[Ray Newell is pastor of City Road Chapel, UMC in Madison (Nashville area) TN. Please Join us for worship service. We have a small, early church service at 8:00a.m. on Sunday, Sunday School at 8:45, and another worship at 11:00. All are welcome. (Map) (Visit our Website)]

A couple in the church recently sent us a card with a clipping inside about someone’s hoping they’d see their beloved pets again in heaven.  On the card, they noted how many dogs they had buried in their yard over the many decades they had lived in their house.  I remembered how many parsonages I’d lived in that had pet cemeteries out back.  Little plots, often with little crosses, which contained various dogs, cats, hamsters, and other pets of ministers and their families.  One of the sad parts of moving for me has been to go off and leave the remains of these faithful members of our family.  It feels somehow like we’re leaving part of ourselves behind as we move off to a new parish.  Our time at City Road has been hard on our pets.  While we’ve been here, we’ve lost three old dogs—two of the kid’s pets and Joan’s special Maggie—and one old cat—the only other one in our family besides me who had blue eyes.  One reason Joan and I hope we can keep our house is because we’re tired of going off and leaving behind those we love.

Then last week, as I read my latest issue of Gun Dog Magazine, I came across this:  “The story of a loved dog’s life almost never has a happy ending. They get cancer, they get hit by cars, …or they get so old that their systems fail and our veterinarians put them to sleep.  When those things happen, we beat ourselves up about it; all the things we should have done while they were in our care.”  How true this is for all beloved pets. Then I realized its deeper truth is about all those we love.

All of our love stories have sad endings.  In the flush of love and youth we don’t realize what it means when we vow, “until death us do part.”  One of us will die first, and the other will know the terrible pain of the loss of a spouse.  We will die and our children and friends will experience that vast void in their lives caused by our absence.  Most horribly, we might have to bury a child we have raised and poured our love into.  Other types of losses of those whom we have loved will sadden our lives, and often we will beat ourselves up about all we feel we should have done while they were with us.  The sadness will come because we have loved.  If one doesn’t know love, one can’t mourn the loss of love.  The level of our grief is in direct proportion to the depth of our love.

In human terms, all of our love stories will have unhappy endings; but God tells us that ultimately we who have loved and been loved in Christ will know a final happy ending.  To the world, Jesus’ life ends horribly.  All that love he gave in his words and deeds of power was answered with denial, betrayal, torture, and crucifixion.  His ultimate love seemed to lead only to the unhappiest of endings.  But God intervenes with Easter morning, declaring those whose love story involves Jesus the Christ—no matter how much conflict, confusion, pain and sadness that story has—ultimately ends, “and they lived happily ever after!”  I see in Easter the promise that we never leave our loves behind; they wait for us up ahead.

Ray

Anguish of Soul ~ A pain so consuming I have no words for it. . . . . I have cried out to You Lord. Be not far from me. Hurry to save us Lord. Hear the cries from the heart of your servant. . . . Father ~ hear the cries of those who stand on You and have mercy upon their hearts and homes. . . . Bring the Prodigals back from the far country and restore them to You and to their beloved. Amen

  ⁷“Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west;

   ⁸and I will bring them back and they will live in the midst . . . .; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness.’

Zechariah 8:7-8 NASB

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Lord, You are the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Prove that You are the King of kings and Lord of lords. Show the Prodigals and those that doubt that you have called us to do these things – that You have called us to Stand in the Gap for the restoration of our marriages and homes; for the restoration of their lives to You.

Lord God, answer the prayers of Your servants this day for the salvation of our Prodigals and the healing and restoration of our marriages and homes so that all may know and believe that You are God; that You are the God of the impossible – that You alone have done what we cannot do for ourselves or for our families. Show the scoffers and Prodigals that You alone can change their minds and heal them. Father I ask this for Your Glory and in Jesus’ Name.

Amen

“These are the Words of the Holy One, . . . . He Who has the key. . . . Who opens and no one shall shut, Who shuts and no one shall open: I know your record of works and what you are doing. See! I have set before you a door wide open which no one is able to shut; I know you have but little power but you have kept My Word and guarded My message and have not renounced or denied My Name.”

Revelation 3:7-8 AMP

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“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the good promise I have made.”

Jeremiah 33:14 AMP

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³Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).

    ⁴For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city . . . . which are torn down . . . . :

    ⁶Behold, I will lay upon it health and healing, and I will cure them and will reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.

    ⁷And I will cause the captivity . . . . to be reversed and will rebuild them as they were at first.

    ⁸And I will cleanse them from all the guilt and iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will forgive all their guilt and iniquities by which they have sinned and rebelled against Me.

    ⁹And [they] shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations . . . . that hear of all the good I do for it, and they shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the peace, prosperity, security, and stability I provide for it.

    ¹⁰Thus says the Lord: Yet again there shall be heard in this place of which you say, It is a desolate waste, without man and without beast —

    ¹¹[There shall be heard again] the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing as they bring sacrifices of thanksgiving into the house of the Lord, Give praise and thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good; for His mercy and kindness and steadfast love endure forever! For I will cause the captivity of the land to be reversed and return to be as it was at first, says the Lord.

Jeremiah 33:3, 4, 6-11 AMP

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Amen

–Celia

Ten months ago I would have never believed you if you had told me that I would be successful with weight loss.  Further more I would have laughed if you had told me that this journey of losing weight would bring me closer to God.  Less Karen = More God!

For me this is exactly what happened. No, I don’t believe that the skinnier you are the more Godly you are.  In fact being Skinny can become an idol for many.  For me eating was my idol.  Instead of going to God with my whole life,problems and all, I turned to food , either overindulging or abstaining. it was my way of having CONTROL.  Often when God was pursuing me ardently, I answered him with “Not now God, I’m eating.”

Even if you have never had issues with food, you may recognize the sentiment.  “Not now God, I’m working on my career.  Not now God, I am raising children.  Not now God, I’m studying.   Not now God, I am out the door to church small group.  Not now God, look what you did to me. It is all so hard and unfair!” It all is the same,  it is self centered thinking rather than God centered thinking.  It doesn’t always have to be an ungodly pursuit in itself to be warped to our own purposes.

How great is it that God does pursue us with more patience and tenacity than any earthly lover ever would.  I was a girl interrupted by God’s grace.  I started to tell him not now God … and he said “Be still Karen and know that I AM GOD”  I am so thankful that He loves me enough so personally!

^{2 corinthians 10 :4-6}

⁴For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. ⁵We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, ⁶ being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

Because He loves me, I am working on taking every thought captive.  Turning to him rather than a chocolate biscuit… ummm chocolate biscuit.. err, wait a second.. back on track again.  I am not saying this is easy, You all would be able to see right through that one.  It can be dang hard at times.  This is a lifetime of bad thought patterns that I am battling changing.  Without God I don’t think I could do it.  Since I am building trust in my Father God,  it is getting easier each time to resist and turn my thoughts on Him.  I do struggle when the scale isn’t matching what I think I deserve for the work I have put in, but then I am reminded that you don’t always want what you deserve.. what’s that bad egg smell and why am I being smushed into a hand basket?? Is it getting warmer in here? 

Weight Watchers vital statistics : current weight 179.7 lbs ( 12 stone 11.7 lb or 81.5 Kg) this is a total loss of 59.1 pounds (4 stone 3.1 lb or 26.8 kg) with a “mere” 29.7 lbs (2 stone 1.7 lb or 13.5 kg) to go.

By Michael Carl
© 2010 WorldNetDaily

Hartford Seminary

I know we mentioned we were going to continue our discussion about the effect words have on marriage today.  However, I’ve decided to whisk my wife away to celebrate our anniversary (Wednesday night), which left us no time to offer a thoughtful post for today.   So, we’ll catch up next week on this topic.

In the meantime, enjoy this writer’s perspective on speaking kind words to your spouse.

Introduction;
As time goes on since writing this article it amazes me how mothering can be a full time job in itself, and how homemaking can also be a full time job in itself. Sometimes it takes wisdom and prayer to know what to put first throughout the course of a day, and Praise to God Almighty for helping to fill in the gaps! I often find that just about every time I think I am caught up, the truth is that I am just not realizing what more there is to do (perhaps I am just to tired to)!

I know that many women who are successful homemakers swear by the trusty “daily list making” and for me there is no other way! I have found that for myself, the day planner of which I once thought was only for the flashy career woman is particularly quite a sanity saver for me! It is so nice because it helps to plan out the weeks work ahead while prioritizing to an extent, it keeps me from forgetting things, helps me stick to a schedule, and when the days and weeks are up I can look back and see all I did get done instead of only all that there is left to do.

I think so many homemakers often feel so tired and overworked because with an outside job you get time off, whereas with this job you wake up at work and go to bed at work. Therefore, your mind seldom finds a break because it is always literally at work!

Truthfully though, is there any other job that exists with such rewarding benefits in the long run? I think not! From what I have observed, the better job a woman does in this “line of work” the more rewards there are someday and personally I would take this over an outside job with some fancy title any day of the week!

With that said, I would like to add that there are four reasons for which I took the time to write this composition;

1. For my husband. I wanted him to have an idea of what I do while he is hard at work, so that he would be proud of me and confident I was making the most of my time at home as a homemaker.

2. As an encouraging account for myself and other women with this job, because as we all know it can be quite overwhelming at times and even harder to see the glamor in it at others!

3. Also as encouragement for homemakers who are perhaps new to the job or young, and maybe don’t realize all that they can be in their new job.

4. For those who would criticize a woman for having the following job, or who don’t realize all that true-or aspiring Proverbs 31 women have on their plates (although there are few people out there like that anymore).

So, without further a due, I give you…

Job Description of a Homemaker
(The ambition challenged need not apply!)
Author of Job Description is aware the writing is not all conclusive.

Positions: Wife, Mother, Homemaker
Hours: Must be available, on call, around the clock
Credentials: Must be patient, loving, and a multitasker. A sense of humor is also helpful.

Position 1. Wife
1. Caring for husband

• Loving him
• Mending his clothes ect… (Like I am one to talk on this one…)
• Giving him his vitamins
• Massages after a long hard day’s work if necessary
• Making him healthy, good meals

2. Listening well to him when he opens up to talk
3. Attempting to keep appearance nice for him 4. Running errands and doing jobs he asks to have done
5. Secretary work if he so desires, (this can be quite involved if he has his own business)
6. Making sure environment is peaceful for him to come home to (i.e. clean house, supper ready, etc)
Always remember, his work makes all three of your job positions possible.
Position 2. Mother
1. Caring for children

• Loving them
• Cooking healthy good meals
• Mending their clothes
• Giving them their vitamins
• Bathing them

2. Nurturing and Training, this may take anywhere from 2 to 24 hours a day depending on age and number of children one has, (for example it can take up to 24 hours of nurturing during teething or sick seasons)!

• Mending hurts, emotional and physical
• Training between right and wrong
• Disciplining (this is different from training)

3. Home Schooling (if children are at that age), this may take up to 8 hours a day or more, this is one area where multitasking comes in handy
4. If you have a toddler, changing diapers (and washing if using cloth ones)
Position 3. Homemaker

1. Meals

• Planning healthy meals
• Making shopping lists
• Shopping &
• Cooking

2. Seasonal Jobs

• Planting in spring
• Gardening all summer
• Harvesting and food preservation in fall
• Winter proofing in the fall

3. Keeping the house

• Spring and fall deep cleaning (some women do a monthly deep cleaning/reorganizing…this is actually more necessary for those who have small homes because to maintain space and avoid clutter a lady must be in a constant mode of “in with the new~out with the old”. In other words, as odd as it sounds, if you come across a small, well kept house in which children live, you can bet it has one extra busy homemaker!
• Weekly housecleaning
• Daily upkeep (like cleaning the mud off the entry ways everyday that people bring track in with shoes, this is just one example, ask nearest woman for more!)
• Laundry
• Paying bills and filing important papers

4.Charity work (i.e. helping someone in need, baking and/or making gifts for others.)
5. Additional duties often performed in this job include;

• Seamstress
• House doctor & nurse, may have to help others outside of the family too
• Landscaper
• Bookkeeping (budget managing and planning)
• Educating self (for example, reading pertinent data that will benefit the family and home (such as the Bible, as well as health & home improvement information)
• Not all women do the following, but a growing number of industrious women aspiring to be like the Proverbs 31 woman choose to either start a business or join their husbands in their business in order to help their husbands and bring in some extra income. These women obviously have added responsibilities and have to be extra careful with prioritizing so as not to neglect their family’s needs.

There are the extra activities such as correspondence (phone time, letter writing time, email time, etc…) and extra leisure activities and hobbies (such as playing instruments for women who are also musicians or painting for those who are artists and so on). These are not included in the job description because unless they are necessary (e.g., writing a thank you note or putting a gift together) most women save them for their free time, or to be fit in at the same time as other jobs if possible and necessary.

The job of a Wife/Mother/Homemaker requires full time plus overtime. Many women in this line of work shamefully do not take their job seriously, and therefore give other women in the line of work a bad name. A Proverbs 31 woman has no choice but to plan ahead, wisely deciding what is important to spend time on, what is not, and what should wait.

It’s been a while since I’ve broached this subject. Mostly because for a while it seemed a big fat NOTHING was happening with what happened to me. But then the Governor’s Inauguration came and a funny thing happened. People who were gung-ho on screwing us over all began to leave their jobs.

The following is a list of people who should have overseen our wage theft through their regulatory agency who have now moved agencies:

Chairman of the Public Employment Relations Commission, recipient of multiple emails which I intend to post in short order on this site. Retired soon after Christie’s election.

One of the overseers of our program in Trenton is no longer there.

Chair of the Civil Service Commission asked to be moved to the Parole Board, although last I checked her name is still on the Civil Service Website.

Program Director for our statewide program has left.

Personnel officer who put in writing that my County doesn’t have to follow the law retired after the election, although he is still retained as a “consultant”. Which is a nice way of saying he’s getting paid to do absolutely nothing for being such a good soldier.

So… it’s gotten to the point where I am on my second meeting in less than two weeks. Twice I was called into the office of personnel and others for “disciplinary” investigations. For nothing. Have I mentioned before I’ve never been a problem? No write ups? No client complaints? That my evaluations are impeccable?

The latest? They are now saying that they can ask for medical documentation above and beyond the medical certification approved by Trenton for Family Medical Leave. I have taken about 3 days in almost 4 years for my son. Leave for him was never a problem before I whistleblew.

Once I brought up my spotless record, they seemingly backed off. And last week when I just came out and said, “Look. This meeting is based on a lie. It’s obvious you all are looking for something, anything, to put in my personnel file. Because you have nothing. I’ve been a model employee and you’re trying to make me something I’m not.  I whistleblew and this is a hostile work environment. You’re frightened because people are coming. ” Suddenly that meeting ended with no actions against me taken.

My next posting will detail any government agency or group which we reached out to for help and their response or lack thereof. Some of them accept donations, so you may want to consider where you send your money. (I’m looking at you National and Local N.A.A.C.P and National Organization for Women). Those who offered help I cannot discuss until I see the result of their offer.

It’s been a trying two years for me and honestly, I don’t know why God allowed me to go through any of what I’ve gone through professionally and personally for these last two years. There seems to be no end and no benefit. And I still must serve my clients like nothing’s happening. It’s not their fault. I’ll go up a wall if I keep trying to find out why this is going on though. He’s God. He doesn’t have to do anything else. Even though He can.

And that’s what sucks.

So I get up and get dressed and get ready for another day in prayer, hoping that God backs me up against another satanic attack. In my heart I’m really looking for a good Old-Testament Smiting though. I can’t lie, when that happens to evil people I am not unhappy. I’ll pray about that later on.

More later blogreaders……

I’m a pastor, but I’m also a shotput and discus coach for one of the local Track & Field teams.  I get irritated when my throwers skip practice and don’t take their commitment to the team seriously, but I get sincerely concerned as a pastor when my students are
“missing” from church and youth group too!

Many youth pastors live in a love/hate relationship with high school sports.  The reality is that sports demands so much commitment that there’s often little or no time left for church commitments.  When there’s a conflict between going on a retreat with youth group or missing a baseball game, guess which commitment typically “wins?”  I’m caught in the middle, as a youth pastor and as a coach.

I’m not going to give all the thoughts on this subject I have, because that wouldn’t be productive, but I will ask this:

What truly matters most?

I love sports, if I didn’t I wouldn’t coach.  But I love Jesus Christ more.  When I was in high school I played Football, and threw in Winter Track and Spring Track.  I have great memories of those teams and am so very thankful for those experiences!  However, my memories and experiences at church and with youth group were absolutely life changing.

Most Christian parents say their number one hope for their son/daughter is that he/she would worship and follow Jesus Christ daily.  Yet, there’s also the hope and expectation to do chores around the house, finish homework and study, and participate in sports or band or drama or any other extra-curricula activity… oh yeah, and go to Youth Group too.

Why is it that the “activity” (Youth Group) which is intended to help students know Christ and live in Him is often at the bottom of the “commitment ladder?”  Play football, soccer, throw the shotput, be involved in the drama production, etc. – but make sure you keep your eyes focused on what truly matters most – your relationship with Jesus Christ.

It might take some creativity and work to figure out how you can honor your commitment to your coach while staying connected to your church’s youth ministry, but it’s worth the work!  When you’re a little older and everything in life seems to be falling apart, the “glory days” of high school won’t help you… but a strong and healthy relationship with the King of All will.

Honor commitments, but don’t neglect what’s most important.

No registration is required for the free parenting conference this Saturday, February 27th, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at Grand Rapids Christian High School.

Three of our clinicians will be among those presenting. Get complete information on the event here.