Being Honest Part 1

Over the last six months I’ve had a lot of time to think, to think about what I say I believe and what I really believe and the difference between the two. I see things, and hear things, and I know I’m not the only one who experiences a discrepancy between faith and practice. I’m creating an on-going list to help me examine myself and to say with the Apostle Paul:

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12 – 14)


Like Paul, I want to “know Christ and the power of His resurrection”, but to be honest, I’ll skip “the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings” part. Thank you very much. (Philippians 3:10)

Praying the Model Prayer (a.k.a. The Lord’s Prayer) makes me feel warm and fuzzy and even holy (especially since I know it by heart), but do I honestly want God to forgive me my debts in the same way I forgive my debtors?

When I pray, “Thy will be done”, don’t I really mean, “Lord, please conform Your will to mine”?

Do I really want my daily bread? Honestly, I’d feel much better with several weeks or even months of food in the fridge and pantry.

When I say, “Your grace is sufficient” what I really mean is “Lord, Your grace is sufficient as long as all is right in my world.”

I'm just being honest.


Well, that’s my list so far. If any of you are brave enough to be honest, I welcome your “gaps”. I may even compile a list and post them.

I’m pressing on toward the goal, I just haven’t arrived yet.

~ Drewe Llyn

As unto the Lord

I poured my life into them.
I worshiped with them.
I prayed with them.
I cried and celebrated with them.
I spent many thoughtful hours preparing gifts for them.
I genuinely loved them.
But in the end, I was betrayed by many of them.
My broken heart was confused and indignant. How could this have happened after all I’d done for them? Pouring my life into these ungrateful people now seemed like wasted time and energy. Is there no reward for effort? If I had only known it would turn out like this….

You know what I mean. You’ve been there. I don’t need to tell you who “they” are. “They” can be anyone. Family. Students. A spouse. A congregation. “They” can be friends, co-workers, or an organization.

God’s been there.
Jesus poured His life into people.
He worshiped with them.
He prayed with them.
He cried and celebrated with them.
He spent many thoughtful hours preparing a gift for them. *
He genuinely loved them as no one else could.
But in the end, the majority betrayed Him and killed Him.

Christ’s heart was broken, but not because He was confused or indignant. He didn’t whine, “How could this have happened to me?” He did everything good knowing exactly how it would all turn out. And how did it turn out? After the bloodshed, after the pain and suffering, after having His heart broken from the weight of the world’s sin, He sat at His Father’s side victorious. Mission accomplished. His effort received a priceless reward…Us.

Anything and everything I do for people is wasted time and energy. But anything, everything done for the Lord will be rewarded.

Our priceless reward? Him.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” ~ Colossians 3:23-24

* Think Garden of Gethsemane.

(c) Drewe Llyn Jeffcoat 2009

The Gift of Water

When my oldest child was just a baby, those starving children in Africa suddenly became more than a blur of faces. They became someone's beloved child, and I thought, "Why does my child have clean water to drink and some don't? Don't all children deserve clean water?" But I never really knew what I could do (Now especially with our current life situation.) But there is something I can do and so can you. It's called Blood: Water Mission. Here's a quote from their site:

By giving up what you’d normally drink in exchange for the water from your tap you can save that money to help build clean water projects for African communities in need.So ditch the morning coffee and o.j., leave out the lunchtime soda, and cancel the evening beverage. You won’t need an ark for this 40 Days of Water, but you will need a little self-discipline. But we know you can do it, because you know who you’re doing it for. Make the choice.

I figure my daily cappuccino (bought from Wal-mart) costs approximately $.50. Every day I skip it, I'll put $.50 in my special cappuccino cup. Can't we all give the gift of clean water? Especially those of us who claim to serve The Living Water?

Click on the site link for donation information.

(Having children makes you see things differently. Here's a poem I wrote when Kyle was small.)

Faces

I see faces of the starving children
Victims of their country’s war.
Faces of the down and out
Whose families have a home no more.
Faces of the frightened children
Violence lurks outside their home.
Faces of the orphan children
who have to meet this world alone.
Faces of the suffering children
Bodies wracked by sickness, pain.
All the children of the world
Who’ve never heard of Jesus’ name.

Though once these barely caught my eye;
Now they make my spirit groan.
My heart’s been soften by the faces
Of the children that are my own.
And though my own are safe and sound,
There but for God’s grace go we.
And in the faces of my children
I see the world much differently.

(C) Drewe Llyn Jeffcoat 1989

Here I am. Send Me?

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’”

Many of us enthusiastically echo the prophet Isaiah’s words. We want to be about The King’s business. We want to make a difference in this world. Our ultimate goal being to hear, “Well done good and faithful servant.” We are inspired by spiritual giants like Billy Graham, Chris Tomlin, Beth Moore, Michael W. Smith, Rick Warren, or Tony Dungy. People extraodinarily gifted by God with high-profile platforms from which to glorify His name. And that’s all we want to do, isn’t it? Bring glory to His name?

But what if…

What if the place God sends us isn’t vast stadiums to preach the Gospel to spell-bound crowds responding in droves to “Just as I Am”?

What if that place isn’t large coliseums leading thousands of youth in singing our Dove Award winning worship songs?

What if that place doesn’t include Nashville recordings, New York Times Best Sellers, or Super Bowl championships?

What if our place to bring God glory isn’t in the spotlight at all?

What if He wants us to shine for Him…

…living in an inner city, run-down apartment?
…while taking dialysis or chemo treatments?
…crying at the bedside of a sick loved one?
…struggling through unemployment and poverty?
…learning humility through humiliation?
…suffering in a concentration camp?
…walking through the valley of the shadow of death?

..."taking one for the team"?

What if the place He sends us, the place we can bring Him most glory is uncomfortable, unsanitary, or downright painful?

Would we still be willing to say, “Here am I. Send Me?”

Do we only want to bring God glory if some of that glory reflects on us?

It’s time for some soul-searching.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." ~ Matthew 16:24-25

(c) Drewe Llyn Jeffcoat 2009

Friends and River Walks

Whew! I thought I'd never get these pictures posted using our dial-up! Here's a glimpse into my life last week and so far this week...

Dear friends came over bringing yummy home-made Mexican food!

(Clockwise: Me, Miss Joyce, Debbie B. and Debbie C. I have a lot of friends name Debbie. :-) )

Last Saturday our community prayer group met. I absolutely love praying with my African American sisters. They bring a fresh new perspective to my life. I think this prayer group is amazing considering we live in Mississippi. ( I want to be like Miss Franklin when I grow up. She is a 77-year old spitfire with tons of spunk!)

Candace and I walked down to the Pearl River which is one of Mississippi's largest rivers. This spot is about a mile from where we're living.

Candace and Zeke.

It was a bit muddier than we anticipated.

I just love this picture of Candace and Zeke!

Cassie was at work when Candace and I last went to the river, so on Monday we traipsed down there again. (Notice the puppy? He followed us home! Even though he was a cutie, I had to take him back where we found him. We just can't handle another animal right now.)

Lots of raccoon tracks!

Yesterday Candace and I went to a friend's house (her name is Debbie too!) and played in her ceramic clay. I made some Christmas ornaments. (Am I good, or what?) Candace made a frog. I'd post some pictures, but I'm getting too frustrated. :-) God bless!

God's Word to Me

I am so blessed by those who leave words of encouragement to help me and my family through a difficult season of life. Thank you so much!

On Sunday the preacher spoke of Moses and the Burning Bush. A story I've known since childhood. A story that is so familiar it has lost its "punch" (so to speak). Oh, but if God can speak through a burning bush, He can certainly speak through a "punchless" story, now can't He? You can read the entire story in Exodus Chapter 3, but here are the phrases that jumped out at me:

1. The Lord said, "I have seen the misery of my people."

2. "I have heard them crying out."

3. "I am concerned about their suffering."

4. "So I have come down to rescue them."

Before I hopped here this morning to write this post, read this comment from Tammie:

"...but I know this ... you are not beyond God's reach, you are not beyond His hearing, your tears have not escaped His attention, your hurt is not beyond His understanding, and your needs are not beyond His ability to meet."

How's that for confirmation?

God sees.

God hears.

God is concerned.

God will rescue.

End of Story...with a lot of "punch"!

The End is the Beginning

Well, tonight is our last night in the place we've called home for 6 1/2 years. All week we've been packing, sorting, moving things, and making Waste Management earn their money this week. If I weren't so tired and so busy I'd be sad.

We've lived here longer than any other place in our married life. My kids were 14, 11, and 8 when we arrived. Now they are 20, 17, and almost 14. The oldest is in college. The middle child will go to college next year. It is a severe time of change.

A large number of the happy memories I have here involve activities and people from our church. Now those recollections have a bitter twinge to them as people and circumstances didn't turn out as I hoped. I've been disappointed. Wounded. Disoriented. Angry. Discouraged. Devastated. Worried. Heart-broken. All from people I loved and trusted. Sometimes I wonder if this 6 1/2 year section of our life journey was a failure. What did all the energy and love we poured into this ministry amount to? Yet I am reminded once again, because I need to be reminded quite frequently, that it's not about people's love for me or people's devotion to me. It's about my love for them. And I did genuinely love them. I still do, which is why it hurts so much. Perhaps that, above all things, shows I did what God intended me to do. If love betrayed doesn't hurt, it wasn't really love in the first place. Love hurts. Just ask Jesus.

I don't know what the next stage of our journey is, though I feel it has to do with refocusing on Christ, resting, and renewing my strength in Him. We're moving to a temporary location that is in the proverbial "middle of no-where". (I know this is true because there is no high-speed internet there, only dial-up. I'll be forced to come to grips with my internet addiction. *grin*)

Lessons learned:

1. People will fail you.

2. God won't.

3. What is seen is temporary.

4. What is unseen is eternal.

5. Life isn't about what others can or cannot do for me.

6. Life is about having God's love for people, even when it hurts.

7. My world can be shaken, but not destroyed when my hope is in Christ.

I'll be around the internet some, but won't be posting a picture a day like I wanted to.

I pray God's richest blessings on you all. Happy New Year!

~ Drewe Llyn

(P.S. For those who have no clue what I'm talking about you can find out here.)

A Photo A Day...except when...

My friend Lori over at Just Pure Lovely has joined Project 365 which is simply to take one photo a day for a year. It sounds like a great idea; literal snapshots (or digital shots) of 2009. I can't do Project 365 since it is day five and this is my first photo. Also, I have serious doubts I'll actually remember to take a photo every day. However, I will attempt to post daily except when I forget, when I don't have time, and when the internet is not working.

Here is today's picture:

Here Cassie and Candace are carrying "treasures" from their old rooms into our new (temporary) residence. The forecast was for 70% chance of rain, but we managed to get two loads transferred today.

Bonus shot:

My precious Trio on Christmas Eve.

My girls and I have tickets to the Trans Siberian Orchestra Concert tonight in Jackson. Third Row!!!! I realized I haven't posted anything about this awesome event here at blogger, so here is what I posted back in 2005. All the excitement still holds true!

Trans Siberian Orchestra
November 11, 2005

Black dresses and tuxedos.
“Flight of the Bumblebee”.
Creative lighting.
Stringed instruments.
Awesome lasers.
“Beethoven’s Fifth”.
Intense pyrotechnics.
Electric guitars.
Unbelievable drums.
Maestro keyboardists.
“Carol of the Bells”.

What could all these possibly have in common?

These eclectic components come together brilliantly in the most incredible show I’ve ever seen. They are Trans Siberian Orchestra (TSO), and they were in Jackson last night. Kyle, Cassie, and I experienced it from the twenty-fourth row. (This year from the 3rd!)

“Christmas Eve in Sarajevo” (a.k.a. “Carol of the Bells”) is what grips and draws me to TSO. Their rendition is like no other and continually gives me chill bumps. I think it’s because I’ve walked the streets of Sarajevo and seen first hand the massive destruction of the Bosnian war on buildings and lives. I can’t begin to describe TSO’s interpretation. I invite you to listen for yourself. “Christmas Eve in Sarajevo”. Hopefully this will open for you. If not, go to http://www.trans-siberianorchestra.com/, click on “multimedia”, and scroll down to “Christmas Eve in Sarajevo”. To discover the source of the title you must go to “Discography” and find “Christmas Eve and Other Stories”.

You’ll discover it’s a rock opera. (Is that an oxymoron??)

What a night!

Christmas Scenes

Just sharing some scenes of Christmas around our house:

Here are the snowflake cookies we baked celebrating the first snow of the season. (But not of the year! Two snowfalls in one year in Mississippi! Who'd have thought it!)

Oliver LOVES the tree skirt that sports handprints of my kids through the years.

My two favorite girls in the whole world in front of our "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree!

Remember how to make the origami stars I posted several days ago? (If you don't, click here.) Well, yesterday I made some out of the Sunday comics. Even my girls think these are cute. (Be extra careful if you make these out of comics, the paper is thinner and more prone to tear.)

More scenes later!

Pictures of the Snow!

It's been such a great day. Words can't describe the joyful feeling I get from watching snow fall. My girls and I enjoyed it immensely. The electricity went out which only added to the festive feeling since we could sit around enjoying the fire. We drank hot cocoa and will soon bake snowflake shaped sugar cookies. (Now that the power is back on.) Here are some snapshots of "our" winter wonderland:

Our backyard as the snow started.

Our backyard a little later.

No hanging out clothes today!

Our front yard after it had snowed a while.

Candace captured this cardinal.

I loved watching the birds come to the feeder.

Candace had a friend come over. We took a little excursion.

Candace trying to get me with a snowball. Her friend is smart and took off a little farther.

We stopped by the community cemetery.

Our dog Sam had to be included.

It was a beautiful day!

Drum roll please.....

IT...IS...SNOWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Hope to have pictures later today!)

Making Gift Bags

I have quite a few "Happy" gifts to give this year. You know the kind - tokens of love for friends, family, Sunday school classes, party favors, etc. Wrapping can get expensive, even if the paper, bags, and bows come from the $-Tree. I know this idea isn't new, but I thought I'd share what I'm doing this year.

Take a regular paper bag. (This is a lunch bag. I hope to get some white ones later.)

Measure and mark 4 and 6 inches from the top and draw lines on both sides of the bag.

Gently begin rolling down the top edge all the way around. This is the tricky part. Do it slowly. There may be some tearing, but it shouldn't show when you are finished.

Keep rolling it down until the top edge meets the 4 inch line. Make sure the fold is crisp. (Sorry I didn't get this picture turned around.)

Now do the same thing with your new top edge. This time meet the 6 inch mark.

Walah!

Decorate any way you want using paints, markers, crayons, whatever! The possibilities are endless! Punch holes and add ribbon handles in the color and style of your choice. A little tissue paper will complete the look.

Aren't they adorable?

Go Saints!

March, 2008, Cassie decided to purchase the perfect gift for Raymond...tickets to a Saints game. (When she saw the price she decided it would be the perfect Birthday-Father's Day-Christmas gift.) Her plan was to buy a pair of tickets for her and Raymond, but Kyle really, really wanted to go. Since Cassie wasn't willing to buy his, he paid for his own. Even way back in March the rival game between the Saints and the Atlanta Falcons was nearly sold out, and she couldn't purchase just three tickets. They only came in sets of two. I paid for the fourth one and was reimbursed by my MIL who wanted to go too.

We held that wonderful secret until Father's Day when Cassie presented her perfect gift. Raymond was speechless and in disbelief. It was, indeed, the perfect gift for him. Then came the long wait from June to December 7th. During that time Mawmaw had her terrible accident. There was no way she would make the game. She graciously gave her ticket to me.

Yesterday was the big day!

Kyle, Raymond, Cassie, and me before we left at 7:00 AM. (#25 Reggie Bush, #26 Deuce McAllister, Cassie and I in "Souther Belle" shirts that say, "Southern Belles Love Their Saints!")

Louisianna Super Dome!

Pictures don't do it justice. It's breath-taking to view the field for the first time.

Awwww...brother and sister love each other...at least when Mom makes them smile. :-)

Part of my favorite team...the Jeffcoats!

It was an awesome day, and the Saints won 29 - 25!

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Happy Thankgiving to all! Our family of 5 will celebrate here at home, then travel to the hospital to spend some time with my Mother-in-Law who is doing well in rehab after accidentally cutting her foot off over a week ago.

Our menu for today:

Grilled Ribeye steaks (Bought on sale!)
Yeast rolls - from scratch
Mac and cheese - from scratch
Butter beans - home grown, picked, and frozen
Deviled Eggs - from scratch
Pecan pie - from scratch
Cherry Cheese cake - from a box mix :-)

Yum! Yum!

I'd better get back to cooking now.

My Mother-in-Law Accidentally Cut Off Her Foot

Now, if that doesn't get your attention, I don't know what will. My First reaction was WHAT?!?!?!?! I mean, how does one accidentally cut off their foot?!?!?!? Well, some of the details are sketchy, but here's what I think I know: She had just hooked her little dog to a cable in the yard before going to revival. Somehow the cable unknowingly got wrapped around her foot and she drove off severing her foot just above the ankle. I'm not exactly sure how help came, but Johnny (Raymond's step-brother) managed to get her to the hospital in Poplarville, MS. (Which is a very, very small community hospital.) From there she was air-lifted to Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg where they did surgery to clean up the wound. They were unable to re-attach her foot. She received 3 units of blood. The family was able to see her before surgery. She has a long road of recovery ahead of her both physically and emotionally. The doctor said there will most probably be other surgeries. I'm not sure what this means for our immediate family. She will need care for a long time. Will she come live with us? I'm more than willing for that to happen, but we have to move from this house by the middle of January. We have a couple of temporary options, but we need permanent ones. Raymond has a temporary job, but we need a permanent one. It has been a very, very trying few months for us. Yet God has generously provided our needs and I'm more than grateful to everyone He's used to do that. I keep hearing God say, "I'm in control. Wait on Me." When I got in my car last night to drive home "Everlasting God" was playing on KLOVE. If you know that song it says, "Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord." That's what I'm trying to do today.

Huh?

I read a CNN article today that begs for comment. It seems that D.C. buses will soon be carrying this message: "Why believe in god? Just be good for goodness' sake". Believe it or not, that's not what I'm commenting on.

Top of the page bullets summarize the article. The last point being: "Humanist spokesman says agnostics, atheists feel isolated during holidays" This is where I go, "Huh?" I mean, why should agnostics and atheists feel isolated during the holidays? Let's face it, Thanksgiving and Christmas (or Hanukkah or Ramadan for that matter) aren't their holidays! There is no one to thank on Thanksgiving and no one to celebrate on Christmas if there's no God. Why should they feel left out or even care?

My family and I lived in a Muslim part of Europe for two years. We never felt "isolated" during their holidays. Though we are Christians we'd sometimes be invited to share in a special meal (and awesome goodies such as baklava!!) for friendship's sake, but never did we feel isolated. Why should we? We weren't Muslim; those weren't our holidays!

America is a free country; if people don't want to believe in God (or don't care about God) that's their right. But don't whine about the holidays! After all, the word "holiday" is a contraction of "holy" and "day". If someone doesn't believe in anything holy, then they've missed out in more ways than one. That's their choice. If they happen to be included in the festivities of people of faith, then do it for friendship's sake and be blessed. Ooops...can't be blessed if there is no "Higher Power".

I'm off my soap box now.

God's Word to me today via Kay Arthur

"O precious One, whatever your need, learn to run first to the out-stretched arms of Calvary where you will find His all-sufficient grace, grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 416). Then wait...wait on the Lord, that He might provide in His perfect way and His perfect time all your need. Not to do so is to end up in the horrible distress that comes when we will not walk in obedience of faith."

from Teach Me How to Live A second devotional journey with Kay Arthur

Interesting Sight...

We had rain last night. Today there was a bouquet of mushrooms in the yard.

Isn't it cool?

Any ideas on what kind this is? (Comes from one root.) Could it be the Armillaria tabescens?

A Christmas Star

A couple of years ago a dear friend of the family made an origami star out of $1.00 bills. It was so cool! I decided it would be a great Christmas ornament if done in yellow paper.

I was right! Isn't it cute?

I just cut some paper the size of dollar bills and then followed the video I found.

Enjoy!


5 Dollar Origami Star -

You can turn the sound down as it only has written instructions. The music is just background.