Wanna Know a Secret?

I love the Ellen Degeneres Show (I'm sure that's trademarked). That is not a secret. Last week she had 2 guests on with a book and a movie of the book (I believe they made the movie) and I just had to write about what I saw! The book was called The Secret (probably trademarked as well) and it is written by Rhonda Byrne. Ellen seemed to love the book and the movie ... she even gave them both to the audience. After listening to the 2 gentlemen, Bob Proctor and John Assaraf, explain what The Secret was I couldn't sit by without adding my 2 cents.

Granted I have not read the book, but I understand it to be about the secret to happiness in life. Mr. Proctor and Mr. Assaraf talked about how we attract negative energy when we focus on negative things in our mind. Basically, we should focus on positive things to live a more healthy life. That is a wonderful philosophy and I don't disagree with the writer's premise. My problem is that Mr. Proctor and Mr. Assaraf stated on the show (whether it is in the book or not I don't know) that we focus on death and the fear of death so we are always moving toward death. Here's the real secret... the Bible says "It is appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment." (Hebrews 9:27) No amount of positive thinking will change the day that God has preordained for our death and judgment. That doesn't mean that we should dwell on it, but we do have to deal with it!

They also talked about focusing energy on things that they wanted like houses and other material things. One of them wanted a house. He cut out a picture of a house and put it on a board (I can't remember what they called the board). Several years later he came back and looked at it and that was the exact house he had bought. It's not surprising to me if you liked the picture enough to cut it out that you would like it enough to go look at it! You might even like it enough to look at it twice and buy it. That's not a supernatural event resulting from the focusing of energies. David and Mary (the Kentucky team from the Amazing Race) were on The View a few weeks ago. They seem pretty humble people happy with what they have. They don't have much. They love their family and they were ecstactic with the things they saw on the race. When they went on The View they were given three trips, a new car, a new computer, and a new house to be built on their land. They weren't focusing their energy on any of those things. They were blessed. I believe God blesses us. Does he give us all mansions? No, and I am so thankful he doesn't. We might take for granted His blessing if gave us all the same things. He knows just what we need.

In a recent post, I wrote about some friends battling cancer. Would The Secret people tell them to focus their energies on positive things and they would be healed? That does not seem to be God's plan right now and as difficult as it is, we are much more comfortable placing our friend into the hands of the Almighty God than at the mercy of The Secret.

I have the best husband

Hopefully, everybody at some point at least likes the person they married. This week I read in my Bible study something that quite frankly is a little scary to me. It talked about how sins of one generation tend to be repeated by following generations. There are things in my ancestry that I don't want repeated in my marriage. As the title of this entry says, I have the best husband. I am a person who was raised with lots of self doubt and no self worth. My husband, Alex, has helped restore that. His patience with me is indescribable. Most men would not put up with the baggage he had to put up with when we got married.

So I'm left wondering what keeps going wrong in marriages today? Do people just forget that there was a time that they were so grateful to find someone like I have in Alex? For me, I pray that I never forget or never take for granted what a gift Alex is.

Questions for God

So I'm going through a Beth Moore Bible study right now titled The Patriarchs. In Genesis 18: 16-33 God talks to Abraham about what is going to happen to Sodom and Gomorrah. God tells Abraham that Sodom will be destroyed because of the sins of the people. Abraham reacts like I would and thinks, "What about the innocent people?" Here is what I have never thought about before this study, God allowed Abraham to have this conversation with him ... to voice these doubts about His plan. I've read this account tons of times and never thought twice about why it was in the Bible.

This summer, one of my precious 1st grade Sunday School students and preschool choir students (siblings) lost their father (he also has an older son) to a long battle with breast cancer. He was a wonderful Christian man. He was an encouragement to me everytime I encountered him. When he passed away in July I really didn't see how that could be God's plan. Surely his children and wife still need him?

Now, just 2 months later, I feel like I am facing very similar circumstances. One of my sister's closest friends Kenny was diagnosed with melanoma this year. I think he is 35. He is married with 2 kids (ages 7 and 6). The oldest boy is good friends with my nephew. The cancer has proven very aggressive and has not responded to treatments. It has moved into his liver and his spine and the doctor's are not giving him much hope right now.

Here is where I feel like Abraham. I know my God! I know what He can do! He can take every bit of cancer out of my sister friend. He could have done that for my friend this summer. He chose not to heal Troy this side of heaven and I don't understand why. Will he choose to heal Kenny? I've always felt so bad for questioning what God was doing. God invited Abraham into this conversation about Sodom and Gomorrah. I feel like He wants us to know Him. I don't want to continue questioning why these things happen, but I think it's OK that I want to know God's plan and want to know God's in control.

Hurricane Katrina

OK, so this opinion has been sitting with me for a while and I just have to get it out! It's been a year since the hurricane of 2005 and here is Brad Pitt in my People magazine comparing New Orleans to the devastation he has seen in Haiti and Ethiopia. What a travesty that we in America have not done more to save New Orleans so superhero Brad must come save the day (or whatever other celebrity you want to insert into the story). Well, here's my issue. Many people have sent tons of money (yes even our government) - enough money that New Orleans was able to throw a humongous party known as Mardi Gras six months months ago!!!! IMHO that shows horrific mismanagement of funds locally by the government.

I was expecting a huge turnover in that government when the elections were held so that this city could be rebuit into something they could be proud of. Instead, they reelected the same crooked politicians that have abandoned them for the past year. The same ones who told them to go to the convention center with hundreds of buses waiting around the corner yet didn't use them during the hurricane! These are the leaders you want New Orleans and yet you complain about the lifestyle you are left in when it is the one you chose.

I am saddened for those who are too young to do anything about the position they are in. They are being raised in a city that values gambling and partying over rebuilding homes and restoring water and electricity. How do we explain that to these precious children? Better yet, how do we make their lives better? The government can't do it by just sending money. They tried that early on and were taken advantage of. Now there is so much paperwork involved (and it appears to be necessary because of the number of people who stole money from the government early on) that it takes forever to get anything done. So truly the only way change is going to happen in New Orleans is person to person. That's why I think it hasn't happened yet ... too many people are waiting for the money to arrive and not the people. New Orleans need leaders to change the city and people ready to work. That's my opinion!

Private Prayer Languages

So my Sunday School teacher keeps bringing this up and even posted a comment that sent me to do a little research about this. Of course I have an opinion. Whether it's any good or not is irrelevant. It's mine! So Reverend Dwight McKissic speaks at the chapel service of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary last week and referred to the fact that he and others used a private prayer language. He knows that this is hot topic with the International Mission Board right now. Now SWBTS has pulled his sermon from the website. My first thought was that he was not saying something that was false, but the manner in which he delivered it was disrespectful. I feel like he was being insubordinate to those he was invited to speak under. Then I read the letter he posted to Dr. Paige Patterson. While maintaining his difference of opinion with Dr. Patterson, he submits to his leadership and agrees to have further sermons proofread for content. He points out why he believes his point was scripturally sound, but agrees to continue to support the seminary. I sincerely hope that the IMB and SWBTS can eventually embrace the Biblical view of private prayer languages, and I feel like the way he worded this letter could be much more effective than the sermon to the chapel students.

This is me!

I'm trying to figure out how to upload a picture of myself. This is me on a trip to Australia in February 2006. My husband was invited to speak at a conference and there was no way he was going without me! I have always loved animals and could not wait to see Australia's animals. I got to pet this koala even though he was sleeping. I also got to feed kangaroos and wallabies at this wildlife park! Best trip ever!

1st blog

This is my 1st attempt at blogging so I kind of want to see how to set up this page.

Chandra