This Little Light of Mine...

“This little light of mine...I’m gonna let it shine...” 

Can any of us even hum this song without thinking of little children sitting on the floor in a circle, finger pointed straight up and circling around in front of us?  

“Hide it under a bushel? NO! I’m gonna let it shine...”

“Won’t let Satan blow it out...I’m gonna let it shine...”

Oh, the youthful enthusiasm of an easy to learn song is impressed on our hearts, yet as we get older, we can better understand the spiritual implications.

Light changes darkness, exposes missing things, and allows us to see where we are, and where we are going. If we are hiding in the dark, something is hidden in a dark corner, or if we choose to keep people “in the dark”, the effects are still the same; we are trying to keep something that exists a secret. We don’t want people around us (or dare I say, God?) to know what’s going on, and we deceive ourselves to think that we have the controlling cards in the circumstance. God ALWAYS knows what’s going on, as He himself IS LIGHT and no darkness can exist around Him. When we are keeping others in the dark, it eventually comes to light anyways, and everyone involved will know what’s going on...for better or worse. 

Sadly, the song might be a reminder to some of us that are hiding our light now... keeping it under a bushel, and even letting Satan blow it out! 

Who are we trying to fool?? God sees, and knows our hearts. He KNOWS what we think of Him - and our actions speak louder than words. If we are choosing to walk in darkness, we have decided to not believe the Word of God. What a dark place that can be, and yet He wants to shine His Light there to end that darkness!

Then there are those that feel this song will be for them to take their light, which shines brightly already, and share it in other dark places around the world. It can be as close as the grocery store, and as far away as around the world. What a great calling this is, at any time in life, and if we are walking in His light, we will do this wherever we are. 

I encourage you to spend a few days singing that childhood song, and praying about where God is asking you to apply it in your life. Whether you need to let this little Light shine, take His Light out from a bushel, or let Him re-light it after Satan’s blowed it out,  I encourage you to prayerfully take steps to do it. If He is equipping you to “shine His light all around this world” - then hallelujah! How exciting!! 

No matter what verse you apply, share this decision with someone who loves God, so they can mentor and guide you in this journey. 

Mark 4:21 - 23 Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine.  For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light.  Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

and on UPG's (Unreached People Groups)...How We Can Help Reach Them!!

“I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” Matthew 18:19,20

One of the groups I am involved in is a “prayer movement” that started a year ago for the country of Tunisia. It started when the “Arab Spring” began, and Christians around the world saw this historical event in the news and wanted to pray for God’s will in this country. The website facilitates daily prayer requests to email subscribers who are willing to pray for the people, government, land, and resources in this ripe field.

Tunisia isn’t the only place that needs prayer - many Arab countries need prayer as their governments collapse and new doors open for church planters, evangelists and “faith based” humanitarian agencies to come. Many Christians are needed to pray for God to move in these places, and for the followers of Islam to have dreams and visions of Jesus being the Son of God, and not just “another prophet”, for their hearts and minds to be open to the Gospel of Jesus. 

Intercessory prayer is an amazing thing. When we heed to God’s promise that He will be in our presence when 2 or 3 are gathered, it reminds me that it doesn’t have to be a prayer movement of a thousand in one place. Just 2 or 3! How easy is that? 

Whether God leads you to join us in prayer for Tunisia, or another country, it’s important that you know that when you pray, it matters! 

There are still an estimated 6,700 tribal or national “people groups” (a group of people connected by language or culture) that have not been reached with the gospel, and we can pray for many different things to occur. Many of these groups place a high cultural value in “dreams and visions”, so it’s always good to pray that God would lead people’s dreams to tell of Jesus, and even to foretell the coming of missionaries to that group. We can ask God to work in the hearts of believers around the world, to raise up Christian workers that will have a passion and see His purpose in going to share the Gospel with these people. We need to ask God to raise up churches that will be willing to support these missionaries who are willing to go abroad, and for them to be able to do more than “just send a check” - but adopt these pastoral workers as a part of their church family, caring for their spiritual, emotional and physical needs. We can also pray for those workers families - the people they leave behind - who will surely miss their kids and grandkids as they separated by thousands of miles and their loved ones are living in some foreign land, apart from many of the conveniences of “home”, and sometimes in dangerous - or even hostile - conditions.

There are many ways to pray, but the most important way is going to be the way God leads you to pray. Following the example of Jesus’ prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, we should include elements of thanksgiving, praise, a heart that’s willing to ask for His will to be done over our own, and forgiveness. If we truly want to see His kingdom come, we will need to be willing to do a little bit more to insure that His name is known throughout the earth...here, near, and far away.

Grace and peace,

Auntie Em

ps - You might be interested in checking out these resources online: www.Pray4Tunisia.com , Unleashed 4 the Unreached, focusing on mobilizing people and churches to pray for unreached people groups around the world at www.U4theU.com, and www.joshuaproject.net that continues to collect data and assess the progress in the world mission movement. 

Another unpublished article...

Deuteronomy 6: 5 - 9  (NLT)
“And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Several years ago I took classes to become certified in child care, and a lot of time was focused on literacy training; ways to encourage a healthy environment for kids to grow into enthusiastic readers. Much of the data was based on research, and several of those studies came to the same conclusion: parents that actively enjoy reading will have children that actively enjoy reading. If kids see adults reading, it doesn’t matter if it’s the newspaper, fishing magazines, adventure novels, comic books or the Bible, they will grow up thinking that reading is a fun thing to do!

If a child doesn’t witness their parents reading in the home,  as they begin to learn to read in school they will likely view it as a “not normal” behavior. If the only time they have to open a book is when it’s been assigned from the teacher, you can be sure that it’s going to be viewed as homework, or a chore.

Other habits, like smoking, wearing seat-belts, and even our eating and exercise routines, are often mimicked by our kids. Whether it’s a good thing, or a bad thing, they will follow our lead.

I think that God knew this long before we did, and was very intentional in giving these words to Moses to share with every generation that followed. He didn’t say to love God like we love food or football; it was a much more consuming love that He was requiring - ALL our heart, ALL our soul, ALL our strength. We are to commit ourselves WHOLEHEARTEDLY to the commands...not half way...not to the ones we want to, or the ones that make sense to us, or only the ones that are culturally relevant;  ALL of them.  We’re supposed to talk to our kids about these things, not only what they meant back then, but what they mean to us today. Talk around the table, talk while we’re driving down the road, when we go to bed and when we get up. We’re supposed to surround ourselves with this wisdom so we don’t forget it. We are commanded to make it as much a part of our family life as the recipes for Grandma’s biscuits, or Uncle Joe’s award winning BBQ sauce. It was meant to pass down, memorizing it by heart. 

We should also allow our kids (and grandkids!) to see us as we read our Bibles (even on our electronic devices), memorize scripture with them, and teach the historical truths of the Bible in a “storytelling” way to pass along from generation to generation so we all will know them by heart. It’s when our heads, hearts and homes are full of God’s Word that we can rest assured that future generations will desire to hold fast to His Word, and we will each be equipped to live our life with Him - no matter what the future holds. They will be equipped to mimic our good habits, and that’s a wonderful legacy to leave them.

Out of the Archives...

“But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance. You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—but the Lord rescued me from all of it. Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.

But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”          2 Timothy 10:10 - 17 (NLT)

I love the fresh start of a new calendar, hanging on my wall, with only a few memos posted on it for important family birthdays and events. A Happy New Year indeed! 

I remember when my daughter was in college, she had gathered some good advice to correlate all her class syllabus’ and mark on the semester’s calendar when things were due; every research paper, every upcoming test. She also marked holidays and vacations and times she might get to come home. After the hour or so to put it on her calendar she’d sit back and have a case of what she called “syllabus shock”. It was overwhelming for her to see everything that was due for that semester on one calendar, and often it seemed insurmountable; there was NO WAY she could accomplish all these things in such a short amount of time...but (with God’s help), fulfill it she did!

We all have things that occur as routinely as her classes, and other things that happen as abnormally as the weather. Difficulties come into our lives at unexpected times, and often we wonder “Why God? Why me? Why now?”. Often we won’t get a clear answer from Him, and we have to step out in faith, growing new directions, new ways, until His will is perfected in us. 

Harder too, is to see unrighteous people prosper. Why do we have such a difficult time when people who don’t believe, or follow God’s ways, seem to have such an easy life? I don’t understand why that happens, but He tells us in 2Timothy 10 that it WILL happen this way...and it does.

I encourage you to hold fast to Jesus during the difficult seasons, and to celebrate with Him in rough times AND when life seems to be going smoothly. He is at work in us, and if we continue to draw near to Him, He WILL draw near to us (James 4:8). We may not know to plan in advance for all He will put on our calendar this year, but if we equip ourselves with His textbook - The Bible - we can be sure that He will prepare us for everything He brings us through.

Grace and Peace,          
Auntie Em

Some Little Extras...

Sometimes I get to writing, and there's not a place to put it! I do more daily blogging at Marina's Kitchen Table, but try to keep it more focused on what's going on in my life day-to-day. Some of those blogs are "spiritual" in nature, and sometimes they are just nature! So I thought I'd take today to post some "odds and ends" that haven't been posted anywhere (or published) to get them off my mind....well, not really off my mind, but out of my files, for sure.

I hope you're blessed!

“Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering.”

2 Thessalonians 1:3-4

endurance: –noun

1. the fact or power of enduring  or bearing pain, hardships, etc.

2. the ability or strength to continue or last, especially despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina: He has amazing physical endurance.

1. lasting quality; duration: His friendships have little endurance.

faithfulness: –adjective

1. strict or thorough in the performance of duty: a faithful worker.

2. true to one's word, promises, vows, etc.

1. steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant: faithful friends.

persecution: –noun

1. the act of persecuting.

2. the state of being persecuted.

1. a program or campaign to exterminate, drive away, or subjugate a people because of their religion, race, or beliefs: the persecutions of Christians by the Romans.

I’m going to guess that you knew what the meanings of these words were before you read the descriptions of them, but I thought it was important to review the scope of what they meant.

Often we think of God only putting us through things that we can handle, and His promises to not leave us alone in the midst of a trial, but I love how the authors are excited to tell about these believers in Thessalonica, and their ability to not only endure and remain faithful, but to FLOURISH in the midst of the persecution and hardships that they are facing as a body of believers. On top of this, they are showing LOVE to one another?? Within the Church body?? 

I can’t help but think of how often we get upset when someone offends us at church. I’ve heard stories of people sitting in someone else’s seat, or perceptions of someone looking at someone funny, and often it’s old-timey gossip that rears it’s ugly head. Loving other Christians in the church is somehow harder to do than loving our enemies! 

More importantly, I think that the fact that they are facing REAL persecution - not just run of the mill having a bad day stuff - that causes their faith to grow and love to show. How much persecution will it take us to start loving our fellow church goers? I’m a firm believer that He brings us through things to help us to learn how to glorify and love Him, and if we don’t learn the lesson on the first try, how far will He have to bring us through difficulties in order to get it right?

Perhaps we can save ourselves some difficulties in life by reaching out across the aisle and begin mending broken friendships. He will be glorified through us putting our pride aside, and we can begin to exercise new faith in our walks.

It wont remove all trials, as James wrote to the church in chapter 1, verses 2-4; “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

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December Inspiration

I’m often baffled with what to consider for a New Year’s Resolution. I know many things will fall by the way-side, so won’t bother with earthly designs of losing weight or exercising more often; although I’d like to do both. I want it to be something deeper, more beneficial, spiritual even. A few years ago, a friend challenged me to be more open to His prompting to pray. It’s been a great change.

Do you love to pray? Alone or with a friend, on my knees with my face to the floor or standing in a large group, with words in my heart or floating around my ears, sweet words of request or spiritual warfare, I love to partake in prayer.

It hasn’t always been this way. I was afraid for my voice to be heard. I didn’t like the sound of it, and was afraid I’d make a mistake, say the wrong thing, or say something stupid. It was awkward!

Many prayers later, it’s something natural to do. It doesn’t cost money. It always produces results (even if it’s not what I’d hope for). It brings me closer to people, and to God. People who pray heartfelt prayers together are rarely going to be upset with each other at the end of the day. I’ve often had to pray “Lord, change ME, change THEM, or change the circumstance that is causing the problem!” Most often, God will change me!

Isn’t it amazing that He understands our heart (even when it's broken), our mind (even when it's pre-occupied) and our physical needs (even when they are great). He knows our silences...and I'm grateful that it's ok to "be still and know that He is God". He loves us, and wants to hear from us. 

One of my favorite things to do- when someone says "would you pray for me..." is to stop right then and pray for them! Often they are caught off guard - they don't want to BE praying but want the benefit of prayer. To stop and pray right then, is the blessing of leading someone else into a time of being in God’s presence, God is glorified through our act of obedience, and we may get to play a part of seeing an answer to prayer. 

Have you never prayed before? There are no hard and fast rules, but sometimes people have a good “recipe” for prayer. Here are some good ideas for a prayer time, from my youth group leading days:

   

     P - Praise God for who He is!! Use scripture to define His attributes, His character. The Psalms 66 and 69 are some of my favorites.

   

     R - Remember what He has done! Scripture is great to focus on, but it may be something recent too. Also remember what WE have done - do we need to confess anything to Him, to clear the air? 

   

     A - Ask - is there something we are requesting from Him?? If we are not sure of what we would like, we can pray “His will be done” and know that He knows all angles of the situation, that we can trust Him to take care of it. Luke 11 is great to instruct us on this.

   

     Y- Yield to Him...this might be in quiet waiting, silence, listening to hear His quiet voice speak something to us, reading His Word.

Our prayers don’t need to be long, flowery, or in another language, but He longs to hear from us, always. Perhaps a resolution to make for this coming year is to “pray more fervently.” I can’t think of a more beneficial change to make. 

Inspiration - October 2011

It was a busy couple of weeks...but It wasn’t until I was in a meeting for an upcoming mission trip, that I realized it was so much more than just being busy. 

There we sat, 5 of us, and each of us were nearly in tears. Echos of exhaustion rang from each of us, complaints of distraction, overcommitment, doubts. I figured we were all suffering from lack of sleep, until one young mom spoke up, “I need to have the courage to confront Satan’s lies! I know he is lying to me, and I don’t want to give him a foothold!”.  Then another said, “I sure can tell that God wants to use us in a mighty way in that country, because Satan is trying to get to me too! If we weren’t going to make an impact for God, Satan wouldn’t care, but he’s trying with everything to distract me and pull me down!”. 

WOW. How ignorant of me! I’d been suffering for weeks, thinking it was just a busy season. I’d allowed emails to back up in my inbox and my own house was a mess. Time with my husband was near to nothing as we juggled a visitor in our home, Bible study and church, and a church retreat. The fellowship was sweet, but we needed naps once we were home. It seemed that at every turn, something negative was happening. We were all just plain ol’ worn out...nothing spiritual about it...but I was SO wrong and felt so silly, as my eyes were opened to the fact that it was ALL spiritual! Satan was in fact trying to distract us from the task God set before us! 

Isn’t this JUST how Satan works? If he wore a sign and we got an email saying “Be aware! Satan’s going to distract you, tempt you, and try to throw you off course!” we’d hit our knees in prayer! We would not hesitate to ask others to pray too, and we would live life in boldness, looking at every corner for his disguises, listening carefully to discern his lies, measuring them against God’s word. 

Dear friend, let this be your warning: Satan IS trying to distract you! Please, know that as I write this, I am praying for you; I pray that your spiritual eyes will be opened, your ears hearing God’s voice, and your feet to step only where He leads you to walk. 

I am also asking you to pray for my team, as we will soon be leaving for the mission field. There we will pray, encourage, equip, care for, and work alongside a group of wonderful, committed Christians who live life daily to share the gospel. God is at work there, and people are hungry for the Truth of Jesus Christ.

May we ALL be hungry for God’s Word, the Bible. May we each be a field worker, whether that field is around the corner, or around the world. Let’s be aware of the spiritual warfare going on around us, and always wear our armor. Let’s lay claim to Romans 16:19-20 (NLT) “But everyone knows that you are obedient to the Lord. This makes me very happy. I want you to be wise in doing right and to stay innocent of any wrong. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”

Grace and peace, 

Auntie Em