Rachel's Radical Rantings

Okay, so it's been a while since I have posted. No, I have not forgotten..believe me, I think about this every day. I have just not taken the time to sit and write what has been laid on my heart. So, I am going to do my best to keep up with it better now. I have been thinking alot about tithing lately. Now, you may ask.."then why is the title of this blog obedience?" Well, because tithing is an obedient act. Yes, it's a subject that many people shy away from. I have felt led to discuss this because I have heard many sermons lately that deal with this very topic. I will share what tithing has done for me recently. In the past, I have tried to tithe faithfully. I felt guilty at times when I could not monetarily give. I have a mother who would encourage me when I felt that way. She reminded me that tithing is not just a monetary act. It can also be your time that you tithe. I served on a board for three years and yes it was draining. However, God blessed ...

Okay, so lately there have been so many messages and conversations that have to do with spiritual gifts. I have heard sermons, gotten emails, had personal conversations with people, etc. I have been thinking about this for a whie now. Every time it comes up, I wonder what my spiritual gift(s) is. I had never taken one of the test to see what it/they could be. Recently I was told by a family member that she believed it to be singing (which falls in the category of music) and another close friend believed it to be hospitality. Well, I wasn't sure and I know that God speaks to people and we don't always see our gifts the way others do. So, I took a test to see what my spiritual gifts are. The first one that came up was: Music, followed by faith and then hospitality! See...amazing what others see. I thought it was something different the whole time. I wasn't sure what, because I believe that I posess other spiritual gifts. Actually, I think we all are born with all ...

How many times have you been listening to a song or see something in a store that just really speaks to you? Well, lately I have been noticing lots of things that seem to jump out at me. I started to wonder if I was just paying better attention to my surroundings, or if God was trying to get my attention. After further investigation into my heart, I discovered that I believe the latter scenario to be true. I have been a Christian for as long as I can remember. I don't have a story of heading in the wrong direction and God pulled me out, I wasn't on a path that seemed to be destructive...or so I thought. Where am I going with this you ask? Well, this past weekend I had the privilege of going to visit with a very good friend. I had lots of time in the car to ponder different areas of my life. I started to think about the sermons I've heard lately, the devotions I've read, songs I've heard, plaques I've seen, Bible studies I'm involved in, so many thin...

Ok, now you might be asking right now why I sound like a boy scout leader! Well, I'm not a boy scout and I never will be. I do want to be prepared though. All around me lately, there are preparations being made. Some are preparing for: deployment, re-deployment, jobs, parenthood, leadership, marriage, to go home after being in therapy, and some are preparing to meet Jesus. Life just seems to be a gamut of preparations. Why am I asking about this? Well, recently I had the privilege of spending time with a very loving, caring, godly man who I like to call "Pa." A few months ago, pa fell and broke his hip. He has had surgery to repair it and he has been in physical therapy for about two months now. I am amazed every time I go to see him. He always makes sure that people are focused on the Lord and if they are "prepared" to meet him at any time. A few days after I was to arrive home, he was going to be having a meeting with the administrators in the esta...

My whole life, yes even to this very day 30 years later; my mom has always said, "patience is a virtue, virtue is a grace; both of these together make a very lovely face!" Now, as a young child I didn't quite get it. As a teen, my thought was, "yeah ok mom..sure, whatever." I was a teenager...what did you expect? As an adult, I am starting to understand that more. No, I don't know everything! Something I did learn as a teenager! So, what's with the "patience talk?" Well, today I finally took the plunge and decided to put my Christmas things away..hey I'm trying to keep the spirit alive all year! I had all of the decorations including the tree and all the trimmings, taken down, packed, and put back into storage within about 2 hours. Then, it was time to "re-set" the house to pre-Christmas. Growing up, my mom liked to move furniture around all the time..and she still does! That is something that I learned from her and I ...

Well, I've always heard that God has a sense of humor and I know that to be true. I also know that when we bring things into light and God lays things on our heart..haha surprise, he's going to test it! For instance, when posting something about unconditional faith, guess what?? He decided to test mine! Yes, I have my moments of question..but I pose this question again; am I going to slouch and be defeated, or stand strong in his promises? After all, has he ever steered me wrong? He has protected me my entire life from myself and the things in this world that attempt to distract me from his goodness and grace. My husband told me this morning that he is having numbness in his body when he turns his head one way or another. It seems to be an endless cycle sometimes when it comes to physical ailments. Now, I hae my moments of weakness and break down. I start doing that "woman thing" and questioning things and thinking way too far into the future. Instead of li...

My heart truly cries out and mourns with those who have been affected by the trauma in Haiti. Recently, I learned that a friend of mine has a young missionary friend down there and this 18 year old has not been found. My heart is praying and pleading God to allow her to be okay and be reunited with her family. Now, here is the question: in times of trouble, do you run for cover; or do you stand and face the giants leering down at you? Lately, I have been wondering about "true faith." True faith says: "when the world walks out on you, it doesn't matter," guess what? It was never about "the world." Yes, we are supposed to love others and we should be loving others. The problem comes in putting others thoughts above God's. God is the only one that matters and pleasing him should be at the top of our list of priorities. True faith, at least to me, is knowing God can and will...in HIS timing. It's not just trusting him when things seem p...