Lost!

  The signs were posted everywhere around town, and there were many posts on Facebook.  My heart would sink each time I saw one, reminding me that he wasn't home with his family.  He ran away from home on New Year's Eve, terrified of the fireworks.  But he had a tag, and we all figured that within a few days, someone would find him and call.  But the days ticked away, and although there were several leads, they all proved to be fruitless.  The community support was great.  People loaded up in their cars and drove around looking for him.  Others carried a leash in their car in case they saw him as they went about town in their daily business.  We prayed that he would be found.  We felt for the family, because we knew their hearts were burdened for their lost dog.  We felt for the dog, because we figured he was out there somewhere lost, alone, and scared, or even possibly injured in some way.  And those signs!  Those signs posted everywhere made me so sad!  I just wanted him to be found, and  taken back home where he belonged, with the people who loved him and missed him so much!  He had been missing for fifteen days, and the oldest princess and I passed one of his signs.   I told her that I could hardly stand it, it made me so sad.  It was time for him to be found.


Late that same evening, I saw a notice on Facebook that he HAD been found!  We were all very excited and we were comforted to know that he was safe at home where he belonged.  The next day on Facebook one of our friends posted this picture of his sign at the post office…

How happy is that?  My friend said that she had gone to take down all of the signs, and when she saw this one, it made her smile, and she just didn't have the heart to take it down.

A couple of days later my husband and I were talking about how glad we were that they had found their dog.  My husband made an observation that cut to the quick of my heart, and has been rubbing my conscious raw since then.  I do not remember his exact words, but my heart heard something like: Look at the lengths the community will go to, in order to find a lost dog.  But when it comes to people who are lost and doomed to spending an eternity separated from God, the God who made them and loves them, we sit by and do nothing.

Wow.  Guilty.  I am guilty.  For fifteen days, I worried about my friends and their lost dog, and prayed for the return of that dog more than I prayed for the lost people I know.  Don't get me wrong.  I prayed for the lost.  There are certain people that I pray for by name, daily.  But it has become more of a "daily ritual" for me.  I think the difference is that in my heart, I really believed that my friend's pet would be found.  But after years of praying for lost loved ones, maybe my faith has waned a little, or even in some cases, a lot that they will ever actually be saved.  If I really believed that those loved ones would get saved, wouldn't I be more actively involved in seeing it happen?  Wouldn't I be spreading the word that I have a lost loved one, and that I would give anything to see that lost loved one saved?  Wouldn't I be praying for that person more than just once a day, at a particular time?  Wouldn't I be using every means possible to spread the word to get people to help me do what it takes to see my lost loved one saved?

James 5:16 b "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much"

II Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God wants my lost loved one to be saved even more than I do.  He is on my side.  I must continue to pray faithfully, and fervently.  I must continue to ask others to do the same.  I must reach out in love as much as possible to that loved one.  I must be the hands and feet of Jesus so that they may see His love for them through me.  I must speak of His blessings constantly, so that they can see what a joy it is to live for Him.  I must show grace and mercy, as He would show grace and mercy.  But most important, I must not give up.  I must continue to have faith that He will do what He says.  I must keep things in perspective and remember that reaching the lost is the number one reason I am here.

I am very glad that our friends found their dog.  I think it is wonderful.  But I would be even more excited to hear about one of your lost loved ones coming to know the Lord as their personal Savior.  Especially after you have prayed for them for years.  I know it would make my heart rejoice, and it would be an encouragement to me and to others reading this blog that are still praying to see their lost loved ones saved.  So if you have a story, please share it with the rest of us.  Or, if you are praying for a lost loved one and would like the rest of us to pray with you, please share your story, and I promise to pray even more fervently for them than I prayed for this cute, cuddly little dog to find his way home.
I don't think I will ever look at a lost dog notice in the same way again.

Lord, please help us to realize how important it is to do everything we can to lead others to you!

Would it Matter if He Knew

I have a friend who is a very strong Christian.  Her husband, who does not have a personal relationship with Christ, has just in the past few years started attending church.  They attend a fairly large church, where it is almost impossible to get to know everyone.

My friend came to me one day and told me a story that broke my heart.  And all I can think about is how I wonder if the man in the story knew, would it matter to him?  Would he change his ways?

I know that one day it WILL matter.  One day when he stands before the Lord he claims to serve, it WILL matter MUCH, MUCH more than what he THINKS matters now.

It will matter MUCH more than that little league win or loss.

It will matter MUCH  more than a little title that someone else will win the next year, and someone else will win the year after that, and soon, no one will ever remember that his team won it once.

It will matter MUCH more than a trophy made of wood and plastic, that is probably already boxed up and stored away.

It will matter so much, because it had the potential to alter a man's ETERNITY.

Now, back to my friend and her story...my friend, and her husband who we have been praying for.

My friend, whose husband has just started, in the last couple of years, attending church with her.  

My friend, whose husband's eternity hangs in the balance.

She came to me and explained that a man who was a member of her large church, was also the coach of one of her family member's little league team.  Did you catch the LITTLE part?  We are talking about kids under third grade here. Not that it would change things even if we were talking about Major League ball.  Because on the other side of the balance is a man's eternity.

Anyway, this coach has a reputation for being very passionate about ball, and not in a good way.  So, as they would go to the games, and watch this coach act like a fool about things that do. not. even. BEGIN. to matter in eternity, my friend opted NOT to tell her husband that the coach was a member of her church.  Because she knew in her heart that it would damage the cause of Christ, and Christianity, in her husband's eyes.  Did you hear that?  She knew this man's reputation would hurt the cause of Christ in her husband's eyes.  That saddens me, as well as convicts me to the core.  I want to live my life in such a way that no one can ever say that about me.  How about you?  Does it matter to you?  Does it matter enough for you to be careful to keep your testimony at all times, no matter where you are or what you are doing?  Because believe me, people are watching you, everywhere, and how you act could very well affect where they spend eternity.

Fast forward through a few ballgames of watching this man, and a few Sunday mornings later...My friend and her husband are walking out of church, and guess who happens to be walking out in front of them.  Yep, THE coach.  The coach who in an hour and a half on Friday night or Saturday morning does more for Satan's cause than he has probably ever done in his LIFETIME for the cause of Christ.  

Because LIVING Christianity is SO MUCH more important than preaching it or teaching it.  You can preach it, or teach it EVERY Sunday morning/Sunday night/Wednesday night of your life, but if you don't live it at home, at work, at the ball field, in the grocery store, in the hospital, in happy times, in sad times, in peaceful times, in stressed out times...you are doing MORE TO HARM Christianity, than any good you could ever do to help Christianity.

Of course, my friend's husband commented in disbelief, "HE goes to THIS church?"  My friend wanted to know what she could say.  What could she say to repair the damage done?  

I told her she needs to explain to her husband that being Christian, does not mean being perfect.  And that all Christians do make mistakes, and act in ways that we should not.  And that her husband doesn't need to be looking at others, but at Christ as his example.  I told her to point out that Christians, just like others can sometimes get their priorities all out of order.  I told her to explain to her husband that unfortunately just because the man attends church there, it does not necessarily mean that he has a true relationship with God.  The Bible does say that we can be judged by our fruit.  And from all accounts, this man's fruit appears to be rotten.  I'm not saying that this particular man is or is not a Christian, because that is between he and God.  But I do wonder…if he read this, and he knew that his actions were helping Satan give a man an excuse to not become a Christian and possibly spend eternity in hell…would it matter to him?  Would he change his actions on the little league ball field?  Would one man's soul matter more than that next win?  Would it matter if he knew?

Top Ten Blog Posts of 2013

Wow.  2013 was a slow blogging year for me.  Well, it was a slow year for me to actually push the publish button is more accurate.  I wrote tons, I just didn't share as much publicly this year.  Some were time sensitive, and would be better shared after the fact.  Some I didn't feel were "good enough" to share.  Others, I wrote just as "therapy" for myself, with no intention of ever sharing.  I continued my Thankful Thursdays, I just didn't publish them, because they are something that I feel very strongly about and do not want to stop doing them, but I also felt that some of you were getting tired of reading them.  Or just skipping them altogether.  Our family was crazy busy with two active teens and a little one, and I didn't have as much time to sit and write like I would like to.  So.  It is what it is.  And without further ado…here are my Top Ten Blog posts of 2013…

1.  A Giveaway - I was blessed to be able to partner with Mindy at The Child Training Bible when the new Virtue Training Bible came out.  I received one Virtue Training Bible to use and review, and one to giveaway on my blog.  It is an excellent tool in helping to teach and train our children, and I highly recommend it.  I also learned that if you want serious traffic on your blog, give something away!  Feel free to click on the link and read my review, but the giveaway is over, so the chance to win one has come and gone.  You can always go on over to The Child Training Bible, and buy one, they are very reasonably priced, and I know you will love it as much as I do.

2.  If You Ever Wish to Date My Daughter - Okay, so I usually do my best writing when I am touched emotionally, or passionate about something.  This topic is obviously something that a lot of you (moms of girls and guys alike) are passionate about as well.  This blog post was my most shared post - a huge thank you and hugs to those of you who shared it!  I really felt the love on this one (smile). - so it got quite a bit of traffic.  I woke up one morning, and saw something on a social media site that really bothered me.  The result was this blog.  If you haven't read it yet, hopefully you will read it and enjoy it.

3.  All She Needs to Do is Ask - We have worked with, or in close connection to, teens during our whole ministry.  Nothing gets to me as much as teens who KNOW to do right and chooses to do wrong, or  gives in to peer pressure and makes mistakes.  Life altering mistakes.  I heard a particular instance of a teen we loved dearly who made a big mistake, and found out we had been very close to the whole situation.  If only she had spoken up.  We would have been there for her.  As it stood, we had no idea.  Hindsight is 20/20 they say.  I just wanted to let the kids we love so much know that we are there for them - ANYTIME - and for ANY REASON.  All they need to do is ASK.

4.  Praying He Has a Warm Place to Sleep Tonight - This is probably the biggest life changing event that I blogged about this year.  It was also shared by many of you.  So, I know it touched you too.  This man touched my heart in ways that words can not explain.  We still pray for him, especially on cold nights.  I wish there was some way to know for sure where he is and how he is doing.  I pray that everyone has a chance to meet, help, and be blessed by someone like him at least once in their lifetime.

5.  Our Christmas in the Country that Almost Wasn't - Part 1 - Again, we are SO thankful that we were able to go.  Look at the memories we would have missed out on if we had not be able to go.  We love our family and seriously appreciate every second we have with them.

6.  Our Christmas in the Country that Almost Wasn't - Part 2 - Because like I said, there was just too much for one blog post.

7.  Our Christmas in the Country (2012) - Last year's crazy Christmas in the Country.  I love my family, and we always have a blast when we are together.  Makes for GREAT writing material.  And I guess good reading material too, because you all keep coming back for more.

8.  She's…7! - The youngest princess…she always gets good ratings.  I keep telling her daddy that she needs an agent, and she could make us a lot of money!  But seriously, THAT is not what we want for her life.  So, we enjoy her personality ourselves, and share a little of her with you all from time to time.

9.  The Youngest Princess Says… - Always a hit and always good for a laugh, or at least a smile.  The most popular Youngest Princess Says of 2013.

10.  Who Are You Listening To? - One of my personal favorites from 2013.  It was one of my hardest to write, and actually hit the publish button on.  I hope if you haven't read it yet, you will read it and that it will speak to your heart.

So there you are.  The top ten blog posts of 2013.  I hope that something I write, touches you in some way.  I love you and appreciate you taking the time to read my ramblings, and share a little of life along the way.  I pray that you all have a great day and a wonderful, blessed 2014!!