Watered Down Gospel!

Most of you know that I love to read. Right now I am ending a Christian fiction series. I'm on the last book and it is as amazing as the first two. This series has opened my eyes to the words of the Bible. The stories and teachings have come alive. The author, Francine Rivers, has definitely studied her history before compiling her words on paper. Today during my time of reading something struck me and convicted me. The characters in the book were just arriving in the city of Corinth. Their boat had just come into port and they were discussing where to go and what to do. In their conversation, they began discussing the church of Corinth. They were carrying letters from John to the church and they needed to visit the members to make the delivery. They were talking about how the members of the church of Corinth had walked away from the purity of Christ's message. They had watered the gospel down so that they could live in their own sin. They had taken the love of Christ and his forgiveness to the point of discounting sin all together. They could live and do as they pleased because God was Grace. They had even stopped reading the letters of Paul because it made them feel "uneasy." I was so saddened. Isn't this what we often do? If we are walking in a lifestyle unpleasing to God, we run from hearing Truth. This is definitely not always the case but 9 times out of 10 when a regular church attender stops attending, I soon learn of their walk into sin. Sin didn't come because they left church, they left the church because of their sin. Scripture speaks of the written Word as the "perfect law of liberty." We must be doers of the Word and not just hearers. Here is that scripture. It is found in James 1:21-27.

21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
26 If anyone among you[b] thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

I pray that I never water down God's Word for my own fleshly desires. I want to live by God's standard and not move His standard to meet what I want. Because in all reality it is truly unmovable. If you find yourself running from hearing God's Word, you are probably not doing His Word either. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak. Listen and then Obey. You are never too far to come back to God. God is forgiving, He is Grace, He is Mercy and He is Love. God is also jealous and He does not want to share you with the world. The church of Corinth was on the road to destruction. So many followers of Christ were trying to warn them to turn back. Don't be like them and turn a deaf ear to the people God has put in your life. I love you and I am always here if you need me.

Greatest Cornbread Ever!

Okay it is time for another recipe. This is my family's favorite corn bread by far. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do. I served it the other night with pinto beans and Zataran's Dirty Brown Rice with sausage in it. Fresh tomatoes on the side made it one of Ty's all time favorite meals.

Buttery Corn Bread

2/3 c. butter, softened

1 c. sugar

3 eggs

1 2/3 c. milk

2 1/3 c. all purpose flour

1 c. cornmeal

4 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Combine the eggs and milk in one bowl. In another bowl combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with egg mixture.

Pour into a greased 13'' x 9'' x 2" baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees F for 22-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cut into squares and serve warm with more butter. Yummy!!!

Let me know what you think and what you served it with. Love you all!

Button Soup

Last night Brady brought me a book and asked me to read to him before bed. He has always been a lover of books. The book he gave me was "Button Soup." If you have never read it, I highly suggest that you do. It had been a while since we had read this particular book and it hit me like a ton of bricks. Here goes a little synopsis of the story. One day a little girl and her grandfather were walking out of the grocery store carrying two large bags overflowing with food. A homeless woman named Rag-Tag Meg was walking by and asked them if they had anything because she was hungry. The grandfather said,"No," and they walked away. The little girl was so sad because she knew they had something and this woman had nothing. A bit later the little girl was looking out her window and she saw Rag-Tag Meg walking down the street. She excused herself and ran outside to catch up with Meg. Just moments after they began walking Meg hollered out with excitement as she reached down to pick up an old button. It was as if she had discovered a piece of gold. They found a rusty pot in a junk pile and immediately went to work building a fire and adding water to the pot. The little girl was confused but she was having fun. All of the sudden the homeless woman began singing aloud that they were making button soup. She invited everyone who was hungry to come and partake. People around them laughed and sneered at her. All they could see was a boiling pot of water and an old wooden button. The little girl defended her as best as she could but the laughing continued. Now Button Soup was a crazy idea but the little girl said parsley and dill would sure go good in this soup. Another child overheard this and said, "I've got those herbs." And she ran home and returned with a handful of beautiful greens. They added them to the pot and the bubbling and aroma began. One by one, passerbyers brought something to the pot. One boy brought some onions, one a carrot and a store owner offered some dumplings. Before long the smell from this amazing soup was drawing a crowd. The little girl remembered the chicken her and her grandfather had bought earlier in the day. She raced home grabbing the chicken and her grandfather and then back to the soup they went. The final ingredient was added before the soup was complete. The store owner that brought the noodles came back with bowls and a ladle. Rag-Tag Meg served everyone including the ones who had laughed at her. It was a feast that even allowed for seconds and thirds. When they got down to the last bit of soup, Meg retrieved the wooden button at the bottom of the pot. She kissed it and threw it high up in the air. The little girl picked it up as soon as it landed and kept it for herself. She never forgot that amazing day or the amazing woman who took a wooden button and turned nothing into something.

Okay so what does it mean. In a nutshell here is my opinion. 1- Your something can make someones nothing something. Think about that. What you have can allow someone with nothing to have something. 2- If you have nothing, don't give up. Remain positive and work with what is in front of you. 3- Don't discourage someone with a "crazy" dream. Be an encourager because with God all things are possible. 4- If Pastor Ty has said it once, he has said it a million times. If everyone does a little, no one has to do a lot. 5- When we work together we can always do more. That day Meg didn't just eat a bowl of soup but she even had thirds. Those around her had seconds. 6- There may come a day that you are asked to serve those who don't deserve it. Will you be willing? Meg was.

My advice for today is to keep your eyes open. What is right before you? Who needs you? When we walk with our eyes open, an old wooden button can be more valuable than gold.

Down to the Basics

Are you ready to talk about a sensitive subject? And why is it so sensitive? Why can we talk about our sinful nature without anger bubbling up but talk about my money and look out? We can give God our life but don't ask me to give my finances. I was sitting on the bathroom counter doing my hair when Ty walked in and asked me a very interesting question. "Which one would you choose?,"he said. "Would you want an individual to write a million dollar check to Cowboy Junction or would you want a church full of givers?" I'll give my answer in a minute. Our vision for CJC requires money and there is no way around that. We are only $23,000.00 from paying off the loan on the church property and the people have been amazing. They see a need and they are quick to fill it. But a building project should not be why we give. I could place a list of needs before you. Every week there are utilities to pay. The need for a children's facility is huge. But the best children's facility without a Children's Pastor is pointless. We have gone 11 years without a youth building but without Cigi we wouldn't have a Youth Group. Our giving should not be out of need but a heart to give back to God what is His to begin with. There is no lack of vision at our church. We are confident that God has great plans for His people. And our desire is that He use us in any way He desires. We always hope to be growing and building. That is a true sign of life.

So my answer to Ty's question was a church full of givers. You ask me why? Man, a million dollars would be instant and could get us what we need NOW. Have you ever heard the saying,"Give a man a fish and feed him for a day but teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime?" A one time gift makes a difference today but what will make a difference tomorrow? If you have a church full of givers, there is no need for a building program. Givers not only give of their money but of their time. Givers serve and volunteer. Givers have a vision for souls. Our goal at CJC is not to build buildings or make a name for ourselves. Our desire is for people to grow in their understanding of God's truth, His love and His grace. If we have all the facilities we could ever imagine but no one understands why, we have achieved nothing. What we have personally is not our own. What we have corporately is not our own. It is all God's. He has just asked us to be stewards of His money. Ten percent is all He asks that we give back to His Kingdom. We give to see lives change. Don't give out of need. Give because God says you should. Give because you know what God can do with what you have, big or small. If you read this blog and have said to yourself, "I'm not a tither but I want to be." Allow the Lord to speak to your heart. I promise He will. I love you all.

Camp Crossfire

I know this is going to sound prejudice but I am confident that Camp Crossfire is the greatest youth camp around. If your kids are old enough, you should not hesitate to send them next year. Each year I watch God pull walls down in only a way that He can. Not only do the campers lives change but so do the counselors. Lots of hard work, money and time but everyone agrees that it is sooooo worth it. Our kids are our future. I encourage all of you to invest something into the young people of today. If you help make a difference in their lives, it will change our future. It will change your grand-children's future. Make an investment because the return is beyond anything you could imagine.

God has called us to serve. When we serve, we find Him. Please don't sit at the table and just eat. Get up and offer to fill someones glass. There is no better way to live. The phrase, " It is better to give than to receive," is not just a cliche, it is TRUTH! Give your time, give your money, give your friendship, give your love and ultimately give your life. Jesus did it for you!