REAL VS. FAKE

 Psalms 32 gives us a quick synopsis of what is real vs. what is fake.  It begins by telling us that a happy person is a forgiven person, and that owning up and being real are what leads to forgiveness.  The opposite, hiding sin and being fake, we can assume will lead straight to the opposite, unhappiness.  This short chapter written by David outlines four basic results of each of these lifestyles. 

·         When we are fake:

1.       We are weak.  Verses 3 and 4 describe this weakness as coming from “deep inside” to the point of causing moaning.  The heat of a summer day can be stifling, leaving you exhausted.  This weakness caused by keeping things to ourselves and being outwardly fake is compared to the frailty caused by fatiguing heat.

2.       Guilt consumes us.  We have lives to live and work to do, but guilt can be paralyzing and leave us with little energy to accomplish anything.

3.       Happiness is fleeting.  We may experience happiness for a brief while, but guilt is always lurking in the shadows, making true happiness is impossible.

4.       Troubles overwhelm us.  Verse 10 states that “wicked people have many troubles.”  Any trouble is too much trouble, but “many troubles” are overpowering!

·         When we are real:

1.       Our guilt is forgiven and we are happy.  With the absence of guilt, true happiness is within our reach! 

2.       Troubles will not reach us or have their full brunt.  Verse 6b-7 states “…when troubles rise like a flood, they will not reach them.  You are my hiding place.  You protect me from my troubles and fill me with songs of salvation.”  This world will always have its trouble, but the knowledge that God is working always for our good keeps our troubles from being overwhelming.

3.       The Lord will give us wisdom and guide us.  Verse 8 and 9 tell this in the best possible way, “I will make you wise and show you where to go.  I will guide you and watch over you.  So don’t be like a horse or donkey, that doesn’t understand.  They must be led with bits and reins, or they will not come near you.”

4.       The Lord’s love surrounds us.  This chapter concludes with the promise that “the Lord’s love surrounds those who trust Him” (vs. 10).  

Confessing our sin, getting real with God and those we have hurt, will bring us to a life spent knowing God’s glory and love.  Growing and maintaining a relationship with our Creator will give earthly peace that cannot be accomplished any other way.  Fake is foolish in that no one will be fooled for long and God will never be fooled…He sees and know all.  Get REAL!

Roberta Pledge

8/2/12

The Assignment

There is an attraction to shining stars.  In the blackest sky, their brilliance is a remarkable sight.  

While the room filled up with teenage girls, the reason for our being there is explained, the assignment simple…sit silently in total darkness for several minutes and observe your feeling.  The ceiling, floor, and walls were all black and, as the lights were dimmed, blackness flooded the room.  As my eyes began to adjust, I started noticing tiny lights sprinkled among us.  The dial of an iridescent watch, the keys of a cell phone, and other minute lights, which would not even be noticed in a normally lit room, were seen all around.  As I tried to focus on the darkness, my mind and eyes kept returning to those small pockets of light scattered about that large room. 

Suddenly it dawned on me that we, as Christians, are to be those tiny strewn lights in this dark sin-filled world.  For those in the world who do not have Christ, our lights are to shine for them as indicators pointing the way to hope.  Because we sit so close to Christ, we may not notice the absolute darkness of our world or our own individual brightness, but those who are searching in the total darkness of this world should be attracted to the glimmer of our light. 

There is an attraction to shining stars.  In the blackest sky, their brilliance is a remarkable sight.  “You will be God’s children…but you are living with crooked and mean people all around you, among whom you shine like stars in the dark world.” Phil. 2:15

Bad From Good???

 “I will take the bad and make good…”  “There is no way to make good from bad,” I think “no way!”  “YOU CALL THAT FAITH?”  As always, I am looking through earthly eyes, and You are looking through Your Heavenly Eyes.  “Count it all JOY when you fall into trials” (James 1:2) and “In EVERYTHING give thanks” (I Thess. 5:18) can seem utterly impossible from a human standpoint, but through God’s eyes they are the easiest road to Him.  His Wisdom is infinite…no, no, no….His Wisdom is exceedingly, abundantly infinite, because He can give “exceedingly, abundantly more” than I can “ask or think” (Eph. 3:21). 

Life is much like a roller coaster ride, when you are climbing the hill all is quiet and calm, but then there is the moment when you realize the calmness is ending and you are so less than calm and quiet.  You know you are safe inside that little car, but it is no less a scary ride.  God is much like our little car and we are safe in Him.  He will protect us and guide us through every dip and turn.  He will bring us closer through the scary parts and show us His protection.  He will not leave us, and as long as we remain with Him, He will hold us in His protective Hands no matter what this earth puts in our path.

Roberta Pledge

7/10/12

Peace...It IS Perfect!

      Trying to get through a day without peace is a little like trying to eat a piece of pie without the sugar …you can definitely tell something has been left out!  The pie is bitter, rather than the sweet you were expecting, and you immediately know an important step was overlooked.  Most often, when a day is lacking peace, it is because an important step has been overlooked.  

Our chaotic lives can often leave us feeling out of control and fearful. No matter how turbulent our day may be going, remember the voice of our Savior on the stormy sea as He spoke the simple words, “Peace, be still.”  This is the same Savior we have in our lives.  If we think He is sleeping and not providing for us, it is simply because we have not taken the time to communicate with Him.

When you lose something and search for it, immediately upon finding it, you realize it was there all along.  The same is true with the Peace that God offers us.  It is always there, even when it is missing from our lives.  We may be searching for peace in many other places, but we will only find it in Him.  When we finally look in the right place, we realize it was there all along!

Roberta Pledge

5/8/2012

HERITAGE



Robbie Blankenship Gwinn



Genealogies and ancestries are a huge interest to many.  Searching back through old family photos and keepsakes give us a feeling of being grounded in the past and help us realize our own importance to the future.  We do many things to make a statement about our lives, and our past has a huge influence on own identities and the paths we take in life.  My personal heritage is grounded in faith…a faith I have chosen to hold dear in my life and to pass on to my children and hopefully their children.

In Psalms 61:5, David states, “You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.”  What a blessing it is to have a heritage that you are born into that fears and loves God and strives to be obedient to His Will!  Where would I, personally, be without that?  Would I have found my way to God?  Would I have married a Christian and had the goal of Heaven for both my family and me?  I, thankfully, will never know the answer to these questions.  One of my fondest memories of my Grandmother, other than sitting beside her in church, is hearing her tell me after I went off to college that she prayed for me every day.  I have never forgotten those words because, like David, they remind me that my own heritage was one that feared God’s name.  What a blessing to have a heritage in the Lord...if you don't have one, it is the perfect time to start creating one!

Roberta Pledge

4/18/12

I MISS...

I MISS…

I miss t-ball games, puzzles to work,

Long walks, and visits to the park.

I miss helping with baths in a tub full of toys,

After playing outside until dark.

I miss self-constructed lemonade stands,

And a house filled with friends to the brim.

I miss long summer days with nothing to do,

But watching the kids play and swim.

Others always said those years would fly by,

Although in the middle, it’s impossible to see,

I was always busy taking care of so much,

And doctoring at least one skinned knee!

When I look at photos of days gone by,

I remember many blessings of my past,

I wish I could walk backwards, revisit a few,

And make a few moments last.

I can’t read those books to those same little ears,

I can’t see the smiles on each face,

I know that those years will never return,

But sweet memories they cannot erase.

So cherish each moment, know they are few,

Don’t get bogged down with each chore,

For time will pass by and babies grow up,

Before you blink, they walk out the door.

For Mason,

the best son and dad anyone could ever have

12/11

Love, Mom

Roberta Pledge
3/19/12

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