GroovyGranny's Blog

You would be hard pressed to find the person that doesn�t at least know the plot line of the David and Goliath story. It�s become the cliché story for the underdog champion. This story was only the beginning of David�s remarkable faith. So remarkable was David in fact, that God called him a man after His own heart. (1 Samuel 13:14)<br />

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Though David was special to God, it didn�t spare him from difficulty. He had to face many challenges and even lived as a fugitive. Samuel had anointed David to be King after Saul. David became almost a brother to Saul�s son, Jonathan and was husband to Saul�s daughter, Michal. Saul saw David receiving love and favor from God and his country and became jealous. He tried many times to kill David or have him killed; David had to live as a fugitive. (1 Samuel 19) <br />

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Even as he was pursued and under threat of death, David trusted in the Lord. God had told David he would be king and David believed and trusted God. He knew that God would see him through adversity. <br />

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But David was far from perfect. When he sinned, he sinned big. David became infatuated with Bath-sheba, a woman married to David�s soldier, Uriah. David had an affair with Bath-sheba and she became pregnant. He compounded his sins by trying to cover them up. He arranged for Uriah to be sent into a particularly hot battle where Uriah was killed. (2 Samuel 11) <br />

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The Lord sent Nathan to David with a story about a man wronged. David decreed the wrongdoer should be killed and the wronged man should be restored four times over. Then Nathan says that David is the wrongdoer and David confesses to his sin. Without hesitation, David asks for forgiveness and accepts the consequences of his sin. �So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." And Nathan said to David, "The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die." (2 Samuel 12:13-14 NKJV) <br />

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David�s sins were severe and so were the consequences of his sins. Yet, he didn�t try to hide from them or blame God for their consequence. He accepted responsibility for his actions and dealt with the pain they caused. Many of us try to hide from our sins, too and even when confronted with them we deny them. We get angry at the hardships that are brought on by our own choices instead of accepting the responsibility for them and doing better.<br />

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The world has become a litigious place; if anything happens to us we�re ready to sue someone. We look to place blame on anyone and anything other than ourselves. It�s not too hard to imagine a man in David�s position first claiming the heat of passion to get out of the penalty of his sins with Bath-sheba and then suing God for the loss of his child. So many lawsuits are brought by people unwilling to take personal responsibility and suffer the consequences. Imagine what it would be like if we were more willing to be like David and shoulder the blame and the penalty. <br />

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From David we can also learn a great deal about praying. David didn�t sit across the table with God and have discussions with Him. He had only prayer, just as we do. So, how did David reach God and hear God�s answers? By studying the Psalms, we learn how David talked to God. We glean several models for prayer. <br />

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Not all the Psalms are by David but at least 73 of them are. In the Psalms by David, we find prayers of devotion and worship. Psalm 138 begins: �1 A Psalm of David. I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You. 2 I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name� (NKJV)<br />

David�s Psalm is saying that God is above any god that we could create, any heavenly being like angels. He worships God by acknowledging and proclaiming His sovereignty. <br />

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Many of David�s Psalms are prayers of thanks. As difficult as things were for David, he never forgot to thank God. From Psalm 103 �1 A Psalm of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. � (NKJV) <br />

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When I'm struggling with knowing how to pray and learning how to hear God�s voice, I spend some time with the Psalms of David. He learned to talk to and listen to God like perhaps no one else ever has besides Christ. In prayer, David found comfort, forgiveness and direction. Prayer can do the same thing for us if we only spend the time to do it. <br />

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David was a remarkable man. Obedient and patient, he persevered through hardships trusting in God. He relied entirely on God. When he did stumble, he was quick to repent and ask forgiveness and didn�t repeat his sins. He took personal responsibility for his actions and didn�t try to get out of the consequences. He took the time to learn God�s voice and thank God in everything. All of us could learn from David.

Sometimes I think I'm a "Do Not Disturb" Christian. I don't mean to be and don't think I even realized I was until I heard Joyce Meyer talking about it. Now, I don't watch Joyce Meyer often but I was stopped during my recent channel surfing, by the sign she wore around her neck that read, "Do Not Disturb". I stopped because I realized, almost immediately, what she was talking about and it struck a chord in me.



I read about all of the ugliness in the world and know about the millions of hungry, lonely, down & out people, I feel sadness and compassion for them, but am I doing enough about it? Am I doing anything to overcome the evil with the good? As Joyce pointed out in her sermon, Romans 12:21 tells us, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." This means to ACTIVELY do something to overcome all of the ugliness, the evil in the world and not be content to sit undisturbed.



Alot of my time and energy is spent just trying to keep myself IN the real world, in other words, my tendencies for the last several years now, have been to want to lock myself inside my little house or, at least, never leave the property and I have to fight this on a daily basis. But I wonder...what if, somehow, I could get myself out there each and every day or even start out with once a week, volunteering my time and energy to helping "overcome evil". How long before I would be serving with Boldness?



Now, I'm not going to beat myself up and ignore the fact that God has helped me do several things over the last couple of years. I have been able to attend church regularly and help in many aspects there and now, with a group from my church, I am getting involved in a prison ministry and our new group, dedicated to helping the least, "A Touch of Warmth" ministry has been a wonderful new experience. But I know that God can use me in so many other ways if I just take off my "Do Not Disturb" sign. If I can open my heart even more and can focus on my true purpose for being here, which is to serve my Lord, then I can be used in ways I can't even imagine. God will let me know. He will tell me how He wants to use me. I just have to remove that darn old sign.



I don't want a "Do Not Disturb" sign hung on my heart. My desire is to experience the changes in my spiritual walk, to enjoy the life I am living and be "disturbed" by having to examine my progress. It seems a shame to be traveling this journey, called life, only to have made the decision not to benefit from the blessings God has provided. The journey from a fleshly existence to a spiritual one is too beautiful to miss.



These are exciting times. Through our "Touch of Warmth" ministry, we are reaching out to those in need and the new involvement in the prison ministry is sure to prove to be yet another blessing. Our church is growing and we must remove the "Do Not Disturb" signs from our hearts and prepare to receive the blessings of growth and of waking up from our comfortable existence to become fully alive, fully in service for God!



"The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed," Romans 12:13

They walked in tandem, each of the ninety-two students filing into the already crowded auditorium.

With their rich maroon gowns flowing and the traditional caps, they looked almost as grown up as they felt.

Dads swallowed hard behind broad smiles, and Moms freely brushed away tears.

This class could NOT pray during the commencements----not by choice, but because of a recent court ruling prohibiting it , they had been warned.

The principal and several students were careful to stay within the guidelines allowed by the ruling. They gave inspirational and challenging speeches, but no one mentioned divine guidance and no one asked for God's blessings on the graduates or their families.

The speeches were nice, but they were routine until the final speech, it received a standing ovation.

A solitary student walked proudly to the microphone. He stood still and silent for just a moment, and then it happened.

All 92 students, every single one of them, suddenly SNEEZED !!!!


The student on stage simply looked at the audience and said, 'GOD BLESS YOU'.

And he walked off stage.

The audience exploded into applause. This graduating class had found a unique way to invoke God's blessing on their future with or without the court's approval.

Isn't this a wonderful story? Pass it on to all your friends and GOD BLESS YOU!!! This is a true story. It happened at the University of Maryland.

Shoes in church

I showered and shaved....... ....... I adjusted my tie.
I got there and sat......... .... In a pew just in time.

Bowing my head in prayer...... .... As I closed my eyes.
I saw the shoe of the man next to me..... Touching my own.. I sighed.

With plenty of room on either side...... I thought, 'Why must our soles touch?'
It bothered me, his shoe touching mine... But it didn't bother him much.

A prayer began: 'Our Father'..... ...... I thought, 'This man with the shoes.. has no pride.
They're dusty, worn, and scratched. Even worse, there are holes on the side!'

'Thank You for blessings,' the prayer went on.
The shoe man said. ...... a quiet 'Amen.'

I tried to focus on the prayer...... . But my thoughts were on his shoes again.
Aren't we supposed to look our best.. When walking through that door?

'Well, this certainly isn't it,' I thought, Glancing toward the floor.
Then the prayer was ended....... .... And the songs of praise began.

The shoe man was certainly loud...... Sounding proud as he sang.
His voice lifted the rafters..... ... His hands were raised high.
The Lord could surely hear.. The shoe man's voice from the sky.
It was time for the offering.... ... And what I threw in was steep.
I watched as the shoe man reached.... Into his pockets so deep.
I saw what was pulled out......... . What the shoe man put in.
Then I heard a soft 'clink.' as when silver hits tin.
The sermon really bored me.......... To tears, and that's no lie.
It was the same for the shoe man... For tears fell from his eyes.

At the end of the service..... . As is the custom here.
We must greet new visitors. And show them all good cheer.
But I felt moved somehow..... ..... And wanted to meet the shoe man.

So after the closing prayer..... ... I reached over and shook his hand.
He was old and his skin was dark..... And his hair was truly a mess.
But I thanked him for coming...... ... For being our guest.

He said, 'My names' Charlie..... ..... I'm glad to meet you, my friend.'
There were tears in his eyes....... But he had a large, wide grin.

'Let me explain,' he said........ . Wiping tears from his eyes.
'I've been coming here for months..... And you're the first to say 'Hi.''

'I know that my appearance.. .......'Is not like all the rest.
'But I really do try......... ........' To always look my best.'

'I always clean and polish my shoes..'Before my very long walk.
'But by the time I get here........ .'They're dirty and dusty, like chalk.'

My heart filled with pain........ .... and I swallowed to hide my tears.
As he continued to apologize... ...... For daring to sit so near..

He said, 'When I get here........ ...'I know I must look a sight.
'But I thought if I could touch you..'Then maybe our souls might unite.'

I was silent for a moment...... ... Knowing whatever was said
Would pale in comparison.. . I spoke from my heart, not my head.

'Oh, you've touched me,' I said......'And taught me, in part;
'That the best of any man......... ...'Is what is found in his heart.'
The rest, I thought,.... ......... ... This shoe man will never know.

Like just how thankful I really am... That his dirty old shoe touched my soul

I don't know about you but, sometimes, I feel I don't pray enough or that I don't pray properly. I was thinking about prayer and realized something...I know that the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, we learn this in Luke 11:1, "Now it came to pass, as he was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.'" But, the disciples never asked Jesus to teach them to tithe, to preach, or to witness. So the Lord taught them a pattern of prayer. That prayer, which is in Matthew 6:9-13, can be used as a model for our own prayer life:

"Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done
In earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdome, and the power,
and the glory, forever, Amen." (KJV)

Nearly every Christian has memorized this prayer, we hear it at weddings, we say it in church each Sunday morning, we hear it at funerals and some even say it at mealtime or bedtime. It only has 66 words in it and has become the most popular prayer in the world.

Sometimes, I struggle with not only how to pray, but with the very idea of praying at all. I find I have to really focus to maintain a vibrant prayer life. In "The Lord's Prayer," we learn who God is, who we are, and how we are to come to Him. Jesus shows us the Lord's Prayer as a means of teaching us how to pray and He has given us some preliminary instructions.

In Matthew 6:5, Jesus warns us against praying to impress others, "For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward." To pray in this way is to focus on getting attention rather than reward. We should always be genuine in the way we come before the Lord in prayer. "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly"(Matthew 6:6). We are to pray secretly and to the Father!

One of the things I tell others, in discussing prayer, is that I always talk to God just like I would anyone else. I don't use fancy words or repeat the same words over and over. Jesus tells us not to pray like heathens, "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him"(Matthew 6:7-8). Jesus wants us to talk to Him like we would the most precious person in our lives. He wants a personal relationship with us.

So much in my life improves when I pray. Many of the problems I face, the fears I have, the struggles I endure diminish when I remember to talk to God. When we pray, we are in touch with the Almighty, Creator of the Universe. Who better to handle our challenges and share our joys!

More to come.............