The Chronicles of Melinda

I had a friend in high school who used to attempt suicide on what I consider to be a “regular” basis…as in more than once.  I  know she didn’t really want to kill herself.  It was just a consistent cry for help.  But the effect of having someone you love try to or succesfully take their own life leaves behind a world of hurt, confusion, what if’s and emotional turmoil for those who love and care for those people.  I can remember my emotions each time my friend would try.  Relief that she wasn’t successful, hurt that she was feeling that bad about her life and there was nothing any of us could do to fix it despite our reaching out to her every chance we got.  She was often “sent away” to a facility to deal with the issues at hand.  Wow that was long ago…and yet I can still get teary just thinking about it.  I don’t even know where she is now, but I woul d love to find her. The last I heard she went through some difficult life transitions but was living her life.

Right about now there are quite a few people around us going through some difficult times.  Financial issues, marital issues, family issues, dealing with grief and loss…I could sit here all day and type a list of things people have to be unhappy about in their lives. These could be people you know…or people you don’t know.

Do you pay attention to those around you?  Do you reach out when you know they are in pain?  Do you share God with them and encourage them to turn to Him when nothing else seems to be going just right?  Do you know how much of a difference that can make in someone’s life? 

I think we get so busy in our every day lives and wrapped up in our own little worlds that sometimes we miss those opportunities to make a difference.  Look around you…do you see someone who looks reserved, withdrawn, uhappy?  Do you see someone who seems to be trying so hard to mask the pain in their life that you can see right through them…but you haven’t done or said anything to let them know?  Do something about it!  Make an effort to reach out to your friends every day and ask them truly…how they are.  “How are things?  Is there anything I can pray about for you?  Are you okay?”  And trust me…sometimes they are going to play it off with short little “everything is fine!  I’m good!  Nothing’s wrong.” answers.  If you don’t honestly believe that is the case…don’t always take that answer as gospel and move on.   Look them dead in the eyes and say “are you sure?  Is there something you aren’t telling me?”  It tells them that you aren’t just going through the motions…but you really DO care.

Sometimes it’s easy to assume that the smile on someone’s face means everything is A-OK in their world.  Don’t make that mistake without truly and genuinely asking and showing them that you truly care.  Sometimes people just need to know that there is at least one person out there who cares about them.  And sometimes you can be the person who makes the total difference in showing them that not only do YOU care…but God cares about them.  Because when things are truly that bad…God is really the only one that can give them the peace they need through the difficult time.  But sometimes they need a little push in God’s direction and that’s what we are here for.  We are his instruments to bring others to Him. 

This Sunday will be the 2nd part of the message “When Life Hurts” at NHC.  Grab someone you might think has some hurt in their life they are hiding (or maybe not hiding) and needs to hear this.  Hey - even grab someone you think is A-OK…because even someone who is walking in a meadow of sunflowers needs a little reminder of where to go when times get tough.

Don’t let anyone fall through the cracks.

EVERYBODY KNOWS - THE DIXIE CHICKS
Tell me now if you came sneaking up behind
Would you know me and see behind the smile
I can change like colors on a wall
Hoping no one else will find what lies beneath it all
I think I hide it all so well

Stepping out, everyone can see my face
All the things I can’t erase from my life
Everybody knows
Standing out so you won’t forget my name
That’s the way we play this game of life
Everybody knows

Looking through the crowd
I search for something else
But every time I turn around
I run into myself
Here I stand
Consumed with my surroundings
Just another day
Of everybody looking
I swore they’d never see me cry
You’ll never see me cry

Stepping out, everyone can see my face
All the things I can’t erase from my life
Everybody knows
Standing out so you won’t forget my name
That’s the way we play this game of life
Everybody knows

You say I’ll pay the price
That’s the chance that I’ll take
Though you may think I’m telling lies
But I just call it getting by

Stepping out, everyone can see my face
All the things I can’t erase from my life
Everybody knows

Standing out so you won’t forget my name
That’s the way we play this game of life

There’s some things that I regret,
Some words I wish had gone unsaid,
Some starts, That had some better endings,
Been some bad times I’ve been through, Damage I cannot undo.
Some things, I wish I could do all all over again,
But it don’t really matter,
When life gets that much harder,
It makes you that much stronger,

Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were, Lessons learned.
And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
And everyday I wondered how I’d get through the night,
Every change, life has thrown me,
I’m thankful, for every break in my heart,
I’m grateful, for every scar,
Some pages turned,
 Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned.

There’s mistakes that I have made,
Some chances I just threw away,
 Some roads, I never should have taken,
Been some signs I didn’t see,
Hearts that I hurt needlessly,
Some wounds, That I wish I could have one more chance to mend,
But it don’t make no difference,
The past can’t be rewritten,
You get the life you’re given,

Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were, Lessons learned.
 nd every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
And everyday I wondered how I’d get through the night,
Every change, life has thrown me,
I’m thankful, for every break in my heart,
I’m grateful, for every scar,
Some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned.

And all the things that break you,
Are the things that make you strong!
You can’t change the past,
Cause it’s gone.
And you just gotta move on,
Because it’s all Lessons learned.

And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
From everyday I wondered how I’d get through the night,
From every change, life has thrown me.
I’m thankful, for every break in my heart,
I’m grateful, for every scar,
Some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned,
Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned,
Lessons learned. Lessons learned.

So this song has popped back into my every day thoughts as I work in the Youth Ministry and I thought I would talk about it a little bit because there is a powerful message in this song that I think every Christian needs to hear.  Click Here to watch the video  Just in case you can’t watch the video I am going to sum it up with the lyrics for you right here and then I’m going to drive home my whole point for this post.  Here goes:

The video reflects the life of a young woman who is out there living on the wayside.  It begins withour young woman jogging by a church, noticing the happy group of people standing outside talking and laughing.  She looks back at them….but…she keeps jogging.   
She is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying
But the canyon’s ever widening
In the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
She’s another two years older
And she’s three more steps behind
It flashes to her at home, approaching her father who is drinking and he pretty much blows her off not saying a word and putting up a wall between them with his newspaper.  It’s obvious she’s looking for some love and some affection.  Not getting it at home….it flashes to her going out, doing the club/bar thing…and apparently going home with a guy she meets there (and doesn’t really know).  
She is yearning
For shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away
 After “giving herself away” she is looking less than happy with herself on her way home.  She looks a mess and looks at herself in the rear view mirror of her car while stopped at a crosswalk.  Then she sees that happy group of people crossing the street in front of her heading to the church.  At this point she on impulse pulls into the church and parks.  She tries to clean herself up to go into the church.  She gets a scornful look from a woman who is passing by.  The woman holds her daughter close to her as if to shelter her as they walk by. 
If judgment looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can’t see past her scarlet letter
And we’ve never even met her
She contemplates getting back into the car.  But decides to give it a go anyway and is standing right outside of the church doors.  Then she sees that happy group of people come up to go into the church and she gives a hopeful look…like someone will speak to her and make her feel welcome.  But they are oblivious and pass her by , going into the church, doors closing behind them with her standing on the outside.  Our girl…turns and leaves….never going in.
Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see?
Or does anybody even know she’s going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me
Next thing you know, it flashes to our girl working as a waitress in a cafe.  She apparently waited on the same group of people who she has passed jogging by the church, stopped in her car and who have passed her by going into the church.  She is obviously, out of rhythm with herself as she waits for them to clear out.  The group leaves the cafe leaving behind on the table a card that says “Eternal Life”.  As she goes to clean up the table, she crumples the card as she collects her tips.  But then she sits down…and begins to cry.
Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see?
Or does anybody even know she’s going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me
One of the girls comes in, having forgotten her purse.  She sees our girl sitting at the table…looking very lost and upset.  She looks around, starts to turn and leave, but turns back and sits with her.  She reaches out to her, touches her arm and asks if she’s okay….CONNECTION MADE? SOUL SAVED?  

The video ends flashing to another guy…walking the street, hesitating as he notices a happy group of people, but then going on.  It ends…”He is running…a hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction….”

I am sorry ya’ll, but this song to me is a true reflection of how we as Christians have the ability and so often FAIL to reach out to the lost people RIGHT OUTSIDE of our church doors.  The smallest lack of gesture can hinder that.  Look at this verse again:
Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see?
Or does anybody even know she’s going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me
This verse tells us….there is SOMEONE right outside of the church who is looking for that hope and we might not even be noticing them while they are RIGHT under our noses.  Dave is always mentioning how many people there are RIGHT OUTSIDE of our church doors that are unchurched.  Hillsborough, Durham, all of the area RIGHT OUTSIDE of NHC (or your church if you attend somewhere else) is just swimming with people who need Saved.  There are people out there right now that are searching for the hope we as Christians have in Christ.  It’s tucked within us…but really it is waiting for us to bring it out and share it with someone else.  Someone who may be thirsting for that same hope…but relying on someone WITH that hope to offer to share that cup of “living water” with them so that they, too will have eternal life.  To make the initial move to help quench that hope within them so that they may never thirst again.   (The living water Jesus tells the woman at the well about in John Chapter 4…go read it).  

That’s what GOD wants from us.  He doesn’t just want us to bounce around all happy in the Faith, Love and Hope we have in Him keeping it to ourselves.  He intends for us to use those same elements that have renewed our spirits and saved our souls to bring others to Him. To share the Hope that WE have in him with the “lost and lonely people” who are RIGHT OUTSIDE OF OUR CHURCH and going down every time we fail to do that.  We need to be mindful of the looks that we give people.  We need to be mindful of how we appear to people.  If we appear judgemental in the way we look at someone who is obviously lost, by ignoring a look of hope from someone else, by walking past ONE lost soul who is waiting for us to share our hope with them somehow through an effort to reach out and open the door of opportunity…then we are failing to do what GOD intends for us to do.

I just want you all to remember, we can make or break someone’s breakthrough into God’s Kingdom by our own actions or lack thereof.   A look, a smile, a simple hello can make all the difference in someone’s impression.  1 Peter 3:15 tells us…But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  Just remember, sometimes they want to know the answer…they just don’t know how to ask the question.  So sometimes, and more often than not, it is up to us to break the ice, to make that move and to answer the question on their hearts when they are too afraid to ask how they, too can live with the same hope as you!

(Ruben Studdard)
Giving honor to you first
The Pastor, the church
My folks and friends
Listen to these words
See GOD saved me (yeah)
From myself when no one else was around
And it was only by His grace
His mercy His favor
Cause I know I don’t deserve
All the love he showed me (oh)
And how he let me know (oh)
He never gonna leave my side

(Chorus)
That’s why I love him like I do I
I Love Him like I do I
That’s why I love him like I do
I, I, I (repeat)

(Deitrick)
See I got a testimony how He saved my soul
When I was just a sinner left in the cold
Gave me a second chance
Saved me from myself
Came to my rescue
When I needed help
You want to know why I love Him like I do
Cause when my enemies said I was through
He took me from the bottom
And put me on the top
He laid His hands on me
And now I can’t be stopped

(Repeat Chorus 2x)

(Mary, Mary)
Somebody told me that we overcome by our testimony
Bet you wouldn’t believe how doubt and fear used to paralyze me
But God’s hand led me through the test
And he brought out the very best of me
And now I’ll never forget
To tell the world what you mean to me (ye… ah… yeah

(Repeat Chorus)

Let me tell you why I love
Because he been so good me
He takes care of me
He keeps love me yeah
I love him
I love him

I Love him like I do
I Love him like I do
I Love him like I do
I Love him like I do

SANCTUS REAL - Whatever You’re Doing (click this to watch the video)

It’s time for healing time to move on
It’s time to fix what’s been broken too long
Time to make right what has been wrong
It’s time to find my way to where I belong
There’s a wave that’s crashing over me
And all I can do is surrender

(Chorus)
Whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there’s peace
It’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see
but I’m giving in to something Heavenly

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Reevaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything I surrender…
To…

(Chorus)

Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I’ve wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears

(Chorus 2x)

It’s time to face up
Clean this old house
Time *to* breathe in and let everything out

Just thought I’d add this song, too - another Sanctus Real with relational lyrics:  I’m Not Alright

If weakness is a wound that no one wants to speak of
Then “cool” is just how far we have to fall
I am not immune, I only want to be loved
But I feel safe behind the firewall

Can I lose my need impress?
If you want the truth I need to confess

[Chorus:]
I’m not alright, I’m broken inside
And all I go through, it leads me to you

Burn away the pride
Bring me to my weakness
Until everything I hide behind is gone
And when I’m open wide with nothing left to cling to
Only you are there to lead me on.

Honestly, I’m not that strong.

[Chorus:]

I’m not alright… that’s why I need you.

Superchick - Stand In The Rain
 

She never slows down
She doesn’t know why
But she knows that when she’s all alone
It feels like it’s all coming down

(2x’s)
Chorus:

Tell me now if you came sneaking up behind
Would you know me and see behind the smile
I can change like colors on a wall
Hoping no one else will find what lies beneath it all
I think I hide it all so well

Stepping out, everyone can see my face
All the things I can’t erase from my life
Everybody knows
Standing out so you won’t forget my name
That’s the way we play this game of life
Everybody knows

Looking through the crowd
I search for something else
But every time I turn around
I run into myself
Here I stand
Consumed with my surroundings
Just another day
Of everybody looking
I swore they’d never see me cry
You’ll never see me cry

Stepping out, everyone can see my face
All the things I can’t erase from my life
Everybody knows
Standing out so you won’t forget my name
That’s the way we play this game of life
Everybody knows

You say I’ll pay the price
That’s the chance that I’ll take
Though you may think I’m telling lies
But I just call it getting by

Stepping out, everyone can see my face
All the things I can’t erase from my life
Everybody knows

Standing out so you won’t forget my name
That’s the way we play this game of life
Everybody knows I am just barely getting by

Most of my Christian friends know I’m a huge Footprints fan.  Well she has the perfect song to go with that poem.  I’ve been listening to it a lot the past couple of days…hence my previous blog and trying to figure out where I’m going.  I know wherever that is…God is going to be with me.  So check out the song lyrics and if you want to see the video click HERE

And this next song - also on the same CD - says it all.  (These two songs are both bonus songs on the CD - intentionally set apart from the rest of the playlist.  Hmmmm). No matter what…whenever we need someone and we feel like nobody is there….God is there.  So imagine Him siniging this song to you…(and if you are one of my very best friends…this is also a song from me to you!)

This is a crazy world
These can be lonely times
It’s hard to know who’s on your side
Most of the time

Well if you need a place where you can run
If you need a shoulder to cry on
I’ll always be your friend
When you need a shelter from the rain
When you need a healer for your pain
I will be there time and time again
When you need someone to love you
Here I am, Here I am

Who doesn’t love Bubble wrap?  If you don’t love it…YOU NEED THERAPY!  If you do love it…you know it’s instant therapy so getcha some right HERE!

My new all the time in the CD player pick is Colbie Callait’s album - COCO!  If you loved the song BUBBLY…or the new song REALIZE check it out.  I love both of those songs…but this whole CD is worth every penny!  Sometimes there’s a hit on the radio …you buy the CD and there’s not another good song on the CD.  This is not one of those albums.  My current repeat song on the CD is a song called BATTLE.   I tend to listen to songs and see how they can apply in our Christian Life.  I’ll turn the lyrics around to be someone singing to GOD or the other way around.  This is one of those songs.  So check it out!

You thought we’d be fine
All these years gone by
Now your askin us to listen
Well then tell us bout everything
No lies we’re loosin time

Cause this is a battle
And it’s your final last call…

There’s this place I like to go
Every Sunday I’m about it
Sometimes I sit and wonder
How I ever  lived with out it
There I find so many people
And they all share in the love
For the one who saved us all
The one who dwells above
I’m all up in that place
In my heart I want to serve
I mean - yo ya’ll this is crazy
It’s almost straight absurd
There’s this guy they call him Dave
It’s like he’s preachin’ just for me
Sharin’ God in such a way
That his words they help me see
Another pastor Jamie
Keeps everyone connected
First time that I met him
I knew he’d be respected
Leah Rade a friend of mine
She runs the show behind the scenes
And she’s a true reflection
Of what Serving Jesus means
Dougie B my small group leader
And yo - my girl she rocks
I look forward to dem Wednesdays
And all day I watch the clock
And my Home- Boy Adam
Rockin’ youth in such a way
That he gets them into God
And even gets them kids to pray
It hasn’t been a year
Since my heart has been fulfilled
Cuz here’s where I found God
And still I feel the thrill
I’ve gained so many friends
Feelin’ love that flows like rhymes
And I get so caught up
That it chokes me up sometimes
Its crazy how I love Him
Crazy that I was saved
Crazy that at this place
So many sing His Praise
Crazy that I’m forgiven
Crazy that He loves Me
Crazy that I’m accepted
At a place called NHC!

God has Blessed me ya’ll.  I’m truly grateful for this gift.  I’d put the rappin’ part of this gift to the side and then came to NHC and quite unexpectedly had the opportunity to put it back to use.  Now I’m getting to use it for what I think is God’s true purpose.  I’m really enjoying sharing it with the youth, sharing Jesus on a level with them that they are used to hearing negativity.  I’m “flippin’ tha script fah Jesus!”  Sometimes I can get spiritual and serious (click my Poem tag and see how else God helps me share), but I can also just have mad fun with it!  That was like - all in 10 minutes.  But I gotta get to group.  (Cuz it just happens to be the Wednesday that I’m watchin’ the clock! LOL!)  Big love to NHC for letting me share my gift in a positive way that glorifies God and makes me feel pretty good, too!!!

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