Kookie Cut-Outs by Rachel Britz

Delivering cookies and good news.

Kicked Out of Church: A True Story

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The other day after school, I sat down at the kitchen table with my son. As he dunked a cookie in his tall glass of milk, he began telling me about his day. It was the usual things. What he had for lunch, his recess activities, and so on. Then, out of no where he blurted,”Tommy got kicked out of church for flicking a raisin at the priest.”

I may have burst with laughter, if he wasn’t so serious. I composed myself and finished listening to the rest of the story. Turns out, in fact, Tommy got kicked out of church. This makes me wonder,

Is it possible to get “kicked out” of church? 

It’s never fun getting kicked out. Once I was removed from an organized establishment. {Well, it wasn’t completely organized, rather rowdy. It was a late Saturday night, after all. I was young and stupid and, well, mama always said, ‘nothing good ever happens after midnight’. You get my drift.} My point is, even if you’re guilty of breaking a rule or two it’s never pleasant to suddenly find yourself on the outside. Especially, if inside is where you long to be.

Maybe the basis for discussion is, what defines church? Is it a building with four walls? Does is consist of lofty people and holy rules? Do we believe that those who are not and do not abide should get their act together before being admitted?

This is not the Church described in the Bible. Jesus refers to the Church as his Bride, emphasizing a sacred covenant, bound by a promise that cannot be broken, taken away or removed. A colony of people, set apart from the rest of the world. A people wholly devoted to living a righteous life, setting the captives free and loving the broken hearted.

“Church is not an organization you join; it is a family where you belong, a home where you are loved and a hospital where you find healing.” – Nicky Gumbel 
I wonder how Tommy’s life was impacted by the church’s decision. Did the experience wound him like a dog with his tail between his legs, never to return? What if Tommy said he was sorry and forgiven for his lack of judgement?

It’s forgiveness that sets us free, right?

It’s love that paves the way, correct?

It’s the cross at our crossroads that ushers healing and new life, yes?

Let us consider a new way of thinking about church. Because Christ’s Church is FOR the flicked out. It’s for me and it’s for you. The sinners. Oh, but grace. This is the place where everyone’s invited. And this is where you belong.

Tap Into Your Superhuman Power Today

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Lately we’ve been watching the television program, Stan Lee’s Superhumans. It’s a reality show that searches the globe to test humans who are rumored to have these real-life comic book powers. It’s fascinating. In many ways at one time or another we’ve all wished we could tap into something super human to see us through a difficult time or seemingly impossible situation.

I have good news.

If you are a Believer, do you know that you have supernatural strength to change everything in your world? Both seen and unseen. It starts with a P – and packs a mighty punch.

Photo Credit: www.aprettycoollife.com

PRAYER.

Wait, stay with me. I know you think you’ve heard it before but here’s the deal; our world and our homes are at a crossroads. We are facing things today that are crazy overwhelming, constant strife, and for most of us there is this looming heavy cloud that simply will. not. pass. by. Do you wonder why? What if I told you that it may not be the circumstance you can see or feel before your very eyes.

In the novel This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti we’re plunked into a typical small town with typical small town issues.

Except, in this gripping story we’re given keen insight into the unseen forces working in the midst of everyday peoples lives. In this riveting story I felt like I was able to garner one huge take away, PRAYER CHANGES EVERYTHING.

I know some of you may be thinking, yeah, I’ve been praying for years for this thing… and nothing is changing. Well, I want to reveal 5 truths about prayer that will help you hold onto hope and press on.

1. God never rejects or withholds His love. {Psalm 66:20}

2. Before you even call out to Him, he answers. While you are even speaking, He hears. {Isaiah 65:24}

3. If you believe, you will receive what you ask for. {Mathew 21:22}

4. The Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. {Romans 8:26}

5. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. {James 5:16}

I encourage you today to keep fighting the good fight. Continue to pray because I assure you that every word, groan, and plea offered to the One who loves you has been received. Scripture says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over the present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” -Ephesians 6:12

So, pray!

Mothering from Scratch: BOOK GIVEAWAY

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When my kids were real little they loved it when I whipped up a fresh batch of cookie dough.

Who am I kidding? Not much has changed over the years.

I guess you could say making dough from scratch has become a tradition. It’s become a staple. And when I stop to ponder the legacy of this simple cookie dough tradition I think of all the ways these littles have changed and all the ways they have changed me for the bigger. For the better.

I’m in the throws of this parenting thing. Each child, unique. Each child, in a completely different season.

A young woman who’s nearing adulthood.

A young man stepping into bigger shoes.

A young lady nearing her tweens.

Each child, requiring different ingredients and handling instructions. This mothering thing is a lot like testing new recipe. And that’s good.

“Nobody ever told me, but, it’s sorta crazy how it just comes down to this: Parenting’s this way of bending over in humility to help the scraped child up because you yourself know it takes a lifetime to learn how to walk with Him.” -Ann Voskamp

This past October I made two new friends. Melinda Means and Kathy Helgemo are the mom bloggers over at motheringfromscratch.com.

Together they’ve just launched their first book titled, you guessed it, MOTHERING FROM SCRATCH. It’s a book that speaks directly to the heart of women and shows us how we can develop our own style by exploring our personality, strengths and weaknesses in order to find what works best. Their book takes biblical truths and helps us as mothers to overcome the fear of change or doing something wrong.

So, today, I’m GIVING AWAY a copy of Mothering from Scratch. To enter please leave a comment on my Essence of Pearls Facebook page telling me your favorite thing about being a mother or the most challenging thing about parenting.

Winner will be drawn at random Friday, January 30th {12pmCentral}.

A Time to Heal. Hope for the Wounded.

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I hurt myself yesterday when a large iron-art piece hanging on the wall suddenly became unhinged from its nail at the precise moment I walked by and gashed my head open. It was so completely unexpected that for several long moments all I could do was hold my face.

And then the blood gushed.

At the time I was alone, so naturally I found myself going into self recovery mode. For the next several hours I bandaged, cleaned carpets, mopped up and swept shards of glass.

It’s ok. I’m alright.

I’m healing.

Ironically, the morning of this incident I literally did a study on, “a time to heal; hope for the wounded.” Crazy, right? Of course, you can guess where my application is headed. 🙂

Because here’s the truth: We are all wounded. We all have scars buried deep within – those unseen – are sometimes the hardest to heal. The reason we are all wounded is because we live in a fallen and imperfect world, and that means life can thrown a mean punch.

But here’s the good news: God draws near to the wounded and broken hearted.

Take a look at the book of Exodus 15. God led his people, the Israelites, into the wilderness. When they were desperate for water, God provided. As well learn, the Israelites had to do their part too. So that, they could experience fully God as their healer.

READ: Exodus 15: 22-26


  “Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
  Then Moses cried out to the Lord and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
  There the Lord made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them. He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”

From this scripture I find six clues that reveal this process of healing that each one of us can step into at any given time.

1) WE MUST MOVE – We’re told they went and they traveled. They were following their leader, never straying too far away, they moved in sync with him.

2) WE HAVE A DESPERATE NEED – What’s your need? The thing that leaves you longing and aching. The Israelites longed for water. And in their desperation, they asked. In our desperation, we should ask too.

3) CRY OUT TO GOD – They ask and they cry out.

4) REVELATION – When we move towards God, and ask Him to fulfill our need, and cry out in desperation he gives us pictures. He may not give us a quick solution or the answer we believe is best, but God is a God of hope. When we seek him and he gives us a word or a picture in our mind or edifies us through another, these are meant to instill hope. “The Lord showed him a piece of wood.” The revelation is something we can hold. It’s a promise that He sees you and you are not alone.

5) LISTEN & DO – This is the sacrificial art of obedience. Listen carefully, my child. Do what is right, my love. Pay attention, weary one. Keep the law written on your heart. “He threw it into the water.”

6) TRANSFORMATION – “and the water became sweet.” It changed. Everything turned around from that day forward. Because, “I am the Lord, who heals you.”

Today I found broken glass in the corner of my living room. I missed a piece. And so, I cleaned it up. I’m sure to find more later. As you’re sure to discover another low lying area of hurt, another painful wound is sure to get drudged up. Just remember, God heals.

He always does.



Sun Dogs and Dog Days: Overcoming Hopelessness

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I remember him every time I see one arched across the barren sky.

A Sun Dog, you know, that phenomenon created by ice and light that halos the sun on the most bitter of days.

I remember the call, he’d committed suicide, it was depression. In the days that followed a numbness enveloped me, a certain sense of hopelessness for life and humanity swirled, and the Sun Dog kept appearing in the sky.

Depression. A physical sickness. It’s real, it’s clinical.

Hopelessness. A spiritual sickness. It’s real, it’s a feeling.

Recently I read a blog post from a young woman who wanted to share her point of view on grief during the holidays. Her words were poignant, but mid-way through her post she announced that she had never really experienced grief during the holidays.

Really? I stopped reading.

If you’re anything like me you want to listen well, live fully and learn the art of overcoming. It’s understanding through someone else’s incredible testimony and personal experience that helps us beat the odds. If they haven’t blazed a trail before you, how could they possibly understand?

Let’s talk about hopelessness.

I’m free to talk, now, because I’m learning the art of overcoming. But until recently it was the dark cloud of defeat that was doing the overcoming. It’s been years, on and off again, this weighted feeling of worthlessness and constant worry. I can put my finger on the circumstance. Yeah, that’s easy.

Yet, to just get over it and let it go already. Yeah, not so easy.

I believe thats because at it’s root, hopelessness is a spiritual condition.

It burrows beneath your chest.
It gets boxed in your mind.
And it bullies.

Janet Parshall says, “The first thing in the art of war is to identify the terrorist.”

Feelings of hopelessness terrorize us. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you Believe, we are all susceptible to the wages of this invisible war.

Let’s talk about hope. 

The thing we seek. The thing we most often turn to God for; peace, joy, love and hope. We long and ache for these life giving benefits. If only, then…

Photo credit: shatteredmagazine.net

I believe there are three ways to attain this spiritual multivitamin. Taken from Romans: 5 – read along if you’re willing.

1) Rejoice in Suffering – Blah, blah, blah. I know, stay with me. Suffering can cause people to feel hopeless. Or it can give them a greater hope. It’s all in how we respond. The scriptures clearly point out the path toward a life of joy is to accept your circumstances and be thankful in them. Rejoice, then. Even if it’s a crumb, seek it, go looking for one little thing to be grateful for. Many believe that suffering is a complete waste of life. Instead, the truth is that suffering is producing something – it’s called perseverance and it teaches willing people to be steadfast and determined.

2) Access a Relationship with God– Oh, yes, let’s get right with God. Well, that’s not exactly the point. No. But to be fair, if we are a people who are seeking the advantage of hope from God then wouldn’t it be right to seek the relationship too? It’s like having a friend with benefits. And you all know how to develop a friendship; spend time with them and hang out where they’re hanging out. This could be in the company of other Believers, studying His Word and meditating on the truths or the symbolic remembrances that he has given to show you, “Hey, I am ALIVE and I am the one who loves you.” Having a relationship with God produces hope.

3) Rise Above Disappointments – Make it a choice. Put your foot down and look up. Soar with me, above the world, because the kind of hope I’m talking about it different from the world’s hope. “Because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” The Holy Spirit is the One who fills us with the love of God. Look up, and put your hope in future glory.

This talk of overcoming hopelessness is not for the faint. But you, dear friend, are not faint. You are bright and courageous and strong and lack nothing. You have what it takes to defeat the Dog Days of the soul.

Greater is the Hope that shines bright – in you.

I’m praying for you.