Wednesday, September 23, 2009

The Sod Cemetery

The Sod Cemetery


My question for you today is, is the enemy truly defeated in your life?

There is a tradition that the Florida state Seminole football team has, it started in 1962, after they defeated Georgia 18-0 they brought back a piece of the sod from Georgia’s football field, and that tradition continues today, when FSU wins a game on the road as underdogs they bring a piece of sod back home to their practice field where they bury that sod in the “Sod cemetery.” .It may sound crazy to some, but as a football fan myself it could almost be a motivating thing, especially for longtime fans of FSU.
God truly loves the underdog! David was looked at as small, not very valuable to the common onlooker, but with his faith and trust in God, he defeated a giant that had terrorized Israel, and those bigger guys were scared of him, they had forgotten what God could do! At the time of Goliath’s slaying, David had already killed a lion and a bear, with God’s help!
Then there is Gideon, he fought a great army with 300 men! Talk about underdogs!! I really believe God wants us to have the “underdog mentality” there is just a difference there, when a team or person is told over and over the feat they want to accomplish just can’t be done, that “underdog mentality” takes over, almost possesses them to the point where they know they will accomplish it! I’m not saying God wants us to walk around with a defeated attitude, only the attitude of realizing we are nothing without Him, we need Him to have our back and fight along with us!
Is FSU taking it too far, well that’s up to you to decide, but the thing that I see there that just stuck with me is the sod cemetery gives them proof that they are winners, when the games aren’t going so great, maybe the victories just aren’t coming for the team, they can go there and remember..
I think we should have a “Sod cemetery” in our lives too! We need to take a piece of every enemy we defeat to the cemetery so we can remember and celebrate the victories God has brought our way! The FSU football teams also make a marker for each sod grave with the opponent, score and date of the game. I think the reason we could benefit from this is because we all have days when we fall and feel defeated, but that is where that “Underdog mentality” will take over, because you see the underdog never gives up, they are never defeated, in their minds they will win that game! We need to grasp that attitude, and purpose in our hearts that through God we are the winners and because He is so big, we will never be defeated! We need to visit Calvary daily, because that day in time Jesus pulled off the biggest upset the world had ever or will ever see!
It’s funny…you can even learn something from a game called football….God is ever teaching us, if only we will pay attention!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Packaging

Last night I was wrapping up a gift I made for a baby shower when I realized I didn't really have any nice gift bags, I had a Happy birthday one and a bright yellow one, so of course I had to go with the yellow, I got out some stickers and ribbon and Presto...an acceptable gift bag...well kinda!
I started thinking about packaging, our packaging. In the great scope of things does our "packaging" really matter? Does it matter if we are thin, heavy, short, tall, quiet, or loud? I feel like God was telling me in my frustration about the less than perfect gift bag, that the gift is really what matters anyways...the gift of God in us! You may be like me, we feel less than acceptable a lot, you suffer breakouts, your weight goes up and down, you lose your temper with your kids, you lack enough self confidence...etc etc. Remember the gift is all that matters! I personally feel self confidence is really God confidence , He will finish the work He started in you! Don't be so caught up in the packaging, realize God has put many gifts in you so use them in this world, and make a difference with them!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Scars that change us...

When I was 12 I went bike riding with some friends, and about half way through our ride I crashed my bike, the result was two black eyes and a face that was a huge scab on one side, and to this day I still have a scar above my left eye! Not a happy memory, but I started thinking about that this morning, and began thinking what about the "good" scars, the ones that change our very being? I thought of soldiers who fight to defend our freedom...many of them come back from war with scars, ones they are proud to sport, knowing they received them defending this beautiful country! I thought about stretch marks...beauty at its best, without those marks you wouldn't have one of the things you cherish most...children! If we could take a peek at the hearts of people around us we would see scars on each of them, yes and a lot of those experiences have been hard ones, sickness, death, violation, brokenness, loneliness, depression, the list goes on and on! I want you for one second to look at it this way, those scars have changed you, and we can dwell on the hardship of each one or we can turn those things around to change so we are able to help others, after all that is why God allowed those scars to come, in them is born empathy, compassion, understanding, forgiveness, long suffering and love.
When a Gardener plants his crop it doesn't just magically appear in a matter of hours or days, it takes time and work, those plants have to endure rain, wind, and intense sunshine, but in the end they grow and produce fruit. These scars are one way God produces the fruit of the spirit in our lives.
Our humanness needs to be changed in order for God to perform through us that which we are called to do! Next time you see those scars, and feel the memories of the pain remember God is perfecting us, and trying to use those scars to change us..

Friday, September 11, 2009

Faith...it's a muscle!

Hebrews 11:1 tell us;
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

I have always loved that verse, I mean really who doesn't? When I looked at it today though something jumped off the page at me, in the margins of my Bible it tells what each highlighted word means, well in this passage substance and evidence are those highlighted words. Out of curiosity I took a little bit of time to look at each word and saw something I have never seen!
When I looked at the meaning of substance it means, realization, and evidence means conviction, so the verse could read this way;
Now faith is the realization of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. In the dictionary the word substance means, the actual matter of a thing as opposed to the appearance or shadow, reality. The word evidence means; something that makes plain or clear: an indication or sign. I know this stuff is a bit boring, but I promise we are going somewhere with this! Basically we need to have a "light bulb" moment where faith is concerned, we need to realize the reality of the things we are wanting to come to pass...speaking of lights, I feel like it is an indictment on me when I have more faith in a light bulb working than I do in a move of God! We don't worry or wonder about electricity, yet we will bite off all of our nails or get an ulcer wondering if God will.....
A conviction, is a cause of sorts, people who have a conviction regarding something do not fall over and play dead when someone challenges them, they stand strong on the proverbial "soap box." We need to stand that way on those hopes, and dreams, the lost family or friends, or that promotion...whatever it is!
When we lived in Florida there were military members there who jumped out of airplanes regularly, well on one such day a young soldier jumped out of a plane to find out his parachute was not going to open! After falling 13,000 feet he landed in a field flat on his back, shattering every single bone in his body! The crazy thing is, he survived that fall with not one single compound fracture, the doctors said the reason he was able to survive was because his muscle mass was so strong it acted as a cushion to his fall, and kept his bones from coming out of the skin! That same man a year later was jumping out of planes again! There are going to be times in your walk with God that you will free fall not knowing whether your "parachute" will open, and honestly there will be times that it won't and you will land flat on your back, at these times though your faith will be the muscle that cushions your fall, you may lose your stability, but those muscles will be there for support, and when the time is right you will be back doing what God has ordained you to do! Use your faith, come to the realization that the evidence is all there the things you have been asking for are already done, and when challenged use positive words and attitudes to stand on the conviction of those answered prayers! I want to leave you with one last thing, going back to the word substance, it means reality, it isn't a shadow or a false front , it is your reality, the reality is God said "Whatsoever you ask in my name, that will I do!" That means to me, God won't or isn't holding a carrot in front of us only to let us down, faith in God is never wasted...
And that my friend, Is Reality!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

lost..

You know what drives me crazy? Losing things! I will literally freak out over a lost paper or shoe...
Yesterday, one of my dear children could not find the match to any of her shoes, she was getting ready for school, and her dad was not so patiently waiting on her ( again)...with everything I could muster I spoke calmly to her when I told her, "When you get home you will locate every pair of shoes you have!" So, I sent her off to school in a pair of Croc-like shoes, knowing they weren't looked upon highly by the school. I know in your mind you are like so? Hang on though, I can prove to you a lost shoe really has much to do with God and our lives.
Before we knew God we were so lost, but God looked upon on as a very valuable thing, worth searching for! You see when God is not living in us we are missing a part of our heart, I tell my kids it is a key shape, because only God can open our hearts!
After I freak out about the loss of something I look back and realize the importance of losing something material is of no real value, but oh to lose your soul and be lost for eternity...what sadness! We need to hold the same attitude towards lost souls as we do when we lose a piece of paper, because I know I'll search and search until it's found, God did with us, so why not them?