Monday, January 28, 2013

Life's Railway to Heaven

Next week Steve and I will travel to California to celebrate my aunt's 100th birthday. Her name is Inez, but her nieces and nephews all call her Aunt Nezzie. She is sociable and chatty, a bit opinionated, and was my mother's closest sister - the oldest in a family of 13 children, 4 boys and 9 girls. Singing was a vital part of the family my aunt was born into. My Grandpa, her father, was a church deacon, piano teacher, train conductor, and hymn writer. One of my Grandpa's hymns, "Singing All the Year," extols the singing of praise to God all year round. The words to the last verse read, "So, when in Fall shall come the harvest, and the reaping's over, we'll rest in peace from winter's blast on God's eternal shore." When we all go to the birthday party, it will also be a big family reunion - and I mean big - with lots of singing. All the aunts that are still alive sing harmonies spontaneously and can go on all night.

Aunt Nezzie has outlived 2 of her 3 children and all 3 of her husbands. The husband I liked the best was Merv, because he had a dog that sang and played the piano. This was important in a family that always sang. The Jack Russell Terrier performed standing on his two hind legs, front paws pounding on a little white toy piano that was out of tune. His voice was a bit shrill. Uncle Merv, a well-digger by trade, proudly brought out the dog for every visitor. My aunt and all the family laughed and laughed at his antics. I don't think the dog knew any of Grandpa's hymns.

After 100 years, my aunt's stability is a little wobbly. She uses a walker. She lives in an assisted living home, but still plays games and keeps her nails and hair fixed and pretty. All of us wear out eventually - in our hobbies and habits, our successes and failures, our loneliness and love - but God never tires or wears out. His love never fails, and his grace sustains us throughout this life and all its seasons - even for over 100 years.

One of my Aunt Nezzie's favorite hymns is called "Life's Railway to Heaven." It's not a shining example of doctrinal correctness or musical complexity, but since this blog is about my aunt, I'm concluding with a few of the lyrics. Here's a link to an old version of the song by Johnny Cash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKoIuz71hbg -->

"Life's Railway to Heaven"

Life is like a mountain railway
With an engineer that's brave
We must make the run successful
From the cradle to the grave.
Watch the curves, the fills, the trestles.
Never falter, never fail.
Keep your hand upon the throttle
And your eyes upon the rail.

Chorus:
Blessed Savior, Thy will guide us
'Till we reach that blissful shore
Where the angels wait to join us
In Thy presence evermore.

May the Lord help us to live the days allotted to us with a song in our hearts and our eyes on the rail . . .

Barbara Eckroad 

Monday, January 21, 2013

the struggle.

Source: flickr.com via Kate on Pinterest


this week has been a rough one for me. i've learned about a number of ridiculously tough situations amongst my friends - some who live close, and some who are in different places across the country. situations that have made me ask, time and again, WHY?

why, Lord?
why?
why has life been lost?
why has life been lost before it has been fully lived?
and in some cases, why has life been lost before it has been lived at all?

i know that it is not my place to demand an answer to these questions from the creator of the universe. but still i ask. still i wonder.

i wish there were words to say that didn't sound trite and contrived.

at the end of the day the only choice i have - we have - is whether or not to continue trusting that God is God. and that he is in control. whether or not we find some clear reason on this side of heaven for any of these heart-wrenching happenings, will i still have faith that he is worthy of my trust, and worthy to be praised?

i am no JOB. in the midst of hardship i have sinned. i have blamed God. i have even shaken my tiny fist at him. i have not often gotten down on my knees to praise him in these situations, all the while saying "the Lord gives, and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord."

sometimes life is hard. sometimes, frankly, it sucks.
sometimes the reasons to continue trusting are obvious.
but all too often they seem evasive.

sometimes the only reason i can think of to keep trusting is because God is capable.
he is the only one capable of redeeming this mess we've made of his creation.
he is capable of redemption.

in fact, we know how the story ends.
we have been redeemed.
the battle has already been won.

i don't know what you've been going through lately. i don't know if you're up on the mountaintop, or down in the valley. either way, i am confident that God will find a way to meet you where you are.

i also want to share this music video with you. this is one of my absolute favorite songs to come back to when things are tough. have a listen:



xo.
katie williams

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

My Ungrateful List


Every November I post on Facebook various things I am thankful for. Big things and small things. I have a lot to be thankful for. I enjoy praising God publicly for His blessings. I also like reading similar lists written by my friends.

But lately I have been thinking about a few things I am NOT grateful for. Maybe I should be, but I don't think so. Kinda like deciding what you will not do so that you can prioritize what to do, this list describes some things I don't consider blessings.

First, SARCASM. Many people use it in a way that is mean or belittling. Or they use it to make themselves look smart, which doesn't work. Either way, it's often used at the expense of someone else's feelings or dignity. I cannot stand sarcasm. (On the other hand, I love witty, fun people who are not afraid to make fun of themselves.)

Second, FEMINISTS from the 1960s and 70s – or, more specifically, their agenda. They generally seem like a hostile, angry group of women. And I think they'd scoff at my lifestyle: striving for a Christ-centered, Biblical marriage with my husband and sacrificing a career so that I can remain at home with our children. So, no, I am not thankful for those who burnt bras or demanded equality, which completely disagrees with Christ's example in Philippians 2. (On the other hand, I thank God for the earlier feminists who worked toward the right to vote. I vote regularly and I am glad I can.)

Third, MPAA MOVIE RATINGS. Whether or not something is rated G, PG, PG-13, R or beyond is not a very helpful tool in discerning if a movie has a redeeming theme, strong characters, or a story that moves you. The MPAA ratings are a bare minimum guideline; I think many believers rely on them too much. And why would you rely on a ratings system established by an organization you know almost nothing about, including whether or not it shares your values? (On the other hand, I love Plugged In, a movie review site from Focus on the Family. There I find detailed descriptions of movies, music, and television shows. The reviews tell me about spiritual, violent, alcohol/drug and sexual content, plus whether a movie is of good quality. I feel much more informed after checking out movies on Plugged In, even if I disagree with the reviewer.)

Fourth, SPIDERS. They eat bugs so I guess I should be thankful for them. But, uuuuuuuggggghhhh! They are creepy, crawly, and spidery. Enough said.


- Kathryn Truden

Monday, January 14, 2013

Did You Know?

I must, as my dear friend did last week, share that this blog is not going to be a happy, feel good story. I feel terrible that this comes at you two weeks in a row, but I trust God completely as He directs my steps. Please read this blog to the end, sometimes we can get overwhelmed and want to turn away when we feel helpless. God never convicts us without leaving us with hope. I pray that this will shine a light into darkness and empower each of us to act in the power and freedom that we have as a body who has Christ in us. If you turn a flashlight on during the day, you cannot see its light. You must be in darkness for the light to shine and be effective. Please step into the darkness of slavery with me so that, as a body, we can shine a light that will bring redemption.

Did you know...?
      There are 27 million slaves today worldwide.  50% of those are children, 80% are women. 
      Worldwide slavery is a $32,000,000,000.00 (that's billion) industry. 
      Over a million children are sold into slavery each year. That is 2,880 children around the world each day who are losing their innocence and hope. Broken down, that is one every thirty seconds.  And...
      17,500 people are trafficked in the United States annually. 

This is an issue that is happening in our own back yard.  For those of us who know of the atrocities of human trafficking, we usually don't realize that it hits so close to home. Have you ever driven in the area of Suger Creek and I85? Sex trafficking is right under our nose. We tend to stand back in judgement, hide our children's eyes. Or...look the other way. These girls and women are victims, just as much as the two-year old is in Ghana who is sold into the fishing industry by his parent. A twelve or fifteen-year old girl doesn't choose to sell her body, she is usually running away from an abusive situation when an offer of help comes in the way of sex for money. 

Northside Baptist Church is divinely placed in a location that has made a heart for this particular trafficking a natural ministry. They are new to this, and trying to figure out how to help, but research has verified that help is not easy to give. There is a bondage or stronghold that is difficult to break through. A common scenario is this; young men will court (for lack of a better word) a young lady, even becoming close to her family. When he feels that she is secure in his 'true love' for her, he sets her up to make some money, if she loves him this is no big deal. She is working toward their future. If she is unwilling, there is often a gang-rape to break her spirit, then forced with a pimp. Often there is drug addiction to bring submission. Being "sold" to a bigger community is common.  Please pray for Northside as they seek direction in how to best serve effectively in this area. They have a heart for these young victims and have several ideas ready to launch and many more that they are praying over for clarity in the logistics and details.


My goal is not to shock you. This is hard. We have Christ in us, so we can do hard. As one, we can accomplish good things, but as a body we can do great things. We can bring hope to the hopeless.

"Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you." "(Ephesians 5:11-14 NASB)

So what can we do? 

1. First of all we can pray. We really do not realize the power we have in our freedom and privilege to meet our LORD before His throne.  My son is in the Air Force so I'm kind of hung up on acronyms these days! Very helpful to understand clearly the duty ahead.  I have one for prayer :)
P- petition. Go to God. Tell Him what has been laid on your heart. Trust His power and wisdom, His compassion for the orphans. Listen as He guides your heart and directs your steps. Maybe He will show you how to physically do something, maybe prayer is your only duty.  (1 John 5:14,15)
R- reverence. Know who God is, in spending time in awe and worship, we are more able to rest in His power and faithfulness. Like I said, we can do hard because we know who God is.  (Hebrews 12:28)
A- advocate. Imitate Christ, who advocates for us to The Father.  Be the person who pleads with The One who is worthy of hearing your voice for the oppressed.  (1 John2:1)
Y- yearn. For these children to be rescued. To know redemption, to know the freedom we have in Christ. For the day that all is made right. No more weeping, no hurt or pain; every tear is wiped away.  (Revelation 21:4)

2. Educate yourself on the issue of child slavery.  There is a lot of information out there. Most of the statistics I included came from enditmovement.com.  That will lead you to many other sources. 

3. Get involved.  StoneBridge already is active in ending human trafficking through their support of severals ministries.

GHANA ROCK is a grass roots organization that puts on a benefit concert each year to raise funds and awareness to end child slavery in the fishing industry in Ghana, Africa. This is a very exciting effort in that it was started by a high school student who heard of the atrocities on Lake Volta and refused to do nothing. She put together a group of her high school friends and planned a concert because of Acts 16, knowing the power of worship and trusting God to break chains in Africa as a Body in Charlotte raised high the name of Jesus. She was right! To date Ghana Rock has raised around $100,000 and has participated in the rescue and care of 26 children from hopelessness to empowerment! Ghana Rock continues to be run by high school students who are planning a concert for May 17, 2013. You can attend or donate, or volunteer at the concert.  I know personally that these kids covet your prayers!!! Please visit ghanarock.org to learn more.

MARIE VANDEVREDE is a StoneBridge member who spoke at church this week. She is going to Bulgaria in February to help in the efforts there to end the sex trafficking that is stealing the innocence of thousands of young girls. She is a 20 year old young woman who wants to live big for God. As she sought Him, He directed her steps. I know that she would covet your prayers, this is quite an assignment for this young American. She will grow in powerful ways as she empties herself to be filled by Her Maker as He uses her in building His Kingdom both in Bulgaria and here. The ministry is Daughters of Bulgaria through MTW. For more information on ways to help please visit www.mtwbg.com.

BRIDGE TO INDIA is a school in India that StoneBridge supports. It may seem strange for me to include a school in India on a blog about human trafficking, however, hear my logic on this one! When we support education for children in impoverished countries, we are being pro-active in stopping child slavery. The children at the StoneBridge school are being offered an opportunity to rise above their once hopeless situation as they learn of the saving love of Jesus. While this is not an advertised benefit of this ministry,  many of these children fit the statistics of the children whose hopeless parents sell them for as little as $20.  Please visit stonebridgecharlotte.com for more information. 

A great way to help any of the above organizations would be to throw a dessert party using Neets Sweets as the provider of the desserts. Neets Sweets is an organization in Charlotte that provides aid to survivors of sex trafficking in practical ways. Please go to neetssweets.com for more information. I happen to know for certain that any of the Ghana Rock team or board members would be willing to attend a dessert party to answer questions on child slavery in Ghana!

There was a justice conference in Charlotte last week.  One of the sessions talked about what a wife and mother in Charlotte could do to make a difference. There are seasons in our lives, but please know that you can always do something. I have covered some of them here and I will see how I can continue to put ideas and information out for all. Please contact me if you would like a more detailed list of ideas of how you can help. 


I promised that I would leave you with encouragement if you would persevere to the end! My husband and I volunteer each year at Passion Conference in Atlanta, GA. It is a four day conference for young adults 18-25, most of which are college students. They challenge the kids to live big for God, to not settle into the American Christianity that can leave God small as we force Him into a box that suits our lifestyle. This year there were more than 60,000 students there. I can't share accurately what an inspiring and moving thing it was to be in a dome with 60,000 brothers and sisters wide open in their worship of the One Living God! 

Anyway, one night we heard the story of Rachel. She was from another country, we have been asked to keep details vague in an effort to protect her. Rachel was from an abusive home and for her entire childhood she was told that she was a worthless nothing. She was often beat by her father, and was sexually abused by her uncle. When she was 12 she ran away from home. Of course, it wasn't long before she realized that the best (in her mind only) way to survive was to sell herself. She was of the belief that this was all that she was worth and that she deserved the pain and emptiness she felt.  Soon Rachel was "owned" by a pimp who then sold her to a larger group in another city. She was working daily, often as many as three "jobs" each day. One day she was thrown into a van amidst much chaos, she was certain that this police van would take her to jail. When she exited the van, she found herself in a rescue house! She was cleaned, fed, and shown the love of Jesus through the love and care of His body! For the first time in her life Rachel knew that she was a treasure, that she was washed white as snow, and forgiven! Rachel was there that night in Atlanta. Her beautiful smile on that tiny 14 year old body filled the dome. The applause, shouts, and hallelujahs from the worshippers shook the place and was joyfully received in heaven (I'm certain!)!!! It reminded me of scripture. 

"I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:7 NASB)

That is why we should care. We are told that as we love Jesus, we are to love as He does. We cannot do nothing when children are suffering in such horrific ways. We can persevere in the strength of Christ Jesus to do big things. Please be challenged but also be hope filled. This is God's battle, it is already won. We just get the wonderful privilege of participating and the blessing of celebrating the victories along the way!


Blessings and much love, 
Vicki Vincent

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

...not much...just honest...

First, an apology: this is not going to be your typical 'happiness & light' post (which seems weird after my last blog was 'Snow Sharks').  In trying to come up with an interesting, creative and inspiring idea, I am at a loss, because I am just not in 'that place' right now.

We all know that life is about ups and downs.  It seems that we most often want to share when life is on the up -- or at lease we pretend that our life is 'up.'  This week however, my life is more down than up.  The frustrating thing is that there are no major issues -- just irritating minutiae.  Major life struggle we understand and support -- minutiae is just that.  It's the 'blah-yuk place' days that are hard to navigate.  I'm not sure the cause of my yuk day; which is even more troublesome, because now I feel ungrateful for all the blessings I have been given.

What I do know is that this is just a yuk day.  What I also know is that God promises to work in all things.  I recently told a friend "I hope your days are better than the hours and your weeks are better than the days."  There is no 'magic prayer' that eliminates the 'blah-yuks' -- but prayer does remind of us who God is:  the love he poured out for us, the death he suffered for our eternal life and the victory that is ours if we will embrace it.

So, as I go through the rest of my day I plan to embrace God through prayer and praise and see what He has for me -- who knows, maybe I'll even find a Snow Shark?!?  Cynthia M.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Where Are You Looking?

This past fall, our oldest began his first year of college.  The day of his leaving was a day I had both dreaded and looked forward to...  Dreaded because I knew I would miss him terribly, but looked forward to because as a parent, it's what you spend 18 years of your life (and theirs) working towards, preparing them for life...  My mom calls it packing their suitcase.  For the last 18 years, she has regularly reminded me to consider what am I packing in their suitcases that will equip them for life. 

On that day, my last day to cram some last minute lessons into his suitcase, there were a million things I wanted to say, to remind him of...  What was the most important?  What was I afraid he would forget?  My brain was full of things I had told him a million and one times, and yet, I didn't want to nag and drive him crazy for the hour + ride to college.  So we loaded up the car and the truck and headed off.  I was blessed that day to have that hour to myself, with just Zack, as my husband and other children followed in the truck. Since Zack was going to college without a car, we let him drive and that's where I found my send off lesson! 

As we drove, I noticed that everytime he would talk to me, he would take his eyes off the road and look at me and when he did, he drifted to the right.  A couple of times, we came awfully close to an 18 wheeler in the lane next to us and that's when it hit me (thankfully not the 18 wheeler)...  I knew what I needed to leave him with (besides a driving lesson!!)...  "Zack," I said, "you need to learn, you always travel in the direction that you're looking towards!  And I don't just mean physically, but spiritually too!  Keep your eyes on God and you'll walk in His way, take your eyes off of Him and you'll end up in the wrong lane, maybe in the path of one of life's 18 wheelers that can do an awful lot of damage." 

But the same is true for all of us...  If our eyes aren't fixed on our Heavenly Father, there is no telling where we'll end up!  Greed, materialism, bitterness, anger, doubt, fear, addiction, loneliness are just a few of life's 18 wheelers that can take us out and steal the abundant life from us.  So I thought as we head into the New Year, it would be the perfect time to fix our eyes on God and remember who He is and how much He loves us...  These are just a few of my favorite verses that help keep me focused in the right direction, even when I'm tempted to look at some of life's 18 wheelers...

Romans 5:8 "But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  'Shows' in the Greek means to prove, exhibit, establish...  So while we were still sinners, in other words, while we were God's enemy, wicked and devoted to sin, God proved, exhibited His love for us! 

How?  Not by fixing all of our problems!  Not by changing our circumstances!  He did it by sending His very own Son to die for us!  Think about your very worst enemy...  Would you give your child to save their life?  That's a tough one!  But that's what God did!!  In the coming year, most likely all of us will experience some kind of trouble.  Don't define God by your circumstances!!  Trust His love and let the greatest sacrifice of all time assure you that God is good and you are loved!

Isaiah 43:2-3  "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you: and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.  For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."  No matter what you face, God is always with you...  No matter how big your circumstances seem, they will not consume you or overwhelm you, if you keep your eyes on your Heavenly Father!  He WILL lead you through!!

Isaiah 61:1-3  (This is the passage that Jesus quoted from when He began His ministry in Luke 4:18-19, it is a beautiful prophecy of Jesus!) "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of despair."  God is the God of redemption!  He can take anything and bring beauty from it.  No matter what life looks like, or has looked like in the past, trust God to redeem and restore!

Proverbs 21:1  "The King's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD, He turns it wherever He will."  I can't tell you how many times that verse has brought me peace...  When we were adopting our daughter from China, the heart of the Chinese government is held by God and He directs it wherever He chooses...  When my husband's company was competing for an important contract, I remembered that the heart of the management was held by God...  when our son needed to change to a school that was full, I remembered that the heart of the headmaster was held by God.  And here's the thing, when you remember that, it might not always work out like you want, but you can be assured that it worked according to God's will, because no one can thwart God's plans!

In Psalm 73:25-26, the Psalmist wrote, "Whom have I in heaven but you?  And earth has nothing I desire besides you.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."  HE is enough!  He is our portion, our sufficiency, our source of life.  When we keep our eyes on those truths, when we know God as He is, not as we want Him to be, or defined by our circumstances, we will live the life He longs for us to know, the abundant life, one that is full of peace, joy, compassion, selfless sacrifice, grace and mercy, no matter what our circumstances look like. 

May we begin 2013 with our eyes firmly set and may we not be moved.  If you have verses that help you stay focused on your Father, I would love for you to share them!

Happy New Year!!  Sharla