Taste and See!

Dave and I recently visited Atlanta. We attended a conference but we also had the opportunity to visit with my sister, Amber and her husband Carey. They have just moved to Atlanta and so we all decided to take in some of the sites of the city. We ate at some great restaurants, marveled over the view from their 20th floor pad in downtown Atlanta, and we toured the World of Coke. Now, I know that Coca Cola is popular. I mean it is as much a part of our culture as toilet paper! But to have it's own tourist attraction right beside the largest aquarium in the US was a bit much. I have to admit that, as a teenager, Coke was the big craze. For my 14th birthday I received a Coca Cola shirt, Coca Cola Swatch watch and even Coca Cola jeans! I was a little Coke crazy myself!! That being said, I was interested in finding out about this World of Coke! The cost to get through the door is $15. Was it worth it?

Upon entering, you are greeted by beautiful murals and huge wooden coke bottles depicting all sorts of cultural artwork. You are then ushered into a room filled with an abundance of Coca Cola memorabilia from as early as the turn of the century. The story of Coke is displayed beautifully through artwork, historical information, and even the science of making the cola. But the best part of the whole thing is the Tasting Center. The first thing you notice are huge cylinders of light which represent different areas of the globe such as Asia, Europe or South America. In all there were about 6 different stations and each one had a soda fountain with Coca Cola products found locally in those areas. Cups were abundant and you could taste the fizzy liquid until your heart's (or stomach's) content! And so we did!! There were flavors like Bibo, Inca Kola, Fanta, Frutonic, Limelite, Vitingo and Vegitabeta (yes, it is a vegetable based soft drink and Dave and Amber liked it!) It was so much fun to experience all the flavors! Some of you are saying, okay Shannon, get to the point, so I will.

Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. " I was reminded of this verse while we were on the way home that day. Just another example of how God can use everyday things to speak to us. It was impressed upon me that I will never know what great things He has for me unless I am willing to try what He asks me too! In ministry, we have many opportunities to be involved in what God is doing in our church, our schools and our community. The problem is many times we don't accept the challenge. Maybe you think you're not the right fit, you fear that someone else would do a better job. Or maybe you just don't think you would like that particular part of ministry. But how will we truly know unless we taste and see? How do you know you don't like it if you don't try it!! God says taste and see but the second part of that is "blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." Just last week, one of our church members gave us definitions of refuge. He said a refuge is a shelter or protection. That is the part of the verse that pulls it all together! When you taste what God is offering to you, He will be your stronghold or protector to cover over you while you are doing His will and work! He says, "Here's you're opportunity, go ahead, take a chance on it, see how I will watch over you and help you! Don't miss out on this blessing because it is good!!" Hebrews chapter 6, beginning in verse 9, talks about the better things that accompany our salvation. The very things we can taste! I pray that as you examine the passage in it's entirety, God will weave all this together. God says here that we are heirs of His promise, that He doesn't change and He cannot lie! When He says "taste and see" way back in Psalm, it is just as true here in Hebrews and in our lives today! He wants to bless you! You have hope in Him and your soul is anchored in heaven because of Jesus. With this kind of refuge, we need to exercise our faith and trust God to bless the work He has called us to! Taste and see that the Lord is good. God is the "real thing" ! And I think $15 was a pretty good deal for a priceless word from God!

Chillipepper

Just wanted to show you some of our awesome young men and women!! They are the greatest!!! Please pray that God will continue working in their lives as they seek to serve Him. They want so much to stay committed to God's plan and not their own and we know how much stands against them. So please pray for our youth as well as those at your church. You can be the intercessor they need!! Thank you and God bless!!

We just got back from taking the best youth group in the world (well, some of them couldn't make it but they are still included as part of the greatest group) to ChilliPepper in Pigeon Forge, TN. It was excellent conference and we are so grateful to the Maiolo's for allowing us to stay at The Cedars...it was the most awesome cabin in TN!!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!! Everyone should go out and buy cd's by Down Here, Laura Story and Fee. Cool songs with strong messages and God all over them!!! If you have the chance to be involved with the youth from your church you should jump at it! Remember when you were there and think what most influenced you? Be a mentor, be a friend, be a role model, hold them accountable...they need you!!!! And if you are a parent of a youth, they may not act like they need these same things from you but they do!!!!!! If you have never checked out Concoxions Ministry, you should. Bill Cox does and excellent job. Go to www.concoxions.com. Kurt Cloninger, Duffy Robbins...they still have what it takes after years in ministry/youth ministry. I can't say enough!! If you want your kids to go to a summer camp, tell your youth pastor about SeeSalt and send them, you won't be disappointed!!
I know I have rambled but this weekend was great!!!!!! Spend some time making an investment in a teenager, your return will be a hundred fold!!! Say a prayer for the youth at your church tonight, they need it. Say a prayer for the youth pastor (and his wife if he has one!!) He really needs it!!! Love you all!!!

The Hair Piece

Ladies, I know you are going to relate to this one. The guys, well... maybe. It's tied in to one thing we ladies are somewhat particular about...our HAIR. Now, guys, you may be concerned about keeping your hair but we are concerned about keeping ours looking good!! In fact, over a girls lifetime, hair care may be our biggest personal expense. If you add up all the bottles of shampoo, mousse, gel, Sun-In and then something to take the sun out, cuts, colors, perms, straighteners, brushes, combs, picks, clips, ribbons, bows...should I go on?? I am beginning to feel guilty, is my hair really that important???
My good friend Anne came back to school after the holidays and something was different about her. It wasn't her new clothes or her beautiful jewelry, it was her hair. Don't get me wrong, her hair looked great! She didn't dye it purple or shave it off or anything. I really couldn't even put my finger on what the difference was, I just noticed it was not the same, so I asked her. She explained that she had parted her hair on the opposite side of how she normally wore it. Her stylist(or hair dresser for all my old school friends) had encouraged her to change it up a bit! I had heard this before; change the direction of your part every now and then to reduce breakage and damage to your hair. Throughout the day, I noticed she would begin to brush her bangs to one side, only to remember that she needed to brush them the other way. She made some comments about being frustrated because it wasn't what she was used to. Now, you can probably guess what is coming. The next morning I thought I needed a new look! Do not even go there, you know you would do the same thing. I mean if her stylist thought it would be good for her, it would be good for me too!!! Now ladies, if you have ever tried this, you know you can't style your hair as usual and then just brush it over in the other direction. This process must start at the root! I had to blow dry my hair in the other direction. I had to curl the strands in the other direction. I even had to check my make-up because now the opposite side of my forehead was showing; you know, the side with the unsightly mole that is usually covered up by my hair!!! This was more difficult than I thought. I was actually having to work at parting my hair! Now, I know why God brings things to my mind during these times. It's because He knows I will relate to the everyday stuff and maybe it will get through my thick skull! I thought about my kids (and myself for that matter) and how difficult it is to "train" someone. Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not part from it." Training up a child takes work. You don't just wake up each morning and your kids have learned and matured each new day in all the right ways. No, you wake up and it is on!! You have to start at the root, when they are newborns. You have to bend them to go in the direction you want because instinctively, just like my stubborn part, they are going to go in their own way. And our own way usually gets us in trouble!! Just like we are called to train our children, God is also training us. He knows the way He has planned for us to go. Is His plan easy to accomplish in us? That depends. We may sing "Where He Leads Me I Will Follow" on Sunday but on Monday we are singing "I Shall Not Be Moved"!! He has to start at the root with us too, the root of our sin problem. In doing so He will have to bend us in ways that make us uncomfortable. He might even expose "unsightly" areas in our life we thought we could keep covered up. We will want to go back to our old self. We will want to remain where our flaws stay hidden and there is no pressure for us to do anything different. But we are a lot like hair...we need to be groomed, trained and even trimmed up a bit to become more like Christ. Ephesians 5:1 says, "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Be imitators as dearly loved children...what is that saying to us? When we train our children up in the same way we allow God to train us, they will love us for that and follow our example. It's still gonna take work, and yes, it will be costly, but it is so worth it!! Think of all the breakage and damage it may reduce!! And just like I noticed a difference in Anne's appearance, the world will notice a difference in you too. It may not be obvious what has made the difference but whenever someone asks, you have the chance to tell them about Jesus. So, starting today, change things up a bit if you need to. Go in another direction if that's what it takes to be trained in the way God has planned. Yes, it's that important!!
Love to you all! Shannon

Well, to finish my last thought...I was blogging about the super mom of the bible, the Proverbs 31 woman. I thought it would be neat for you to ask your spouse (or a significant other) how many times they had read Proverbs 31. I asked Dave how many times he had read that passage. Now, he is a pastor and has been to seminary where they study the bible in detail, even going back to the original Greek and Hebrew languages to interpret it exactly!! He said he may have read it a couple of times! A couple??? I mean, come on! I've read this passage one hundred times!! I probably heard it read to me a hundred times too; well maybe not quite that many, but a lot! There is no shortage of material out there on Proverbs 31. There is even a ministry called Proverbs 31 (which is excellent, by the way, and you should check out their website www.proverbs31.org). It seems everywhere a girl looks Proverbs 31 is in her face! Why, just tonight, I began a new bible study and I am here to tell you that we sang a song taken right from Proverbs 31:30!! And when I ask myself "why?", God showed me the reason.
Take a look at the latest magazine and you will see all kinds of beautiful ladies throughout those pages. Most are tall, thin, graceful, and strikingly beautiful...models, to be exact. They show us the latest outfits, handbags, jewelry, perfume...heck, the chic in the Swiffer Sweeper ad is quite a looker. They are all trying to show us, or model, what the world thinks we should look like, have, do, be, etc... God, however, is trying to model what He thinks we should look like through the Proverbs 31 mom. All the characteristics she possesses are those that God has gifted to women. She is our example. Could we ever attain all that she is? Maybe. Should we strive for that goal?? Absolutely. In Philippians 2 verse 4 and following we are told,
"Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men."
The Proverbs 31 gal sure doesn't seem to be looking out for her own interests! She is always looking out for others. Even though her children call her blessed and her husband praises her, she clothes herself with dignity, not vanity. She empties herself out to her household and is not lazy! I don't know about you, but I see a woman, who even before her Savior came, was modeling His walk. God has given us a model to go by; not only in the life of Jesus, but in the life of this everyday woman who knew what it was all about. She is not selling us the latest fashion, shampoo, or "game" for Nintendo DS that will turn us into the Iron Chef; she is showing us how to be the Bride of Christ. We may not do things exactly like her, may not have the exact abilities or even the same desires. What we do have is the responsibility to clothe ourselves in strength and dignity. We can smile at our future with Christ Jesus as our Savior(vs 25). We need to speak wisely and teach kindness in what we say and do(vs26). We need to look after our household, to the best of OUR ability(vs27). We can't be lazy or apathetic when it comes to raising our kids, we only get one shot(vs27-28)! And verse 30 says, "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." Give God the praise for what He has gifted you to be able to do and you will be a Pro!! A Pro 31 girl, that is!!! Love ya'll! Shannon

Workin' Mom Goes All Pro 31 On Everybody!

Well, I have just finished my first week back at work after being on "maternity" leave with Sam. I was privileged to be able to spend October 13 (when we left for Guatemala) until January 5 being an at home mom. I got to stay in my pj's a little longer, drink another cup of coffee (or 2), and bond with a precious little boy! It was a really special time. I enjoyed it!! This week has been good too. I got to see all the kids at school again, hear their Christmas stories and get loved on!! My mom was able to keep Sam and enjoyed every minute of it (or so she said...). It really hasn't been as hard as I thought. Don't get me wrong...I would stay home if I could! But right now that is not an option.
I have thought a lot about working moms today. Even read about one in the bible. You may even be familiar with the Proverbs 31 mom. She's perfect! She gets up real early and cooks breakfast for everybody. She dabbles in real estate. She earns money and then spends money and knows how well she has invested. She can make clothes for her family and then some. She is like a boy scout and is always prepared for anything. She is well dressed. Her husband is well known and respected! Her children love her to pieces and her husband just adores her! Man!! What an example of a working mom!!!
I have read her story over and over. Sometimes I hang my head in disgust because I know I am no where near any of those things! I can barely sew on a button, much less make a shirt! I do not, repeat, do not get up early and certainly not while it is still dark!! I love cereal for breakfast so no cooking is involved! The list goes on!!!
Then again, this passage has inspired me to try and become more like the Proverbs 31 woman. I become determined! I get up a littler sooner, burn some pancakes, iron a shirt, and maybe pull some weeds. I may mop the floors and do 3 loads of laundry. By then I am so tired that when my child "blesses" me by cleaning the bathroom with his shampoo, I might just bless him out!! This of course ruins any kind of loving thoughts my husband might have had about me and if he goes out in public he certainly doesn't want anyone to bring up the fact that he is married to me!!! Has anyone else been here??? Have you tried to be her???
I'm going to continue this thought in another blog because I know this is long. In the mean time, I want you to ask your husband how many times he has read Proverbs 31 and then ask yourself how many times have you??? I bet you'll be surprised! Bye for now! Love to you all, Shannon

Are you redeeming the time??

I have been thinking...I know, I know...Dave always has some remark when I begin a sentence with those words. But it's true, I have been thinking a lot about this new year. As I look back at 2008 I really can't remember a year that has gone by quicker for me. I can clearly think back to last January when we had our home study done for the adoption and then it was like a blink and we were traveling to Guatemala and then another blink and we celebrated 2009! What happened to all the in between time?? To be honest, I have no idea. I don't have a fat bank account that showed I worked a lot during that time. In fact, this past summer was the first in many years that I haven't worked full time. I don't have a scrapbook full of photos showing all the cool trips we took (although somewhere in there we did go to Disney!) I don't have friends calling me saying, "Remember the great time we had? Let's do that again!" In fact, I barely spent any time with friends because I was so busy with other stuff. The problem is, I can't seem to put any value on what all that other stuff was!! That is a lot of time with no redeeming value!! One thing I do remember over this past year is that our pastor gave a message on redeeming the time that we have missed. At first I didn't understand what he meant. I mean, how can you redeem time? Time spent is in the past, you can't get it back! Then, the more I thought and as he explained, it all became clear. It is true that the time was past, I couldn't go back and re-live a moment of my life. That day I spoke really harsh to Max, I couldn't have a do over. The day I criticized Dave for basically living, I couldn't say, "oh, my bad"! The damage was done! But God has chosen to allow me the beginning of another year, 365 new days. Not to go back and try to fix my past mistakes but to take the initiative not to make them again. When I resolve or set a goal to do something this year, I don't want to look back at wasted time. I want to redeem, or take the time that I know I will lose if I allow myself to make the same bad choices. This is my challenge to you. Redeem this time, this year. Put forth your best effort and choose to make your time count for God, your spouse, your kids....you know what I mean. The things that are important. Love your neighbor, bless your enemies, praise the Lord in all things. That is how you and I will redeem our time. And maybe when 2010 rolls around, quick as it may seem, we won't have to regret that 2009 is gone. Thanks for letting me vent! Love you all, Shannon