Got REST?

Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you REST, Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find REST for your souls. For My Yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

It's one of those Monday's that I do not feel rested. Our family had a busy week last week. My son was in the school musical which meant late nights and early mornings along with 4 performances this weekend. WHEW!

Being in the school musical meant he has stayed after school every day for the last nine weeks as well as an all day dress rehearsal last weekend. Yesterday he had a two hour Orchestra rehersal at church.

He still has school work to finish up and tomorrow is the last day for this quarter. Poor guy, he was up until 1am this morning trying to get it all done. He slept in the car on the way to school. Oh Lord, we need REST. We need you to fill our cup. While it was fun and it was a good opportunity for Andrew to see how far he can be stretched, HE NEEDS SOME REST. We all do.

Tonight is the Cast Party. That will be a lot of fun! God really pulled this cast together and it was neat to see how they leaned on the Lord for strength and gave Him all the praise!

On Thursday, Mollie has a field trip to St. Augustine and our whole family will be going on this trip. Andrew is going to check out a college in St. Augustine and we plan on staying through Saturday.

Thanking the Lord for this opportunity.

We need time together to reconnect. We can run hard and we can run long, but we cannot run hard for very long. Our bodies were made to need REST. Even Jesus took time to REST.

May we all remember to H. A. L. T.

To never let ourselves get too.......

H ungry (physically or spiritually)

A ngry

L onely

T ired

Let's remember to Pray for one another. Encourage one another and build each other up. Let's remind each other to lean on Jesus, to depend on Him for our strength.

"Grant us wisdom O' Lord to know what we need to let go of and what we need to do, teach us our Lord to abide in you."

Peace, Cheri

"BE"

I originally wrote this post back in October, but as I got up on this Thanksgiving morning, I started thinking about this post again. Maybe it is because I have a LONG list of "To-DO's" to accomplish by the 2 pm meal. Again, I have revisited the Martha/Mary story and I long to BE today, not just DO. And because it is Thanksgiving, I'd like to add one more BE......."BE THANKFUL!" Love YOU ALL! Blessings to you and your family!



I was raised "going to church". In fact, I went to church the entire time I was in my mother's womb. I have never questioned the importance of "going to church", but I have questioned if the "going" and "doing" is all there is to the Christian Life and if some of the activity is really of God.

O.K., before you think I have lost my mind, hang with me. It seems to me that in all the "going" and "doing" one thing tends to be overlooked, "being".

BE Holy:
Lev. 11:44-45, Lev. 20L7-8, Lev. 20:26, Lev. 27:9, Eph. 1:4, 1Pet. 1:15-16, 1 Cor. 7:1
(separate-we see what the world cannot see!)

BE Merciful:
Luke 6:36, Ps. 86:15, Is. 55:7, Mic. 7:18-19
(it is a fulfillment of the covenant to show God's kind of mercy)

BE Perfect:
Gen. 17:1, Deut. 19:13, 2 Cor. 13:9, 11, Col. 1:28, Col. 4:12, James 1:2-4
(blameless, unblemished, mature, complete, or finished)

BE One:
Jer. 32:39, John 10:16, John 17:11, 21-23, Acts 2:46, Acts 4:32, Rom. 12:5, 1 Cor. 1:10, 1 Cor. 12:25-26, Gal. 3:28, Eph. 4:3-6, Phillip. 1:7, Philip. 2:2-4

(UNITY-not divided with jealousy or quarrels as mentioned in 1 Corth. 3 or fighting over who is the GREATEST as in Luke 9:46-48)

I hear a lot of pleas to GO & DO, but not many sermons on BEING or BECOMING!

Becoming as mentioned in Phil. 3:12-15.

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made PERFECT, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But ONE THING I DO,: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Recently, I have been challenged by a friend of mine, Jason Dukes, who wrote a book called "Live Sent: You Are A Letter" to not just GO TO CHURCH, but BE THE CHURCH.

His book is available on Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Live-Sent-you-are-letter/dp/1604943408/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256052020&sr=1-1

Here are a few questions that have been going through my mind lately....Have we forgotten that "We are God's fellow workers, God's field, God's building?" (1 Corth. 3:9)

"Don't we know that we are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in us?" (1 Corth. 3:16)

I've been pondering these thoughts since 2005 when I heard T.W. Hunt teach on "Being". For some reason it seems much easier to obey a command to "do" something than it is to obey a command to "be" something. It seems to me that Christians have a tendency to ignore the commands to "be" something.

Am I BEING God's love letter sent to this world?

I guess to Be or not to Be.....is still a good question!

Quiet Time

From the first time I heard my daughter cry I knew she was uniquely different from her older brother. I remember telling my husband at the hospital, "She cries like a girl!" Her cry was different, unique, and when I heard it, I was filled with excitement about getting to know her.

She is a delight, uniquely crafted by the"Master's Hand" and a blessing to our family! I have always said that Mollie is my child that truly takes time to smell the roses! She is exactly what this fast paced mama needed.

I remember her as a preschooler saying to me, "Why are we rushing?" and she still asks me, as she sees me rush around in a frenzy, "Are we late?". Oh, how I have needed her. Her questions have always pierced my heart as they remind me of how I need to slow down and enjoy life, not rush through it.

Tonight, she spoke at my mother's church. She has had the privilege of going to GA Grandmother/Granddaughter Camp with my mom for the last 3 years and tonight was their opportunity to speak about it. She walked up to the microphone and my normally cautious child who usually doesn't speak in front of crowds boldly gave her testimony.

She said, "My favorite part of Grandmother/Granddaughter camp was my quiet time with my Grandma because we GOT to hear the birds sing and watch the squirrels play!" My heart melted. That's my girl! So in touch with God's world. So in touch with what I believe the psalmist was trying to communicate when he said, "Be still and know that I am God!" (Ps. 46:10) To her having a "Quiet Time" means just that.........be quiet, get still, listen and see! Thank you Mollie for reminding me once again the importance of slowing down, getting quiet and connecting to the Creator of the Universe.

Last summer, my step-dad passed away and while we were not very close, I still experienced a variety of emotions. One day, I had become extremely anxious as I was processing some pretty overwhelming feelings. I went outside to try to quiet my mind. I took my Bible, but was so overwhelmed I could not concentrate enough to read. All of a sudden two squirrels ran in front of me and began to play. I remember breathing a sigh of relief as I realized that while my world seemed to have stopped, no one had informed the squirrels. They were still playing! Then I worshipped my Creator and then I could read His Word delighting in the fact that HE NEVER CHANGES! Hallelujah!

If you haven't read Psalm 46 in a while I highly recommend it, but most of all I recommend going outside and marveling at His creative hand!

Mollie's childlike wonder has reminded me to make sure my "Quiet Times" are not so full of
"my agenda" that I can no longer hear or see.

Selah!

No Second Class Citizens!

I wrote this blog over a year ago, but this past Friday at my Book Club a lady brought this blog up as she was thinking about someone she loves dearly. She said, "I have to remember something that Cheri said, "In Heaven there are No Second Class Citizens". I replied, "True & we also need to think about the Lord's prayer & how He told us that we should pray: "Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be done on EARTH as it is in HEAVEN." We need to treat each other that way NOW." I love how the Lord is constantly teaching.

I absolutely love the voice of the Lord. I love how He speaks so clearly. I love John 10 that talks about Jesus being the Shepherd and how His sheep know HIS VOICE

There are so MANY voices crying out for us to follow and we must stay close to the Good Shepherd, so we will know when an imposture is speaking.

Tonight, I had one of those moments when I heard the Lord speak clearly. Not an audible voice, but loud and clear enough to be audible.

I was thinking about two people, whom I love dearly, that have recently been mistreated by fellow Christians. I was thinking about how these fellow Christians were justifying their ill actions as I was talking to the Lord about the situation. I am so glad I can tell Him how mad and sad these situations make me and that He comforts me by telling me that they make Him mad & sad too.

Then I heard the Lord say, "In MY KINGDOM there are no second class citizens!" WOW! Thanks Lord! You are right. We are joint heirs with Jesus, we have received full citizenship! Hallelujah!

I shared with my husband what I heard the Lord say and how I was talking to the Lord about the two situations when I heard the Lord clearly speak. My husband's eyes filled with tears as God's message was so clear.

My husband's short version response:

"But many who are first will be last, and the last first." Mark 10:31

Oh Lord, Help us to treat each person you created with love and respect. This is my prayer in Jesus' name. Amen

Character or Compromise

Many of you followed the Dukes tragedy with me and are aware of the many ways God has used this tragic situation. I have been so blessed to have people like the Dukes in my life. I had the privilege of having Dr. Dukes as a professor while at seminary and I will always treasure the truth I learned under his teaching. The godly character I witnessed in many professors went far beyond my seminary classroom experience. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed because of the great examples I have had. I have been so blessed!

Even my 16 year old son commented last week on how James and I sat under some of the best teaching while we were at seminary. He has heard us quote the teaching of people like Dr. Charles Harvey, Dr. Ferris Jordan, Dr. Landrum Leavell, Dr. Jeanine Bozeman, and Dr. Dukes many times throughout his life.

While he has never met some of them, he feels like he knows their character because of how we have quoted things we learned from their teaching as well as how they handled everyday situations.

Character is so important!

Recently, we have been influenced by someone by the name of Ed Stetzer. I went to a conference on how to reach young adults back in September and he was one of the speakers. I took many notes, but I did not have a personal conversation with him.


Through the Dukes tragedy, I started a twitter account as one more way to follow their journey. On twitter, I noticed that the Dukes were friends with Ed Stetzer, so I began following Ed on twitter. Ed challenges not only himself, but all of us to live a gospel-centered, repentance-filled life. I am going to post a recent sermon of his. He shares an outline as well as a video of him preaching.

In the video, he is speaking to a group of pastors; however, the week before he had preached this sermon to his whole congregation at church. It's a message we all need to hear and it is EXTREMELY challenging.

Ed has trained pastors and church planters on five continents and has planted churches in New York, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. He has been a seminary professor, author, and ministry consultant. Ed's primary role is President of LifeWay Research and LifeWay's Missiologist in Residence.

Here is Ed's twitter post. If you click on either link below, it will take you to his sermon.

edstetzer"If Satan cannot get us to compromise our beliefs, he is happy to settle for compromising our character," http://is.gd/1IfKx


http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/07/message-on-secret-sins.html

Challenged,
Cheri

Caroline's Rainbow

This picture was taken after a storm in Lakeland, Florida on our cattle ranch.

It was taken on June 25th around 8pm (Florida Time) the evening of Caroline Taylor's surgery.

I've shared the prayer request of baby Caroline with some of you, but some may not know. I have dear friends in New Orleans that have been blessed with their first Grandchild. She is absolutely beautiful!

Only God knew that little baby Caroline was to be born with spina bifida.

God's people have prayed for her. Jeremiah 29:11 has been the verse that has been claimed for her many times. She is precious and if you would like to follow her story, click on this link:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/marycarolinetaylor/mystory

So, about the rainbow. I took the picture as we were driving back from a fishing hole on our ranch. I had been trying to keep myself in an attitude of prayer for little Caroline as I knew she was facing another surgery that evening. A rainstorm forced us away from the fishing hole and as we headed to the house.........this beautiful rainbow appeared.

It appeared as my mind went from praying to worrying. It was as if God said, "I know the plans I have for her, plans for good and not evil, plans to give her a future and a hope." Then he said, "Cheri, I keep my promises.....trust me, I can take care of Caroline." So, I took a picture to remind me of how personal God was to me in that special moment.

Well.......this week (August 27th) I felt as if I needed to share this rainbow picture with Caroline's grandmom, so I texted it to her. It wasn't too long after I sent the text that my phone rang and it was Caroline's Grandmom.

I had no idea that Grandmom Sheila had been thinking and praying for baby Caroline throughout the night and when she got up that morning, she saw my text. It was as if God was reminding her that He was in control and He was taking care of baby Caroline.

I had taken that picture over 2 months ago, but God had me send it to Caroline's Grandmom at the "exact" time she needed it.

We have such an AWESOME, PERSONAL, LOVING GOD! He knows just what we need, and when we need it.

He is with us!

Please keep praying for baby Caroline. It is my understanding that she is being dedicated to the Lord tomorrow. Grandmom will be there, along with many others.

Remember.........God is near!

Cheri

"Caring" On!

Yesterday was the memorial service for Retia Dukes in Orlando. The service was a great tribute to her. She definitely left a legacy. A legacy of love that will continue to carry on through every life she touched.

It meant so much to me to get the voice mails I received yesterday from friends that didn't know Retia, but prayed for her over the last 4 months. Thank you for leaving messages that you were praying for me and her family yesterday as we remembered Retia.

It was hard for me to look at the grandkids. These little ones that she loved so much. It still makes me sad and angry that they will not have Retia to share life with as they grow up. Times like these are hard to understand, so I won't even begin trying to explain them. I am clueless. It just doesn't make sense.

It doesn't make sense to my finite mind at all. In a world where so many families do not have an example of unconditional love, why would this family that is full of love and grace have such a significant person taken from them? That question continues to roll through my mind and I have to be honest, I struggle with it.

Yes, I know Romans 8:28. I know that God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. I know that God has been at work in this family and will continue to be at work. I know that, but he never said that all things are good. Losing Retia is not good. It is bad. It is sad. The promise is that God will take all of this bad and sad stuff and bring good out of it. Somehow, someway he knows how to weave a beautiful tapestry out of circumstances and emotions that can get me all tangled up.

We live in a fallen world. This world is not our permanent home. THANK YOU GOD! We will suffer. Even when it is not our fault. I am sad today. I am sad because this has been a long journey for this family, and the journey is not over.

Yes, Retia is no longer among them physically. There is finality in that; however, the journey of learning to live in this "new normal" has just begun. Please do not stop praying for this precious family as the Lord brings them to your mind. They need are prayers just as much now.

While I am sad today, I am thankful for a blessing the Lord gave me on this journey. God has blessed me through the CaringBridge website. God knew I needed to have a visual picture of how big His family is. There were so many people that gathered around this one family. It was good to reconnect with old friends and make new ones as I read the journals and the guestbook.

I couldn't help to think about how much bigger God's family really is. It is huge. I needed this reminder. I needed to be reminded that God has His children scattered all over the place. He knows where each of us are and one day there will be a "great gathering" of all the saints. MUCH bigger than CaringBridge.

Until that day may be about our Father's business. May we continue to love as we have been loved. May we walk where Jesus would walk and remember how He carried his cross up a hill in order to bridge the gap between us and God.

Let's not forget one another. Let's keep caring for one another and allowing Christ to bridge the gaps.

"Caring" On!
Cheri