My precious children,
My love for you knows no boundaries. It isn't based on what you do or don't do, right or wrong, mistakes or accomplishments. My love for you is unconditional. It is from God who's love knows no limits. My love for you will never change or lack.
When you were little I tried to teach you right from wrong. I tried to keep you safe. I tried to keep you from falling and getting hurt. I tried to teach you about choices and consequences. But you have reached an age where I can't protect you all the time. You will have to make some difficult choices over the next few years and all I can do is pray for you and hope that I have done a good job as your mother. I can't take away the natural consequences for the choices you make. I can't prevent you from ever being hurt. But I promise to love you regardless of the choices you make. I will love you thru pain and sorrow, thru happiness and success, thru good times and bad. When you fall down I will try to pick you up if I can but please know that it might not always be possible for me to do that, even if I want to. But that doesn't mean that I don't love you. I do love you and I wish you would never fall down. But we all fall down. When we fall down it's when we learn who we really are. We learn that God is always there to lift us up. We find out who truly loves us. We see that we can do all things thru Christ. We learn that He is our strength.
I pray that God will hear the pleas of a mother's heart who longs to protect her children from a cruel, dark world. But I also pray that God will make you a light that will shine for Him in this darkness. I pray that you will know and accept that I love you with all my heart and nothing will ever change that. No matter what happens or where life takes you, God & I will love you unconditionally!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
My name is Sherry & I am not a fan.
Thank you Kyle Idleman for showing me the difference in a fan & a follower. If you don't know the difference you should read "Not a Fan" by Kyle Idleman.
My name is Sherry & I am not a fan.
My name is Sherry & I am done living in fear that I might break a religious rule or be caught in a moment of weakness that will supposedly lead to eternal damnation. I want a relationship with Christ not rules. I choose love over laws. I will no longer allow myself to be held captive by guilt. I will believe that the person I am right now, right here is worthy of God's grace. I choose grace over guilt. I am laying down my "do it myself" mentality. I'm done trying to live the Christian life out of my own effort & thru my own strength. I choose to be a spirit-filled follower instead of a self-empowered fan. My name is Sherry & I am not a fan.
Thank you Kyle Idleman for showing me the difference in a fan & a follower. If you don't know the difference you should read "Not a Fan" by Kyle Idleman.
Thank you Kyle Idleman for showing me the difference in a fan & a follower. If you don't know the difference you should read "Not a Fan" by Kyle Idleman.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Penalty Flags
Today was one of those days where you feel like everything that could go wrong did. As I reflect on my day it is like watching a football game that is filled with an enormous amount of penalties. Sometimes I wish I could be an NFL referee. I would love throwing the penalty flag! In case you are not familiar with football, a penalty flag is thrown when there is well, a penalty or infraction. And today was a day full of penalty flags.
I overselpt - penalty flag - I had to be the last one in our house to take a shower.
My son complained about his sprained wrist hurting - penalty flag - I feel guilty because I have to go to work instead of staying home and caring for him.
Thick fog=wrecks on the highway - penalty flag - I was late to work.
After being at work for only 2 hours the school calls and says Zac is crying because he is in so much pain - penalty flag - my boss is upset with me because I have to leave work to go pick up my son.
On the way to Zac's school I am pulled over for speeding - penalty flag - a speeding ticket.
That's it! At that point I've had all I can handle. while the officer is processing my ticket I lose it. I break down and begin to cry. It's only 11:45 am and my day has already seen more penalty flags than a Raider's game.
I am angry with the officer for pulling me over. After all, I wasn't the only one exceeding the speed limit. And he doesn't care that I am concerned about picking up my hurt little boy or that I'm worried about my boss being upset because I only worked 2 hours today. No, he doesn't care about those things, he is simply doing his job. I broke the law and it is his job to enforce consequences when the law is broken. It is his job to throw the penalty flag. And I deserve this penalty flag. Actually, I probably deserve all of the penalty flags that have been thrown today.
So, tonight I am thinking about penalty flags and their purpose. A penalty flag is thrown for a foul, an infraction, a bad decision like unsportsman like conduct. We all face penalty flags or consequences for our fouls, our infractions, our unsportsman like conduct. Tonight I am thankful that God doesn't throw penalty flags. He does discipline but not with penalty flags. I can only imagine what the field would look like if God threw a penalty flag every time I needed corrected. Yikes! But God doesn't throw penalty flags. He pulls the GRACE card. Thank you Jesus for the grace card! When we mess up God doesn't give us what we deserve, He gives us what we need. What if we were more like that? What if we pull the grace card more than we throw the penalty flag? I'm not saying we should turn a blind eye to blatant fouls or infractions. But what if the next time my kid forgets to take out the trash I pull the grace card instead of throwing the penalty flag?
Or how about this for an ending? When I finally got home and got Zac situated and comfortable I pulled the speeding ticket out of my purse and found that the officer had only cited me for 5 over the speed limit. I clearly remember him telling me he clocked me going 15 over. Look at that - he pulled the grace card! Thank you Jesus for the grace card!
I overselpt - penalty flag - I had to be the last one in our house to take a shower.
My son complained about his sprained wrist hurting - penalty flag - I feel guilty because I have to go to work instead of staying home and caring for him.
Thick fog=wrecks on the highway - penalty flag - I was late to work.
After being at work for only 2 hours the school calls and says Zac is crying because he is in so much pain - penalty flag - my boss is upset with me because I have to leave work to go pick up my son.
On the way to Zac's school I am pulled over for speeding - penalty flag - a speeding ticket.
That's it! At that point I've had all I can handle. while the officer is processing my ticket I lose it. I break down and begin to cry. It's only 11:45 am and my day has already seen more penalty flags than a Raider's game.
I am angry with the officer for pulling me over. After all, I wasn't the only one exceeding the speed limit. And he doesn't care that I am concerned about picking up my hurt little boy or that I'm worried about my boss being upset because I only worked 2 hours today. No, he doesn't care about those things, he is simply doing his job. I broke the law and it is his job to enforce consequences when the law is broken. It is his job to throw the penalty flag. And I deserve this penalty flag. Actually, I probably deserve all of the penalty flags that have been thrown today.
So, tonight I am thinking about penalty flags and their purpose. A penalty flag is thrown for a foul, an infraction, a bad decision like unsportsman like conduct. We all face penalty flags or consequences for our fouls, our infractions, our unsportsman like conduct. Tonight I am thankful that God doesn't throw penalty flags. He does discipline but not with penalty flags. I can only imagine what the field would look like if God threw a penalty flag every time I needed corrected. Yikes! But God doesn't throw penalty flags. He pulls the GRACE card. Thank you Jesus for the grace card! When we mess up God doesn't give us what we deserve, He gives us what we need. What if we were more like that? What if we pull the grace card more than we throw the penalty flag? I'm not saying we should turn a blind eye to blatant fouls or infractions. But what if the next time my kid forgets to take out the trash I pull the grace card instead of throwing the penalty flag?
Or how about this for an ending? When I finally got home and got Zac situated and comfortable I pulled the speeding ticket out of my purse and found that the officer had only cited me for 5 over the speed limit. I clearly remember him telling me he clocked me going 15 over. Look at that - he pulled the grace card! Thank you Jesus for the grace card!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Put Your Hands In The Air
We put our hands in the air for many different reasons.
We raise our fists in anger & frustration.
We throw our hands up in defeat.
We wave our hands in excitement.
We high five other hands in joy.
We reach out our hands to help those who need help.
We raise our hand to get someone’s attention.
We fold our hands in times of prayer.
As holiness people we are known to lift our hands in praise.
But how often do we lift our hands in surrender. The next time life has you down lift your hands, palms upward and hands open. Lift your burden, your anxiety, your stress, your confusion, your worry, your doubt. Surrender it all to God. Let God take those things from your hands. What you will find is that your hands don’t feel so heavy anymore. What you will find is God’s peace. Now, turn your hands over and lift them in praise to the Almighty, the King of Kings. But don’t stop there. Extend your hand to others who need to feel God’s love.
We raise our fists in anger & frustration.
We throw our hands up in defeat.
We wave our hands in excitement.
We high five other hands in joy.
We reach out our hands to help those who need help.
We raise our hand to get someone’s attention.
We fold our hands in times of prayer.
As holiness people we are known to lift our hands in praise.
But how often do we lift our hands in surrender. The next time life has you down lift your hands, palms upward and hands open. Lift your burden, your anxiety, your stress, your confusion, your worry, your doubt. Surrender it all to God. Let God take those things from your hands. What you will find is that your hands don’t feel so heavy anymore. What you will find is God’s peace. Now, turn your hands over and lift them in praise to the Almighty, the King of Kings. But don’t stop there. Extend your hand to others who need to feel God’s love.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Saying Goodbye to 2010
As we prepare to say goodbye to 2010, some of us will look back at the year that was. As I reflect on the past year I have to say it was a year of trials for my family.
I returned to the workforce full time after being a stay-at-home mom for 10 years.
I was a part of the leadership team that started a new church.
I preached at a homeless shelter for men.
I preached an Easter Sermon in an old, historic church.
I started Seminary. I quit Seminary.
My father-in-law suffered a massive stroke that left one side of his body paralyzed.
My second daughter became a teenager, making me the mom of two teen girls.
And I turned 40!
These are just some of the trials we encountered, I could list several more. But I don’t want to focus on the trials of life. Instead I want to share with you a new way I found of looking at trials. I recently participated in a Bible study on the book of Daniel. One of my favorite stories in Daniel is the story of Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego. I learned some new things from that story that will change how I remember the year 2010 and how I embrace the new year ahead of us. I learned that there are three scenarios to any fiery trial. God can take you away from it, God can take you thru it, or God can take you in it. Of course, we would prefer the 1st scenario; I would have preferred that my father-in-law not have had a massive stroke. But I had faith that God would see him & us thru the stroke & recovery; this refers to the second scenario. The third scenario would have meant that God would have taken Charles to Heaven during the stroke, & I know Christ well enough to be comfortable with that scenario if it had happened.
But I want to share with you the most amazing part I learned this time. Daniel 3:26-27 says, “So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisors crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.” They came out of the fire with no smell of fire on them! I just can’t imagine that. I think of camping, one of my favorite things about camping is the smell of a campfire. But when I get home I can’t wait to get that smell out of my hair & clothes & pillow. Can you imagine being in a fiery furnace & coming out not smelling of smoke? That is how God wants us to come out of our fiery trials. He doesn’t want us to come out smelling like putrid smoke, & carrying that stink with us wherever we go. Think of Pig-Pen from Snoopy & how everywhere he goes there is that dust cloud that follows him. This is not how I am to remember the year 2010. I do not want to look back at the year & only see & smell smoke. I am choosing to look back at 2010 & see the Glory of God in that year, to see His hand at work, to see my family trusting Him, to see how many blessings He has poured out, to thank Him for being my rock & my redeemer! So, let me reinterpret my year for you.
I was blessed with a good job at a great company & I get the pleasure of working with some terrific people!
I was able to help start a new church!
I had the privilege of preaching at a homeless shelter for men & watching as eyes filled with tears as the Holy Spirit moved among us!
I was lucky enough to get to preach an Easter sermon in this terrific old stone church, it was awesome!
I started Seminary and realized that I am not capable of working a full-time job, taking classes and caring for my family so I did the smart thing and quit Seminary for now.
My father-in-law is a stroke survivor! He is able to recognize us. He is able to communicate with us. And he is regaining feeling in his arms & legs.
I have 2 teenage girls who are growing into beautiful young women, on the inside & outside! And I am very lucky to be their mom!
I have lived 40 very blessed years & am looking forward to many more!
I hope that 2nd list doesn’t smell of smoke like the 1st list did. I hope that it glorifies God. It is my prayer that when you look back on the year 2010 you don’t see & smell smoke. And that you enter 2011 with the Glory of God shining on your face!
I returned to the workforce full time after being a stay-at-home mom for 10 years.
I was a part of the leadership team that started a new church.
I preached at a homeless shelter for men.
I preached an Easter Sermon in an old, historic church.
I started Seminary. I quit Seminary.
My father-in-law suffered a massive stroke that left one side of his body paralyzed.
My second daughter became a teenager, making me the mom of two teen girls.
And I turned 40!
These are just some of the trials we encountered, I could list several more. But I don’t want to focus on the trials of life. Instead I want to share with you a new way I found of looking at trials. I recently participated in a Bible study on the book of Daniel. One of my favorite stories in Daniel is the story of Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego. I learned some new things from that story that will change how I remember the year 2010 and how I embrace the new year ahead of us. I learned that there are three scenarios to any fiery trial. God can take you away from it, God can take you thru it, or God can take you in it. Of course, we would prefer the 1st scenario; I would have preferred that my father-in-law not have had a massive stroke. But I had faith that God would see him & us thru the stroke & recovery; this refers to the second scenario. The third scenario would have meant that God would have taken Charles to Heaven during the stroke, & I know Christ well enough to be comfortable with that scenario if it had happened.
But I want to share with you the most amazing part I learned this time. Daniel 3:26-27 says, “So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisors crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.” They came out of the fire with no smell of fire on them! I just can’t imagine that. I think of camping, one of my favorite things about camping is the smell of a campfire. But when I get home I can’t wait to get that smell out of my hair & clothes & pillow. Can you imagine being in a fiery furnace & coming out not smelling of smoke? That is how God wants us to come out of our fiery trials. He doesn’t want us to come out smelling like putrid smoke, & carrying that stink with us wherever we go. Think of Pig-Pen from Snoopy & how everywhere he goes there is that dust cloud that follows him. This is not how I am to remember the year 2010. I do not want to look back at the year & only see & smell smoke. I am choosing to look back at 2010 & see the Glory of God in that year, to see His hand at work, to see my family trusting Him, to see how many blessings He has poured out, to thank Him for being my rock & my redeemer! So, let me reinterpret my year for you.
I was blessed with a good job at a great company & I get the pleasure of working with some terrific people!
I was able to help start a new church!
I had the privilege of preaching at a homeless shelter for men & watching as eyes filled with tears as the Holy Spirit moved among us!
I was lucky enough to get to preach an Easter sermon in this terrific old stone church, it was awesome!
I started Seminary and realized that I am not capable of working a full-time job, taking classes and caring for my family so I did the smart thing and quit Seminary for now.
My father-in-law is a stroke survivor! He is able to recognize us. He is able to communicate with us. And he is regaining feeling in his arms & legs.
I have 2 teenage girls who are growing into beautiful young women, on the inside & outside! And I am very lucky to be their mom!
I have lived 40 very blessed years & am looking forward to many more!
I hope that 2nd list doesn’t smell of smoke like the 1st list did. I hope that it glorifies God. It is my prayer that when you look back on the year 2010 you don’t see & smell smoke. And that you enter 2011 with the Glory of God shining on your face!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Where do you go when there is a storm? I go outside. I love a good spring storm. Last Wednesday I had the opportunity to enjoy the storm while at a restaurant on Smithville Lake. And when I say on the lake I mean it was actually built on a floating dock that was on the lake. Talk about a great ring side seat for one of the most electrifying lightening storms we have had. I was reminded of God’s mighty power. I thought about how everything can be so still one second, and the next the air is charged with electricity and then the storm blows in and everything is in chaos. Kind of reminds me of life. Apparently I’m not alone in my fascination with storms. Storm-chasing is a popular hobby in this part of the country. There are even vacation packages that are built around the possibility of storm chasing. And the local meteorologists have jumped on the storm bandwagon. They have adopted slogans like: “Weathering the storm”, “the Calm during the storm”, and “your 1st alert weather team”.
Being a mid-western girl my whole life, I am most familiar with tornados. I am intrigued by tornados, how they can develop suddenly, drop from the sky and cause major damage in just a few minutes. But what’s even more amazing is how they can completely demolish one house and leave the next one untouched. I witnessed this in Liberty just a few years ago. Tornados are something you can actually prepare for. We even have tornado drills in our schools and places of business. I don’t think other places have drills for their storms. I mean I can’t imagine a hurricane drill or a flood drill or even a blizzard drill and you definitely can’t have an earthquake drill or a volcano drill.
Definition of storm: any disturbed state of astronomical body’s atmosphere especially affecting its surface. We are familiar with these types of storms:
Weather map w/ rain, tornado, wind, hurricane, snow, volcano, etc
But let’s look at another type of storms, the storm of life.
Life map: marriage, kids, divorce, parents, in-laws, death, moving, job,
I bet you’ve experienced some of these storms of life. In fact, I would say that right now you find yourself in 1 of 3 storm predicaments: in the midst of the storm, coming out of the storm, or in the quiet before the storm.
Common Myths about storms of life:
1. Obedience to God produces smooth sailing
a. James 1:2-3
2. The storm is a result of sin
a. John 9:1-3
3. The storm is a result of disobedience (unless your name is Jonah)
a. John 16:33
4. If God cared, he would rescue me or make the storm disappear
a. Mark 6:45-47
5. I don’t deserve to be going thru this storm
a. Job 1:1-12
Now, I want to shift gears here & tell you how a particular animal reacts to a storm. The eagle, a majestic & powerful bird w/a huge wingspan. Did you know that an eagle will actually face a storm head-on from a place on high? When an eagle anticipates a storm it will find a high perch & wait for the storm. When the wind begins to blow the eagle will spread its wings & fly right into the approaching storm. Now you might be thinking what a stupid bird. But what actually happens is the winds will lift the eagle above the storm & he will ride out the storm up above the clouds. Imagine that for just a minute. The eagle is flying over the top of the storm where it is quiet & peaceful. I once flew over a thunderstorm. It was so awesome. Up where we were flying the sky was clear, but down below us were massive thunderheads. And we could see the lightening as it streaked towards the ground & the shafts of rain pounding down to the earth. But our flight was smooth up above the storm. You see, that is why the eagle would prefer to ride out the storm from above, its smooth flying up there. I think we can learn from the eagle. When we are facing the storms of life, we can’t run & hide. We have to be prepared for the storm. We can do that by reading our Bible, memorizing scripture, & praying. Here are a couple of verses that might come in handy during your storm preparation:
Romans 8:31 If God is for us, who can be against us?
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble.
Matthew 28:20 And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
John 14:18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
When the storm is upon us we must seek higher ground instead of running for cover. We must allow God to lift us above the storm. Isaiah 40:29-31.
He gives strength to the weary & increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired & weary; & young men stumble & fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles.
Being a mid-western girl my whole life, I am most familiar with tornados. I am intrigued by tornados, how they can develop suddenly, drop from the sky and cause major damage in just a few minutes. But what’s even more amazing is how they can completely demolish one house and leave the next one untouched. I witnessed this in Liberty just a few years ago. Tornados are something you can actually prepare for. We even have tornado drills in our schools and places of business. I don’t think other places have drills for their storms. I mean I can’t imagine a hurricane drill or a flood drill or even a blizzard drill and you definitely can’t have an earthquake drill or a volcano drill.
Definition of storm: any disturbed state of astronomical body’s atmosphere especially affecting its surface. We are familiar with these types of storms:
Weather map w/ rain, tornado, wind, hurricane, snow, volcano, etc
But let’s look at another type of storms, the storm of life.
Life map: marriage, kids, divorce, parents, in-laws, death, moving, job,
I bet you’ve experienced some of these storms of life. In fact, I would say that right now you find yourself in 1 of 3 storm predicaments: in the midst of the storm, coming out of the storm, or in the quiet before the storm.
Common Myths about storms of life:
1. Obedience to God produces smooth sailing
a. James 1:2-3
2. The storm is a result of sin
a. John 9:1-3
3. The storm is a result of disobedience (unless your name is Jonah)
a. John 16:33
4. If God cared, he would rescue me or make the storm disappear
a. Mark 6:45-47
5. I don’t deserve to be going thru this storm
a. Job 1:1-12
Now, I want to shift gears here & tell you how a particular animal reacts to a storm. The eagle, a majestic & powerful bird w/a huge wingspan. Did you know that an eagle will actually face a storm head-on from a place on high? When an eagle anticipates a storm it will find a high perch & wait for the storm. When the wind begins to blow the eagle will spread its wings & fly right into the approaching storm. Now you might be thinking what a stupid bird. But what actually happens is the winds will lift the eagle above the storm & he will ride out the storm up above the clouds. Imagine that for just a minute. The eagle is flying over the top of the storm where it is quiet & peaceful. I once flew over a thunderstorm. It was so awesome. Up where we were flying the sky was clear, but down below us were massive thunderheads. And we could see the lightening as it streaked towards the ground & the shafts of rain pounding down to the earth. But our flight was smooth up above the storm. You see, that is why the eagle would prefer to ride out the storm from above, its smooth flying up there. I think we can learn from the eagle. When we are facing the storms of life, we can’t run & hide. We have to be prepared for the storm. We can do that by reading our Bible, memorizing scripture, & praying. Here are a couple of verses that might come in handy during your storm preparation:
Romans 8:31 If God is for us, who can be against us?
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble.
Matthew 28:20 And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
John 14:18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
When the storm is upon us we must seek higher ground instead of running for cover. We must allow God to lift us above the storm. Isaiah 40:29-31.
He gives strength to the weary & increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired & weary; & young men stumble & fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles.
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