Category:

Life

About life in general, and life with God specifically.

More of You, Less of me

written by Ashley

Do you ever feel a bit overwhelmed with your weekly schedule? I know I do and I often find myself feeling anxious with each task I have to do whether it is running the kids to their practices, after-school events, grocery shopping, birthday parties, and then also squeezing in there being a wife. I am going to share with you my Pastor’s advice,

take a deep breath-More of you God…Exhale-less of me.

I think we are all guilty of having too much of “us” and not enough “Him”. I get it, it is hard, we live in an instant gratification society and we are heavily influenced by the world around us. We have conformed our lifestyles to the way of the world…or at least the way the world wants us to be. Again, too much us and not enough Him.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:2

I have read this scripture hundreds of times, but it just never sticks. What will it take to release those chains of conformity and pick up our cross? Look around, all the ads and articles pertaining to the newest fad diet, best clothing line, or even the most popular rock band—but it is hard to find an advertisement that explains the way God wants us to live, right?

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep.”
John 10:11-12

After reading that scripture, why do we as Christians continue to follow the “hired hand” rather than the good shepherd that gave His life for you and me? I know it is easy to go with the flow and to conform to the society we live in, but do not let it define you, the shepherd, the one who created and owns you is the only one that defines you.

Let’s think for a minute, Jesus left 99 sheep in order to find the 1 lost sheep. We have all felt like that 1 lone sheep, lost and lonely. If it were not for the Father making a way to find the lost sheep, we would all still be that lost and lonely sheep. God promises to never leave our side or call us to a battle that He hasn’t already conquered. During this Easter season, let us remember the battle He fought for us. He loved you so much that He gave up His life so that YOU could have yours. Stop conforming to what the universe expects of you and start transforming into being the hands and feet of Jesus.

The evening always comes before day

written by Stephanie

And There Was Evening, And There Was Morning-The First Day

And God said, Let there be light, and there was light, God saw that the light was good and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day and the darkness He called night. And there was evening, and there was morning -the first day.
Genesis 1:3-5

Is there any hope?

Do you feel like your life is consumed by the darkness today? Maybe bitterness or guilt is consuming you, or you are overwhelmed by hopelessness and uncertainty about your tomorrows. Maybe there’s just emptiness or unsettling in your soul as you look out and realize this world offers very little in the way of peace and rest. Or maybe you are just in a place today of questioning God and wondering how you even ended up where you are. You may even think, “is there seriously even any hope in starting again?”

A wonderfull and profound lesson

There is a wonderfully profound lesson to be learned even on the very first day of creation. A truth that we can hold fast to as we rest in our Creator. Things always seem the darkest before the dawn!

Pay close attention to the key point in these verses. Watch as the Creator speaks into the darkness and the void in order to display His glory and His goodness. As God separated the day from the night and created the very first day, which came first? Look closely at the order…What do you see?

In the process of being transformed

In creation, the evening (DARKNESS) always comes before the day (LIGHT). There is a very good reason why the Jews still live by this order of the day. Our lives also are in the very process of being transformed and worked out to display His glory, if we will allow our Creator to also separate us out of the darkness into His glorious light. This will only be done by allowing Him to speak His Words, breathe His Spirit, into our lives. Into the darkness of our nights that yearn for the morning. Only then can we move in the natural order that is meant to bring us joy and Him glory and the ability to now live as children of the light. There is the promise of a new day ahead for you!

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the LORD. Live as children of the light. Eph 5:8

Sing praises to the LORD, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping my tarry for the night, but joy come with the morning. Psalm 30:4-5

Turning brokenness into blessings

written by Ashley

Rock Bottom

Have you ever found yourself at rock bottom? Perhaps your marriage was failing, job interviews were not in your favor, or maybe friends had removed themselves from your life. Basically, your life didn’t look anything like you had imagined it would.

Friends let me tell you, rock bottom is nowhere you want to be. But unfortunately, that is where I found myself a few years ago. Although it is not the ideal place to find yourself-but praise God I was there. Seems absurd, I know, but it literally took me hitting rock bottom to find my way back to the top. I was faithless but God remained faithful.

Out of control

I thought I had it all. I was blessed with a hard-working husband, two healthy children at that time, a top of the ladder job, no mortgage on the new house we lived in, and even a nice car to drive…but you know what? None of those things helped me out of that dark pit I was drowning in. My husband had become distant, I lost that top of the ladder job, I had just had a miscarriage and none of those materialistic things mattered in the long run, because they could not pull me up out of the darkness. If anything, I was feeling like the water was continuing to rise. I called out for help but was too consumed by my own darkness that I did not even realize when God was answering. I was trying to remain in control and in all reality, I was out of control.

I was struggling big time. I finally broke down and stepped out of my comfort zone and found myself across from a pastor who I barely knew. All these recent disappointments had resurfaced hurt from my past. The Pastor suggested that perhaps I never healed fully from the past, I only healed enough to move forward. That opened my eyes to a new world. I guess you could say I was notorious for allowing myself to just forget all the hurt and pain. You know what I am talking about, just shoving it in the back of your mind and hope that you will just forget it.

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
Mark 11:24

I found myself praying a lot! I was not exactly sure what to pray for, I had distanced myself so far from God and any type of religion because I thought I could control my life and I would be able to fix it. But, as a matter of fact, I couldn’t fix it. The main tool in my toolbox was missing-God. I felt ashamed praying to God asking Him to pull me out of darkness when I had pulled away from him.

“if we are faithless, He remains faithful – for He cannot deny Himself”.
2Timothy 2:13

Thanks be to God that He didn’t give up on me. He met me right where I was and provided me with the tools I needed to come up out of the darkness. He led me to a church that became my home, He provided me with faithful friends, He led me to a mountain top where I released my hurt, pain, and control. I felt renewed, He was the change in me. My brokenness brought me to God, without the scars from my past I would have never known how deep God’s love is for me. I am not who I was before, I don’t have to fear anymore, and now I see with my eyes wide open.

If you are feeling faithless in your darkness, don’t lose hope! You are never too far gone, God will run to you even when it seems as if everyone else has left you at your worst. I am thankful that God grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my darkness. He knew I couldn’t make the change, so He became the change in me. Thanks be to God for not waiting on me to find my way back-He came for me just as I was.

“I will never leave you nor forsake you”.
Hebrews 13:5

Changing the way I pray

written by Ashley

Promise Prayers

When we are small children, we learn what I call “kid prayers”. You know the traditional, “As I lay me down to sleep..” “God is good, God is great…” But no one really tells you how to pray. During my youth years, I found myself praying for only the things I needed or wanted. I leaped straight from thanking to asking. I would find myself praying “promise prayers”. “Lord if you will just help me make an A on this paper, I promise I will pray every day!” It wasn’t until I was almost 30 years old, I found myself on my knees – not even knowing what or how to pray. I felt like there was a specific way to pray and I didn’t feel like I had mastered that part of my faith, yet.

Be still and know?

On October 17, 2018, my husband was in a serious accident at work. Most of it is a blur now, but I do remember as I was driving to Raleigh, NC – which was about 2 hours from my home, I kept praying, “God, let him be ok”…. ”Please God, I cannot do this life without him.” I was simply praying what I desired. Never once did I thank Him for anything at that point. I sure didn’t have the time to stop and listen. Are you serious, my husband is laying on an operating table with his chest cut open – I don’t have time to “Be still and know.” Just Lord, hear my prayer! And, hopefully, if I just keep reciting the same prayer, “Lord please let him be ok,” He will eventually grant me the desires of my heart.

God has already worked it out for the good of those who love Him. Romans 8:28

What I didn’t take into consideration was God already was taking care of my husband. When my husband woke that morning, God had already prepared the surgeon that would be performing emergency surgery on him. He had things lined up for me that I couldn’t see at the time. He knew my husband would be involved in an accident that day, and He had a plan. However, I didn’t trust that God had a plan. Please don’t get me wrong, I do not believe God makes bad things happen to people, but He does allow them. This whole time, God had prepared for that day. It was already taken care of, before it happened on earth. But how easy is to forget to trust that God has already worked it out for the good of those who love Him? (Romans 8:28)

No prayer is too big or too small

Recently I learned how to stop-pause-pray. Before, I would pray and be interrupted or fall asleep during my nighttime prayers. Personally, I have a hard time praying on a whim, my OCD kicks in high gear and I get a bit frazzled because I need to prepare and plan exactly what to say… or at least that’s what I thought I had to do. And, how crazy that God hears our every prayer? God knows exactly what you are praying for even when you cannot find the mere words to utter. No prayer is too big or too small. He may not answer right away, but isn’t that the beauty of His unending grace and mercy?

Through this “growth” spurt, I felt God was challenging me to Praise Him rather than Ask Him. I was asking for things that He was already taking care of and handling. He was already protecting those people I prayed for Him to protect. Rather than asking God to continue to be there through my husband’s recovery, I thanked Him for being with him during his recovery. Less asking more praising!

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness”.
2Peter 1:3

I realized God would always provide, I needed to ensure I was praising Him rather than asking. Have your prayers become mechanical? Do you find yourself asking for things that God is already providing? Practice the stop-pause-pray method. Do not stop asking God, but stop and evaluate the things you are asking for – praise Him during the pause-and never cease to pray.

Thanks be to God, Amen.

Because He Loved Us First

written by Willemien

“We love because He first loved us”

1 John 4:19 is a well-known scripture. But what does this mean? Can we see examples of it in the Bible?

The Life of Mary

Well, let’s take a look at the life of Mary. The other day when I was in church the preacher shone a new light on the well known Bible story of Martha and Mary. The one where Mary sits at the feet of Jesus and Martha complains that her sister is not helping her. Jesus then said that Mary choose the right thing to do. Often this story is told to give the message that we should not just do works for God but also take time to sit at His feet. And that is definitely true. But this time we took a look closer to the live of Mary.

April 2, 2019 Comments

God Life Lifestyle Prayer

Creating an Environment and Heart of Worship

written by Katrina

Worship is more than music but music has the ability to inspire your mood, attitude and shift your focus. Worship is turning your undivided attention to the subject of your desire.

Whatever has our hearts, has our worship. And we become what we worship. Someone with an alcohol problem worships alcohol and then becomes an alcoholic. Someone that commits adultery, worships his infidelity, then becomes an adulterer. When we worship God and make Him the subject of our desire, we become more like Him.

New Seasons Coming and Going

With new seasons coming and going, depending on where you live, summer represents a time of celebration and praise; autumn or fall represents harvest season as well as letting go of old things; winter represents stillness and purification, washing away the old and spring represents a new beginning. Spring is a great time to purge, clean and organize. After a time of short daylight, the sun rises and shines on all that is dark and needs to be dusted, organized and prioritized.

Springtime

Springtime is a great time to prepare for Resurrection Sunday, preparing our environment and heart for the Lord. The physical is just a manifestation of the spiritual as what is going on in the inside, will always make its way to the outside.

Here are a few ways that you can create an environment and heart of worship.

Removing the Idols: There is an old saying that we are what we eat. The first step in creating an environment of worship is to remove all of the idols. This can be anything that is toxic, tempting, distracting or something that can be a stumble in our paths. Whether it is alcohol in the refrigerator, perverted images on your computer, worldly music on your playlist or horror movies on your watchlist, negative images on our social media feed, removing them from your home and sight will create a clear mind, clean heart and space for God to do something new in your life. Start by writing a list and then purge accordingly. Remember, our timelines are called a “feed” for a reason.

Cover Your Home in Worship Music: Cover your home in worship music by keeping your focus and attention on God in everything you do. Play worship music often, especially when beginning and ending your day. The root word of music is “muse” which means to be spiritually inspired. This can be good or bad depending on what type of spirits are behind the music. Music saturates the atmosphere and can inspire your mood, attitude and focus.

Cover your Home with the Word of God: One of the best things that you can do in your home is to cover your home with the word of God. You may be tempted to place statues around your home with angels and graven images but graven images can quickly become idolatry. Deuteronomy 6 instructs us to recite, meditate, hang, and adorn God’s word, scripture and His commandments around the doors of our homes, our necks, our hearts and our and our children’s minds. The Word of God is our armor against evil. It protects and covers us. Placing it around us and meditating on it will help us memorize it and we will be able to return to it when we are facing trials. The Word of God is so powerful that He created the world with a word. It was also used by Jesus to combat the offers from Satan when He was sent into the desert to be tempted.

Cover your Home With Prayer: Prayer is talking to God and reading the Word of God is God talking back to us. When you cover your home in prayer, you commit your home to Him and accept his guidance. Create a war room or alter in your home; a place covered in scripture that you go to pray and release the burdens on your heart, mourn your losses or celebrate your victories.

Cover Your Home With Praise: Praise is the ability to proclaim God’s goodness with words of affirmation and celebration. When we speak life, we release power in our lives as well as in the lives of others.

There was a study done by a scientist named Masaru Emoto called “The Rice Experiment.” He placed rice in three separate jars and labeled one with “praise,” one with “criticism” and one with neglect. Each day he would praise the jar labeled “praise,” criticize the jar labeled “criticism” and ignore the one labeled “neglect.” He found after about 21 days that the “praise” jar thrived and became white and fluffy. The second jar labeled “criticism” became green and moldy and the last jar became black. This was evidence that our words have power. But it also showed that the opposite of love was not hate but indifference, proving that ignorance and neglect has a powerful impact on our home, environment minds and hearts.

If our words have that much power over rice, imagine how it impacts our children, loved ones and our own hearts. Praise is the first jar. Speak life.

Cover Your Home With Peace: Peace is the absence of war. Your home should be your sanctuary after going out into the world all day. When you arrive home, it should be a place free of war and conflict. Try not to invite people into your home that will bring or discuss nothing but conflict and stress, but invite others to dine at your table. In biblical times, hospitality was very important to people and was always an act of peacemaking and peacekeeping often taking place around a banquet table.

When we create an environment of worship, our attention is focused on God and we begin to think, believe and feel like Him. What used to make no sense, will begin to make sense and what was important becomes no longer important. We will then be prepared to be used by Him and for Him.

March 23, 2019 Comments

Faith God Jesus Lifestyle

Lord, Teach Us To Be More Like You

written by Kaity

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
Colossians 3:12

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
Matthew 7:1-5

What Would Jesus Do?

Sometimes I don’t want to admit that I’m a Christian. It isn’t that I’m ashamed of Jesus. I’m not embarrassed to say He’s my Savior. I just don’t want to be identified with the hateful throngs of people who say they follow Jesus, but espouse hate, judgment and anger towards anyone who thinks differently than them. If you look at any political, social, or ecumenical issue, there’s always an angry group of people, calling themselves Christians, shouting, name-calling and claiming God hates the other side.

Can you imagine Jesus typing nasty comments on social media to someone who disagreed with Him?
Kaity

Jesus never once did this, and He was perfect. Can you imagine Jesus typing nasty comments on social media to someone who disagreed with Him? Can you see Him outside of an abortion clinic with signs yelling and hating people inside? No, I imagine Jesus would walk up to those people, sit alongside them, and tell them He loves them. He would invite them to partake of the Living Water just as He did to the woman at the well. He didn’t scold her or judge her. He welcomed her to come walk with Him.

Behind Closed Doors

I have to admit, though I am not publicly berating or shaming others, I do it behind closed doors and in the caverns of my heart. I judge my neighbor, my husband, my friends. I mumble a sarcastic remark about my husband’s shortcomings. I’m impatient with my friends’ flaws. God has been gently teaching me to clothe myself in the fruits of the spirit, instead of acting out of judgment and self righteousness. It’s really hard! It’s my own natural inclination to act like the god of my little world and judge those around me.

“Lord, teach us to be more like You. Show us to show your love and mercy to those around us, instead of acting out in harsh judgment. Help others see the Light and Hope through our words and actions. Let us show a dark world what it means to be a Christian.”

Amen.

March 19, 2019 Comments

Biblical women Faith Fellowship General Life Lifestyle Relationships Testimony

Let Us Not Forget The Naomi’s

written by Katrina

One of the most beautiful trees of God’s creation that I have ever seen is The Weeping Willow. It looks so serene, peaceful and wise but it also has a haunting glow of sorrow. It reminds me of many elderly women that I cared for when I worked in nursing homes years ago.

The Weeping Willow

They have been through The Great Depression, The Civil Rights Movement and sent their husbands, brothers and sons to serve several deployments of war. You know, back when we actually fought for freedom instead of money and power. There they were, staying strong alone on the homefront. Their discipline was tough but their comfort was gentle. They cooked meals every night and only allowed an hour of television. They stretched every penny, irons many creases, scubbed many floors and sewed many seams. They have been to many weddings and sadly even more funerals.

Growing Solid Roots

They have witnessed and survived tragedy but through their journey, they have grown solid roots that sprout trunks and branches that sprout beautiful and magnificant leaves of both wisdom and sorrow.

Today, many women use the term “strong” so loosely. But we women of today are just apple trees compared to these weeping willows. Yes, we have all had our share of trials and tribulations but we are still growing in wisdom, knowledge and experience. And most of our sorrows are from our own poor choices.

True Definition Of Strength

These willows have been through the worst of times, yet survived and through their trials, they maintained eloquence, class and an attitude of gratitude, never whining and never complaining. They taught us that in the midst of their storm, fall to your knees to praise the Lord. They scrubbed clothing with their bare hands and hung them out to dry, planted and maintained a garden, made dinner from scratch, used cloth diapers, sewing machines and wash dishes by hand. There was no air conditioning, dishwashers, microwaves, spas or Reality TV. There was no time fillers in their parenting such as McDonalds, video games, MTV or BET.

When they spoke, their words poured out wise instruction, encouragement and fair warning.

They despised lies, gossip, back-biting and foul language because they understood that life and death were in the power of the tongue and if you didn’t tame it, you got a switch to your back-side and a bar of soap in your mouth. You sat down at the dinner table saying your grace, and asking to be excused before you got up. School was a privilege not a burden and work came before fun.

The Anchors In Our Lives

They are the anchors in our lives, a glimpse of the flickering star of hope that we still have a chance to get it right by modeling them in their fight for faith, hope and the restoration of the family unit. They are the true definition of strength.

Let us not forget the Naomi’s in our lives so that the Ruth within us can rise up when we face loss and despair. Happy International Women’s Day.

“For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.” Ecclesiastes 1:18

The Art of Dance

written by Katrina

A rollercoaster of emotions

I remember when I made the decision to end a toxic relationship. It was just weeks before the wedding. I was also in the midst of a new and growing relationship with God. I was an emotional wreck, riding on a rollercoaster of emotions. One minute I felt liberated, like I was set free from bondage. The next, I felt afraid and vulnerable, like I just jumped out of a boat into the ocean with no life-jacket. I decided that I would try new ways to channel my energy. I started a fitness bootcamp, took tennis lessons, bought books on faith and healing and my friend and I decided we would start taking classes on salsa dancing.

Dancing classes

We started classes every Monday after work. The dance studio was downtown Indianapolis and sat right above a Mexican restaurant. We would go to dance class and then after, would head downstairs to have dinner. When other people were dreading Mondays, we would look forward to them. What I didn’t expect is the breakthrough that I would experience in my spiritual walk during my classes.

In partner dancing, we began learning twists, turns and spins. My dance instructor looked at me in the eyes and said, “You like to be the leader, I see.” He told me that I was trying to dance on my own instead of waiting for his lead. He then proceeded to explain that traditionally in Latin dance, the man is the leader and the woman is the follower. The man guides the woman by giving her “claves.” These claves are little tugs, pushes, or checks given at the right time in the momentum of the dance that let the follower know when to turn, hesitate, dip, cross-body, etc. He explained that due to her trusting his lead, it will remove the pressure of her doing it all by herself which will make her efforts appear effortless. He concluded by saying,

“Latin dancing is like a beautiful painting. The woman is the picture and the man is the frame. His support highlights and enhances her beauty.”

I realized at that point that my dancing style was a physical manifestation of my core issues in relationships. I was always trying to lead and as a result, I attracted men who were followers.

Dancing in unison

As the classes progressed, I learned more and more about trust, submission and letting go of the need to be in control. I was also recognizing when others had trouble with their role. We switched dance partners several times each class and I often had a partner that had an issue with leading as much as I had an issue with following. They would wait on me to lead instead of taking the lead. When I would switch my partner to a man that was strong in leading, I would let out a sigh with relief because my role was much easier when I had a stronger partner. What a concept.

Marriage and relationships are much like a dance. Dancing without assuming your role makes the entire performance sloppy and fall apart. It interrupts the harmony, balance and cohesion of the pair. But when you dance in unison, it is like the melody of a bird’s song after being released from a cage.

Lessons learned

As a result of these classes, the lessons that I learned poured over to other areas in my life. I started recognizing when I was attempting to revert back to the “control freak” and also recognized a lack of leadership in others. God is always speaking to us and through us. Understanding that we were made in His image, it makes sense that we become more like Him when we receive and absorb His wisdom through beautiful gifts such as art, dance, music and writing.

Please take a listen to this beautiful song about following the leadership of Christ and letting go of the need to fight against it by Steffany Gretzinger, called “We Dance”

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

“Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.” 1 Corinthians 11:11

February 22, 2019 Comments

Faith God Lifestyle Prayer

Settle into stillness

written by Kaity

“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.”

Psalm 62:1

“He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.”

Psalm 107:29

Enjoying the stillness

Have you ever enjoyed the stillness? I most often find it in nature: on a beach listening to the crashing waves, watching the snow fall and gearing the hushes pelt of flakes gently landed on the earth, standing atop a mountain as the wind roars over the treetops, or standing in the woods, completely alone and silent

Stillness can seem elusive at times. We finally get a moment alone, away from work or family, and technology attacks. Dings and beeps of email, texts, and social media can keep us occupied and distracted. Even after silencing it all, are we able to silence our minds? I often have roaming thoughts, to do lists, lingering emotions and snippets of conversations coursing through my brain. I cant turn it off. I feel like there’s a constant buzz running through my mind.

Rest and be renewed

And yet the moments of stillness are when can finally hear God’s voice. I struggle with finding stillness and sometimes when I finally grasp it, I’m met with emptiness and depression, loneliness or anxiety. These are the moments when my mind says it needs stimulation or craves people. It mistakenly longs for distractions and busyness. Our flesh is weak. What our minds really need is stillness, to rest and be renew in God’s word.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:2

Jesus often went to go pray alone. We must follow His example as we turn everything off and settle into the stillness. If Jesus can quiet an actual storm, He can certainly calm the storms in our hearts and minds.

Sometimes it’s uncomfortable; we’re so used to the noise. Sometimes it is so welcomed as the harsh din bombarding us fades away. When we enter the stillness, God’s voice becomes audible once again and we leave refreshed and renewed.

February 21, 2019 Comments