My Brother’s Keeper

By Shelly Johns | Published: January 25, 2012
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There must have been six or seven black birds taking part in the “road kill” feast.  As I headed to work, the two vehicles in front of me had to slow down so that they wouldn’t hit the swoon of birds feasting on the remains of another animal.  Unbeknownst to the birds, they were about to be road kill too!

Have you ever noticed the “swooning” by Christian brothers or sisters when another sins—especially when it is a “visible” sin? Sometimes we circle and nibble at them with our words of accusation, stories of what we may have seen or heard, and other bites by ones who are just as vulnerable—but by the grace of God?

When it comes to accusations or proven sin, I do not have a stone to throw—first or EVER!  In other words, I would be one of the thieves on a cross next to Jesus.  I would definitely be the woman washing Jesus’ feet with her tears.  I just as easily could have been Judas too!!!  (Lord, have mercy!)

Oh Father, I am ashamed at the times that I have joined in gossip over the sins of anyone (or in gossip period). Whether I stood and listened or added words, I am sorry.  Help me pray for others (as I pray for myself), spurring them on toward love and good deeds ALONG the way.  If I am in position to offer words as I witness their dangerous walk that could lead to sin, may I be among those who speaks only your words, provide only what You instruct, and love as only You could empower one to do. Lord, you know my sins, and I do not have an accusation-leg on which to stand or stone to throw.  Nevertheless, under the umbrella of grace and forgiveness, I can with your guidance and strength encourage others.  I am my brother’s keeper. Help me (us) be so with humility of spirit.

~Shelly Johns

P.S.  I apologize for the interrupted schedule flow of blog posts–on my part.  There are projects to complete and work to do. I hope to do better. Thank you for your continued readership!

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Words to Live By

By Shelly Johns | Published: January 19, 2012
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We always need words of encouragement and wisdom to live by. The Bible is our key source of strength and instruction. Let’s continue to make time to read, meditate and share as God opens doors.

For additional reflection, read several quotes below that have encouraged me as well. Enjoy!

~Shelly Johns

There is no pit so deep where God’s love is not deeper still. (Corrie ten Boom)

I have a great need for Christ; I have a great Christ for my need. (Spurgeon)

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen. Not only because I see it, but because I see everything by it. (C. S. Lewis)

Christianity is not a theory or speculation, but a life; not a philosophy of life, but a living presence. (Samuel Taylor Coleridge)

I used to ask God to help me.  Then I asked if I might help Him.  I ended up by asking Him to do His work through me. (James Hudson Taylor)

Do you have others quotes of inspiration?  Share them in the “Post a Comment” box and encourage others!

NOTE:  I mentioned Project More Women a few days ago.  Information can now be found at www.kybaptist.org/projectmore.  Encounter Women of Worth Lifestyle Evangelism information is also “live” now at www.kybaptist.org/ewow!

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No Promise of Tomorrow

By Donna Coffey | Published: January 12, 2012
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Last week I wrote about a horrible tragedy in my small community,  the murder of a 28 year old young woman.  This past weekend, tragedy struck us again.  A beloved educator, only 47 years old, was killed in an early morning car accident just miles from her home.  She was principal of a local elementary school who loved her students and interacted personally with them daily.  Her death shocked and distressed so many.

School was dismissed so hundreds of coworkers and families could attend her funeral. My daughter, who is a teacher in the local school system, was among the huge crowd of mourners. After the funeral, she shared with me some of the highlights from the service.  She was especially impressed with the message presented.   Later in the day, she posted on Facebook “If there was anything that I can take away from today’s funeral it would be (1) make sure the ones you love know that you love them and (2) Make sure you know the Lord Jesus Christ for we are not promised tomorrow.” (It made her mom very proud to see that post!)

I’m hoping and praying that the impact these two tragic events have had on my community will cause many to reflect on those two points, realizing how short life is and what is really important in our lives:  the love we share while we are on Earth, and the committment we need to make to Jesus Christ, our Savior!

The Bible tells us:

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  James 4:14 NIV

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Mark 8:36 NIV

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” John 14:4 NIV

May  we all pause and focus on these scriptures and biblical truths about our lives, for there is no promise of tomorrow for any of us!

Donna Coffey

 

 

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Great Expectations

By Shelly Johns | Published: January 9, 2012
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Happy New Year!  Your blog writers and I are looking forward to doing life with you in 2012.  Thank you for your continued support.  We are thrilled about the work that God has called you to do and hope that crosseyedliving is a source of encouragement for you!

Thank you, Cheryl Irwin, our guest blogger writer for your posts in December 2011.  Regular blog writers were given the time to refresh and refuel, and our audience remained engaged, encouraged and enlightened.  We love you Cheryl!

Well, you can expect more life-stories/experiences and words of encouragement in 2012.  In addition, we hope to include more posts from guest blog writers.

Crosseyedliving will also be the place for updates of what God is doing through Project More Women (PMW), the three month emphasis specifically designed to give women a concentrated time to share their faith as they work in their communities and beyond!

For more information on PMW, check out www.kybaptist.org/projectmore AFTER January 16.  I hope that you and your ladies will commit to pray AND participate.

You can also contact me at shelly.johns@kybaptist.org about PMW.  It would be a pleasure to send you information on how you can partner, reaching more women for Christ in Kentucky!

Well, here’s to great expectations as we share Christ through our very lives in 2012!

~Shelly Johns

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Shaken Yet Forgiving

By Donna Coffey | Published: January 5, 2012
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My small, quiet community has been shaken to its core. Last week,  on a quiet street in our even quieter town,  a 28 year old young lady was murdered.  The “person of interest” is her boyfriend.  She was house sitting for her good friend who was on vacation and while the details are still sketchy, it seems robbery was involved in the incident as well.  She was a former student of mine.

The house where the murder took place was built by my cousin and his wife years ago and they raised their three children there, a house I had been in many times.  It sits across from the school my parents, my children, and I all attended.  The location  just added to the shock factor in our close knit community!

A senseless murder; a life cut short; a family broken-hearted due to the actions and decisions of that fateful day.  It’s difficult to understand how someone could intentionally take the life of another, especially when there was a relationship between the two.  It is not for us to make sense or to seek revenge, no matter how angry and disturbed we feel.

The girl’s father was interviewed by local TV stations a few days after the murder.  His words speak volumes:  “I want this to be known whoever was responsible for my daughter’s death, I chose to forgive rather than have them make me a victim also. Whoever it is, I will pray for them and their families. I was fortunate and blessed to have her for 28 years. It was cut way short, but I will see her again soon.” (wave3.com)

Only a Christian could speak such words and only a Christian could understand his reasoning.  What an example and witness!

Forgiveness is what we have experienced through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Forgiveness is what we should extend to others, not that they deserve it, but by following the example of Christ we should forgive others and pray for them.  It is certainly not an easy thing to do, but we must remember that we did not deserve God’s mercy and grace, but he forgave us anyway.

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.  Matthew 6: 14-15.

Working on a forgiving heart,

Donna Coffey

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Written by Cheryl Erwin, guest blogger

By Shelly Johns | Published: December 26, 2011
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What We Can Learn from the Resting Rabbit

We conclude this series of articles on “Taking Care of You” based on I Thessalonians 5:23, with a discussion of the role of the Sabbath and rest in keeping the body “sound and blameless.” What did Paul mean when he used the word “sound”?

The Expository Dictionary of Bible Words states that the word sound is based on the Greek word hygiaino. It is a verb found in twelve contexts (within the New Testament) with the sense “to be well, in good health” (i.e. sound). The term is also used adjectivally to refer to that which is trustworthy or accurate. (p.920). Our bodies, minds, and souls need rest in order to be as healthy as possible. God, our Creator rested and commands us to do likewise with the observance of the Sabbath and to keep it holy.

How many of us who are leaders in our churches and in our other worlds are Type A personalities, driven to make a difference and trying to do so in the name of perfection and endless activity? We are thinking unrealistically if we believe that we are like the Energizer bunny that can just keep going and going and going. We can learn a valuable spiritual lesson from one of God’s smallest creatures, a real rabbit.

My husband and I drove back to Kansas over the Fourth of July weekend to see family and to help my Dad finish celebrating his 86th birthday. He is a retired farmer and has always demonstrated an astute observation of and appreciation for the ways of animals. He shared with me that one day earlier this spring, he watched a rabbit in his backyard carry grass in her mouth from near the back porch, hopping some distance to construct a nest under a bush. Back and forth, she went across the backyard, diligently working to make a home for her impending arrivals. Then to Dad’s surprise, he watched her hop under a drainpipe and lay down on her back to rest! In all of his decades of living in the country, he had never seen such a thing. Who knew that rabbits rested on their backs?

What an illustration of God’s desire for us! “There is something deeply spiritual about honoring the limitations of our existence as human beings-physical bodies in a world of time and space. Something about being gracious and accepting and gentle with ourselves at least once a week enables us to be more gracious and accepting and gentle with others. After seven days without rest, we are at risk of becoming dangerously tired.” (Barton, Sacred Rhythms, 138-139).

May we seek the Lord’s guidance as how to better observe the Sabbath and keep it holy. May we also come to realize the role of physical, emotional, and mental rest in becoming the healthy people that God desires us to be for our good and His glory.

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Merry Christmas!

By Shelly Johns | Published: December 24, 2011
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May your day be more than you could ever hope or imagine because of the gift God provided through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Happy Birthday Jesus!!!

Click here if you want to be a Christ-follower today!

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Written by Cheryl Erwin, guest blogger

By Shelly Johns | Published: December 22, 2011
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Your Mind Matters to God

When the Pharisees asked Christ what was the greatest commandment of all, He quoted from His Bible the Scripture passages from Deuteronomy 6:5. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Paul wrote in five different letters to believers about the importance of renewing the mind. In 2 Corinthians 4:16, he wrote of the inner person being renewed on a daily basis. What does it mean to “renew” the mind?

According to the Expository Dictionary of Bible Words, “The phenomenon of ‘renewing’ or ‘renewal’ is closely related to that of ‘restore’, ‘restoration’. In the New Testament, ‘renewal’ is linked to the heart and mind of the believer – a transformation brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit.” (p. 809). How then do we as busy Christian women renew our minds while being wives, mothers, managers of our various worlds, and/or leaders in our churches?

The answer comes in realizing that in order to be and do all that God wants; it simply must become a priority for us. We renew our minds when we make time for Him. The opportunities to allow the Holy Spirit to renew us come as we spend time in prayer, reading the Bible, and being still mentally. How much of our day do we spend “multi-tasking” such as talking on the cell phone while driving or always having music or the TV on while we are doing two or three things at a time? Are we that uncomfortable with quiet? Can you identify with this lifestyle? Ask the Lord to show you how to make more “quiet” time in your day so that you can be more open to His to-do list for your spiritual health and well-being.

The Bible is a love letter from God. Author Ruth Haley Barton encourages us to view the Bible in that way instead of reading it as if it were a textbook. She writes in Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation of an approach to the reading of the Bible used by believers in the early Church. “Lectio divina (translated ‘divine or [sacred reading] reading’ is an approach to the Scriptures that sets us up to listen for the word of God spoken to us in the present moment.” (p. 54). This process involves 1. Preparation, 2. Reading, 3. Reflecting, 4. Responding, 5. Resting, and 6. Resolving to apply what the Lord has revealed. May each of us be willing to spend more time with Him so that we can be renewed in our minds to become more like Christ.

Written by Cheryl Erwin, guest blogger

NOTE:  regular blog schedule resumes January 2012.

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Written by Cheryl Erwin, guest blogger

By Shelly Johns | Published: December 19, 2011
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The Effect of Your Emotions on Your Spiritual Health

Because we are made in the image of God, we have emotions. God created us with the capacity to love, to be angry, to grieve, etc. Can you imagine living life without feeling it? By giving us the ability to do so, God allows us to enjoy a deep and meaningful relationship with Him as well as the other people He places in our lives.

Emotions such as happiness, joy, compassion, etc. are good for us spiritually. But what about emotions such as depression, anxiety, guilt, unresolved grief or anger? Can any one of these really hurt us spiritually if allowed to go unaddressed? The Bible responds with a resounding “Yes!”

A negative feeling is bad if it begins to affect our relationship with Christ and/ or decreases our compassion for others. There are several references throughout the New Testament as to how Christ “had compassion” or was “moved to compassion.” Compassion is a deep sense of caring. The Greek word for it is splanchnizomai and is found in twelve places in the New Testament. “A good barometer of your fellowship with the Lord is your level of compassion for a lost world and a suffering church.” (Crabb, Effective Biblical Counseling, p.103)

If you are experiencing any one of these crippling negative feelings, it may be because your thinking may need to change regarding the meeting of your needs. In other words, the assumption you may be making as to how your emotional needs are to be met may be incorrect. This is where honest self-examination is required through prayer and reading God’s Word. Talk with a trusted Christian friend about your feelings that are stunting your growth in your personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Read Christian books on how to change your feelings of anxiety, guilt, etc. Don’t ever feel ashamed to seek out Christian counseling. Seek the Lord’s guidance. The Holy Spirit will enable you to make the necessary changes.

“Change from the inside out requires that we look beneath the surface of life to see not only the deep longings of our thirsty soul but also the self-protective commitments of our deceitful heart.” (Crabb, Inside Out, p. 129)

Written by Cheryl Erwin, guest blogger

NOTE:  regular posting schedule resumes January 2012

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The Importance of Your Body to God

By Shelly Johns | Published: December 15, 2011
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 Written by Cheryl Erwin, Guest Blogger

God is the One who gave you the gift of life through your parents to be lived out in a physical body. God really cares about your body. You may find yourself thinking, “That isn’t a very spiritual statement.” However, the Bible teaches us that when a person becomes a Christian, the body is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.

There has been a long history of disconnected thinking in Christianity regarding the body and spirituality. In other words, the body was taught to be that of the bad, physical world and the soul to be a part of the good, spiritual world. It is Biblical not to worship your body but is also un-Biblical to ignore the care of it.

The account of how God provided for Elijah’s physical needs in I Kings 19 is only one example of how important our bodies are to Him. He sent the angels to attend to Christ’s physical needs after the forty days of temptation in the wilderness. God created us as one whole being with the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects as one seamless entity and not separated from one another. When one part is not well cared for, the other three are adversely affected.

Here are some questions that require an honest answer to best take care of your body. 1. Are you getting enough sleep? 2. Are you overweight or underweight? 3. Are you drinking enough water every day? 4. Are you eating too much or too little? 5. Are you exercising regularly? 6. Are you smoking and/or putting alcohol and other drugs into your body?

If there are changes that you need to make to be able to make your answers to the above questions more positive, ask your heavenly Father to show you what and how to make those changes. God wants you to be physically healthy because He made you and loves you so much! As Ruth Haley Barton writes in her book Sacred Rhythms, “Learning to honor the body where God makes his presence known becomes then, an important discipline for the spiritual pilgrim.” (p.83).

By Cheryl Erwin, Guest Blogger

Note: regular blog post returns January 2012

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