Prison Weekend

So, I am going to prison again... tomorrow morning. This will be my fifth time to go on a Bill Glass Weekend of Champions (WOC) with the prison ministry. You would think that after four times, I would be at ease. Yeah, I thought that too. I was wrong. My mind is racing tonight and my stomach is practicing for the somersault championship! Once again, I am telling them both that I have no reason to be afraid. I always have a great time and it is such an incredible experience, not to mention the new friends I make. They are not listening.

So, it all started four years ago. Mark went on a WOC and came back telling me how great it was and saying I should go. "That is fine for you, but it is not for me. Trust me, God is not calling me to do that!"

Five months later, he went again, coming home with the same awesome stories. This time, he got down on one knee and asked if I would do something for him.

Oh, he is so sweet!!! "Anything for you, Baby," I replied.

"Go with me on the next Weekend of Champions!" he pleaded.

"SHUT UP! And don't ever ask me that again!" Where that anger came from, I didn't know, but I made it clear to him that I was not interested.

After his third time three months later, I instructed him NOT to ask me to go and he obliged. He only told me all the great stories, like how he got to lead several people to a faith in Jesus Christ, how it was so easy, how the platform speakers had such incredible testimonies that prepared the inmates' hearts and how all he had to do was to read the tract to them.

By now, God was snickering at me. He loves to see me squirm!! "Mark, I am going to tell you something, and I don't want you to say a word. I think that maybe, possibly, God might be telling me to go sometime."

Within minutes, Mark was on the computer, and I was signed up to go the next month. That was January of 2005. Since then, I have experienced the awesomeness of the event for myself!

That first day, I learned the best lesson ever, which I restudy before every mission trip! I came back to the hotel room and debriefed with Mark - telling him all about Pinky, the lady I met who was the closest to me in age and color and education... but that's where our similarities ended.

I spent a long time in prayer that night. I was at my wit's end! "I have nothing in common with any of these people," I told God. "I have nothing to offer them."

"Ahhh," said God. "Now you are getting it! You are right. You have nothing to offer them. Now, I can use you. Now go there tomorrow and offer them ME! I have what they need. Not you."

SPIRITUAL CALLER ID

The phone rings and you check the Caller ID before answering. You certainly don't want to listen to any sales calls, or that person who is calling to yell at you, or whine to you, or ask you for something you don't have to give. The Bible tells us to test every thought to see if it is OK for us to think about.

2 Corinthians 10:5 says this: We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

I picture myself grabbing the thought on its way into my mind, like a bouncer at a bar. Then I frisk it like a policeman might search for a gun or other weapon. I ask it if is worthy to come in. Just like Philippians 4:8 says: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy— think about such things.

If the thought is not true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy, then send it back to hell where it came from! DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE!

TEST IT!

So how do you know when God is talking to your heart? Do you hear an audible voice? Do you feel something strange inside? It is too important of a thing to be vague about! Here are five ways to test what you think you are hearing God say to you. Your answers may be ‘YES' or ‘NOT SURE', but if you answer ‘NO' to any of these questions, it is safe to say that it is not God's voice you are hearing!

Every time you see the word ‘it', replace it with what you think God is telling you to do.

1. Does it exalt Christ?
John 16:14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.

2. Is it Scriptural?
Proverbs 30:5-6 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

3. Do other Christians confirm it?
Proverbs 15:22 Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

4. Does it produce good fruit?
John 15:1-16 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

5. Does God bring it to pass?
Isaiah 55:10-11 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Should Christians Judge Others' Sin?

I Corinthians 10:21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons.

Last week, my Sunday School class brought up an interesting topic. Should a church allow a new Christian to teach a 2-year-old Sunday School class while still living with her boyfriend?

I have to admit, I have argued both sides of this coin before!! Now, after many years of receiving God's grace and mercy, I, a wretched sinner, am not so quick to cast the first stone on any sinner. Although I do agree that church leaders must make judgments about who can serve in their churches.

The real question here is not about who should be allowed to teach Sunday school or work in the nursery or anything else. Our real hangup here is about sin and more specifically, what does this say about MY sin?!! And aren't we judging others by talking about their sin?

This points out two lies that the enemy is propagating - and it infuriates me that he continues to use Christians and churches of God to spread his lies!!!

Lie #1 - All sin is the same.
Truth - ALL SIN IS NOT THE SAME. We like to tell people that ANY sin earns them a ticket to hell, whether it's a small lie or a murder! While this is true (Romans 6:23 says "For the wages of sin is death..."), the Bible is still clear that all sin is NOT the same. (I Corinthians 6:18 says "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.") This verse clearly points out that sexual sin is worse than non-sexual sin. This is just one example.

Lie #2 - Christians shouldn't judge others.
Truth - CHRISTIANS SHOULD JUDGE OTHERS! We all quote the passage from Matthew 7:1, "Judge not, that ye be not judged." But do we look at it in context? What about I Corinthians 5 which clearly says we Christians ARE to judge those within the church. In fact, it says in verse 13 that we are to EXPEL the wicked man from the church!!! (go read the whole chapter!!)

Yes, we are a church full of sinners. And yes, we want other sinners to come and join us. But we need to tell them the TRUTH!! Daniel 4:27 tells us to "Renounce our sins by doing what is right." We need to teach this!! Yes, "Come just as you are...", but STOP sinning!!

Active sin is a symptom of a heart not having been changed by the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us this is how we know who the true children of God are!!! This requires judging others for ourselves!! I John 3:6-10 says "No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother."

I Peter 3:15-16 says "...Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." So I appreciate having to look this up for myself this week!!

My Man

My man is a visionary
 I thought he was just a dreamer
My man is not afraid
 I thought he was just a risk-taker
My man is strong
 I thought he was just forceful
My man is compassionate
 I thought he was just a pushover
My man is a peacemaker
 I thought he was just an appeaser
My man is patient
 I thought he was just silent
My man is a heart-healer
 I thought he was just a busybody
My man has integrity
 I thought he was just self-righteous
My man is funny
 I thought he was just a clown
My man is ambitious
 I thought he was just power-loving
My man is honest
 I thought he was just naive
My man is industrious
 I thought he was just a workaholic
My man is generous
 I thought he was just a sucker
My man is a friend to all
 I thought he was just talkative
My man is calm amidst a storm
 I thought he was just crazy
My man is a God-Pleaser
 I thought he was just a religion-lover
My man is mine
 It’s just the way you look at things
I love my man!

Carla Lindberg
11 August 2007

CD's for Mongolia

Our family is trying to raise over $13,000 to go to Mongolia this summer. Recently, I made a Bible Drill CD for my brother's church to help the kids there learn their Bible verses through songs. Mark worked his magic on the disc and what came out of our printer was a very professional looking CD with awesome songs to boot! People who have been using the CD keep saying it is so good that we should sell it! Well, I never intended to make money from it. But then I realized this could be an awesome opportunity to help our family go to Mongolia!

I quickly began putting together all of the songs I have written over the years. I was able to put together two more CD's and even include a song written by our girls for my oldest sister when she went to Heaven last August. It is so precious! After only a couple of weeks selling these CD's, we have raised over $700! I find it incredibly humbling that God would use me and my songs (which are like pages from my diary - how humbling is that) to get us to Mongolia! I know I'm supposed to say something like, 'we are going to be able to bless the Mongolian people because people here have supported us so amazingly.' But the truth is, the Mongolian people are going to bless us! I know - I've been there before!! Last summer I was able to go and I cannot wait to get back and share my family with them, and especially to get to share my children with their children!!!

Just two weeks ago, God gave us an incredible confirmation to even bring our girls. One couple was giving a large amount to our church on our behalf. They told me that God began impressing on them that they needed to double the amount they were giving because they believe it is so important that our children go with us. They said that our girls will have a greater impact on the Mongolian children than we adults could. And furthermore, when we return, our girls will have a greater influence on American children regarding missions than any adult ever could! It was like God Himself was telling us, "Yes, I want you to take your children with you halfway around the world!" WOW!

OK, here's another WOW! My sister is using that Bible Drill CD with the children in her home church. Here is an amazing story she sent me about how God is using those little songs in a mighty way:
I want to tell you a story about using the bible verse songs you shared with me. I focused the kids on learning Genesis 1:31 starting 3 weeks ago. Two weeks ago, I let the kids volunteer to stand up individually to quote the verse. After a couple of kids volunteered, I noticed a girl in the back timidly raise her hand. (I hadn’t met her yet.) I instantly called on her and saw a visible reaction from the teacher she was sitting next to as well as the other children. (This was during our combined time with about 50 kids.) She very timidly got up and recited the verse perfectly. However, it was immediately apparent why everyone winced when I called upon her. She has a speech impediment and is developmentally disabled. One of the teachers came to me after with tears in her eyes and told me that this little girl had never said a word in the 2 years she had been attending the class. Last week when I asked for volunteers, her hand was the first to go up. I asked her to come to the front and stand by me to help remind the kids of the words. She walked up by me with as much confidence as you could have. When she was done, she beamed and jumped up and down and clapped for herself. I thought you would want to know how your gift is helping others in unintended ways. After church Sunday, her bible study teacher said she actually participated during her class. She attributed her change to her ability to focus and learn the bible verse with enough confidence to recite it in front of everyone. Thank you for sharing your gift with me and all of us at our church.

Isn't God amazing? He takes our feeble offerings and makes them into something beautiful. And it's always more than we could ever have imagined!

The Way Out of the Pit Isn't Up

you won't believe this, but God just revealed the most amazing thing to me as I was just praying for someone else. I am still in awe as I realize how I almost missed the opportunity!!! (the call to be depressed again has been very great. I would have missed this if I had let it overtake my day.)

yesterday, I was almost back to the old despair again. this morning, I was summoning up all the power within me to try to overcome again. I knew that satan had succeeded in making me feel bad about my diet and exercise because my diet has been terrible since saturday and my exercise has been nonexistant practically since I first began my new walking routine in january! so this morning, I got up ready to go walk and realized mark was leaving for a meeting - I couldn't go! I can't leave the girls - even if they are asleep. well, the enemy wasn't going to steal a victory that easily - no matter how much I hate mornings, and no matter how much I hate exercising. fortunately, the Holy Spirit reminded about my step videos. I haven't done them since I was pregnant!!!! I used to LOVE them and did them almost faithfully for years. ok - anyway, I did it. and I felt physically and emotionally great afterwards. wow - a small victory, but one definately worth the drudgery of waking up and the pain of exercising.

think about it, I beg God all day, every day, to help me feel better. and really, all it takes is getting my fat butt out of bed and exercising! ok - there has got to be some motivation there for me somewhere. I probably won't find it, though. I'll probably face the same hesitance tomorrow, but I still REFUSE to let the enemy win simply by my FORFEITING the game.

ok, so on to what just happened... I was praying for my friend and not having a clue where each word was heading, and God took me to the greatest revelation not only for her, but for ME TOO, as I find myself in a pit so often these days!!! ok, enough blabber, here's the prayer I prayed. may it be a revelation to you too.

I was praying Luke 24.45 (Then he [Jesus] opened their minds so they [the disciples] could understand the Scriptures.) for her:

"Dear God, please open her mind to Your truth. Help her today as she studies Your Word to understand your plan for her life. Bring other scipture to her mind today and reveal to her the opening is not at the top of the pit -- but at the bottom."

Wow! we've been looking the wrong direction for the way out! it is not to get out of the fire, but to walk THROUGH it with Him! just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did in Daniel chapter 3.

How United 93 and Beth Moore Changed My Life

Well, it really began just after Carol died, terrible depression. It was everything you don’t want to talk about. It’s worse than cancer. It’s embarrassing. It’s guilty. It’s shameful. It’s hopeless. It’s heavy, smothering. Sad. So sad. Sometimes for no reason. It’s helpless. No one can help. Nothing can be done. Nothing will ever change. I will never feel any differently.

This went on for a couple of months. Daily, I went to the Lord. Just take me home. I’m no use here anymore. I’m just making others upset too. Daily, He gave me strength, no, a command - “Keep going.”

I clung to anything He sent me. My husband and best friend who said, “No one is leaving. We are a family and we are staying with you on this.” II Corinthians1.3 that says that He is the God of all comfort and that He wants to comfort me and that I am to take that comfort and comfort others. He knew this would be hard for me and yet He let me go through it. He is just waiting to comfort me from His storehouse of comfort.

“But this is too hard! I QUIT!!!!” The feelings are overwhelming. Way too much for me to deal with. I was tired of trying so hard not to feel so bad. I was running to the cross every day screaming, “Why am I running here? I’ve already been saved!” I didn’t know where else to go. The pain was unbearable. My emotions were on overload. It was like a stereo turned up past the feedback level for days, months. No escape.

God chastened me and said I can’t quit. The job (life) I have was given me by Him and only He can say, “Well done, you’re done!” My employee manual lays out specifically my job description in II Corinthians 5 - Christ gave me the ministry of reconciliation. OK, I can do that on a mission trip, but what about everyday life?! Who am I ministering to then? And of course, the answer came - my family. But they are already saved! So how do I minister to them? By serving and encouraging. Yes, pick up after them. Yes, even though you just did it this morning. And encourage them to learn what they are to learn. Encourage.

OK, a couple of months now of serving and encouraging have gone by. My actions have changed. My attitudes mostly have. My feelings partly have. And then we saw “United 93”. If you haven’t seen it, please do. The parable was perfect timing for me. And it is true for every Christian.

The enemy has come to hijack your life. He will lie to you and make you think you will live, but you will die - it is inevitable. If you know the truth, like those on United 93 came to know, then the lie has no hold on you. Actually, death has no hold on you anymore either. You come to realize that maybe you are living for such a time as this. You can sit in a back seat crying because of the horrific thing the enemy is doing to you, or you can get out of your chair and fight back and do a heroic thing to those around you (and yourself while you’re at it).

I just happened to have seen Beth Moore’s introduction video to the Daniel study the day before (God’s perfect planning). When Daniel was taken to Babylon, he chose not to let Babylon infect him. By standing up for His God, he actually infected Babylon. And so, Beth had me ask the question, “As I live in this world, will it indoctrinate me or will I indoctrincate it?”

God echoed that question after the movie, “Will you stay curled up, crying because of the way the world has affected you or will you stand up and affect the world? ‘Cuz either way, you’re going to die - when I say so!”