Heart 2 Heart

STRAIGHT TALK

Nori Chesney — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 08:08:03 +0000

This morning we are speaking to Parents and Teens @ church - the message is called STRAIGHT TALK. I love it! How I wish someone had taken me to church as a teenager and talked straight to me so I could have avoided some of the really dumb decisions I made then! How grateful I am that over the years my Heavenly Father has shown me:

HOW TO REALLY LISTEN TO MY CHILD’S HEART AND NOT JUST HER WORDS
HOW TO HONOR HER IN ORDER TO TEACH HER HOW TO HONOR GOD AND HER PARENTS
HOW TO FORGIVE ME, HERSELF AND OTHERS!

We must find the strength and peace we need from our own relationship with God in order to apply it to our relationships in our families. So, honor your Heavenly Father first! This is the KEY! He will then help you forgive and honor your own earthly father, no matter what your history may be. Then He will help you model honor to your own children so that they in turn can honor you!

Honor comes from above. Honor is reverential respect, admiration and love. IT IS RARE BUT IT CHANGES THE ENTIRE ATMOSPHERE OF OUR HOME!

Have a beautiful Sunday, Ladies!!

Love, Nori

Straight Talk - Ephesians 6:1-3 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother - which is the first commandment with a promise - that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

FRETTING OR FAITH?

Nori Chesney — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 07:00:47 +0000

“Fretting comes from a determination to get your own way!” Oswald Chambers said this but when I read it this morning it reminded me of so many chats I’ve had recently with ladies who are worried about money. We are entering a season of belt-tightening around the world. We in the West don’t really know what it’s like to live with less. Now we are going to find out! Let’s not fret - we still serve the God of the impossible, the God who supplies all our NEED according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He is still our source, and now for many He is the ONLY source. And He is more than enough! Here are a few things I’ve learned from living by faith (no paycheck except from God) off and on for over 25 years:

If you don’t use it, loose it! Go through your home with a sickle, purge and sell everything you haven’t used in the past year. If you can’t sell it, find someone less fortunate than you are to give it to.
Stop eating out! Go on a fast, then a diet, change your eating habits from rich food to basic staples, cut your calories and cook at home. You will be amazed at how much you save on your food bill! Get your kids to help plan meals and put together shopping lists, then take them with you to the store along with a hand-held calculator. They will quickly see how much a box of sweet cereal or a bag of fancy cookies costs! Let’s see, cookies or chicken - you do the math!
Stop going to the Mall! Window shopping leads to buying and you just purged your closet of all those clothes you don’t wear any more. Determine to wear last year’s summer clothes this summer too! Try going for at least two seasons (six months) without buying any new outfits for the adults in your family. You need to buy clothes for the little people growing up in your home, but hopefully you aren’t growing any more! When we first came to the mission field, I bought all my clothes at charity shops for seven years - really! And our three children were clothed by gracious friends who gave us their kids’ hand-me-downs. It can be down! Don’t fret that your teens aren’t wearing name brands. I gave my teens $20 (£15) for shoes. If they wanted $100 shoes, they had to go to work and pay the difference themselves. They all got jobs - but ended up spending THEIR hard-earned money on car insurance, missions trips and their own entertainment so I didn’t have to! Prepare them for the reality of paying their own bills by starting with their wardrobe!
Make a budget and share it weekly within the family. This added accountability will help everyone stay on task to live within the family budget. Then, when unexpected blessings come, even little things like finding a penny on the ground, everyone can celebrate together! Make living by faith a family lifestyle. It becomes an adventure in trusting God, an adventure that lasts a life-time.

So DO NOT FRET! IT ONLY LEADS TO SORROW AND TROUBLE! FRETTING OR FAITH? I SAY THAT WE CAN TRUST IN THE LORD! Prove to Him that you love Him for who He is and NOT for what He gives you. If you are pro-active and see this lean financial season as an opportunity to develop a much more godly lifestyle, you can be transformed by the renewing of your mind, not conformed to a world of materialism that chokes out love for our Saviour. Come on ladies! We can do this!!

Love and blessings to you today,

Nori

MOMS ARE SO IMPORTANT!

Nori Chesney — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 06:40:13 +0000

Remember King David, a man after God’s own heart, and his son Solomon, the wisest king in the world? Solomon had TOO MANY WIVES! One of them was Naamah, an Ammonitess. 2 Chronicles 12:13-14 tells us that Solomon and Naamah had a son named Rehoboam who became king after Solomon. With the wisest dad in the world and King David for a grandfather you would think that Rehoboam would have been an excellent leader. But NO! He was arrogant, foolish, and ungodly. His poor character lead to division from within and invasion from without, a terrible loss of strength for his nation. Rehoboam’s mom was NOT a believer! She was one of the many, many women in Solomon’s life who turned his heart away from God. MOMS, WE ARE SO IMPORTANT! Our faith, our godly character, our influence of righteousness and devotion to the things of God are JUST AS IMPORTANT as dad’s! We must take great courage today, understanding that whatever is in our own hearts is going to be reproduced in the hearts of our children. Let this sobering truth take you to your knees. Humble yourself, ask God for the help of His Holy Spirit, and then get up and BE A GODLY INFLUENCE ON THE NEXT GENERATION! You are important, and so is your influence for eternity in the life of your child!

Praying with you today,

Nori

EVERLASTING LIFE

Nori Chesney — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 07:47:50 +0000

Do you know what you are called to? Why you are here? It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything to this page but I’ve been busy telling others about Jesus Christ. That is why I am here and what I am called to. And many have heard and received God’s EVERLASTING LIFE! We all have to take care to “be about the Master’s business” so that our lives are lived with eternal purpose. No matter what we do day by day, our eyes must stay focused on this Big Picture. That is why Jesus declares: “I know that My Father’s command is EVERLASTING LIFE!” Jesus died so that ALL can be saved!

BE CAREFUL!

Nori Chesney — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:17:56 +0000

OK, we all know women talk more than men. There are stats to prove it, as if we needed a formal study to state the obvious! I’ve always found it difficult to think before I speak. This has gotten me into a lot of trouble over the years, some embarrassing, some dangerous. Once, when I was about to ask a major player a spiritual question, God spoke to me in Spanish and said, “Ten cuidado!” That means, “BE CAREFUL!” I zipped my lip just in time. Later that same leader made a complete mess of his life and lost his ministry. That was a close one - and it proves how much we need to FOLLOW the Holy Spirit in our conversations. He is here with us to help us. He wants to carefully lead us through the minefield of our day and guide us into all Truth. Like Baalam, our heart attitude should be, “Don’t I have to be careful to say what God gives me to say?” Num 23:21 Message Bible He started out listening to God, especially when his donkey warned him to be careful, but the temptation for riches and fame wore him down and he caved. He lost everything, even though he was a prophet who heard from God in a godless society. What I say should count for eternity and that will always be true if, like Jesus, “I only say what I hear my Father tell me.”

LITTLE CHILDREN

Nori Chesney — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:42:57 +0000

“God’s Kingdom belongs to those who know they are little children before God.” This speaks to my heart. God is not some big spiritual force in the sky. He is my Heavenly Father - constant, faithful, holy, loving, patient, perfect, personal, my all in all. He is always with me and my heart belongs to Him. Over the years He has helped me understand that I am His child, completely accepted, adored and safe. Next to Him I feel very small but never condemned. I am nothing but never insignificant. I am a little child and I love the holy reverence I experience in “never growing up” in my Father’s arms. We are not “partners”. We are not “peers”. He is my Father God and I love being His little child.

So take the pressure off yourself to perform today, to be “mature” in a way that strips you of the comfort of being wholly dependent on God. Let yourself be a little child in God’s great care. He will never leave you or forsake you, and His love never fails!

BEING A WITNESS

Nori Chesney — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:38:50 +0000

While I was in California recently a girl walked up to me on the beach and sat on my lap. She was high, hurting, and 19 years old. She wanted to know if I was married as my husband was sitting next to me with his arm around me. “Yes, very married for 33 years!” She got all excited and started asking questions. We were tired, taking a break from a marriage week end, but the tug on my heart was clearly the love of God for her. “Be My witness…” Jesus was always being interrupted, inconvenienced, and intimidated by the people around Him. Most of the people He spoke to were complete strangers. But He was willing.

And then I had this sobering thought….”There but for the grace of God go I!” So I did what I tell everyone else to do. I dug a witnessing tract out of my purse and started reading it to her. She grabbed it out of my hand and read the whole thing to us, cover to cover. When she got to the sinners prayer at the end, she broke down, said the prayer with us, and asked if she could keep the tract. (She also wanted my sunglasses but hey, what a tiny price to pay for a soul, right?) She ran off with the tract, the sunglasses and the Son of God in her heart.

I don’t know what God will do in her Sadie’s life - I’m praying for miracles. But I believe that if we do our part, we can be sure that He will do His! Be a witness today!

THE OLDER WOMAN

Nori Chesney — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:10:23 +0000

I am the “older” woman of Titus 2:3. At 55, I have 3 married children and four grand children, all four girls! My behavior isn’t always ‘reverent’, and I’m sorry, Lord, for that. Today I plead for another chance to “admonish these younger women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their husbands, that the word of God may flourish in them.” I look to Your Word, Father, for wisdom and hope. A transformed character occurs, “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to HIS MERCY…” Old girls need mercy too, mostly for not being consistent examples to the younger generation. They look to us as role models. For their sakes, and the sake of Christ, I will start again. If you are an ‘Older Woman’ like me, don’t give up! God is perfect, we are not. God is merciful, we are hard on ourselves and others. Thank God for MERCY! Now, accept the grace we don’t deserve and let’s try again. I am admonishing you as I am speaking to myself - PERSEVERE!

GENERATIONS

Nori Chesney — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 06:36:07 +0000

It’s been a long time since I have written - travel, mission, Christmas, but mostly family. I’m in California tonight with four generations of family around me. It’s a moment, a memory, personal history. I am overwhelmed. There is such depth in generations. The things my mother shares with my daughter that I never knew make me so thankful that they have been given ‘TIME’ together. God makes time and gives it to us one breath, one heartbeat at time. I am eternally grateful for this day. And as I watch my mother’s two-year old great grand daughter kiss her on the check and say, ‘Night, night Nani. Love you!” I know that this day will remain one of the greatest of my life! Take time for your family. Reach into the soul of each generation. Life is so very short. If you are “afar off”, reconcile quickly. God has given you today. Use your time wisely! Generations are priceless treasures. Reach out to yours.

LET MEN BE MEN! AMEN!

Nori Chesney — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:28:13 +0000

Is it just me or does there seem to be TOO MANY WOMEN AND NOT ENOUGH MEN in the Church? Everywhere I go, from Bulgaria to Brighton, girls in church are crying out about their desire to get married, have children, serve God, but alas, there are no men in the Church to choose from!

Beloved, this not ought to be! And why is it that so few quality men are comfortable in Christian Churches? Well, one of many reasons is that in our headlong drive to be free of the ungodly control men held over us for so many millennia, we have gone too far! We women have intimidated, bullied, belittled - in short, we have made wimps out of our men! We want them to “hold hands”, “pray with the stranger sitting next to you”, “share your heart”, in Church. None of this is male behaviour!

Men don’t like to hold hands with strangers! They don’t like sharing - not even with people they know, love and trust! Men need to be allowed to be men! If we insist on making them act like women in order for us to feel that they are being “honest”, “open”, “trustworthy”, then we are creating a monster of feminine mush out of our men. We are manipulating them into being something they aren’t and something we don’t want once we’ve got it!

God created MALE AND FEMALE! We’re different! Get over it! Accept what God has made, each one in his own image, and let’s get back to letting MEN BE MEN! AMEN!