When in Doubt…Phone a Friend!

Psalm 37:30-31
30 The godly offer good counsel;
they teach right from wrong.
31 They have made God’s law their own,
so they will never slip from his path.

Do you remember the game show, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

A player was asked a series of multiple-choice questions of increasing (or, in some cases, random) difficulty. Large cash prizes were offered for correctly answering each level. There were three lifelines you could use if you got stuck on a question: 50/50, ask the audience and phone a friend.

Today, I found myself stuck at one of those questions in life that I could not answer. As a matter of fact, the more I thought about it, the more frustrated I got.

Now, I know as a Christians we are called to go right to the source, pray and read the bible to find your answer. However, sometimes I just need that human contact. I need to be able to phone a friend.

God was prepared for that! I have been blessed with a group of friends I can call when I need them. They provide Godly counsel.

My phone a friend was not only able to talk me off the ledge today, but gave me a new perspective. I was able to see my situation from different viewpoints.

I pray that you have Godly counsel and if not I will continue to pray that God brings someone into your life. I will also pray you will fill those shoes for someone else.

So keep those phone lines open! I just might need to phone a friend.

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Copyright © 2017 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.

Wowzer! What! A! Day!

1 Thessalonians 5:18
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

My student looked at me and said, “I think I fit a whole week into today!”  All, I could do was look at her and say, “Amen, Sister!”

Wowzer! What. A. Day!

It started with a dead battery in my car.  Followed by $183 mischarge to my credit card.  Next came a painful phone call to my doctor’s office who cannot get me in until December 11th.  Did I mention I did this whole day without one arm?  I have popped the tendon in my left elbow and have to keep it in a sling.

Oh, and please do not get me started on drama club after school!  We are two weeks from curtain and my crew still does not know their lines or blocking. It was painful to watch!

So, what can I do about all of this?

Nothing.

What am I doing?

Whining!

Why?

Because I am human and contrary to some people’s beliefs, Christians do not come equipped with rainbows, unicorns and pixie dust!

We get to have long days.  We get to have bad days.  We get to have Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Days!

It is OK.  It doesn’t mean God is mad at us.  It doesn’t mean we have done something wrong.  Hold on to your hats, but it doesn’t even mean Satan is out to get us.  Sometimes they are just terrible, horrible, no good very bad days.

So what do Christians do about them?  We thank God and move on.  God has called us to thank him in all circumstances.

Besides, I know exactly what I am going to thank him for right now.

THANK YOU GOD THIS DAY IS OVER!

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Copyright © 2017 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.

Time For A Nap

Mark 4:38

And Jesus was in the stern, head on a pillow, sleeping! They roused him, saying, “Teacher, is it nothing to you that we’re going down?”

I can’t take it anymore, I am laying down and taking a nap!  I need the world to go away for awhile.

Scarlett O’Hara had it right when she said, “I’ll think about that tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day.”

Sometimes, I find myself in situations where I just need to walk away.  I need to find my cup of coffee, eat the cookie, buy the shoes or take a nap. My family refers to these as I need a normal minute, please. A moment where the world as you know it doesn’t exist.  The world stops and you get off.  You excuse yourself from reality.

Jesus did it too!

In Mark 4 we find many stories Jesus was going around preaching and teaching.  He had a full day.  An exhausting day.  Full of people.  Lots of needy people! I am sorry dealing with all of those people all of the time always needing things from him makes him a saint in my book.

At the end of his long day, he asked his disciples to escape the world with him.They got in a boat and headed out. It says some other boats followed him. O goodie more people with needs right.  What did Jesus do? He took a nap!

What is my point here? Well, that is an easy one.  It is OK to just take the nap!  We need moments to recharge our batteries.  We need moments of normalcy.  Jesus took naps.  Be like Jesus!

Now, if you don’t mind I am going to go take my nap!

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Copyright © 2017 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.

Learn to Fly!

2 Timothy 4:18
The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

I am reading Anxious For Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World, by Max Lucado. In his book, he talks about an acrobatic team.  The flyer explains how the key to their success is remembering he is a flyer and his partner is the catcher.  His job is just to jump and let his partner do all the catching.  It is dangerous for him to try and catch his catcher when he jumps.  It simply is not his job!

Max goes on to compare that to our relationship with God.  We have to put our full trust in him.  Let God do his job! “Your Father has never dropped anyone. He will not drop you. His grip is sturdy and his hands are open.” It is not our job to control things.  we must let go and Let God!  As Max puts it, a wonderful thing happens when we let go and let God, we FLY!

Paul went through some pretty horrific moments in his lifetime.  If anyone deserved to have fear and trepidation in their walk with God, I am saying Paul had reasons.  However, Paul never questioned any of the positions he was left in.  Not when he was stoned, ran out of town, or thrown in prison several times.  Instead, he went out of his way to encourage Timothy and the church by saying,

The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (2 Timothey 4:18)

Wow!  Can you sit back and let that sink in for just a moment? I mean really let that sink in!  No matter what we are facing in our lives, God is there. No job, God is there. Cancer, God is there. Divorce, God is there.  He will rescue you from every evil attack and will bring you safely to his heavenly kingdom.

What does that rescue look like?  I don’t know.

How long will it take? I don’t know.

What I do know is he has promised to catch me.  All I have to do is Fly!

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Copyright © 2017 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.

 

 

Peace Be With You

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

I want to start by thanking all of you for your thoughts and prayers for my family. My father came through surgery fine. He did have to have some of his esophagus removed but the doctor was very confident of the work he did.

He will be in ICU for the next couple of days and of course, the next seven days are the critical ones. I have to say, he looked wonderful tonight when we left the hospital. My mother is also doing well and much more relaxed.

My family has spent many days in and out of hospitals through the years including ICU waiting rooms. Families tend to bond while there. Never do you stop and ask if you are the same race, religion, political viewpoint or sexual orientation. You hold each other’s hands, cheer, cry and pray together. Today was one of those days.

A family across the room from us did not get such great news. The matriarch of the family was brought in for open heart surgery. Once the doctor got in, he realized there was so much more wrong. My families hearts went out to them as they received the news.

I don’t know what people do when they receive horrible news and have no hope. I turn to my family and God and no matter what comes my way, I have a place to go for comfort. I am not saying things are always unicorns and rainbows, but I know rainbows will come. I just have to hang on.

God will sometimes calm the storm, but he will always calm the child! Just cast your cares on him because he truly loves you!

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Copyright © 2017 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.

You Know What Day It Is!

Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Do you know what day it is?

Yep it is…

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Let’s take a moment to rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)

Here are my gratitudes for this week.

1. I had a hard day, but my students stepped up and kept me smiling.

2. I got to come home, get in my jammies and due NOTHING!

3. I am currently reading a good book

4. I have so many wonderful friends in my life that have offered to help my family out over the next few weeks as we face my father’s surgery

and number 5…

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There are some days there isn’t a cup big enough in the world to get me through, but I am always thankful for coffee!

Your turn! What are you grateful for this week?

Copyright © 2017 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.

Anxious! Who’s Anxious?!?!?! ME!

I recently read on a blog by Joe Miller that according to Amazon, the most highlighted book by Kindle readers is the Bible. And Philippians 4:6-7 is the favorite passage. Here it is from the New International Version:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

These verses are actually part of one of my all-time favorite passages in the bible.

Philippians 4:4-9
Final Exhortations
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

I recently started reading Max Lucado’s book Anxious For Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World. I was so excited when a few pages in, he also quoted this passage as one of his all-time favs!

I am having a hard time putting the book down so don’t mind me if my next few blogs talk about what I am learning.

My father is about to go through a long rough surgery with an even longer and rougher recovery. To say that I am anxious is like saying oxygen is sometimes helpful. I will admit I am ANXIOUS!!!!

What are some of your go-to passages when you feel anxiety creeping up on you? Post in the comments below. You just might have the one someone needs to hear. I know I could use all the verses right now.

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Copyright © 2017 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.

Hang on! Call on! Move on!

First I would like to apologize for not blogging the past couple of days. I have been battling the stomach flu.

It is amazing just how horrible you can feel from a little itty bitty microscopic thing! This dude can bring you to your knees in a matter of minutes! I am not ashamed to say I found myself in the fetal position praying God heal me or take me now, don’t leave me like this!

I was physically in pain, but have you ever been in so much emotional pain that you felt this way. Well, I know a couple of guys in the bible that did!

Jonah was:

Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the LORD God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

But the LORD said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”
–Jonah 4:5-11

Elijah also had his issues:

Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the Gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die.

“I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”

1 Kings 19:1-4

If these two great prophets can have issues that make them feel overwhelmed and distressed why don’t we think it is OK for us to feel that way sometimes too?

We are all going to go through periods of our lives that seem like too much to carry. The important thing is to hang on, call on and move on.

Hang on…James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Call on…Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Move on…Philippians 3:14 I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus.

Don’t give up! Never Surrender! Simply Hang on, Call on and Move on!

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Copyright © 2017 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.

Don’t Write Me Off

Titus 2:11
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.

Do you ever think of people as evil?

I know during election years, people love to vilify candidates. As we all know, it never stops there.

If you look back in history, there are names that pop up and most classify them as good or evil. But should they?

Did they do anything good?
Should we write people off as just evil?

My brother was taken from me. He was murdered execution style. It is pretty hard to not look at those who were in on it as not evil.

However, God never said forgive those who deserve it. Titus 2:11 doesn’t say He offers salvation to those who deserve it.

I am working very hard to stop putting people in categories as deserving or not deserving of me. I am trying to not deem a person as entirely good or evil.

Yes, people make bad choices. Yes, I do not agree with everyone all of the time. But it is time for me to stop writing people off because of one part of them.

I want to see the whole person. Then, I can see the deserving part. The hurting part. The beautiful part.

Because…
I am not always deserving. I don’t always have it together. I am not always beautiful. I make bad choices. I do things others don’t approve of. Yet, I am included in Titus under all people. God has not written me off. It is time for me to stop writing people off.

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Copyright © 2017 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved

Children Listen

Titus 2:8
Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us.

Wow! I really need to vent! Do you know what she did? Do you know what he did? I can’t believe they did that!

When does venting become gossip?

Why do women always get called on the carpet for gossiping?

Do men ever gossip?

Actually, my husband reminded me of an episode of Andy Griffith, where Aunt Bee told Andy something and he ran with it. All the guys in town blew it way out of proportion. She proved her point! Men do gossip.

Now, I am not man bashing here, I promise. I just want to point out no one is safe. I mean have you seen or read the news. How about looked at all the magazines while waiting to check out. I mean seriously we dedicate whole television shows to “telling all” about the stars.

And don’t get me started on social media!

In Titus, God is giving instructions for older people to pass down how to act to younger generations. He stresses how important it is, to tell the truth. When we speak the truth we are trusted. When we speak the truth no one can lie about us.

As adults, we must be very careful what we say, even on social media because just like they sing in the musical Into the Woods

Careful the things you say
Children will listen
Careful the things you do
Children will see
And learn
Children may not obey
But children will listen
Children will look to you
For which way to turn
To learn what to be
Careful before you say
“Listen to me”
Children will listen

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Copyright © 2017 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.