BALANCING BROOMS!

·    Balancing brooms…haven’t you recently seen pictures of these all over Facebook?   I finally had to try it myself.  Having no luck at all I concluded that these people balancing their brooms must not be sweeping with them. My well-worn brooms simply did not have this talent!
   The object, obviously, is to balance the broom on its’ center and it will stand on its’ own for an undetermined length of time.  One person commented that theirs was even still standing the next morning!  In thinking about this, I realized that the same is true of me.  When I am standing on my center, which is Christ, I can always stand straight and firm, but when I get off-center, I always fall.  If, like my brooms, sin has worn me down, I may not be able to find that center and stand. 

Paul compares us to a building built on a solid foundation with Jesus being the most important stone (Eph. 2:20).  Without that Stone as the center of our lives, we will surely fall!  Stand daily thankful for a loving God who constantly holds you up when you make Him the true Center of you life. 
Roberta Pledge
3/9/12

Today's Thoughts...When You Walk With God...

·         When you walk with God, each day holds surprises you cannot even imagine.  Consider each day a precious, unrepeatable adventure that you alone will live.  Watch closely for His hand and follow where He leads.  Know He is close and watching your heart (Romans 8:39).  If you feel empty, fill each hole and crevice of your being up with Him, knowing the love you want to show others will reflect off His presence there.  Allow your weaknesses to become your strengths, but always be aware of the fact that:

Whatever you think you aren’t …watch closely for,

Whatever you “have under control”…wait for its’ return,

For whatever you have “mastered” is your personal area of weakness,

And whatever you would “never do” is the very thing Satan will lay in your path!

("Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." 1 Cor. 10:12)

CS Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, describes pride as the “great sin…through which the devil became the devil.”  He also states that, “there is no fault…which we are more unconscious of in ourselves” and describes it as a “spiritual cancer (that) eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense. “  He believes that “As long as you are proud you cannot know God… (for) as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”  We must each look daily on our hearts, realizing our areas of weakness for “If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.”  (Lewis, pages 121-128) We must all watch closely to stand guard each day, filling ourselves up with God, for this is a day to cherish that will never be repeated. (Ps. 118:24, "This is the day that the Lord has made...")

Roberta Pledge
1/24/12

As usual...more than an ear full!!

MALCHUS…where did he end up???

Often reading the Bible I run across passages that make me wonder, ‘just what happened next?’  Like, Malchus…exactly where did he end up?   What went through his mind, where were his loyalties, what were his actions following that heaven and earth changing day when Jesus was arrested in the gardens of Gethsemane?  I just have to wonder!

Maybe the name Malchus does not strike a bell, but you will surely remember him…he was a servant of the high priest, who on that day had but one mission…to find and arrest our Savior.  Many people were with him, bearing clubs and swords, including Judas Iscariot, bearing a kiss to identify, betray, and condemn Jesus.  As they moved forward to arrest Him, impulsive, protective Peter, friend to our Lord reacted.  He immediately drew his sword and swung it and Malchus’ ear was never quite the same again!   Peter’s sword landed on Malchus’ ear and Malchus’ ear landed on the ground!  Now we may see pictures or try to visualize this, but are we looking at the whole picture?  There is so much going on…many people shouting and upset, but definitely the loudest scream and the most physically violent picture at that particular point had to be Malchus! 

This event is recorded in all of our four Gospels, but only John (18:10, 11) identifies Peter and Malchus by name and only Luke assures us that all ended well with Malchus’ ear being healed by Jesus (Luke 22:51).  As we read these passages, we are most likely focused on something other than Malchus.  There is a huge crowd, an apostle betraying our Lord for thirty pieces of silver, our Lord waiting for His delivery to His impending death, and His followers, who just moments before could not even stay awake to provide companionship to our Lord in this dark hour. 

This one soldier in the midst of all of this carries little weight in our eyes.  We are focused and anxious for our Lord.  If it was a play we would probably cheer when Peter is bold enough to draw his sword and show some wrath.  Malchus and his ear are the least of our worries…but our Lord, who has just prayed and pleaded for His life, cares.  He cares, he cares, he cares…he doesn’t walk away from the pain filled screams of Malchus, but cares enough to stop and heal him.  And with that one gesture of love from the One who is the very definition of Love, Malchus, servant to the high priest, was changed forever. 

That brings me to my point of wonder.  Exactly what does it do to you when, just as you are coming to take hold and arrest Him, the very one who has created your world and everything in it touches your face and heals you?   How do you feel from that point forward in your life?  Did Malchus’ loyalties change?  Was he immediately aware of the fact that an ear on the ground one minute and back on your head the next had to be a miracle?  Or that the One who performed the miracle was, indeed, not an ordinary person?  Or that he was involved in apprehending someone who may, in fact, be exactly who He claimed to be; the living, breathing Son of God?  I wonder if he changed from that day forward, if he became a follower of Christ, if he lived out the rest of his life telling the story of the one who changed his course on that very day, or if he simply went back to living his life as he always had. 

As I wonder about Malchus, not knowing the answer, I have to realize that very likely it did not change his life.  I hope that it would, but just as Malchus was physically touched by our Lord, many are spiritually touched by Him through His Word daily without being changed.  God has given us this story along with thousands of others to change our lives, but yet we often just turn away and live our lives as though we deserve to have our ear healed, or our soul saved, and fail to do our part.  We get so caught up in being a “servant to the high priest,” that we fail to be a servant to our High Priest.  Look at Malchus’ ear, look into Christ’s healing heart, and make your choice, no matter what Malchus' choice was, to change YOUR life because it has been touched by the Hand of Love.

Roberta Pledge

1/11/12

What AM I supposed to look like??

I can get very confused about what I am supposed to look like.  While it’s easy to say I’m not supposed to look like the world (“Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed, by the renewing of your mind…” Romans 12:2), that I am supposed to look different and set apart, it is confusing to know where that line lies that sets me too far apart from the world, the line where I am not able to minister as I should.   If I am considered a “weirdo” (hush!) then I won’t be able to lead others or point them to the Way.  Where do I draw this invisible line of “setting myself apart?  ”Too ‘much’ world leaves me ineffective, but, yet, so does too ‘little’! 

There is certainly no doubt that this invisible line cannot, MUST not, be drawn and colored with sin.  Oh, I will sin, that is promised, but deliberate, intentional, habitual sin is not what a Christian is to look like.  If you look at me and see blaring sin, I am failing terribly in my attempts to be Christ-like.  He, of course, was sinless and if I am striving to look like Him, you will not notice my sin at first glance.  The two simply do not go hand-in-hand.

Another thing I would not want jumping out when you first look at me is my occupation.  I am in this world to do one thing and that is to point you toward the world beyond it.  Unless my chosen occupation is being a full time minister, if you meet me and see only my occupation, I am not doing a very good job of looking different.  The one person who has probably been the greatest example to me of this was Jesse Pinckley.  When I first met Mr. Pinckley, he was not only my college roommate’s dad, but the Mayor….the MAYOR…of Huntingdon, TN.  I had never so much as met a mayor of any city or town, much less spent the night in their home!  But if you knew Jesse Pinckley, you knew that being the Mayor was not at the top of his priority list.  He was a great dad, friend, husband, business partner, employee, but, more than that, he was one of the most loving Christians I have ever met on this earth.  Love oozed out of him, kindness was written on his face, and his giving spirit continued throughout his entire life and even after his death. 

I can get so caught up in family…they are “bone-of-my-bone” and “flesh-of-my-flesh”…but you should not see only my family when you look at me.  I must be recognized as being more that “Monica’s mom” or “Mark’s wife” or “Helen’s daughter”.  I also need not get so caught up in friends or hobbies or sports that one of those ends up being what I am known for.

You must see Christ in me first.  It has been said, “Whatever you worship will become your god.”  While we are quick to agree with this statement when it is a sin overtaking someone, we sometimes don’t see it as easily when we are worshipping our occupation, family, hobbies, sports, or anything else that stands between ourselves and God.  Colossians 3:2-2 states, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”   From this the conclusion is drawn that if I am in Christ, looking like Christ, acting Christ-like, hidden in Christ, that I will also be hidden in God.  And we all know what God looks like.  Not that we have seen Him with our eyes, but if we make a habit of seeking Him, we have seen Him with our hearts.  Our Christ-like hearts recognize God immediately.  1 John 4:7-8, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 

That is my total and complete answer to the question, “what am I supposed to look like?” I am supposed to look like LOVE. You should immediately see it when you meet me, think of it when you think of me, and want it when you see me wearing it.  It is so simple, yet, even if I am able to squeeze into it, I cannot always wear it all day long.  It can be so fleeting that I am not even aware when it has been replaced.  Yet I continue to strive to be “steadfast, immovable, always abounding” (I Cor. 15:58) in God, I know that I must watch to make sure that when it leaves I quickly put it back on (“Above all things clothe yourself with LOVE which binds us in perfect harmony.” Col. 3:14 ).   As I set goals for the coming year, first and foremost, is the goal of looking like love…clothing myself with it and wearing it until it is so comfortable, that I am uncomfortable when I take it off!

Roberta Pledge

12/27/11

SILENCE IS (NOT ALWAYS) GOLDEN...

Spending almost a month with extreme hoarseness, including two weeks of trying not to talk at all, gave me a whole different way to look at “be careful what you pray for.”  I had been walking around with “keep your mouth shut!” written on my hand for three days just prior to my condition and I was right in the middle of trying to take to heart James 1:26 (if you think you are religious and can’t keep your mouth shut, you are deceiving yourself and are useless).  When others would ask me what was wrong, I would whisper “James 1:26”!

The thing I missed the most, of course, was teaching my 3 year olds on Sunday morning.  Last Sunday was my first Sunday back and I quickly remembered why I had missed them.  It was a fiasco of a class with one coming in crying and a large class of eight, but they were still such a joy to teach.  The highlight of the class was the funny thing that happened just before the prayer.  It was a true test of using a teaching moment and not saying the wrong thing.  One of my Princes stated, totally stone-faced and simply sharing information, “It’s gonna be stinkin’ during this prayer because I just pooted.”  I simply said, as I stifled the hilarity of the moment, “there are some things we keep quiet about and don’t share with others and that is one of them,” and continued with our prayer song.  Possibly a test to see how much I had learned in my month of silence!

I do not make a secret of struggling to control my tongue….there is simply no reason to…that way others help me and tell me when I need to keep quiet.  I try to constantly look at myself and make changes, although I certainly wish that I could learn this lesson and be done with it!

LOOKING AT MYSELF

I should take a moment, if I’m looking at your flaws,

I should take a moment, to see my own because…

If I’m taking time to look at all the qualities you lack,

I’m just passing by my mirror and never looking back.

If I hear things about you, that I don’t think are right,

I shouldn’t stand and judge you, or let it lead us to a fight.

If I find myself about to say something better left unsaid,

I need to stop and think, or say something nice instead.

For life is way too short to watch how others play their cards,

And time is better spent cleaning our own backyards,

For there is truly only one over which we have control,

And working on ourself, alone, can be a fulltime goal.

So the next time you are tempted to try to change another,

Remember they are just like you and treat them as a brother.

Spend some time in prayer for them, let them know you care.

Try to show Christ’s love to them, and as a friend be there.

Roberta Pledge

12/8/11

DAD'S SPAGHETTI BIB

One of the most vivid memories of my early childhood was frequently going to the neighborhood Italian restaurant to eat dinner with my parents.  I remember the red checkered tablecloths, the mini jukeboxes in each booth playing an endless selection of favorite songs, and the wonderful aroma of the Italian sauces cooking. 

My Dad would most often order their specialty, spaghetti and meatballs.  When they would bring his plate to the table they would generously add the parmesan cheese and then they would do something that I always found amusing…they would tie an oversized white bib around his neck.  I would usually order a club sandwich, so no bib for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching my Dad, wearing that huge bib, eat his large order of spaghetti and meatballs.

The bib, of course, was to keep the rich red sauce from splattering on his crisp, white shirt as he ate.  As a child, the idea of the bib was humorous to me because I associated bibs with babies.  Babies, who could care less about stains, are bibbed to keep their clothing clean while they are eating.  We want our clothing to be clean and unspotted; therefore we often take steps to prevent stains.

James 1 is filled with so many lessons…it is hard to take them all in.  For the most part, they are not easily implemented lessons.  Joy in trials, asking in faith, fading riches, enduring temptation, stopping sin, avoiding wrath, planting the Word, looking honestly at ourselves, and bridling our tongue are the main ideas James touches on. 

He ends this chapter with the very last verse giving us the key to “pure and undefiled religion.”  It may sound simple, but really it is huge.  “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble (easy enough!), and to KEEP ONESELF UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD.”  Wow… “unspotted from the world”??  We live in the world, we walk in the world, and we work and go to school in the world…how can we keep ourselves from the world?

How often have you been eating out at a restaurant in nice clothing and gotten a spot on your shirt?  What do you immediately do?  Dab it with your ice water, excuse yourself and go to the restroom and try to remove the spot before it sets.  When you get home, if any of it is left, you take further steps to remove the residue.  All for one little spot!  The idea is to remove it quickly and immediately.   

There is a key to keeping ourselves “unspotted from the world” in both the spaghetti bib and the spot removal process.   If we take preparations beforehand to cover ourselves, much like the bib, with God’s Word and protect ourselves from the temptations that come our way, we are much less likely to become “spotted” by sin.  However, as hard as we try, we are human and we will sin.  If we are diligent in removing each small individual spot of sin as it comes into our lives we are much more likely to “remain unspotted.” 

Sometimes though we may find ourselves in a position where the “spotting” from the world is so large that it seems impossible to correct.  In times like this we may just give in to Satan and feel that we are “ruined,” that there is no use in overcoming our sin because it is so large it will be impossible to rid our lives of it.  This is truly a lie of Satan.  While it is possible for our clothing to become so stained that it is unsalvageable, our lives, covered in sin, never are! 

Christ’s blood, which we come in contact with through our baptism and obedience to His Word, is always cleansing us from sin.  “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His son cleanses us from all sin.  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:7-9.  Though we cannot live unspotted, sinless lives, we can always be cleansed from our sins through Jesus Christ.

The “pure and undefiled religion” that James points us towards is attainable with God’s grace and our diligence.  Cover yourself with the “bib” of God’s Word, work daily to remove the “spots” that overtake you, and pray often to see your distractions to stop them before they become the stains of sin.  Know that "spots" of sin will get past any "bib" you may try to wear...but that God's grace and Christ's blood are always working to help you "keep yourself unspotted"! 

Roberta Pledge 11/16/11

1/2 DOZEN PRINCES, A PRINCESS, AND AN ANSWERED PRAYER

About a year ago we began praying every week in our three year old Bible class for a very special person.  Jack, living at that time in China, was to be soon adopted by Bria’s family and she would not let a Sunday go by without our class praying for him.  If I forgot to mention him, she would quietly whisper his name during the prayer to remind me, or she would say afterwards, “You forgot Jack!” to which I would quickly add a P.S. to our prayer.  Bria would also make an extra take-home for him each time we made anything and if she drew a picture of her family, he was always included.  Bria was a constant reminder in the “accept they become as little children” statement of Christ…she believed in prayer and that God would absolutely, without a doubt, send this brother to live with her family.

Though Bria has now moved up to the four year old class, this past Sunday morning was a very special day for us.  Jack was in our Bible class for the very first time!  How precious it was to have the answer to our prayers sitting with us and to watch him try to sing along with songs he didn’t understand the words to.  He sat quietly the whole time and it was truly hard to keep my eyes off him as I taught, knowing he was with us only through love, prayer, and the Hand of God.  Jack has the blessing of three big sisters and a loving family that will always try to steer him in the direction of God.  And we are all blest to see an answered prayer walking in our midst.

Our class is very simple and repetitive.  We work hard to simply teach these young children that the Bible is the Word of God and the true value of that fact.  We also learn that prayer is talking to God and that God loves for us to talk to Him.  We are very close to being able to sing the books of the Old Testament and, with Laney’s example, the boys are starting to all bring their Bibles to class.  I have started showing them words like “Old Testament” and “Genesis” in their own Bibles and they will now say, “show me the words in my Bible!”  My only goal with this very young group is to teach them to love God’s Word, to love to talk with Him in prayer, and to learn some simple Bible stories that make God "real" to them.  After all...isn't that all any of us need to know, believe, and understand.  They, at age three, are all learning these lessons well!

The blessings of this single hour each week are limitless…we laugh, learn, listen, talk, pray, play, and most of all love during our hour together.  They say we now have seventeen babies in our twelve month and under class…seventeen!  How wonderful it will be to have seventeen three year olds when our time comes!  I don’t know quite how we will manage, but am so thrilled at the idea of having so many children to teach and love.  God has blessed our Great Oaks church family so richly…may He be glorified in all that we do!

Roberta Pledge

11/9/11