Why Witness? Why Hope?

I believe we are in the days, among a culture, that requires us as believers to be able to articulate our beliefs.  We need to be able to express compassion through our testimony which allows the hearer to respond freely to the work of the Holy Spirit.

God gives us each free will so we can choose for ourselves.  There is no need to make someone feel pressured or "less than" because they do not "get it" or if they disagree with us.  We must have faith and demonstrate a faith that believes the Holy Spirit is at work in the life of our loved ones even if they appear to be hostile.

We can plant the seed and trust God to complete the work.  We may be the one who gets to harvest it but we may not.  Either way I will rejoice in knowing that My God is big enough to bring my loved ones Home.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear ~ 1 Peter 3:15

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ~ Acts 16:31

ARE YOU IN THE WAY?

Oh, the “small” things that get us off track! 

Do you ever find yourself in a conversation and suddenly you are “hijacked” and taken down a path you do not want to go?  In the Christian community, this happens all too often.  Sometimes these topics come from the most unlikely sources.  I have been guilty of the same error in my journey and continue to catch myself even now.  Lord, forgive us for our prideful attitudes! 

I struggle with how to handle these “hijackings”.  I want to be bold and pull out the scripture that addresses the situation.  However, all too often I am unprepared.  If you are wondering what I am talking about, allow me to provide an example.  You are talking with a dear friend and the conversation turns into a critique of the pastor or a fellow believer.  Notice I said “critique”.  This is not an expression of concern for their well-being but a list of how they are falling short of expectations.  This breaks my heart.  First I am reminded not to judge.

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. ~ Matthew 7:1-5

Now, does this mean that I do not see the “shortcomings” of the person they are talking about?  Not at all!  I do see it.  Scripture cautions us in two ways:  Do not judge and look for fruit.

“Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?”  ~ James 4:11-12

 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.”  ~ Matthew 7:15-18

As a believer, we have a responsibility to preach or share the gospel and to train others to share the gospel.  If we truly see error, we have a responsibility to go to the person not everyone else.  If God has given you the nudge to go talk with them, do it in a spirit of humility and through the power of the Holy Spirit.  We have a Master and need to be about His business.  If the Lord has not impressed you to talk to the person, then make it a matter of prayer.  Only He can bring that person back into line.

Another thing that I notice in scripture is that Jesus was the most upset with the religious crowd (Pharisees and the scribes).  They knew the Law and could not see or hear Jesus because of their pride.  

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness" ~  Matthew 23:27

None of our “talking” about others is helping anyone.  If fact, it can be harmful to our relationship to the Lord and the Church.  Paul addresses the issue of unity in the Body of Christ.

"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." ~ Ephesians 4:1-6

In conclusion, we all need an occasional checkup to see if we are in “The Way” or “IN the way”.  Is your life a testimony to the goodness and graciousness of Christ?  Or do you advertise your dissatisfaction with the church and its members?

The Lord has called us to live a higher life.

You Are Loved

Have you ever awoken from your sleep and felt there has been a great battle in your soul while you slept?  I cannot recall details at this time but I know there is grief and anguish in the battle--a call from God.  He is calling us to lay aside our differences, our hurts and wounds, even our rights.  Because the enemy has launched and is waging his attack through the guise of social justice and a fight for rights.  The enemy wants to put you in a box and contain you and put out any light that may shine forth from your life.  The enemy's plans will imprison you and make you angry, weak and marginalized.  You must deny him access to your soul, your spirit.  Only One can give you healing, wholeness and freedom. That One is Jesus Christ. 

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.~John 10:10

The enemy tells you that you must fight to be seen and heard. 
Oh, sweet friend, do not let him have this stronghold in your life. 
God sees you.
He knows you.
He loves you and wants a relationship with you. 
God never puts you in a box. 
God does not divide us by color, status, privilege, ethnic groups, talents, gifts....
God does not consider these things because He created you for purpose on purpose.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.~ Jeremiah 29:11

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ~ 1 Peter 1:3

If you feel hemmed in, the enemy is at work in your life.  Yes, we all have challenges because we live in a fallen world and we cannot control the circumstances in our lives.  In this world, many times we choose to elevate our rights and our opinions above our Almighty God.  Why do we do that when God is LOVE?  Why do we do that when God is a Holy God of ORDER?  He is our CREATOR GOD.  He knew you before you were made!  HE SEES YOU! 

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved. ~ John 3:17

He paid your bail with His Blood!!!  If you refuse to believe Him and reject Him and His Word, He allows your decision to move you into a place of judgement which will reap consequences in due time.

I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.  And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him: for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.  He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. ~ John 12:46-48

Oh friend, repent.  Let God love you, let Him direct your steps.  He wants life and freedom for you.  Not just for you but that you may fulfill His command and His purposes and draw others nearer to Him. 

Our souls long for validation....but in the end the only validation that arrests the heart and soul of man is from God through His Son Jesus Christ. 

Think about Jesus' example.  He left His place of authority and glory to come to this earth and to clothe Himself in flesh along with its limitations. 

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin. ~ Hebrews 4:15

He did that so you would know how much He cares for you.  But He didn't just come for a visit and leave us on our own.  He suffered death on the cross so we would know that He knows our sufferings and to show us He values our relationship with Him.  How can we continue to demand anything from Him?  He gave us EVERYTHING.  No one else can do that for you.

...put off concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.  ~ Ephesians 4:22-24

BE MORE

In a world that competes for every moment, we race from one thing to the next because the world convinces us that we need to DO MORE, ACHIEVE MORE, BE MORE. In this race--in the rush, the enemy will hijack you and your purpose. Because he calls you to DO MORE, BE MORE, GIVE MORE to the point of exhaustion and emptiness and numbness.

BE MORE? Isn't that elusive?

How do you know when enough is enough?

Did you give the enemy room in your life all while "saving the world"?

Did you allow the enemy to blur the lines and muddy your purpose while you receive the approval of men?

Do you know who you are?

Do you know who you want to be?

BE MORE....

Do you hear the call to peace and quiet?

Do you feel the beckoning to slow down?

Is your body telling you it's time to rest, to listen?

O Christian, are you alert to the promptings of the Holy Spirit who lives inside of you?

A Holy God is calling you to AWAKE, to STOP and TO BE.

BE AVAILABLE.   BE KIND.  BE LOVING.  BE HELPFUL.  BE GENEROUS. 

BE REAL. BE HONEST.

AWAKE, MY LOVE, BE QUIET, BE HUMBLE, BE PRESENT.

BASK IN MY LOVE AND SHARE IT WITH OTHERS.

This is all you need to BE ALIVE.

"And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts." Romans 13:11-14

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound" Isaiah 61:1

Our “Faith House” Project

The Lord has given us a year to get everything in order and have enough money saved up to actually pay our closing costs (this Friday!--hopefully).  Praise the Lord!  There are so many people and things we have to be grateful for--I am sure we will miss some as I try to recap.  First, we will start by acknowledging the Lord and His direction.  We believe with all of our hearts that He has called us to this move and He has answered so many prayers and filled so many needs I wish I had kept a detailed list.  We know that He prompted us to trust Him as we have pursued this project. We still cannot fathom all He has planned for us but we know He has a plan.  We know that He is the One who orders our steps and He is the One who has sustained our faith and commitment to this journey.  If He had not been there for us, we would have thrown in the towel and walked away many times.  We have experienced disappointment, fear, lack of faith, anxiety, and weariness.  However, we have seen God’s hand at work in so many ways as He has granted us more faith and more strength which comes only from Him.  He has continued to give us hope to continue moving forward even when we couldn’t understand how it all would work out.  So again, we say “Blessed be the Lord, God Almighty!” for He is worthy to be praised and exalted above all.  We are also so thankful for all of our Christian brothers and sisters who have prayed for us throughout this process--we know that your prayers have gotten through and we are stronger because of you and your commitment to love and pray for us.  

Next, I must take the time to thank my sisters and brother for their awesome patience as we have worked on our “Faith House”.  Without your patience and generosity, our “Faith House” journey would not have even begun.  We were especially blessed by Angie and Tim’s talented workmanship:  They have invested many hours in painting and laying floor tile and wall tile among several other tasks from our things-to-do list.  They even custom-built doors for the new storage cubby in the master bedroom!  So grateful for them and their willingness to join their hearts and hands with ours to get stuff done.  Then, we have been so grateful for Marsha and Jim’s patience, advice and counsel in helping us arrange work permits and finding dependable and experienced workers for our various projects.  They have been such a blessing!

Then we must take the opportunity to thank some precious neighbors:  Mike Gilliam, our sweet cousin, has been a special blessing.  First of all, I am so grateful for the love and support he showed to Daddy over the years.  He was there for Dad when we couldn’t be there.  Mike continued to honor Mom and Dad’s memory by supporting us in the clean-up of the property and helping to install the drain lines for the guttering.  We really appreciate all Mike has done for us.  Then there is Chuck and Rhonda Lindsey and their girls - they were so loving and supportive of Dad over the years.  We could never repay the kindness and generosity they showed to Dad.  We are so grateful for Chuck as he continued to mow the property and kept an eye on things that first year after we lost Dad.  We finally starting getting “our ducks in a row” with the help of the Lord and was able to start doing our own mowing last season.  Again, we are beyond thankful and feel so blessed to have such awesome neighbors.

Along this journey, the Lord has sent others to support us in getting the real work done.  With Marsha and Jim’s assistance, we were able to contact our cousin, Jerry Joyner, to get the new basement walls put in and to get the basement floor poured.  What a difference that made--it looks so awesome!  Jerry was so persistent and figured out how to do what needed to be done.  So thankful the Lord used him to bless us.  Then there is Larry Anderson, a precious friend from church.  He is so talented!.  He was able to replace the support beam that had us so worried--he did an excellent job.  The Lord brought Larry to us just after Ed broke his shoulder.  So Larry stepped in and did so many projects for us--guttering, moving the basement steps & door, plumbing and our bathroom remodel.  What a blessing! And just at the right time!  Larry did an awesome job and we are so grateful for everything he did for us.  

The Lord has met so many needs along this journey.  We would have to say His healing of Ed’s shoulder has been the most precious.  It did not look good but the Lord came through in such a mighty way--but how could we have doubted?  He IS the Great Physician.  And He has provided the money to pay all of those medical bills too--the last payment was this month! So Blessed!!  

Last summer, the Lord led us to a great deal on a riding mower and it continues to serve and bless us this year.  We have found many of God’s blessing at the Holston Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Kingsport--we found light fixtures for several rooms, wood trim, curtain rods, great wooden doors for the master bedroom closet just to name a few.  We are continuing to visit the store anticipating our next great find.  Lowe’s has been our “go-to” store for almost everything else we have needed from our guttering to the steel support posts to sheetrock and paint.  We found great deals on our kitchen floor and wall tile among other things.  Wow!  We have spent a lot of money there this last year!  The Lord has provided everything we have needed plus some.

What a journey so far!  We are incredibly blessed and grateful to the Lord for all that He has done and we are anticipating great things in all that He plans to do with us in the future.  

Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

Our Savior Awaits

Our Savior awaits
     the offering of our hearts
          whether it is
                     shining as gold or black as coal.

Our Savior makes no note
     of the difference-
           both of equal value
                      in His eyes.

He simply seeks the heart
       that is willing to expose
            the light and the dark.

That's our Savior
        Loving each of us the same.

What Is The Big Deal? It's Just Sex...

Recently I've been noticing several conversations about abstinence and sex before marriage.  The prevailing attitude among today's culture seems to be "what is the big deal, it's just sex--use contraceptives to protect from disease and pregnancy and you are good".  My first reaction:  "Woe unto us! The lies we choose to believe to justify our desire to behave the way we see fit.  Do we think that we can follow our desires and have no consequences?"

I hear people say abstinence is religion-based and I understand where that comes from.  We hear the church preach morality and those who do not see or understand the purposes behind the teaching take it as judgmentalism.  The church has a poor history in this area - choosing to judge instead of offering mercy and grace.  However, I believe the church does a great disservice to itself and those we are trying to reach when we try to impose Christian standards on an unbeliever.  Christians must step back and remind themselves that if the "offender" of morality is not a Christian then our standards do not apply.  The Bible was written to teach the Christian how to live and to be Jesus to the world.  Jesus came into the world not to judge but to offer His mercy and grace to those who would believe on Him.  This gives the Christian an opportunity to reach believers and unbelievers with Jesus' mercy, grace and love.

So if you are a Christian, the moral code in the Bible does apply to you--whether you like it or not.  If you are not convicted by going against the Bible's teaching, you need a checkup or you need to get back to studying your Bible.  Do you have an accountability partner?  Do you really want to pursue God's purpose in your life?  What kind of witness are you?  I hear you and NO, Christians are not perfect--we mess up a lot--but we should desire to please God and want His best in our lives.  That often means we must delay self-gratification for God's higher goal or purpose in our lives.  He will judge your disobedience and you may feel the weight of that judgment in your relationships and in your life circumstances.  But know this, He also rewards your faithfulness.  His mercies are new every morning so you can start over by repenting, receiving His forgiveness and getting back on track.

All right, now the religion-based discussion is covered and we can talk about abstinence and sex.  I agree that when the government (education system) is involved in this teaching, it often seems embarrassing and makes you feel like a number.  This subject is best taught by parents, family or a mentor because you can get one-on-one attention and can discuss all of the emotional and hormonal ups and downs that you experience.

First, abstinence is the ONLY guaranteed and foolproof way to avoid sexually-transmitted disease and pregnancy.  It is 100% effective and medically-proven.  Girls and guys, this decision can save you a lot of heartache.  Many say they just need contraceptives and that will take care of those problems.  This argument has been used since I was young - and it is no more true today than it was then (more than 30 years ago).  Secondly, contraceptives are not 100% effective and in the heat of the moment using a contraceptive is the last thing on your mind.  If you are not disciplined before you enter into the act, it's unlikely you will be disciplined in the middle of it.

Now I would like to talk to the girls out there.  Be warned.  When you allow the petting and make-out sessions, it is hard to change your mind and truth be told most will not because they don't want to disappoint the guy. And it feels good (it’s self-gratifying) at the time.  The guys are visually and physically turned on by you and you have the power to turn the temperature up or down.  If he respects you, he will follow your lead in this area.  If he doesn't respect you, then he is the wrong guy for you.  If you decide to go forward, know this and try to understand - you are more emotionally committed and invested than he is.  Guys can disconnect the emotional component during sex - I have not met one girl who is able to do that.  Sexual intercourse is an intimate act in which partners are committing themselves totally to one another.  It is not a casual act no matter what our culture says. The relationship is best protected and enjoyed in the bonds of marriage.

My admonition:  Girls and Guys, don’t let this decision be emotionally or hormonally driven.  Please make the decision to be pure and remain abstinent beforehand.  Stay committed to your decision-share your decision with a friend or mentor who can help you stay strong. You will not regret it--I promise.  This one decision can affect the course of the rest of your life.  It really is that important.