The Seeds We Sow

Over the course of the last week, God has been impressing upon me some hard to swallow lessons. It's easy to 'teach' these lessons to others, but not so easy to apply them to myself. Beginning last weekend, over and over the idea of the seeds we sow in our lives and the lives of others have instant and eternal impact kept sprouting up. I heard a message on the radio on the way to school. As I was getting ready for church last Sunday, there was a sermon preached on a similar topic. In Sunday School, we touched on the Fruit of the Spirit and also talked about Christ as the Vine and we are the branches. At church, our pastor even talked briefly about something similar. In my personal Bible Study, the topic came up again. Do you think God was trying to get my attention?! It was like when I have to teach the same skill over and over to my fifth graders because it just isn't sinking in or when I have to repeat what I want to happen at home to one of our four children. Finally, the message started to sink in.



This isn't a new message or lesson. We've all learned from a very early age that if you plant apple seeds, you get an apple tree. If you plant pumpkin seeds, you get pumpkins. You can't plant apple seeds and get pumpkins. But in life, we don't tend to live by the rule of sowing and harvesting. In other words, we will harvest that which we plant.

As this message first started taking root in my mind, I, of course, thought of others who needed this lesson more than I needed it. My students needed to understand that they couldn't sow anger with each other day after day and expect to get anything but anger in return. My children couldn't expect to sow sarcasm and get anything except sarcasm in return. My husband couldn't expect to sow irritation and get anything but irritation in return. You get the picture? I was looking at everyone except the one that God wanted me to look at. This message, although a great message for everyone, was for me this week.



God used the people and Bible Study I heard/read as the seeds and the water and sunlight to plant the seed in me and then He did the work to get His message to take root in my heart and sprout into a change in my thinking and acting. After all, I couldn't plant reactionary anger with my students when they were planting anger with each other and expect anything else in return. I couldn't plant sarcasm or disgust with my children when they were not being so nice to each other and get anything else in return. I couldn't plant irritation with my husband when he was irritated and get anything else in return. Then, there are the seeds I have been sowing all on my own...apathy, laziness, resentment. Oh, this isn't the exhaustive list; I could go on. At first, I tried to justify that I didn't exhibit those things ALL the time, just every now and then. But the fact is, I exhibited them and then expected something different to come from them.

God revealed to me that I was perpetuating the bad growth from the seeds being planted around me, so to speak, and from the seeds I was planting all on my own. Seeds that were yielding fruit no one wanted to partake of. At that point, I was able to look at each of the areas in my life and think of ways to plant new seeds that would yield fruit that other people would want.



It was then that I had to seriously look at my own behaviors or non-behaviors, because this wasn't just about NOW, this was about ETERNAL impact, too.

Galatians 5:19-23 (NIV) says:
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

John 15:4-6 (NASB) says:
4"(A)Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
5"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he (B)bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
6"If anyone does not abide in Me, he is (C)thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.

From the lessons God has been teaching and continues to teach me on the seeds I am sowing, I also have been able to talk openly with my family and my students. What a blessing!

God is so amazing! Something so simple as planting seeds, yet so profound as the impact I...you...we...through the work God does in us and through us...could have on someone's life.



On our chalkboard in the kitchen is the question...




I'm asking myself that question often. I invite you to do the same.

Have a blessed week!
Cindy

View from the Mountains

Here are a few pictures from our recent trip to Gatlinburg. We weren't able to actually drive up into the mountains because of the ice and snow. However, we were able to get a few pictures at the top of the Sky Lift and on the bypass from Gatlinburg to Pigeon Forge. Enjoy!


This was the view from our balcony. The sounds of the river were like a lullaby.






Above are just a few different views of the mountains.





Finally, just a few odds and ends of some of the beautiful sights we experienced.

Have a blessed day!
Cindy

Look busy???

We traveled over the weekend to Gatlinburg with my parents. It was a wonderful weekend! Gatlinburg is one of my favorite places. It just happened to have snowed there so it was especially nice this weekend! You know how I love the snow. :)

On the way to Gatlinburg, we passed through some beautiful little Kentucky towns. One of the things I love to see on these trips are the little country churches. Well, as we are passing through one of these small towns, I see one of these churches and the sign catches my eye.



That saying on that sign so disturbed me that I thought about it often while on the trip. It so bothered me that on the way back through, I told Doug I needed a picture because I had to write about some of the things I felt about it. Plus, I'd love to hear what some of you think. This one little saying sparked much conversation in the car between the four of us. Then, when we got home, our family (Doug, Brooke, Blake, Cody, Dale, and I) talked about it and how it applies to us, our church, our family, our community, and so on.

My first thought was, "How sad!" I can't imagine living life and NOT believing in a sovereign God...a God that KNOWS everything...a God that knows what I'm doing and when I'm doing it. I instantly had a picture of my students at school who think I can't hear them when I step into the hallway to speak to a student or parent. When they think I'm coming back into the room, I hear them say, "She's coming. Shhhh...get to work!" This sign has the same sense of "We better look and act like we're doing something so we don't get caught not working." I am saddened to think that people who claim to be Christians really believe that God does not know what they are NOT doing or what they ARE doing?

Another thought was that there are many people or churches that look busy, and actually are 'busy' when you take a look at all the activities on their schedules. But what is that busy-ness leading to? Is it something that brings Glory to God? Is it something that is helping to fulfill the Great Commission? Or is it something that simply makes them feel or look busy?

My prayer is that the message on the sign is just a matter of mixed up words. After all, it is true that faith without works is dead, according to James 2:17. However, I also pray that God will open eyes and hearts to His sovereignty.

18To those who keep His covenant
And remember His precepts to do them.
19The LORD has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all.
20Bless the LORD, you His angels,
Mighty in strength, who perform His word,
Obeying the voice of His word!

Have a blessed, snowy day!
Cindy

Be Still...

It seems that at least every other post from me is about snow. Can you tell that I LOVE snow. There is something so peaceful about a snowy day. I love to watch out the front door and just enjoy the serenity of the snowflakes floating down to the white blanket. My family loves to tease me (but for me it is NO joke!) because I do not allow anyone to walk in the front yard when it snows. I don't want the beauty of the perfectly made bed of snow messed up. They can play in the side yards or up on the hill in the back of the house, but stay out of my front yard! For some reason, Major, our big baby of a dog, can't seem to grasp this concept just yet.

The snow seems to bring with it a mood of self-reflection for me. Maybe, it is because I have extended amounts of quiet time in the mornings when we have a snow-day. The kids sleep late. I can enjoy a cup of coffee and take a much longer time for my Bible study and prayer time than on a 'normal' morning. Whatever the reason, I am so thankful that God gives me this time and speaks to me through His Word and the quiet moments of the morning.

This morning, I started a study of Esther. (Our women's Bible Study groups at church are using Charles Swindoll's guide.) My particular group has decided to also do a daily study so that we can touch base daily and be in the Word daily. Then, to go along with this, I'm using the New Inductive Study Series to help me look at Esther more in depth.

This morning's study for me was an overview or survey of the book and reflecting on how life can sometimes be disappointing in that it doesn't always turn out the way WE planned. Still, through every circumstance and disappointment we should seek the Lord. It could be that He will bring us out of the situation completely. Or maybe there is a reason He has us in the difficult situation that is part of a bigger plan for our lives. What I often struggle with is the seeking Him. How? When? Where?

Well, back to the snow...no, it doesn't have to snow to seek Him. However, the snow is a reminder of how to seek the Lord.



Psalm 46:10 (NIV) says, "Be still, and know that I am God." To know God and to be able to hear Him we have to listen. To listen, we have to be quiet or STILL. If you walk outside when it is snowing, especially in the morning before others are out and about, it is so peaceful. It is an awesome reminder to just BE STILL! The New American Standard Version says, "Cease striving...." Other translations and paraphrases use words such as "Pay attention, relax, calm down, or desist" to tell us to BE STILL AND LISTEN. We get so busy that we either just get ourselves worked into a tizzy about our circumstances or we just seek the advice of everyone around us when we face problems or we seek the advice from the latest 'self-help' book, but we so often forget to seek the Lord, to search in THE BOOK and be still and listen for His advice and guidance.

My prayer for myself and for anyone reading this today is that we would all BE STILL, CALM DOWN, CEASE STRIVING and realize that GOD IS GOD. He is in control of every circumstance and situation we find ourselves in today. Listen for what He has to say to us.

Lots of love,
Cindy

Campbellsville

Ok. So, Mama has already said that we went to visit Campbellsville University earlier this week. It was really awesome. The people were so friendly and the campus is great! We started off the visit with a trip down to one of the Band Director's office to talk about color guard. I got a bunch of information about doing color guard with the marching band. I am going to go audition in a few weeks. I'm already super excited to be a part of that! I have started tweaking our routines from last fall to audition with. I decided to audition for both flags and rifles, even though I have never had any formal training with rifles. That should be interesting. Lol! :) Anyways, after our talk with the band director, we went back to the admissions office and had a Q&A session with Corey, the admissions counselor we were with that day. He personally handed me my acceptance letter and admissions packet, which was pretty awesome. After our talk with Corey, he took us down to the cafeteria for lunch. (They had Oreo Chocolate cake and it was awesome, btw :D ) After lunch we took a tour of the campus. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they have a... STARBUCKS!!! We went into the bookstore, theatre, the chapel, the library, the Student Activities Center, and a few other buildings. Then he took us to see the two different girls dorms. The first one was Stapp Hall. It is a traditional dorm. Two girls to a room, about 30 girls to a bathroom. I bet that gets interesting. The traditional dorms offer a true sense of community. I would be able to get to know a lot more girls. The second was the Resident Village. The Village dorms are basically apartments. Each apartment has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, a kitchen area and a living room area. There are 6 girls to each apartment. The Village has a lot more space than the traditional dorms and I wouldn't have to share a bathroom with 29 other girls, just one. So I am having a really hard time trying to decide which one I would like to stay in, but I need to decide soon so I can get my housing application in. So basically, the point of this post is that I have finally decided where I want to go to college. :D I think Campbellsville just fits my personality better and that seems to be where God wants me. I'm excited!

Celebrations!

As I said in this morning's earlier post, this week has been a week of roller coaster emotions. We've dealt with disappointments, but we have so much to celebrate! To steal a line from Brittany's blog, even in the valley, GOD IS GOOD. Even if we had none of these celebrations to report, God is still good, and is always good! God is faithful! He takes care of us even when we think things are at their worst.




Last Friday evening, Brooke was voted 1st runner-up Homecoming Queen. We had a lot of fun watching Brooke and her friends participate in this time-honored tradition. The best part for me was seeing Brooke's surprised expression when they called her name. It felt good to know that she was happy to just be involved and that winning was not what was important to her.



















1 year ago last Saturday was Becky's (my sister) 1 year anniversary of God allowing the doctors to rid her of her breast cancer!






On this past Wednesday, Brooke, Doug, and I went to Campbellsville University for a campus visit and appointments with an admissions counselor and Color Guard representative. It was a beautiful day! The admissions counselor was awesome. I won't tell you all the details. Brooke will need to blog about that. :) However, it was a wonderful day. God has been working in Brooke's life, and I believe this is just one more way He is working out His plan for her life. If she doesn't blog today, I'll HAVE to so that I can share all the good news! (The picture is of Brooke and Corey, the admissions counselor.)





Friday, January 29th, was my parents 45th Wedding Anniversary! I am so very thankful for the example of Christian marriage they have lived for us all my life and all our married life. Doug and I are blessed that both my parents and his parents have lived out their marriage vows as examples for us. We've planned a trip for Mama and Daddy in the coming weeks to celebrate!




Yesterday, Trena (Doug's sister)called with the news of whether her baby is a boy or a girl. It's a...well since I don't know if she has told everyone, I won't tell on here. HOWEVER, WE'RE SO EXCITED TO BE AUNT, UNCLE, AND COUSINS AGAIN! Babies are a gift from God. I'm looking forward to this new bundle of joy joining the family in early July!








Finally, SNOW...beautiful SNOW! As I've posted before, I love the snow. It is such a beautiful reminder of how God washes our dirty sins away and makes us white as snow when we respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ dying on the cross and taking on OUR sins so we didn't have to be punished for them eternally, being buried, and then rising from the grave!






Love you all,
Cindy

Disappointments

I will write two different posts this morning. It has been a week of roller coaster emotions here. I felt led to write this post, but I also want to share some other thoughts with you in a different post. Thanks for reading.

A difficult lesson to learn is that people will disappoint you. If you allow yourself to get close to people, to get to know people, to open up your heart to trust people, at some point in your life someone will disappoint you. It may be with something they say and sometimes it is with something they do. Even when you think you know a person, that person can surprise you by doing something that you think is completely out of their character. Unfortunately this can be done to us by anyone...a friend, a parent, a brother or sister, a teacher, a doctor, anyone...absolutely anyone we've allowed ourselves to get close to or to trust in our lives. And, it happens to ALL of us; none of us are immune to this type of disappointment to some degree. When this happens, it hurts! As a parent, this is one of the saddest lessons to watch your children learn. Oh, they learn it in little bits with friends along the way, but when a BIG dose of this lesson has to be swallowed it is so heartbreaking. Then, you have to remember that our hope is not in these other people...it is not in ourselves.

Our hope is in God....the ONE and ONLY...that created us and loves us. Deuteronomy 31:6 reminds us that God is always with us and He will "never leave us nor forsake us". God can and does take even what we see as our worst situations and turn them for His Good and ours. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, who are called according to His purpose." So, although with our human eyes and minds, we can't see beyond the hurt and pain of today and the disappointment from the actions of the other person, God sees and has already worked out how it all is part of His plan. Beyond clinging to that, we also have to cling to Abba Father--our great big Heavenly Daddy. We should run to Him for comfort and peace in the midst of the storm. We should pour out our hearts to Him. Finally, and maybe most importantly, we should pray and pray and pray for the person who disappointed us. It's possible, or even probable, that they need to either be drawn to God or God needs to continue to do a work in their lives that He had already begun. "Pray without ceasing;" 1 Thes. 5:17.

Please pray with me for Brooke who is dealing with this very type of situation this week. Actually, our entire family is dealing with it in some way. However, it is just 'closer to home' for her.

Cindy