Pumpkins

A good friend emailed this little saying to me. Thought it was cute!!!

"Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin.
God lifts you up, takes you in,
and washes all the dirt off of you.
He opens you up, touches you deep inside
and scoops out all the yucky stuff--
including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc.
Then He carves you a new smiling face
and puts His light inside you to shine for all the world to see."

I Don't Understand

Alright guys, I know there is probably not an answer out there to my question, but I'm really struggling with something.

There is a little boy I know who is dying of cancer. I just found out today that he is in the final stages and it won't be long. It kills me to hear things like this, especially when it has to do with little children. This little boy is only eight years old.

I am so torn inside. I have wrestled with this before, but I am really wrestling with why God would allow something like this to happen to a little child. I mean, this little boy is in so much pain from the cancer having spread thought his whole body, that he has to wear a patch to try to alleviate the pain as much as possible. It kills me to even think about it.

I don't know how to rationalize this situation in my head. I just think of how scared he must be. The doctors have basically said there is nothing left to do, so they are sending him home. He's being sent home to die. Why would doctor's give up so easily? Why would God allow them to give up so easily?

God, save this little boy!!! I pray that his body would be healed and a miracle would unfold before our eyes. I am out of words, overwhelmed with emotion.

Please pray!!

Very Convicting

Today I had the opportunity to go and visit with my husband's best friend, and my quasi brother, Ronny Rowell at a welcome home party/open house. He just returned from his second deployment to Iraq. While visiting with Ronny, his spirits seemed very high and he was so confident in his mission and the mission of the men who were replacing him in Iraq.

During our visit, Ronny did a question and answer session so that everyone would have a chance to ask their questions, since there were so many people and only one of him. This time was so sweet. We opened with prayer. Ronny's dad, prayed for our time. During the question and answer time someone asked how the evangelical efforts were going in Iraq. Ronny's response was simply amazing, although I think the way he answered he was fearful that it was disappointing. Let me try to summarize his response:

Ronny said that because of time (they couldn't stay too long in one spot at any given time for safety purposes) there really wasn't the opportunity to share the Gospel per se. He continued that all they could or had time to do was love on the people. They handed out Beanie Babies to the children, talked with the men and women, and gave students schools supplies that they were otherwise lacking (pencils and paper). He even mentioned how they had the chance to spend some time with a little girl in a wheel chair, that due to their society, otherwise wouldn't have received any attention. They were building relationships with the future youth of Iraq. They were loving on the people, they way Christ loved on the people. He finished by telling everyone seeming a little disappointed that he didn't have much more to tell us or share with us about this aspect.

After this question, everyone just simply moved onto the next question and didn't seem to think twice about what had just been said, but it stuck with me. I think that what Ronny and his men did was sharing the Gospel with the Iraqi people more than had they actually used words. I mean seriously, think about how those people had been living, how they were used to living. They have lived in fear without anything, not even pencils and paper. Then, these men and women from America came in and poured out their love and affection on them, while also protecting them from harm. Now really, for all of you out there that believe you have to share the "four truths" in order to spread the message of the Gospel, can you honestly tell me that what these men and women are doing isn't spreading the "Good News?"

I think I was so convicted by Ronny's answer to this question for two reasons. First, Ronny didn't even realize, because it comes so naturally to him, that what he was doing, was out of the ordinary for these people. He was being Christ and was very humble in doing so. He never once expected anything in return. Second, what Ronny and his men were doing was so simple and so valuable, yet so many of us would rather do nothing than something small for someone because in it seems in today's society if you don't do something worth "recognition" it's not worth doing at all. Ronny and his men are true men of God and despite the flack they all receive day in and day out in the media they continued to be a light to the people of Iraq. We should learn a lesson from these men and do the same in our own country to the people we encounter everyday.

Let's be a people who always strive to do random acts of kindness without expecting anything in return.

Great Reminder

You have to read this story! It's very touching!!!

Thank you Kim for sharing it!!!

Archive meme

Teresa, tagged me, so let's see what my Meme will be:
Here's how it works:

1.Go into your archives.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Post the fifth sentence (or closest to it).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag five other people to do the same thing.


My 23rd post was July 6th, 2005, "Running" The fifth sentence was:

"I don't say this to boost myself up, but rather to illustrate how much time I have spent to illustrate some points later."

I guess that I will tag: Alex at Law and Ordnance, Ashley at Answers to Life's Tough Questions, Maryellen at To Everything a Time, Mike at Awakening, and Kim at Sweet Nothings.

They Expect Us Not to Pray????

One of my teacher friends sent this to me and I really got a kick out of it...probably because I'm a teacher, but I thought I'd share it none the less.

"For all the Teachers in my life.

A Teacher's Interview:

After being interviewed by the school administration, the eager teaching prospect said:

"Let me see if I've got this right . . .

You want me to go into that room with all those kids, and fill their every waking moment with a love for learning, and I'm supposed to instill a sense of pride in their ethnicity, modify their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse and even censor their T-shirt messages and dress habits.

You want me to wage a war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, check their backpacks for weapons of mass destruction, and raise their self esteem.

You want me to teach them patriotism, good citizenship, sportsmanship, fair play, how to register to vote, how to balance a checkbook, and how to apply for a job.

I am to check their heads for lice, maintain a safe environment, recognize signs of anti-social behavior, make sure all students pass the state exams, even those who don't come to school regularly or complete any of their assignments.

Plus, I am to make sure that all of the students with handicaps get an equal education regardless of the extent of their mental or physical handicap.

I am to communicate regularly with the parents by letter, telephone, newsletter and report card. All of this I am to do with just a piece of chalk, a computer, a few books, a bulletin board, a big smile AND on a starting salary that qualifies my family for food stamps!

You want me to do all of this and yet you expect me . . .

NOT TO PRAY ????"

Heaven and Hell...Dare to think outside the box!

You have to read this post from Mike DeVries. It may make some of you mad, it may make some of you think, it may prove some of your points exactly, but either way...I think it's brilliant and would be a great discussion topic. I haven't done any research on it myself, but think it is a very interesting position on Heave and Hell.

If you care to share, I'd love to hear all of your thoughts on his post!!! I enjoy this particular topic of discussion tremendously. It really fascinates me.