Because sometimes God has skin

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The Church The bodyToday we begin a short series on The Body, The Church. We will learn what it means to be a part of the Body of Christ, its benefits and responsibilities. Join us!

Most have probably heard the story of the little girl who was afraid to sleep in her own room and kept running to Mom and Dad, begging to sleep with them. They would assure her all was well and back to her bed she would go only to return in a few minutes. Finally, her parents tried to comfort her by saying that God was with her and watching over her. That wasn’t quite what the child wanted to hear for, as she put it, “Sometimes I need God with skin on!”

Sometimes God sends someone with skin on. The Body of Christ wasn’t meant to sit on a church pew and soak up endless teaching and blessings, hoarding them to ourselves.

Never.

The Body of Christ, The Church, that’s you and me, were meant to BE the hands and feet of Jesus.

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We are to GO and DO and BE Jesus in this world. We are His skin, so to speak.

because sometimes God has skin

I saw a video clip this week of a young man who was having what he thought was a bad day. So much to do, so little time to do it and he admitted he was simply in a bad mood. He walks out of a store to see a lady in her car, maybe early 60’s, bald and obviously waiting on someone. To pass the time she was reading a book.

The young man gets in his car and is immediately struck with the impression to go back in the store and get the woman a bouquet of flowers. What?! “I’m busy, I’m aggravated and I just don’t want to, Lord.” But, being obedient, he goes back in and brings the flowers to her car window where he stumbles over his words and says something like, “I know we don’t know each other but I felt impressed to give you these flowers and hopefully encourage you to smile.”

Naturally, the lady burst into tears…the man quietly walks back to his car, broken, humbled and all of his troubles put into perspective in an instant. He will never know what she was going through or what the flowers represented to her but, rest assured, she needed to hear from the Lord that day.

God comes to us in so many different ways; His Word, a thought, prayer, worship and music, creation and nature and other believers. He even spoke through a donkey in the Old Testament to make a point!

Jesus, God manifested in the flesh, came with skin and walked among His own. He loved, He shared, He pointed the way. He WAS the WAY.

HE IS THE WAY!

Even though we may not see the physical Jesus in the flesh, sitting on a throne here on Earth, we see The scripture says,  “For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in…” Matthew 5:25. He expects us to treat those around us as we would treat Him. So how do we do that? How do we become Jesus with skin?

  • Be sensitive. That comes through prayer and the Word.
  • Be engaging. When you are sensitive and the Lord leads you to someone, don’t just stand around wondering if He means YOU. He does! So step in and go in faith.
  • Be real. Don’t hide your testimony and don’t pretend like you have it all together. Let others know you NEED Jesus every. single. day. You aren’t above mistakes and you still mess up but you serve a God that not only forgives but supplies you with what you need for each new day.
  • Be faithful. If you say you are going to do something, do it. If something needs to be done, don’t ask if you can help, just help! Be a friend, be a mentor, be a confidante and do them all well. Don’t gossip about your friend or their problem, pray to the One who can actually do something about it.

Jesus with skin? That’s you, me, the Body. We were put here for a purpose and that is to share the love of God in order to help others come to know Him. And when they do? They will then do the same!

For the kingdom
Sharing with Living Proverbs 31, Modest Mondays, Making your home sing, Good morning Mondays, Mommy Moments

When you stand up to the bully…

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Another of My Three Sons is the guest writer on the blog today! Korey Elkins is the youngest, this year they will turn 25, 30 and 35! Where does the time go? So proud of Korey and what he is doing for the kingdom. He was with us in Latvia for a while as the worship leader, singing on the streets of Riga to win souls, as you see in this first picture

and then he was in Scotland and Ireland for several weeks helping missionaries there

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and finally, just this past December, he went with us to Haiti and was greatly impacted by the work there.

But every Sunday, you will find him singing and playing his guitar at his home church in Fishers. Enjoy and be encouraged by this post.

“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

There are so many adjectives used to describe God:

  • Creator
  • Healer
  • King of Kings
  • Son
  • Messiah
  • Protector
  • Alpha
  • Omega
  • Savior
  • Lord of Lords

The list is longer than we can ever imagine. One of the words I love to describe Him as is Father. The thought that the One who created the universe, sustains life and holds the stars in place is also the one who cares about my day to day life, is astounding to me.

And the fact that He calls me His son is mind-blowing.

The verse from Isaiah 41:10 is a verse that has stuck with me ever since I heard it on the Christian radio show, Adventures In Odyssey. There’s a boy who is being bullied on his way home from school everyday and is eventually too terrified to leave school because of it. Whit, the city’s sage, Christian counselor, gives him some advice and tells him to repeat this verse as he walks home. He does this and as he confronts the bully, the verse gives him confidence to stand up to her and keep walking.

When you stand up to the bully

I love this simple message from God because it’s such an accurate depiction of how a Father encourages His children.

  • Why would we fear when God is always with us?
  • Why would we let anxiety control our lives when He is our God?
  • Why do we let ourselves be weakened and destroyed by lusts, addictions and doubts when He is our strength, our help and our righteousness?

Our God is for us! “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31.

One of the most important parts of Isaiah 41:10 is His mentioning of His “righteous right hand”. The idea of the right hand is mentioned many times in the Bible. The right hand is significant because it indicates someone who has the highest rank, just under the King. It’s someone who stands next to the King and matters the most to him. Most scriptures reference Jesus as now being seated at the right hand of God. “…Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God…” 1 Peter 3: 21-22.

For me, I think this could also be saying just how important we are, as His sons and daughters. By holding us up with that right hand of righteousness, we are exalted to that higher level. We matter the most to Him. And that’s why we are pursued so relentlessly by God.

Keep this verse with you when times get dark and heavy.

How small are your fears, anxieties, weaknesses and failures compared to your worth in Christ!

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Let yourself be restored by His righteous right hand. Don’t fear. He is with you.

Korey Elkins is the Worship Director at Life Connections Church in Fishers, Indiana. His love of music of all genres is evident in his everyday life but his love for worship trumps them all. Korey began playing guitar at the age of 14 and leading worship with it hanging around his neck at the age of 16. He is a student of graphic design and loves, or lives, to cook for others. If you are blessed to sit down at his table you will leave happy and full. 

Phone calls, flowers and ropes on Mother’s Day

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Happy Mother’s Day to all of our wonderful mothers! If your mother is not living, may you be blessed with wonderful memories of her today. If you have not been able to be a mother, may God surround you with His love and comfort and may you be able to trust Him that He is sovereign and faithful. If your mother wasn’t what you considered ideal and you don’t see reason to honor her today, if Mother’s Day is just plain difficult for you, I pray you may be able to be thankful that your Mother chose life and that you now have a chance to make a difference in the life of another. Blessings to you all on this wonderful day. You can read some of my other more humorous Mother’s Day posts here, here and here!

Phone calls, flowers and ropes on Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day has always been a favorite here in the United States. They say over 122 million will take the time to call their mother today. I will wait for you if you haven’t called your mother yet. Go ahead, it will make her day!

The average spent on Mom today is $168. That seemed extremely high to me and very extravagant for a holiday that was meant to just say, “Thank you.”

Yesterday, I received the most wonderful gift I may have ever gotten for Mother’s Day. Letters from My Three Sons, my sweet DIL, Rachel, and The Sweetheart. Post dated to open one a month for an entire year. Tears!! I will open thefamily first one today. Genius. Thank you to the best kids on the planet!

Around the world, Mother’s Day is celebrated much the same way we do here in the States; flowers, candy, a day off from chores, maybe dinner in a restaurant.

In Ethiopia, Mother’s Day is celebrated for three days! The three-day feast, Antrosht, is celebrated by making hash. The girls bring spices, vegetables, cheese and butter and the boys bring a lamb or a bull. The mother then serves the hash and a celebration takes place afterward where the mothers and daughters anoint themselves using butter on their faces and chests. The men sing songs to honor the family. Hmmm…

Men in Australia typically wear a chrysanthemum in their lapels to honor their mothers. This flower is chosen because it ends in “mum” which is their chosen name for the one who brought them into the world!

If you think your Mother’s Day is dull, you could celebrate as they do supposedly, in Serbia. They also need three days to honor their mother in the month of December. They celebrate Children’s Day and Father’s Day all back to back on consecutive Sundays. But here is where it truly differs from other celebrations! On Children’s Day, the children are tied up with rope and have to say they will behave before they can be untied!

Then on Mother’s Day, it is the mother’s turn to be wound around and around with the rope and she must stay all tied up until she gives treats and gifts to the children. How she is supposed to do this while tied up is a mystery to me but hey, she is a mom! Finally, on Father’s Day, you guessed it, Dad gets to take a turn. He must stay bound with the ropes until he gives the family their Christmas gifts and then everyone can celebrate.

As a daughter I have seen 50+ Mother’s Days come and go. As a Mother, this is my 35th year of celebrating. As a grandmother, it is my very first. My son and DIL experienced infertility for over ten years before we received this little miracle, who is just five weeks old, Norah Jayne. You can read their story here.

While it has taken a few years for me to join the grandparents club, trust me, I feel as if I belong here. Watching Norah at times is like going back 25+ years and watching my own all over again. It seems as if I can see each one of My Three Sons in her tiny face. And yet, she is her own little person, she will have her own ideas, her own desires and her own dreams. This isn’t the same world that her daddy grew up in and it will take a love for God and a relationship with Him to weather the storms that life will send her way.

If I could tell Norah one thing it would be to always honor your parents. They will make mistakes but will forever want what is best for you and strive to make sure you are loved, safe and cared for.

Today, if your mother is living, you are blessed to still have her and be able to let her know you appreciate her. To my own mother, Sandy, I thank you for everything you have done for me and my family over the years. We could count on you then and we can count on you now. Thank you for being a great mother.

To my daughter-in-law, Rachel, on her first Mother’s Day, a day that has typically been so difficult is now wonderfully anticipated. It’s taken a long time to get here but God’s timing is always perfect. May you enjoy every moment and give thanks to the One who has blessed us all with such a miracle.

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Did I mention the country of India? Most of the citizens of this country aren’t really aware of a formal Mother’s Day for one interesting reason: They strongly feel that ONE DAY isn’t sufficient to celebrate the love of a mother.

I would agree.

Happy Mother’s Day!

nana