New Clothes!

Let's go shopping, okay? Let's go looking for clothes. Do you like to get new clothes? Most of us do enjoy new clothes from time to time - some more than others, of course.

Suppose there was something you could clothe yourself with that would make you feel like you were brand new? Suppose there was something you could clothe yourself with that would help you for the rest of your life? Suppose there was something you could clothe yourself with that would give you a support system that is unbeatable and unmovable and unending? How much do you suppose that new clothing would cost? How much would it be worth?

Romans 13:13 talks of something, or rather someone that we can be "clothed" with that can do all of the things mentioned above: "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ..."

Really? Clothe yourself with a person? With the Son of God? With Jesus Christ? Yes! Absolutely! The kind of clothing that is better than anything else that you could ever wear!

But how? How can one be clothed in Christ?

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for

all of you who were baptized into Christ have

clothed yourselves with Christ.

Galatians 3:26-27

The word baptism comes from the Greek word ‘baptizo’, which means to

immerse, plunge, dip, or bury in water.

Here are 3 important questions for you to ask yourself:

Are you clothed with Christ?

In the verse above the word "clothed" is translated from [endunw-enduno], and properly means to envelop in, to hide in, and to put on something. As an example of this, look at Matthew and the story of a man who was invited to the wedding of the king’s son and the wedding garment was even provided for him to wear on the joyous occasion. However, he refused to put it on: “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless”. Matthew 22:11-12

Are you thankful for your clothes?

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:22-24

 Are you living like you are clothed with Christ?

Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

Romans 13:13-14

On this Gratituesday, I am GRATEFUL for new clothes and the newness of life found only through Christ Jesus!  Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

The Chronicles of Biscuit - The Sheep Ate My Potato

The Chronicles of Biscuit: Stories about our youngest son, whose nickname is Biscuit

During the county livestock show last week, I had to work in the concession stand for several hours.  Biscuit became hungry and wanted a baked potato.  I fixed it up for him and sent him out to a table to put some salt and pepper on top.  I assumed that he would sit at the table and eat it, but didn't actually say that to him. I kept working and never thought about Biscuit and the potato again.

In a little bit Biscuit came back to the concession stand and said he needed another potato.  I asked why.  He said, "The sheep ate my potato!"  "Really, Biscuit, and just how did a sheep eat your potato?  Where were you that a sheep was able to eat it?  Weren't you sitting at the table?," I asked.  Biscuit explained that he had gone to where his daddy was out by the animals. He was sitting there eating his potato and the sheep came up and ate it.  He said he didn't want to eat it anymore, since the sheep had eaten some of it so he threw it away.  I don't blame him for that part....YUCK!

Well, I scolded Biscuit for taking his potato out to the animal pens and told him he should have stayed at the tables.  I explained to him he would have to wait for a while before getting anything else to eat because that was a waste of food and money.  Biscuit left....a little bit sad.

In a matter of minutes here came Biscuit and my husband.  My husband said that Biscuit really did need a new potato because the sheep shouldn't have been out in the aisle way. He said it was the sheep's fault and the sheep's owner's fault.  (In my mind I still blamed Biscuit because a baked potato in a sheep and goat barn just seems gross to me.  But then again, it WAS a stock show and it's common to eat in those barns during the shows.)  Anyway, Biscuit got his potato and at it at the tables.  No sheep came to get it - yippee for Biscuit!

This story makes me think of the "lost" parables in Luke 15... not that anything was lost in Biscuit's story, but that blame can be placed on different people or things, but there was still a problem that needed a "fix".

In the Luke 15 parables Jesus used a coin, a sheep, and a son to emphasize the importance of finding those who are lost - those who are not saved. In each of those parables, blame can be placed on different things or people. In each of these stories a problem needed to be "fixed".  The woman lost the coin.  It didn't lose itself, but finally the woman found it.  The sheep wandered off on its own, but the shepherd searched until it was found.  The son (known as the prodigal son) chose to leave and squander his inheritance.  He made the choice to leave his father's home.  The father continued looking and most likely prayed that some day his son would return.....and he did.

Biscuit's problem of the sheep eating his potato was "fixed" when he listened and ate his potato in a safe place. Our safe place, as we learn in the parables is when we listen to our Heavenly Father and stay in a safe place.  Our safe place is in a relationship with Him and Jesus - avoiding places of sin.   Biscuit's safe place was found when he kept his baked potato away from the sheep! 

Happy 2nd Blogaversary!

                                                                  Photography Images

"Shine Like Stars" is two years old! I began writing consistantly at the end of February...first part of March of 2009.  Time goes by so very quickly!!

Over the past two years, I have appreciated, so much, the comments and positive feedback I have received from so many of you. Some of you comment on the blog posts, some on the Facebook networked blog feature, some through Facebook notes or inbox message, some via email, and some in person.

Blogging has become part of my life in a big way.  It is something that I enjoy doing, and I pray that in every post God is being glorified.  It is also great when you are uplifted or inspired, as well.  Have a great weekend, everyone!

A Gift from God

When we bought our home, our three youngest children were five, three, and almost two.  We were so excited! We were glad to be getting a larger home with another bedroom since the youngest was sleeping in the dining room.  There was no other place for a baby bed to go in the little house.

I'll never forget the night before the papers were signed for the purchase.  Earlier that day my husband got a call that said we needed to pay $2,000 for closing costs the next day.  We didn't have it.  I was upset and most likely crying. 

Later on that day our daughter asked us to go with her to the living room.  My husband and I followed her and our oldest son.    She had gotten her oldest brother to help her and they had gotten their piggy banks in the middle of the floor.  Some of the money was dumped into a pile and some was left in the container. She told us that we could have all of their change to help buy the house.  I'm sure I cried again after that....but happy tears thinking of what our children had done for us. It was so sweet and so precious!  I'll never forget it! We thanked them for their generosity and explained to them that they could keep their money....that it would all work out and be okay.  And it did work out and it was okay (thank you, God!).

What tender hearts children have!  I told them this story recently.  They like hearing stories about things they did when they were little.  I like telling them, too!

Children truly are a gift from God!

Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.

Psalm 127:3 (NLT)

Say what you need to say.....

There's been a song on the radio for quite some time called, "Say What You Need to Say".  I'm not even sure about who the artist is that sings it, but I always tease with the kids about it because he (the artist) sings the same words over and over...."say what you need to say".....but never says anything else!  I'll mockingly yell out to the radio, "Just say it!" or "Spit it out!".  The kids start laughing and our conversation turns to other repeating songs that never say anything.

Unfortunately in personal relationships, there are often words that we need to say, but we don't.  Maybe it's a personality thing, such as being too shy to talk.  Maybe it's an insecurity thing, such as being afraid to show feelings.  But, maybe it's a pride thing, such as not wanting to admit being needy or being wrong.

I've made a list of phrases that I believe are often not said, but these are also phrases that we shouldn't be afraid to say.  In fact, we should be more than willing to say each of them.

I LOVE YOU
It's always seemed a little bit strange to me that these words can be some of the hardest for some people to say.  Why would we have trouble telling our loved ones that we love them?  I think, though, if you didn't grown up hearing those words, it seems foreign to say them.  You can "show" people you love them, but maybe it would be good to work on telling them too, you know?  Try it!

I AM SORRY
The quickest way to mend a broken relationship is to admit fault and to apologize.  Pride gets in the way sometimes, though, and the words, "I am sorry", have difficulty coming out.  Admitting wrong isn't a sign of weakness.  It's a sign of strength.  It's also a sign of humility - one of Jesus' characteristics that we should try to emulate.

Saying "I'm sorry" doesn't necessariliy mean that any wrong doing was done.  Maybe someone lost their job and lost a loved one.  Saying "I'm sorry." just shows that you care.

I WAS WRONG
Saying "sorry" is the first step towards healing a relationship.  In taking it a step further, when we admit we were actually wrong, we are taking personal responsibility for the problem.  Maybe you weren't wrong, though. In that case, being "sorry" that something happened is enough.

I NEED HELP
I put this one in here for me.  Sometimes it is really, really hard for me to admit that I need help with something.  Sometimes I would rather just do it all myself than to ask someone to help me.  I used to think it was a sense of pride, and maybe sometimes it is, but for me, most of the time I don't ask because I don't want to be rejected.  I don't want to be told no.  If I'm going to have to do it myself anyway, then I would rather do it with a positive attitude than with a rejected-feeling bad attitude.  That's something I must work on!!  I need to keep asking and not worry about the answer I receive.

I FORGIVE YOU
This one is hard some times.  I think of my children when I think about this statement.  Maybe one of them has apologized to the other one about something. Has the other one accepted the apology?  Maybe it's not something that verbally needs to be said, but in our hearts, if someone asks for forgiveness, we must forgive them, mustn't we?  But sometimes we continue to carry a grudge.  Sometimes we want to hold that offense in our hearts.  When we forgive others, we are releasing our control and sometimes that's hard to do.

But, think of our relationship with our Heavenly Father.  If we sin and ask for forgiveness, don't we expect Him to forgive us?  Of course!  That's what the blood of Jesus was for - to continue cleansing our sins.  Do we wait for God to say, "I forgive you"?  Not at all.  We KNOW He forgives us because His Word tells us that He will.

YOU WERE RIGHT
Admitting we were wrong about something is also admitting that someone else was right.  This is being submissive to others and isn't always a natural response in our human minds.  Having a heart like Jesus, as we should, will make this phrase much easier.

PLEASE FORGIVE ME
Asking for forgiveness should come naturally to us, but oftentimes it doesn't.  When we pray, part of our prayer should be asking God to forgive us for any sins we have committed, but also, we need to ask forgiveness from others.  If we have wronged someone - whether intentionally or unintentionally - we should ask for forgiveness.  Remember that asking someone to forgive you isn't a weakness.  It's a strength, just like saying you were wrong.

THANK YOU
It's as if the art or practice of saying "thank you" has died.  Where thank you notes used to be the norm they are now the exception.  Where an attitude of gratitude used to be exhibited when one received a gift, it's now an attitude of expectation.

I don't ever keep a record of who sends me a thank you note for gifts - such as wedding showers, baby showers, graduation, etc. - but I have noticed that sometimes even a verbal "thank you" isn't offered.  I remember taking a full course meal to a couple who had a baby.  It was their fourth child and I certainly understand how busy life is with a newborn.  I didn't really expect a hand-written note at all.  However, I was surprised that the meal was never mentioned - ever.  Make a habit of at least saying "thank you" verbally, whether you take the time to write a note or not.  Of course, a hand-written note is more personal than a jotted text, email, Facebook message, or whatever, but at least say "thank you" in some way.  It doesn't take that much time.

PLEASE
Remember the saying that "please" and "thank you" are the magic words?  Barney, the purple dinosaur, had a song about these magic words.  Saying please at the end of the request makes it sound less like a demand or command.  Saying please is showing that you care about the other person and will most likely give you the results you are expecting.  Saying "please" is being courteous to others.

I CAN HELP
I put this one in here for me, too. It goes with the one about "I need help".  This is the opposite end of the response of rejection that I don't want to hear.  If I ask for help, it would be great if you said, "I can help!".  If we have trouble volunteering to help others, maybe it's because we have trouble committing our time, talent, and resources.  We're afraid if we volunteer for something, we're "stuck".  I know.  I've felt that way before, too.  Maybe we're afraid if I help with something once, we'll be in it forever - without escape!  I know.  I've felt that way before, too.  But, I also know that as 4-H leader and PTO leader, I need help.  There is no way that I can possibly do everything on my own.  My husband is a great helper, but he also has a job and his own responsibilities - just as you do.

So, here is a thought:  try to help when you can.  Try to volunteer as much as possible. When planning your schedule, make sure you're making it with a servant's attitude and not a selfish attitude.  We can all serve more.  Again, our wonderful example is Jesus.  He was a servant - always.

So, this is my list of  "Say what you need to say".  What phrases would you add to the list?