The Aroma

As I stepped out the door yesterday and smelled the lovely fragrance of roses in our front yard, I was again reminded of a post I did a few years ago. I can’t remember if there are any roses in the front yard of the rental house we will be moving into shortly, so I am enjoying the ones we have here while we still have them. I pray this post will be a blessing to you.

 

This is the time of year when I love walking out our front door and unto the porch.  “Why?”  you may wonder.  As soon as I step out the door, I can smell the wonderful fragrance from the roses in our front yard.  It is a sweet and wonderful scent.  Isn’t it funny how smells sometimes trigger memories?  Often when I smell roses, my mind goes back to some little dolls I had as a girl.  These dolls were only about 3 inches tall and came in little heart shaped plastic bottles.  There were several varieties of these dolls called LiddleKiddles and each one smelled like a flower.  They were named after the flower whose fragrance they emitted.  We had Apple Blossom, Rosebud and Honeysuckle, but I remember that my favorite was Rosebud.  There are certain roses that smell exactly as I remember my little Rosebud smelling.

 

The other day as I was standing outside breathing in that fantastic rose scent, a thought came to my mind.  What smells good to God?  I don’t know if God dropped that question in my mind or if I’m just weird.  I’ll let you decide.  Then I thought of the term “sweet savour” that I remember reading before in the Bible.  I decided to look up this term in e-sword, and I found 44 references to it.  In the Old Testament, it’s always mentioned in reference to some kind of offering or sacrifice being given to the Lord.  In the New Testament, this term is only mentioned one time in 2 Corinthians 2:15.

 

2Corinthians 2:15  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

 

To make it a little easier to understand, here is the verse preceding this one and a few after it in the English Standard Version of the Bible.

 

2Co 2:14  But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.

2Co 2:15  For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,

2Co 2:16  to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

2Co 2:17  For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. (bold emphasis mine)

 

 

Under the Old Testament law, the sacrifices that were offered to God according to His specifications were sweet and pleasing to Him.  I believe in The New Testament  church age that we’re living in, that as the born again church, we become living sacrifices (Romans 12:1,2)to God through which He desires to spread “the fragrance of the knowledge of him.”     This fragrance is the very aroma of Christ, and to those that receive the fragrance of this knowledge, I believe it will not only give spiritual life here but eternal life in the ages to come.

 

Maybe God was using those roses to remind me once again of my mission in life.  Dear Lord, please use me to spread your wonderful life giving aroma!

 

Edit:  Here’s a link to some Liddle Kiddles.

 

http://dollreference.com/kiddles_kologne.html

 

Almond Festival 2011

Each year during the 2nd weekend of September, our city hosts an Almond Festival, which takes place on the grounds of a local elementary school. The couple that heads up our outreach department approached my husband about having a booth this year, and he was all for the idea. While we did sell bottled water, our real aim was to talk to people about the Lord, have Bible tracts available for anyone to take and offer people home Bible studies. We held a drawing on both days for a $50 gift card. Saturday’s gift card was for Black Bear Diner, and Sunday’s was for Bed, Bath and Beyond. In order for people to be eligible for the drawing, we had them fill out a brief survey and give us their name and contact information. These are the questions that were asked on the survey.

1. In your opinion, what would be one of the greatest problems in today’s society?

2. 60% of Americans today do not attend church. Why do you think most Americans do not attend church?

3. If you were looking for a church to attend, what would you look for in a church?

4. Do you have a desire to learn more about the Bible?

5. Have you ever asked yourself this question, “Why did God create us?”

6. Have you ever asked yourself, “Why did God put the tree in the garden and then say don’t eat of it?”

7. Would you be interested in a 40 minute Bible study lesson that would answer the previous 2 questions?

We had a lot of people that came by and took the survey and quite a few said yes to question #7.  I am thankful and excited for these people that are wanting Bible studies! We also had clear cellophane bags we gave out that included a great Bible study on what it means to be born again, along with some other tracts. There is so much power in the Word of God. God’s Word when applied, will change lives, so I’m thrilled that we were able to share some of the Word of God with people. This was really a great outreach opportunity, and I am thankful for all of our church folk that sacrificed both time and money to make our invovlement in the Almond Festival possible. I’m looking forward to seeing what God will do!

 

Staccato #1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Staccato # 1

 

Some think it’s wise to just ride with the flow,

but compromise is not the way to go.

Take care! Take care! The path you trod

must line up with the Word of God.

Consider what voice leads you on your way.

Take care, your heart must not be lead astray.

*******************************************

Dissenters, they might say you preach too hard,

but preachers, this I pray, “Don’t drop your guard.”

Stand strong! Stand strong! The truth declare,

for men are searching everywhere.

They need illumination, God’s true light.

Stand strong, although it surely is a fight.

******************************************************

Though some would urge, “You should tear down that fence.”

Resist the surge, in spite of their offense.

Hold on! Hold on! There is a need.

To old landmarks, we must take heed.

The door will one day close for you and me.

Hold on, the prize to win – eternity!

3-24-11

 

This type of poem is called a staccato. You can learn how to write one here.

Proverbs 16:25  There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Proverbs 4:26  Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.

2Timothy 4:2-5  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

Proverbs 2:20  That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the

righteous.

Psalm 119:130  The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

Proverbs 22:28  Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.

1Corinthians 9:24-27  Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

 

Profitable Acronym

I like acronyms, and for some reason, this one, that I learned of a long time ago, popped into my mind this morning. If you want to grow in your walk with God, this is good advice.

P -Prayer

R- Read the Bible

O-Offerings and tithes (give them)

F-Fasting (this one’s a struggle-but it works!)

I-Intercessory prayer (praying earnestly for others)

T-Testify(tell of God’s goodness, both at church and in the streets)

May you have a profitable day!

 

Little Things

I’ve been thinking a lot about litte things for the past few weeks. I think it started when I read Unlocked and saw how the main character, Holden Harris took little steps in coming out of his private, autistic world. It really gave me a greater burden to pray for “little” breakthroughs among the young clients with whom I work.

Also, I read a post recently by an evangelist friend of ours which spoke volumes to my heart.  You can read it here.

There have been some little improvements recently that I have seen in my clients.  The past 2 times I went to JC’s house, he spontaneously asked for the bowling pin game without the game even being in sight and before we had even started our “manding time” where I try to entice him to ask for toys or different objects of interest. Last week, when JC was sitting at the table working on an activity, he suddenly got up and started walking toward me. I got up and stood in his pathway and made eye contact with him. He said “Going potty?” to which I replied,  “Oh sure, you can go potty!” He has never asked me before if he could use the restroom, so that was another small victory.

After not being at JV’s house for over 6 weeks, I was scheduled to have a session with him. JV is one of the most difficult clients I have because he is very busy and just all over the place. One of the first things he said when he saw me was “peek a boo”. That helped me to know that he still remembers me, because peek a boo was something special that I did with him.

I have a new client, AB, whom I started working with last week. We were instructed to just do what is called “pairing”(basically playing without putting any demands on the child)for the first week to give him a chance to get used to us. One of the things AB really enjoys is bubbles. On Wednesday, I was at his house, and I was blowing bubbles for him. He gives good eye contact when I do the bubbles. Suddenly the thought came to my mind to pause with the bubble wand at my lips and just give a wide eyed look to AB. He looked at me and said “bubbles” to which I said “good asking for bubbles.” I did this a couple of more times with him and he was still saying “bubbles.” Then without any prompting, he slowly said “I want bubbles.” He did this several times in between laughs and the popping of bubbles.

While I am thankful for the little victories I have seen in my clients, I am even more grateful for the little breakthroughs we are seeing in the spiritual realm. God is definitely doing things in our midst, and it seems like the presence of God in our services is getting stronger. I know this is first of all because people are endeavoring to pray just a little more and then witness a little more.  I feel like God has great things in store for us in 2011.

 

Wrong Number or A God Thing?

I just had the most incredible experience, but before I can explained what happened, I need to backtrack to last night.

As we were wrapping up a wonderful New Year’s Eve service at church and getting ready to go home, I thought I would check my cell phone to see if there were any missed calls, Happy New Year wishes, etc. I had received one text message from a number I didn’t recognize. Whoever left this message was not somebody that I had in my address book.  The text wished me a Happy New Year and urged me to send this on to 15 of my best buds, so that I would have a good new year. It also mentioned if I didn’t do this that I wouldn’t have a good 2011. I just thought to myself, “this has got to be a wrong number”, and I quickly brushed it aside until the next morning. Late this morning, around 10 or 11, I was telling my daughter about this text I got from somebody in Oregon that was probably a wrong number. She suggested that I text the person and ask them who they are. So I just sent a text that said, “I’m not sure I know who you are. Could you please identify yourself?” The person responded back that her name was Terri from Oregon and she mentioned that she was a friend of some guy that I do not know. I texted back and told her that I didn’t know a Terri from Oregon, but Happy New Year anyhow. She then texted back and asked if I knew this guy she mentioned. I texted back and told her no, my name is Carol, and I live in California. She texted me back and named a city in California where she used to live. I told her that I was about 25 miles from that city, and then I felt like the Lord prompted me to ask something. I mentioned a particular church in that city, told her the pastor there was a friend of ours and asked if she knew where it was. She responded that she did and had a sister that lived right down the street from that church. I said “small world, isn’t it?”, and then I asked her if she went to church in Oregon and told of of 2 friends we have up in Oregon and how we had visited their churches. It turns out she lives 10 minutes away from one of the cities I mentioned. I texted her back and asked, “Wrong number or is this a God thing? Anyway, to make a long story a little shorter, we conversed through texting for a good hour. She mentioned that she felt like this was a sign from God, and she may end up visiting the church in McMinnville that I mentioned to her. (Naomi, if you’re reading this, it’s your church!) One of her sons actually lives right down the street from the church, and she passes by it all the time! I started a conversation with this woman as a total stranger and had made a friend by the time we were done. She wants to keep in touch. There is no telling what God is going to do. You just never know!

 

Unlocked

This is the title of a book I just finished reading by Karen Kingsbury. The story is about an 18 year old boy that struggles with autism and how through an old childhood friend and prayer, a series of miracles happen in the life of Holden(the main character)that release him from being locked up in a private, non-verbal world of his own.  Having worked with autistic children for over a year now, I could really relate to this story, and it deeply touched my heart. One of the things the author brought out also was that there are a lot of other ways that people can be “locked up”.  Some are locked up in the quest to be part of the “in” crowd, the pursuit of wealth, the goal of having that perfect figure, etc. etc. As I was reading, the Lord impressed upon my mind the thought that we are all born locked up in the prison of sin. Because of what happened back in the garden of Eden, a sinful nature has been passed down to every person that enters into the world. We are born with a nature that is contrary to God, and unless a change takes place, we will never be able to have a right relationship with Him ,and  we will remained locked up in our own sinful nature.  Through prayer and the patient efforts of a friend, Holden was drawn out of his solitary confinement and brought to a place where he could truly begin to communicate and having meaningful relationships with others. What a blessing it is to have a God who seeks to woo us and win us to a wonderful relationship with Him. He uses so many little things to try and get our attention  and to bring us to the place where we can repent and turn our hearts toward Him- the beauty of creation, circumstances of life, preaching and teaching of His Word(if we’ll choose to listen), kindness when we don’t deserve it and most of all prayer. 

I shudder to think of where I would be if someone had not been praying for me and if someone had not reached out to me in love and shared the gospel. I could have committed suicide and died lost, because there was a time in my life when I considered suicide as a way to end the emotional pain that engulfed me. Reading Unlocked has left me with 2 desires. As far as my job goes, I want to pray more and reach out more to the families with whom I am working. While I believe ABA is helpful in working with autistic children, it is ultimately God that can open the door for these kids to communicate and have healthy relationships with family and friends. As a Christian, I want to pray more for the people in my life that don’t know God and may or may not realize that they are locked up in a spiritual prison. While I can be kind to people and do my best to share the gospel with them, my efforts will fall short if I don’t earnestly pray, for I know that without Him, I can do nothing. (John 15:5)

Dear Lord, please let 2011 be the year of unlocked doors.

Luke 4:18

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

 

Public Opinion Survey and Home Bible Studies

A few weeks ago, we began giving a short public opinion survey to people in our city in the hopes that it would interest some to sign up for a Bible study. Our outreach director got this idea from another church that has been doing this and seeing some good results. Here are the questions that are on the survey.

1.  In your opinion, what would be one of the greatest problems in today’s society?

2.  60% of Americans today do not attend church. Why do you think most Americans do not attend church today?

3.  If you were looking for a church to attend, what would you look for in a church?

4.  Do you have a desire to learn more about the Bible?

5.  Have you ever asked yourself this question, “Why did God create us?”

6.  Have you ever asked yourself, “Why did God put the tree in the garden and say, “don’t eat it”?

7.  Would you be interested in a 40 minute Bible study lesson that would answer the previous two questions?

We have done this survey going door to door and also have given it to people in the parking lot of Wal-Mart and grocery stores. God is beginning to open doors, and there are people that have signed up for Bible studies. I had the privilege on Monday of teaching a lady who took the survey and wanted a Bible study. I was not the one who gave her the survey, so I had not met her before the Bible study. Our outreach director gave me her number so I could contact her. We had a good Bible study, and I asked her at the end of the lesson if she would like me to come back and teach more. She said yes! I’m excited about this and the other Bible studies that are going on as well. I know what Bible study did for me. God’s Word is powerful! It changed my life, and I have seen it change many lives. I’m looking forward to seeing the souls that will be saved and radically changed from hearing and application of God’s Word!

 

The Road To Revival……………

is paved with prayer, fasting, witnessing and

peanut brittle!

 

New Children’s Church Quarter

This past Saturday, the Kid’s Church staff got together and decorated for a new quarter. In our present facility, we do not have classrooms, so we do Kid’s Church in the sanctuary. This presents a challenge when it comes to decorating, because we have family worship service after Kid’s Church. We need decorations that are portable. Our Children’s Church Coordinator, Sister Eva Kolej, put a plan in action to make this happen. Here are some pics of our new decorations.