Attentiveness, Learning and Guidance

Attentiveness

          When we learn to seek Christ with our whole hearts, He will begin a life long work in us to straighten out the kinks of our character and teach us valuable lessons a long the way. Sometimes however it's in ways we wouldn't expect. God uses unique ways to get our attention. It could be a bible verse that you read during church, a comment that someone says which sparks your interest, an event ( whether major or minor ) that gets you thinking, a song that you hear at just the right time or even a scene from a movie. He knows what will get us to say "Hhmm, was that a coincidence?"
  This is why we must stay attentive, and never blow anything off as coincidence. After all, if God is omniscient then He already knows what were going to think when we hear that song or listen to that sermon. And through those things ( among which reading the bible is prominent ) He speaks to our hearts.
 


      Willingness to Learn


 
   So, being attentive to God and learning how to listen to Him is easy right? Just pay attention and when He shows you something, act upon it. Sounds simple doesn't it?
   Well maybe the being attentive part is easy and simple, but it's the next part that becomes very difficult.
   If God is the potter and we are the clay, that means He's molding us, working out the impurities, smoothing out the rough spots and making us beautiful. But that doesn't always mean we're going to enjoy it. In fact I can almost guarantee that you won't.
You see, when you become a christian, you officially wage war against your flesh nature and satin himself. And you can bet that as soon as that happens the enemy is going to "give you his best shot" so to speak. He'll attack your weaknesses the most and try to bring you down in any and every way possible. And he does all this at the same time God is trying to teach you good things. Granted when we have Christ in us, we always have the power to overcome his advances, it's just a matter of choosing to. This is where the willingness to learn comes in.
   In order for God to mold us correctly we have to choose to give Him the upper hand. For example : If you are struggling with a certain flaw you have such as anger, and Christ is working on ridding you of that, it may not always happen in ways that you like. If someone were to provoke you by shoving you in line, calling you a name, pulling out in front of you when you have the right of way, or just being rude in general, when you've done nothing wrong. Your flesh nature would give you a fierce command to fight back. But you know the bible says to turn the other cheek. You also know that you've been working on not letting your temper flair up. And so you have a choice to make.
  Here's another example, more to the point of being willing to learn: We all make mistakes, were not perfect so it's inevitable. But what is our reaction when someone points out something we've done wrong? Defense.   ( just like I mentioned in the other post ) We know we've done it, we ignore the fact that we've done it and that we knew it was wrong. And now were being confronted with it. This, my friend is an excellent opportunity to grow. We can say were sorry and sincerely promise to do better, or we can deny the truth and make matters worse. But if we have a willingness to learn, most likely we'll choose the former.
  If we keep this as a key part of our mindset we will see these situations as opportunities to better ourselves instead of as a trap we can't escape.


                        
             Open to Guidance

  

   When God changes a person, it is always for the better, even though it may not feel that way at the time. But we must remember that He has our best interests at heart, He's always looking to better us and bring us closer to Him. So during the times when things are going well and we think we have it all figured out, and during the times when we are at rock bottom and have no idea what to do next, we must remember to let Him lead.
  And again, that doesn't mean we will always like where He is leading. You may have the heart of a missionary but God has plans for you to stay home and raise a family. Or you may be perfectly happy staying at home, while God has plans for you to travel the world and feed the hungry. I think a lot of people are surprised that when they choose to let God lead and control their lives they end up doing something they would have never imagined, yet they couldn't be happier with it. That happens because God knows us better than we know us.
  When we stay open to His guidance no matter where or how He leads us, we will find that our lives are much more satisfying than if we had done our own thing. And that our lives are daily bringing glory to God and drawing others nearer to Him.

Houses are going up!

Houses are going up everywhere! It's such a lovely sight to see that I couldn't help blogging about it.



The Crawford's house ( below ) is coming along nicely and while the dining hall wasn't included in the new blue prints an extension and porch have been added. And just for the sake of interest, I believe most of the walls of the basement (the room we were in during the storm) were left up, but I'm not entirely sure. The Crawfords are living in a house in Ragland right now, not far from the Valley, and hope to move into their new home by Christmas.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
  The retreat center ( right ) was the only building left standing  and in one piece on the Lee's property after the storm. It was ironically also the place they retreated to while waiting for the ambulances to arrive that night. It is now in the process of being refurnished for the Lee family to live in. And we're told they hope to move in by the end of September. Which is good because right now they live about an hour away from the valley and we all miss them. :(  Their staying in a house with plenty of room for everyone and are located right behind a field of cotton. They hope to be in their new home by the end of September.                                                                                               

These are a few pictures of the inside of the retreat center. And on another note, we've learned that two older Lee girls who were at first in wheel chairs are now doing much better. One ( Emily ) is walking on her own now and the other ( Tiffany ) just recently graduated from a walker to a cane.















   Other buildings are going up all over the Valley and while I don't know the people who will live in all of them, here are a few....

Mr Liveritt's shop was actually finished a while ago. It was amazing, they rebuilt it starting it from just a concrete slab ( all that was left from the old one ) in about three weeks. And though I don't have a picture, the Liveritt's house has now got four walls up and is being worked on at this very moment. Both of these building are on the same property as the Crawford's, Alpha Ranch.

 

Another house that was nearly destroyed and is now almost done being rebuilt. (I'm not sure who lived here?)

   There are still many sights here in the valley that you wouldn't normally see.     Staircases leading to nowhere, abandoned bridges, chimneys with no houses, concrete slabs with no house left on top of them and long stretches of land covered in nothing but trees that were broken in half by the force of the wind.

  

But still things are beginning to look much better around here. Loggers are working there way down, taking what they need and hauling it off, leaving mostly clear stretches of land.

Our local community center has been a big help, providing everything from Gatorades and snack foods to shampoo and makeup.

They've also got a cute dog that my sister loves. c :

They've got lots of water!

On another note, over in Gallant at a place called Ahava Springs a benefit concert was heald over the weekend for a family here in the Valley. And they successfully raised over $3,000. c :

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There were many skilled performers there, and the audience enjoyed gospel, and bluegrass music along with congregational singing. And by the way, if you like bluegrass music there will be a bluegrass festival at Ahava Springs on September 9th and 10th. This isn't a benefit concert though, the Carrell's who own the land and host the festivals do them twice a year. ( they'll love that I'm advertising for them  C ; ) If you'd like more information, just message me or leave a comment.

Bird houses and T-shirts were sold auction style to raise money for the family in need.

      Well, that's all for now. But can I just say that I love the "cold fronts" we've been having. Call me cliche' but I absolutely love winter and fall or more the "holiday seasons". I can't wait until cool weather is here to stay. When we can wake up on a cool crisp morning and snuggle in our blankets to drink a cup of hot chocolate (or coffee) and study God's word before the day starts. Or those bonfires late in the evening that you share with your family. Where the only things keeping you from going inside to the warmth is the blazing fire in front of you, the sticky but delicious marshmallow in your hands, and not wanting to miss spending time with your family. So as we draw closer to the last half of this year, the cool weather, the holidays and the day when everyone gets to move back home, all I can say is.
"Can't it come any faster?"

Humility

" Jesus knowing that the father had given all things into His hands and that He was come from God, and went to God. He rose from supper and laid aside His garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that He poured water into a basin and began to wash the Disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded....So after He had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, He said unto them, 'Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.'"
John 13:3-4, 12-17
   

  In the passage above Jesus is teaching a valuable lesson to His disciples at the Lord's supper. When the scripture says "He rose from supper and laid aside His garments; and took a towel, and girded himself." It is reffering to an act of humility. The disciples saw Jesus as the Son of God, their Master, and the act of picking up a towel and girding Himself with it was something that only a servant was expected to do. He then went on to wash their feet.
  Now this may seem strange to you, after all why in the world would you want to wash or even touch someone elses feet? But things were different in the time that Jesus lived, most people wore sandals or were barefooted all the time, and a lot of them had dirt floors. Plus there weren't exactly indoor showers, so I imagine peoples feet were worn and dirty quite often.
  Often when people visited their friends and family they would have to walk long distances, so it became a tradition that when someone came to visit the host would provide a basin of water for them to wash their feet in. Or in some cases if they were more honored guests the host would have their servants wash the guests feet or they would wash them themselves. It became an act representing the kindness and humility it takes to be a servant to someone else.
 When Jesus did this for His disciples He was setting the example for them, He said 'Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.' He was teaching them to be humble not only to Him, but to those around them.
   Humility is an essential tool that we must learn as Christians, and sometimes a very difficult one to learn. Because what is the opposite of humility? Pride.
  I heard someone describe pride one day, and this I think is the best definition I've ever heard for the word. Pride is the attitude of I don't deserve this. Simple right? And not exactly wrong....or is it?
Think about it, when someone points out something you've done wrong your first response is to say something like " It wasn't me." or " I did not." Even if you know that what you did was wrong. That's pride. Or worse, if your treated wrongly by someone else your reaction is I don't deserve this and you may think that to be rightfully so, because it feels right. But the bible says " There is a way that seemeth right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death." Which makes a lot of sense. Because pride leads to resentment toward others and eventually hatred. And hatred is the opposite of love, which is basically what God is all about. And worse, satin uses hatred to drive wedges between families, to cause people to do horrible things, and to ruin the person who has harbored it for so long.
  So when Jesus taught His disciples about humility, He knew it was a very important thing for them to learn. It is one of the main ingredients in having a heart of love, having a heart like the Father.
  It is essential in our relationships with those around us and with our Heavenly Father. We must constantly reexamine ourselves in reference to the word of God.
  For example, if we have done something that is wrong and we know it, whether it be as simple as telling a little white lie or as bad as robbing a bank. These sins, whether we are saved or not, put a barrier between us and our communication with the Father. Mind you I don't mean to say that we are eternally separated from Him as we were before we accepted salvation, only that God cannot look upon sin and so how can He spend time with us if there is unconfessed sin in the way? But because were all human and can't completely rid our lives of sin right now, we must remember humility. We must remember to, on a regular basis, examine ourselves and confess any sin to God that we haven't already taken care of. Then turn from that sin and ask God to help us overcome it. 
  This is the essence of how we grow in our walk with the Lord. But it takes a humble spirit to constantly admit that we were wrong. This is why Jesus set the example, not only for His disciples, but for all of us as well. So that we can improve our lives while here on earth and most importantly so that we can draw closer to and become more like our Heavenly Father.