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Let’s Get It Together
Last week Pastor tackled a crucial, yet often misunderstood, aspect of the Christian experience-forgiveness. After licking my wounds from last Wednesday’s REfresh, I was ready for a lesson that was easier to digest. I wanted one of those ice cream and cupcake lessons. But that’s not what I received. I got an okra, rutabaga, and kale salad lesson. Full of every nutrient that I need for my Christian walk but not as easy to swallow. Pastor challenged our spiritual maturity concerning reconciliation. Jesus came to earth on assignment. His mission, His purpose, and His calling was to reconcile a sinful world with the perfect God. Wednesday night’s Bible study came…
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Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep
Pictures capture moments in life that could otherwise be forgotten. They are precious snapshots. I’m particularly drawn to the picture of Bible Study Brother and I asleep in the same bed. We’re snuggled in the bed underneath a quilt that was probably sewn by our great grandmother. This photo had to be taken circa 1988. In the days before every camera was a phone, you had to use a camera that was loaded with film. You looked through the viewfinder to frame the perfect shot, and you weren’t sure of what you had until the pictures came back. We had to wait for them to be developed. A one hour…
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It Was All Fun and Games Until…
My mom tells a story about younger me that is so different from the woman that I am today. I was raised in the country. Mice were part of our life. They were in the shadows scampering around. So, we had mouse traps. Not the humane traps of modern days. The traps that snapped when a mouse was in them. They were loud but effective. The story she tells involves one of these traps. At around the age of four or five, I spoke my mind freely. I had not yet acquired the skill of keeping my thoughts to myself. I was not the type to filter my words. I…
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It Will Be Alright
Tragedy often comes when we least expect it. It leaps up and yells “Surprise!” We didn’t ask for it. We didn’t want it. But it came anyway. My pastor used II Kings 4:18-37 to give us a model of the proper way to respond when life’s calamities occur. Let’s dig into the sermon recap. The story begins with a typical day. A father is out gathering the harvest from the fields. Like many fathers, he brought his son along with him. This was an opportunity for the son to be involved in the harvest. He’s learning alongside his dad. While there, the son begins to complain of a headache. The…
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Blow My Mind
If you had told me one year ago that I would be writing blogs every day about my faith walk, I would have said that you were insane. If you had told me that I would be able to last seven weeks without working and be alright, I would have kindly escorted you the nearest psychiatric facility to institute a 72-hour hold. If you had said that the entire world would be shut in their homes because of an invisible threat to their health, I would have added you to all the prayer lists that I know. Your statements would have blown my mind. You would have been so right,…
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In Full Bloom
My grandma has a green thumb. Well, I think she does. Over the years, I have seen her plant vegetables and flowers, and they all flourish. She’ll tell me the name of her flowers, and I’ll promptly forget. But I love to see them in full bloom. When I became a homeowner, creating a floral oasis in front of my home was high on my agenda. I recruited Bible Study Mama and Bible Study Brother to get this project off the ground. We ripped out those boring old bushes that were lined up in front of the house, rented a machine to till the soil, and got to work. Really…
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Reposition Yourself
Wednesday night’s REfresh Bible study centered around a life changing topic. Forgiveness. I’ve dealt with this topic in previous blog posts because it has transformed my attitude in many ways. Bible Study Brother’s licensing sermon focused on forgiveness and how important forgiveness was in the life of all believers. Forgiveness saved our lives and guaranteed us eternal life. Forgiveness. My understanding of forgiveness has increased with age, and my pastor furthered expanded my knowledge of a common passage that is used to illustrate the concept of forgiveness. Whether you’re saved or not, I’m sure you’ve heard of “turning the other cheek.” For most of my life, that meant that if…
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Story Time
Ladies and gentlemen, you’re in for a treat. I’ve been toiling over this book while I’m on forced sabbatical (COVID-19 shutdown). Some days are great. I feel the urge to write and pour my heart out. Other days, I stare at this computer and watch time pass on. Day transitions to night, and I haven’t written anything that feels like it’s worth something. In my toiling, I’ve decided to share the original introduction to the book. As the book has progressed this introduction just doesn’t fit anymore. But this is my public diary. So, I’m going to share it with you. You’ll know how I felt at the beginning of…
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We Fall Down
Let me tell you about the weekend that I fell off two very different stages. That may actually be the reason that I’m not a big fan of heights. No one has ever accused me of being graceful…LOL. I was in the ninth grade. Ninth grade me had a cute bob haircut. I was a big fan of lining my lips with brown eyeliner and then applying lots of lips gloss. I would rub my lips together to smudge the liner a bit. I was also into getting my nails done. Professionally. Acrylic, of course. They weren’t long, but they fit my look at the time. That was life for…
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A Home Remedy
One sign that you have an authentic relationship with the Lord is that you have the ability to worship Him when you’re alone. Do you know what I’m talking about? When you reach the point where your outward display of worship is not for show. When you can fall out in your home just like you did in the sanctuary, because God is still good even if there is not an usher on post. When you can preach His word to an empty sanctuary and make your own self happy. Honey, Sunday’s sermon was much needed and appreciated. Let’s jump right into the sermon recap. The sermon scripture was II…
