Foot in the Door

It Starts With a Lie.

    It’s been thirty years and I still feel like a sucker. One month after our first daughter was born I received a phone call. “Good afternoon Mrs. Lovenburg we would like to congratulate you on your winnings!” I had never won anything before except a large bottle of Elmer’s glue from the local hardware store so I was very excited.

    As the voice on the phone gave me my prize options I wondered when it was that I actually entered this contest. Having to choose between fifty dollars of groceries or a free carpet cleaning all it took was a quick glance at our dirty, avocado green carpet to choose the cleaning.

    The appointment was set for that night around five because the cleaning tech was only in town for the one day. It wasn't the most convenient time for me but I would not pass up an opportunity to have my carpets cleaned for free. It went downhill from there, he showed up at my front door two hours late and as I watched him remove his brand-new vacuum I knew we had been duped. 

    Yes, he was a vacuum salesman and he spent the next four hours trying his best to convince us of the inadequacies of our vacuum and questioned our parenting skills for not knowing the importance of a spotless floor when it comes to our precious little girl. 

   This is the girl that loved to eat crayons, ate gum from an ashtray, peeled and chewed gum from the bottom of a coliseum seat and licked a slug at Jr. High camp. Had we known she would be so unselective in her food choices we wouldn't have bothered.

    After four hours of convincing we bought the overpriced, fifty pound beast and waited until midnight for him to finish the carpet cleaning. Later we found out the salesman lived right around the corner from us, boy did I feel like a fool. I seriously wanted to knock on his front door and shake the snot out of him for deceiving us!

    Now that I am older and more informed I recognize deception more easily. I have learned to question motives and compare things with the truths I have learned over the years.

    Revelation 12:10, 11 calls the devil an accuser, he is very skilled at making us feel inadequate. If we give him that -foot in the door- opportunity he will surely do his best to make us feel like failures and rob us blind. I am so thankful that God no longer listens to those accusations and he sees me through the blood of Jesus, as his precious daughter.         We have the means of victory and it is through the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. The blood was provided for us, our testimony is that spoken word that puts the liar in his place and propels us on to a better life.

    It would have been far better had I just turned that salesman away at the door. The word has made it easier for me to recognize his lies and refuse to listen when he comes knocking at my heart’s door.

    Revelation 12:10, 11 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”

Nashville in July

Southern experience

Nashville in July is HOT! My best friend and I flew to Nashville for a conference. We were both so excited because we had never been to Tennessee before. We were having a great time doing a little sight seeing. We walked down the main strip and it was HOT! We took a bus that that gave us a tour of the town and it was HOT! We walked to the Grand OL Opry, sat in tiny little bench chairs in the nose bleed section and I was HOT! 

   On our last day of shopping we hopped on a bus and headed back to the hotel. We were tired, sweaty and our make up no longer graced our face but gently ran down our necks in beige and pink beads of sweat. Before we knew it, the driver stopped and picked up a man that was visibly drunk.  The man followed us where ever we went on the bus so we finally sat in the front few rows near the driver.

    I could keep an eye on that man by watching his reflection in the glass windows of the buildings we passed. As we drove farther, we passed by a big brick building with no windows, when we came to the next window I noticed he was gone! I turned to ask my friend where he went and there he was, in the seat right next to me, beer breath and all! 

    How he moved that fast or that quiet I don’t know but my reaction surprised even me. I yelled and gave the man a quick shove, which landed him on the floor of the bus. When I buzzed for the driver to stop the bus he acted like he had no idea what was going on so we walked the rest of the way in the heat. 

     Life can give some pretty scary surprises sometimes but God is our always present help in times of trouble. I am thankful that God was watching out for me. I will put my trust in my Lord I know He is my helper.

Psalms 118:6, 7 says, “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies.”

One who stands alone ...falls alone.

Two heads are better than one

     We are all familiar with the expression, “absence make the heart grow fonder,”  Well, sometimes I think it actually makes the heart grow forgetful. It's easy for life to get busy, and time blows by like wind on a short fall day. Before I know it, good-fellowship seems like a distant memory and long time friendships feel lost or stolen away.
  I know going to church and keeping in touch with others can seem like a chore, so why do I  drag myself out of bed every Sunday? With barely enough time to slap on some makeup, put on a thrown together outfit, scream at my uncooperative hair and shoot evil glares at my ever ready husband, I dash out the door always on the late side of punctual.
   I have attended the same church for thirty- seven years and I am most thankful God planted my roots so deep. I love my church family and will even say I need them. Ready to help, fierce in prayer, lavishly giving and constantly growing; they are pivotal in  helping me succeed in life. They don't care if my hair is ratty or if my jeans are too tight. They are there to help me out when I'm in trouble.     It's not a perfect system by any means and like any family we all have our shortcomings, but I believe my life would be a complete mess without them.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says,

  Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other person can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back to back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple braided cord is not easily broken.

   God is social and that is how he created us, to be in fellowship with each other, I often wonder why I choose to deal with hard times on my own. Feeling like I belong and having someone to encourage me just makes life easier.

 It’s not just being in the same room but it’s all about getting involved. We all could use a little help from a fellow brother or sister; after all, we are family.  We are connected to His social network for a great purpose; to encourage one another.

Hebrews 10:24, 25

  Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.