) But after spending time in Haiti.... clean underwear. Ranks right up there with my Bible.

4. Aaaah.... toothbrush. 'Nuff said.

5. My iPhone. Yes, my iPhone.

One of the things I remember so vividly was going to church on Sunday morning when we were in Haiti and there was one bench along an outside wall that had a very long extension chord with a surge bar outlet LOADED with cell phone chargers! It was actually kinda funny, but at the same time, you should have seen people waiting to charge their phones.

The iPhone.... so many possibilities. Maybe I would charge people to use it.

And as I'm thinking of my top five, I'm looking around the house at all the things I'd have to leave behind. We...are....so.... SPOILED. Our material lives tend to become 'normal', expected....

Most people in third world countries live on less than $2.00 per day. Can you imagine? My electric meter spins WAY faster than that. Not to mention the food, personal hygiene items and cleaning supplies we go through in a day.

And as I sit here tapping away on my new laptop, watching the winter olympics on my BIG screen television and listening to my iPod I feel empty.

My son went on his first youth retreat tonight. They are attending Acquire The Fire in Kansas City and he is so excited. I'm grateful for the friends he's going with and my friend Joy and her husband Jack for chaperoning. I wish we could have gone. He packed his bag last night for his trip. I'll meet him again on Sunday morning at church when they return. And for 30 plus hours, what did he pack?

• Sleeping bag and pillow (begged for an air mattress and I told him NO!)
• Clean change of clothes and his extra hoodie because he's stylish like that.
• TWO ball caps. Because we must be coordinated right? My fashion conscious teen has an OU cap to match his sweatshirt and his Jesus Saves cap for concert night.
• His cell phone (and charger)
• His digital camera (and charger)
• His iPod

What didn't he pack that mom had to include:

• toothbrush & toothpaste
• deoderant (someone will thank me)
• brush (his hair is totally out of control.... imagine a blonde afro, seriously)
• his cooler full of food! Hellow!

I guess that's just one more reason God made mothers. I just wish I could be a mother to so SOO many more. What would you consider your prized possessions? It also brings to mind the earthquake again. Imagine if you were fortunate enough to own a home and some other worldly things and in a instant it was all gone. The people we've seen left with nothing. We need to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

One last thought to leave you with.... tomorrow is about being rich.

Lent Study - Day 2

So, day two of this Lent study is experiencing life without clean water. A challenge to go 12 hours... just twelve, without water. Nothing water based or mixed with water. That means from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. no water, no coffee, no tea, no soup (which is on my menu tonight for supper!), I think I should have planned better! lol

I knew from looking ahead what today would bring. And I surprised myself when I stopped to think about the magnitude of such a problem. Something we take for granted, yet learning to live without clean water. Before I went to bed I didn't review the 'rules' for today so I had no idea how many hours. If it was indeed 24 hours, an entire day..... or just 12 hours.

And I began to get thirsty!

I drank an extra glass of water before bed (which by the way had my bladder aching when my feet hit the floor this morning!) lol And then I found myself already making excuses when I got up. So aware of what my day was going to involve. Saying to myself, 'Well, if it's 24 hours, I'll go 24 hours from 8 a.m. till 8 a.m. tomorrow.'

So I drank another glass of water as soon as I was done in the bathroom. ;) I realized how desperate I was becoming. I just don't know if this is a good exercise for today. 'kinda silly' I tried to tell myself.

And then God reminded me of why.... Why I was becoming desperate. Why I was so thirsty. I don't want to fail at this. I remember the faces of the children I saw in Haiti. I remember the site of the old man drinking from a puddle on the side of the road. I see the faces of children through others' blogs on their missions in Africa....

I can't drink.

Lucky for me it's only a 12 hour test. And right now I desperately want a big glass of ice water! I don't even drink a lot of water in a normal day. Not as much as I should. But today is something that will keep my mind focused on Him. As I focus on Him, I know He will direct my thoughts to the ones I truly need to help. Not myself.

FACT:

A child dies every 21 seconds from

a water-related disease.

This amounts to nearly 6000 deaths,

or the equivalent of 20 jumbo jets

crashing....everyday.

Lent Study - Day 1

Follow along with JHAM as we journey through a Lenten Study with Richard Stearns and The Hole In Our Gospel. As you read along I hope your heart is changed, I hope you are inspired to take action. I hope you will participate with us! :)

As most probably already know Lent is a time of preparation for the death of Christ on Good Friday and His Resurrection on Easter Sunday. The period of 40 days of repentance with prayer and fasting are to mimic Jesus' 40 days and nights of fasting in the wilderness and the temptation by the devil.

As we choose to give up something for Lent it doesn't have to seem like a major undertaking or racking your brain for some incredible, newsworthy, life-threatening vice. We are not Jesus....don't try to fast completely for 40 days. I doubt you would survive. ;o) However, find something that is a crutch to you. Something you depend on way more than you should. Something you indulge in, yet don't need.

Jesus was tempted after his 40 days of fasting. When he was hungry and thirsty. When he was vulnerable. Giving up something for Lent is not God testing us, but a way for God to provide wisdom through experiences that test our faith. Our strength. Our endurance. When we are most vulnerable is when we tend to fail. When we tend to rely on our own understanding rather than leaning on God. After all, the Lord's prayer says, "Lead us not into temptation". I think God uses the temptations we are confronted with by the devil to serve a greater purpose to glorify Him. So when I am having sugar withdrawal from that sweet dark carbonated liquid love in a can...I'll be looking forward to the great things He has in store for me. That He opens my eyes to during this lent season.

The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns. You can go to the site by clicking the book title, there you will find information about the book, how to obtain it (at a discount price!), video clips about Richard's message and there are links to a reading guide and study actions to do everyday during Lent. Did I mention their FREE?! :) Bonus!

I know this is going to be an awesome book and will share my thoughts as I'm reading, but for day one we are to tell close friends or family if our Jesus is God-sized or if we've shrunk Him to our size.

An anonymous quote from the book says we have shrunk Jesus to the size where He can save souls, but now don't believe He can change the world. Well, I'm here to tell you CLOSE FRIENDS my

Jesus is God-sized!

I've seen first hand some of his miracles and know that with Him ANYTHING is possible. If the world had more faith in, and a relationship with Jesus I believe the 'changing the world' would be much more obvious! What 'size' do you think Jesus is? We need to put our faith and belief into action.

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

1 John 3:17