Where Does Your Strength Lie?

"So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies" –Judges 16:6

Several years ago, in Adventure Sunday, the teachers used kids from the audience to act out the story of Samson. The main character was played by this short, skinny little kid. We all thought it was hilarious, I mean he was the exact opposite of what Samson would have looked like! I called the poor kid Samson for years after that (drove him crazy!).


Today, I was randomly thinking about Samson (I'm kinda weird like that), and It dawned on me that maybe our Adventure Sunday leaders weren't too far from the truth. If Samson looked like the Incredible Hulk (but without green skin) why would Delilah need to ask him where his strength lie? I mean, come on, if the guy had muscles bulging out of places where most people don't even have places, why would you even assume there was any secret to his strength?! 


I think I'm beginning to understand that God doesn't use us because of our strengths; He uses us in-spite of them. Paul was a highly educated Pharisee–he was the perfect choice to preach to the jews–yet, God sent him to the gentiles. Peter was just an ignorant fisherman from Galilee–impulsive and unrefined–but, he was sent to the Jews.


2 Corinthians 12:9 tells us, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”


Maybe we just need to get out of the way and let God do His thing... He is God after all.

The Unanswered Question

   Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.

                                                         -Exodus 33:13

I'm a Bible Quizzer, most of you already know that in quizzing there are a ton of different kinds of questions: quotations, cross-refrences, direct, parts etc… No matter what kind it is, however, there are only four ways to respond to a question. Your response tells the team you are competing against, and everybody watching, a lot about yourself.

Response #1 - Interrupt. That shows you have confidence, that you are prepared and have studied. You know the risks but have decided to take them anyway. Whether you get it right or wrong, you still have gained the respect of the other quizzers because you tried. If you keep doing this, eventually, you'll win.

Response #2 - Wait until the end. One way to answer a question is to wait until right after the quizmaster gets done reading, then buzz in. People do this because they aren't as prepared, and hence not willing to take the risk. 

Response #3 - Get the reread. The other team interrupted, got it wrong, then the question is read just to your team. This one is a no-brainer! You had the opportunity to answer twice, so you will (probably) get it right.

Response #4 - Do nothing. When you do nothing, this leaves the question unanswered. The quizmaster reads the question, but no one interrupts. Not one person buzzes in after he's done. For five seconds the room is completely silent. Time is called. The question is closed. The quiz moves on. Then the audience starts whispering, "Even I knew the answer to that!" "Why didn't yellow one buzz in?" "That was too easy!" 

Letting a question go by unanswered shows you are not prepared. It shows you do not know the material, that you aren't referenced or charted, and that you don't think the risk is greater then the need.

There are questions that haunt millions of people around the globe. What are they? You hear them every day, "Who am I?" "Why am I here?" "What is my purpose?" 

David is just one of the many people across the globe who have prayed that God would show them His purpose:

 Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.

 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. 

                                                -Psalm 25:4-5

God's purpose for us is extremely important. If we don't know it, we have no burden, we can't become the best that we can be, we have no passion, the list can go on and on. 

I'm only 17, but January is running at me full speed, bringing with it adulthood (scary!). Now would be the time to figure out the little things, like my career, where I want to go to college, and what God's plan for me is. 

You see, when I get to heaven, I want to hear God say, "Well done thou good and faithful servant." Not, "Oh Heather… if only you knew what My will was for you... the things you could've been and done.... Oh well, at least you made it, that counts for something!" 

Discovering God's will, and doing it, is the most important thing in my life right now. I want my ministry to have God's blessing and anointing on it. I want everything I do to be for God's glory. When I get to heaven, I want to hear Him say, "Well done."

I can't afford to let these questions go unanswered. 

Green Eggs and Ham

“I could not, would not, on a boat.

I will not, will not, with a goat.

I will not eat them in the rain.

I will not eat them on a train.

Not in the dark! Not in a tree!

Not in a car! You let me be!

I do not like them in a box.

I do not like them with a fox.

I will not eat them in a house.

I do not like them with a mouse.

I do not like them here or there.

I do not like them ANYWHERE!

“I do not like green eggs and ham”

Ah, out of the mouths of babes and sucklings... Ok. So Dr. Suess isn’t exactly a babe or a suckling, but he was writing to them, so that has to count for something.

I was babysitting last night (which would explain the sudden inspiration coming from a Dr. Suess book). As I was reading Green Eggs and Ham in my most animated voice, it suddenly struck me that Theodor Seuss Geisel had an excellent lesson going. 

Sam was trying to tempt a un-named character to try green eggs and ham. Sam, devious through and through, seems absolutely determined to make the poor guy try the dish. 

“Would you, could you, in a box?”

“Would you, could you, with a fox?” 

“Would you, could you, in a car?”

“Would you, could you, in the dark?”

Each and every time the fuzzy, little man replied, “I would not, could not....!”

This is exactly what Christians need to do! I mean, my goodness, it doesn’t matter where you are or who your with, standards are still standards!! Sin is still sin!

So next time Satan whispers in your ear, would you, could you... respond the same way our unnamed, fuzzy little man did, stand up, and shout, “I would not, could not!!!!”

The Wind

Left. Right. Left. Right... I’ve got to keep going!

I glanced up at the trail, squinting in the blinding sunlight. Another blast of wind from the right pushed me into the middle of the road. I wetted my chapped lips and forced myself back to the side. Bracing myself, I turned with the trail and biked directly into the wind. I ducked my head and concentrated on just moving forward. 

Left. Right. Left... 

*****

I’m not being over dramatic. This is the true story of the longest mile-and-a-half of my life! 

I did manage to learn a few lessons during this harrowing experience, for example: when my mom says it’s to windy to bike on the Thrivent Financial trail, I should believe her. Also, when heading west and the sun is setting, I should bring a pair of sunglasses.

All of these are good life lessons. But above all, I have learned to have a healthy respect for the wind. 

Did you know that there are tons of verses in the Bible that talk about the wind? Job has quite a bit to say about it, and so do the psalmists. I only want to talk about one verse though. Ephesians 4:14 says “...sent this way and that, turned about by every wind of teaching...” I have an appreciation for this verse that I didn’t have before. If we don’t have something to hold firmly to–to stand on–every new idea, every persuasive speaker, every friend’s opinion, and every teaching will have us reaching out desperately in a whirlwind of confusion for some truth. 

I can’t imagine living without God’s Word to stand on, can you?

 

Of Life, and of Angry Birds

Yes, I play angry birds. And, I’m even ashamed to admit that just yesterday, I spent nearly two hours hurling the same red, blue, white, black, and yellow birds at the same funny looking green pigs. Talk about wasting time!

But as I sat there on my phone playing this game, a thought came to me. This is what some people do in their lives (I’m no exception). We can spend all of our time and energy hurling everything we’ve got at the same obstacles over and over again. At best, the result is just wasting time, and worst, it can bring lives crashing to the ground.

Tasteeo Christians

After being back from family and senior camp for about a week, the food in our house is finally returning to normal. All remnants of the plethora of chips, twizzlers, and beef jerky that we brought to camp have disappeared. Mom bought salad ingredients, dad made a batch of boiled eggs, and Jon is squeezing pizza and brats into our diet any where they’ll fit.

The one staple that is yet missing from the Poland household, however, is Cheerios. You know, those round, crunchy bites of heaven that will fill you up yet reduce your cholesterol by 10% at the same time? Yes, those are sadly missing.

Yesterday, mom went to the grocery store with my desperate pleas for her to “please, don’t forget the cheerios!!!” still ringing in her ears. What did I see in the back of the car when she came back?? Horror of horrors, it was a box of Tasteeos!!

When you compare Tasteeos and Cheerios, they look the same and the ingredients are almost identical. So what makes one heavenly and the other like chewy bites of cardboard?

The taste. The cost.

The Taste:

If you had a blind taste test, I guarantee that you can distinguish between cheerios and tasteeos. It’s the same in our walk with God. God can tell when our relationship is real. The Bible makes several references to our “savour”, when it is pleasing, and when it is unpleasing (i.e. 2 Corinthians 2:15 & Amos 5:21).

Put God up to a blind taste test of us, and if we are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, Revelations 3:16 states that God will spew us out of His mouth (Which happens to be my first reaction when I eat Tasteeos :)

The Cost:

When questioned why she brought home Tasteeos instead of Cheerios, mom’s reply was simple: The Cost. She wasn’t willing to pay the price to get the genuine thing, so instead she bought the knock-off. Again, it is the same in our christian walks. To have a genuine relationship with God, we need to be willing to pay the price, no matter what it may be. Anything less and you have a knock off relationship.

Even though the boxes look the same, the nutritional value is the same, and the ingredients are the same, there are very real differences between Tasteeos and Cheerios. It is exactly the same with us. We might look the same on the outside, receive the same amount of nutrition through sermons and devotions, and have the same foundational beliefs and doctrines, but there are  differences between genuine and knock-off Christians.

There are Cheerio Christians and Tasteeo Christians. Which are you?

Mysterious Ways

Not going to lie, this is pretty cool :)

At Sr. camp this year, every student who went to the morning prayer meeting received a card with the name of a missionary on it. We were instructed to pray for them every day. The missionaries I got were Dan and Sherry Davis - South Africa.

So I've been praying for them.

It's hard when you only have a name and country to go off of, so I purposed that when I had time, I would research the Davis' and South Africa to see what I would find...

This is the cool part :)

As I was reading their bio on foreignmissions.com (you can find like, any missionary there) I had a sense of daja vu. Everything I was reading seemed slightly familiar... then I saw what church he pastored: Turning Point Community Church. 

That name! Where had I heard that name before?

I suddenly had a sneaking suspicion. I logged into google docs and scrolled all the way down. Sure enough, there was an article I had written for the bulletin in 2009 titled, Danny Davis MOTF (I have no idea what MOTF is supposed to stand for). 

He and Sherry were the very first missionaries I had ever featured.

Coincidence? I would say mysterious :)

I don’t like trash. I don’t like it when it smells. I don’t like it when it’s full. I don’t like taking it out. Basically, as a general rule, I just avoid trash as much as I can.

But, contrary to my rule, here I am, writing a blog about it. And here I am in the picture, taking it out to the curb. That’s the funny thing about garbage, no matter how many times you watch the dump truck driving away with it, you always accumulate more.

Garbage isn’t something we plan, it just happens. I have yet to meet a person who starts out their day with the goal of accumulating garbage (hopefully I never will). Trash is a byproduct of life. If you eat candy, you have to deal with the wrapper. If you wear clothes, one day they will be worn out. Even that new TV you just bought will eventually lose it’s value and become worthless. As the days go by, the trash level rises.  Before long it must be dealt with.

That’s where taking it out comes into play. This is a weekly process, for some people it might be daily. No one can live in a house full of garbage. So if we can’t, why do we expect God to?

1 Corinthians tells us that our bodies are the temple (or dwelling place) of the Lord. We have to not only deal with our physical trash, but our spiritual trash as well - the junk that collects in our heart and pushes God out of it. Without even realizing it, we start to pick up garbage. The movies we watch, the books we read, and the things we see and hear at school can begin to build up in our hearts. Even past accomplishments can stand in the way of a relationship with God.

Everyone has to take time to “take out the trash” that builds up in their minds and hearts, and I think most people do. The problem arrises when people don’t realize how often they have to take it out.

You see, people don’t think about the garbage unless they see it spilling out over the lid, or they smell the strong odor of spoiled food. It’s the same in our spiritual lives, we don’t think about the trash in our hearts until it becomes visible on the outside.

Think you might have some trash in your life? Well, I’ve got good news for you...

Today is garbage day.

The Cricket's Song

At least seven or eight years ago, my mom and I were sitting outside in our backyard. It was a muggy, summer day. The weather was rapidly turning from hot to cold. Huge black storm clouds were rolling in. All of creation seemed to sense there was a terrible storm approaching. Except for our voices, there was complete silence. Not a single twig snapped and not a single leaf rustled against another. It was the calm before the storm. 

Then, a single cricket began to chirp.

Years later, this moment is still with me. Although I can't hear the cricket's song anymore, it's echo has been etched into my heart.

Wind. Rain. Thunder. Lightning. Some of the most powerful forces in nature didn't stop the cricket from singing. It was as if he knew the storm was coming, but he was determined to stand. 

That cricket taught me a very important lesson about praise: even in the storm, sing. When you feel small and insignificant: sing. When you are the only one: sing. When everyone else has run for cover: sing. When your world feels like it's being pulled apart by the most powerful forces in nature: still sing. Still Praise. Never lose your song.

Red

Genesis 25:24-25, So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau.

Genesis 25:27-28 So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

As I was reading this verse, I asked myself, aloud, why was he red? 

I did the thing that I know every preacher does, I looked the word red up in the original Hebrew. And man, as I sat there waiting for the page to load, I just knew that the definition was going to be epic. Life shattering. Are you ready? The Hebrew word 'admoniy' literally means.... Red. 

Wow. That was a waste of a perfectly good 10 seconds. 

But, seriously, red does mean something. Some website I found states the following “Red can symbolize many things; from blood, to love, to infatuation.  Basically red symbolizes strong emotions, or things of strong emotions rather than intellectual ideas.  For example, red can symbolize excitement, energy, speed, strength, danger, passion, and aggression.”

Did you catch that?!? In verse 27, Genesis says that Esau was a skillful hunter. Now I don’t really know much about hunting, shocker right? But I can guess what the phrase “the thrill of the hunt” means. When Esau was hot on the trail of his prey he could probably feel the adrenaline exploding in his veins. He could smell the danger and thrill as he ran through the underbrush. 

I can just picture this guy. He was huge. Hairy. Red. Raw with passion. 

We know that his dad preferred Esau over Jacob, because he actually ate what Esau killed.  Can you imagine? This big, buff, sweaty, hairy, loud guy barreling into his father’s tent with the carcass of a lion, and he bellows, “We're going to eat good tonight pops!”

Isaac proudly slaps him on the back and announces, “That's my boy!” He pauses and looks around, “But, where’s your brother?” 

All of a sudden the entire camp turns and looks as they hear this pitiful wheezing sound. They all watch in astonishment as this scrawny person doubled over with fatigue half runs up to his father, “Look at what I caught!” He then holds up a rabbit that is even scrawnier then he is!

His dad kinda laughs and looks back to Esau, “Well, we’re going to eat good tonight, right, Esau?”

Are you getting the picture? Esau had everything going for him. He was the firstborn son. The sole heir to his father’s entire property. He was talented. He had the personality that attracted everyone to him. His Father's favorite son. 

Then, one day, Everything went south for Esau. Verse 29-30, Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom.” 

Then, sly, mama’s boy Jacob, squints his shifty eyes and says in his smooth voice, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” 

Then Esau, in his weariness, in his desperation, cries out, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?”

Jacob sets the scrumptious bowl in front of Esau, then takes it away quickly, “Swear it.” He says, “Swear to me as of this day.” 

Esau gives in “Alright, I swear it!”

And that was it. Verses 33-34 says, “So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”

It’s amazing what we will do when we are weary! All of us want to go to heaven, we want to have a relationship with God, but we have to be careful. Galatians 6:9 says, “and let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.”

Look at that, “if we faint not.” The Bible doesn’t guarantee that we will make it to heaven. It makes a conditional statement here, if.  If we faint not. If we choose to live for God. If we accept the call God has placed on our lives.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve just been tired. I had promises from God before, I had awesome moments at the altar, but at one point, I was just sick of the whole thing. Sick of always trying my best to be good and do everything your supposed to. Sick of making sacrifices. Sick of always being the good Christian girl. 

I think everyone has moments like this. It’s at these times when you have to be extra careful. In desperation, you can trade your entire inheritance for a bowl of soup. Sure, it’s good when your eating. It tastes good while your drinking, but after you get up and go about your life, you have to suffer the consequences. You have baggage now. You start to look at the things of God with distain. You learn to hate what you were once promised to inherit. 

“Thus Esau despised his birthright.”

There is good news, however! God will pick you up wherever you are in life, He will forgive you. You can start again. 

Now, this doesn’t mean that you get a second chance. Esau went on in life to become the father of a nation, but he never got his birthright back. He never had the life he could have. 

Even with all his talents, all his passion, his energy, his speed, his skills, even with all his redness, God still chose someone else. He overlooked Esau. He gave Esau’s lands and riches to his little brother Jacob!

Anticipation

Sometimes you just know that God is going to do great things - that’s called faith. 

Sometimes you can feel that lives are going to be changed - that’s called hope. 

Sometimes you can’t wait for what’s about to happen - that takes patience.

What will God do tomorrow?? Well, we’ll have to see :)

Waiting. Hoping. Anticipating.

Getting Your Hands Dirty!

Today, I decided to tackle the garden. It was a daunting task: there were weeds growing on top of weeds! So, armed with a nothing more than a shovel and a wheelbarrow, I set to work! 

3 or 4 hours later, there was one neat garden bed. It is completely free from stones or weeds, and is ready for planting! Then, I saw my poor hands. They were completely smeared with mud, dirt was caked under my fingernails, and there were several spots where I had been scratched by thorns.

The garden looked great, but the price? Getting my hands dirty. 

Getting involved with other people’s lives can be a messy business. It’s easy to look at a life, see a weedy mess, and simply decide to keep our perfectly manicured nails out of it. However, in Galatians 6:2, we are instructed to bear one another’s burdens, or in a different translation, “Take on yourselves one another's troubles, and so keep the laws of Christ.”

Will we be able to deal with some scratches? Can we look past some mud and dirt? We had better. To fulfill the mandate in Galatians, we have to roll up our sleeves, and get our hands dirty!

My First Blog Post!!

Ah, my first blog post. I think I’m going to need a moment to contemplate this historical milestone ~ there. Moment past. We can all move on. 

Originally, I wanted to name my first blog, Little Red Head - Big World. However, after reading several articles about blog-naming, I decided to go with something that would reflect the nature of my posts. I fully intend for them to be deep, meaningful, and a poetical reflection of my very soul...but we’ll have to see. As evidenced so far, I’m not really the deep, poetical, or soul-baring type :)

Just to address the elephant in the room (well, maybe it’s not, but I’ve always wanted to say that), no, the name of my blog is not the words to my favorite song. I do like the song, but I chose this because I feel it describes where I am in my life.

When you’re little, you truly believe the world revolves around you (despite parents assuring you that it doesn’t). Eventually, reality either gradually sets in, or it hits you in the face like a ton of bricks. For me, thankfully, it was the former. I came to the realization that life isn’t all about me, that the people around me don’t exist to cater to my every wish or need, and that I exist only for my Creator: Jesus. 

James 4:14 asks, “For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”

This is the challenge I’m taking upon myself: Will my life be a meaningless vapor, filled with these and thats, or can I rise to the call God has placed on my life, no matter what it may be, and make a lasting impact on my culture for Him?