What Are You Doing With Jesus?

There are many things we can do with Jesus.  We can love Him.  We can serve Him.  We can follow Him.  We can reject Him.  We can mock Him.  We can deny Him.

What are you doing with Jesus?  What would others say you are doing with Him?  What about your family?  What would they say?

It is possible that what we "think" we are doing with Jesus and what we are really doing with Him, are at odds with one another.  It is possible that in our daily Christian walk, we may think we are following Jesus, when we're really straddling the fence post between what is good and what is bad.  Or maybe we really are following Him and realizing that we are human and that the only way we can truly live for Him is to realize the sacrifice He made for our salvation.  All things and all scenarios are possible.

I saw this quote from someone on Facebook, talking about sin and our attitude towards it.  I copied it because it was such a good thought about how human nature:

"I think a lot of time, people sin because they know they will be forgiven. I think that in doing that, they cheapen the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. Like it was no big deal."

Kind of makes you think, doesn't it?  Do I ever deliberately sin, knowing that I can be forgiven?  I pray that is never the case!  In doing so, as this quote says, we are cheapening the sacrifice Jesus made.  The sacrifice Jesus made for each of us WAS a BIG deal, wasn't it?  He gave His life.  He gave His life for you and for me.

Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:

   “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,    but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, 'Here I am - it is written about me in the scroll - I have come to do your will, O God.'"

First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” (although the law required them to be made).  Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Hebrews 10:5-10

Baby Shower Decor - Black, White, and Lime Green

Decorating for baby showers is always lots of fun, but this time, using a different color palate than I had done ever before:  lime green, black and white.  I found all of these baby clothes at Hobby Lobby.  The hanging rods were made by hot-gluing smaller rods onto larger ones, cutting them when needed and putting balls on the ends.  If needed, clothes were attached with mini clothes pins.  The lime green crocheted flowers were attached with stick pins (because my duck tape didn't work on material :).  The clothes were all given to the mom-to-be.

Every little baby is special, so planning for his/her up-coming arrival is special as well.  And since this little girl, Tynlee will be my great-niece, it was especially. This name banner was made using a lime green piece of tulle from a roll, zebra print black and white rectangle pieces (alternate the direction of the animal print), burlap rectangle pieces cut from a roll, and lime green ruffled ribbon which made the letters. Hot glue all pieces together and attach letters with mini clothespins.

We have some pictures hanging in our church fellowship building that needed some sprucing up for the shower decor.  I covered the whole picture with a paisley/floral black and white paper, then finished the project in the same manner as I did the banner, except for this one, I hot glued the clothes pin to the background paper and tied a ruffled ribbon bow.  The whole picture was hung by lime green tulle....making an easy cover-up for existing decor.

This burlap wreath is the one I've shown before that hangs on my own front door.  It was dressed-up with some black mesh ribbon and more lime green tulle.  More could have been added to make it even more personalized for this shower.  If my printer had been working, I thought "It's a Girl!" would have been a cute sign hanging in the middle.

Isn't this an interesting addition to the shower decor???  My husband and son hung all of the paper lanterns from the ceiling for me Saturday morning.  When I got ready to finish late that night, I found this little thing sitting like they had made it just for the shower.  Of course, I wanted to give them credit (so no one would think that I did it :).  Later I found out that it was only my husband's doing.  Funny!

Here is another existing picture re-do using the same supplies:  black and white paper, burlap, zebra print ribbon and lime green ruffled ribbon.  I taped the bottom piece of paper to the picture glass, making it easy to just tear off and throw away.

If you remember the Valentine's banquet pictures, I used a candle jar inside of a vase.  This time I used those same candle jars (from Dollar Tree and now in their second use).  I removed the sheet music from the jars, hot glued burlap around them and added zebra and/or lime green ruffled ribbon.  The jars sat on a base off lime green tulle inside of the larger vase.  It made a perfect centerpiece with very little cost.  I'll be able to use the jars at least one or two more times, so they've been a great addition to all of my other "stuff".

Now.....it's on to get ready for the next baby shower in a few weeks!  It's a girl, too!  Babies are a gift from God :).

The Good, The Bad, and Sadly, The Ugly

The Good: Last night our high school basketball team was playing the in consolation side of the Area Tournament....a game that, if won, would send our team into the State Championship playoffs next week. The team was excited!  The fans were excited!  The opponent team and fans were excited!  It was a great atmosphere, with lots of visitors and past Tipton alumni in attendance - ready to watch the Tigers try to do something that hadn't been done in many, many, many years.

The team we were playing had dealt our first loss just the previous week.  Our boys were ready to show their stuff.

The Bad:  Unfortunately, many of our shots were just not going in.  Usually, even if one or two of the boys are "off", the others pick up the slack.  Last night, all of them made some, but no one was really "hot".  Foul trouble got the best of us a few times and turnovers plagued at times.  I'm not sure that we ever had the lead during the entire four quarters ( I could be wrong) , but at the very last second, something good happened:

The Good (again): Our point guard, who typically doesn't shoot a lot, drove in for a shot, which was kind of like a lay-up looking, jump shot at the top edge of the three point line. IT WENT IN!  The crowd jumped up and screamed (our side, anyway :)!  This shot tied the game, put us into a four-minute overtime, and almost made me have a heart attack! (not really, but it felt like it for a few seconds.)  It was unbelievable!  Something we'll never forget.

The Bad (again):  We got on top and ahead quickly into the overtime, but the opposing team caught up.  It went back and forth and back and forth.  Both teams fouled and both teams turned the ball over.  We ended up losing the game by four points.

The Ugly:  This is the hardest part to write.  Harder than the loss itself, because this part gets personal.  But, it is a part that I feel needs to be admitted and addressed.  The ugly was bad sportsmanship.  It wasn't just during this final game, but especially during this final game.  In a playoff or tournament championship game, spirits are high and emotions are often out of control.  It's easy to say things without thinking.  I've been guilty myself.

Last night I saw and heard some very, very unsportsmanlike conduct from our fans and players.  So much so that one of my children, who happened to be sitting by me close down by the opponents bench, got up and left to sit by his dad (my husband) up high.....to be out of that yelling and name-calling.  It was bad.  It was embarrassing.  At one point I turned and said out loud "Be quiet!".  I shouldn't have said that, I admit, but of course the fan didn't hear it.....because they were yelling at the refs.

One of the saddest things I saw about sportsmanship was a few weeks ago on Facebook.  It was another close game, and again, some were complaining about the poor officiating and the fact that we lost.  Someone, who apparently lived here years ago made this statement, "Well, I see Tipton hasn't changed.  Still blaming the refs when they lose."  Wow.  That is really, really a sad statement to have said about your town and your fans......a town I love and people I love......and where my children are being raised.

Are officials sometimes bad?  Absolutely!  Sometimes they mess up and some times they mess up big.  But, most of the time.....if/when they are bad.....it's equal on both sides (bad for both teams).  Sometimes it is one-sided, or it seems to be one-sided.  But, you know what?  A call is a call and you and I yelling isn't going to change it.  It only makes us look bad, and makes us look bad to everyone around us.....to the other fans.....to our children.....to our friends, etc.  Another thing to remember is that if you and I were officiating, we would be yelled at, too....for missing things.  Fans are looking from a distance and often-times, from way above.  Refs are right by things and looking at what is right in front of them.  They may not see what we see from up above.  It doesn't seem to make sense some times, but if we were in their shoes, it just might.

So what can we do, as fans??  If we feel we've been wronged by the officiating, instead of yelling it from the stands, write a letter to the headquarters (in Oklahoma it's OSSAA.com).  Say what you think, but do it respectively.  Don't name-call.  Don't demean.  Just point out facts.  Not opinion.  Be objective.  Realize that, YES, your child CAN make a mistake.  It is really possible that YOUR child messed up on his/her own.  It is not always someone else's fault.  It does not always have to be blamed on someone else. (Yes, I'm on a rant right now! I have another rant about team discipline and champion attitudes, but I'll spare you....for now :).

My husband has great advice when it comes to this:  He says, "Unless a team makes every shot, every free shot, never fouls (legitimate fouls, of course :), and never turns the ball over, it can NEVER, NEVER be blamed on an official."  That's pretty wise right there, isn't it?

Feed Them and They Will Come...

As our high school teams began the past-District playoffs, I decided to feed them breakfast on the Thursday before the big game beginning the next weekend tournament.  Last Thursday, in addition to all of the meat/egg dishes, I made them these English Royalty Chocolate Chip Scones (Posted at www.3cherrycokes.blogspot.com from last week).  Most, if not all, of them had never eaten a scone, so they were introduced to something really new.

I promised the girls and boys' teams that if they were still in the quest towards the gold ball at State, I would continue to feed them a breakfast each Thursday.  With this week's hectic schedule, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to swing having the breakfast, but then I saw one of the girls and she asked me about it.  I told her I was trying to, but wasn't sure (mostly because I wasn't sure what time the teams were leaving school).  

But what she said made all the difference:  "You promised you would, so I was just wondering."  At that moment, I told myself that I/we could make it happen, as long as the coach said okay.  If I've promised something, I will do whatever it takes to make it happen.  I don't like breaking promises - at all.  I don't want it to ever appear like I have lied.  She was just asking a question and not trying to make me feel bad, but her simple question made me even more determined.

This week I got a few moms to help me with the meal, which helped (didn't get me to bed any sooner, but it helped with the food!).  We served more chocolate chip scones (pictured above and made by another mom), fruit, homemade cinnamon rolls, and I made hash browns, breakfast burritos, and sausage & biscuits with gravy.  They had plenty to eat, for sure!

The cheerleaders joined in with the teams as they prepared to cheer on their friends and ball teams.

After a few refills of plates, it was time to get on the bus and head to the first round of the Area Tournament!

                                      

Part of the reason I wasn't sure about the breakfast had to do with these shirts pictured above!!  For the first time ever, we ordered playoff shirts!  In a matter of four days (with no school on Monday), we collected money for these shirts.  We had 217 shirts ordered on Tuesday morning.  Wednesday I drove to San Angelo, TX to get the shirts....about a 4 1/2 hour drive.  I wanted to make sure we had time to deliver them Wednesday afternoon for the game the next day.

We arrived at the huge gymnasium.  It was so neat and a fun atmosphere.  My boys and husband got a tour of the facility and the high school from a former teacher and student of THS.  They thought that the whole town of Tipton would have been equal to the number of about one class at this big high school!

Sadly, one of our starters and point guard, Amanda, had emergency appendectomy yesterday morning and didn't get to play.  Without getting down and discouraged, our girls played their hearts out!  Even after getting behind, they came back to within a few points several times.  We lost, but we gave them a good run for the win, for sure!  The girls are done now, but our boys won!  More basketball this afternoon and hopefully tomorrow!

I love this sign on the Yukon gym.  Love what it says!

The teams asked me yesterday if I would feed them breakfast next week.  That would be the State Tournament.  I told them I would - most definitely!!  Then they asked if I would the next week.....after basketball is over.  I loudly exclaimed, "NO!"  :)  It is really a joy feeding these kids.  They appreciate it and I enjoy doing it for them.  Little things.....showing that you care in simple ways.....means a lot to people.  

Take the time to do something for someone TODAY.  If you choose to feed teenagers, they will come! And they will come back for more!  And you will "Shine Like Stars" in doing so.

Have a great weekend!  I'll keep you posted on the playoffs and the quest for the GOLD!

What Kind of Christian Are You??

Recently I heard a preacher ask this question:  "What kind of Christian are you?"  He went on to explain that there are two kinds:  Soul winners and back sliders.  Hmmmmmm.......made me think.  I've always heard the term "back sliders" meaning those who don't attend worship, but perhaps that's just the way we have termed it and not the way God would term it.

The question made me think about my own life.  Which one am I?

What about you?  Do you think those are the only two types of Christians?  Think about it and let me know.

Here are my thoughts: I can be a good, moral person.  I can invite others to worship.  I can feed the hungry, cloth the needy, and visit the sick.  I can do all of those things, but if I never open my mouth or maybe type a post on this blog and tell someone about Jesus, then I am not fulfilling God's mission.  I am not living out the Great Commission as Jesus told his followers to do before He ascended to Heaven.

Then Jesus came to them (Note: the disciples) and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

As a Christian, I am a Christ-follower...a disciple of Jesus.  This commission was intended for me, just as it was the disciples of long ago.  Jesus' message is just the same:  

#1:  Go and make disciples (How?? By teaching and telling others about Him)

#2:  Teach them about baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Why is it important?  What does it do?)

#3:  Teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded.  (What are some commandments of Jesus???)

If I'm not doing what Jesus asked His followers to do, I'm a back slider.  I don't like that term, do you?  I don't want to be a back-sliding Christian.  I pray that you don't, either.  Go and tell someone today!