Endure

Christmas has got to be one of the most intense times of the year for people. It seems like there is some sort of obligation every single night. We always seem to be going non-stop. A couple of days ago I couldn’t get the Doxology out of my head for some reason. Usually when that happens to me that means there is something I am supposed to get out of it. I guess the word that stood out the most for me at the time was endure. Good word for this time of year... don't you think?

God's Word says in 1 Chronicles 16:34 - Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 136 says it probably 100 times more.

I looked up the word endurance in the dictionary just for grins. The definition is, the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity. I don’t know about you but I think my endurance level is pretty good. There has been a ton of stuff going on here at the church and there have been many late nights and long weekends lately. I am confident many of you are dealing with the very same things in your lives. You know... even in the busiest times of our lives the blessing for us is there is a light at the end of our tunnels. We will only have to deal with the late nights and long weekends for a short time period. While we must endure only for a time… the scripture says the Lord’s love endures FOREVER. Wow. That is a long time. I don’t know about you, but I promise you I get worn out and I know I cannot continue forever when the demands are very high. I get tired, weak and ineffective. My earthly tent just will not allow me to continue on forever.

What is amazing to me is that the Lord never tires. No matter how difficult we may be to love, He endures and continues to love us FOREVER. No matter the late nights or the long weekends… he can continue at the same pace of loving us even when we don’t deserve it.

I think that even when we are tired and feeling weak, we should remember that the Lord never tires. He is ever strong to continue to show us His love which in turn gives us strength to continue on even when we think we have nothing left in us to give.

So my prayer for each of you? Endurance!

The Madness Of It All

Everyone writes about how crazy the season is at this time of year, but what I have noticed is that it seems the madness is becoming a year-round problem. What happened? Since when did we decide that we had to be going non-stop? Not only are we a non-stop society, but we are going so fast and furious that we have lost sight of what is going on around us. We have become so task oriented that we can't even take our eye's off the to do list to see all the wonderful things we have just been going by.

Are you holding the door for people as they pass?

Are you helping your neighbor carrying in bags?

Are you noticing the hurting people you come in contact with?

Are you writing notes to people who just need a word of encouragement?

If you are so wrapped up in yourself and what is going on with you, you are missing the opportunity (simple opportunities) to be a blessing to someone.

I urge you to start now (and not just for the season) and be purposeful about looking for opportunities to bless someone each and every day. It doesn't have to be huge. Sometimes the most simple things are all anyone really needs to turn them around and get them on a better path for their life!

In Everything Give Thanks!

It is Thanksgiving week and there are so many things to be thankful for I thought I would just take this opportunity to share what I am thankful for.

1. I am thankful for a God that loves me. He loves me when I am successful, when I fail, when I am weak and when I am strong. It doesn't matter where I am in life, I know that he will never leave me.

2. I am thankful for my family. I am blessed with a husband that I love deeply and who loves me deeply even after 18 years together. I have two of the most wonderful children anyone could hope for. I am blessed with parent's who were strong enough people to lay their differences aside when my brother's and I were children so that we never had to argue over which house we were to spend our holidays. We spent them together and still do when possible.

3. I am thankful for my job. It is a tremendous blessing to be able to work at this church day after day. I can't tell you how much of a difference it has made in my life to know the endless hours of work I put in each week goes to impact some one's life for eternity not someone else's bank account. I work with amazing people and for a man truly anointed by the spirit of God. To see that in action each and every week is something I will never forget.

4. I am thankful for the great people I get to serve with each and every week. The people of the church I work for are amazing people with a heart for serving the Kingdom of God. I'm blessed each day knowing that I can count on them to make what would otherwise be impossible... POSSIBLE.

I could go on and on because despite anything that is going wrong with my life... There are 50 more things going right! So... What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

An Impactful Smile

My Twitter post from Tuesday morning...

Good morning. It is going to be a great day! Whose life are you going to impact for the better today?

I garnered two types of responses from this post. One was basically, "What could possibly make this day great?" The other responses were overwhelmingly positive about the impacting some one's life for the better.

Based on these responses I felt like there was a couple of things I had to say about this post and the reactions.

1. Every day can be a great day! It is all in how you approach the day. Just think about Joseph. This guy was getting raw deal after raw deal. However, despite all that was happening to him... He honored God in everything he did. He didn't let his circumstance be the deciding factor for his attitude. Approach each day, no matter how difficult it may be, with an attitude of gratitude. I believe the Lord will see your heart and guide you to a better place. He will reward you justly. If you can do this, you will not only greatly impact your personal life for the better, but just think about the Christian example you can be for others who are struggling through many of the same issues you are battling.

2. You can impact ANY ONE'S life for the better each and every day of your life. From a simple smile to a person who feels like everyone in the world is against them, to a helping hand for the person who cannot stand on their own... Your impact can be tremendous. Many times you will never know how God has used you, but remember that He does use us to be little beacons of His light. You know how easy it can be to disguise your pain to others so keep in mind that everyone you meet could be going through struggles that you may never know. How we treat them during those times can be turning points in their life.

So all that to say... be kind, be loving and be the Light of Christ. It isn't hard to do at all.

It may not always be easy, but it is always right!

One of my scriptures for the day was Daniel 4. Aside from the fact that I am positive I cannot pronounce the name of the king or even Daniel's name (given by the king), this is a wonderful example of why it is important to listen to the Godly people in your life!

King Nebuchadnezzar (See what I mean?) had a dream and none of his "wise" men were able to interpret it for him. So what is a king to do? Call on Daniel (or Belteshazzar as the King named him) and order him to interpret it. You see, the King believed that Daniel had "the spirit of the holy gods" in him. {Side note... at this point in the King's life he did not believe in our one true God.} So, in comes Daniel... he listens to the King's dream and right away Daniel knew this wasn't a good dream for the King to have had. Daniel had to tell the King that the Lord was going to punish him for not believing in Him.

Wow! If I am the King and I hear that interpretation, I believe I might change my way. After all, the King believes Daniel is the only one who can correctly interpret the dream. But no... that is not what happens. The King ignores Daniel's warnings and sure enough the dream comes to fruition.

I know what you are thinking... You would never ignore such a warning. Are you sure about that? I think we do it all the time! As much as I would love to say I was perfect and obedient to God's Word I am not. I am human and along with that comes selfish behaviors and bad decisions. What can be done about it? LISTEN and then APPLY! Hear what the Godly people in your life are saying to you and apply the words of God to your life. It may not always be easy, but it is always right!

Where did that come from?

Isaiah 55:8 says... “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

This morning, during a book study I participate in, we discussed the idea of where our thoughts come from. The leader of the group (Paul, for those who know him!) suggested that our thoughts come from three places.

1. God
2. Satan
3. Self.

It is up to us to choose the right thought to retain.

This discussion got me to thinking about how God has formed us to choose Him in EVERYTHING we do. He has made us so that loving Him is entirely up to us... completely.

It amazes me that our God could have created us so that each and every one of us worshipped and believed in Him always and without a second thought. That isn't what he did. He gave us free will. We have to choose. It also isn't just about one singular choice of believing in Him. Once we have done that we still have to follow Him. We can't just say, "Hey Jesus. I believe in you. I know you died for me. So, thanks for that. Oh and... Are we good now?" No, we have to believe and follow.

Deuteronomy 13:4 says...
It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.

So as you move throughout your day remember to seek the Lord's guidance in EVERYTHING you do (Psalm 32:8). Remember that we are human and even though it was God who made us this way, it is up to us to live His way!

It's only hair, shoes... oh and your job

There was a lot going on tonight at ye old Ethridge house! Clayton had his hair cut tonight. Yes it was a major deal... check it out.


Clay before...




















Clay after...















Then he got home and had to do a little preparation for the PSAT test he is taking tomorrow before the marching band takes off for their very first competition in probably 20 years. (That is how long it has been since Eaton had a marching band.) So, as you can see... there is a lot going on there with him.

Dylan is finishing up his football season and getting ready to kick off basketball... Yes, that means I have to buy him another pair of shoes. Should a 14 year old really be wearing 10 1/2 to size 11 shoes? Shortly after basketball starts, he will be celebrating his 14th birthday so we are working on the plans for that weekend too.

The biggest thing we were dealing with tonight was the impending news from Bobby's company regarding layoffs happening December 18. The company began delivering the news to the staff this morning and it will take until Friday to speak with everyone. Rumors have been flying so that just added to the stress of the wait. Bobby was working a night shift today so he got into work around 7pm. I didn't hear until 10pm that he is NOT a part of the layoff. While I exhaled a breath of relief, he went on to say he lost one of his team members who was asked to leave immediately and because he had been written up just under (by three days) a year ago, he would not be receiving any severance package. So after 10 years of service... tonight was his last night. So my relief was great regarding our personal situation, yet I can't seem to shake this person's situation from my mind. Three days away from his write-up falling of his record and he could have possibly had a different result for the evening.

I looked up the word forgive on www.youversion.com. It pulled 86 verses. The one that stood out for me tonight was...

2 Chronicles 7:14
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

You know what I don't see in there... Statements like this: After one year without any further transgressions, your sin will drop from your record and you can start anew.

There isn't any clause like that with our Lord. If you ask to be forgiven, and you are truly repentant, then you are forgiven. It is over. Gone. You have a "clean slate." If you died the next minute after seeking forgiveness, God isn't going to look you in the eye and say that you were on probation from your sin and you died before that probationary period was up and you cannot enter the Kingdom. No! He is going to say to you, "Welcome home my child."