Who's Church is it Anyway?

"By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

John 13:35

WOW! There a lot of exciting things going on lately! God is moving in a mighty way-I can feel it, we are on the brink of extraordinary-if we will sit back and watch Him work. This Sunday, our church who has been without a pastor for 9 months I think, is having a candidate come and preach. Afterwards, the congregation will vote on whether or not to make him our new pastor. Talk about pressure, poor guy! A few Sunday's back our interim pastor said that should we vote this man to be our new Shepherd-it will be a declaration of war!

Kind of takes the excitement out of it doesn't it? But...if you think about it-we'll be strapping on our armour and fighting the evils of darkness (which don't want our church to move forward or to get out of the many issues we have) and fighting together-united, under one banner- Christ's banner and under His Almighty protection. All that we have been going through has led us up to this moment, to this choice-will we choose to disregard our differences and fight together, me as the arm, you as the feet, another as the ear, all joined as one body? Lets face it-if we don't, our church will cease to exist, which is exactly what satan wants to happen.

I believe that satan has infiltrated our churches. We start to believe we are right and our Christian brothers and sisters are wrong, but apart from a few main issues, does it really matter? Does it really matter if we remodel the bathrooms in the sanctuary? Does it really matter if the drum player in the worship service wears shorts to church? Does it really matter if we sing contemporary songs and traditional songs-as long as we are all worshiping the King of Kings and bringing Him glory? So many details, that it's easy to get hung up on what I think-what you think and we lose sight of what God thinks. After all- this isn't my church, or your church, it's supposed to be His church. I pray that if this man is "The Guy" that we will follow his leadership and that God will anoint him and guide him as our new Shepherd.

One day I will get to heaven and I know that every word I have ever spoken will be displayed and judged. It doesn't matter if I was frustrated or angry or what the circumstances were, what matters is my heart. What condition was my heart in when I spoke such things? I pray that I will never cause dissent in my congregation, that I will never lead where He has not told me to go and that I can guard my tongue and hold my opinions back no matter how passionate I may feel about a petty issue. This is His church-not mine, I am apart of the body of His church...are you?
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I have to add a side note. This morning when I sat down to write, I had no idea what I was going to write about. I sat, with an open page and a longing to say what He wanted me to say and what you see above is what came out. After I wrote the above post, I sat down and read one of my very short devotion's called, Breaking Free Day by Day by Beth Moore. This is what was written under today's date:

"For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and no one is like Me." Isaiah 46:9

"We make life so much more complicated when we think life is "all about us." The rest of the world never cooperates. No one else got the memo. When we see ourselves as the center of the universe, we live in constant frustration because the rest of creation refuses to revolve around us.
Life vastly simplifies, and satisfaction greatly amplifies, when we begin to realize our awesome roles. God is God. From our perspective, it's all about Him. He is the center of the universe. We seek to please Him. He seeks to perfect us-and life works. Not without pain, but definitely with purpose."
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It's me again-isn't that neat how He does that? I love when He aligns many different areas in my life in one direction. What an awesome God we serve!

What a Morning!

Last night, the Lord brought us some glorious rain...and thunder...and lightening. He showed off last night! And all three of my children were up from midnight to 2am to watch the spectacular show! Needless to say, when I rolled over and looked at the clock this morning, I debated over getting some extra, much needed shuteye. Suddenly, my own words rang in my head, "What will you sacrifice by catching a few extra minutes of sleep? Is it worth it?" (see last post) So, I fell out of bed, wiped the sleepies from my eyes, took some medicine to stop the headache I was starting to get. I sipped on my coffee and opened my devotion.

I cannot tell you how glad I am that I woke up! Oh yall, my heart is so joyful this morning and tears are choked up in my throat. So often when a devotion or preacher or Sunday school book tells me to read just one or two verses, I end up reading the whole passage. God's Word does that to you sometimes, it quenches a thirst and you cannot get enough. This morning was one of those times. I was lead to read two verses in 1 Corinthians and ended up reading the whole section, all about the Wisdom and Power of God. Before I get into that, I'm going to give you some inside info, sometimes when I read a blog and I see a long passage of scripture...I skip over it. I'm so ashamed, but it is often true. Please DON'T do that today! I really feel like He wants me to share; I know He has a message for someone reading this and it might be you-don't risk missing Him!

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength."

(1 Corinthians 1:18,25)

I want you to think of your greatest struggle right now in life. Getting out of bed in the morning, going to work everyday, taking care of your children, maybe finding time to read the Word, holding your tongue...

What is your greatest addiction? It doesn't have to be alcoholism or a "major" addiction. It could be staying on the internet too long, reading up on all the celebrity news, eating comfort food, collecting something, making more money, working too much...

Your greatest fear? Losing a loved one, losing your job, not adding up, being alone, not being a good parent...

Your greatest weakness? When does your soul long for strength the most?

It says right here, in His Word that He is stronger than any of those things! He has the power to rid you of anything that is hindering you from being who you want to be-of who you should be. You don't have to live in fear or doubt or worry any longer! He can break off the shackles that satan has placed around your ankles and the noose you are carrying around your neck. Rejoice! You don't have to live like that any longer!

"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-

the things that are not-

to nullify the things that are..."

(1 Corinthians 1:26-28)

~He's talking about us-YOUR LIFE to nullify, make no more, all the things that are lowly and despised! When He saves us, all of those things are gone forever! I was saved at a young age, but it wasn't until my college years when I went my own way and He came and rescued me from myself, that I could identify with these words. I was so foolish, I had no influence on this world, I certainly wasn't making it a better place. I was as weak as a person could get, as lowly as a person could be. I despised myself, had no self esteem.

But you know what-He came and swept me off my feet. He made me strong and made me wise and will use my life to make this world a better place, if I let Him. He gave me a new sense of salvation that was more real to me than when I was a small child. It wasn't by cleverness He saved me, it wasn't from being an important person or from anything I did-it was by grace.

"...so that no one may boast before Him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written,

"Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord."

(1 Corinthians 1: 18; 25-31)

It is all because of the wonderful cross that we can be set free. If the Holy Spirit resides in you and you are a born again believer, the same power Jesus used to raise the dead and heal the sick...resides in you! Think about that. It is not because of anything I have done to bring me to where I am, it is because of all the things I'm not; all the things that He rescued me from, that I can boast about His mercy, His forgiveness and His love which is more powerful than any love you will ever find here on this earth.

I truly pray you can shake off anything that is hindering you from being who He wants you to be. I pray that I can do that too, day after day, moment by moment. Today, think about what He has done for you, I'd love to hear stories! If you are a believer who has strayed away, come Home today...if you are a believer who is already Home, boast of His mighty power and faithfulness in your life...and if you are not yet a believer and wish to be, I'd love to talk with you!

I'll leave you with the song that popped in my head the moment I read this scripture passage. It is the song I have been listening too all morning as I write this.

Oh the wonderful cross...

The Flip Side of Sacrifice

What sacrifices do you make to be a Christian? A recent Beth Moore devotion has really got me thinking. We often think of sacrificing our time-working in the nursery or teaching Sunday School; sacrificing our money, by tithing or giving to missions; sacrificing our popularity by what others might say about our faith; I could go on and on over what sacrifices God calls us to make as part of our relationship with Him. Going against the World is always a sacrifice in some way, I think.

But now wait...

What if you woke up one day and decided you weren't going to do it anymore? You were sick of waking up an hour earlier to read your Bible. You were tired of your neighbors thinking your weird because you won't let your children watch certain movies. You've had enough of your co-workers saying, "Oh, she's the "Christian" don't say that around her!" Maybe you want to sit in a restaraunt and drink a beer or a glass of wine with your dinner and not have to worry about someone from your church seeing you and wondering how many you've had to drink. What if you decided to live your life like you wanted and throw caution to the wind?

...What would that feel like?

Would there be no more sacrifice? No more trials? No one to talk about you or your weird family? Would you feel a sense of freedom...."Finally I can do what I want to do!"

Well....in reality there would still be sacrifice, only this time you'd be giving up love, joy, peace, and patience (to name just a few of the fruits of the Spirit); all of the things that come out of our relationship with Christ. You'd be giving up His best-for the world's best.

When I glance at the clock in the morning and my body tells me, "You can read your Bible in the afternoon when the boys take a nap! Stay and get a few minutes of extra sleep!", sometimes all I can focus on is what a sacrifice it is to get up and have my quiet time-I never realized that to stay in bed for an extra 30 minutes is also a sacrifice. Who knows what God was going to tell me through His Word...and I missed it...all for an extra 30 minutes of sleep!

Last night we were running late for church. Wesley was suppossed to meet someone in the sanctuary and I was suppossed to be there at 6pm to help with Cubbies Crafts. Before we knew it, it was 5:51pm and we were just pulling out of the driveway. Earlier that day Randol had invited a friend of hers that lives up the street to come with us. Her mother had said yes, she could go. Well, her friend still hadn't showed up by 5:51. Randol was in tears as we pulled out of the driveway. Wesley did a U-turn and went to the girls house. Randol jumped out and ran to the door. She called over her shoulder, "They are putting their shoes on!"

And we waited...

...and waited

...and waited.
I was not feeling very patient. Every minute that dragged by felt like 10. Wesley had that look on his face where he pinches his lips together and was glancing at the clock every 5 seconds. I knew he was calculating in his head how late he was going to be in the sanctuary to meet his friend. I was also impatient, debating over telling whether or not to tell Randol we ran out of time and her friend could come another night.

Finally, out ran two children-neither of which was Randol's friend. It was her big sister and her twin brother-two children I'd never met before. They decided they wanted to go and Randol's friend decided she wasn't feeling well! As we pulled out of a driveway at 6:10pm, God hit me square in the face-I almost left without these two precious children, all because I didn't want to be late. What was more important-me being punctual or bringing two children who don't go to church, to a place where they can learn about the only One who can save their souls? The sacrifice of being late was well worth it! So often in the moment, all we can see is us, not Him and what He's trying to do through us.

One thing I have learned through the years, is that often we are called to do things that in the beginning-we really don't want to do, but as time goes by, His desires become our own and that's when you know-you are walking in His will; in Oneness with Him. What an incredible feeling~ one I'm not personally ready to sacrifice!

Everyday we have to make choices, some small and some very big. Every chioce has some sacrifice, something you have to give up. You have to decide, is it worth the cost? God chose the greatest of all sacrifices, having His one and only Son die in a brutal, horrific way...just for us. And we're complaining about waking up a little earlier or not being able to buy that new thing you really don't need, so that you can give your tithe; or prioritizing our time so that we can do a Bible study? Sounds so small compared to what He did for me.

Tomorrow, instead of thinking about what a sacrifice it is to fall out of bed 30 minutes earlier, I'll think about what a sacrifice it is to stay there and catch a few minutes of extra sleep!

"...But He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after face judgement, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people..."

~Hebrews 9:26b-28a

The Power of Distraction

A few weeks ago, a friend called and asked if Wesley and I'd be interested in writing a devotion together. She was putting together a Family Devotion book for our church. They were asking many different people from all walks of life to write. I was so touched and honored that she thought of us. I often feel so young compared to my peers, that it intimidates me to do certain things. (Especially when I found out they were making 700 copies to hand out!) Wesley and I both prayed that we'd be a vessel He could use and that we'd take ourselves out of the equation. I was amazed to watch and see how God brought us together in one mind over the subject matter of what to write.

I should have expected satan to rear his ugly head in our writing time. Every time we'd get a chance to finish writing, something would come up to stop our progress; a child would wake up early from their nap; an important phone call would come in, one thing after another. Soon, we found ourselves three days past the deadline. We were SO close to finishing, but it still wasn't complete.

I received a phone call on Thursday morning and I said I'd have it in by noon that day. It was mad chaos in my house and Wesley was at work. I called him in a panic. We went over together what we had left to write. I got off the phone and cried out to God to help me finish the devotion and to clear all distractions or to help me focus in the midst of them. I kid you not-within five minutes, Will was asleep for a nap, Randol was reading a book in her room and Fosters favorite show, Curious George came on TV-at a time it usually doesn't come on! I was done in less than 10 minutes. I called Wesley back and he was shocked at how quickly it took me. We went over it together and made a few changes and emailed the final copy in to the church.

I was so blessed through the whole process. We both have a passion for writing, but have never written a piece together. It made me wonder if God is starting something new for us. We got the devotion books yesterday and after glancing over a few others that were written, I saw that ours was totally different from anyone elses. I started to feel paranoid, and doubting myself. Fear started to creep his ugly head in and make me afraid we made fools of ourselves. As soon as doubt crept in, God spoke to my heart, reminding me of my prayer-to be vessels He could use. He reassured me, we did what He wanted us to do and I couldn't let satan make me doubt myself. I was reminded to re-read what we wrote and to stand up and fight back! I could not and would not let satan take my joy!

I wanted to share our piece. You may recognize a little of it from an earlier blog posting I did for September 11th. Little did I know back then, that God would use that post for His glory, months later!
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Our Excalibur

“Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

1 Peter 5:8

It was hot, and sweat dripped from His brow as he continued His wandering in the desert. No food for 40 days. His stomach cried out in hunger. Suddenly, He was given a very tempting idea by the devil; He could turn a rock into bread. He could calm the hunger pains that raged within His belly. How does He respond? By quoting scripture, “Man does not live on bread alone.” (Luke 4:4). Twice more the devil offered Him sweet and enticing temptations, only He resisted and made the evil one flee. How did He do it? He wielded the sword of the Spirit - God's Word.

Are we any different? We are at war-right now, and we're not talking about the Middle East. Our enemy is not like the ones our soldiers are fighting so bravely against. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12).

The enemy has come into our homes, tempting our families. He is in the airwaves and coming through the television screen, infiltrating our minds. He tells us that we are not worthy enough-that God could never love a person like you. He makes us lust for what we cannot have, covet our neighbors belongings and makes us so downright busy that we don’t have time to put on our armor or gather our weapons. Satan helps our priorities get mixed up and before we know it-we are standing in an open battle field with nothing but the clothes on our backs to protect us. We become like sheep led to the wolves for the slaughter. The words we use, the actions we take, little by little become less and less what God would want for us.

The time is now. Draw your sword, face the battle and fight. “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17). God has offered us the most powerful of all weapons - if only we would learn to use it. It is stronger than any man-made sword or gun. It can fight and defeat our worst fears, our doubts and our worries. We must be in the Word to know how to fight back, just as Jesus did in the desert. It is time to “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7).

Don’t wait, don’t hesitate. The enemy is right there peeking over your shoulder as you read this. Are you armed and ready for battle?

Forget New Years Resolutions!

Wow! Am I behind or what? I have never-not-blogged for this long! I haven't read anyone else's blog up until a day ago, I haven't caught up on all my usual people-news. I just checked the web site where I can see the traffic on this blog and I was surprised to see most of you haven't given up on me yet! (Thank you, thank you, thank you!)

I have simply been soaking up my friends and family and trying to make the season last as long as I could! I decided this year to re-prioritize and not be "doing" the whole time. I wanted to enjoy the season and not be stressed out by the end of it and miss out on so many blessings. For instance, I made goodies for my neighbors, because I wanted too-not because I felt like I had too. I will have to remember this strategy next year! It made for a much more enjoyable time. Now as a downside, I'm paying for it by having to play "catch up" on all the things I left alone! But it was worth it!

The Lord really blessed me with a lot of time with my family~good, quality time like I'd hoped for. (There is a difference!) Family is a funny thing. They know you better than anyone else, and they can get under your skin more than any one, but they also love you more than other people. I re-read my last few posts of my hopes for the Christmas season and I can see just how much God was listening! I will treasure this time for a long while.

But, Christmas is gone now and it's time to look towards a new year. Many people are making New Years resolutions and trying to make a new beginning. I must admit, I've never gotten into New Year's Resolutions much. I see them more as a way to disappoint myself because chances are, they won't stick! One of the things I asked my husband for, for Christmas was the new Beth Moore, 90 Days with the One and Only series. Everyday for the next 90 days, I'll be learning more and more about my Savior. It has been good so far. I find myself debating on doing more than one day because I want to keep on reading! (and that's always a good sign!) Everyday I write out a prayer and I am reminded of how often I used to keep a prayer journal. I haven't done it in a while~on a consistent basis. I love to go back and read my prayers and see all the ways He answered them. Little, tiny ways that otherwise I would have missed. He cares about all the tiny details of our lives, details that we often don't tell Him about. He knows what's on your mind, what's bothering your heart. He knows what you wish you could change about yourself and about all your dreams for your future. Those are often things I think we overlook to tell Him.

I'm about to tell you a personal-inside-thing, but I'm in a conversational mood, and I feel like sharing! In this devotion book, my husband wrote me a little something like he always does when he gives me a book. (It is always my favorite part of the book!) This time part of what he wrote said, "There has been and will be no better man to walk this planet. I hope to be more like Him so that I can love you even more." WOW! I can't tell you how much I thanked my Lord and Savior for giving me a man like him!

His simple statement really stuck with me. The more and more I thought about it, I couldn't help but see that simple statement as my personal "New Years Resolution" if you will. If I knew Jesus more and tried to become more like Him, I couldn't help but love those around me-even more. It would be easier to love those who aren't so easy to love. It would be easier to be who He wants me to be this year-and less of all the expectations I have for myself. He could have a whole set of other plans for me; plans I'd miss out on if I didn't strive to be more like Him.

So that's my Life Resolution (forget just for the New Year!)-To know Him more and to be more like Him. I pray I'm more successful at that than I've ever been at any other resolution!

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."

~Proverbs 16:9

*I just re-read my last post and saw that I used this same bible verse. Both times, it was the verse that the Lord brought to my mind. Do you think He's trying to tell me something :-) I love when He does that!