God's Man Needs a Man

Bob recently preached a sermon where he referred to the passage about Moses having his arms held up by Aaron and Hur when the Israelites were having a battle against Amalek. As long as Moses kept his arms up then the Israelites won the battle. But when Moses got tired and his arms drooped down, the Amalekites began winning. So, they found a rock to have Moses sit on and Aaron and Hur held up the arms of Moses so that the Israelites won the battle. 

The whole time Bob was referring to that passage, I recalled a sermon I once heard from our first pastor based on the importance of God's man's second man. I remember that sermon and how convicting it was. Many people and church members seem to think that a pastor's job is easy and simple and that they only really work on Sundays and Wednesday nights, and that everything that happens around the church building is done by a magic fairy. None of these are true. A pastor is on call 24/7 and when he isn't behind the pulpit, he is studying, visiting, door knocking to reach new people, making repairs around the building, helping with charitable issues for members and those in need in the community and cleaning the building. If you add in that the pastor is bi vocational and works a secular job on top of this, his job is in NO WAY easy or simple! ---even if he doesn't work a secular job, that prior list is pretty extensive. 

The point I'm trying to make is that every man of God needs a man, just like Moses had Aaron and Hur. By man, I mean person. Every pastor needs members and folks they can count on to help in the work. This takes commitment. It takes being where you are needed when you are needed and being on time....being faithful! My kids learned early on the importance of this fact. My son did a year at Heartland Baptist Bible College in OK City. He used to get upset at times because so much of the focus was on the young men who were planning to be pastors or missionaries. He did not feel lead to become a preacher. He went to bible college to learn more about his bible and to become more grounded and to be better able to serve as a Aaron or Hur in his local church. He knows the tremendous pressures that pastors and their families face and how important it is to be a faithful servant in the pew and anywhere they are needed in the church. If something doesn't get done by a layperson in the church it automatically falls to the pastor and his family. That is all there is to it. Churches and their buildings do not run and upkeep themselves. Van routes and visiting must be done by someone! 

The Importance of Elimination

I want to talk about the topic of elimination. Elimination means the act or process of removing something or someone. Elimination is important in many aspects of life. 

Physically eliminating waste products from our body is very necessary for proper health. When we do not urinate or have a bowel movement then toxins build up in the body that make us ill. (sorry if that was too graphic but it is very important for good health)

Eliminating harmful, negative, or destructive people from our lives helps our physical and mental being. It removes stress and brings peace of mind. 

Eliminating destructive patterns and habits helps us to move forward with new and positive ideas and ways of life. 

Eliminating sin from our lives is also necessary for proper spiritual health and a close walk with the Lord. Removing things that hinder our closeness with God should be a daily exercise for us.

Just a little thought provoker. Elimination is very important in many areas of life. 

Health Update Post

I haven't posted about my health journey for awhile. To start with, I went 43 days gluten free. (I promised my FDN practitioner I would go at least a month) Then from Jan 1- 4 I went back on gluten to see what would happen. I must say that I fully enjoyed eating some things that I had given up ---especially eating at restaurants. It made choices easier. I didn't have a bunch of symptoms return but I did have gas issues like before, so who knows if other symptoms wouldn't have returned. 

I will say that even though the stomach problems were not there during the gluten free days after each meal, I did have tummy aches off and on due to severe constipation. Apparently, from research I have done, constipation is a big side effect of going gluten free. Taking the "Calm" powder is necessary to keep things moving correctly. (a magnesium powder) 

Something else I forgot to mention in the previous post is dry skin brushing. You use a natural bristle brush to do swipes over all body parts. This removes old dead cells and stimulates new growth. It also stimulates the adrenal glands and the digestive system. It is good to do right before taking a shower. It feels good too. 

I will be doing my testing for parasites and fungus in the next few days. Hoping that is a negative. 

I'm still struggling to get off drinking soda and reduce my sugar intake. I figure I'd nail down the gluten free thing first. I'm supposed to not get stressed while making lifestyle changes.

I will post more things after I do my testing. Give dry skin brushing a try. Feels good and makes you healthier.

Reminders and Encouragement

Reading in 2 Timothy today and I have heard many preachers preach on the topic of Paul encouraging a young preacher. I want to take a look at how Paul did this. It is easy to conclude that Timothy must have been very discouraged and even to the point of possibly expressing he'd like to quit because of how Paul tells him to keep going and reminds him again and again of what he had already learned. He starts off by telling Timothy that Paul prays for him night and day. What a great example to us! One of the most encouraging things to hear is that someone is truly praying for you earnestly. Even before telling him he's praying for him, he calls him a beloved son. Now, Timothy wasn't his biological son but someone Paul had lead to the Lord and discipled himself. This is also an encouragement....everyone likes to hear they are cared for. Paul goes onto to say that he wants to see him and that he knows and understands that he is hurting. --something else we all need to hear. When we are hurting, it goes a long way to us feeling better when we feel understood, even if the problem hasn't been solved. Feeling understood gives validity to our emotions and hurt. 

Paul also reminds Timothy of the long line of committed faith in his family from his grandmother, to his mother, down to him. I know that this is a tactic I use to encourage family members (cousins, sisters, my own children and even myself) to keep going. I come from a family of survivors and strong fighters to never give up in life. Sometimes you just need reminded. 

Paul goes on to say that he reminds Timothy to keep the things and gifts of God stirred up in his mind and that fear doesn't come from God but power, love and a sound mind does! 

Reading this chapter tells me that Timothy was struggling with fear and being ashamed of speaking and witnessing for the Lord. Paul tells him not to be ashamed of the Lord or of Paul being in prison. He encourages him to even take part in the afflictions that are coming and to remember that God has a purpose. He also tells him later in the chapter to hold fast to the things he has been taught. 

What a great example for us to follow in Paul! Everything Paul said to Timothy is what we should do for those hurting and struggling around us. --Especially those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul wrote it in a letter because he was in prison and couldn't see him in person. I almost think that's better...Timothy had it to read again and again whenever he got discouraged later. He had Paul's words championing him onward! 

Like I said, I've heard many preachers talk about Paul's encouraging Timothy to keep the faith but today I realized that Paul did much more than that! He comforted him from every aspect to get to his heart and mind. It wasn't just a charge to keep going. It was full of reminders that would strengthen Timothy wholly. That is what counseling is all about. 

Preaching What You Should Already Know

Bob preached out of 1 Thessalonians Sunday night and I noticed something as we read chapter 1 that he brought out in the sermon also. Verses 6-8 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: 7 - So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 - For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.

I find it awesome that Paul says that the Christians there were examples to others and that they spread the Word of God everywhere to the point that Paul and Silvanus didn't need to come back and speak anything! Wow!! In other words they did and lived what was preached to them! What a different world we would live in if we just lived what was preached and taught from the Bible! 

Instead, we must be reminded again and again to read our Bibles, to pray, to live a holy life to go to church, and to tell others about Jesus. That is why preachers continuously preach what we should already know! ---because we don't do it! Bob has many times told me that he feels he preaches the same few things over and over again (which isn't true) and I tell him that when they start living it then you can stop preaching it. 

In Paul's day, he commends the church at Thessolinica for doing and living what they were taught. He didn't have to come back there and re-preach it again. He could move onto preaching more meat or even leave them to it and begin teaching in a new area of the world, helping to establish new Christians and ground them in the Word. 

While I sometimes need to be reminded and therefore convicted, I want to do my best to live what has already been preached to me. ---spreading it to others!