Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Then the LORD said, "Put 'em in leadership...That'll kill 'em!"

After reading that header, I’m sure many hundreds of you out there are already chuckling to yourself, especially those of you who have been in a position of leadership in any shape, form or fashion.  And I certainly know our missionaries on the field will appreciate that statement.

This morning a good friend of mine and I were talking over some things regarding leadership in ministry.

I suppose that the LORD has allowed more flesh to be removed from my skeleton frame through the journey of being in a “leadership role” more than any other way.  In fact, you realize just how much flesh is on these bones as time goes on!  Ha, ha, ha, ha!

For a good picture of what I am talking about, just think about a dead animal (having been hit by a car) lying on the road and buzzards randomly flying in to pick away at the flesh till nothing is left.

Now if you just read this and are a sanguine temperament, you are going to be talking in your head, saying that is a pretty funny word picture and wished you had thought of it yourself (even though it’s gross) because it is relational.  You can understand it! In fact, you will use the principle of the story yourself someday!

If your temperament is more towards the choleric side, you are going to be evaluating it with an attitude of wondering what the animal was doing in the road anyway!  You will also be frustrated with the person who hit it and did not move it off the road.  That was their responsibility!

If your temperament is a little more melancholy, your heart strings have already been moved to the breaking point for the poor little fellow on the road, and you’re thinking that those big bad buzzards need to leave it alone!  It’s bad enough that it’s dead. And even more than that, who killed it to start with?  You want the details!

If your temperament is phlegmatic, you don’t really want to say how you feel about it, because you don’t want to make anyone mad, and you don’t like conflict going on about anything.  You just want it to all go away and everybody be happy!

Ok, having had a little sidebar of fun with the temperaments on the illustration of the road kill and buzzards let me conclude with this principle.  God really does want “nothing” left of our flesh to be at work in our daily walk with Him. He uses our family, friends, peers, circumstances, and yes, the very ministries He has called us to in this world to be a tool not only for lifting up His Name and bringing glory to Him, but also for removal of our flesh! 

So my dear sisters and brothers in Christ, near and far, do not grow weary in doing good!

Stay the course He has purposed for you!

Please be in prayer right now for our sisters in the area of the Dominican Republic. We are praying and working back and forth with a contact in that area for a possible retreat in the spring of 2012. Also, if you are reading this right now and your heart is moved regarding this area of the world and you believe God might be speaking to you about going, please contact me at vickie@purejoyinternationl.org.

Love you guys!

His,
Vickie

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Thanksgiving 2011...

As I sit down to write this blog I know that it is Thanksgiving week and many will sit down to give thanks this week.  Many will slow down for the first time all year to think of the things they are thankful for and for some it will pass by just like any other day of their life.
Looking around me, thinking back on the life, thinking present life, and future life, one word rises up in bold letters to me and that is what I am most thankful for - “Grace”.

I like the simple definition given by Holman Bible Dictionary:

Grace: underserved acceptance and love received from another, especially the characteristic attitude of God in providing salvation for sinners.

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er,
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
Oh, for grace to trust Him more!

Here is something for you to chew on this week besides turkey…meditate on that last verse and what it is really saying to us, “Oh, for grace to trust Him more!”  Don’t assume you get it, really think about it!

Blessings on you and your families this Thanksgiving Week!

His,
Vickie

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Just a Little humor...

On Sunday my mom received a phone call from Pastor Steve, a friend of mine from Round Rock, TX.  He explained to my mom that he was trying to reach me suspecting I had already left for church, but he thought he would just try the house.  He went on to tell my mom that He and his wife and daughter were driving back from the University of Texas/Missouri game when just outside of Leslie, Arkansas he hit a bear on the road.  My mom said, "You mean a deer."  He said, "No I mean a bear."  She said, "A bear?"  "Yes, a B.E.A.R., bear"! he replied.  Understand it was natural for my mom to think she heard him wrong because we are in deer season around here, and the best chance of getting a deer is not in the woods this season.  It appears your best chances are to just take a drive and your cleaning knife. Ha,ha,ha!

My mom then instead of going to church actually was the church by getting in her car and going after the pastor, his wife and daughter and bringing them back to our home. (Their car will be in the repair shop for some time.)   I was very surprised to walk in from church and find Pastor Steve, Karen, and Laruen sitting in our living room. It was great to see them even though I suspect they would have liked it to be under different circumstances.  We took them to our family lunch at my Aunt Myrna’s and then on to Little Rock, AR. to a rental car facility to get them back to Longview, TX and then on to Round Rock, TX. 

Of course, Pastor Steve likes to add a little humor to all that happened to them from hitting the bear to the local authorities, to the Arkansas Wildlife Management that had to be called, to the toll truck driver, to the local man that showed up to make sure that we didn’t forget we were in AR by saying, “So you got yourself a BARrrrrrr!”  

I told Pastor Steve as I dropped them off at the car rental place at the airport, "You know brother, you just had to pull the Bigger and Better Texas thing didn’t you!  You couldn’t just come through Arkansas and hit a deer like everyone else. You just had to come through Arkansas and hit a BARrrrrrr!" Ha,ha,ha!   I was still laughing as they drove off.

We are three weeks out from Peru and the emails from the ladies there just keep coming!  It is so exciting to see how God moved!  I want to encourage all of you who are reading this blog and have a missionary friend in a foreign country, and believe they could use a Pure Joy Retreat, get them to the blog and have them contact me. 

We are praying about and looking forward to where God is leading us next!

Love you guys!

His,
Vickie

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Look at Me...

I suppose none of us wants to wake up in the morning thinking this day is going to be hard.  But the truth is, some days are just hard.  I have had several of those days stacked on top of each other for about the past month.  Today was really a tough one.  But that happens when we are dealing with our teenage loved ones, doesn’t it?  The cool thing about God is HE KNOWS.  Tonight as I sat down to evaluate the day, conversations, actions, etc., it is like the LORD is saying to my spirit, “look at Me”.

I can just see Him taking my face ever so gently in His hands and holding it so as to be fixed on Him.  Holding it so as not to allow me to be fully carried away by the circumstances of life, holding it so I will not turn to the left or right or look behind me but holding it in a fashion that would not allow my eyes to be able to deny His LOVE for me.

Again, the words “look at Me”. 

Friend, trust me that I am not foolish enough to think that anything I’m going through is a drop of water in a bucket compared to some of the things some of you are going through even as I write these words, but I do encourage each one of you no matter how big your circumstances or how small your circumstances, “Look at HIM”.  He Loves you!

In reading back over this blog I thought, “Wow, Vickie...This is kind of a downer of a blog.”  But then I decided that if we are going to journey together, our relationship must be authentic.  Authentic relationships are filled with life, and life can be hard, fun, silly, frustrating, awesome, crazy, etc. Today was a hard day.  So be it.  This too will be gone in about 40 minutes and we will start a new day! Ha, ha, ha!  One of my favorite verses from Scripture is, “His mercies are new every morning.”  I Love that truth.

Look at Him and Have a God Day!!!

His,
Vickie