sneuhofer

Author Archives: sneuhofer
- Do you know God…
  
  Posted at 7:00 am by sneuhofer, on August 3, 2018
  …or do you just know about Him?
  
  Psalm 100:3 (NCV) KNOW that the Lord is God. He made us, and we belong to him; we are his people, the sheep he tends. (emphasis mine)
  What does the word “know” mean to you? For me, I think I use the word whether I actually “know” the truth about something or someone. Have you ever said you “know someone” only to have that “knowledge” proven wrong? Boy I have… and being proven wrong isn’t very fun at all.
  
  So, what does it mean to actually “know” God? Having asked myself this question, I went to the very first dictionary in America – Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary. Noah Webster utilized the Bible as the foundation for his definitions and it was here I found the following definition.
  
  To perceive with certainty; to understand clearly; To distinguish; To be informed of; To be no stranger to; To have full assurance of; To learn
  
  If I have made the Bible the standard by which I live my life, “knowing that the Lord is God” is essential. It’s not enough for me to “believe” that God is God – because even Satan and his minions “believe” in God (James 2:19). I have to put actions to my belief. I have to be informed of, learn, perceive with certainty and distinguish with clarity that God is God. How do I do this? By getting into His word and “learning” everything I can about God – who He is and the things He has done. As I begin to learn about who God is and what He’s done, the next step is for me to trust that He knows better than me and then have the faith to follow where His leads.
  
  Getting into God’s word helps me “discover” more about God’s character. I have heard people say
  
  “I know God won’t do this for me.” “I know for a fact there is no God.” “I know there is no way God could love someone like me.”
  
  But how do they really know that their statements just don’t align with God’s character unless they dig into the truth? Their words are most likely based on “what they have heard from outside influences.” There was a time in my life that I couldn’t really believe that God couldn’t love me because I had done some pretty horrible things. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Take a look at Ephesians 1:4 (NIV)
  
  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
  
  Psalm 100:3 also reminds me that God made me. This truth is also confirmed in Psalm 139:13
  
  “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
  
  When I read Romans 5:8, I am reminded that God demonstrated his own love for us in this:
  
  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
  
  What I’ve discovered by reading my Bible is that I can be assured of His knowledge of me. Check out what Psalm 56:8 (MSG) has to say:
  
  You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, Each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book.
  
  Psalm 139 (NIV) is also a reminder that God knows me:
  
  God has searched me and knows me; He knows my thoughts, my ways, when I get up and when I lie down.
  
  So my questions becomes, what about my “knowledge” of Him? Have I grown in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18) as the Bible urges me to do? I sure hope so. As a Christian, I am on a life-long journey to know God and His characteristics. I want to know Him more and more every day.
  
  How about you? Do you want to “know” the God of the universe in this way?
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  Posted in faith, know God | 0 Comments
- Confession: I was a dime-store thief
  
  Posted at 8:00 am by sneuhofer, on August 2, 2018
  “Just put them under your shirt and tuck your shirt into your shorts. I do it all the time, no one will ever notice. Once you do that just walk out and I will meet you at the bikes.”These were the words of “wisdom” that rolled off the tough of the 9 year-old boy who lived down the street from when I was a child.
  
  “I – I – I don’t know Billy. Someone will see us and we will get into trouble.” My seven year old self tried to reason with the “big” kid.
  
  “Trust me. We will be listening to these on my new record player when we get back to the house.” He fanned out the 7” single records in his hand. In 1973, 45 rpm records were fairly inexpensive but to a 7 and 9 year old they may as well have been $100.
  
  Listening to Billy’s voice and not the voice in my head telling me “don’t do it…you’re gonna get caught and then your Dad will find out…” I shoved the records under my shirt, crossed my arms and headed for the front of the store. I don’t even remember the number of records I took or even the songs on them for that matter. I saw the front doors of the store in front of me. “Could it be this easy? Was Billy was right? No one would ever know I took these records without paying for them.” I thought to myself. I thought I was home free until I got about 5 steps away from the front door then, I felt a hand squeeze my shoulder.
  
  Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder and a gruff voice from behind “What do you have under your shirt young lady?” Tears instantly began to stream down my face. I was busted…and I knew it. But it wasn’t my fault…Billy had talked me into the whole thing.
  
  “Um… nothing?” Not only had I stolen the records, I had just lied to an adult – and I knew better. Did I really think this man was going to believe that?
  
  “I can tell that you are hiding something under your shirt. Let’s go to my office and call your parents.” With the man’s hand still on my shoulder he guided me towards an open door to the right. Once inside he asked me to have a seat in the chair in front of his desk. “Look, you can tell me what you have under your shirt or I can call your parents and you can talk to them. The choice is yours.”
  
  Again, tears began to uncontrollably fall from my eyes. I had taken the records and I knew it was wrong and on top of all that, I lied to cover it up. I couldn’t speak. I just sat there crying. He handed me a pad of paper and a pen and asked me to write down my telephone number. I complied and wrote down my home phone number. About an hour later my Dad walked through the door of that little office. He didn’t yell at me or point an accusing finger. He simply sat down beside me and expressed his disappointment. “Stealing records babe? You know better than that.”
  
  He was right…I did know better. My Dad and the store manager walked outside the office to discuss the situation. I have no idea what was said between them. The manager could have called the Police and turned me in for stealing…but he didn’t. He knelt down in front of me and said “I have talked to your Father and I have decided not to report this to the Police. You are welcome back in this store anytime as long as you are with an adult. If I see you in this store with another kid, I am going to have to call the Police…do you understand?”
  
  I had been looking down at my feet the entire time the manager was talking. I blew out a deep breath, raised my head and looked him in the eye. Through my tear filled eyes I promised not to steal anything from his store and I assured him I wouldn’t step foot in the store without my Mom or Dad. My Dad shook the man’s hand and we were gone.
  
  As my dad and I walked out of his office, I didn’t even want to think about the ride home. Would my Dad be like Billy’s dad and start yelling the second the car door was shut? I didn’t know. This was the first time I had done anything this “big” in my life. But it really wasn’t as bad as I originally thought. My Dad was disappointed that I had chosen poorly, but he knew I’d learn a BIG lesson from the experience. Today, I think about that day in the store and it reminds me of how my Heaven Father disciplines me.
  
  The Bible is clear in Hebrews 12:8 – 11 (NCV)
  
  “If you are never disciplined (and every child must be disciplined), you are not true children. We have all had fathers here on earth who disciplined us, and we respected them. So it is even more important that we accept discipline from the Father of our spirits so we will have life. Our fathers on earth disciplined us for a short time in the way they thought was best. But God disciplines us to help us, so we can become holy as he is. We do not enjoy being disciplined. It is painful at the time, but later, after we have learned from it, we have peace, because we start living in the right way.”
  
  As children and as a child of God, we are disciplined because we are loved. Sometimes it just isn’t fun to be disciplined…but we can know that when God corrects us, we can see it as proof of his love.
  
  Instead of asking “Why?” ask “What are you trying to teach me?”
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  Posted in Discipline, life lessons, the Father's love | 0 Comments
- Are you cultivating God-confidence?
  
  Posted at 7:00 am by sneuhofer, on July 25, 2018
  1 Corinthians 10:11 – 13 “These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don’t repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence.”
  
  Being a parent is one of the greatest joys I have ever known. It is such a blessing to watch my not-so-little guy (he is turning 13 in a few more weeks) grow up and learn new and exciting things. His eyes sparkle and his entire face lights up when he discovers something new. “WOW! Mom, would you look at this place?” were the first words he uttered when we went to Busch Gardens (a theme park in Williamsburg, VA) for the first time. “Oh yeah! I’m gonna go on all the water rides!” he confidently told his cousin as we walked through the gates. He had only heard about a few of the water rides from his friend next door – but he didn’t care. He was going to ride every one of them.
  
  As I read the words of 1 Corinthians 10:11 – 13, the thought about our first trip to Busch Gardens came to mind. My son was confident about the water rides based on what he had heard from his friend. His friend had a good experience, so he just knew he would too – and he did. He enjoyed every one of the water rides…and a few others as well.
  
  Just as easily as the Busch Gardens memory ran ran through my head, another thought popped in as well. It was of the dangers of the kitchen at dinner time. We learn at an early age not to touch a hot stove. Parents know of the “dangers” that lurked in the kitchen for little hands that don’t know better. I know mine did. Perhaps one my parents hands had touched a hot pot in their childhood and they didn’t want me to do the same. By touching a hot stove, they learned a very valuable lesson from a past experience.
  
  God has given us His Word so that through it, we may learn valuable lessons and not make the same mistakes people throughout history have made. The pressures of today make it so easy to forget the lessons of the past. Have you ever found yourself in a conversation where someone is trying to teach you something? “Don’t touch the pot on the stove, it’s hot and you will burn your hand.” a concerned mother says to her son. “MOM! I know!” replies the son. The words “I know” roll off the tongue in hasty response. Have you ever had conversations like these? Perhaps you have been the “I know” person. I sure have. But did I really know? I think the answer is NO. I was just being confident – self confident.
  
  We are bound to make the same mistakes if we don’t learn from the lessons of the past. As I continue my journey through life, I can’t rely on my own confidence to get me through the various seasons. It is up to me to develop an unshakable God-confidence. When I think that I am strong enough to handle anything that is thrown at me, I will find myself flat on my face if I don’t put my full confidence in God. Confidence in myself to weather the storms of life will leave me battered and torn like a dingy out on a raging sea. I place my confidence in God and allow Him to strengthen me. 1 Corinthians 10:13 reminds me of this truth “No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.”
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  Posted in confidence in Christ, life lessons | 0 Comments
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Author Archives: sneuhofer

Do you know God…

Posted at 7:00 am by sneuhofer, on August 3, 2018

…or do you just know about Him?

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Confession: I was a dime-store thief

Posted at 8:00 am by sneuhofer, on August 2, 2018

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Are you cultivating God-confidence?

Posted at 7:00 am by sneuhofer, on July 25, 2018

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