I Want to Be Like My Puppy

I thought you might like to meet my puppy, Zhu Zhu. He's a Lhasa Apso, is very loyal, spoiled rotten, and sometimes hard to live with. But such a blessing!

I'm amazed at the total dependence this puppy has on me. He depends on me and my boys depend on me - and that's a joy. The boys are old enough now to be able to do many things for themselves. Shayne is 15 and Josh is 12, so they can fix themselves a meal at night while I'm teaching. Shayne's a good driver! (Yikes!) And they can make many of their own decisions and I encourage that. So, while they are still very dependent on me, they do have a modicum of independence, which is good.

As parents, it's what we're supposed to do, isn't it? We are supposed to teach our children to be independent and how to make good decisions, how to live on their own and to treat others with respect, how to raise a family and take care of it. However, we are also supposed to teach them to "trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding," (Prov. 3:5) because when we're in the midst of the hard times and we don't know why, we need someone else to lean on.

But my poor little puppy is not the same. While he is pretty old - at least a teenager in puppy years - he is still unable to open the door to freedom to go potty. Unable to feed himself because he can't reach the food on top of the dryer. He's unable to turn the faucet on in order to pour water into his bowl. He is completely dependent on me. And if I'm not there to take care of his needs, he's in big trouble and may have to resort to unacceptable behavior, just because his needs are not being met with the frequency that he requires.

I am much like my boys. And much like my puppy. I am able to make my own decisions, and certainly able to take care of my physical needs. I can feed myself, water myself, and open the door to freedom! While I have every oppotunity available to take care of myself, there are times when I feel more like my puppy than like my boys. I feel completely dependent on my Father for care.

Except that sometimes I forget to go to Him. While He waits for me to come to His study, I stay in my room worrying, crying, complaining, and all the while, the answer is just a few feet away. Just a few beautiful, tortured, scarred feet away.

"Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." (Matt. 11:28) Rest. That also means peace.

God takes responsibility for feeding the sparrow and for clothing the earth in beauty, and we are more precious to Him than the sparrow. Why do we make do with the mundane things of this earth, when our heavenly Father has made a place for us at His table, along with all the others that He holds so highly? We are seated at the right hand of God (Eph. 2:6). Why do we accept a lesser place?

Our Father loves us dearly. He proved that by giving His only Son, Jesus, to die as the ultimate and final sacrifice for our sins, assuring us a place in eternal glory when we accept His grace, His forgiveness, and His Son, Jesus. Glory to God that He has made this salvation available to us.

We must rest assured that He loves us and that He wants the very best for us. We must accept the peace that comes with the knowledge that God is seeing to our every need. I want to be dependent on Him. I want my Abba to take care of me. And I want to rest at the beautiful feet of Jesus while He does it.

Let's pray: Father. Abba. I love You. Forgive me for the times when I've ignored Your calling to trust You. I need no other solution but to trust that You will fulfill my every, single need. Thank you for Your provision and that You know my need even before I do. What a burden is lifted when I am resolute before You, ready for answers, expecting them and receiving ...peace. I come dependent before You. Dependent on Your grace, on Your provision, and on Your love.

Women's Ministry at FBC, Huntsville

I've been interested in and felt called to women's ministry for many years. God fills my head with these ideas and dreams and, you know how it is, it becomes a drive and a passion that won't leave me alone! So I'm blessed that FBC has welcomed me with open arms and that this is an area where I can easily fit in and fill a need.



So here's what God and I have talking about lately:

Women are hurting today. While we are never UN-available, we are terribly lonely. We have a phone on our hip at all times. We give everyone all of our numbers, our kid's cell numbers and our husband's cell number - "Just in case you can't reach me on mine." We text, we email, we blog, tog, and pog. Yet women today are the loneliest in history. Because while we are taking part in mass-communications, we aren't connecting with other women the way we need to in order to fulfill our need for relationships. God made us this way, so let's celebrate it!

My dream is to create a place here at FBC where women can come to have fun, build relationships, grow in Christ, and then reach out to others to offer them the same benefits. I really believe that this is a great way to bring new people into "the fold". This is the perfect opportunity to offer activities to the community, bringing women in for fun and activities and showing them a loving place where they can feel they belong. (This is apropos for members and for non-members.) When they feel that they have a place to belong and invest themselves, then I feel that they will be encouraged to reach out to other women and to the Savior. Delving into Bible study, to missions and to other people comes naturally to women who have a purpose.

But it's not all fun and games, ladies. I am charging you to reach out to as many women as possible in the next months. We're going to offer plenty of opportunities to invite them, but it's up to YOU to do it! And you'll want to. My prayer is that you will be so excited about what's going on here for you that you won't be able to shut up about it!! You'll be thrilled to invite everyone that you see to join us for what God is doing at FBC!!

I really believe that God is going to show up for us, girls. His charge to us is to ask believing, and then to step out of the boat. Well, we're stepping. Link arms with me and your team of leaders, put a smile on your face, and spring out of that boat with pumps on!! Girlfriend, we're in for a ride! I'm glad you're coming along.

Movies

Listen. I'm a big movie-goer and there are some great movies out there right now. I'm so proud that Hollywood has finally realized that there is a demographic for wholesome, family oriented movies and that they are producing movies that are worth the visit to the local theater.

I'm so excited about seeing "Billy: The Early Years." Billy Graham is someone that my Papa and Nannie really looked up to and they are the ones who introduced him to me. This movie looks very entertaining and moving. God has really blessed this man's life and ministry. It's definitely one that I'm going to see.

Last weekend my girlfriend and I went to see "The Secret Life of Bees." I had watched some clips of this movie as well and it has an outstanding cast and a beautiful plot line. I love Dakota Fanning, and it's neat to see her growing up. This is another movie that is going to win a bunch of awards, I guar-on-tee (as Debbie's dad used to say.) The movie made me laugh out loud and cry-yes, out loud. Total embarrassment. It was just soooooooo gooooooood!! I highly recommend this movie. Beware though, there are a few bad words. The father is a very sad man and that sadness makes him a bad man.

My friend saw "Fireproof" last weekend and said that it really was good. This is a movie dedicated to helping save marriages in today's world, and I really appreciate and respect the effort. We all know Kirk Cameron from "Growing Pains" and the "Left Behind" series, and we all know his dedication to telling others about the word of God and bringing them to know Him. I'd like to support anyone with such a task as this, especially where he is. This is REALLY a mission field, Hollywood. I'm sure that he would appreciate our prayers and support for him.

I want to encourage each of you to support these films, giving Hollywood the message that we are out here, that we care, and that we want quality in our entertainment!

"10 Ways to Enjoy the Holidays" by Mary Southerland

1. Create a Christmas countdown calendar. We often hear or say, “I just never got around to it this year, but next year…” Get a jump on the holiday season by creating a Christmas countdown calendar. Plan a special holiday event to mark each day of the season. Those plans don’t have to be elaborate:

• An evening with hot cocoa in front of a crackling fire
• Choose one night of the week to watch a Christmas movie or program
• Make picking the perfect tree a family event
• On December 1, buy a box of Chocolate-covered cherries and have one a day
• Buy or exchange Christmas books to read during December
• Invite close friends over for a casual Christmas dinner. Keep it simple. Ask everyone to bring a favorite Christmas dish.

2. Embrace the senses of the season.

• Enjoy the sight of green and red lights
• Keep cinnamon sticks simmering on the stove
• Make a batch of Christmas cookies
• Buy candles and burn them every day
• Listen to instrumental Christmas music so you can concentrate on the melody instead of the words

3. Share the holidays. In other words, don’t deny others the opportunity to invest in the Christmas season by trying to do it all yourself. Delegate and let others help you. Children can wrap gifts and help bake. Teenagers can put up lights and clean the house.

4. Stick to the lists. According to the American Bankers Association, it takes an average of four months for a credit card user to pay off stress-inducing holiday bills. Decide how much you can afford to spend on each person. Put that amount of cash in an envelope with that person’s name on it. When the envelope is empty, you are done – no exceptions.

5. Put away the Credit Cards. Hide them and do not take them with you when shopping. Freeze your credit cards in a jug of water or mail them to a friend until the holidays are over. If you prefer to use debit or credit cards, keep all receipts in an envelope. Keep a running total of what you have spent.

6. Cancel Duty Gifts. Cut down on the number of gifts you give. If you are still exchanging gifts with friends and relatives you rarely see or neighbors and co-workers you are reluctant to offend – stop. Chances are good that they too will be relieved to hear they have one less gift to buy. Give them a nice cards instead.

7. Give yourself a break. Take a candlelight bath. Go to a movie in the afternoon. For every five gifts you buy, treat yourself to a small gift for yourself.

8. Avoid the Scrooges. Do not yield any part of your Christmas to a Scrooge. When they say something negative, respond quickly with “Yes, but…” For example, if someone complains about the crowds, you might say, “Yes, but seeing all of these people really puts me in the Christmas spirit!”

9. Start celebrating right now! Christmas is not just a holiday or a date on the calendar. Christmas is a way of life. So let the celebration begin … now!

10. Keep one Christmas decoration out all year long. When you begin packing away all of the Christmas decorations, keep one or two of your favorite ornaments out in plain sight as a reminder that we are to celebrate the birth and life of Jesus Christ every day of the year.

Mary Southerland The Stress-Buster
Web: www.marysoutherland.com
E-mail: mary@marysoutherland.com

Check out Mary's new Christmas MP3s and E-Bible Study on Stress