THAT'S MY PEW!

Has this ever been you-It's Sunday morning, it's time for the service to begin. You're making your way to the pew that you sit in every Sunday. You happen to look up and see a visiting family looking for somewhere to sit. They glance in the direction where you normally sit. Silently, you tell them not to sit there, that there are other pews to sit in. Or, you quickly slide into your pew, placing your Bible, purse, coat, etc down, knowing that there won't be room for all of you. The family comes closer, you hold your breath. Then they find another place to sit. You are relieved.

Or, how about this-Have you ever visited a church, found a pew and sat down, only to have someone a few minutes later come and stand by you, letting you know in no uncertain terms with their body language that that was "their" pew? Or, gasp! actually TELL you that is "their" pew?

My boys and I usually sit in the same pew every Sunday-the fourth one back on the left hand side, I guess because that is where my husband and I started sitting when we got married and after he became a pastor, I just kept sitting there. This Sunday, something happened to make me realize that I need to work a little bit harder on teaching my two little "gentlemen" some "pew manners".
This was the situation-we had already sat down in the pew. The service had already started. As we were singing the first hymn, a man, his wife and family proceeded to sit in the same pew. Now, please bare in mind, that these pews were only meant to hold six adults comfortably. Since the seating situation got a little bit cramped, and there were other empty pews, I went ahead and moved us to another pew. It did not bother me in the least. My oldest started complaining, however. He didn't like the view. He felt weird sitting in a different place. I drew the line when he said, "We were there first. Why did we have to move?".

First of all, I let my son know that it is not "our" pew, it's GOD'S pew. It is in His house. Besides, I don't see our name written on it anywhere! Secondly, I feel like it was the right thing to do. Yes, I could have let them know that there were other pews open (which I would not do under any circumstance), but, the Bible tells us, "If it be possible, as much lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." Romans 12:18. It was also the POLITE thing to do.

When visitors come to our church, we need to make them feel welcome. How can we show them Christ if we selfishly hold onto something so material and, yes, trivial?
When we are out in public, if an older person, a mother who is obviously pregnant, a disabled person, etc comes into a room or enters the bus or train that we are riding and needs a seat, we (I surely hope!), will rise and give them our seat. Why don't we do this in our churches?

I was very impressed when we visited a church in the mountains while on vacation one year. The church was small and extremely packed with people. They were in the middle of adding on an addition to their building. A man stood up when he saw us enter, immediately recognizing us as visitors. He willingly and gladly gave up where he was sitting so that we could have a seat.

Oh, Christians! Let's not hold onto such trivial things! No matter what we do, we are representing God and our church. We need to let the love of Jesus shine through!

Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)

HANDWRITTEN NOTES-A LOST ART

A handwritten note. What is that? In today's society of social networks, email, etc., handwritten notes seem to be a thing of the past. It's a lost art. It's so much quicker to post to someone's wall on Facebook or send them an email when you want to tell them something. I am very guilty of this myself. When I tell myself that I am going to grab a piece of paper or note card, sit down and actually WRITE a letter or note, I quickly get aggravated at the slow process of writing. I have noticed that I am slowly losing my handwriting abilities. My hands tire quickly trying to hold the pen and write with it. My mind starts to wander to thoughts of just typing this note out. Stop!
Although messages through the internet are widely accepted these days, a handwritten note just says so much more. It tells the person that you are sending it to that they were actually worth the time that it took to write it. This also applies to businesses, as well. I am always impressed when I receive something that I have bought and find a handwritten note on the invoice or even on a separate sheet of paper, thanking me personally for my order.
Do you know someone who has recently lost a loved one, gotten married, had a baby or given you a gift? Send them a personal, handwritten note! As the pastor's wife, I try to send cards when one of our people are sick or mourning. I like to use blank note cards when I can, but if I use a card with a pre-printed message, I still write a short note on the blank side.
We also need to teach our children to write these notes. I have heard that some public schools are taking the emphasis away from handwriting all together, and focusing on the children's computer skills. What a loss! Children need to be taught to write thank you notes when they receive a gift, or when a friend or relative is ill or just feeling down, to send them a "cheer up" card.
Yes, handwritten notes are slowly being lost. But they don't have to be! Let's try to save this lost art! Send someone a special, handwritten note today and let them know how much you care.
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of my wonderful readers! Don't forget your husband or wife, children, parents or grandparents!

This is the greatest Valentine that we could ever receive:

            For God so loVed the world,

 That He gAve

                                         His onLy

     BegottEn

          SoN

                                    That whosover

          Believeth In Him

                   should Not perish,

                           but have Everlasting life."

                        JOHN 3:16



Have a wonderful and blessed day!!

Beth :-)

SONGS ON THE HEARTS

The other morning was one of those typical, chaotic mornings that we often have getting ready for work and school. You know the kind-your youngest is "lolly-gagging", taking his own sweet time, your oldest is half way getting dressed, but decides to stop, look out your back door window and start swinging a string back and forth for the cat to play with on the other side of the glass, you're trying to get the lunch boxes together, on and on. When you finally get everyone back on track, your mind is still racing with everything that needs to get done.
Amidst all of this, I started to listen to all of the different sounds going on in my house. I mean, actually LISTEN. When I did, do you know what I heard? It was something that made me thankful and joyful in my heart. Every one of us-my husband, Nathan, Samuel and I-were each singing a different song. These weren't just any songs. They weren't secular, worldly songs. They were HYMNS. Old time hymns.
What an uplift to my spirit! My morning seemed a little less chaotic. How wonderful to know that the song in each of my family member's heart was one for the Lord!
What kind of song is on your family's heart? Do you play and sing the old time hymns with them? My mom always said that the first song that you hear in the morning will be the song that plays over and over in your head throughout the day. I have found that to be so true. Try turning on the radio to a good, Bible-believing station that plays those songs that have testimonies and fire behind them. Play songs in the car as you are taking your children to school. It will definitely make a difference!
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)

COYOTES IN THE WOODS!

The other night, after our boys were asleep, my husband wanted to go outside and try out his "Predator Call" to see if there might be any coyotes in the woods that would answer.  For those who don't know, a Predator Call is an electronic device that has several different sounds imitating an injured animal as well as some actual "predator" sounds (a coyote howl, etc) to attract the animal. 
My husband set the device to a coyote howl. At first, the only answer we heard was a neighbor's dog some distance away. My husband tried again. We got an answer that time. Where? In the woods, RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET from our house! With that, I promptly turned around and said, "OK, I'm going back inside now!". I am NOT one to stay outside with a coyote that close!
Coyotes are actually on an "open season" hunting list all year long in our area as their population has become quite large and they pose a threat to smaller farm animals such as chickens. They are also interbreeding with the Red Wolf population that has been reintroduced here in our county.
I started thinking about this experience. I thought about how Christians often forget just how close Satan is lurking, just waiting for the right moment to attack. We often get a little "slack" and let our defences down. When we do, we are opening ourselves and our family up to an attack that we won't be prepared for. The Bible tells us, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" 1 Peter 5:8.
Be sober, be vigilant! Keep a watch out! You have children to protect. Keep those family devotions and prayer times going. Keep them in church. Constantly talk to them and teach them about the Lord. Be careful about and monitor what your family watches and listens to. How quickly Satan can come in to your home through television, video games or music.
"..as a roaring lion,.." Have you ever heard the roar of a lion? I have, when we have visited the zoo. This roar will literally vibrate and rumble right through your whole being! It is a frightful thing to hear! I can not imagine what it would be like to actually come across one in the wild!
The devil will roar. There will be circumstances in your life that will have you so frightened and shaking right to your inner core. Always remember that if you are a born-again Christian, you have One Who is mightier than Satan on your side! Satan wants you to believe that there is no hope, that you can not make it through. All you can hear is his loud roar. But you can! Romans 8:31 says, "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?". Romans 8:37-39 also tells us, "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." That covers everything. The Lord will never leave you, nor forsake you! He is always there by your side.
There are some things to remember when you are going through these troubling times. First, don't stop praying and reading your Bible, even when you don't feel like it. The Lord encourages us through His Word. Second, don't stop going to church. You need the fellowship and prayers of your fellow brother and sisters in Christ. There is strength in numbers! Lastly, don't forget that these experiences usually draw us closer to Christ. You won't be able to see it now, but further on up the road, you will see where you have grown and learned to lean more on the Lord, and not on your "own understanding".
I pray for all of you, my dear readers! I pray that you will have the strength to go through that trial that you are experiencing. I pray that you will keep a constant vigil for your family! With the Lord's help and strength, you can!
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)