The Pace Is Gonna Pick Up

I've been a very distracted woman the past few months, but that's about to change. I'm going to get in some serious writing time, which writing includes more frequent blogging. I'm actually working on a manuscript, so don't be surprised if I field questions to my blog once in awhile. I'll be soliciting your thoughts from time to time.

TRIBUTE TO DIANNE ODELL

The West Tennessee community-at-large, and especially the City of Brownsville, is saddened by the loss of Dianne Odell, who at age 61 passed away after a power outage and failure of a backup generator rendered the iron lung she'd lived in since age 5 inoperable. We're sad for the Odell family's loss, but Dianne is now free. She's gone to live with our Lord. Her body is now perfect and she's no longer in pain or confined to her iron prison. I can just imagine her spirit running, skipping, jumping, and singing at the top of her lungs.

While I didn't know Dianne personally, I knew of her and had heard of her many accomplishments. She accomplished more in her lifetime that some people would even accomplish in two lifetimes. She graduated Jackson High School with honors. She got a college degree from Freed-Hardeman University, and she wrote children's books. She was our local celebrity and was visited by several worldwide celebrities. She never seemed to have "poor me" moments. From what I understand, she was a ray of sunshine to everyone who had the privilege of meeting her.

Godspeed, Sister Dianne, we will miss you, but we know you will be waiting for us on the other side of eternity.

Discouragement

I can't imagine how preachers must feel when, despite their best efforts, people do not respond to God's Word. I asked God to use me as a vessel to deliver His Word to young ladies, and to help me try to restore loved ones of mine who are in a lost condition. Things seemed to go well at first, but now, it just seems I'm beating at air. There's nothing. Nada. No interest. No concern.

Today being Mother's Day, I have come to the sad reality: Apathetic parents produce apathetic children. They grow up into apathetic individuals who could care less about their eternal souls or those of their families. They make the obligatory Sunday morning visit, but their hearts aren't there even when their bodies are. You won't see hide nor hair of them at Sunday night or mid-week services. Ergo, a vicious cycle is set in motion. You can't restore someone who has a dead soul. Spiritually dead people can't raise spiritually concerned children. Their children, if they do make it to adulthood without messing over their lives during their teen and/or early adult years, will grow to not give God a second thought. He will never enter their minds, and His name will only exit their mouths in the form of blasphemy. They will depise the Lord's church and His people.

My question is this: How do you stop loving spiritually reprobate people? I don't think you can. I think you cry, pray, and fret over them until either they take their last breath or you do. I came home in a state tonight. I was so discouraged because it seems that I'm waisting my breath and precious energy. I might as well be talking to rocks. I even wondered secretly if I should move along to some other congregation.

The 23rd Psalm is supposed to help my discouragement. I'm supposed to let go and let God take over. I'm trying to. Psalm 107 is supposed to help my anxiety over loved ones, yet, right now, nothing is comforting to me. Jesus tried to save his native people, and they helped crucify him, so what makes me think I can make any difference? 2 Timothy 3 describes when everything goes from bad to worse. Verse 12 says, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." Perhaps emotional persecution is what this verse means for me. Verse 14 tells me, "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and has been assured of, knowing of whom thou has learned them."

I guess I'll keep on keepin' on until somebody puts me in a box.

Love Ya,
God Bless!

Using Your Head for Something Besides a Cap Rack

I had already read my daily devotional passages and was thumbing through my Bible. Luke intrigues me quite often. I read the first nine verses of Luke 16. You're familiar with it, I'm sure, as I am, but I never really pondered the passage as I should, or I would have learned the crux of the lesson in verse 9.

You see, there's this rich man who has a steward, or business manager, over his money. The steward is representative of Christians. We are in charge of God the Father's property while we reside here on earth. The steward in this parable had embezzeled from his employer, the rich man. His employer required him to give an accounting of his business practices. Likewise, we will also have to give an accounting of our lives to God in the Judgment. The steward in the parable found himself in a quandary. He could dig, beg, or steal. He had no intention of working, so digging was out. He was too proud to beg, but he had no qualms about stealing. The steward was a dishonest fellow, but he was still shrewd (wise). He called his boss' debtors and decreased the amount of each's debt so that they would look favorably upon him when he would shortly be in want due to losing his job. His employer commended him--not for his dishonesty--but for his foresight in providing for the future. In the final verse, 9, God tells us to use our earthly blessings in such a way that when they end (and they will because we cannot use them in death), that we will be received into eternal life. At first I misunderstood the passage because I thought He was telling us to buy men's favor, but that would not be consistent with the gospel message. We can bless others with our worldly treasures though because we won't be able to use them after we leave here.