Self Reflection

A couple of nights ago, Ty and I were in our bathroom getting ready for bed. Hudson walked in brushing his teeth and had toothpaste dripping from his chin. Ty quickly directed him to the sink so he could spit. Ty thought it would be a great opportunity to coach him a little in correct brushing. So Ty pulled out his toothbrush to demonstrate. I was brushing mine as well in my sink. In the middle of us all brushing, Ty instructs Hudson to change hands. I was viewing this whole situation in my mirror because the boys were behind me. I immediately jumped on Ty saying, "He doesn't use his left hand, he is right handed." Then it hit me to turn around. Ty was helping him move the toothbrush from the left hand to the right hand but the mirror had deceived me. From my view everything was backwards. Luckily, Ty didn't understand what I was saying so an argument didn't break out nor did I have to apologize for being wrong. Praise the Lord!!!! Isn't it hard to admit when we are wrong? But this experience caused me to take a long hard look at myself. Do I jump to conclusions too fast? Do I jump in the middle of things that do not concern me? Do I think my way is better than others? I think I'm going to keep my answers to myself. How about you? Perception is a funny thing. We all have one but we all think ours is the only one. At least the only one with any value or merit. I believe it is important for all of us to recognize our shortcomings. Have you judged someone too quickly? Have you let one bad experience dictate the direction of a relationship that was full of many great experiences? You could very well be seeing everything backwards. You could be wrong! Gasp.... Slow down and look at your situation from every angle. You may need to close your mouth, you may need to open it and apologize and you may need to take a long look in the mirror. The written Word of God is full of wisdom. Take a look at the following scriptures and see if they open your eyes to Truth.

James 1:22-24 Romans 12:19

Proverbs 10:19 Matthew 5:44

Proverbs 12:18

Proverbs 18:21

The Mountain before you!

During prayer time last night at Cowboy Junction, I quoted the scripture found in Mark chapter 11. Jesus is speaking to his disciples and telling them to have faith. And with faith they can speak to the mountain and it shall fall into the sea. The struggles and difficulties that stand before us often seem like a mountain standing in our way. These trials are keeping us from our "promised land" and there is nothing we want more than to see it removed. Well the Lord used a message I had recorded back in March to speak to me in August. I woke up this morning and turned on a previously recorded message by Bishop T.D. Jakes. In this message, he spoke something that gave me a different perspective of those mountains. He said that victory is not found in changing your mountain. Victory is found in your mountain changing you. The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years in search of their destination that was only a few days journey away. Why? Did they pray and ask God to get them out of the desert? You bet they did. But there was something they had to learn in the desert before God would bring them into their promised land. Do you ever feel like you go around the same mountain over and over again? Be prepared to keep circling until you change what is keeping you there. Mark 11 tells us that with faith all things are possible. But we must also know that God cares about our future. He cares about our children and our grandchildren's future too. The decisions you and I make today can effect our offspring for generations. If there is something we must learn in order to prepare our path to our promised land, God will walk with us around our mountain until we are ready to change our course. The thing is, we have a choice. Do you want your mountain to change or will you let your mountain change you?

View From My Seat

I love having the opportunity to re-preach Ty's messages to other people. Yesterday I was given the opportunity to tell two different people about this weekends message. The content seemed to fit their circumstances just perfectly. I love how God does that for us. For those of you that missed it, please don't forget about our free podcasts at www.cowboyjunctionchurch.com. Every message preached at CJC is found on our website. In the meantime, here is what touched me the most. Ty spoke on our life being similar to a tree that is meant to flourish and produce a harvest. But circumstances don't always allow for easy growth. At times in our lives we fill like we are doing the very best we can and pruning begins to happen. Now pruning is necessary but it initially hurts. Ty reminded us that God is not in the business of hurting us and He uses everything for our good. The scripture he pointed us to is found in John 15:2. It says,"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." When he explained this scripture in "Ty Bean fashion", I wanted to jump up and shout. When something is lost or cut off, God has plans for a bigger return. WOW!!!! I am holding on to this promise and I am remaining in the vine. Even fruit producing limbs get pruned on. Why? Because the greater harvest comes from what we gained in the tough times. I don't want to just bear fruit. I want my branches to bend. I want an overflow of whatever God has to offer. At the end of the service, Ty gave 2 scriptures that he encouraged us to make as our scripture memory. One of them being Galatians 6:9. I memorized it today and I am sure it will be useful in the days ahead. It says,"Let us not grow weary doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." In life, disappointments come. People hurt us and tough times can bring discouragement. But through all the pruning we receive, we can't give up. A great harvest is coming. More fruit than our tree can hold. God has promised to finish what He began in each of us. What the enemy meant for harm, God will make for good. Keep pressing on. Don't lose heart. And most importantly, stay connected to the vine.

Ladies Retreat

All I can say is, "We are BLESSED!" What an amazing trip we had to Ruidoso. Cowboy Junction is an incredible church to belong to. Not because we meet in a great facility but because we are full of the most amazing people. I love each and everyone of you. I look forward to our next trip.

In saying all that, I want to encourage everyone reading the importance of relationship. We need each other to be the best we can be. A shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen and a hand to share are necessary in all our lives. Don't keep yourself from blessing others and don't push others away from blessing you. We need one another now more than ever.

Book Review

I just finished another life changing book. It is "Unmerited Favor" by Joseph Prince. I highly recommend it to every believer. Rules and religion have tried to guide the church down the right road but they have confused and tainted the vision of the church instead. God has given us grace, unmerited favor, as a free gift. It is time for the body of Christ to realize "whose" they are and what He sees. If you are tired of living in condemnation and you are ready to experience true freedom, then please read this incredible book. It will change your life as it has mine.

Seek and Find

All kids love the game of Hide and Seek. It is a childhood favorite. It's fun to watch little ones play because they never stay hidden long enough to be found. As soon as the counter says the famous words,"Ready or not here I come," they spring from their hiding place giggling uncontrollably. The game then turns into a great game of tag. The older you get, no one wants to be it because it can take awhile to find the ones hiding. Hiding places get better and silence is a must. This leaves the seeker feeling lost, alone and somewhat insecure. "Are they playing a trick on me?" "Am I walking right past them but I can't see them?" So of course this got me to thinking. I realized how blessed we are that God is not hiding. He clearly says in Jerimiah 29:13 "And you will seek Me and findl Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." God is not hiding from you or me. He is just waiting for a relationship with us. He wants to be known by His children. I love the story of the prodigal son. When the father sees his son coming from a distance, he runs to him. It didn't matter where he had been or what he had done. This was his son and he had come home. Take a step towards your Heavenly Father and He will meet you where you are. We serve a good God. We serve a faithful and loving God. When you find Him, you will not be disappointed.

Dig In

Well the Bean Family just got back from a two week vacation. We had an amazing time on this trip! During our time on South Padre Island, we spent many hours on the beach. Wow!!! God is so amazing in His Creation. He blows my mind on a regular basis. The sunrises and sunsets were breath taking. One of our most favorite activities was collecting shells of all kinds. We found all shapes, sizes and colors. But there was one shell in particular that drew my interest. This shell went unnoticed by most people. If you walked by and didn't pay close attention, they would look like the millions of other shells that covered the beach. But when you looked closely these particular shells would turn on end and bury themselves back in the sand before the wave would come again and wash it to the surface. This would happen over and over with every roll of the ocean. I saw a characteristic in these shells that I believe we should all share. Determination! Life happens to all of us. Good times and bad times alike. For me, the waves represented the tough times that we all face. Just when we feel secure and comfortable something comes along and knocks us upside the head. We are left feeling scattered and alone. These shells have a different response to the waves than many of us do. As soon as the wave headed out to sea the shell quickly dug back in. I find many Christians do the complete opposite. As soon as they have a moment of trouble, they start the blame game. They turn from God or they turn on God. They allow relationships to go sour. They remain defeated. But God wants His kids to turn to Him in times of trouble. Dig In! Turn to the one who understands what you are facing. Seek His face and He will bring peace in the midst of your storm. Stuff will happen that you never saw coming. But you can't let it keep you down. Don't run from God but run to Him. He wants to comfort you and guide you but you have to choose. Be determined and DIG IN!