My Personal Scutterbotch

I mentioned Scutterbotch in my last post.
Here is the story in brief overview- 
The story of Scutterbotch is about a little girl, named Becky, who really wanted a horse.  One day a friend of the family gave her an old horse. A gray, swayback, short legged horse.  Becky wanted to name the horse Butterscotch, but he wasn't a butterscotch color, so she decided to name him Scutterbotch.  Becky and Scutterbotch did everything together! 
One day, the temperatures dropped to below freezing, and no one thought to open the door to the barn to let Scutterbotch in. Scutterbotch ended up dying, even after the vet tried everything he could think of to save him.  Becky went to her dad and asked why God had let Scutterbotch die.  Her dad told her he didn't know exactly why God had a let that happen, but that they should thank God for allowing her to have Scutterbotch for as long as she did.  So Becky thanked God for the gift of time she had with Scutterbotch.  Several weeks went by, and every day Becky would thank God for Scutterbotch.  One day, her dad got a phone call, when Becky asked who it was, all her dad said was 'it was a friend'. 
The following weekend a horse trailer pulled into their yard and out of the horse trailer stepped not one, not two, not three, but FOUR Fresian Show Horses!  One stallion, two mares, and a filly. 
Because Becky thanked God for what she had had, He blessed her with an abundance later on.
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Here is the story of my personal Scutterbotch-

How often do you neglect the things you know you are supposed to do?

For me, it was more often then it should have been.

And the Lord knew that.  So He allowed my laptop to die back in April of this year.

I say He allowed it, because I had let electronics take over my life.  I wasn't reading my Bible like I should, I wasn't praying like I should, I wasn't spending time with my wonderful family like I should have been.  I was always busy on that laptop.

The Lord knew that I needed a change, and killed it. :)

I was very upset at first, but then as I was looking for something to do with all of my new found spare time- I rediscovered not only my Bible, but many other books that I had been needing to read.  So, the Lord put me on a fast track to developing my relationship with Him!
I found many nuggets, rhamas, and just general information that I needed.
Now, 5 months after the death of my 'Scutterbotch' (aka- laptop), I can honestly say that I am In Love with Jesus Christ my Savior! I have a deeper relationship with Him now than I ever had before.

As Jeremiah 29:11-14 says- 
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
"Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
"And I will be found of you, saith the LORD..."

The Lord is ALWAYS true to His Word.  Praise His Name, I sought the Lord and I found Him! 

I challenge you to re-evaluate your relationship with your Heavenly Father.  Are you spending more time with friends, electronics, TV, etc, than you are with Him? 
The Lord Himself says that He is a Jealous God.  Christ loves you more than any person ever could, and certainly more than an inanimate object ever could.  He gave His life for you!
Remember, God does not move away from you, You move away from God.  Take the steps today to get closer to God. And don't stop! Keep going down that road. I promise you, you will not regret it!

Oh, and the Lord blessed me with a new laptop that is ten times better than my old one! But it is not taking over the time that I have to spend with my Savior! :)

So, what is your Scutterbotch story?

Placing a Stitch in the lives of children

Proverbs 22:6- "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege to work alongside an amazing group of young people who all have a heart for God and for children.

We had a great time working together for the common goal of
sharing Christ's love with 17 little blessings.
Through the course of the week, the children learned Psalm 1 and
several songs in large group. They made some fun crafts and learned
many character qualities and their definitions in small group.
The children had a blast and learned a lot, but we the teachers
learned more than the kids.
Of course, isn't that how it always goes? Whether you are a teacher,
a preacher, or a Sunday School teacher, when it comes time for you
to teach or preach, you always end up learning something from the
lesson yourself. Sometimes, the lesson was meant just for you, not
necessarily for your students or congregation.
During the week, we had a storyteller- Richard Shoemaker - who did
a fabulous job and kept the kids on the edge of their seats.
One story he told in particular really touched my heart. It was the
story of Scutterbotch.
Scutterbotch is a wonderful story of having something, then losing it,
only to be blessed over and above what you had before. More on this
next time :).
So all in all, we had a marvelous week of fun, friends, fellowship, and
learning about God.
I'm already planning and looking forward to next year!