"The Rooster and the Fox"

 We read this fable at school today. As the story goes, Rooster is perched in the tree and Fox tries to get him to come down, saying that all the animals have agreed to be friends. He wants to give Rooster a hug to "celebrate" this new agreement. Rooster is not too sure, and climbs higher, then tells Fox he sees the dogs coming. Fox then gets out of there, either afraid of the dogs or afraid they will tell Rooster the truth, that no such pact has been made. 

Lesson learned: Don't believe everything you hear.

I read and even shared the link about the Sandy Hook conspiracy this weekend. As I read, I sat in disbelief that this was a possibility. I shared this "news" in Bible Study last night. I mentioned it to several teachers today. Even as I did so, I felt as though I was gossiping. Maybe. 

Tonight, when the evening news came on, it was showing some of the families and how they are making awareness of the gun control situation along with the mental help problems that we seem to see in cases like this.  As I watched, I put myself in these parents shoes. (Of course, as the conspiracy theory goes, it even leads you to question the whole thing and whether any of it even happened or not. Assuming it did, I tried to feel what those parents would feel who lost their child in this way. Having lost a child myself, I tried to imagine what it would feel like to know that someone out "there" would try to say that Pruitt had never been born or that he really never died- that it never really happened- knowing the pain of what we went through. 

What a tragedy if the media and government actually took these measures for an "agenda." Yet, at the same time, to disregard the loss of many in order to try to make a statement against government and media is just as awful. 

I'm still not sure what to think. I don't believe the whole thing could be a facade. However, I do believe the media and government could lead us to believe things are not always as they make them appear to be, if they so choose. The same could be said of whoever put the video out. With today's technology, anything is possible. Regardless of whether some or none of the video holds truth, it's not for me to judge.

I searched "false" on BibleGateway and these were some of the verses that came up:

Proverbs 19:5

A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will not go free.

Acts 6:12-13

¹² So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. ¹³ They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 

1 John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Philippians 1:17-19

 

¹⁷ The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.¹⁸ But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, ¹⁹ for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.

Some things we may never know. I am sure there is much that we do not know about much that takes place in our country and world.

As I mentioned it Sunday night, someone said the prayer should be that we would be able to have the discernment of the Spirit in all situations. Instead of believing everything we hear, we need to put things against Word of God, pray as the Spirit leads and leave the judging and rest to God. While I tried to explain the moral of the fable to my kids today, I really felt the Lord convicting me on this whole matter. Not just in this situation, but in the day-to-day things- like when we hear what "so and so" said and then go tell another "so and so" about it!  

I've learned the hard way that it's best to stay out of the drama, yet maybe I was caught up in it today.

I pray I would not be like Fox, stirring up trouble. Instead I hope I am more like wise Rooster. I pray I seek wisdom from the Lord in situations like these and that Christ is preached within them.

Les Miserables - Song in My Heart

I've shed several tears over the Christmas break. If you know me very well, there's really no surprise there. I'm a pretty emotional person- we won't blame hormones just yet! 
My mama cried when we left her house over Christmas, and I cried. I started to take down the Christmas tree and my eyes went straight to an ornament of Pruitt, and I cried. I watched a video of a teacher friend getting engaged on Christmas, and of course, I cried.
Let's not even mention all the sappy Hallmark movies I watched over the break or the episodes of Parenthood I tried to catch up on- and I cried. 
When I went to see Les Miserables, I turned and went back to get a couple of napkins to have handy, not knowing the storyline, but having heard it was depressing. (FYI- if you are going to cry at the movies, don't use the brown napkins! Too hard!)

Anyway, once I got past the fact that they were going to sing EVERY line (sorry, I didn't know it was an opera!), I found myself entangled in the storyline, and trying to hang on to every word they sang. The whole thing really was moving, and I'll probably see it again.

Many parts got to me, especially the very end, but also the part where Marius is singing after surviving the attack on the barricade. These words stood out to me most:
There's a grief that can't be spoken. There's a pain goes on and on. Empty chairs at empty tables
Now my friends are dead and gone...Here they sang about `tomorrow' and tomorrow never came...That I live and you are gone. There's a grief that can't be spoken. There's a pain goes on and on.

Immediately my mind went to the story I heard after the Connecticut shooting at Sandy Hook- the story of the one little girl that survived the shooting in her classroom. As we get ready to go back to school this week, I thought about what it must be like for her, to have to go back with none of her classmates there, not to mention her teachers and principal. 

This morning's message was about having a song to sing. The minister read Ephesians 5:19 which says, "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord." I instantly thought back to Les Mis as they sang every line, and that this verse says we are to speak to one another with songs. I don't know if the Lord meant put a tune to every word, but I do believe it means that those of us who have been redeemed have a song to sing, and we SHOULD be singing it! 

One of my New Year's Prayers is to strive to "Let my life song sing to You," as one Christian group put it. I also pray that the song in my heart will be one of hope and truth in Christ and that I will sing it out as I go from day to day. I also pray that little girl will find a song in her heart to be able to sing, even in the hardest of days ahead. Maybe someone else's song will fill her ears and share with her the Hope of our risen Savior and Lord. 

Marius' song was a sad one. In the context of the movie, you wouldn't expect anything else. But what if this year, we claim the word that says, "He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and hear and put their trust in the Lord." Psalms 40:3

Only God can put His new song in us, but when He does, others hear it, and it's a melody they won't forget because it it leads them to Him.

Wrestling

"For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere." 
Ephesians 6:12

Tonight I wrestled. 

If you've read the books This Present Darkness or Piercing the Darkness by Frank Peretti, you have seen the clearly painted picture of the spiritual warfare that surrounds us. If we could actually see what goes on around us, I'm sure we would be terrified at both the angelic and demonic.
After Pruitt passed away, I dealt with a season of spiritual warfare. It wasn't a specific occurrence but more of an ongoing battle of Tug-of-War. Thank God, He won.

Tonight, I felt I got caught in the middle of a battle again. 
I had posted a link to the Passion conference on Facebook but made an accidental error in my typing. A friend clicked on the link, thinking she'd watch some of the sessions and when she did, it was a horrible page with an awful picture. She immediately called me to let me know.
As soon as she did, I went on and deleted the post. I was sick. I was angry. I was upset- very upset. I posted an apology for anyone who may have tried to open it.
Later Jason texted me asking about my apology post, and then reminded me that it's no wonder with Passion going on, and their platform being on ending the sex slavery industry, that Satan would use whatever means he could to try to fight against that movement that Passion stands for. With 60,000 in attendance at the conference and way more than that watching online, Satan was not happy at the worship of our God that has been taking place this week, much less the lives added to the kingdom and those being freed from the chains of slavery in our own country.

As I continued to watch the live stream from tonights session, the tears streamed down my face. I was so mad that someone would use such a similar site address for their filth. I was upset in general over my mistake. Also, as sick as I was over it, I wondered how upset God gets over my own sin. How many times have I mocked or done and thought things just as degrading? 

The session was closing and Chris Tomlin was closing with a song which includes these lines: 
"You crush the enemy underneath my feet.............. And nothing formed against me shall stand"

We do fight against the rulers of the darkness in this world, but I am so glad that "The God of angel armies is always by my side." Grateful that He used a friend to help fight the battle tonight and my husband to encourage me and remind me Whose side I am on.

"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." Romans 16:20