Thursday, July 21, 2011

Revelation!

Hello all-

Hope you are doing well this week.  It's been a rough week here around the Walker house.  My children have been a big challenge this week.  Yes challenge- that's the kind way to pull it.  My daughter is almost three and she has been going into my almost one yr olds room and messing things up in his room and "playing" with him.  The other day she decided to cover them both in diaper rash cream.  Oh yes... and it took about 2 hours to bathe them from start to finish.  It seemed like that morning all I did was feed, bathe, dress and feed the kids and it was nap time again.  Which was good because my nerves were shot!
Anyways- enough complaining.  I am grateful and in love with my kids; sometimes they try our patience but in the end it always gives us opportunities to show the Father to them.  Our reactions are what they see.

So onto the main event!
So my husband and I were having a fabulous conversation about healing.  We were talking about God's nature and how lots of people see it a little different than what reality is.  Some people see God as an Old Testament God where he punishes and is harsh, turns people into salt, sends plagues, etc.  They still feel it is in God's nature to give sickness to people today.  Which I disagree with now.  Not so long ago, I might not have agreed with the statement though. Maybe God does it to "make us better people" kinda idea.  However, I am not saying if you go with God no harm will befall you.  This isn't true, and is hard to believe.  I don't know how many different times I have read or heard "bad things happen to good people."  Truth is, we live in a world filled with sin and it's not perfect because of the sin we (Adam and Eve) brought onto humans.  So until Jesus comes back and the end times and we are all restored- things aren't going to be 100% until then!
So therefore people think at times that God gives us sickness because that's his nature.  That was his nature (as most see and understand it) before he sent his son, Jesus.  Still with me?  Ok good... then you look at verses like John 14:7-11 and the first chapter of Hebrews.  My husband said "... so Jesus came to reveal the Father."  Then I looked at these verses today and thought again about what my hubby said...

Reveal?!  Last night shockingly after hearing these verses possible hundreds of times- I guess I had never thought deeply about what Jesus was showing us more than any other thing! So that word reveal jumped out at me.
Revealing from dictionary.com says:
1.) to make known;
2.)to lay open to view
3.)revelation; disclosure

  So we can take away from that that Jesus was showing us something that we hadn't known about God yet.  Some things about his nature.  Well lets look at Jesus' life?  What did he do?  Fed people, fellowshipped, discipled, healed, raised the dead and so much more... but in all that at the root of it is what?

Love.  Jesus came to show us the love of the Father.  A side to him it might have been difficult to see in the Old Testament.  A side my almost three year old might not have seen the other day when I took her into the other room, told her she was in trouble, told her why, then spanked her.  She didn't see that she could have hurt her brother had he had an allergic reaction to the diaper rash (we hadn't used it on his sensitive skin yet...). But the root behind it is LOVE.  All those things because I love her.. and my Father loves me.
I love seeing new sides to God.  Just like I love finding out new things about my husband.  It continues to show me that this journey we are on is never ending.  That we are always learning new things.
I love that excitement about my relationship with God.

Well I leave that with you to ponder.  Please bring any and all comments.  I welcome them.  Thanks for visiting! :)

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Food?!

Where does our food come from?

Grocery stores? Yes but where? A farm?  What kind of place? Is this the largest farm of places like this?

What about the meat you get?  From chickens, beef, eggs? Produce?
I have really been challenged by this subject lately.  I have had several people in the past tell me about this and how much it means and so I bought organic milk... for Hailee.
That was my gateway into all this.  Then I wondered why I did that... and why shouldn't I look more into it for us and for the food etc.   So I did.  So surprised by what I found!!!
I mean think about it (I hadn't until then...) look at what we cook for dinner each week??  Not to mention how much fast food we eat, too.

Now please don't hear this as me on my soapbox.  That would mean I am looking down upon everyone from above.  No no... I am still just talking about what I have been thinking and why I am thinking that way and starting to make some changes.  Also-  if you guys have noticed lately I'm not in the best of shape.  Ok let's just be honest.  I am not in great shape at all.  But I am trying to get there.  And again I am just trying to explain why I am not above anyone... that I'm on the same level as everyone else.

So with the help of my friend Angel, and the movies Food Inc. and Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead I have slowly changed how my family and I are eating.  (I highly recommend both movies by the way).
Basically it talks about mostly how most of the food Americans eat now is processed so there are no nutrients in them.  Which I totally believe.  Then most of the "good" food we think we are eating- fruits, veggies, meat... are made badly.  With pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, etc... blech.   It just sounds nasty. But then when watching those movies you see the results of bad eating vs. great eating.
We now buy only either organic or natural grass fed, free range meat.  All of our milk and most produce are from a nearby farmers market.  A friend, Shanna, introduced us to that.  It's so easy.  You order online and pickup once a week what you would like.
You can find that if you are in the Augusta Area at http://augusta.locallygrown.net/

Also I know that it can be pretty expensive.  Especially as I am a couponer.  I can get other foods for FREE sometimes... so it is really hard to make that choice to pay so much more than free than normal for these organic, natural and local foods.  So again, believe me... it's not easy for my wallet either.  So again, I'm with you there.  But there is more.  Much more that we are called to by our Father, who loves us.

Well so basically we as people, but really more as Christians, are called to this:
19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.


God paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we might live- and not just live but thrive.  Us putting junk into our bodies is not the best way to go about thanking him for the temporary home that is our bodies.
Like I said, I have a long way to go.  And I am NOT one to go totally one sided with this and refuse meals, potlucks, and other food if I am unable to eat healthier.  God sees our hearts just like anything else... so I don't think eating totally non organic food at a friends while fellowshipping grieves the Lord.

Another awesome blog I have been reading is RiddleLove it is a family out of California.  Some of you might know the Father/Husband in the family as Jeremy Riddle I have talked about before? His wife and he are doing some amazing things not only for the kingdom of the Lord, but their home as well!  And isn't that where the Kingdom work really starts? Well done Riddle family! You are an inspiration... even here in lil Augusta, GA!

Anyways-  her blog impresses me and I can hardly understand it all.  But I'm trying.  And I'd love to get there someday.  I hope I am somewhere near there in about 10 yrs.  But we will see.
Please feel free to post and ask any questions but like I am saying, I might not know the answer to them, but I will sure try!!!

Thanks for sticking with me on this long post!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

It's been too long...

So I haven't given up on this blogging thing.  Well not really.

While you might disagree seeing that I haven't written in months... (yes that long!) I can assure you I am going to try and do better.  I have been so busy with life.  Two kids, vacations, church, worship and more can make a busy person busier.  ACK!  But I was very inspired by one of my friends, "J" and I have very much enjoyed her blog so I decided it was time for me to dust of the keyboard.

Anyways, onwards.  I have been rather disturbed by all the negativity regarding the Casey Anthony trial.  Don't get me wrong, (I personally am not God so I can't say with absolute certainty that she murdered her...) if she did murder her child, it is very sad.  I obviously don't condone murder.  It's a sin and a big one.  However, I believe this woman is sick.  
But onto my main point:


I have been distressed at all the comments and people so angry towards the jury and the trial.  What I am not understanding is where is the faith? Faith in our Father the one who truly gives justice??


Hebrews 10:30:  30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[d] and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”[e] 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.


So clearly here we see that we need to trust in God.  Not all things are right with the world.  There are people hungry, being abused and people lying, cheating and stealing.  This happens no matter what country, state, province, large land body or whatever you live in or on.    Our job, our assignment is to until all things are right, when we are sitting at the right hand of our Father, to bring Heaven to earth.  To bring God's kingdom here.  To reach out and heal the sick?

Could this have been different if someone had reached out and said to Casey, "can I pray with you"?  There could have been a number of different outcomes.  She could have been healed of these things going on!!! What an amazing thing that would have been.

So I just encourage us all to lean into God's faithfulness even when we can't see the whole picture.  To reach out to those who need more of Jesus in their lives.
Let's be looking for opportunity to reach out to God.


So I will leave you with a personal story:
Just a few weeks ago on Father's day I was at a restaurant where an older lady was with three younger children alone.  She seemed frazzled, stressed and like she wanted someone to lean on.  So as we were about to leave I asked her if I could pray with her.  She agreed and right there I prayed with her.  She was grateful and I saw her leave with some hope.  Turns out she is related by marriage to a Vineyard pastor in the Southeast area.  Very cool.
I don't know how it will turn out or what will happen but I know I am being faithful stepping out in Him to see what he wants to do.  LOVE it.