Top Ten Tuesday: The Power of Prayer

I know prayer is a very powerful tool. In fact it is one of the easiest things a Christian can do, but also something we tend to neglect so often. These are the burdens on my heart today. I have prayed over these all weekend, and continue to throughout this week. I want to be a prayer warrior for God. Will you pray with me?

1. For my family: Our family has been in waiting to get approval from my husband's job for an opportunity to go home for my sister's wedding. For over a month and half we have been praying and waiting- sometimes patiently, sometimes not so patiently- to receive our answer so that we may buy tickets. We are reaching the point though when we will have only 1 month to go and a decision must be reached on our part, whether or not to go. Pray my husband's work will give us their answer this week, before we have to make the final decision to cancel the trip.

2. For my extended family: This past week there was a birth on my husband's side of the family. Without going into too much detail, the pregnancy was hidden and there are still concerns of possible rape that may have occurred. My husband's family needs prayers for wisdom and healing during this time.

3. For my friends: A particular friend from church shared with me this past Sunday morning about another friend of hers who had passed away very suddenly. She leaves behind a husband and a 3 month old baby. It breaks my heart to think of a child growing up without a mother, yet so many do. Pray for those she left behind to seek the Lord's comfort in this time of grief.

4. For my church family: In our church this week, as I shared on my last Top Ten Tuesday post, we are having Summit Meetings with a guest evangelist, Harold Vaughan. It has been wonderful to hear the Lord speak through his powerful messages. Pray as the week goes on, more visitors may come and hear the Gospel, and more may find an eternal salvation through Jesus Christ.

5. For other moms: I read about Leslie Evans this weekend, and my heart was broken for her and her family. You can read more about her story here. Please pray for healing of her body as she is in a coma after giving birth to premature twins at 21 weeks pregnant, both babies have gone on to be with the Lord, and pray for wisdom for her family and doctors in the decisions to be made.

6. For missionaries: We are all called to share the Gospel as Christians. Each in our own way, but there are those who are specifically called as missionaries. Our church supports many, but in particular, there is a family on another of the Micronesian islands who are working on getting a radio tower built. Please pray for their safety in the construction of this tall structure using limited equipment.

7. For our leaders: I am not a fan of our nation's leaders at the moment, but I respect that they are in those positions. Positions I could never fill myself! It can't be an easy job, and I pray that God will give them the wisdom to make the right decisions for our country.

8. For our country: As a nation we need prayer. Beyond prayer for our leaders, but prayer for the people. I pray for people to come back to God, so that as a nation we can come back to God and remember what our great country was truly founded upon. We need to constantly keep the people our our nation in prayer.

9. For the world: There is so much in the world today that brings such sadness to my heart. The world is so ignorant and blind to the perversion all around them, that nothing is shocking or surprising to anyone anymore. I pray that God will lift the ignorance from their eyes and that they may see Him and see a better way to be living. And I pray that God's people will have the courage and passion to go out into the world to share His message of hope, the only real hope.

10. For YOU: What has God placed on your heart this week? Is there something or someone you need prayer for? Feel free to share in the comment section, and I will pray for you as well.

I know I shared this verse last week, but it is so important to remember...

Pray without ceasing... ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:17

And remember, it is just as important to say thank you as it is to say please. So don't forget to praise God for the many blessings He bestows on you as well. And for that matter, praise Him for the trials that come as well- they come so that we may be broken and used by the Lord, and that should always be our heart's desire.

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Are You More Popular than Christ?

Jesus was not very popular.

Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, and they blindfolded Him, saying, "Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?" And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming. ~Luke 22:63-65

He didn't take the easy road or follow the crowd.

Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?" But when Jesus heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." ~Matthew 9:10-13

And He is to be our example.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. ~Ephesians 5:1-2

We should be walking in His footsteps.

And He [Jesus] summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me." ~Mark 8:34

Not trying to be popular so the world will like us, but being set apart so the world can see a difference in us, as children of God.

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. ~Romans 12:1-2

Do you look more like the world, with its popularity, doing what's easy? Or are you different, even unpopular, for NOT following the crowd?

A Clear and Familiar Voice

Lately I have been hearing God speak much more clearly to me. It has been so refreshing and I keep thinking, why haven't I heard Him this often before?

He is everywhere. He is in every little crevice of my life, encouraging me, guiding me, loving me.

Just the other day, I was feeling down. I felt like I would never have the opportunity to truly grow my friendships, that have lasted bordering the acquaintance/true friend line for over a year now, in fact almost 2 in some cases. I have often wondered why my children don't seem to get invited to many other kid's parties or gatherings. But I had to realize, I bring it on myself. I can get so caught up on whats easy, staying at home, adhering to nap times that could really be more flexible, or worrying about the kids behavior. These all are great reasons to stay home, but they are also poor excuses to never get out.

(Sometimes I do forget that though I enjoy hanging out around the house well enough, I have a 4 year old full of energy who just wants to be a kid and have fun, preferably with other kids just as silly as her!)

I am normally a planner, but I could not ignore a phone call from a friend one morning after a lonely evening the day before. She wanted to give me a ride to a play date. My number one excuse, I don't have a car, blown completely away. And as I considered her offer, my mind instantly came up with a list of other reasons I shouldn't go; my stomach had been hurting since I woke up; I haven't showered yet, nor had I quite gotten the kids fully dressed and ready for the day; Zachary would need a nap soon and surely without his nap, or sometimes even with it, he can get pretty cranky when we go out; and then my usual excuse since this is sometimes an outdoors adventure- it is way to hot on Guam, and I hate being sweaty! But I also heard God speaking to me about even this 'little' opportunity. How could I be upset and complain about not being as welcomed into circles of friendship if I turned down every chance I got to spend time with these ladies? How can I let inconveniences ruin my opportunity to grow friendships with good, Godly woman who I admire? So I said yes! And though it did feel inconvenient at times with a mildly cranky toddler, it was well worth the time to talk and enjoy watching the children play together. Natalie needed it too, it is good for her to get a little time to socialize since her best friend (and neighbor) has recently moved away.

(Remember kids are 100% washable! I had to keep reminding myself of that as the dirt clung to Zachary's every inch...its easier for me to keep in mind when they are a little bit older and have a better sense of it themselves. For example, not sticking your filthy hands into your mouth! Zachary had his first taste of actual dirt!)

And during the fellowship I received the answer to my first question, why haven't I heard God speak so clearly before? Because I am constantly growing closer to Him, and the more I do, the more loudly He speaks, and the more familiar I become to His voice. It is a wonderful feeling to constantly be able to listen to His direction and know I am following in His will as He shares it with me, whether it is something that may seem trivial, such as whether or not to go to a play date. Or something huge, like whether or not we should extend on our time on Guam. Life may not always be perfect, but if I am following in His will, I know my life will have that bigger purpose that I so long for, as well as peace, even in the storms.

How clearly does God speak to you? Only in nearness with God will you find true purpose and everlasting peace.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. ~Romans 8:8a

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. ~1 Corinthians 2:12-13

I'll Pray for You

How many times do you tell someone you will pray for them and then forget?

"I'll pray for you."

I know when I say those words, I am making a promise to that person to lift them up in their time of need, and asking God for His wisdom and blessings for them. But between saying it and sitting down for my usual quiet time, after chasing the kids around all day, feeding them breakfast, lunch and dinner, cleaning up behind them, then finally hustling the children down for bed or nap time, I have usually forgotten. Or at the very least I can't remember all the details. And though God knows all the details, sometimes I just wish I had taken the time to write it down. Even if I pray for them right away (another great habit to pray without ceasing throughout the day- 1 Thess. 5:17), its so much better to write it down so I can remember for the rest of the week!

So starting today I have new small prayer journal that fits quite nicely into my purse. My plan is to carry it with me always, so when God brings someone in my path that I need to pray for I can write it down! That way I won't forget anyone.

Added bonus, I will know all the important details when I want to go check in with someone to see if prayers have been answered or they need continued prayer for the situation. Something I need to work on: lifting others up, encouraging others and reaching out not only to the lost but to show compassion for my brothers and sisters in Christ, through prayer and encouragement.

I believe it shows someone great love and encouragement just to know they are not forgotten in their times of need, and by continually reaching out and keeping updated on situations, it portrays that love so beautifully.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. ~James 5:16

Is there some way you keep track of all the different things you plan on praying for throughout the week?

Do You Eat Daily?

I don't know about everyone else, but I have grown quite accustomed to eating multiple times a day, every day. Sure occasionally, I will go without much or anything to eat for a whole day, and you how I feel by bedtime? Weak, tired, exhausted, I have a short temper and become agitated and aggravated by every little thing. It does not feel good to be that hungry.

And yet sometimes, that's exactly how I let myself get when it comes to fellowship with God.

I guess it should be of little surprise to me that Sunday is my favorite day of the week, followed by Wednesdays. Those are the days I regularly spend a great portion of my time with God, in prayer, in worship, in fellowship. I am focused on Him for the better half of Sunday, and I spend most of the day Wednesday looking forward to the chance to go to church and be with others in study of His word and in prayer to Him.

Just as I get physically weak when I go without food for an entire day, I also get spiritually weak when I try to make it through my week only sustained on fellowship with God for two of the seven days! Just as Dr. Vaughn said at church recently- you wouldn't try to eat all you can for the week in just one or two days?! So why then do we seek to get all our spiritual sustenance all at once for the week and not touch our bible as it gathers dust for the other five-six days? Why don't we seek Him and talk to Him daily just as we eat three meals a day?

We need to not only physically satisfy our hunger daily, but spiritually as well. God desires a fellowship with us every single day, and that will bring us closer to Him and further from the world.

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. ~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Notice how Paul doesn't mention taking a break in there? Instead he says to always rejoice, not just on Sundays. Pray without ceasing, not pray only on Sundays. In everything give thanks, not be grateful at least on Sundays.

And just as food gives us strength to carry out our daily tasks and work, so the time we spend with God, in the word and in prayer, strengthens us for the daily spiritual battle that is constantly raging even within our own homes.

Therefore, take up the full armor of God. so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints... ~ Ephesians 6:13-18

WOW! What imagery this creates!! We need to be constantly alert because we are in a spiritual battle, and I am sure you can ask many of the men and women over in Iraq- in a battle, you don't get to just take a few days off!! You need to keep yourself strong and prepared always because you never know what is going to come your way next. It is the same in this spiritual battle, we need to be walking with God always, so that He may give us the wisdom and strength to make it through!

Would you go into a battle hungry?

It's Not Enough

It's not enough.

Going to church every Sunday & Wednesday is not enough. Surrounding yourself with good Christian friends is not enough. Tithing regularly is not enough. Blessing your food before you eat is not enough. Doing daily devotionals is not enough.

God is not just a routine. Jesus is not just someone we sing pretty songs about. The Holy Spirit is not just a feeling. Being a Christian is not just being a part of a church.

If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. ~James 1:26-27

There is so much more that we often miss. God wants to be so much more in our lives. Jesus wants to do so much more through our lives. The Holy Spirit wants to dwell within our lives.

Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. ~James 4:7-8a

Nothing should come before Him. Nothing should distract us from Him. Nothing should hold our hearts above Him. Or something is wrong.

If we are redeemed we are called to be apart from this world. Our life is no longer our own, it is His. And we need to remember that.

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. ~1 John 2:15-17

You don't just represent yourself, or even your biological family anymore. You represent the church family. You represent Him.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. ~Ephesians 2:10

This is something we all struggle with at times. We are selfish, sinful people by nature, but we need to overcome our sin. Just as Jesus overcame death.

"O Death, Where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing your toil is not in vain in the Lord. ~1 Corinthians 15:55-58

It isn't easy. But anything less is just not enough.

God's Will in My Life: Big Decision

Jon and I are approaching a big decision: leave Guam on our already scheduled time frame (July 2011) or to extend for one more year (July 2012).
Guam had apparently been in God's ultimate plan for us from the beginning, no matter how much I wanted to fight it. Jon and I met when he was stationed aboard the USS Houston. We got married and about a year later the boat was scheduled to change ports, from Washington state to Guam. At that time the pictures that popped up in my mind about Guam, were sleeping with netting over the bed, constantly finding snakes, and huge spiders and other insects inside my home, near my future (at the time) children. I imagined sweltering, unbearable heat that would keep me inside almost constantly; very limited shopping (oh wait, that one I got right!); and no one that spoke English except of course the other Navy families. I never thought I would be able to find a church I could fit into, I imagined only Catholic churches on this teeny tiny island. I even thought I would develop claustrophobia from being confined to such a small, speck of island in the middle of the ocean. So in my ignorance we decided we would be better off taking orders to a shore duty command in Virginia. While in Virginia we had a good time, made many wonderful friends and then it came time all too soon for us to leave. Jon and I had been really praying that we would be able to get back home to Washington state, but in God's answer to our prayers, He has given us a detour. We were informed the only way, at that time at least, for us to return to the West coast would be to go overseas first. And as luck would have it the only thing Jon was offered at that point was Guam. By then, a few things had changed to ease us into this transition.
First of all, I had grown used to being away from home for a long extended time, and when I really thought about it, there wasn't much difference between Virginia and Guam distance wise. Now yes there are thousands of miles more between Guam and Washington verse Virginia and Washington, but in either situation I would not be in a location that I could just pick up and go visit my family anytime I wanted. And most of all, during our time in Virginia, God had placed in my path a friend who had been there and had eased most of my fears about what island life would be like. I completely believe God placed us in Virginia first for those exact reasons, so that we could go to Guam with a more open heart to the island itself.
Now that we are in Guam, we are having a hard time with the thought of leaving. Jon and I would both like to experience a little more of the island life as it offers many activities we will not be able to do in the Northwest. Snorkeling, scuba diving, as well as many other water sports and activities, but also traveling and seeing some places of the world we otherwise will probably never see. Another reason we have grown so attached to this island are our friends. We have met some of the most wonderful people here on Guam. We still love and miss our friends from Washington as well as Virginia, but at least for me it seems that the longer I am away from my comfortable home in Washington were a lot of old friends that I grew up with are, the more I open up to new people and new friendships. In Virginia it took me a long time to realize I could make great friends anywhere I go and I am not just limited to only friends I have known since school. (Though I still treasure those friendships very dearly!)
Most of all though during our time on Guam, I have had the chance to grow closer to God then I have ever been. While there are some minor things I do not agree with within our church here, I do find myself constantly challenged like never before to reexamine parts of my life, so that I can have a better relationship with my Heavenly Father. And honestly that is hard to give up. On the one hand, I don't want to leave the environment when I feel I am constantly in check and held more accountable, but on the other, does God want me to go somewhere else for new adventures and my biggest challenge in that being to not fall back into the trap of being content to not move forward in my walk with God, or worse to backslide into old habits. This is what has been on my heart for the last few months as we try to decide which course of action to take. To stay or to go, that is my question to God!
So please pray for us as we need to make the decision by this coming July. They need a year in advance for both of the following- requesting a years extension or requesting to go back to the West coast (Washington not a guarantee, but I would be fine with California as well, we have a few friends and family there also). Another big factor in our decision making process will be if Jon makes first class from this last exam he took in March. We should know around May, and if he doesn't make it we feel it would be best to extend so we can ensure he will have made it before he moves to a new command. If he does make it, we will have to look at other factors on how to proceed, we may still extend we just aren't sure yet.
Any prayers or advice are most welcome.

For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. ~Colossians 1:9

I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart. ~Psalm 40:8

The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord. ~Proverbs 16:33

All in His Time

I am pretty sure I am not alone when I ponder this: why is it that inspiration seems to always strike when my head has found that comfortable spot on my pillow as my day comes to a close! I truly believe my 'creative juices' are like those babies who seem to have their days and nights all mixed up. Sometimes I get that itch to write about something during the day, but more often then not, whether its writing a blog, or brainstorming for more birthday party ideas for the kids next bash, it always hits me as I crawl into my nice cozy bed, beside my sweet husband who hates going to sleep without me there, which lately seems to be quite often!
I wish, oh how I wish, my mind had an off switch! I would definitely be a more rested mommy if that were the case. But alas, that is one thing God did not install when He created me, just as He intended.
I think we often don't like God's timing, we say no, not now, wait until next week, my calendar is completely clear...next week. Then of course something comes up and soon it becomes next month, next year, after the kids graduate and leave the nest, then I will be totally free and clear! Of course who knows if you will be around then? By then God will have found someone else who is eager to serve Him immediately!
Even now, I think, "Oh Lord, I have so much going on right now, Jon has duty the next 2 weekends, I have to reschedule Zachary's party- remember that Lord, because he got sick on his birthday of all days- yeah, and then, then I still need to get ready for my mom's big visit next month, I need to clean and prepare everything, yep LOTS to do Lord, so right after my mom leaves I will start that new ministry idea you whispered in my ear, as soon as she leaves, well at least by the end of that month because then I have a party thing to host the weekend after she goes..." and the list goes on. Don't get me wrong, all those things are important to me, but NOTHING should come before the Lord, and what He has for me to do! Whether it is to get back up out of bed and post a blog about something He has burdened my heart with or a new ministry He has given me to use for Him, I need to do it in His timing not my own. And as Pastor Schettler shared about Thursday night in his message, this includes prayer. If God lays something on your heart to pray about, you need to stop what you are doing and pray! If we don't, then we forget, or get caught up in something else, we procrastinate- one of my biggest weaknesses, and Satan definitely knows it, and will use it if I let him!
We don't know when we will die. We don't know when anyone will die, even the unsaved neighbor we keep meaning to try and witness too. We don't know what seeds a blog we post might plant, or why God wants us to pray for someone out of the blue, but we know if we don't listen to the Holy Spirit's guidance we might not have the chance to play the role God wants us too in someone coming to Christ. He wants to use us, and instead of fiting it into our schedule, we need to fit our lives into His, because His schedule has no flaws, no missed appointments, no cancellations. His schedule, His timing is perfect. Everything happens all in His time.

"Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near." Isaiah 55:6

"I hastened and did not delay to keep Your commandments." Psalm 119:60

"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." Proverbs 27:1

"And He [Jesus] said to another, 'Follow Me.' But he said, 'Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.' But He said to him, 'Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.' Another also said, 'I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say goodbye to those at home.' But Jesus said to him, 'No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Luke 9:59-62

"Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming." Matthew 24:42

Overflowing with Joy to Share

I don't know about most of you, but after only attending 2 of the 5 evening services during the Missions Conference at Harvest Baptist Church (and also the Sunday morning service of course!), I feel very convicted about certain areas.
For those who aren't sharing this little island with me, our church does a Missions Conference around this time every year. This year a Pastor from Santa Maria, CA came with a group of seniors from their church. While the seniors worked with the children, Pastor Schettler gave some amazing messages! Now, I will be honest, it took me a while to come around to the messages, because while I recognized instantly the truth in them, I was just so overwhelmed, and at first, thrown off on the presentation. I have never had a Pastor, or heard a Pastor, with so much enthusiasm! I mean he was all over the stage, and at points was yelling at us because his excitement for his messages seemed to just boil over inside of him. He had no choice but to let it flow out! Not being used to that, I didn't appreciate it at first, I tend to like what I am used to and not care for change or being out of the ordinary patterns, but I now wish I could have gone to all the services (which wasn't for lack of trying, sickness & Jon coming home late from work is what kept us away).
After a week of stewing over somethings, particularly from Sunday morning's service, I admire his confidence and excitement for the messages he shared with us. And I hope people can look at me, and see the same joy overflowing in my life, because we are not meant to keep it all inside. We need to let Jesus' love and light shine through us! And we need to be excited about it!!
On Sunday morning, he shared with our congregation 3 keys to moving stones out of the way so that we are able to minister to the lost world we live in. The first was that we need to get creative! This reminded me of something else I recently learned. During our ladies night for missions last week, we broke into prayer groups who each had a particular missionary that our church supports to pray for. My group prayed for the Childs family in Australia. Apparently in Australia, at least the part they are ministering in, there is a high concentration of cults, specifically Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses. And part of our prayer for them was that they may be creative in how they reach the people there, because the traditional methods of going door to door wouldn't be an option because they would want to stand apart from the cults, those 2 in particular, which do tend to do a lot of knocking on doors. And my thought was, boy am I glad I am not them and thats not my job! Because I could never come up with a very creative way to minister to anyone. But after Sunday morning, I realized, though I am not in Australia, nor do I feel called to be a missionary abroad, but I still need to be reaching out, and I still need to be creative about how I approach it. And that is what has gotten me on the path for a new ministry opportunity that with the Lord's guidance I am developing through my love of baking, and sharing those treats with others!
The next key part of moving stones away is confidence. Confidence that when we pray, God will act. Not praying out of obligation, half-heartedly hoping, just maybe God will answer this prayer request if He really wants too. NO!! Pray expecting, knowing, and believing God CAN and God WILL act on our prayers. We may not always get the answer we want, but if we actually have confidence that our prayers will be answered, we could see our friends and family come to know the Lord!! Instead of thinking maybe God will hear, KNOW God will hear your prayers because He ALWAYS does. I know this is definitely an area I need to really concentrate on improving. I need to have faith and confidence that God will answer my prayers; instead of 'just hoping' and praying with a question mark at the end of my prayer when it should be an exclamation point!
And the last part of moving stones and other obstacles out of the way to reach lost souls is to have compassion. As for me, I think my compassion is there...sometimes, when its convenient for me. I can really struggle sometimes with finding little things to irritate me, and then later learning I misjudged. Instead I should always seek to be compassionate and caring to everyone, instead of finding a negative in any given situation. For example, standing in line at the post office to get a package the other day, a woman with a small girl came over and got into this gap in the line. Instantly I was irritated and upset, it was a long line, I had been standing in it for a few minutes but was already getting bored and tired. I thought how dare she just cut her way in, but then I heard her thank the man behind her, and as I observed further I realized she had already been in that spot in the line but had been letting her little girl wander a little, and in her wandering she had gone out of sight. So the woman had been only coming back to her original spot in line, that the man behind her was kind enough to hold, while she retrieved her child. I felt awful! Though this all only happened in my own mind and was not shared with the rest of the crowd, I know God saw how ugly my heart had been, instead of showing compassion to everyone no matter what circumstances were going on. And I realize, even if she had been 'cutting' in line, I was still wrong for not having a loving heart, a compassionate heart toward her. If I want Jesus to use me, then I need to remember to always, regardless of circumstance, be kind, caring, loving and compassionate, in my heart, mind and actions.
All that said, I have a LOT to work on and pray about!! And that was all in ONE message!! But all of us can always improve, no matter where we are in our lives and our walk with the Lord. He never wants us to stand still and just be content to go no further, He wants us bubbling over with joy for Him like Pastor Schettler is! He wants it to pour out of us everywhere we go and in everything we do. And I hope I have done Pastor Schettler some justice in passing on his message. I did the best I could from memory because I did not take notes that day (shame on me!).

"Being unable to get to Him [Jesus] because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying." Mark 2:4 (Creativity)

"Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have recieved them, and they will be granted you." Mark 11:24 (Confidence)

"So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Colossians 3:12 (Compassion)