Posted by tamorragoldsboro@gmail.com on December 16, 2019May 1, 2020

The "In Crowd."

Good Morning and greetings from a small town girl who believes in the power of the Holy Spirit. I want to bless you with words of encouragement this morning. Things are not what they seem and they are never what they look like. Our God is working things out on our behalf. He has known us in his wrath and he has known us in his compassion. It is time for truth to be revealed. It is time for our perspectives to broaden so that we get a better understanding of this world and the purposes of our lives.

Your Motivation for Monday:

God has this thing all figured out!

Some people look at life as being unfair. But I believe that the infinite intelligence of God understands the exact amount of pressure needed to create a beautiful jewel. The pressing and the process always happens in the dark. It always takes time. I believe that God knows what he is doing. I believe that he wants us to understand what he is doing so that we won’t be so discouraged by life. I think that in order to understand we have to be in the circle. You know, we have to be in the in crowd. We have to be talking about the things that the “in crowd” is talking about. We have to be knowledgeable about the language, the slang, the mannerisms. We need to know what is cool, and what is not cool. Now, when I am talking about the “in crowd” I am not talking about the world. I am not saying that we have to become something that we are not, or try to fit in with people who are doing the wrong thing. I want to encourage you to really be who God made you to be. What I am telling you is that deep inside of your heart is a key to who you really are. There is a secret about everlasting life hidden in your heart. That secret is that you belong to the “in crowd.” You belong to the Kingdom of heaven.

Here goes the thing though, if you don’t know this, then you are going to continue to act like you don’t belong to it. You are going to continue to do things that are not cool for the kingdom. We need to become accustomed to the way of the Lord. We need to learn the terminology, the culture, and the procedures. This is not learned the same way that the world learns things. The world is fast, over crowded, competitive, loud and fixed. The Kingdom of heaven is organized in a way where every person has a role that is uniquely satisfying to the individual. This role is learned through natural progression and growth. Time, dedication, and love is the formula for growth. The Kingdom way is learned through a relationship with Jesus. Jesus teaches us how to be part of the “In Crowd.’

Be confident in this very thing, he will continue his work in you until that day that he comes back to get us. Understand that you were born to be part of the "In Crowd."

My kids are involved in the Marching band circuit. More specifically my daughter is part of a competitive indoor color guard circuit. Now, if you don’t know about Marching band or Color guard then you don’t know how serious parents, students, and instructors take this type of competition. We are talking hours upon hours of training and practice. I take that back, it takes years upon years to reach the skill level necessary to be considered for a certain level of competition. Kids start doing flag work as early as four and weapons at five. The parents are into it as well. We know the terminology, we critique staging, props, artistry, and difficulty levels. We understand the difficulty of throwing a saber up in to the air, watching it twirl five times while the tosser does a double pirouette, then catches it with the grace of a gazelle.

The performances and competitions draw crowds from all over. There is a five day event that happens every May in Wildwood, NJ which brings in millions of dollars to the circuit. This thing is big money! From the customs, to the equipment, venues, judges, pictures, admissions, and concessions. It is something that you would know nothing about unless you were a part of it.

I didn’t know a lot about the competitive level until my kids got involved in it. I did color guard when I was in high school, but nothing at this level. I was never the kid to pay over 1 thousand dollars just to participate in an indoor guard show. My daughter was very fortunate to have an instructor to have the school fund this program and therefore she did not have to pay to be part of an independent team. The mats, the costumes, the rifles, and the sabers were all paid for by the school. Do you hear the terminology? Do you have any idea what I am talking about?

This is how it is in the Kingdom. There are certain levels of understanding and the longer you stick around, the more you know. The more friends you make in the Kingdom the more you talk about the Kingdom. The more you talk about the Kingdom the easier it is to understand the way that it works. You pick up on the terminology. The more you know what to look for, the more you appreciate the design of the whole system. Our provision, our supplies, the equipment, and the life that we are living is all paid for. In the Kingdom, faith is the exchange to be part of the circuit. Your willingness to try is the key to being able to participate. God has this whole thing figured out and you my friend are invited to be part of the “In Crowd.” Let’s start today. . .