Imagine you are disabled or elderly and unable to work. You are alone in this world with no family to help you. The government gives you somewhere between $600 and $800 each month to live on and maybe some food stamps. After your monthly expenses you have about nothing left for discretionary items let alone things like toiletries and laundry soap which food stamps do not pay for. Picture in your mind how you would look without soap and shampoo at your disposal. Think about how your clothes would look without laundry detergent. Most of all, think about how you would smell.
My amazing church is full of people like this every week. People that don't have enough, people that are hurting and most of all people that smell. On any given Sunday, especially in the summer, the smell of our sanctuary can be a little overwhelming. We give out toiletries once a month to the people who come to church. Today was toiletry day. Unfortunately, one woman who needed the toiletries the most, almost left without them. That happened, because even in a place like Pottstown Bible Church, no one could stand her smell.
This dear, sweet woman is not homeless. She is one of those people I asked you to imagine. In addition to being physically disabled, she is also mentally disabled. She is one of the weakest in society with no one to care for her and today she smelled. This is a lady who comes to church every week and has never smelled like this before. Now, I don't know if she will ever come back, because she was driven away by people that came to church to worship God but couldn't deal with it.
I know that our church preached God's Word and God's Love to the fullest today, but I also know that our congregation did not have the ears to hear it or the nose to smell it today. The Bible says that when we share the knowledge of Christ, there is a smell... a fragrance. It says that to God we are "the aroma of Christ" and that to some we smell like death and to others we smell like life. (II Corinthians 2:14-16 NIV) In the Old Testament, God says over and over again that the Israelite's worship and sacrifice was a pleasing aroma to him. I'm wondering what God smelled today. I have a feeling it wasn't that poor woman's odor.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Don't Wait for Valentine's Day
I know Valentine's Day has been over for a week now, but I've been a little busy. Busy with work, busy with the kids and busy working on my marriage. In August, I will be married for twenty years. Some days it seems like I just got married yesterday and other days it seems like it has been an eternity. My husband and I are complete opposites. He is a complete type A personality. He likes order and discipline and it shows in everything he does. I don't think they made a one letter personality type for me, three letters maybe like ADD. Chaos abounds in my life and in the way I do things, sometimes I hide it well and other times it is quite obvious. It is mostly obvious to my darling husband. My husband pops out of bed like a cork in the morning, I hit the snooze button at least twice before I drag myself out of the covers. My husband likes to be out and about, I prefer my home. He is very direct, I beat around the bush. He insists on doing everything right away and I am a procrastinator. I love sports, he tolerates them for the sake of his children. We agree about many things, but rarely get to the same conclusion in the same way. I could probably add a hundred more differences but will spare you the monotony. Not exactly a match made in heaven is probably what you are thinking right about now.
Well, that would be a wrong assumption. After almost twenty years of marriage, we apparently are still crazy about each other. I really love my husband more now than when we were first married and can't imagine life without him. We do not have a fairy tale marriage because life is not a fairy tale. Life is messy and complicated and we are so far from perfect. We do have a happy marriage. I truly believe that one of the reasons we are happy is because we work on our marriage. All the time, not just when things are rough. We don't wait around for Valentine's Day or our anniversary to act like we care. I am not a marriage expert, but feel it's the right time of year to share some of the things we do to keep our marriage and our feelings for each other strong.
1. Spend time alone together. I know this is easier said than done, but it is our number one thing. At some point during the week we try to get away just the two of us. Some days it means going to our room and locking the door. It might mean a quick bite to eat at Subway or a stroll around Walmart or the mall. It might mean a real date with dinner and a movie. Every now and then it means a complete get away over night. The last one takes some planning and saving but it is so worth it.
2. Remove the "D" word from your vocabulary. There are many reasons why people get divorced and not mentioning it may not solve every problem. That being said, making a commitment to not divorcing and not threatening with it certainly helps. My husband and I know that if we have an argument, disagreement or even a full scale war, we will resolve it somehow. We do not view divorce as an option; instead we work on overcoming our differences. (disclaimer: my husband and I are not abusive to each other, we are not ax murderers or drug dealers, and we are faithful to each other. I do understand that there are situations where divorce is unavoidable)
3. Have a common purpose or cause. In our case, we have more than one. The first is raising our children. The second is we share the same faith and belief in God. The third is our commitment to helping others by ministering in a church for hurting and homeless people. We both want the best for our children and though our parenting styles are different, we are committed to raising them together. Our faith and beliefs encourage us in our marriage. We are living for something bigger than ourselves. By ministering together we have found that our differences actually complement each other. We balance each other out quite nicely.
4. Do not try to change your spouse. Chances are your spouse has some really irritating habits and flaws in their personality. Guess what? So do you. Every person on the planet does. If you continuously focus on the things that you can't stand about your spouse or the things that you wish they would change, you will very quickly forget about what made them so great in the beginning. Nagging, whining and complaining will not make someone change. If anything it will make them more stubborn. I think if we are honest with ourselves, what we want is to be totally accepted for who we are, warts and all. Usually getting this starts with us being accepting of others for who they are warts and all, especially our spouse who we love more than anyone else. (disclaimer: again I am not talking about abuse, infidelity or any kind of criminal activity - if you have a spouse that is engaged in any of that type of behavior, you have every right to demand a change)
5. Think of your marriage as an investment. I am not financially savvy, but I do understand that the more money I put into my savings account, the more money I will have in the future. I think the same principle applies to marriage. The more time, effort , money and love you invest into your marriage, the more it will yield in the future. This especially goes for couples with children. It is easy to forgo dating once children are in the picture, but you have to keep in mind that one day your children will leave you. They are supposed to do that. Your spouse however should still be there. No longer having children to care for removes a common mission that you share with your spouse. There needs to be other things that bring you together. And yes, I did say to invest money into your marriage. You can often tell what is important to someone by looking at what they spend their money on. Put money aside for dates and get away if you are able. Every now and then splurge on something that will bring joy to your spouse. I am sure that when you were dating your spouse, money was spent on making sure you had fun together, money spent on making sure that you KNEW that you were cared about and loved. Don't stop know just because you are married! Do it all the more because you ARE married!
There are a few more things that I am sure could be added to the list but these are definitely the top five. If you have some great ideas about making a marriage work, or if you think I've left out something really important, feel free to comment.
Well, that would be a wrong assumption. After almost twenty years of marriage, we apparently are still crazy about each other. I really love my husband more now than when we were first married and can't imagine life without him. We do not have a fairy tale marriage because life is not a fairy tale. Life is messy and complicated and we are so far from perfect. We do have a happy marriage. I truly believe that one of the reasons we are happy is because we work on our marriage. All the time, not just when things are rough. We don't wait around for Valentine's Day or our anniversary to act like we care. I am not a marriage expert, but feel it's the right time of year to share some of the things we do to keep our marriage and our feelings for each other strong.
1. Spend time alone together. I know this is easier said than done, but it is our number one thing. At some point during the week we try to get away just the two of us. Some days it means going to our room and locking the door. It might mean a quick bite to eat at Subway or a stroll around Walmart or the mall. It might mean a real date with dinner and a movie. Every now and then it means a complete get away over night. The last one takes some planning and saving but it is so worth it.
2. Remove the "D" word from your vocabulary. There are many reasons why people get divorced and not mentioning it may not solve every problem. That being said, making a commitment to not divorcing and not threatening with it certainly helps. My husband and I know that if we have an argument, disagreement or even a full scale war, we will resolve it somehow. We do not view divorce as an option; instead we work on overcoming our differences. (disclaimer: my husband and I are not abusive to each other, we are not ax murderers or drug dealers, and we are faithful to each other. I do understand that there are situations where divorce is unavoidable)
3. Have a common purpose or cause. In our case, we have more than one. The first is raising our children. The second is we share the same faith and belief in God. The third is our commitment to helping others by ministering in a church for hurting and homeless people. We both want the best for our children and though our parenting styles are different, we are committed to raising them together. Our faith and beliefs encourage us in our marriage. We are living for something bigger than ourselves. By ministering together we have found that our differences actually complement each other. We balance each other out quite nicely.
4. Do not try to change your spouse. Chances are your spouse has some really irritating habits and flaws in their personality. Guess what? So do you. Every person on the planet does. If you continuously focus on the things that you can't stand about your spouse or the things that you wish they would change, you will very quickly forget about what made them so great in the beginning. Nagging, whining and complaining will not make someone change. If anything it will make them more stubborn. I think if we are honest with ourselves, what we want is to be totally accepted for who we are, warts and all. Usually getting this starts with us being accepting of others for who they are warts and all, especially our spouse who we love more than anyone else. (disclaimer: again I am not talking about abuse, infidelity or any kind of criminal activity - if you have a spouse that is engaged in any of that type of behavior, you have every right to demand a change)
5. Think of your marriage as an investment. I am not financially savvy, but I do understand that the more money I put into my savings account, the more money I will have in the future. I think the same principle applies to marriage. The more time, effort , money and love you invest into your marriage, the more it will yield in the future. This especially goes for couples with children. It is easy to forgo dating once children are in the picture, but you have to keep in mind that one day your children will leave you. They are supposed to do that. Your spouse however should still be there. No longer having children to care for removes a common mission that you share with your spouse. There needs to be other things that bring you together. And yes, I did say to invest money into your marriage. You can often tell what is important to someone by looking at what they spend their money on. Put money aside for dates and get away if you are able. Every now and then splurge on something that will bring joy to your spouse. I am sure that when you were dating your spouse, money was spent on making sure you had fun together, money spent on making sure that you KNEW that you were cared about and loved. Don't stop know just because you are married! Do it all the more because you ARE married!
There are a few more things that I am sure could be added to the list but these are definitely the top five. If you have some great ideas about making a marriage work, or if you think I've left out something really important, feel free to comment.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Baby It's Cold Outside
I found an update on facebook today for Pottstown's Ministries at Main Street. This is the ministry that runs the winter shelter for those who have no where to go. I have included the link for their newsletter and it says everything that needs to be said. Please consider donating to keep those without homes safe and sheltered through these winter months.
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/The-Ministries-at-MAIN-St-Shelter-eNews---February-2013.html?soid=1011336115007&aid=L5RA44R0hKk
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/The-Ministries-at-MAIN-St-Shelter-eNews---February-2013.html?soid=1011336115007&aid=L5RA44R0hKk
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
The Art of Complaining
I think I have made complaining a new form of art. It is quite a thing to behold. I think I could replace the commercial that says "There's an app for that" to "There's a complaint for that". If the dishes don't magically clean themselves, if my well and able-bodied children don't jump at the opportunity to do their own laundry, if my incredibly witty plans don't match up with the hubby's ideas, and on and on and on goes my list. I could probably list over a hundred things right now that just don't suit me at the moment and feel pretty justified in doing so.
Most of these things I would never voice out loud, because guess what? Did I mention that I can't stand people who complain all the time???? I know, right? Aren't they just the most obnoxious people that you can't wait to get away from??? People that just can't be happy no matter what drive me nuts, but somehow my own complaints which only myself and God can hear are o.k. with me. Probably not to God, but sometimes I actually enjoy a good complaining fest.
Every now and then, God puts a stop to my beautiful collage of complaints and he did that for me today. I woke up with the sore throat and cough that all my other family members have been suffering through for the past month. I woke up to dishes that didn't magically do themselves over night. I loaded the dishwasher without a complaint (out loud that is) and went to close the door and the latch wouldn't shut. I tried again and it wouldn't shut. This meant that my dishwasher wasn't going to run and my dishes were definitely not going to be magically cleaned! I put my head against the counter and was ready to have a good old fashioned pity fest. Then I felt God remind me of the news that I first woke up to.
Every morning my hubby turns on the morning news around 6 am. The gentle noise gradually brings me out of my sleep. This morning it was all about the deep freeze that has over taken our area and a good portion of the country. People are dying out in the cold. I may have a cold and a dishwasher on the fritz, but for goodness sake I have a roof over my head, pipes that haven't burst and a heater that works.
Did you know that all through the book of Exodus and Numbers, God said that he could hear the Children of Israel grumble and complain? Did you know that it was also pretty obvious that God didn't like it at all? It goes without saying that God probably doesn't appreciate my complaining any better. As a matter of fact I probably get on His nerves pretty badly sometimes, but unlike the rest of polite society, He isn't afraid to tell me my artwork stinks! (Philippians 2:14 Do all things without complaining or disputing NKJV)
Most of these things I would never voice out loud, because guess what? Did I mention that I can't stand people who complain all the time???? I know, right? Aren't they just the most obnoxious people that you can't wait to get away from??? People that just can't be happy no matter what drive me nuts, but somehow my own complaints which only myself and God can hear are o.k. with me. Probably not to God, but sometimes I actually enjoy a good complaining fest.
Every now and then, God puts a stop to my beautiful collage of complaints and he did that for me today. I woke up with the sore throat and cough that all my other family members have been suffering through for the past month. I woke up to dishes that didn't magically do themselves over night. I loaded the dishwasher without a complaint (out loud that is) and went to close the door and the latch wouldn't shut. I tried again and it wouldn't shut. This meant that my dishwasher wasn't going to run and my dishes were definitely not going to be magically cleaned! I put my head against the counter and was ready to have a good old fashioned pity fest. Then I felt God remind me of the news that I first woke up to.
Every morning my hubby turns on the morning news around 6 am. The gentle noise gradually brings me out of my sleep. This morning it was all about the deep freeze that has over taken our area and a good portion of the country. People are dying out in the cold. I may have a cold and a dishwasher on the fritz, but for goodness sake I have a roof over my head, pipes that haven't burst and a heater that works.
Did you know that all through the book of Exodus and Numbers, God said that he could hear the Children of Israel grumble and complain? Did you know that it was also pretty obvious that God didn't like it at all? It goes without saying that God probably doesn't appreciate my complaining any better. As a matter of fact I probably get on His nerves pretty badly sometimes, but unlike the rest of polite society, He isn't afraid to tell me my artwork stinks! (Philippians 2:14 Do all things without complaining or disputing NKJV)
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Confession Time
Alright. I will just come out and say it. I am about 80 pounds over weight. I love food, I have had four children, and I am not good at exercising on a regular basis. Last year I found out I have high cholesterol that is high enough to warrant medication. Did I mention I'm not good at taking my medication?
Over the holidays I put back on the 12 pounds I had managed to lose last year. My left knee has been killing me and my back went out for no reason. That being said, it is time for a change.
I do not plan on making this blog about weight loss or health issues on any kind of regular basis, but I do feel that the people who I have seen have the greatest success with both of those things put themselves out there to be held accountable.
I am starting the "Shred" program. At first glance, it looks to be well balanced with lots of healthy food, frequent meals and a structured plan. It also includes exercise and focuses on lifestyle change. Please feel free to ask me how I am doing on my life style change or if I have taken my medication ( yes I did take it right before I started typing). I will post sometimes on my progress. If I never mention shredding or weight loss again on this blog, you will know I've fallen off the wagon.
www.doctoriansmith.com/books/shred-the-revolutionary-diet/
Over the holidays I put back on the 12 pounds I had managed to lose last year. My left knee has been killing me and my back went out for no reason. That being said, it is time for a change.
I do not plan on making this blog about weight loss or health issues on any kind of regular basis, but I do feel that the people who I have seen have the greatest success with both of those things put themselves out there to be held accountable.
I am starting the "Shred" program. At first glance, it looks to be well balanced with lots of healthy food, frequent meals and a structured plan. It also includes exercise and focuses on lifestyle change. Please feel free to ask me how I am doing on my life style change or if I have taken my medication ( yes I did take it right before I started typing). I will post sometimes on my progress. If I never mention shredding or weight loss again on this blog, you will know I've fallen off the wagon.
www.doctoriansmith.com/books/shred-the-revolutionary-diet/
Friday, January 4, 2013
Christmas All the Time
Every year at Christmas time, I have the blessing of being able to give away a lot of things that people need, a lot of food people need, and a lot of money that people need. I have the privilege of being the Pastor's wife of Pottstown Bible Church and during the Christmas season, people come out of the wood work wanting to help/donate to those that are less fortunate than themselves. Pottstown Bible Church is home to many of Pottstown's more unfortunate people.
It is so much fun to see the surprised look on someone's face when you hand them a gift card out of the blue or to be able to put extra in someone's weekly bag of food because there is extra to give. To be able to tell someone that we can help get their car repaired, or pay an electric bill. To see children in need being blessed by toys, books, clothing and coats. Even a child who lives half way across the state whose mother found us on the internet. I wish it was Christmas all the time, because these people who get blessed at Christmas have needs all year long. Poverty doesn't go away because someone has donated at Christmas time. Poverty is always there.
I didn't always feel that way. Even after becoming a Christian, I still lived my life in a way where I had no money, no time and no desire to help anyone but myself. God changed my heart the day Pottstown Bible Church opened. I am so thankful that God opened my eyes and that I am able to be in a role where I am surrounded by those who are needy. It reminds me how fortunate I am. It makes me think twice before I add to my own collection of "stuff" which has no heavenly value. It helps me to keep my heart and my hands open. It reminds me to be generous all the time, not just at Christmas.
It is so much fun to see the surprised look on someone's face when you hand them a gift card out of the blue or to be able to put extra in someone's weekly bag of food because there is extra to give. To be able to tell someone that we can help get their car repaired, or pay an electric bill. To see children in need being blessed by toys, books, clothing and coats. Even a child who lives half way across the state whose mother found us on the internet. I wish it was Christmas all the time, because these people who get blessed at Christmas have needs all year long. Poverty doesn't go away because someone has donated at Christmas time. Poverty is always there.
I didn't always feel that way. Even after becoming a Christian, I still lived my life in a way where I had no money, no time and no desire to help anyone but myself. God changed my heart the day Pottstown Bible Church opened. I am so thankful that God opened my eyes and that I am able to be in a role where I am surrounded by those who are needy. It reminds me how fortunate I am. It makes me think twice before I add to my own collection of "stuff" which has no heavenly value. It helps me to keep my heart and my hands open. It reminds me to be generous all the time, not just at Christmas.
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