Current Events & News | Real Life on Rocky Top

The Power is Out!

Jul 08 2016

Up here on Rocky Top the power is out!! We are sitting in the dark. We have a few candles flickering and one huge flashlight but these sources of light do little to illuminate this house or the dark night outside. On Rocky Top when the power goes out, we also have no water due to being on a well. So not only is it dark and hot in the house, very soon it will also be “stinky”! I am hoping you can figure this out without further explanation.

Powerful winds tore over the lake yesterday ripping down trees and huge limbs. The yard is filled with debris.

Preacher drove around looking for “the problem”. God has gifted him with the ability to see the problem, know the solution and speak to it.

About 100 yards from our front door was the problem. A power line was down, coiled up in the middle of the road along with bits and pieces of a large tree.

Knowing the problem, the solution was evident, appropriate calls were made and then we waited for the power to be restored. The line needed to be reconnected to the source of power.

As we waited, news came across my phone of violence in our land. Preacher and I discussed the events of the week in the darkness.

Before we fell asleep, we prayed in the darkness.

“Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We hope for the light but there is darkness…….For truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter. TRUTH is missing. The Lord saw that there was no justice, and He was offended. He saw that there was no man and He was amazed that there was no one interceding.”

Isaiah 59:9,14-16

The power lines are down on my street. They are disconnected from the source of power. Yet the power is there. The power has not disappeared. Someone just has to connect the lines to the source.

Too often first thing in the morning I reach for my phone to check Facebook, Twitter, Fox news or messages instead of hitting my knees to intercede and cry out for His power. I choose to not access His power.

Too often I grab my phone to call someone to discuss a situation instead of discussing first with my Father. I choose to look for power in another source instead of the the One true source.

Too often I choose to try and fix something before seeking His truth and His ways first. I attempt to use my own power.

Too often I pass people without seeing them through His eyes and speaking words of love and encouragement. I choose to not let His power flow through me because I am so focused on myself.

Too often I do not open my mouth and share the Good News of Jesus with others. I choose not to let anyone else know about the One power that can change their lives.

God forgive me! God may I not be the one to allow the power lines to stay down. Lord, may I not be the one to keep His power to myself.

I want power on up here on Rocky Top and in my life! Living in the darkness is hot and smelly.

But more than anything, I want to see His power again moving in our nation!

And dear, dear friends who read this blog faithfully, our nation is one big hot, stinky mess because we as believers have allowed the power lines to go down and choose daily to not connect ourselves to His power and intercede for this nation and world.

We must return to our knees and cry out to God for His light to shine in and through us to our world.

“That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness has not overcome.”

John 1:5

Spiritual Dementia

Jun 29 2016

Today I’m waiting for a thunderstorm to come while sitting on the back porch of Rocky Top. I hear claps of thunder and lightning is striking in the distance. The clouds are quickly rolling in over the lake. The impending storm is reflective of my mood.

My heart is heavy because some things just didn’t happen the way they were supposed to. Life didn’t go as I planned. Life didn’t happen like lots of people planned in this situation. People I love dearly are hurting and the world just seems to continue to spin out of control. Judges in Washington are telling us how to live. Floods are ravaging states. Children are missing. Godly people are dying too young. And political candidates are making way too many promises in loud voices.

And I am fighting spiritual dementia. I just keep forgetting a very important truth.

My mom, who does have Alzheimer’s, tends to ask me the same question over and over. I calmly will answer her. Yet, after about the sixth time she repeats the same question I want to just say, “Mom, I have answered you! You know the answer to that question!”

Sadly, I am afraid the Lord is sitting up in heaven saying, “Really, Donna? I have answered that question for you before. You know the answer.”

In I Timothy, Paul is writing to a young pastor named Timothy. Timothy does not have an easy job. He is pastoring a church in Ephesus during the reign of Nero. Christians are being persecuted. Many of the people in Timothy’s church are immature believers……lovers of self, lovers of money, lovers of having things their own way.

At the beginning of this letter, Paul reminds Timothy of a very important truth (the one I keep forgetting). Paul knows that in order to lead this church in Ephesus, Timothy can’t afford to have spiritual dementia. Timothy will need to keep this truth in front of him at all times.

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever Amen.” I Timothy 1:17

Paul reminds Timothy of who God is. He reminds of him of God’s character.

My God is King! Nero is not King. No president is King! No Supreme Court Justice is King.

My God is eternal! He has always been and will always be! He never ceases to be!

My God is immortal! The Greek word “immortal” here means incorruptible. My God has no corruption in Him! He is without flaw. People will fail me. God will not.

My God is invisible. My God is in all and through all. He is not limited by a physical body.

My God is the only wise God. The Greek word for “wise” means “watchman”. My God sits on top of the mountain and can see all around. Nothing catches Him by surprise. My God is Sovereign.

Today if you are struggling with life not going as planned, take I Timothy 1:17 and put it where you can see it on a regular basis. I have it written on my office wall and on my desk.

It is a truth that must be kept in front of me at all times. When life doesn’t go as planned and I begin to question life and just who God is, I return to this passage. When I do ask God this question over and over, He gently reminds me of just who He is. His character is steadfast.

The storm is upon me and I must leave my rocking chair on the back porch.

Just like life, the storms will come and go but………….

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever Amen.” I Timothy 1:17

PART TWO: What about the Mommies?

Aug 14 2015

HELP WANTED: WOUNDED HEARTS

Most women, including myself, carry around HELP WANTED signs when it comes to our hearts. Some carry scars from an abortion, others from a divorce, death of a child, addiction, suicide of a loved one, financial difficulties, loneliness or just the stress of everyday life.

How as women can we help each other with our wounded hearts? Below are some practical ways we can help one another.

BE REAL!! Let’s be real and honest with each other. Quit playing games and hiding behind masks of perfectionism. If you are alive, you have a wound of some kind. Let’s not flaunt our wounds but let’s talk! Many times our wounds and what Christ has done in our lives to heal us of those wounds are the very stories that will lead another woman to Christ or help her heal!Remember what Kristi shared last week, what you hide in the dark can’t be healed by the light of Christ.
BE CONFIDENTIAL! When a woman dares to be honest and vulnerable with you, keep her story confidential!!! It is her story. Don’t even share with someone else as a prayer request!
DON’T BE SHOCKED! Also, when a woman opens up to you, keep the shocked look to a minimum! It takes a lot of courage and bravery for most women to open up and share about their wounds.
BELIEVE THERE ARE NO COICIDENCES! A few days after Kristi Nolan sat on my back porch years ago and told me her story, I found a young woman crying in church. She had an abortion and was struggling with guilt and shame. I called Kristi and asked her “Are you ready to share your story to help another?” Kristi was ready!!! Kristi and that young woman were connected quickly. AGAIN……NEVER SHARE SOMEONES STORY FOR THEM! But do know God uses our wounds to help others heal.
BE PROACTIVE!! Be a part of the solution in your local body of Christ. Volunteer to offer support groups for wounded women. When support groups are offered make sure it is done with the utmost of confidentiality….probably not best to locate “Surrendering the Secret” (a bible study for women who have had abortions) on the same hallway as the other bible studies your church offers.
HAVE A FILTER! When you are hanging out in a large group of women and the topic goes to something like Planned Parenthood do not throw around terms like “baby killers”. Most likely if you are in a group of 8-10 women, one or two of them have had an abortion or someone they love has had one.
BE LOVE! And finally, just love women with the love of Christ. Every woman has a story. Every woman has a past. Every woman needs Jesus. I believe there are no accidents in my day. God brings women into my path all the time that I know just need a hug, need someone to listen to them, need someone to encourage them. Be love to those around you!!! BE JESUS!

Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. II Corinthians 1:3-4

Thanks for sitting on the back porch with me Kristi Nolan!

What About the Mommies???

Aug 06 2015

Welcome to the back porch at Rocky Top, Kristi Nolan! Kristi is a dear friend of mine, passionate follower of Christ, faithful wife of 18 years, and mom of 3 precious children! Today Kristi challenges us to think through a subject that not many of us want to talk about. Yet, Kristi has lived through this nightmare and has come out victoriously because of who her God is………Faithful, filled with grace, mercy and love!

You can’t turn on the TV or get on any type of social media right now without seeing the news of Planned Parenthood and the stomach-turning revelations of what they are doing with body parts of innocent children. The Pro-Choice/Pro-life debate and the statistics for these aborted babies are being bounced through our airwaves like ping pong balls.

Yet, there is a statistic that we don’t like to talk about………Many statistics reveal that almost one in four women have had or will have an abortion in the United States. So take a minute and look around your Bible study group or just look down your pew at church, most likely at least one woman has had an abortion.

They have walked into a clinic with a womb filled with life and walked out empty. Some of these moms pretend it isn’t life so therefore it isn’t a big deal. Yet, there is the mom who hides in shame for fear of what others would think if someone discovered her choice of abortion. There are moms who are riddled with guilt and stricken with fear and end up suffering from addictions, anxiety, depression and even suicide because of One Choice they made on One Day in their life.

For my friends sitting in my Bible study group or for those who sit on the church pew with me……….

I am that mom; I am that woman.

I was old enough to know better. I was raised in church. My daddy was a deacon. My parents were leaders in the youth group. I had stars beside my name on the attendance chart in Sunday School. At the age of 24, I became the one in four!

Realization hit me while I was on the table. Guilt and shame consumed me the moment I got back into the car. The enemy began a successful assault on my heart and mind. He convinced me that God’s grace didn’t go that far. He convinced me that I didn’t deserve children so God would never give me anymore. Once God proved him wrong, he tried to convince me God’s plan was to give them to me just so he could take them from me as a punishment. More than anything, he convinced me that it was better to keep it a secret. Anything the enemy convinces you to hide, well…….it stays hidden from the healing light of Jesus. Unfortunately, many times the Church helps him in that campaign.

Yes, abortion is murder, BUT calling women murderers doesn’t fill us with godly sorrow, it fills us with shame. My God…….He is not about shame. He is about repentance, restoration and redemption. Please do not think I am proud of my story. I am not. Every time I think how far the Lord has brought me, I am filled with awe and humility. I have no pride in my sin. I have confidence in the testimony of what the Lord has done and is doing in my life.

So what about the mommies? Being pro-life is not just about saving the lives of millions of innocent babies but it is also about advocating for the lives of mommies to not live in guilt, shame, addiction, and depression. As a follower of Christ, we also need to offer women who have had abortions the love and compassion of Christ.

My prayer is that by sharing my story I will not only save innocent lives from being taken but would also save any woman from walking through life in shame or fear of being found out. It is my prayer that the Body of Christ would be a place of love and healing for moms like me.

He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our offenses. Psalm 103:10

**Next week: Part 2: What Can We do to Minister to a Wounded Mommy?

It’s raining……..again!

Jul 04 2015

It’s raining outside…..again! The clouds and pouring rain reflect my mood as well as the mood of many in our nation.

From a Supreme Court decision, to burning churches, to more murders of innocent children by ISIS, to shark attacks and just dealing with everyday life stuff like leaking pipes………. I am overwhelmed with making decisions and getting things done.

We all have stuff to deal with and sometimes the “to do” list can be rather ominous especially when the world around us seems to be spinning out of control.

Years ago as a young pastor’s wife I was introduced to the writing of Elisabeth Elliot, wife to Jim Elliot, martyr for the sake of the gospel. Her books have influenced me more than any other author. She recently went home to her Heavenly Father.

So today as the rain and bad news come pouring down, I will remember the lessons Elisabeth Elliot taught me through this anonymous poem published in her book, Be Still My Soul.

Do The Next Thing

From an old English parsonage, Down by the sea,

There came in the twilight, A message to me;

Its quaint Saxon legend, Deeply engraven,

Hath, as it seems to me, Teaching from Heaven.

And on through the hours The quiet words ring Like a low inspiration-

DO THE NEXT THING

Many a questioning, many a fear,

Many a doubt, hath its quieting here.

Moment by moment, Let down from Heaven,

Time, opportunity, Guidance, are given.

Fear not tomorrows, Child of the King, Trust them with Jesus,

DO THE NEXT THING

Do it immediately; Do it with prayer;

Do it reliantly, casting all care;

Do it with reverence, Tracing His Hand,

Who placed it before thee with Earnest command.

Stayed on Omnipotence, Safe ‘neath His wing, Leave all resultings,

DO THE NEXT THING

Looking to Jesus, ever serener,

(Working or suffering) Be thy demeanor,

In His dear presence, The rest of His calm,

The light of His countenance Be thy psalm,

Strong in His faithfulness, Praise and sing,

Then, as He beckons thee, DO THE NEXT THING

-Author unknown

Sometimes the next thing is just calling the repairman for the leaking pipes or sweeping the floor of the kitchen or changing a dirty diaper. Other times doing the next thing is hitting my knees and calling out to the Lord for my family, my church family and our nation. And always the next thing is being thankful for His faithfulness, His goodness, and His sovereignty even when my world is spinning out of control.

So as it pours rain on the 4th of July, when I wanted my next thing to be swimming in the pool with the kids, I will do the next thing by choosing joy in the rain!

What is your next thing??

Category - Current Events & News