"Vibrant Demonstration"

Am I just a "do-gooder" or do I have a "vibrant demonstration of God's Love"? This scares me, I never want to be the person who is filled with doing good because it is the right thing to do.

I came across this prayer in my quiet time with the Lord and it says,

"Lord of my life, transform me from the inside out by Your love. Create in me a pure heart that is continually washed and cleansed by Your Word. Develop within me a good conscience and a sincere faith as I live out Your truths by the power of Your Spirit. Jesus, I want my life to be a vibrant demonstration of Your love, so that others will be drawn to You and receive You as their Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, amen." 

A "vibrant demonstration", let us just rest on those 2 words for just a minute.  The Miriam-Webster Dictionary defines vibrant as "pulsating with life, vigor or activity" and demonstration is defined as "an outward expression or display". When looking at our lives, so many times we have the demonstration part down pat. All day long we have an outward display on life, whether good or bad, but when it comes to vibrant, a life that is pulsating with vigor we tend to fall short. We get caught up in life and we demonstrate or "display" by doing the right things, but is that display "pulsating with life, with vigor"? I hate to admit it, but so many times I do not hit the mark.

Saturday, Jenny Beth, Tyler and Courtney and I traveled to Orlando to visit with Sara Lynn. We attended church on Sunday, then went to eat lunch with Sara Lynn and some of her friends. As we sat in the restaurant completing our afternoon, I couldn't help but feel whole as a mom. We had all "demonstrated" by doing our church thing, and nothing is better than going to church and watching your children worship...just saying. We all walked out of the restaurant with our bellies full, our hearts full from the sermon, yet most of us did not even notice Will. 

Will, a 32 year old homeless man, addicted to drugs was sitting at a table outside of the restaurant. His blond hair was just above the shoulder, dirty and in all honesty probably had not seen a comb or shampoo in weeks. His shirt was tattered and dirty, his face distraught, aged more than his 32 years. His eyes were filled with nothing but despair, loneliness, hunger and most likely hazed over from the high he experienced during the night.  His life was not a "vibrant demonstration" of hope, but one of hopelessness. I am positive that as a little boy, Will's dream was not to become a homeless man addicted to drugs. 

Tyler my son, bought Will some lunch, sat with him and conversed about life. It was evident that Will was not ready to change his ways and ask for help from his addiction. He by no way was indignant or haughty to Tyler, but had not reached that point of brokenness. Tyler made sure that Will had enough to eat and drink, he prayed protection over him and encouraged Will to seek help. Although Tyler was a little rattled by Will to say the least,  I believe that by taking the time to shake Will's hand, meet a physical need and listen to him was a "vibrant demonstration" of God's unconditional and unfailing love.

I cannot help but think how many times we miss the outward display or expression that is pulsating with vigor in our lives about God's love. Goodnight, our life should be such a reflection of what God has done for us that we do not miss the opportunities to share God's love with the "Will's" we encounter.

Find a "Will" today that can help you have a "vibrant demonstration" of God's Love.

Love Never Fails

 “You are the answer to every prayer I've offered. You are a song, a dream, a whisper..."
Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

If you have ever watched or read The Notebook, you will know exactly what I am talking about when I say, my precious Mom and Dad are the couple in this love story. My brothers and I have had the awesome opportunity to grow up with parents who are selfless when it comes to one another, they love unconditionally, they encourage one another, their display of love is so incredible. It is one that keeps a person watching them in AWE, wondering if they too can have that kind of relationship. 

I never really get the opportunity to go off with both of them at the same time, but at Christmas I DID! I love being around them. They have that kind of love that every girl dreams of. Our time started with Dad helping Mom in and out of the truck, opening the store doors, carrying her bags, just the fact that he went to our Town Center in Jacksonville during Christmas was enough, but all of the extras....I am swooning even now. On July 26, 2016, they will celebrate 58 years of marriage and I truly believe they are more in love today than they were their 1st year of marriage. If we could take and bottle this love, this type of selflessness up, our divorce rate would be nonexistent! 

I believe the key to their love is the fact that they both love God with all of their hearts. They have lived out 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. LOVE NEVER FAILS." Their love for one another doesn't stop with each other, but it overflows into my brothers and I, our spouses, the grandchildren and anyone else they come in contact with. 

Talk about being blessed! Why is it that God chose Jr. and Bea for my parents? I am not sure, but I am oh so glad that I call them "Mama and Daddy"! December 17th, 48 years ago, I was the surprise little girl that my Dad kept telling my Mom she was going to have! The doctor came out and told my dad he had a healthy baby boy and responded by, "NO, I am having a little girl"! My heart is overjoyed. I am the lucky girl that gets to call them my parents, my friends, my role models, my children's Nanny and Paw Paw! 

I John 3:18, "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

INHALE....I Dare You!

I think we can all agree that oxygen is needed to sustain life. Our bodies were created with the mechanism to inhale oxygen without us even having to think about it. During this process of inhaling there are certain fragrances that we love and some, well, NOT SO MUCH! Have you ever walked by a bakery and inhaled....oh my, the sweet aroma! For me, I always want to stop and get something, but yet for some reason when walking by the trash can that has been sitting in the sun for hours, even days, I do not have that same eagerness!

Just as oxygen is needed for life, the Holy Scriptures as Paul wrote to Timothy are needed. In 2 Timothy 3: 14-17, Paul is giving last  instructions to Timothy to carry him through the ministry. "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Although I enjoy technology, I am a firm believer that turning the pages of God's Word daily provides more spiritual oxygen for me than scrolling on my phone.....it might be that there are too many distractions, I guess you could say that I have ADD!  At that moment when spending time with God through scripture, I want to INHALE, breathe in what God has breathed out! Scripture provides life, IT IS LIFE, it allows me to breathe even when I am drowning under waters of life. Hebrews 4:12, "For the Word of God is living and active!" With all of the garbage that is being set out in our lives to cause distraction, we do not have to inhale that grotesque aroma. God's Word is our shield, it is that sweet fragrance...it provides peace, understanding, hope and a confidence that "ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD OF THOSE WHO LOVE HIM"!

Louie Giglio's illustration using scuba gear is spot on. While an oxygen tank is used to provide air while scuba diving, a person must first open the valve to the tank in order to breathe while under water. God's Word is no different, we must open up the Holy Scriptures to receive Holy air! Just sit back open up God's Word and INHALE. Go ahead, I dare you......BREATHE IT IN, INHALE!

Tupos 2015

"Grace, grace, God's grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within...Grace, grace, God's grace, grace that is greater than all our sin!" What powerful lyrics! How do we look at God's grace? I am so thankful for grace, for without it, my eternity doesn't look very good. Lately I have been trying to wrap my pea brain around it. One thing I know is that I do not want to live my life only because I have received grace, I want to live my life to reflect God's grace. Thank you God for oh so gently reminding me of this on the 2015 Extreme Whitewater Middle School Rafting Trip!

This past week I had the privilege of going with our youngest daughter on her last mission trip as a middle schooler....give me a few minutes as I wipe my tears. Over the course of the years I have gone 5 different times, 2 times with my older two and 3 with Jenny Beth. The purpose of the trip is to teach the middle school students the importance of becoming a servant, to develop a heart for missions, learn to LOVE ALL SERVE ALL and get them ready for the mission trips out of the country. The trip begins with 2 days of hard work serving people in the mountains of Ducktown, Tennessee and then two days of EXTREME Whitewater Rafting.

We began Monday, with helping a Veteran by building a room on his house and repairing a screened in porch for his 82 year old neighbor. Tuesday, the boys went back to the Veteran's home and the girls....well, let's just say we went and found something to do. When you have 24 people working on a 10 x 10 room it gets a little crowded. But God is so faithful and good, He allowed the girls to learn a life lesson on Tuesday. We were not sure what we were going to do, but we knew that 12 girls from the ages of 11 to 14 had to be entertained for at least 8 hours....Holy Cow! I think even the chaperones were doubting Thomas' at this moment. We loaded the girls up, went into town and began stopping at churches, needless to say there aren't any churches in the area who have full time staff available and when you call, you get a voicemail. We regrouped at our local Dollar "Gentral" as some of our girls would say, made more phone calls and FINALLY got a sweet little lady from the Copper Basin Crisis Center....ONE MILE FROM OUR CAMP! 

Martha was her name and she was elated that a group of young girls wanted to serve in any way. She had a list that was a mile long.... no joke! She and her husband serve this community every Monday and Tuesday by giving out food, clothes, furniture...you name it, they give it out! I honestly could not believe the amount of traffic that came through there. I have been to many places, but have never seen the influx of people that I did here. We began by sorting clothes, food, unloading trailers and then we ended the day by painting and cleaning the amphitheater they use for Vacation Bible School.

While we were eating lunch, we invited Mrs. Martha and her husband to eat with us and what a sweet moment for God to reveal His faithfulness. Mrs. Martha began by saying what a blessing the girls were and how she appreciated their willing hearts, but then she went on to say what an answer to prayer. They knew the amphitheater needed cleaning and possibly painting, but did not know how it would get done. Little did she know that there were chaperones of 12 girls that had also been praying that God would allow for these girls to have the joy of helping someone in need! I know this is cliche', but our God is so ON TIME as the kids would say He is "ON POINT" (and did I mention that we called her on Tuesday not Wednesday, remember they are only there on Monday's and Tuesdays)! We all learned that day that you cannot sit idle and wait for something to happen, you have to GO! After all, God commands us to go, Matthew 28:19, "Therefore GO and make disciples".

Let me just say, how blessed our youth are to have a Youth Pastor and his wife (Todd and Robin Carr) who exemplify what it means to Love the Lord your God with all of your heart! He planned sessions each night for the students to learn about "Becoming a Person of Impact.....Tupos"! We all impact others whether it is in a positive way or a negative way and these kids impacted a lot of people this week with their willingness to work and their display of God's Grace in their lives. This particular study challenged each of us in the areas of speech, life, love, faith and purity. I believe many times in the life of a Christian, we excuse ourselves from these areas because we live under the umbrella of grace.....What a tragedy! Our lives should reflect these areas in a positive way because we live a life that portrays grace. 

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." 

~Brennan Manning~

Launching in the Nantahala for Class
2 Rapids

EXTREME High Ropes Course

Completed Amphitheater
Copper Basin Crisis Center

Team Building Exercise

1 Timothy 4:12

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an EXAMPLE for the believers in SPEECH, in LIFE, in LOVE, in FAITH and in PURITY."

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Today Gary and I celebrate 27 years of wedded bliss....well, not all 27 years were bliss! When you get married at 20 you tend to grow up together and that means you will have ALOT of growing pains.  1 Corinthians 13:4-8, is the epitome of Gary! He lives these verses, this is who he is.  

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

LOVE NEVER FAILS."

To hear Gary, he says that he had his eye on me in Kindergarten. I say yeah, me and every other little girl in our class. A lot of you see Gary as a quite individual, he is, but he hasn't always been that way. He was always the prankster, the flirt, the comedian and always in trouble with a teacher. I even had a teacher tell me our senior year of high school, "Gary Ard is not good for you". I know, for those of you who are active in our life now, that is hard to believe! Looking back at those traits, he still has them, but in a more reserved way. He is still a prankster, get him with the right people and you had better watch out!  He is a flirt....with me and our girls, he wants our girls to look for a spouse who boasts on them, who lifts them up and makes them feel beautiful. He loves to see people smile, he wants them to be happy and he will do whatever it takes to make someone smile. 

I have watched him weep and pray over our children for the ones on earth and the two who are in Heaven. He has wept over and prayed over kids in our youth group. He has a heart of gold, a heart of compassion and a heart for God! I am blessed beyond measure to call him my groom, my husband, my friend. What an encourager he is. I watched him this past Sunday seek out an older couple to check on them and to wish the Mrs. a happy Mother's Day. He always goes above and beyond to serve others...that is my Gary!

The past 27 years I have had the opportunity to see him grow in his faith, to love the Lord with all of his heart! He is my Priest, Protector and Provider! What an example for our son as God will be leading him to his bride in the future. What an example for our girls....good night their future mates have BIG shoes to fill!

Thank you Gary Ard for having your sites on me in Kindergarten, for choosing me as your bride, for loving me unconditionally, for loving our children and being a wonderful Daddy, for loving others...even the unloveable, for being selfless and giving, but most of all for loving God! Thank you for being 1 Corinthians 13, I am truly blessed to call you my husband!

Happy Anniversary!

I Love You!

Just a Little Dueling Dragons!

Do you like roller coasters? I absolutely LOVE them! The more twists, turns and inverted cork screws the happier I am! When my children were younger, we would visit theme parks and it never failed, two of my three children would head right for the largest, fastest, thrill riding roller coaster and the third one would say, I want to ride and then chicken out at the last minute. Okay, okay... so we are those parents that made our kids ride the roller coasters! This one time, after much "persuasion" the entire family was on the coaster and after exiting the ride this child was so enthusiastic and pumped with adrenaline....it was all talk...NON-STOP!  You would have thought this was the child with the roller coaster fetish!

Reminiscing over our trips to theme parks got me to thinking...OH NO! (The smoke is bellowing out right now.) My excitement for the Lord should look  just like that child getting off of the roller coaster with an adrenaline rush! My life should reflect a never ending talk and actions that show my love and devotion to God.

This past week coming home from mid week service at church a new song by Sanctus Real came on the radio. "On Fire" (https://youtu.be/4Y5hLwwW7vM) and boy was I completely overwhelmed by the words in this song! The song is about how our fire for God has been snuffed out and we have lost our zeal and passion to love God with all of our heart, it is as though we do not feel God's presence. We are living a life of disconnect. Nothing in this world makes Satan more happy than for Christians to loose their commitment and excitement to share Jesus with others, to not live a life that is abundant and free, to not live a life that glorifies Him. But wait...isn't that why we were created?

As I am writing this, I am thinking of all that He has done for me! Too numerous to count, but to start off, He rescued me from a life eternal in Hell. God the Son; Jesus, came to earth as 100% man without sin AND 100% God, died a gruesome death for me and for you as well! What a sacrifice! He is a God who is in constant pursuit of me...I still cannot wrap my little mind around that! And all He wants from me is for me to love Him, to glorify Him in all I do, to be "On Fire" for Him.

Hebrews 12:28-29English Standard Version (ESV)

28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

"Set me on fire, Turn your eyes upon Jesus"! Need a little encouragement, go to https://youtu.be/4Y5hLwwW7vM and listen.

Awareness

January was a month of awareness. First, we had Sanctity of Human Life. It always amazes me that as horrible as the Holocaust was with killing over 8 million people, we are still facing a Holocaust! One of unborn babies. Each year in the United States alone, there are over 1 million (1,000,000) babies that have their life ended through abortion. Since 1973 when abortions were made legal due to the ruling of Roe vs. Wade there have been over 56 billion abortions, that is 56,000,000,000. Now do you want to tell me that we do not have a Holocaust going on? Just a side note...abortions do not happen to the unchurched population only, 1 out of 3 people in the church have been affected by abortion.

Secondly, January is also a month that brings awareness to the epidemic of Human Trafficking. There are well over 27 million people...women, men, & children who are enslaved by force and manipulation to do things that are harsh and unthinkable. Most Americans believe this is happening in other countries, not here in the "Land of the Free". THINK AGAIN! Florida is one of the top states  for Human Trafficking.

God's Word, clearly states in Psalms 82:3-4, "Defend the case of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." If I may be so bold, What are you doing to not only bring awareness, but to prevent these tragedies from occurring? As Christians, God has not called us to sit idle. We have been called to action. We cannot sit by every Sunday, get a "feel good" message and think we have done our job! There are many organizations that you can volunteer at whether your passion is to protect the unborn, protect women and children from domestic violence, feeding the homeless, or rescue those who are trapped as slaves. Find your niche', I know you have one!