Patsy Clairmont shows just how artistic and humorous she truly is in the pages of “Twirl”. The simple fact that each chapter of this very easy, smooth, and gentle read stands alone makes this a book that can be enjoyed at any time and in any place. “Twirl” invites you to look to find enjoyment of life in the simplest of things as Patsy reminds you just how much fun twirling used to be. As you spend time among the pages of this wonderfully uplifting volume, you will realize that some of the things in your life that you allow to cause you tension can be made much more tolerable, if you simply think of them as you twirl around. The words on these pages will bring you many moments of unadulterated joy. So much so, you will find yourself with highlighter in hand, marking favorite passages for future reference. As you spend time among the beautifully written words of Patsy Clairmont, an original “Women of Faith” speaker, you will notice increasing numbers of people coming to mind that you want to give a copy of “Twirl” as a gift. You can rest assured, “Twirl” will be a gift very well received. This is a book that you will retrieve from your bookshelf many times over as you find yourself rereading it time and time again.
Tag Archive | God
Why does God allow suffering? Part 3
The day is coming when suffering will cease and God will judge evil.
A lot of times you’ll hear people say: “If God has the power to eradicate evil and suffering, then why doesn’t He do it?” And the answer is that because He hasn’t done it yet doesn’t mean He won’t do it. You know, the Bible says that the story of this world isn’t over yet. It says the day will come when sickness and pain will be eradicated and people will be held accountable for the evil things they’ve done. Justice will be served in a perfect way. That day will come, but not yet.
So what’s God waiting for? Perhaps He’s waiting for some of us! He’s actually delaying things in anticipation that some of you will still put your trust in Him and spend eternity in heaven. He’s delaying everything out of His love for you. Second Peter 3:9 says: “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” That seems to me like that’s evidence of a loving God, that He would care that much for you.
We make the choice whether to turn bitter and angry or turn to God for peace and courage.
We’ve all seen examples of how the same suffering that causes one person to turn bitter, to reject God, to become hard and angry, can cause another person to turn to God, to become more gentle, loving and tender, willing to reach out with compassion to help others who are in pain. Some, who lose a child to a drunk driver, turn inward in chronic rage and never-ending despair; yet another turns outward to help others by founding Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.
We make the choice to either run away from God or to run to Him. What happens if we run to Him?
Let’s go back to what Jesus said in John 16:33 and finish that thought. “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. But be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
So, Jesus offers us the two things we need the most when we’re hurting: peace to deal with the present and courage to deal with the future. How does He do that, and why? Because he has conquered the world! Through His own suffering and death, Jesus has deprived this world of its ultimate power over us. Suffering doesn’t have the last word anymore. Death doesn’t have the last word anymore. God has the last word! God wins the war! We may feel like we lose some of the battles, but God wins the war! Isn’t that just the most incredible thought and feeling?
God’s ultimate answer to suffering and pain isn’t an explanation; it’s the manifestation. Misery is a personal problem; it demands a personal response. And God isn’t some distant, detached, and disinterested deity. He entered into our world and personally experienced our pain. Jesus is there in the lowest places of our lives. Are you broken? He was broken, like bread, for us. Are you despised? He was despised and rejected of men. Do you cry out that you can’t take any more? He was a man of sorrows and familiar with grief. Did someone betray you? He was sold out. Are your most tender relationships broken? He loved and He was rejected. Did people turn from you? They hid their faces from Him as if He were a leper. Does He descend into all of our hells? Yes, He does. No matter how deep we feel our cavern is, He is even deeper. Every tear we shed becomes his tear.
Any close friend can sit beside you and comfort you and empathize with you. But Jesus is much closer than your closest friend. If you have put your trust in Him, then He is in you. And, therefore, your sufferings are His sufferings; your sorrow is His sorrow.
So when tragedy strikes, and it will; when suffering comes, and it will; when you’re struggling with pain, and you will – yet through all that you make the choice to run into His arms, here’s what you’re going to discover: you’ll find peace to deal with whatever is happening right now, you’ll find courage to deal with your future, and you’ll find the incredible promise of eternal life in heaven.
All of us will go through pain and suffering at some point in our lives. We know that life is so fragile and short. We never know when we might be in our last moments in this world. We never know when death will come knocking. It’s not like you are going to get any warning when a heart attack strikes, or when a drunk driver crosses the centerline, or when a wildfire sweeps through a canyon, or when an airplane loses power. And so the question I’m compelled to ask you is this – “Are you ready?”
God doesn’t want you wondering. He doesn’t want you immersed in anxiety over whether you’re headed for heaven. His dependable, unfailing Word says you can know for sure.
Don’t rely on the fact that you attend church or you’ve gone through some sort of religious ritual in the past. Religious activities and affiliations never saved anyone. Salvation comes from knowing Christ personally and receiving His provision for YOUR sin and YOUR future. It comes from making him YOUR Savior, by asking Him to forgive YOUR every sin, and by asking Him to lead YOUR life. It doesn’t come by attending a great church, or being baptized, or taking communion, or hanging out with a bunch of Christians. It comes from deciding in your heart that you want to turn from your sin, to stop trusting in your own self, and to accept the forgiveness and eternal life that Jesus bought on the cross and is offering you as a free gift. THAT is how you gain God’s peace and confidence.
So please don’t wait! Resolve this today, at this moment, so that if tragedy strikes, your eternity with God will be secure. I don’t know all the ways God is going to draw some good from all the various tragedies, but wouldn’t it be awesome if He were to start right now, with you? What if He were to use this simple blog to bring you into His kingdom at this very moment? Let the pain of all your tragedies open your heart to Christ. Let’s take what was intended for evil and watch God start creating something good from it.
Do you know of someone who has suffered and turned TOWARD God rather than away? What about the other way around? Perhaps the person that has turned AWAY from God could use a little encouragement. Why not give them a call, go see them, help them find their way back, help them find their happiness again.
Please share your thoughts.
Why does God allow suffering? Part 2
So, pain and evil, why does God allow them? We know that God did not create them. The second point of light I want to talk about is this: Though suffering isn’t good, God can use it to accomplish good.
He does this by fulfilling His promise in Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Notice that the verse doesn’t say God causes evil and suffering, just that he promises to cause good to emerge. And notice that the verse doesn’t say we all will see immediately or even in this life how God has caused good to emerge from a bad circumstance. Remember, we only see things dimly in this world. And notice that God doesn’t make this promise to everyone. He makes the solemn pledge that he will take the bad circumstances that befall us and cause good to emerge IF we are committed to following Him.
The Old Testament gives us a great example in the story of Joseph. He went through terrible suffering, being sold into slavery by his brothers, unfairly accused of a crime and falsely imprisoned. Finally, after a dozen years, he was put in a role of great authority where he could save the lives of his family and many others.
Look at what he said to his brothers in Genesis 50:20: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” And if we are committed to God, He promises that He can and will take whatever pain we’re experiencing and create something good out of it.
I hear you saying, “There’s no way God can make something good out of this. I’ve been hurt too bad. Too many people were hurt. The pain is too deep. The damage is too destructive. No, there’s just no way that God can make anything good out of this.”
Well, let’s look at what God has done historically. God took the very worst thing that has ever happened in the history of the universe — His own death on the cross — and turned it into the very best thing that has happened in the history of the universe. Through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, He opened up heaven to all who follow Him. So if God can take the very worst circumstance imaginable and turn it into the very best situation possible, don’t you think He can take the negative circumstances of your life and create something good from them?
I believe He can and He will. God uses our suffering to draw us closer to Him, to mold and shape our character, to influence others for Him. He can create something good from our pain in a myriad of ways…if we simply trust and follow Him.
Why does God allow suffering?
These days it seems there are so many tragic stories, so much pain. Between school and mall shootings, children and babies suffering and dying, and currently the flu epidemic and the fear that goes with it. There’s illness, abuse, broken relationships, betrayal, sorrow, injuries, disappointment, heartache, crime and death. All of these leave many people asking the question, “Why? Why does God allow this?”
Just last night, a tiny, newborn baby girl, beautiful and precious, left the loving arms of her mother and father and went to be with Jesus. This little girl being so close to my family that she may as well of been. She is the daughter of my son-in-law’s cousin, a young man we have had to our house often, eaten many a meal with and shared holidays and family celebrations with. I’m sure there are several members of this family currently asking those questions, “Why? Why me? Why, God?”
That “why” question goes back thousands of years. It was asked in the Old Testament by Job and the writers of the Psalms, and it was especially relevant during the 20th century, where we witnessed two World Wars, the Holocaust, genocides in the Soviet Union and China, devastating famines in Africa, the killing fields of Cambodia, the emergence of AIDS, the genocide in Rwanda and the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo.
Things didn’t get any better in the 21st century. There was 9/11 and now the Syrian slaughters, and on and on. Why is all of this happening if there’s a loving and powerful God? Why do bad things happen to good people?
Several years ago, a national survey asked people what question they’d ask if they could only ask God one thing. The Number One response? “Why is there suffering in the world?” Interestingly, married people were much more likely to want to know why there’s so much suffering.
But if you’ve never asked why our world is infected with pain and suffering, you will when you or someone you love is struck. And Jesus warned us those times would come. Unlike some other religious leaders who wrote off pain and suffering as just being imagined, Jesus was honest. He told us the truth. He said in John 16:33, “You will have suffering in this world.” He didn’t say you might – he assured us it would happen.
But, why? If you ask me point-blank, “Why did God allow that precious baby, and now her parents to suffer?”, the only answer I can honestly give consists of four words – “I do not know.”
I cannot stand in the shoes of God and give a complete answer to that question. I don’t have God’s mind. I don’t see with God’s eyes. 1st Corinthians 13:12 says, “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.”
So when you ask about specific individual events and want to know why this particular thing happened, we won’t get the full answer in this world. Someday, we’ll see with clarity, but for now things are foggy. We can’t understand everything from our finite perspective. And honestly, I don’t think any attempt at theological explanation is going to do anyone any good right now; any intellectual response is just going to seem rehearsed. What is desperately needed now is the very real and comforting presence of Jesus Christ in their lives. And I’m so grateful that this young family has a loving church and family helping them through this difficult time.
But for us, let’s focus on the big, overarching issue of why God generally allows suffering in our lives – your life and mine. People, this is important: even though we can’t understand everything about it, we can understand some things. So let’s try.
Imagine driving along a highway in the dark, when it starts to rain heavily and suddenly you hit dense fog. You can barely see the white stripe on the edge of the road and that is what you are using to attempt to stay on the road! You can’t stop because then someone might come along and rear-end you. Talk about scary!
Just as suddenly a truck appears in front of you. You can just make out his taillights through the fog. You guess he must have fog lamps in front, because he is traveling at a confident and deliberate pace, and somehow, you know if you can just follow those taillights, you’ll be okay, heading in the right direction.
I think the same is true in understanding why there is tragedy and suffering in our lives and in our world. We may not be able to make out all the peripheral details of why — they may be obscured from our view — but there are some key Biblical truths that can illuminate some points of light for us. And if we follow those lights, they will lead us in the right direction, toward some conclusions that I believe can help satisfy our hearts and souls.
What are those points of light? Let’s take a look at some that people have found helpful whenever they have felt prompted to ask the question, “Why?”
The first point would be that God is not the creator of evil and suffering.
This answers the question you hear so often: “Why didn’t God merely create a world where tragedy and suffering didn’t exist?” The answer is: He did! Genesis 1:31 says: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”
But if God is not the author of tragedy or evil or death, where did those things come from? Well, God has existed from eternity past as the Father, Son and Spirit, together in a relationship of perfect love. So, I think we can agree love is the highest value in the universe. And when God decided to create human beings, he wanted us to experience love. But to give us the ability to love, God had to give us free will to choose whether to love or not. Why? Well, because love always involves a choice.
If we were programmed to say, “I love you,” it wouldn’t really be love. Think of those dolls with a string in the back, and when you pull that string the doll says, “I love you.” Does that doll love the string puller? Of course not. It is programmed to say those words. To really experience love, that doll would need to be able to choose to love or not to love. Again – real love always involves a choice.
So in order for us to experience love, God bestowed on us free will. But unfortunately, we humans have abused our free will by rejecting God and walking away from Him. And that has resulted in the introduction of two kinds of evil into the world: moral evil and natural evil.
Moral evil is the immorality and pain and suffering and tragedy that come because we choose to be selfish, arrogant, uncaring, hateful and abusive. Romans 3:23 says “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
So much of the world’s suffering results from the sinful action or inaction of ourselves and others. For example, people look at a famine and wonder where God is. When in reality the world produces enough food for each person to have 3,000 calories a day. It’s our own irresponsibility and self-centeredness that prevents people from getting fed.
In other words: look at your hand. You can choose to use that hand to hold a gun and shoot someone, or you can use it to feed hungry people. It’s your choice. But it’s unfair to shoot someone and then blame God for the existence of evil and suffering. Like that old saying, “We have seen the enemy, and he is us.”
The second kind of evil is called natural evil. These are things like wildfires, earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes that cause suffering for people. But these, too, are the indirect result of sin being allowed into the world. As one author explained: “When we humans told God to shove off, He partially honored our request. Nature began to revolt. The earth was cursed. Genetic breakdown and disease began. Pain and death became part of the human experience.”
The Bible says it’s because of sin that nature was corrupted and “thorns and thistles” entered the world. Romans 8:22 says, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” In other words, nature longs for redemption to come and for things to be set right. That’s the source of disorder and chaos.
To be perfectly clear, God did not create evil and suffering. However, He did create the potential for evil to enter the world, because that was the only way to create the potential for genuine goodness and love. But it was us, human beings, in our free will, who brought that potential evil into reality.
Some people may ask, “Doesn’t God have a plan? Couldn’t He have foreseen all of this?” And I have no doubt He did. But look at it this way: many of you are parents. Even before you had children, couldn’t you foresee that there was the very real possibility they may suffer disappointment or pain or heartache in life, or that they might even hurt you and walk away from you? Of course — but you still had kids. Why? Because you knew there was also the potential for tremendous joy and deep love and great meaning.
God undoubtedly knew we’d rebel against Him, but He also knew many people would choose to follow Him and have a relationship with Him and spend eternity in heaven with Him. He must have thought it was all worth it for that, even though it would cost His own Son great pain and suffering to achieve their redemption.
In my next post, I’ll look at another ‘point of light’, the fact that God can use suffering to accomplish good.
Joel Osteen is pastor of one of the largest churches in our country, Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. He has written numerous books, travels all over the world speaking and ‘preaching’. There is a website for his church, as well as his personal blog/web page. Whomever his publicist is, is a creative, blinded, genius! Osteen has been marketed in such a way that he has become a multi-millionaire while preaching the ‘prosperity’ message.
According to http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3059879/posts … Osteen has recently decided that the Bible has errors in it and that the apostles Paul, Peter, and John are mistaken about some things, and they should be corrected and rebuked! I will let you read the article for yourself! When you finish reading it, please leave a comment sharing your thoughts on this article. I am very interested to see how others interpret what has been said by Osteen.
HERE IS THE ARTICLE….
Joel Osteen Rebukes Apostles Paul, Peter, and John
United for Awakening ^ | 8/27/13 | Peter Michael Martinez
Posted on 8/28/2013 2:22:54 PM by Sopater
According to Joel Osteen – Pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, these first century apostles are wrong and outdated and he has come out boldly to infer indirectly that Apostles Paul, Peter, and John whom wrote much of the New Testament were wrong and need to be corrected and rebuked.
When asked directly if people whom are openly practicing homosexuals are accepted into the Kingdom, Joel Osteen responded with “Absolutely, anybody is.”
We all need to listen carefully to the words that this “man of God” speaks as he goes on interviews so we too can find the errors in the preaching of the first century apostles.
Joel does acknowledge that some things are “sin” but says, “I don’t address these things from the pulpit. They only come up in interviews.” When asked if openly practicing gay/homosexual people will be accepted into heaven, Joel Osteen responded, “I believe they will.”
He makes no mention of the need for repentance.
Joel Osteen Brings Us Universalism
The doctrine of universalism is the belief that all people are “saved” no matter who you are or what you’ve done.
This is a new version of the “good news” that is MUCH BETTER than the message the Jesus and the Apostles preached 2,ooo years ago which was far too narrow according to the way Joel Osteen explains his “message.”
“I’m for everybody” says Joel Osteen, “I’m not into excluding people. Jesus can reveal himself to anybody.”
The idea is that since no one would be accepted if we are called to be “holy” then all have to be accepted. So goes this logic. This doctrine also believes that all roads lead to heaven so there is no one “way, truth, and life that leads to the father.”
According to Joel, “sin means to miss the mark” which, while technically correct, stands in contrast to the teachings of many writers of the Bible that teach that sin is violation of God’s Holy Laws so if by missing the mark Joel means violating God’s ways, then yes, sin is missing the mark.
According to the out of date writers of the Bible, the “wages of sin is death” for which blood is required and for which a sacrifice was presented.
It sounds a lot more harsh to say SIN is TREASON punishable by death than to say it is “missing the mark” which is a bit incomplete. Sin is also “to incur guilt, incur penalty” which according to the scripture is death.
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
When asked about people who live in open sin, Joel smilingly said, “I’m not going to bash those people. I’m not going to be against those people. They’re good people.”
So by contrast, Apostle Jude is “bashing people” when he said:
Jude 1:14-16 “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.”
Joel’s wife recently said to Piers Morgan. “It’s the people that we’re after. We’re not trying to judge their sin. We want to encourage them and love them. You’re only going to win people by reaching out to them.”
Isn’t that so awesome! They are all about the people! They want you and I be accepted without having to discuss anything like repentance or righteousness. These are “judgmental” subjects that we just don’t need.
These modern day ministry giants have gone on national television to essentially correct Apostles Peter, John, and Paul to say … they are wrong … if you listen to Joel Osteen. So many across the nation are so proud of this Pastor and his courage in confronting the church fathers!
According to Joel Osteen, Apostle Paul erroneously stated to the Corinthians …
1 Corinthians 6:8-10 “Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
In saying this, according to Joel Osteen, Apostle Paul is being “exclusionary” and should be rebuked and corrected. He is obviously wrong and should never have said these things to the Corinthian church.
Corinth was known for its sexual openness and promiscuity so for Paul to “condemn” all these “good people” was completely out of order and he needs to be rebuked.
When Paul wrote to the Romans he also was in complete error in stating the following in the first chapter of his letter, according to Joel Osteen.
“And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.”
According to Joel Osteen, Paul was absolutely incorrect and to state that being a homosexual is a sin is being “judgmental” and should not be tolerated. It is just wrong according to Joel Osteen. Many people agree with Joel Osteen today and so, Apostle Paul is apparently misguided and incorrect in his letter.
Joel goes on to point out the additional errors in the words Apostle Paul wrote.
“Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” Paul went on to write in the first chapter of Romans, which according to the words of Joel Osteen, he is deeply misguided and mistaken.
Apostle Paul should repent for saying such things according to Joel Osteen. A growing number of people in America agree with Joel that Apostle Paul should be rebuked for ever saying such things because Paul isn’t accepting of people like Joel Osteen is.
Equally misguided and incorrect according to Joel Osteen is Paul’s words to the Galatian church. In his writings, Apostle Paul made stunning comments that were clearly exclusionary statements concerning the Kingdom and those whom are accepted, and in so doing has made grave error according to Joel Osteen.
See if you can detect the absolutely false statements that Apostle Paul made to the Galatian church according to the stated doctrine of Joel Osteen.
Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.“
You can clearly see what has Joel Osteen so unhappy that he’s gone on national television to correct this! It is this type of rhetoric, according to Joel Osteen, that is completely false and misrepresents the God he serves.
Joel Osteen’s God loves everybody and there are no exclusions because then, according to Joel, “none of us would be saved.” So again, Apostle Paul was completely incorrect and should never have written such harsh and insensitive words to the Galatian church according to Joel.
I imagine Joel Osteen would say “shame on Apostle Paul for ever writing such hateful words!”
Now, not only is Joel out to correct the misguided Apostle Paul, but Apostle Peter was also brought into serious question for clearly being exclusionary when he wrote these words.
1 Peter 1:14-16 “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
According to the doctrine Joel Osteen has now shared with us all as “his message,” being clearly more evolved and enlightened than the archaic Apostle Peter, no one can be holy. We are left to conclude that Peter is misguided and is being judgmental. What a terrible yoke and condemnation Apostle Peter is trying to put on the good people he is writing to.
Additionally, Apostle Peter goes on to say things that are completely against the Lakewood Church Pastor’s God when he stated the following.
2 Peter 2:6-8 “And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)”
According to Joel Osteen’s public comments, one could conclude that Apostle Peter was in complete error and deceived when he wrote such things. What a terrible condemnation. He clearly did not know the doctrine that Joel Osteen preaches or he would never have said such awful and critical things.
Joel Osteen indirectly implies (subtly) that these apostles were false and were critical and judgmental and should NOT be listened to in America today. We all need to listen instead to Joel Osteen and Oprah Winfrey.
Now Apostle John made even greater errors if the benchmark is Joel Osteen’s “message” when he stated some of the thing that he wrote which, according to Joel Osteen, is just plain and simply not true.
It takes a lot of courage for Joel to stand against these writings but he believes strongly in his “uplifting and encouraging” doctrine that does not endorse such harsh and judgmental statements as written by these ancient Apostles.
We should all pray for Joel Osteen because he needs our prayers if he’s going to continue to champion the cause of those oppressed and condemned by the writings and statements of Apostles like Paul, Peter and John.
Revelation 21:8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
You see, according to Joel Osteen in a recent interview, “God doesn’t see any sin as worse than another” and all are going to heaven. Apparently in Joel Osteen’s bible, he has redacted the unpardonable sin. So if you’re a follower of Joel Osteen’s then this statement by Apostle John must seem just plain wrong.
Apostle John doesn’t know what he’s talking about and we need to listen to the wisdom of Joel Osteen. Apostle John clearly was in error and should be rebuked for suggesting that people who tell lies are going to have their part in the lake of fire.
What was Apostle John thinking writing such judgmental things???
That’s a terrible thing to say and no one, certainly not Apostle John, should be allowed to say such things. As Joel says, “there’s enough condemnation in the world” and we don’t need anymore.
Additionally, in his letter, Apostle John says things like …
1 John 3:8-10 “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.”
Now according to Joel Osteen and the thousands that agree with his “message,” this entire passage should be removed from the pages of the bible and no one should be saying such things. In fact, Joel goes on to share that it is this exact kind of preaching that will hinder “church growth.”
Apostles Paul, Peter, and John listen up. Joel Osteen rebukes you all.
Now listen, Joel Osteen and his ministry in Houston are all about people. He is standing up for your rights! He is taking a REALLY BIG RISK because … if he’s wrong, and Apostle Paul is right … then he stands to be cursed! So he needs your support in prayer NOW!
Galatians 1:9 “As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
Instead, you all need to listen to his message of universal acceptance and lawless living without any condemnation so we can all “lift our spirits” and be “encouraging and loving” to all people no matter what lifestyle or choices they make. After all, according to Joel, God loves us all and everyone is going to heaven so lighten up!
There is no exclusive path to the Kingdom. According to Joel Osteen, we need to hear this message because it’s the right message and anyone that says that there is an exclusive path to God is wrong.
Joel would know, look at the size of his church! He is clearly telling you the truth more than anyone in history.
John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Exactly how much error is too much?
Sources:
Overview of Joel Osteen/Oprah deceptions:http://youtu.be/weEWl52wevI
Joel Osteen meets with Larry King … Here’s the link: http://youtu.be/KwL1DThtxYg
Joel Osteen meets with Piers Morgan … Here’s the link: http://youtu.be/tgCpRNfBzys
To his credit, in this interview Joel does call out sin, however, he softens it and backs away from talking about repentance … and when he is asked “what would you say” his comment is that he doesn’t understand. You’re leading the largest church in America and you don’t understand REPENTANCE?
The quotes are taken right from what Joel himself has spoken. He positions himself on his own without being told how to answer. On the one hand he wants to appease his Christian followers by saying “the bible says” but on the other he clearly fellowships with darkness and facilitates those whom deny the power thereof.
2 Timothy 3:1-7 “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
As I said I am very interested in your opinions of what you have just read. So please, leave a comment and let’s have a calm and focused discussion!
To be fair, I did go to Osteen’s webpage and do a little reading. I don’t know if the website just needs to be updated to correlate with what Osteen has said he believes, or if the article above is completely false. I do know that something is stinky in Houston though!!
I will let you discern for yourself. Here is a link to Osteen’s webpage and a description of what their beliefs are, or were! http://www.joelosteen.com/Pages/WhatWeBelieve.aspx
So I guess my question comes down to, just what is Joel Osteen up to?
“God Will Never Give You More Than You Can Handle”
How many times have you heard the phrase, “God will never give you more than you can handle” and wondered why He thought you could handle so much? I know I have tons of times!
I know the people telling me that when I am going through a tough time or some hardship all mean well, but I have to remind myself that they must not be studying their Bible very closely if they truly believe that! Why? Because it just isn’t true!
You see, I know that God DOES give us more than we can handle, on our own. There is something key in that last statement, ‘on our own’. It did take me a very long time to realize this, but now that I have, it seems like those tough times have gotten a little easier. I
know that no matter what I am going through, if I will put all my trust in God to get me through it, He WILL! The reason He lets us go through difficulties is so that we will pull closer to Him. Maybe not always, but most of the time, when He allows something that we feel we just can’t handle to come into our lives, it is because we have made the decision to distance ourselves from Him. Remember, God will NEVER leave us nor forsake us, but we are always leaving Him. There is always some area of our lives that we just don’t want God ‘butting into’! Right?
If we will turn to the scriptures when we are feeling overwhelmed, we will find exactly what God has in store for us! We can search and search for the scripture that tells us He won’t give us more than we can handle, but we will never find it. It just does not exist!
The scriptures never say that the Lord won’t give you more than you can handle. In 1 Corinthians 10:13 it does speak of God giving us an escape from temptations so that it’s not too much to bear. But, when we have to deal with pain, trials, heartache, and burdens– not once does it say it won’t be more than we can bear. Instead, it beautifully says this instead:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11: 28-30)
The words struck my heart, as you can imagine. Christ is speaking to those of us who are carrying burdens much too heavy for our own shoulders. And in that one verse he simply states the reason why we are given more than we can handle: It’s so we can come to him. It’s so we can trust him enough to hand over our heavy, crippling burdens and let him carry the load.
You might be heavy laden right now, searching for some kind of relief. You are probably full of questions. Maybe you are wondering why you have to be full of sadness or drowning in debt, why did that person at church say that to you, why are you stuck raising your children all alone? Perhaps you have recently discovered that you are not able to have biological children, or an adoption you had your heart set on has fallen through, and you know that as a result, the child or children you were planning to give a loving home to, will continue to suffer. Someone you know and love, or maybe yourself, is dealing with a terminal illness and you question what is going to happen to the children or spouse when the inevitable happens. You know that you need someone to help you through these difficult times, but you really just don’t want to depend on someone that you cannot see or hear or touch. You know that you should have faith that God will do what He has said He will, but it is so hard to blindly trust! He does promise that He will carry us through those difficult times, so why can’t we trust Him to do what He promises?
Maybe it’s because of pride that we believe we can do it our self. We know we are strong and tough and that we always help others through their difficulties while keeping our own hidden from sight. However, when we become overwhelmed we realize that we are so totally wrong with this way of thinking!
We don’t really understand exactly what God is capable of until we totally trust Him to get us through whatever we are dealing with, when we have no other choice. Knowing that He will get us through when we have no other avenue for help, why don’t we just trust in Him from the beginning? Why do we insist on making everything much more difficult than it has to be?
Did Daniel hesitate to trust in God when he was placed in the lion’s den? Did Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego hesitate when they were placed in the fiery furnace? We have these examples, and many more, to look at and compare our present circumstances to, so why are we still so hard headed?
We need to stop and remember that, no matter how difficult life gets, God is always right there with us. He is always ready, willing, and able to help us through. He just wants us to trust Him.
GARDENING DAY!! And, God is with you through any and all pain, always.
Well, today is the day! We are planting a HUGE garden! Actually, we have a good portion of it planted already, but there is still so much to do and I hope my back and legs hold up at least long enough for us to get done!
We have already planted about 10 rows of potatoes, 8 rows of green (snap) beans, 6 rows of purple hull peas, 6 of blackeye peas, and 4 long rows of corn! Our rows are approximately 120 feet long so that’s going to be a lot of veggies when they start coming in!! Needless to say, there will be a lot of canning going on around here at that time.
We still have cucumbers, pickling and straight 8, to plant, as well as squash, cantaloupe, tomatoes, and peppers. We will be making a trip to our lawn center locally to get some bell pepper plants because we forgot them!
I think that is all we have left to plant, at least in the big garden! I know it may not sound like much, but believe me, it is! With God’s blessing on that garden, we will be sharing our bounty with may who are less fortunate. I know of lots of folks that get canned goods, and boxed items through our local food pantry, but I hope to be able to find a few families maybe that we can provide with fresh veggies.
It would be nice if they have a group of kids as well! The kids could help with harvesting and learn a few lessons at the same time! They would learn that you have to be responsible and plant enough of what you love to harvest some for immediate consumption, as well as some to either freeze or can so you will have it throughout the winter! Then they will also learn the lesson of hard work to get what you want/need.
I am a firm believer in helping anyone who is willing to help themselves first.I have seen so many that make the choice to live off the government and it just aggravates me to no end. When I see a young person, usually female, usually under the age of 25, with at last two kids in tow, sitting at the nail salon having her nails done! That’s not a big deal by itself. It becomes a problem when you see that same individual with the same kids in tow at the local grocery store with a basket full of JUNK food! Cereal (full of sugar), juice boxes, sodas, candy, just plain JUNK! You rarely see anything healthy in those baskets. You rarely see and fruit or veggies, and then people wonder why these kids are routinely in the doctors offices always ill! OK….climbing off my soapbox now….
I have also planted myself a small flower garden that I am calling my prayer/meditation garden. I can go sit by my garden and listen to bird chirping, hummingbirds buzzing around and then a couple of them will chirp like crazy at each other as they fight over the feeder! I do believe my garden grows significantly every day. I will get some pictures of it today and post so you can see what I am talking about. I love my “me and God” place! Everyone should have one!!
Well, I believe it is time for my to make a morning round and check on my chickens, bantams, and goats. Then I’m going to sit in my garden for a while. I have a few things I need to talk to God about today. Maybe in a later post I’ll go into some of it with y’all. But for now, I just ask for prayers for myself, my husband, and our children. It is so difficult on everyone when one of your chicks has to return to your nest, whether for a few days or, WORSE!! It’s just plain difficult. But I know that by the grace of God, we will make it through this roadblock as well.
Stay tuned! Lot’s of updates planned for the future, possibly this weekend! So, if you are happily out working in your yard or garden, or one of those unlucky folks who has to be in the office today, make today a beautiful day! Stop being grouchy, it’s Friday after all!! You know what is so special about Friday? It means there is only 2 days until we get to go to the House of the Lord, Peachtree Baptist Church, and sing praises and worship songs, study, discuss, and learn about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. What could be better than that?
Now, don’t take that as my saying that you only do those things on Sunday. NO!!! You do those things every day, all day! But on Sunday, you get to gather with many other believers and do it as a group!! FUN!!!
I love my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Do you? Do you know Him? I’ll be happy to talk to you about Him, or point you to someone who could most definitely do a better job than me!!
God bless all and have a BEAUTIFUL day!!!
WHERE IS GOD WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN?
I wrote this post a few days ago, when I learned that this precious 9 month old child had been granted all the necessary approvals and would finally be place on the waiting list. I was both happy and sad at the thought of her finally receiving the necessary treatment and preparations in anticipation off the chance for Baby Parson to receive her transplant. Meanwhile, another family is faced with losing their precious angel and answering questions about how they feel about organ donation, something they have probably never even though about. Don’t take anything for granted and remember, God IS always there. Even when you feel like there is no way He is anywhere around, He is there.
FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 2013
As I sit outside on this gorgeous day, looking over my meditation garden I am reminded of just how fragile life is. Whether you are talking about human life, the life of a beloved pet or farm animal, or the life of a beautiful plant, they were all created by THE one and only, The alpha and omega, THE GOD of all. Isn’t that kind of cool? To think th the same God who created me, created the little lizard I am currently watching run across the ground hoping to escape my dog!! I’m listening to birds sing, bees buzz, the breeze blowing through the trees. Talk about peace and tranquility This spot has it. With a few more blooming flowers, it will be almost perfect!
I am reminded though, just how fragile and unpredictable life is. You wake up each morning ready to get your day going, as you normally do. You get your coffee drank, everyone dressed and sent off to wherever their day may take them, and then you start your day. Everything in our perfect lives is, well, perfect. We have no major ordeals to overcome, no obstacles in our way. Yet we take all that we have for granted. It could be gone in an instant. Reminds me of an old hymn, “I know who holds tomorrow”.
“Many things about tomorrow, I don’t seem to understand. But I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand.”
We all go throughout our lives and moan and groan about our aches and pains, about the fact that something didn’t go the way WE wanted it to, or the fact that we are having a bad hair day. But stop for a minute and think about those who don’t know if they even have a tomorrow, or if someone they love dearly has a tomorrow. Oh, we all claim to have faith that God will get us through whatever trials He sends our way, but do we really? How would you handle it if you got a phone call telling you that your spouse has been in a terrible accident, your mother/sister/cousin/best friend has just been told they have cancer, or your child is ill with what you think is a really bad cold so you go to your pediatrician to get it taken care of and get your baby to feeling better.
But at that doctor appointment things don’t go as you had planned. The doctor doesn’t like something so he runs numerous tests and you wait, and wait, and wait for the results. Finally, the doctor comes in the room with a nurse, social worker, and who knows who else with him. Instantly you know something serious is going on.
As he begins to speak, telling you that he has no clue what is going on with your baby and he doesn’t know how to help her feel better, so he is referring you elsewhere. But the referral is not a typical referral. He’s not sending you to a larger city to a more specialized physician. No. You are being referred to THE children’s facility, the best in the country, and to one of the best physicians in the country, to treat YOUR child for whatever ailment she has. Now is when your faith really begins to be tested. What is your response?
I know what mine would be. Tears, anger, confusion would be some of the emotions I would freely express. The first thing I would do? Call my husband, of course. After all the confusion of the day somewhat settles down, then, and only then, I would finally remember to talk to my Father. Finally, at the end of one of the worst days of my life I would remember to pray. Is that true faith? If I wait to talk to God about what has me so upset until the end of the day. Am I really trusting that He is going to help me get through this? I don’t think so.
I should have stopped as soon as the doctor finished telling me his wonderful news, got down on my knees right there in that doctor office, and thanked God for giving me the beautiful child that I have had for a few years, few months, few days. We should be thankful ALWAYS for the wonderful gifts God gives us, but are we? No. We are too busy being selfish, wanting to feel better, wanting everything to be fixed and we believe it is up to us to fix it, so we trust only in ourselves.
That is not the case for a young couple in my community. I don’t know the details of that first fateful doctor visit. I don’t know how they were told or how they reacted immediately following the relaying of the news. But I do know what I have seen since the beginning of a rather horrendous journey this family has had to endure. And it’s not over yet.
As is the norm for our Sunday school class, and I’m sure many others as well, we start our class time off with a prayer list. Everyone has an opportunity to place someone’s name on the prayer list and this typically involves a brief explanation of the reason for the prayer request. When Ms. Emily spoke up and began to tell our class about little Parson, an infant barely three months old, if that, it became very difficult for anyone to keep the tears from falling.
We heard of breathing difficulties, lung infections, abnormalities, doctors being baffled, and the fact that there have only been 5 other children with this disorder treated at Texas Children’s Hospital. We also were told of the possibility of this tiny baby needing a lung transplant. There was not a dry eye in our classroom.
Then something amazing happened. We began hearing of the faith of this young family. Even in what some would consider the darkest hour of their lives, this young couple turned their eyes up. I’m sure there were tears, but through those tears, they thanked God for the gift of Parson in their lives. The thanked God for the doctors they had been sent to. They told anyone who asked about their situation that God was going to get them through it. They shared their faith every chance they had. They gained strength through their faith in Jesus Christ.
Through all of the sorrow and heartache, fear and uncertainty, this couple is still maintaining strength through their faith in Jesus Christ, the Great Physician. Because of the faith this family has shown, many more people in our community have had their faith strengthened. Even through times when they have to watch their young infant struggle to breathe, or be placed on a ventilator to breathe for her, through surgery for placement of a feeding tube or IV lines, they maintain their faith. They continue to thank God, even through the hard times.
Most of us are grateful to God for all the good things He give us, all the wonderful gifts He gives us, our family, our children, our homes, cars, etc. But how many times do we stop and thank God for the difficulties He allows us to endure? More likely, we are blaming God for our difficult times. We accuse Him of turning His back on us, leaving us alone to deal with whatever we are going through. We are always asking where is God or where was God when tragedy strikes. When 9/11 happened there were people everywhere asking why God wasn’t on those planes, or where was He when the few attempted to regain control of their plane.
Questions were asked recently after the horrible school shooting in Newtown, CT where numerous children lost their lives and even more witnessed the evil as it happened.
Where was God? He was right there. God has a plan for everything. We have no clue what that plan is, and if we knew the plan, we would never be able to understand it. Consider the complexity of mapping out a plan for billions of people, all at one time!! I’m going crazy just trying to plan a vacation for two people, for five days! God has mapped out a plan for every man, woman, and child, for their entire lives!! Think about that!! If that doesn’t make your jaw drop in awe of His amazing power, I don’t know what will.
Today, a small, precious, always smiling infant was placed on a waiting list to receive a double lung transplant. Thank God for that, but at the same time, I am saddened by it. For this precious child to receive her lungs which will enable her to prayerfully be able to live a little more normal life, for her to be able to do that, another child has to die. Another family, probably totally unsuspecting at this moment, will face the most horrendous of trials in their lives. They will be asked to say goodbye to their precious child, and then they will be asked about donating organs. They will be horrified at first, but after a few moments of serious thought, they will agree, and Parson’s new lungs will be on the way to her.
It’s not really that simple, but I think you get the idea. While one family rejoices at the fact that their child will be receiving a chance at life, another will be grieving the loss of their child.
It is my prayer that the donor family will have even a small portion of the faith that Jennifer and Rodney have, to help them through the most difficult task of their lives. As you consider the pain that family is going to feel, imagine the pain God feels when we turn our back on Him, or we fail to thank Him for our lives, for the very air we breathe, for everything! Imagine the pain God feels when one of His children takes His name in vain, or worships some silly idol. Imagine the pain and disappointment God feels each and every day when we climb out of our comfortable bed and head to the coffee pot, because we don’t function well without our coffee each morning. But then, one thing leads to another and before you know it you are climbing back into that bed for a night of rest before you do it all again the next day. Only we left out the most important part of our day, the most important task we left undone. We got the laundry done, we made dinner. We made phone calls or attended a church service. But we forgot to include God in any of it. Imagine how that hurts Him when we do that each and every day, numerous times each day.
I have been so guilty of this myself but at this time I am making myself a promise to do my very best to speak to God before I ever climb out of that bed, and then to sit and have coffee WITH God as we plan out my day. I am going to do my very best to be sure to spend much, much more time with God and thank Him for all the things in my life, good or bad. Because I know He has a reason for sending me the trials as well as the triumphs.
Stop right now and pray for Parson and her family. Pray for the family that will become her lung donors. Pray for the medical personnel involved in every aspect of the donation process and the care of Parson and her family as well as the donors family. Pray for all those people that we come into contact with each and every day that do not know Jesus as their personal savior. Pray for yourself to have the courage and the words to speak when you speak to a non-believer. Pray for opportunities to speak to someone about Jesus.
Most importantly, live your life in such a way that everyone who sees you knows you are a child of God and there is something special about you. Make them want to know what is so special and to have the desire to be special as well.
I know this post has been all over the place but I had a lot on my mind and I felt it needed to be said. I felt God leading me to write at least 75% or more of this.
God bless you all and kiss your children and grandchildren. Thank God for them. Remember, we are not promised tomorrow, or even 10 minutes from now. A very smart man told me not long ago that every time he tells someone goodbye, he does it as if it is the last chance he will have to do so. He makes sure that those he is telling goodbye know that he loves them, EVERY TIME! Let’s all make a conscious effort to do just that.
Go visit the blog of Jennifer Herrington and learn about the mountain her family is climbing. See for yourself how strong their faith is. You will be glad that you did.
FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013
What if tomorrow never comes
This morning I am sitting out in my garden, enjoying the cool breeze, listening to a rooster crow, and just thinking about some things. Sitting here enjoying the peace of a pre-dawn morning, when no one else is awake but me, gives me time to do some serious thinking. Unfortunately, I have some serious things to think about right now.
This morning, two young adults will wake up to deal with the loss of their parents. In a pretty closely knit family, both parents were tragically taken home to be with God yesterday afternoon in a horrific traffic accident. They were on a motorcycle, struck by an SUV. I don’t know who hit who, but the end result is that two people with many close friends, loving children and grandchildren, are no longer on this earth. When you hear of something like that, it makes you stop and think about your own life, your own relationship with God as well as with family and friends, or at least it should!
I have a good relationship with my God. Jesus Christ died on a cross, rose again on the third day, taking on all of the punishment that was due to me, you, and everyone else, just so that we could live with Him in eternity one day! Could you do that?
Could you agree to the torture that Jesus was put through if you knew it would save one of your children, two of them, all of YOUR children? What about if it wasn’t for your own children, but the neighbors, if the child you were saving was the child of someone who had hurt you in the past and never apologized for it? What if the child you were saving was an 18 year old kid who had been driving the vehicle in which your child was a passenger when the vehicle swerved off the road, flipped a few times an your child was ejected from the vehicle, dying instantly? Could you do it then? Could you allow yourself to suffer horrible pain, just so the very person that caused your child to no longer be with you, could live? I don’t think I could. I would be way too angry I’m afraid. Could I be that forgiving? God tells me to, but can I do it?
Every day we are asked to do something that makes us uncomfortable, something that we just don’t believe we can do. Sometimes we manage it, most of the time we don’t. Every day you pass someone, somewhere, that does not know Jesus. Do you take the time to tell them about Him, about our Lord and Savior? Do you take the time to let that person know that you care about them and their eternal soul? Do you spend the extra few minutes praying for them, with them? Typically the answer for all those questions is no.
We decide we just don’t have the time, or we believe it is inappropriate, wrong time, wrong place. Often times we feel like it’s not our place to talk to this person because perhaps they are older than us and we feel like we should be soaking in their wisdom rather than trying to “convert” them.
Perhaps the individual is a friend of your child’s. Whether 6 or 16 we should be taking the time to talk about Jesus to everyone, especially the children.
When you do, make sure you are being truthful and accurate about what you are telling them. Be sure you are sticking with what the Bible, God’s own word, says. Tell them how God so loved his one and only Son, who had been born of a virgin and lived a sinless life, to be tortured and killed on a cross, to take on the sins of man, not just one man, but ALL mankind, and not just men but women as well!! Tell them how Jesus taught us all to love God with all our heart, and soul, and mind. Tell them how wonderful things will be when we all, those of us who have accepted Jesus as our savior, meet again in heaven.
Then tell them about Jesus’ death. How He was beaten and flogged. If they are old enough to understand, explain flogging to them. Explain that He wasn’t just beaten with a whip, but that whip had several ‘tails’ to it, and at the end of each ‘tail’ was an additional weapon designed to inflict more pain, more injury, more suffering. Tell them how this flogging would rip the flesh right off Jesus’ back, or wherever it happened to hit Him
Be sure to also tell them about how Jesus had to carry the very cross that He was to be hung on, a pretty long distance, after the beating and flogging. Jesus barely had the energy or strength to breathe, yet He was what was happening to the man who claimed to be the Son of God. Don’t leave out the fact that the public had been given a choice of prisoner to be released as was the custom on the Passover. Explain how the public chose a man who was a convicted murderer, a very bad man, over Jesus. Tell how Jesus was being hung between two thieves on their respective crosses, and how one of the thieves mocked Jesus, telling Him that if He was indeed the Son of God, the Holy One, that He should save himself and get down from that cross. Meanwhile, the second thief, believed in Jesus, and begged forgiveness even as He hung on the cross, dying. Tell them how Jesus assured this man that he would be with Jesus in heaven before the end of the day!
Then continue with your story explaining how Jesus died, and was placed in a tomb, sealed closed. Yet on the third day after His crucifixion, Jesus was found to not be in the tomb! He had arisen!! Don’t let your story stop there.
Explain how, as Jesus hung on that cross, as He was being beaten, He was taking on the sins of ALL mankind, including those that had already been born, as well as those yet to be born, like you and I.
Be sure to take every opportunity that you are given, even if only for a couple minutes, to talk to someone about Jesus. You never know. You may be the last person that individual has a conversation with and wouldn’t it be comforting to know that the last conversation you had with someone, was a conversation about Jesus?
Folks, we are not promised tomorrow. We are not promised today. We don’t know what our future holds, but we can know WHO holds our future. I know who holds mine. Do you? 
School it is! Now, how to pay for it!
As I posted a little while back, I am planning to return to school and FINALLY get a degree. I have spent 20 years of my life working as a nurse, (received my training through a vocational nursing program which included no college credit.)
I have been slowly taking a few classes here and there over the years with the intention, at that time anyway, of gaining my Associates degree in nursing and become an RN, but it just never felt right. Oh, I loved taking the classes, loved going to school! But, going for my degree in nursing just never satisfied me or felt right. So, over the past probably about a year now, I have been praying and asking God for guidance and wisdom in making a decision of what to do with my life.
You see, I retired from nursing about 4 years ago because of some health issues. I possibly could have returned but then I had cervical spine surgery to fuse a couple of vertebrae followed several months later by another spinal surgery all the way on the other end of the spectrum! I had to have two fusions and some titanium screws and plate installed on my S1-T4 vertebrae. Since having those procedures done, I have tried, really tried to get back to normal and be able to exercise, stand for lengthy times, do some light lifting, walking up and down stairs, but each and every one of these attempts has resulted in pain. Pain that very often is so severe, I have to take medication in addition to sitting or laying on my heating pad. Finally, I became convinced that I don’t think I will ever be able to do nursing again, at least not in the forums available in my area. I know I can’t work in a hospital setting, doctors office, or prison setting because of the standing, walking, and various other back breaking activities that are involved in those work positions. (Yes, I worked in a prison. Yep, it had scary moments.) I can’t handle lengthy drives so home health nursing is out of the question. I can’t do any heavy lifting so sitting with patients or anything that might cause me to have to lift someone is out. That doesn’t really leave a lot of choices in the nursing field.
So, as I said, I prayed, and prayed, asking God for direction and guidance about my career. I have had a couple of different things I have thought about and I just could not decide what I should do. During this time, I started volunteering with a wonderful organization, The East Texas Pregnancy Help Center, and through my volunteering there, I have grown closer to God each and every day. I believe it is greatly in part due to the strong faith of the people responsible for opening this center. There has never been a time that I entered those doors and did not feel the glory of God and know, without a doubt, that the Holy Spirit is present there.
At first, as I began volunteering there, I started thinking maybe I should go ahead and finish my nursing degree, but still, it did not feel right. I also thought about obtaining a degree in psychology. I felt like either of these degrees would help me to be better at what I do at the center. But, again, it did not feel quite right! So, I prayed and prayed and finally I got an answer.
I can distinctly remember hearing God tell me “write the story”. Huh? What story? What are you talking about God? And again, I heard “write.” I have always loved writing, especially since winning a competition in high school!! Yep, long time ago! But, I said “Okay God. If you want me to write, show me what to write.” God always follows through! He sent me to a very precious lady who had a wonderful story that I was just itching to write about! Doesn’t it just amaze you how God’s timing is always so PERFECT? It sure amazes me!
Because of God’s perfect timing, I was able to speak to the young man I was going to write about the day before he would be leaving for several weeks for various rodeo competitions. I was able to obtain assurance from the editor of our local paper to print the story when I finished it! Talk about being excited!! I was very excited!!
Well, I met with the young man and his fiancee’, wrote and submitted the story, and was super excited and a bit overwhelmed to see it published in not only my small town paper the following week, but also in a larger regional paper (the parent company of our local paper). I was PUBLISHED!!! That is so amazing and absolutely huge in writing circles!!
So, I said okay God, obviously you want me to write, so I guess I better check on job openings and requirements. It didn’t take me long to realize that I was going to have to go back to school!! I need a degree in journalism/mass media. I know I’m weird but I look forward to getting started with my writing assignments!!
But, not so fast. College courses do not come free. I’ve found that, depending on which school I choose, I will be paying anywhere from almost $200 per credit hour and up significantly, with each class being at least 3 credit hours! So, I’m looking at about $2000 per semester! We can’t afford that!
I applied for a Pell Grant through FAFSA but when you are empty nest parents, you don’t qualify. Actually, we make too much. I wish they would show me where all this excess $$ they think we have is hidden!!! But, I know my God! If God wants me to go to school this fall, things will fall in place!
So, I am checking out any and all possible scholarships or grants that I can find. Trying to avoid student loans if at all possible.
So, as I work on a follow up story to my first one, and writing what I hope will be my first magazine story, I will be researching financial aid opportunities for school! I will also be working on some other story ideas I have, sending out queries to various print sources to see if anyone is interested in actually paying me for a story! Yep, my first one was a freebie, but I was just so excited to get published I didn’t care!!
So, wish me luck, pray for me. Ask God to lead me to the sources to pay for my education. I know with your prayers and mine, God will provide the clarification I need as well as whatever resources I need so that I can obtain this degree I need to be considered a “real writer”. That is something that doesn’t make a world of sense to me.
I mean, you either have a talent for writing, or you don’t, at least that’s what I think. I may not have the talent I believe I do, but I want to find out! But, if you have the talent, why is a college (four year) degree required? Oh well, I guess I’ll find out!!
Thank you God for the guidance you give me on a daily basis. You have blessed me beyond measure already, yet you are faithful to continue to bless me. I thank you for that! Please forgive me Father, for things I may have said or done that disappointed you. I ask these things in Jesus precious name! I love you Lord! Amen
I am a work in progress...still 
You must be logged in to post a comment.