Am I Kermit? Are you Kermit? by L K Mercer

     I had a dream last night that I want to document. I've been told that I should be writing down all of my dreams but I'm not able to remember them all. I imagine a lot of people say "I don't dream", I went through a period in my life where I didn't even remember having dreams either, but now I know I have dreamed and am able to remember some and some not.
     This dream stood out to me in a way there was a lesson to be learned. I was in a park where people walked and road bicycles except it was in the evening and there weren't many people out at that time. I had my bicycle and I was going to ride i home, Lane had been with me but he had gone somewhere else with the understanding that I was tired and going back to the house.
     The ride back to the house turned out to be all uphill. As I was riding I saw two Asian children playing together sharing a ball and having fun. There was a little boy and a little girl, the boy stopped playing and came to give me a push up the hill, the girl kind of balked at the idea but the boy said I needed help. He pushed my bike with me on it up the incline until we reached the parameter of their play area, then I told him "Thank you, kind Sir!" he kind of shrugged his shoulders, smiled and said "you're welcome, ...(I could tell English wasn't his main language and he was looking for the right word) ...Kermit?" It made me laugh as I thought of myself with wimpy arms and legs like Kermit!
      After he ran back to his sister I had to push the bike, the incline was way too steep for me to ride the bike up. I pushed the bike further and came to a  drinking faucet, I was really thirsty by now and wanted a drink. At the faucet was an American woman and her children, the children had so many toys scattered around the water faucet I had to climb over them to get to it. I was pushing plastic cars, trikes, tables and all kinds of things out the way. As I was climbing over everything another person came along, dressed in the sleek, tight clothing of a serious biker, they had a water bottle and I let them go ahead of me, they climbed over the toys and got their bottle refilled and were on their way. I was grumbling and wondering why this woman didn't have her children move their toys, but it was as if she was oblivious to anyone or anything other than her children. The children weren't even playing with the mountain of toys, they were whining and climbing around her where she sat on the bench close by. The dream faded away at this point and this is what I remember. Sometimes parts of dreams float back to you at weird times but this is what I have now, if more floats back, I'll add it.

I have found several lessons in this dream:

• 1. People shouldn't be categorized by their race. (I know I should have already had that one, but a lot of times in life I have had it, then life events cause me to put tags on a group and I have to be reminded to consider everyone as individuals)
• 2. American culture has become spoiled and self centered, not caring for others as we should. (Being careful here not to put a "tag" on all Americans, but a majority are tied up in their own little worlds and not considerate of others, you can drive down the roads in American cities and see this displayed so sadly!)
• 3. Children don't want/need possessions as much as they need training and their parents attention. The Asian children were happy with just the ball and each other.
• 4. If I seriously want to run the race, I better get into some serious training or I'm going to be to weak to do it.

Have You Been Growing? by L K Mercer

     I used to see myself simply as a "child of God". I would like to suggest that if that had remained my only view I would miss an important part of the relationship we all should be walking and growing in with our Heavenly Father, we ought also to see ourselves as "bond servants"*.
     In scripture Jesus' disciples called themselves "bond servants"(example: Romans 1:1 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus), they had been purchased with Jesus' blood and accepted the salvation that they were not able to buy for themselves, (Jesus posted the bond for them!) that put them into debt to the Lord.
     If we only focus on being "children of God" we run the chance of becoming extremely "spoiled" and/or "stunted" in our growth. Our expectations become the ones of children who refuse to grow up and move out of their parents household, we run the risk of becoming needy and demanding.
     As "bond servants" we're still dependant on our Heavenly Father, but we are doing 'His will' instead of our own, our strength will grow and we will desire to please Him. In our life as a Christian we should continue growing, learning and becoming stronger.
     We start as children and grow into the bond servants that are walking in the path our Heavenly Father has desired for us. We are doing the work He has set apart for us! What a glorious thing to be able to live and walk in God's will and accomplish His work! We are then living His will, not our own. We are then not held back as stunted children, but we are pressing forward as His bond servants!


*The term bond servant comes from the word dulos And is defined as:
1. a slave, bondman, man of servile condition
2. one who gives himself up to another's will those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men, and
3. devoted to another to the disregard of one's own interests.

What's Wrong With June Cleaver? by L K Mercer

     Recently I heard a sermon delivered by a woman that I respect, however she did say one thing I take exception with. She claimed "I'm not June Cleaver!" to the applause of the crowd she was speaking to. What I would like to ask now is "What's wrong with June Cleaver?". I think the women of that generation have been maligned and disrespected long enough. Those women were amazing and the world was a better place for them. They were there to greet their children when they came home from school, they were there to welcome their husbands coming home from work. They were THERE!
     I didn't grow up in that kind of home and for a large part of my life I haven't been able to be that type of woman, but I can definitely see the benefits from their lives! The families were stable, there wasn't such a large need of counselors, there wasn't so much violence, there wasn't such an issue with obesity, there weren't so many unplanned pregnancies and I'm sure if I looked into it I could find many more positives that this type of woman made to society.
     Yes, I always hear that families can't get by without two incomes "these days". Why do you think that is true? Maybe they would be able to get by with one income if the value was placed on the family instead of what the family purchased? Does the second income actually purchase a better life or does it purchase another car, more cellphones, more clothing, more electronics, more fast food, more gasoline for the extra cars and extra activities, more insurance to cover all of the extra "treasures"? I don't believe the extra income actually is "extra" if you put all of the extra expenses in a ledger to support it and I don't believe the things it is used to justify enriches our lives in anyway.
     I believe the "June Cleavers" were actually a pillar in our society that were underrated and under appreciated. Unfortunately we'll probably never be able to recover from the loss of them in our society. Our women have been given a role model now of a super woman that is able to balance family and job that does not exist in reality. Women today are encouraged to throw themselves on the alter of  "mammon", sacrificing not only themselves but the stability of their families, marriages and finally society.
     Once again I ask you, "What's wrong with June Cleaver"?

God's Word by L K Mercer

When we don't read scripture for ourselves, we are easily lead astray. Even when we do read we need to ask for God to reveal His word to us, but at least we won't be taken down a path that is merely someone else's interpretation. Don't be satisfied to simply listen to a sermon, spend time in the word, get to know the fathers, the prophets, the disciples, the apostles...let God speak to you through the history of those who have gone before us. God's word is inspired, it never goes out of date, it is new each time you read and meditate. Let it be alive through you, and you alive through it~

When We Are In God And God Is In Us by L K Mercer

     I would like to share an idea that has been in the back of my mind for awhile now.
     While we were still living in Tulsa, God put the desire to fast on my heart and Lane joined me. We shared a fast of 3 days and I was truly looking forward to my prayer time at the end of the fast! I knew it was going to be really special. 
     On the morning when it was time to break my fast I put praise music on, sat in my corner of the world at that time and started praying. I had a very personal time with the Lord, my heart was eagerly seeking Him and He responded. I felt the Lord touch me, it was such a wondrous feeling, unimaginable and extremely hard to describe. I felt as though the Lord's Spirit merged within me, it was the most complete, languid, satisfying experience ever. I realized as the feeling receded that we humans totally unaware of what we're doing, are trying to create that feeling artificially. The many addictions that people become involved in are our feeble attempt at trying to capture the complete feeling that we're really only able to find in God.  When we are in God and God is in us, we are complete! Anything less leaves us with a need that we throw many things at, trying to fill. Our only satisfaction and completion will be found in Him, this doesn't sound like a difficult concept, does it? Yet we spend most of our time, energy and money chasing temporary fixes for the emptiness within us. I challenge you, throw everything you have into Him and see if you don't find the fullness you've been yearning for!

Turn Back by L K Mercer

     The United States citizens are being stiff necked and forcing the Lord to retract His protection. He has blessed us to the point that we have forgotten Him and our dependency on Him. We live in the lap of luxury compared to many other nations, yet we focus more and more on ourselves, as a spoiled child would do, demanding more and more of our wants be met, instead of turning and worshipping the One that has so blessed us.
     Tonight I was awakened to plead mercy for the United States people, yet even in my own heart I see the wrong turn of our thoughts, our wants, our lives, our actions. Still I pleaded for mercy, for the Lord to withhold justice and instead give the people conviction of the mistakes they are making and living. Conviction strong enough to make changes in their paths! We are the ones that put a loving God in the position of having to lift His protection, we are the ones that are strong willed and go our own ways, living out our wants, no matter the consequences and then when the repercussions take place we turn around and say "No Fair! How could a loving God let that happen in our world?" I am not claiming perfection or complete innocence in my own life, I have reaped plenty of things that I have sown that were huge mistakes, so I am speaking from experience and also from God's word.
     We in America know what 9/11 is, but do we know what Isaiah 9:11 is? Isaiah has prophetic words written to Israel(God's chosen people). We now are God's people also, we have been grafted in thus these words speak to us as well. Isaiah was delivering words to Israel to turn to God or they would face having His blessing and covering removed. It is chilling to read Isaiah 9:11 "Therefore the LORD raises against them adversaries from Rezin And spurs their enemies on". The importance of these words and this verse is that our leaders (John Edwards, Tom Daschle and President Obama) proclaimed Isaiah 9:10 “The bricks have fallen down, But we will rebuild with smooth stones; The sycamores have been cut down, But we will replace them with cedars.” over our country after the destruction at the World Trade Center. When we should have been turning to the Lord in prayer, we (as a nation) spoke in arrogance and stated all of the things "we" would do, just as Israel did before they were given over to their enemies.
     Our founding fathers dedicated our country to God, we have been so blessed because of that dedication. Now we have turned to our own ways and we have become arrogant and unless we are convicted (collectively) and turn back to God we will face untold trials as justice is allowed to take place. We will be left to our own ways and then we will turn and blame God? We are the ones that have "gone our own way" why not confess our sins, beg for mercy and live a life devoted to the one that has made us?
    **Since proclaiming Isaiah 9:10 over the United States, John Edwards and Tom Daschle have already fallen in disgrace from their positions of great authority in our Nation.**