A Baptism and a Baby Dedication

Today, God blessed us with a beautiful, sunshine-filled, Sunday morning. 
We were given a Sabbath Day full of sunshine outside and spiritual sunshine inside the church building as the family of God gathered to worship him this morning. Inside the church, we had the opportunity to watch one of our youth get baptized and a young couple dedicate the life of their new daughter to God's family.

My mother did her best to raise me to follow her faith. I loved Jesus and was very religious as a preteen and teen. Then, I left home at seventeen to go into the military.

My mom prayed hard for me after I left home and went into the military.
In Navy boot camp, I continued to go to church on Sunday morning. However, that changed after I reported to my first duty station. I became a member of the world, rather than a church-going child of God. Like many young adults from a strict family, once I was out from under parental supervision I chose to dedicate myself to worldly activities. My momma never quit praying for me.

I didn't forget about Jesus and God.
Guilty feelings accompanied some of my activities, but not enough to stop me until I was thirty-three years old. At this point in my life, I returned to Jesus and the way in which I had been trained because I had proven to myself that I was an alcoholic. My life choices hadn't worked and were not working. Each day brought some joy, but the shame, guilt, and remorse that I felt outweighed the joy.

Today, I am filled with gratitude that my mother dedicated me to Jesus as a child.
I am thankful that she trained me up as a child of God. I never felt hopeless, no matter how bad the life situation I was in felt. Trouble always caused me to turn to Jesus and God, and not hopelessness.

Proverbs 22:6
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Matthew 18:2-3
And calling to him (Jesus) a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

1 Peter 2:2
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

Blessed Birthday

Okay, it happened. I am officially another year older. Two more years until I am the big 60. However, I draw a lot of inspiration from my parents

My parents are in their early 70's and ride a motorcycle as often and as far as they can.
Key West, Florida? No problem. The Grand Canyon? No problem. Wolf Creek Pass? No problem. Everywhere my folks go, they talk about Jesus, too. Amazing?

Yes, my parents are setting a great example for out-of-the-box Christianity and how to live a full life in your "golden years." 

I too have traveled by motorcycle.
Since 2006, I have traveled to the Smoky Mountains, Blue Ridge Parkway, Appalachicola, Florida; the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Louisiana; and a huge loop that took me across Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, and back to MO. My wind sistas and I rode to East Jordan Michigan, visited Canada, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and rode Highway 63 from Wisconsin to Missouri. Yes, my life has been full too.

Now back to my almost, big 60 birthday.
My youngest daughter asked me weeks ago if she could make me a cake. No way was I going to say no! For her whole childhood, she was able to order her own cake in any flavor, or shape. Now, she is doing the same for me. I love it.

My oldest daughter texted me a birthday wish and that is enough for me. It makes me happy that she remembered my birthday while living a full-to-bursting life of her own.

My parents hand-delivered their presents to me.
I am blessed that both of my parents are healthy and with me. I am now the proud owner of a ceramic knife set, purple bath pouf, and jasmine soap. I can slice, dice, and smell lovely at the same time.

The hubby bought me a gold necklace with a sparkling, crystal-encrusted bead. For my birthday supper, he bought two T-bone steaks. Love it!

And after everyone left,
I went into the kitchen and started making cupcakes and chicken salad puffs for the Ladies Luncheon and Tea at church. Bill told me several times that he wished I didn't have to work so hard on my birthday.

However, I don't consider it to work.
I love making beautiful cupcakes and finger food for special events. It is a way to pass on my blessings. My birthday was celebrated in a manner that made me smile and feel loved. Then, I cooked. I am happy and blessed.

A Family Feast and Fireworks to Celebrate Freedom

Isn't a family celebration a blessing?
On July 4th, my children and their families either attend a public fireworks display, or stay at home. However, we do have a family celebration.

Yesterday I was able to attend the family feast at my daughter Ashley's home.
Her fellow Scott and his son Izaya cooked the meal. Scott proved himself to be a good home cook. His menu consisted of deviled eggs, potato salad, grilled steaks, burgers, hot dogs, and baked beans. My contribution was jello fruit salad and chocolate Yoohoo drinks for the grand kids. My girls, Cassie and Ashley filled plates for their children and then seated the children around the kitchen table. Once the children were taken care of, the grownups went through the buffet-style line and sat in the living room, talking, laughing, and eating.

Fireworks were our evening entertainment.
Before dark, the older children shot off bottle rockets and fire crackers. The three and four year old grand kids had a variety of poppers, smoke bombs, and black pellets that turned into snake-like coils of hardened ash.

The Family Circle
The noisy kid sounds filled the air and made me smile as I remembered shooting off my own fireworks as a child. Family is like a circle isn't it? Each generation repeating the activities of their parents, grandparents, and great grandparents.

Silently I thanked Jesus for all of my healthy, happy children and grandchildren. Plus, I thanked Him for allowing all of us to gather together for a feast with fireworks.

After dark the adult kids took their turn at shooting off  Roman candles, multi-colored fountains, and large, booming rockets. High overhead the exploding patterns were followed by ooh's and ah's.

My grandson Ashton, sat by me and clapped his little hands while  imitating his Grammy's ooh's and ah's.

He made me smile by saying, "Look Gram! Fire! Me want do that!" He finally got his wish when the sparklers were brought out for all of the little ones who swirled sparklers in circles and zig-zag patterns in the dark night. Each child traced brief, colorful patterns in the air and then ran to get another one.

I feel so blessed by God to live in the United States and to have the freedom of continuing my family's 4th of July celebration with a feast and fireworks.

Who's Your Daddy?

Who's Your Daddy?

The chaplain at our CMA,or Christian Motorcyclists Association,chapter meeting gave a wonderful devotional called, "Who's Your Daddy?" The highlights of the devotional are written below and I hope you find it as thought provoking as I did.

My Role Model
As I grew up, my dad became an alcoholic with all of the attendant behavior. That was my role model. 

Jesus's Role Model
Jesus knew who his daddy was. Jesus gave every evidence of following his father's model in his actions and behaviors.

John 10:15
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep. 

Below are three more scriptures that accompanied the devotional:

Matthew 22:37

Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

Phillipians 2:5

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Phillipians 2:15

so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky

My Heavenly Role Model
Am I showing that Jesus is my heavenly role model in my own actions and behaviors?
Am I on my daddy's mission?

The Story of Moses: An Adult Woman's Perspective

I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born.

Jeremiah 1:5

Studying the Story of Moses
I have been studying Exodus 1:8-2:10, the story of Moses. This is one of the first stories I remember learning as a small child. Due to long familiarity, I am guilty of skimming through the book of Exodus, instead of studying it.

Today, I realized that my point of view has changed drastically. The story of Moses still contains lessons for me to learn from the women in this story. My fall study guide includes questions about the midwives, Moses' mother, Moses' sister, and the Pharaoh's daughter. The last question is the same, "How did __________care for others?"

Two Brave Midwives
The two midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, did not follow the king of Egypt's command to kill the male babies. They feared God more than Pharaoh. However, the Hebrew women and their families knew what the two midwives were doing. To keep their baby boys alive, the Hebrew families had to make plans for keeping the male births a secret.

Women caring for women. Fathers caring for sons. Families protecting the midwives. The midwives protecting the babies. Even when questioned before the King, the midwives said the births were over before they arrived. The Egyptian King reacted to this news by ordering his people to throw male Hebrew babies into the Nile River. Can you imagine having your baby plucked out of your arms and thrown into a river to drown? No wonder Moses' family hid him until he was three months old.

Moses' Family Have a Plan
Moses' mother must have been desperate. Can you see the family coming up with a plan to try and save the baby AND keep themselves safe?  Moses' mother knew that only Pharaoh's daughter could keep her son alive. All of the residents must have known where the princess bathed in the Nile. Putting baby Moses in a water proofed basket, among the reeds, tells me that  a plan had been made and put into action. That basket was being held in place by the reeds on purpose. Miriam was waiting for the Egyptian princess and her attendants to discover her baby brother when they approached the river to bathe.

How Did These Women Care For Others?
Back to the question of " How did _________________care for others?"

1. The midwives cared for the Hebrew families and hid the births of male babies from the ruler of Egypt.
2. Moses' mother cared for her family. The baby couldn't be kept a secret and the other members had to be kept safe. 
3. Moses' sister helped her mother and baby brother. She cared enough to approach Pharaoh's daughter and ask if she could get a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby. Certainly a woman of noble birth would have been accompanied by armed guards. Miriam did not let guards or attendants stop her. She cared about others, her parents and her baby brother. 
4. Pharaoh's daughter felt sorry for the Hebrew baby boy. She knew about the order to have the Hebrew male babies thrown into the river.  In spite of this, she paid to have this baby taken care of. Then, she adopted the child as her own. 

My Personal Perspective
I find it intriguing that Moses' mother was paid to nurse her own son until her was old enough to be raised as the Pharaoh's grandson. What a paradox! Because of  Pharaoh's order, he (Pharaoh) ended up raising and educating God's chosen messenger as his grandson.
In my opinion, the story of Moses' birth and adoption  is an outstanding example of how God operates. Obviously, God had a purpose for Moses before he was born. Today, God has a purpose for each of his people before they are born.

I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born.

Jeremiah 1:5

Psalm of the Week - 39:1 - Week of 18 August, 2014

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David. I said, "I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth while in the presence of the wicked."

NIV

This verse reminds me of my mom. My mom always says, " If you cannot say anything nice, then do not say anything at all." I imagine King David's mother always said,"David, if you cannot say anything nice, then do not say anything at all." Anyway, King David knew he had to watch his ways and keep his tongue from saying the wrong thing. (sin) 

As a coheir of the kingdom of God, it is my job to watch my ways and keep my tongue from saying the wrong thing. (sin) 

Now I have some questions for you. 

How many times have you been in the presence of an unpleasant person - your boss, project manager, police officer, cashier..? Did you keep quiet because you knew anything you said would just make the situation worse? Then you "put a muzzle on your mouth in the while in the presence of the wicked."

The word wicked applies to more than evil, vicious, unscrupulous, and criminal people. Nasty, harsh, unpleasant, bad, disagreeable, irksome, troublesome, irritating, hateful, and annoying are also synonyms for wicked. Reading through this list was an eye opening experience for me. Truly, most of us find ourselves in the "presence of the wicked" every day.

Psalm 39:1 is as applicable to me when I am at the grocery store, at work, and at church as it was to King David's life. The word "wicked" has a much wider range of meaning than I believed it did. 

Personal Application in Prayer

Help me Lord. I want to live in a way that reflects your presence in my life. Help me to keep my tongue from sin. Help me to muzzle my mouth when I am in the presence of annoying, irritating, hateful, nasty people. If I unmuzzle my mouth, let calm, healing words issue from my tongue. Amen.

The Motorcycles Are Out of the Garage!

Mid-Missouri is having a heat wave! Finally, we can get the motorcycles out of the garage! Last Saturday, Bill and I rode with about twenty-five or thirty of our Christian Motorcyclists Association brothers and sisters. Our group consisted of eighteen motorcycles and trikes, plus one car. 

Your red headed blogger and hubby Bill (on my right) getting ready to pray before  we start our trip.
The Arcadia Valley eatery, Baylee Jo's BBQ and Seafood, is our lunch destination.

Leaving Belgrade, MO. See the car? I am slightly below and to the right of the car. Bill is directly ahead of me. The blue motorcycle in the bottom left corner belongs to my parents. Yep, my folks are in their seventies and riding a motorcycle.

Riding down the highway,  headed for the junction of Old Route C and Hwy. 21 South. We are between Potosi, MO and Caledonia, MO.

What a gorgeous trip! Now you know that I temporarily deserted writing endeavors in favor of traveling the open road. However, I will resume posting in a week.

What is Right is not Always Popular, What is Popular is not Always Right

Discovering the Slogan

The title to today's post is a slogan I read on a bumper sticker, in a bookstore. The moment I read the words,"What is popular is not always right; What is right is not always popular", the truth of the slogan sank into my mind and heart. That particular bumper sticker never adorned the bumper of a car or truck, it proclaimed its message from the side of our refrigerator.

Teaching My Daughters

Cassie and Ashley, are fond of saying,"But Mom, all the other kids get to________________." (Place your own words in the blank.) Enter the bumper sticker. In the beginning, when my teen or preteen said this in the kitchen, I directed their attention to the bumper sticker and asked them to read the slogan to me. After some sighing and eye rolling, the reading would begin. My response was then," What does that mean?" More sighing and eye rolling followed my question, but I patiently looked at them, not saying a word. Clearly, Mom wasn't talking until she received an answer. Finally, I heard," Just because others do it, doesn't mean it is right for me." or a similar variation. The routine changed after Cassie and Ashley became familiar with the posted saying. All I had to do was point to the refrigerator after hearing the initial," But Mom, all the other kids get to____________." Either daughter would say," I know! I know! What's popular isn't always right, and what's right isn't always popular. I KNOW what it means, too. It means..."

My persistent message wasn't popular with my girls, but I knew it was one that they both needed to learn. God, the Father, had an unpopular message for his prophet Jeremiah to deliver to Israel. Jeremiah faithfully and persistently followed God's instructions. Whether they were popular, or not.

 Jeremiah, a Faithful Follower

Jeremiah faithfully followed God,(what's right isn't always popular.) even when confronted by popular worship practices that included idols (what's popular isn't always right). Jeremiah's people lived in a world that believed it was OK to worship more than one god. The Judeans felt it would be politically correct to include the gods of their powerful neighbors Babylon, Canaan, and Egypt,  into their worship service. No one wanted to offend the sophisticated, educated neighbors by excluding their gods, so compromise was the wisest thing to do. Very few of the Judeans remained faithful to the God of their forefathers. The God who commanded,"You shall not have any gods before me. You shall not make for yourselves an idol..." (Exodus 20:3-4) Yes, it wasn't popular to follow the one God, Jehovah anymore.

Jeremiah, a Politically Incorrect Prophet

 God called Jeremiah to be his prophet, equipping him to deliver a message to his fellow Judeans that was seen as politically incorrect to blasphemous. (You could be killed for blasphemy) However, Jeremiah was willing to be bold and and delivered an unpopular, politically incorrect message: unfaithfulness has consequences.

The house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly unfaithful to me,: declares the LORD. They have lied about the LORD; they said, "He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine. The prophets are but wind and the word is not in them; so let what they say be done to them."

Jeremiah 5:11-13

Are You Willing?

Are you willing to be bold and deliver a politically incorrect, biblical message that isn't popular? Let's learn a lesson from the prophet Jeremiah. Popular beliefs and standards are incorrect if they do not align with the Bible. Christians cannot allow political correctness, or popularity, to lead them into a life that is not aligned with the Bible, God's Holy Word.  The Bible is the inspired Word of God. The Bible says we are to be Christ-like as we faithfully and obediently follow what Jesus taught during his ministry. (Galatians 3:26-29)

Thanks, Mom

My mom, Virginia Tucker.
 

I am a day or so late with this post, but I still wanted to thank my mom for being the amazing woman who taught me how to love Jesus.

My mother started teaching me about Jesus before I could even talk. Even today, as an adult, I will sing Jesus Loves Me to myself. Mom also read the Children's Bible to me many times, patiently pausing and answering the hundred and one questions I would ask.

Thanks Mom

I love you.

Recovery from Strict Christian Parents

Two days ago, Bill and I were watching a program on television. The group of people who were on the show had overcome problems in life. As each person was singled out by the camera, a caption was shown telling where each individual was in life and where they had been. The problems that had been overcome were alcoholism, drug addiction, loss of a loved one and then, much to my shock, I saw "...Recovery from Strict Christian Parents."

 I have been unable to forget the image of the young man above the title, "...Recovery from Strict Christian Parents." What happened in his childhood home that made him feel that he had recovered from his parents' Christian life? The fleeting moment seems to be seared into my memory. What is the whole story behind the caption that thousands or millions of television viewers saw? Looking back into my own parenting past, I can honestly say that I didn't always set a Christ-like example. However, I did try to follow the relationship model that Jesus set for all of us.

 

 Jesus loves children and calls them to him. In Matthew 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16; and Luke 18:15-17, the disciples rebuked those who had brought little children to Jesus so he could place his hands on them and pray for them. When Jesus heard this he was indignant and said," Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth; anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." So as we raise our children, who is the teacher? I learned to see the world with a child's eyes as I raised my daughters. I will never forget the lesson my four year old, Ashley, taught me one spring.

 

My mom and dad are gardeners. Every spring they plant and tend a small garden. My four year old was outside looking at Grandma and Grandpa's garden. When she walked up to Mom and me, she looked at Mom and said,"Mam-maw, I like your green flowers." Mom and I glanced at each other because we knew there weren't any green flowers in the garden. Mom looked at my daughter and said," Show me the flowers you were looking at." As I trailed along behind Mom and Ashley, I was puzzled, but curious. Ashley led us to the row of baby cabbage plants, pointed her finger at the plants, and said, "There Mam-maw, see? Pretty green flowers." The baby green cabbage plants did resemble irregular green stars against the dark, tilled soil of the garden. What a lesson in looking at the world through a child's eyes! Mom and I would never have learned this if one of us had said, "No there isn't. There aren't any green flowers in the garden. You're wrong, those are cabbage plants;" My mother also taught me a lesson in parenting by saying, "Show me."

 

Jesus told the disciples that if you want to receive the kingdom of God, you have to be like a child. Now that doesn't mean temper tantrums, selfishness, or the other behaviors parents have to deal with. He was talking about being trusting, loving, and seeing the world in a new way. Jesus wants us to have a trusting, loving relationship with our children. Further evidence of this is to be found in Ephesians 6:1-4. Children are to obey and honor their parents, BUT (capitalization is mine) parents aren't to exasperate their children. We are supposed to bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord, with love.

 

Jesus loves us so much that he obediently allowed himself to be crucified on a cross for us - the ultimate Father and Son relationship. Scripture also shows me a grieving mother, watching her beaten, bleeding, and abused son struggle to carry a cross to the hilltop reserved for crucifixion of criminals. A son she knew to be innocent. A man who also had a sign associated with him that read, "This is Jesus, The King of the Jews"

 

Relationships are so tricky. I did the best I could as a parent, I'm sure Mary, and Joseph did their best as parents. What about the Christian parents of a young man who appeared on television with the caption"...Recovered from Strict Christian Parents"?