Day 226

Day 226 of  The Red Shoe Project is quickly coming to an end.  Today was a jam-packed!  Pauly and I were out in RED flip flops at what seemed like the break of dawn.  Next thing I knew I was off to The Bonfire Bible study, followed by lunch with the girls, an afternoon meeting with my mentor at Starbucks,  and an evening Bible study at church on "The Vine and the Branches."   Whew!  What a day!

There are so many things I could talk about today, because God was everywhere!  But there is one thing, that stands out more than the others, that I've been pondering over and over in my mind.  I can't stop thinking about it.  It's like a pot simmering on the stove.  It's a comment I made at The Bonfire regarding our use of Spiritual Gifts.


When I was growing up, my dad was the

#1 Vending Mechanic 

in New England.  

Coffee machines -- Soda machines --  

Candy machines -- Snack machines --

Pinball machines -- Cigarette machines.  

You name it... He could fix it!  

He was The Master Mechanic of his day.
Business owners knew that if their machine
was "Out of Order"  and the local guy
couldn't get it up and running,  it was time to give Scotty a call!   Before long, the machine was operating like new.  They were back in business and pulling in profits.


Last week I overheard an interesting conversation between two people that I love dearly.  One happened to say something to the other that shocked me!  It was an ugly moment of selfishness that brought tears to my eyes and grieved my Spirit.  Because I'm in a place of leadership with this individual, before long, I found myself in a room with her, closing the door behind me for privacy.  It was time to speak words of wisdom to this dear young woman.

"But that's how I really feel!"  she said.

"You may feel that way, but the only person you should tell that to, my dear,
 is God."  I returned.

TAKE NOTE:  When you're broken -- that is,  not working correctly,  it's time to shut down and/ or shut your mouth, and call in...
The Master Mechanic.

The Holy Spirit makes 

FREE house calls  24/7.

He's the BEST when it 

comes to Divine Adjustments! 

Today, at The Bonfire, we were discussing Spiritual Gifts and the importance of being in alignment with the Holy Spirit.  The point was made that when one's attitude or life is out of sync, that's not the time to be ministering for God.   Trying to operate on His behalf, when we're  "Out of Order,"  creates an unacceptable service.  The quality is below standard.  It's tainted!  Don't get me wrong, God's not looking for perfection from us, but He's also not up for our presenting something on His behalf, that's insufficient and below His standard.  That gives Him a bad name.  Sometimes it hurts people.  The repercussions can be horrendous.

When my dad was called upon to fix coffee machines, it was because the coffee would pour out, before the cup was in place.  Sometimes the mix of the coffee and creamer was backwards - too much cream, not enough coffee.  Other times, the coffee would come out cold instead of hot.   No matter how you look at it, the results were unacceptable.  People wanted their money back!

Dont' get me wrong... if  you wait until everything is perfect, you'll never minister for God.  But that doesn't mean that we should disregard the effects of sinful behavior mixed with an attempt to do something as God's representative.  "God will not be mocked!"  (Galatians 6:7)   I warned the young woman I was counseling, "Do unto others as you would want done unto you."  We all know that what goes around, comes around.  It's only a matter of time.

Just as a point of reference, 1 Samuel, Chapter 2, tells the story of Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli the priest.  They were sacrilegious in their priestly duties and God ultimately dealt with them and their father rather harshly for it.

My friend Bonnie has made a comment several times these past few weeks.  She says that she loves the correction of the Lord.  Yes, He corrects and disciplines, but He does it ever so gently.  Why would she love that?  Because...

 When you're "Out of Order,"
there's nothing better than 

a "Divine Adjustment!"  

When it's over, everything lines up and the Spirit flows through you with ease.  It is a GOOD thing to be operational once again!  After all, who wants to be going through life with an  "Out of Order"  sign continuously around their neck?  Not me!

"Since we live by the Spirit, 

let us keep in step with the Spirit."

Galatians 5:25

Wearing RED shoes comes with a responsibility.  As I go throughout my days looking for God, pointing to God, praising God, and sometimes speaking for God, I can't be mixing God's business with things like negativity, jealousy, anger, hatred, lying, deception, back-biting, vulgarity, etc. etc. etc.   Yeah... that simply won't work!  I'm sure it would only be a matter of time before God saw fit to eliminate all the RED shoes from my closet.  Kind of like Donald Trump saying, "Your Fired!" 

It's privilege and honor to wear these RUBY REDS!

Gail