"Be Loved, He Loves You"

I often have wondered why I stay up so late at night these days, and tonight, my pondering began to scratch the surface of where the answer may lie. The quiet solitude of being alone at night in my sanctuary has taught me a great deal about myself, about my life, and my relationship with Christ. It is at those times late at night that I can hear the silence of His voice. That I feel His breath next to my cheek. It is at this time that my heart becomes so still in order to gage His presence in my room. I do work all day, but it is at "this" time that my job and purpose for being on planet earth really matters. All of the texting, emailing, phone conversations, Facebook messaging, smoke signals that I receive  each and every night with all different kinds of people telling me about their life, their love, their heartaches, their chaos, and their God, I have found to be a major part of my purpose.... and I do believe with all of my heart that it's major part God's purpose for me.

There are people hurting everywhere.. next door.... at work.... on TV..... on the street, and across the world. Six times in the Gospels it repeats this phrase that Jesus said 
"Love your neighbor as yourself." 
Three times in the book of Matthew, twice in the book of Mark and once in the book of Luke. Jesus's entire life is a love story between himself and the diverse of all people, mostly outcasts and people that were literally invisible to the world at that time. He never stayed in places where it would be comfortable or where He was popular, He continued to move from place to place to touch as many lives as possible and share with them the "good news" that God had given Him to tell. But another thing He did besides speak, or heal was that He listened..... He listened to people's hearts and hurts. To their pain and sorrows. He allowed them to come close to Him, to touch Him so they might get a glimpse of what God was saying to them or had for them- a moment of to be near to someone that was close to God.

In John 14:12 Jesus says that whoever believes in Him will do the works that He has been doing, and they will do even greater things than these.... what on earth could be greater than healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, or raising someone from the dead as He did Lazarus? I think what He meant here was that we as Christ's followers would be empowered by the Holy Spirit to do anything that will give glory to His name. Whether it be to physically heal someone by praying over them faithfully, healing someone emotionally as in answering calls, texts and messages of friends that have a heart full of sickness and hurt.  Or if it is simply being present with someone without words but just the gesture of your presence shows them the unconditional love of God that they may not get from anyone else they know.

What are you investing in? What kinds of things does your life consist of that are everlasting- that are not "things" or material items, or "stuff". What do you have that is intangible that you can say without a doubt you can leave and it lives on after you're gone to tell your story. My greatest assets are my friends and just people in general. I encounter so many lives every single day that I have become "instinctly" aware that everything I say and do in the presence of this person acutely matters in life. And most importantly to me, it acutely matters to God. Once I realized this one simple truth, my attitude and attention towards people changed. Yes, I have always been a good person and some will say I'm a good friend- but that isn't what I am saying. I am saying that every encounter that I have with a person, no matter who they are, matters to me greatly. I want to know so many things concerning them, and I will attempt on the first meeting to draw them out to a point where I can see the essence of who they are and what they want and need in life. And eventually, of course, there is the matter of "do they know God". 

What does your time consist of each day? I know that work is important to ensure our financial well being, but do you take time to talk to others about their lives? The lives of their families? Do you stop and take interest in what is going on with someone else even though you are having a really hard day or week? Paul traveled all over to different countries and cultures getting thrown in jail for simply telling people his story, his encounter with Christ, but it did not stop him. Not many of us are evangelists, but we all have our own story of where we were once and how God made a change in our lives. He asks that we just tell our story. When we take time to do that, His story will be magnified as a light that is shining in a dark room.

So when I say to you "Be loved, He loves you..." I mean to say that we need to feel loved but we also need to go give it away to someone else- we can't just sit and get full of God's love and expect for everything to be good because we "have" it. We have to give it away... away to someone that is in need- financially, emotionally, or spiritually. Jesus said that the greatest commandments were to love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all of your mind, and with all of your strength, and to Love your neighbor as yourself. I feel confident that investing my time and my future legacy to the things of God is what He wants from me because people matter to God. They are His children and we are commanded to love them, serve them, and be in community with them.That includes all of their baggage, all of their faults, all of their "inconvenient interruptions" that we sometimes feel "burden" us. Who are we to compare ourselves to God who is the One that is the constant provider in our lives?

"Be loved, He loves you" is a song by Christy Knockels that I heard recently that marinates in my mind everyday. If you can be loved, and know that He truly loves you, the heavens will open and pour out such a flood of goodness and mercy on your life that you cannot help but be a blessing to all who encounter you. Matthew 5:3-12 lists the Beatitudes that state we are the supremely blessed and need to become a blessing to others. Can you imagine if every believer became a blessing to everyone they encountered?

Be loved, He loves you... Love others, He loves them too......

Mom's Bible Dictionary (reposted from 12/09)

Below is a posting I wrote on 12/5/09 that never got moved over to my Blogger account. It was just a few months before that I had come back to Christ. It is too precious a post for me not to make it part of this blog.

12/5/2009 4:29:23 PM

I thought I might share a reflection moment of my Thanksgiving Holiday with you.

In talking with my Mom while I was home over the holiday, we spoke about different things that are currently happening in my walk with the Lord such as my prayer list, having a daily quiet time, and talking to my friends about God's love, I realized that my Mom has been the biggest and strongest influence on my Spiritual life since I was very young. Mind you, I am not necessarily talking about talking to me directly about things of the Bible and Christ, though she did do that sometimes, but I mean being an example- a role model of what a Christian woman is. Now, if you asked her, I am sure she would begin to tell you all of her faults and the mistakes that she has made in her life, but reflecting on my life growing up in our home, I remember all of the things she did for others, and for our family.

Everyone loved my Mom. She was funny, talented, smart, and loved with her whole heart. She loved to laugh even if we were in the middle of a discount store, she and I would find something to get tickled about and sometimes it would be very hard to stop laughing. She has played the piano for her church for over 50 years. Not only does she play piano, but sings, and her gift of both were definitely from God. We never missed church: Sunday school started at 8:45, then Church service, then Sunday night service, then Wednesday night service. She was faithful not only to go, but faithful to others who needed her help.

Every 3rd Sunday, we would hold service at the local Rest home in town, and she would play piano for the service there.  A lot of times she would sing solos or duets for these who could not get out and attend church. I remember going with her several times and we would go around to the rooms and get some of the people that otherwise could not make it to the dining hall where we held the service. My mom would call out as we were going down the hallway, “time for church service. Come join us". You should have seen the look on those elderly people's faces... they were so glad to have someone come and visit them and invite them... they loved my mom and they loved seeing me- "so good to see a young person spending their time with us old folks" they would say...looking back on that, I know I was embarrassed at the time, and many times, I really didn't want to be there. I would have rather been outside playing or doing anything but having to be cooped up there, but I did connect with the elderly.

Now looking back, I realize the lives that my Mother touched in those places would not have been the same had someone not cared for them the way she and our church did. The joy she brought to them by just showing up once a month... they always looked for her. She was so obedient and humble to give of her time, and how important that is in God's eyes. 

The memories of her love for God, her love for the body of Christ, her love for fellowship with others, her love for ministering to those who could not get to the House of God due to being shut-in, and her love for music that glorified God, floods my heart now. 

There were very few Wednesday night services that I remember that Mom wouldn't put SOMEONE on the prayer list when it was asked of the congregation who they had on their heart that needed prayer. Mom was always praying for someone. Always telling someone either on the phone or in person- "please keep ___ in your prayers this week". A recent book I just read called "Standing in the Gap" is on Intercessory prayer. One of the chapters mentions that we should pray "unceasingly" day and night... In looking back, I believe that my Mom was doing that, maybe without even realizing it or knowing how much it pleased God, because to me she did it so naturally.

I actually did not plan for this posting to be so long, but as I began to write it, I felt a rush of visions in my head of all of these things and events and times. These of course are only a few of the many things I witnessed of my Mom in her walk with God, but they have since impressed upon my life and made me so very grateful and thankful to God that she was who she was, and is, in Him. No words can express my gratitude to my Mom for the upbringing she gave me. The opportunities to know God and His Son through her own Salvation and our church. The loving support she gave me, and still gives me in life in general. God has truly blessed me with a Mother that Fears the Lord and taught her family that the Word of God is UNFAILING.

I have attached a picture of a book I asked my Mom for while I was there. It is a Bible Dictionary that she used the entire time I was growing up. I would see her use it to look up things when she was reading her bible at home, or when she was studying for a Bible study lesson. When she handed it to me, the cover was tattered and torn, the pages were turned yellow, and in opening the cover I saw the Copyright was 1967. She told me she had gotten it from Billy Graham's ministry. I was so glad to get this reminder of her and her diligence to study God's word. It will be a reminder for me that the Word of God must be “studied” to know God and His will for our lives. I have it in plain view of where I have my quiet time each day, so I can remember that my Mom set the example for showing me to be obedient to whatever opportunities He gives me to serve others as Jesus served, and as I remember her serving.

Lastly, I want to say that my recent rededication to Christ is not only due to one of my longtime friend's, and all of her Prayer Warriors, praying for me the last several months, but also due to my Mom having me on the prayer list at church for all these years.

How do I know I was on the list?

No, no one ever said that I was, and of course she would never tell me, but I know now that I was, and probably still am....and I thank her for it.

Mom, if you get to read this, I want to thank you for "unceasingly" praying for me to find my way back to Him.

.... and all I want to say to you is

you can take me off the list now...

"Dance or Die"

Today's message at church really resinated with me. It had to do with music and how we worship God with our everyday lives. The passage that was the focal point of the sermon was in Psalm 100:1-4 from the "The Message" translation of the Bible:


"On your feet now- applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into His presence. 
Know this: God is God, and God, God. He made us; we didn't make Him. We're His people, His well-tended sheep. 
Enter with the password: "Thank you!" Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank Him. Worship Him."


This entire passage of scripture is active with verbs: on your feet- applaud- sing- enter. All of these things are to be done unto God. Why? Because "God is God, and God, God". Our Pastor repeated this part of the scripture a few times- mainly because I think she just wanted to make sure that we all got it!! God is God is God is God ya'll .... He longs to be worshiped by His creation- US! THIS is why we were created, to be in fellowship with Him and worship Him.


One of my favorite ways to worship God is through music. We learned today that Psalm means "a sacred song or hymn in the Old Testament". So basically this is the original Classic Rock music in my opinion. Praising God in song with our voice, our movements, our instruments, brings a joy to our souls that the world cannot match. Why is that? I believe it's because that is what we were made for- it's our calling- our true form that God intended for us. There is a song that was released by a Christian Band a few years ago called "Dance or Die". I looked up the You tube on the song tonight to read the lyrics. I am sure alot of people have different interpretations of the song, and some probably don't even see a "Christian" theme to it. I will give you my interpretation as my inner spirit thought that it really fit today's message. The Pastor said today that alot of people walk around as dead people. Their souls unconnected to God, and not tuned in to what they were meant to be as His creation. When we ARE connected to Him and our souls are AWAKENED by the joy that is given in worshiping Him in this manner, dancing could be an end result! 


As a body of believers, we come together to do many things. There are stories in the Bible of believers that came together and did things unto the Lord that He commanded and He used those times to bring about life changing events for His people. Walls of cities crumbled at the praises and musical sounds for God! Enemies fled during battle when God's people sang His praises and lifted His name in worship. God's people are unstoppable when united together giving praise and glory to Him. They are not only all awake and connected to Him, but they are connected to one another as members of the body. This life that we live for Him can be looked at like a great Dance that our soul does on a continuous basis if we are living out our life in worship of the Living God.


I have listed the lyrics of the song by Family Force Five below. I have highlighted what I felt really spoke to me. This Dance is all about living out our lives for Him. It talks of Dancing as being a weapon and that we are at war. I find for myself that when I am in worship with Him, there is no obstacle or antic of satan that can trip me up- worship to God is truly powerful against satan and his ways. One of the lyrics says "They're trying to take our lives, but we will survive." "They" as referred to here, in my opinion, is the "ways of the world". "Our party pulled the trigger" simply states that collectively as believers, we are stronger and have more power in the spirit than if we were standing alone.


The lines "I'm on my way to you, way to you... we can reunite and watch the sky ignite". My interpretation of that is God talking to US- telling us that when we worship Him, He comes to us, wanting to reunite with His beloved creation...


In conclusion, it is easy to see that worship is more than just a once a week ritual that should be "adhered" to by Christians. Worship is a moment by moment, day by day, breath in, breath out action that we can give to God in every part of our lives. Wherever we are, whatever we're doing, or whoever we're with won't matter if we are "Dancing" through life. Just remember that we can touch others souls through the joy that is evident from our Dance from the inside-out. Those that are dead inside might only have to see our Dance of Love to God to want the chance to live.


Psalm 30:11-12 
"You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing Your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever."



"Dance or Die"


Transmission radio, radio...respond if you're aliveGive me a sign of lifeI need to say to you, say to you...I've found a way to fightOne hope for all mankind
We're gonna take controlDancing is your weaponLet your moves unfoldKill 'em with your steppin'
We can win this warIt's time to come togetherNow we're stronger than we were before
They're trying to take our livesBut we will surviveWe're running out of time, the world ends tonightUnless we dance or dieDance or die
Transmission radio, radio...take back the nightDance for your rightI'm on my way to you, way to you...we can reuniteAnd watch the sky ignite
They couldn't take the soundThey fall harder when they're biggerYeah they all crashed downOur party pulled the trigger
We won this warBecause we came togetherMade 'em wish that they were never born
They try to take your livesBut you will surviveLook into my eyes, don't say goodbyeYou gotta dance or dieDance or die
One-two-three-fourI declare a dance warDance or die
Yeah it's five-six-seven-eightNow we're gonna celebrateDance or die
~ Family Force Five

A Front Yard Faith

I am so blessed that my church has so many different facets of ministries and Pastors. Today the Pastor of our Deaf Ministry came to our Crosswalk service and gave an incredible message that I want to share. I have had some dealings with Pastor Tom on the Baptism committee as we have had several of our deaf congregation baptized, and he performs the Baptism for them. Everyone can tell what a great heart Pastor Tom has for this ministry and the way he interacts with all involved. It is just another confirmation for me that God works through so many different kinds of people to give His children the Good News. The things I am sharing today came from my notes and most of it credited to Pastor Tom.


On the stage beside Pastor Tom today was two patio chairs, a barbecue grill, and a stock of firewood. We were asked where we might find this setting of furniture and decided that this could all be found in a backyard setting- possibly one with a fence around it, you know - nice, cozy and comfortable. The analogy then was brought to say that some Christians have what could be called a "backyard faith". This is a faith that consists of you, or me, and Jesus- just the two of you, being in relationship and fellowshipping with each other in the "comfort" of that fenced in enclosed backyard area. This really impacted me as I believe we have all gone through life and experienced seeing many Christians live out this "backyard" kind of faith. Some of us may even ourselves be there right now.


One of the scriptures today was in Philippians 2:6-8 saying:


"Though he was in the form of God, he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit. But he emptied himself by taking the form of a slave and by becoming like human beings. When he found himself in the form of a human, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."


Christ came out of the comfort of his backyard in heaven: from his Father, humbling himself even to death. He did not stay in the confines of a backyard while here on earth- he moved it out to the "front yard" so everyone could see! Pastor Tom described the front yard as where the "parties" happen. It made me think of college parties that in walking or driving by you could see that a party was going on. People would just stop in. There was no restriction of who could be there. 


In knowing that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit left their "cosmic backyard" and moved to the front yard in order to be in relationship with all people, are we willing to move OUR faith to the front yard as well? Having a "front yard faith" is to be like Jesus who loved and reached out to all who needed help and healing- not just of the physical but of the spiritual most of all.


"But ..... I'm really comfortable here in the backyard, and I don't know if I could move to the front yard..... I could be rejected, and sometimes suffer. I know that the front yard is where I NEED to be, but how can I get there?"


Colossians 2:9-10 says this:


"All the fullness of deity lives in Christ's body. And you have been filled by him, who is the head of every ruler and authority." 


Since we have been filled by him, we have the POWER in the Holy Spirit to move from the backyard to the front yard. In doing so, God will use our short falls and weaknesses for His purpose of reaching others. The "front yard faith" is a relational faith- the kind of faith that God wants all of us to have. This allows us to love people into a relationship with Jesus, but we can't do that from the backyard.


Are you where it's comfortable in a "backyard faith". One that consists of only you and Jesus- always keeping Him and your faith to yourself? 


The front yard is a place where people that need Him are driving by or watching from afar, waiting to see what you will do in showing them who.... He... is. 


How can we not want to share His abounding, never-ending love with them for all He has done for us? 


Hang out in the front yard and watch what happens- God will move in a miraculous and profound way when WE step out on faith to extend grace, mercy and love to others....... 

From Stepping Stones To the Cornerstone

A story within a story... today's service at LLUMC was uplifting and "chewable" in regards to the great sermon by Kay DeBlance. Our series is on "Welcome to the Family" and the topic today was "Adoption into God's Family". Kay spoke about her own family tree and then described God's family, which consisted of all of us- not just in our congregation, but across the world. In becoming a child of God, we become heirs of the Kingdom of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. 


Somehow.... I feel that some people just may not comprehend how BIG that is.


I think part of our problem in comprehending this is our past. Some of us have ones that we would like to push a button and be able to erase it all possibly due to the pain, or the anger and bitterness it produces inside of us. At lunch today, I had the opportunity to share some of my past with new friends. It's funny how when we tell our stories, we seem to even surprise ourselves of what we have gone through .... and how we survived. The sound of my own voice in sharing these things today almost seemed like I was another person: a spectator, if you will, of what had happened- an outsider looking in, yet... knowing that it was indubitably me. I found it amazing afterward to realize how I had gotten from point "A" to point "B" without completely losing my mind. 


The past can be looked upon as stepping stones to our present.

Some of these stones were a muddy trail in the forest where we had no idea where we were and kept getting stuck in mud holes along the way. Some were a steep mountain making us climb and climb only to get to the top and nothing and no one was there. At times they were a smooth highway drive, but eventually speeding out of control and into a horrible accident, or carelessly paying no attention to how much gas we had for the trip and ending up stuck on the side of the road. Then there were times that we would run and run, but in looking around, we found we were running on what seemed to be like a "track"- just going around in circles.


At some point, one of the stepping stones led to making a decision to become a follower of Christ. 


The Bible speaks in the Old and New Testament of Christ being the 'cornerstone'. The first mention of this is found in Psalm 118:22 "The stone the builders rejected became the cornerstone". The prophet Isaiah also spoke of it and said "So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic." (Isaiah 28:16 NIV). Zechariah 10:4 says "From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler."


There are also three passages in three books of the Gospels in which Jesus himself recites Psalm 118:22 to the chief priests and the Pharisees. In Acts 4:11 it also gives the account of Psalm 118:22, and then Ephesians 2:19-20 goes a step further to call Jesus the "chief cornerstone". 1 Peter 2:6-7 also refer back to Isaiah's prophecy rounding out all of the passages that speak about this particular title that God gave Christ hundreds of years before and after His birth.


In light of the "stepping stones" analogy earlier, we all can step off of the uneven ground and stop ditching the shortcuts that we thought would get us to answers in life faster and place our feet on the firm foundation of the cornerstone of Jesus Christ. Part of this solidarity of ground that Christ gives us, besides the Holy Spirit indwelling, are other believers who share in our burdens and our joys. Serving and worshiping with us to help keep our feet on solid ground. 


In stepping on the firm foundation of the chief cornerstone that was laid for us, know this:


"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by the Spirit." (Ephesians 2:21-22 NIV)


In reflecting how all of this relates to the message Pastor Kay gave us today, I feel that the stepping stones of our past have brought us to being Adopted Daughters and Sons of God. These stones are our "story", and without the unevenness of the trail, the tumbles and falls that gave us our scars, we cannot relate to others that are still finding their way to the firm foundation of Christ Jesus. Every scrape, every cut that we have endured, He promises to heal, but remember they can be used to bring others in to His glory. 


Lest we never forget what brought us here: where we were, and where we are now- in the presence of the Living God.

"Without Forgiveness There Is No Freedom"

The current series at our church is called "Welcome to the Family". On my previous posting, I wrote about our "Sphere of Influence" which is a term Pastor Shante' coined to describe her definition of today's family. The message today was a continuation of this series as it pertains to forgiving others.


I'm certain that most reading this have heard, read, and have discussed the topic of forgiveness at some point to someone. You may be thinking that this is old hat. I just want to let you know that nothing that comes out of Pastor Shante's mouth is "old hat", and I am thankful for that. I will be reciting my notes here on this much needed topic in today's unforgiving, grudge holding world. Most of what I will be writing is credited to Pastor Shante'.


We have what it takes to forgive others. It's too bad that we can't just end here with that sentence, and everyone just get it! Why is that? Well, for one, because we have sin in our lives, and are not perfect. Jesus is our model of perfection and forgiveness. The first passage of scripture that was referred to was Matthew 6:9-13 which is Jesus's sermon on the mount that includes the "model prayer" commonly referred to as "The Lord's Prayer". This very important passage in verse 12 says "and forgive us our sins, AS we have forgiven those who sin against us."(NLT) Shante' pointed out the word "as" in this passage to tell us that the topic of forgiving in this prayer is the only time that Christ expounds. In this verse, He not only asks something of God the Father, but also states that we will do the same in return. The prayer then goes on in verse 14-15 to say "If you forgive those who sin against you, your Heavenly Father will forgive you. BUT if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." The AS and BUT in these verses are of great significance of showing the importance that Jesus placed on forgiving others.


We have to "choose" to forgive someone. Forgiving someone is a choice. A harsh reality is that even in choosing to forgive someone, they may never be remorseful for what they did or said to you. So of course the question arises "why should I forgive them then?" Forgiveness is known as a virtue in a follower of Christ. We will never be more like Jesus than when we forgive others. 


Ler's ask these questions:


What am I getting out of this grudge?

• It is blocking you from a true relationship with God
• It could be bringing on physical illness such as ulcers, headaches, depression, etc.

Now let's look at what forgiveness is NOT:

• Forgiveness is NOT forgetting
• Forgiveness is NOT approving of what was done
• Forgiveness is NOT making excuses for what was done
• Forgiveness is NOT reconciling a relationship

The last scripture that Shante' referenced was Colossians 3:13 that says "Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." Once again, we are reminded that God has forgiven us, therefore we must also forgive others.

We are to pray for those that hurt us. Think on this: Jesus is dying on the cross- being mocked, ridiculed, spit upon, and laughed at. In the midst of all of this, he prayed and asked God to forgive them all for they did not know what they were doing. That is the single most profound act of forgiveness ever known. 

One of the last things that Pastor Shante' said in regards to this message was this "Without forgiveness, there is no freedom". I titled this post this quote from Shante' as it really summed up everything for me. We talk a lot about freedom in many forms. "True freedom in Christ can not be held by an unforgiving heart." (Joy Tipton) Shante' broke it down as us trying to order a sandwich and asking them to hold the tomato or pickles. We have to take what is in the Word of God as a "whole". We can't pick and choose what virtues to have and not have, or commands we want to follow, picking some, but not all..... 

What are you are holding on to against someone that is hindering your relationship with God? Letting go is part of the healing process that we all can experience. Not dwelling on the hurt and pain everyday will bring freedom and peace back to your heart and open new doors to your relationship with God, and with others. Unforgiveness keeps us living in the past, unable to truly move forward with what God has planned for us now, and in the future.

I pray that each one of us will examine our hearts and search out any unforgiveness within. And as we do, allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in letting go and forgiving others as well as forgiving ourselves. 

The "Sphere Of Influence"

The theme to the series Welcome To The Family that we started in church today was making God first in your home. The message resonated with me in alot of ways as I recalled alot of my childhood growing up in the church and the "Sphere of Influence" my parents and the church had on me. I am going to be giving a more personal reflection on this message today, though I am going to list the key points to Pastor Shante's sermon that i feel are critical in our daily walk with Christ. 


Pastor Shante' pointed out that the most common way we define a family is a husband, a wife, 2.3 kids, and a dog named Lucky :-) Although we are all aware of the 21st century family in many other ways, let's focus first on our own families growing up. 


Some of us were raised in church as children, and some were not. For me, I was going to church while I was still in the womb. My mother was/is the church pianist at a little Baptist church where we attended and never missed service on Sunday morning, Sunday night, or Wednesday night. Our church was small with less than 50 people probably, but the atmosphere there was that we were all family- calling each other Brother and Sister and tacking on either our first or last name to go with that. Upon a bit of research, I discovered that the term "brothers and sisters" in the NIV version of the Bible was listed in scripture 179 times. In looking at all 179, only about 10% I would say referred to the term in a "biological" sense. The rest of the verses were "addressing" believers of God and Christ, or were defining what that term meant.


Let's look at the verses that defined "brothers and sisters" according to Paul in Romans 8:29 "We know this because God knew them in advance, and He decided in advance that they would be conformed to the image of His Son. That way His Son would be the first of many brothers and sisters." (CEB)


Hebrews 2:11-12 says "Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He says, "I will declare Your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing Your praises." So, in Romans and in Hebrews it tells us that we are not just brothers and sisters as believers to each other, but we are brothers and sisters to Jesus as well as Him being our Lord and Savior.


OK, now let's switch gears to us as kids again, and also to those who have children now. I remember one Sunday morning when my mom came in my room while I was still sleeping trying to get me up for church. I'm not sure why that particular Sunday was more difficult than others to get up, but I was NOT moving no matter how many times she came in telling me each time to "get up" and get ready for church. What I DO remember about this particular Sunday was the cold wash cloth that she put on my face while I was asleep, and my mother's NON-reaction to my outcry and whimpering because of it. There was no "not going" to service as long as I was in my mom and dad's house. 


As the story goes, as in my "About me" testimony on the website, I eventually turned my back on God for many years. Regardless of me not being in church or around other believers, I remember distinct times when people would walk in and out of my life with a word from Him that I would recognize, or I would visit a church with a friend that wanted to go and feel a familiar presence that might put me listening to some Contemporary Christian Music for a little while.... but it never lasted. When I finally DID come to true repentance and remembered my salvation as a teenager, I knew that it was my family- my parents in particular- that set my feet on solid ground my entire childhood: Sunday School, Vacation Bible school, prayer meetings, nursing home visits. 


They rooted me in the Word of God as a child from singing songs to memorize scripture, to "drawing swords". This was a game the youth played usually on Sunday nights where we would stand up, hands on our bibles in front of us, and the teacher would call out a scripture to be looked up. We would then all scurry to open our bibles to find the scripture and read it before anyone else. That game really helped me with where the books of the bible were as well as the song we sang reciting the New Testament books which I sometimes still sing under my breath today when looking up a passage in my actual bible. Youversion is a little easier in that sense, but I still love reading from my actual bible.


Lest I stray. I will end the children part of this with passages for parents bringing up and rooting their children in God and His Word:


"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6 NKJV) This passage is a prime example and testimony of my life. 


"As for parents, don't provoke your children to anger, but raise them with discipline and instruction about the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4 CEB)


"and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."
(2 Timothy 3:15 NKJV)- Paul is actually speaking about Timothy here, but I think we can see the correlation it can have on us.


Being rooted as a child, or not being rooted but coming to know Christ as an adult, the following are some key points that Pastor Shante' gave today on how to set a "Sphere of Influence" in your home that is Christ-like. This also is what is needed as a "Sphere of Influence" around us everyday:


1. God needs to be obviously present in our life. In order for that to happen, time is needed to be spent with Him daily.


2. We need to be conscious of the Word of God. 
Deuteronomy 6:5-9 says "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."


3. Prayer- we need to be in communication with God. 


4. Service- we need to be loving all people "outside" the church. Pastor Shante' mentioned not getting caught up in a "Holy huddle" as believers and excluding or avoiding others that are outside of our church.


and finally,


5. Our witness and legacy- what will we leave behind? Pastor Shante' said that when we put God 1st in our lives, it makes a lasting impression. it is our job to help people in our family find their purpose in life.


"If God is not a part of your everyday life, God is not part of your reality".
~ Shante' Buckley


Jesus's family is made up of the "whosoever will" group. God created the family to love Him and to love others.


Is your home a godly "Sphere of Influence" for your family? 


Is your daily Monday through Friday atmospheres and company that you keep encouraging you in your Faith?


My friends, one cannot live out their Christianity alone, nor did God intend for it be so. God wants you to be part of His family and leave a legacy to the witness of Jesus Christ to your children, friends, co-workers, your biological family, and to those who you may have only crossed paths with for a moment. But even in an instant you can be an "influence" in helping someone see Jesus. 


What does your "Sphere of Influence" look like?

Struggles with Feelings and Purpose

I have had one of those days today that kind of came and went without a lot going on, or so it seemed with little purpose. That coming from me sounds odd because I am all about things having purpose- to say the least, I can really get on a soap box about everything having a purpose! But today..... well, I just didn't feel it. Call it the "blahs" or maybe boredom... you might even call it apathetic. OK- Whoa, let me not get too carried away.. but I am sure there are those that are reading this that have felt or feel this way.


Feelings are so tricky. They take us to new heights of feeling great about the good things going on in our lives, but then when something disrupts that, or when something bad happens- we plummet emotionally and put ourselves and others who love and care for us through worry and stress. Why? This is mostly because we aren't in control of our emotions or know how to control our thoughts. 


Our thoughts dictate our actions. Whatever we think, we will eventually do. If we think we are going to fail at something, more than likely, we will. This is why it is so important as followers of Christ to remind ourselves that we are to have the "mind of Christ". As Paul wrote "to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. " (2 Corinthians 10:5b) Upon having this attitude and mindset, our feelings and emotions will not rule over us. I have heard so many people say to me "I just feel like God is so far away" or "I'm not happy, therefore I wonder if I am truly saved ?" We allow our emotions to dictate the "truth" in our lives.  But guess what? Our emotions lie....


Faith is not an emotion- it is something you either have or you don't. Salvation is also not a feeling or emotion. You either have it or you don't. How do you know if you have either? 


You know by what you know to be true. 


Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) Now, that being the case, you either have Faith that Jesus was who He said He was, or not. The same is true for salvation- in believing in Jesus as Lord, confessing and repenting of our sins, the gift of salvation is free for anyone to receive it. It doesn't depend on how holy or unholy we feel on any given day. Nor does it dictate our happiness or unhappiness. THAT is up to us on how we chose to live our lives AND what we choose to set our thoughts and minds on! 


Now.... back to purpose. Just because I didn't feel that there was not much purpose today, doesn't mean that it's so. Or that God won't use today for His purpose. It simply means that today I let my feelings steal some of the joy that I could have had. That is, had I been in control of my thoughts and mindset. Instead, I let the Father of Lies fool me into thinking today was a wasted day. How did I finally come to know that it wasn't? The conviction of the Holy Spirit that lives in me. By examining myself and giving myself a reality check, I had felt I had fallen into a hole that I thought was as big as the Grand Canyon, but in actuality, I had only stepped off the curb. 


Satan can make us feel like we are in a deep hole, overwhelmed and ill-equipped for things that we are facing everyday- but he lies. It is what he does best.


Every day has purpose..... every.... day, regardless if we see what the purpose is with our eyes, or feel with our emotions. So you see, in all fairness to God, we really shouldn't struggle with purpose at all. It really isn't for us to understand what actions or words we use that may be used for His purpose, as long as those words and actions reflect love, mercy, and grace to all. Don't take that too far to the left and think that I mean that we should not "care" or help in planning things to fulfill God's purpose. What I mean is that we shouldn't spend so much time worrying, and more time praying for God to prepare our hearts and minds so that we can be used as the opportunities arise.


Don't let how you feel "cloud" the vision God has for you to fulfill His purpose of spreading the "good news" of Jesus and His unfailing love. Satan comes to us to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus came that we may have life and have it to the full. (John 10:10)


Dear Lord, please show us when our feelings start to rule our circumstances, and remind us that You are in control of it all. Help us to control our thoughts that puts our actions into motion, so that the things we think are set on things above and not on things of this world. Give us a renewed spirit to reach out to your children in love no matter their response back to us. Thank you for your loving kindness that you show us daily in even the smallest of things. Rain down on us bold living, but also humbleness to exalt others before ourselves. Be thou our vision. Amen.