The Pumpkin Example

Here's an e-mail I received today:

Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin.

God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you.

He opens you up, reaches deep inside and scoops out all the yucky stuff -- including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc.

Then He carves you a new smiling face, and puts His light inside of you to shine for the entire world to see.

Seeking Advice

If you are going to take up your pastor's and pastor's wife's time in seeking their advice about a situation then make sure that you have prayed before doing so. Why? you may ask. So that when you go in to talk to them, you will have an open mind, heart, and spirit. Then you will be ready to hear and receive the advice from the man of God and his wife that you need for the situation that you are facing in your life. If you are not going to be willing to accept what it is they are going to tell you (whether you like what they have to say or not, because sometimes it is a tough pill to swallow) then don't bother wasting their time or yours. I have found that if I pray before counseling, I can swallow that bitter pill much easier with the spirit of God than if I try to swallow it with a carnal attitude. Yes, with a carnal attitude I must say it gets lodged in my throat and just won't go down and becomes very bitter and causes spiritual heartburn.

Pastor and Sis Brain Allard, I love you both very much. Your words of wisdom mean a lot to me. Sis Allard, you really asked me a lot of questions last night that made me stop and think, REALLY think. Thank you! There was one comment you made about one situation that I was not surprised you said because God already told me the same thing so I knew it was coming. Pastor, you spoke the very words my neurologist told me about another situation. Another confirmation. Yes, I must make some changes.

This is Pastor Appreciation Month and we have already had an appreciation get together at church for you and your family pastor, but sometimes I feel it is so little in comparison to all that you and your family have done for us. I said your family because every time you or Sis Allard has to counsel, visit someone in the hospital, do a funeral, wedding, or whatever for one of us in the church, your children have to give you up to us for that time period. They sacrifice their parents, so that we can have your service for that time frame that by all rights, should be theirs. I will never be able to put in to words just how much I love and appreciate you and your family.

Ephesians 4:11-12; "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."

I found the following below when I was reading somewhere and I copied it and saved it because I thought it was good. I can't remember where I got it but I do want to share it with you.

The ministry of a pastor is one of the five-fold ministry gifts to the church:

A Pastor will be one whose voice the sheep recognize through an inner spiritual sense.

A Pastor will be sensitive to the sheep, “sit where they sit” and identify with them.

A Pastor will “call his sheep by name,” having personal contact with them.

A Pastor will lead the sheep into fresh pastures of the Word which he searches out.

A Pastor goes before the sheep as a leader and they are happy to follow him. They know he will not lead them astray, because he leads by example in attitude, word and lifestyle.

A Pastor rules the sheep with love, not with force or cruelty. They naturally return his love.

A Pastor is willing to stay with the sheep when he sees the wolf coming.

A Pastor is always on the alert for “other sheep” to bring into the fold.

A Pastor recognizes that there is only “one fold,” and that his flock is just part of that fold.

A Pastor recognizes that the sheep are not his, but they belong to the Chief Shepherd.

A Pastor ministers healing to the flock, seeking out the lost and binding up the broken.

A Pastor uses the rod (correction) and the staff (direction) to lead his sheep.

A Pastor protects the sheep from their enemies – and sometimes from themselves.

Hebrews 13:7 reads "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves:for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you".

We need a Pastor and I thank God for mine and his family.

Just Listen And Obey

I had been having severe pain in my neck, so my primary doctor gave me several injections of cortisone, over a period of time, in the area where the pain was located. Then he decided that it was time to do an MRI of my neck to see what was going on in there. My insurance first wanted him to do x-rays. So he did. Nothing was found except a lot of swelling. So they said he could do a cat scan. So he did that. They still refused the MRI. So after arguing with them for about 3 months he decided to send me to a neurologist. He said that the insurance never denies them an MRI. So off I went to see the Neurologist.

When I got to the neurologist's office he began to ask me many questions. Where is your pain located? Do you have head-aches? Where are the head-aches located? How often do you have them? On and on went the questions. I thought they would never end. I thought good grief dude. I came in here to get a simple MRI of my neck and I am getting the third degree. Enough already!!!

So after being put under the spot light, (so to speak), he leans back in his chair and says, "I want to do an MRI of your brain." Well that took all!!! My doctor failed again. He sends me in here to get an MRI of my neck after fighting with my insurance for 3 months and thinks he is going to outsmart them by sending me here and now this nut wants to do an MRI of my brain and not my neck.

I looked at him and very politely said, "Sir, the pain is in my neck. I feel as though I am being rung out like a dish rag at times and can't take it." I get numb down my left arm and feel like thousands of pins and needles are pricking me between my shoulder blades. I am sure there is something going on in my neck. At times I want to take my head off and through it across the room."

He is sitting there writing on his note pad and it doesn't look as though he is even listening to me. I sat there for a few moments in total silence. About the time I am about to ask if he heard me he looks up and says, "I understand Mrs. Mendoza but I do not like the answers to some of my questions. They tend to cause me some worry. For now, I am writing you a prescription for physical therapy for you neck and I want an MRI on your brain as soon as possible.

"Doctor, I have had cat scans before and MRI's of the brain in the past and everything was fine. I have complicated migraines that causes temporary paralysis to the left side of the body that last anywhere from 2 hours to 78 hours. I know what is wrong with me. I have seen 7 different neurologist in the past including the specialist in San Francisco and they have all given me the same diagnosis. The pain here today is in the neck." He asked me when I had my last cat scan and I told him about 6 weeks ago. He wanted to know if he could take a look at it and I told him sure go ahead.

"Like I said Mrs. Mendoza, I understand you have pain in your neck but again, I have reason to believe we need to do this MRI of your brain." At this point I felt like telling him I don't have a brain and it is a waste of time. So let's just get on with the MRI of the neck thank you very much. But I knew I was going to get nowhere with him. He just thought he knew it all just because he went to school and had some degree title attached to his name. So I took my little prescription paper in hand and left.

I got in the car and shoved the prescription in my purse and drove away thinking all the time what a waste of my time and my doctor's it was to even go there. Then the Radiology place called to make an appointment with me for the MRI and I actually put it off for two weeks. They told me the doctor wanted me to come in sooner but I told them they had to wait two weeks. I was really considering not going in at all. Then I received a phone call telling me that the neurologist had looked at my cat scan and wanted to know if I had gotten my MRI yet and I said no. They wanted to know when I was going to get it done and so I told them soon. The doctor got on the phone and proceeded to tell me that he saw a spot on the cat scan that he felt needed further checking into so I needed to get that MRI done as soon as possible.

I honestly have to say it did not concern me at all because they had found a spot once before and then decided it was from an old injury and the spot he was talking about was in that same area located in the back of the head. I decided to go ahead and get the MRI over with and move on. Then maybe he would give me an MRI of my neck. You all know the outcome of that MRI report as I have already posted on that in "Life With A Brain Tumor"

I have been thinking back on this conversation quite a bit lately and I must say, BOY WAS I WRONG! It is his calling in life. He does this everyday. This doctor knows what to look for and he sees the signals and he knows the warning signs that signal when something is not right. Something is wrong and we need to get on it right away before it is to late. He can detect that things are not as they should be in a person's life just by the way they answer the questions he ask. The way they walk and talk.

That is how it is with our Pastor. He is our spiritual neurologist. That is his calling. He knows when there is something wrong in our spirit. The man of God in our life can discern when things are out of balance in our walk with God just by the way we walk, talk, attend the house of God and the way we worship when we are in the house of God.

The pastor can tell us what it is that we need to do and we will argue "But pastor I don't have a problem with that" We don't see what he sees. Like pastor preached the other night, he is up on the wall watching for our souls. He can see much further than we can. That is what he is suppose to do. When he comes to us and tells us that we need to stay away from something or someone or we need to change something in our life, we need to listen. If we don't we are headed for spiritual disaster. The pastor will then tell us that we need a spiritual MRI. We need to find an altar and let God search our hearts, minds, and souls for anything that is not like God. That is a spiritual MRI. Then we need to under go surgery and let God remove all those things from us that are not like him.

If I had not gone to get the MRI I would not have found out about the tumor while it was small. It would have continued to grow and then it could really cause me some serious problems and maybe even death. Now that we know it is there the doctors will be keeping a very close eye on it. I am on medication and will be having MRI's to monitor the growth. If it becomes alarming to big I will have to under go surgery. It is a good thing I listened to the neurologist. I could have walked away and said "Nonsense, I don't need this MRI. I am fine the way I am." It is the same way with our walk with God. Listen to your pastor! Listen to God! Get the tumor of sin out of your heart while it is small before it grows into something that consumes your life and overpowers you to where you no longer have control of your own life or even worse causes you a spiritual death.

Bottom line is, my neurologist was right and SO IS YOUR PASTOR. So don't become a Pain In The Neck! We need to learn to JUST LISTEN AND OBEY! My niece, Yvonne Hinshaw wrote a poem that sums it up like this:

Hush The Blood Is Speaking

I heard it calling and beckoning me
Let me cover you child and set you free
Instead of listening I turned up the music of life
I was happy where I was to heed the voice would bring strife

What is this you ask that is speaking to me?
It’s the blood that is flowing from Calvary
I watch as it trickles from the cross to the ground.
I turn to run and get away from the sound

I don’t need you I cry I’m fine this way
But the blood continued calling everyday
You need this my child you can’t live without blood
Let life flow through you from the crimson flood

I tried to talk louder to drown the noise out
But the blood cried louder it began to shout
You can’t silence me no matter how strong your will
The louder you get I’ll get louder still

Just hush when the blood is speaking and let it work in you
For the blood will be your strength in everything you do
Without my blood you will spiritually die
Just let me cover you I heard the blood cry

I finally stopped running I had become so weak
I heard a voice whisper I have the strength that you seek
I turned to look and there was the blood
I knew I couldn't out run Calvary’s flood

I cried out cover me with the blood so strong
Let it cover every sin every wrong
I’m tired of running and tired of seeking
I heard a voice say hush when the blood is speaking

TRICK OR TREAT?

Here is a picture of a bulletin board I did for our junior Sunday School class about six or seven years ago. I ran across it this morning and since it is October I thought I would share it with you.

Satan wraps sin up in such a beautiful package and makes it looks so good that if your are not prayed up it will make you just want to reach out and grab it. He promises you the world. He offers you riches, wealth, fame, and fortune, you name it, it's all yours. Once you partake of it you will be enticed to go a step further and further into sin. Before you know it, you are so deep into sin and so bound that you can't seem to get out of the mess you have gotten into. You say it won't happen to you. That you won't go that far. I've got news for you. Once he gets his claws into you, you are his. Satan will take you further than you ever intended to go and there is nothing you can do about it. 1 Timothy 6:9-10; "But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

Satan promises you all the treats in the world but all you will ever get from him is nothing but the dirty tricks he has up his sleeve and they will lead you down the road to destruction. Yes, he will take you for the ride of your life. Oh it will be fun at first but when you get to the bottom, for all his rides lead downward, the worse is yet to come. He will tear your life apart and there will be nothing left but broken bits and pieces. What starts out as fun will end in total fear and disaster.

My advice is stay as far away from Satan and sin as you can. When he comes around flirting with you, you better rebuke him in Jesus name and draw as close to the Lord as you can for that is our only hope of escape. 1 Timothy 6:11-12; "But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life..."

We need to flee from sin. James 4: 7 reads; "Submit yourselves therefore to GOD. Resist The Devil, and he will flee from you." 2nd Timothy 2:22; "Flee also youthful Lust: but follow Righteousness, Faith, Charity, Peace, with them that call on The LORD out of Pure Heart."

So don't be tricked by the devil. Stay with the Lord and be faithful to Him and when this race is over you will hear Well done thou good and faithful servant enter in and you will receive the treat of being with Him forever and ever in that wonderful place called Heaven.

The choice is your. You choose- Trick or Treat? Satan or Jesus? Hell or Heaven?

"Life With A BrainTumor"

Back in August I posted a blog "IF YOUR KNEES ARE KNOCKING".

It was about the two types of fear talked about in the bible. One being the Spirit of Fear and the second is the Fear of the Lord.

Before that, I posted a blog about "HOW WILL YOU RESPOND?"

This being about two big forces at work in our lives, external and internal. We have very little control over external forces... (such as tornados, earthquakes, floods, disasters, illness and pain.) What really matters is the internal force. How do I respond to those disasters? Over that I have complete control. (by Leo Buscaglia)

Since then, 11 days ago, on September 27, 2007, I was informed by my neurologist that I have a brain tumor located in my left frontal lobe on the area that controls my speech and word processing. I was told that it was the size of the upper part of my thumb.

I went to the doctor by myself to get my results because I really felt that they were negative. So when the doctor told me the news I almost fell out of my chair. I told him "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!" I just sat there without moving and very calmly looked at my doctor. But within I felt as though I had fallen overboard from a ship deep into the ocean and the waves were crashing around me and I was being sucked under and I couldn't breathe. I could not get back to the surface in order to get air. Then I felt numb all over. My head was ringing and I lost all sense of direction. I told myself this can not be happening. I could see the doctor's lips moving but I could not hear a word he was saying. All I remember was that he told me I needed to see a Neurosurgeon and that they would make me an appointment.

I left his office in a daze. I stood outside but I can't remember for how long. Then I knew I needed to talk to someone and the first person I contacted was my Pastor's wife. You might be asking why not your husband or your children, or even your pastor? I don't know why. All I know is that when I grabbed my phone it was Sis Jana Allard that I was led to for strength at that moment and I thank God for her because she has been there for me from that moment on. What a blessing she is in my life. She doesn't pity me but she encourages me and helps me to regain my strength in the Lord and that is what I need more than anything. When I begin to feel a moment of panic arise I send her a text message and she will respond and I know on my behalf she sends up a word of prayer with me and I am immediately strengthened in the Lord. THE SPIRIT OF FEAR DOES NOT BELONG IN MY LIFE AS A CHILD OF GOD!!!

I went to Sunday morning and evening service as though nothing was wrong. But by Monday night prayer I was desperate for a touch from God. Sis Allard came up to me two or three times and made a couple of comments to me and then she asked if it was OK to tell the church and I said yes. So pastor told the church about my tumor and immediately they surrounded me and prayed for a miracle on my behalf. Sis. Allard made the comment to everyone about the size of my tumor being a bite size and she said that every time we sat down to eat that we were to claim in Jesus name as we ate that we were eating that tumor away and it was going to shrink. I must admit that I was strengthened after the church prayed for me. Thank God for my church family.

I’m So Glad I’m A Part Of The Family Of God;
I’ve Been Washed In The Fountain,
Cleansed By His Blood!
Joint Heirs With Jesus As We Travel This Sod,
I’m So Glad I’m Apart Of The Family Of God.

I saw the surgeon this past Friday, on October 5th. I was informed that my tumor is definitely not cancer PRAISE GOD!!! It is also the size of my upper pinky finger and not my thumb. To God be the glory. It is smaller than we thought. So at this time there will be no surgery. The surgeon said that the neurologist will be keeping a close eye on me and that I will have another MRI in February. If the tumor has not grown to much then there will be another MRI in June. If it has grown considerably, then I will be looking at brain surgery sometime in the near future. He did tell me that though it is not cancer we do need to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't grow any larger because if it does it will begin to put to much pressure on the brain and can cause serious complications. But as for now it is best to leave it alone.

My request is that you will join my church and I in prayer that God will heal me of this tumor. I know that God can heal me but if I have to have surgery, then I ask that you pray that the hands of the surgeon will be guided by God.

I know that Satan hath desired to sift me as wheat. Luke 22: 31) I must understand that my strength lies in the power of God. (Eph 6:10) and I must be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. I Know that the battlefield is in the mind. I must put on the armor of God in my mind as Paul instructs me in 2Corinthians 10:4-5 ("For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"

Tumor or no tumor, there is still work to do for the Lord. I cannot be overcome by the spirit of fear. I MUST stay strong in Him. I must remember that: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalms 27:1) “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) The only fear I will allow in my life is what I found in Psalms 86:11; "I'll will worship in joyful fear." (Message Bible)

Foods That Fight Spiritual Cancer

4 foods that fight cancer

Learn which foods reduce your risk of cancer and which you should avoid.

When I read this article right away I thought of spiritual cancer and how it destroys the soul of man. Just like in the above article where it tells us which foods reduce our risk of cancer and which we should avoid, so it is in our walk with God.

There are things that we should and should not partake of as a child of God. If we want to live a healthy life as a Christian, then we should be eating the right foods. We need start with the word of God. We need a healthy balance of God's word in our daily walk with Him. We should be reading Godly literature. Things that are uplifting to the soul. Stay away from reading things that are not clean and up lifting. They will only put impure thoughts into your mind and heart and bring spiritual cancer into your life that will destroy your soul.

Next we need to make sure we add prayer to our diet everyday. Miss out on prayer and we begin to lack on some very important nutrients in our life. Prayer is like receiving an x-ray to see if there is anything that needs to be removed from your life before it can bring any harm to you. Make sure that you add some Godly music to your diet. It sure helps to relieve the stress in your life and bring relaxation to the soul. Listening to the wrong kind of music will lead you to entertaining the wrong kind of spirits. I guarantee that.

Godly communications is very important. "Be not deceived; evil communications corrupt good manners." (1 Corinthians 15:33) Laughter! Proverbs 17:22 "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." Yes, laughter is like the dessert after a fine meal. A bitter person will shrivel up and die. Heb 12:15 "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;" KJV

So when you sit down at the table of life to eat, make sure you are eating from the correct food group. Eat what is healthy and good for you spiritually. Do what ever it takes to avoid getting spiritual cancer. Make sure you visit the x-ray lab of prayer daily for an examination to make sure that all is well. Make sure you top off each meal with a good dose of laughter. It will make for a good ending to a great meal. They always say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, well how about laughter each day keeps the stress away. I know I always feel better after a good hearty laugh. Try it, you just might like it.

How Great Is Our God

Have you ever had one of those days where you are so emotionally and physically exhausted that you just want to crawl in a hole somewhere and hide from everything and everyone? Then you think; "Oh man, I have to cook dinner, clean up the mess, get ready and go to church, put on a smile as if I am full of energy and all is well."

So you make it to church and you're just so tired and the service starts with prayer and then you feel a little tingle and then song service starts and then you begin to feel the warmth of God move within and before you know it, you're not as tired as you were when you walked through the doors. Isaiah 28:12; "...This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing..." The more you praise Him, the more you become refreshed in the Lord. As song service moves on, the spirit of God strengthens us and lifts us up and we no longer feel the way we did when we entered the doors at the beginning of the service. We are renewed in the Holy Ghost.

It is like taking your car to the garage for a tune-up when it is running sluggish. Well that is how it was for me tonight. I was running sluggish. I needed a tune-up in the Holy Ghost. When song service started, Pastor led us in the song "How Great Is Our God" and let me tell you I felt the power of God come down and move in a soft soothing way and I received the fine tuning in my spirit that was very much needed. Yes, on a Wednesday night, Bible study service! I can not understand people who do not like bible study night. It is absolutely my favorite. Don't get me wrong. I like Sunday night shouting services. But it is the bible study services where the meat and potatoes are served. That is where you get your strength to grow and stand against sin and the forces of the enemy. I enjoy bible study messages where I get the word in such a way that I can take it home and really chew on it for a while and digest it and apply it to my life. Mmmm Mmmm Good!!!

I thank God for a good church to go to and a Pastor who will preach God's word the way it is written. The church to me is my spiritual garage. A place for me to go so that I can stay tuned, filled up and ready to go up.

All I know is that I serve an awesome God. He is my everything. Without Him I am nothing. He is the love of my life - The joy of my soul - The rock of my salvation - The breath that I breathe - The hope of my life - The song that I sing - The spring in my step - My shelter in the time of storm - My way maker when there seems to be no way - My healer - My provider - My friend - My Lord and My God.

How great is our God,
sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God