I asked my friend if I could share this and she said "yes, I need prayer warriors on my side".
My friend Beth is 21 and was just served divorce papers yesterday. She met her husband last year while visiting her aunt. They were completely smitten with each other and Beth says that God was a very real part of thier relationship. Her husband, we will call him Mr. Man, was already in the army and knew that he would be going to Japan for a while and then off to Iraq. They dated for about 2 weeks before he left for Japan and continued to talk online and through letters. Mr. Man actually proposed online to Beth after 3 months of dating and they decided to get married when he came home for Christmas. That is when things started going downhill. Beth sought after God for confirmation on this fast moving relationship. She was in the middle of school, planning a wedding and finding a new home. She and Mr. Man began to fight and eventually she went to a counselor. That seemed to help and they decided that Christmas was the right time. They planned a small ceremony with only the immediate family present and then a larger reception. Let me also say that Beth became extremely close to Mr. Man's family while he was gone to Japan...she called them constantly, stayed the night at thier home and fit right in. Anyways, they went on a cruise for thier honeymoon and then spent 2 more weeks together before he had to go back to Japan. Beth planned to go spend 3 weeks with her new husband before he got shipped to Iraq. She flew to Japan by herself and everything went downhill. When she got there she learned of some strongholds that her husband had not yet dealt with. She was also told that she was not good enough for him and not what he wanted anymore. They spent the whole time in Japan arguing and he threatened to divorce her several times. Beth came back to the states very depressed and not knowing what was going to happen next. Since then she has not talked to her husband...this was back in April. He was shipped to Iraq and has refused to talk to her. He changed his status on facebook to single, took away all the pictures of them together and got started on a divorce. His family backs his decision to divorce-beth says that in his family its not a big deal and there isn't a lot of couples still on thier first marriage for him to look to as an example. She has begged with her in laws to talk to her, to accept her apologies, to think of her as family still. She has tried to contact Mr. Man and has had no luck. She has been going to a doctor and was diagnosed as being "biploar" and depressed. She told me that she doesn't eat, can't sleep and spends every waking moment reading books on How to pray for your husband, How to have a Godly marriage, How to be a better person. She is trying so hard to become a wife that someone would want (even though she knows that perfection does not exist). Yesterday when she got home from being with family for the weekend she was greeted by the divorce papers. Her husband has given his mother power of attorney and she has signed them. Now Beth has to decide whether or not to sign them or to hold out. Mr. Man will not be back until November so nothing will be finalized til then. It breaks my heart to hear her talk about all of this. She is 21 and way to young (in my mind) to be dealing with this. During our conversation I told her how sorry I was for not keeping up with her as much as I should have, I just couldn't seem to find words. She turned it right around and said that she was also sorry for not keeping up with our friendship but it was hard for her to think about me and adam. She told me that she was jealous of our relationship, that we were the ideal couple and lately when her mom would mention me she would have to ask her to refrain. This made me realize two things. A- I really do have a great husband, one who is willing to work things out with me and who has his eyes set on Heaven. B- That like my friend I need to be willing to be more transparent with my life. I told her that yes, Adam and I are happy, but also that we are far from perfect and not worthy of idealizing. Of course we post fun pictures and good things b/c I personally do not wish to showcase our arguments or rough days. However, when I said that her response was that she "wanted people to know and witness someone worshipping and glorifying God through a horrible time in thier life". Isn't that awesome? If we were all a little more honest with each other I think we would all be better able to lift one another up and stay accountable. I beg of you to pray for my friend Beth. She is truly seeking God's will out and knows that He still has great big plans for her future. She is an open book and is inspiring to talk too. Please pray for her husband as well. Pray that his heart would be softened to God and that his families past would not influence his future. This is such a great oppurtunity for God to show his power in both of thier lives and for anyone who is watching them.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Christianity For Sale
preaching Biblically and not letting the church look like the rest of the world".That is the end of a commentary on a book called "The Courage to be a Prostetant" by Dr. Wells. Our pastor, Reggie Weems, is reading it and commenting about it on his blog. I have been really torn lately between what seems to be two different agendas in the church. I know where my heart stands and that is what makes it difficult to see where others believe they are justified. We have had 3 pastors that have resigned in the last month. One isn't quite sure where God is leading him, one is leaving to go to Florida and the other is leaving to start another church in Johnson City(please let me add that I am not speaking for these men, their personal doctrine or thier integrity. In fact I respect all three of thier decisions to leave and pray that God will bless them tremondously in thier new ministries. I do not know any one of these pastors well enough to know where they stand and why they feel like now is a good time to leave. I do not want to assume anything but I am going to talk about what I have seen).
I have seen and felt tension about the ways we "market" our church. I do not personally know why we need to glam up, spice up, adorn or modernize the gospel. This seems like a big punch in the stomach....you know, like what we know as the Truth isn't good enough. I will be the first to admit that I enjoy a good song with loud instruments and clapping. I also enjoy metaphors in the preaching that give me a visual for certain ideas presented.However, we have to draw the line somewhere. The church is not a comedy club where you will laugh until you wet your pants. It is not the local theater where you should sit and stare aimlessly while being entertained. The church is not the local school where you are graded on your knowledge and expected to keep up (socially,academically) with everyone else. The church is not a country club where your membership dues allow you to surround yourself with others just like you who want to "hang out". In other words the church should not look like the rest of the world.It is set apart. The ministry of the church is to first glorify Christ. This can be done in several ways but as christians we should be concerned with the truth...the BIBLE. When we start diluting it, skipping over it and adding to it for the sake of making it a more consumer friendly book, then we have failed.As far as ministering to children goes, I think there is a point where they need to be less entertained and encouraged to desire something better, something deeper. I am all for VBS and Disciple Now (that is where I gave my heart to Christ). BUT, when those things are simply done for the mere sake of getting our numbers higher and to have a good time we are missing the point. Children are so impressionable, which is even more reason to teach them the truth of the gospel, gory parts and all!I don't want to come off as having a nasty attitude towards people who market thier church but I do want to voice my opinon on what I feel is a dangerous road to take. When we start treating members as consumers, we are only going to offer them the things they want....which excludes punishment for sins, the real presence of satan, the wrath of our God and the wickedness we are clothed in. We all need to be presented with and challenged with God's word. Why else would we exist after conversion? If the point was to accept Christ then we would be taken up in a cloud after our profession. Instead we are to live out our lives in a way that produces fruit, evangelizing our world (our own small world too) and sharpening ourself to mirror the image of Christ.I would love to hear what other people think about this. I do not wish to impose my beliefs on anyone, but in turn I will never not speak up in fear that I will offend someone. Please keep Heritage in your prayers as we go through this transition period. Please remember Adam and I as well as we take over the Newlywed Community Group....we want to be very sensitive to our groups needs and to the direction God is taking us all in.
I took this blog down for a day or two because of some comments made. I wanted to think about what I was saying and what I was implying. Adam encouraged me to put it back up, as well as several others. I only wish to find out where God stands on this issue.
I have seen and felt tension about the ways we "market" our church. I do not personally know why we need to glam up, spice up, adorn or modernize the gospel. This seems like a big punch in the stomach....you know, like what we know as the Truth isn't good enough. I will be the first to admit that I enjoy a good song with loud instruments and clapping. I also enjoy metaphors in the preaching that give me a visual for certain ideas presented.However, we have to draw the line somewhere. The church is not a comedy club where you will laugh until you wet your pants. It is not the local theater where you should sit and stare aimlessly while being entertained. The church is not the local school where you are graded on your knowledge and expected to keep up (socially,academically) with everyone else. The church is not a country club where your membership dues allow you to surround yourself with others just like you who want to "hang out". In other words the church should not look like the rest of the world.It is set apart. The ministry of the church is to first glorify Christ. This can be done in several ways but as christians we should be concerned with the truth...the BIBLE. When we start diluting it, skipping over it and adding to it for the sake of making it a more consumer friendly book, then we have failed.As far as ministering to children goes, I think there is a point where they need to be less entertained and encouraged to desire something better, something deeper. I am all for VBS and Disciple Now (that is where I gave my heart to Christ). BUT, when those things are simply done for the mere sake of getting our numbers higher and to have a good time we are missing the point. Children are so impressionable, which is even more reason to teach them the truth of the gospel, gory parts and all!I don't want to come off as having a nasty attitude towards people who market thier church but I do want to voice my opinon on what I feel is a dangerous road to take. When we start treating members as consumers, we are only going to offer them the things they want....which excludes punishment for sins, the real presence of satan, the wrath of our God and the wickedness we are clothed in. We all need to be presented with and challenged with God's word. Why else would we exist after conversion? If the point was to accept Christ then we would be taken up in a cloud after our profession. Instead we are to live out our lives in a way that produces fruit, evangelizing our world (our own small world too) and sharpening ourself to mirror the image of Christ.I would love to hear what other people think about this. I do not wish to impose my beliefs on anyone, but in turn I will never not speak up in fear that I will offend someone. Please keep Heritage in your prayers as we go through this transition period. Please remember Adam and I as well as we take over the Newlywed Community Group....we want to be very sensitive to our groups needs and to the direction God is taking us all in.
I took this blog down for a day or two because of some comments made. I wanted to think about what I was saying and what I was implying. Adam encouraged me to put it back up, as well as several others. I only wish to find out where God stands on this issue.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
My Biggest Fan
So, last night Adam gave me an early birthday present....23 days early to be exact. It was a shirt that said "I'd rather be watching Jon & Kate plus 8" PRICELESS!!! I mean who doesn't like those people. A-they are christians and have made it clear that God has a place in thier home. B-They are good parents....who attempts to take 8 children under the age of 9 skiing? C-Those are some cute little chilren (thats right chilren). I know that these comments don't exactly fit with my ideas of not having any biological children but if I had to I would want 6 little asian babies! So obviously I am a fan of that show AND obviously my husband pays attention to me and knew that the shirt would make my day. He is my biggest fan!!! LOVE YOU SUGARPANTS!!
Friday, June 6, 2008
Sweetness
My grandpa makes me smile. He has been calling me lately at the weirdest timea just to say "hey" and that he "was thinking about me" and "loves me". Last night at 11 my phone rang and it was him. He said "did i wake u up?" and when i replied no, he said "well then its no fun". He quickly asked why i sounded so tired and then said " I was just calling to say Hey and that i love you". That was it. Short and sweet. This is the 2nd time in the past month he has called me just to say that. It makes me tear up. About 3 months ago he had cancer removed from his nose for the 2nd time. This was never life threatening but it was a big deal. He and my grandma have been together for over 50 years and they love to tease each other. Every time we get together (u can ask Adam) we all end up laughing hysterically at the stories they both share about being newlyweds with 5 younger kids (2 of my mom's brothers died when they were 4 and 5 from a car wreck). I can probably repeat the stories to you word for word but I'd much rather hear it coming from them.
I have to admit that the first time my Papa called it really freaked me out. He has never been one to call anyone..he lets my grandma call and after we get done talking he'll grab the phone, say Hi and Bye and get off. So when he called and just said " i love you" i called my mom frantically thinking that something was wrong or that he had just found out some horrible news. She called him and he said that he had just been thinking about his grandkids lately and wanted to call me.
When I was younger I spent every summer with my grandparents on their farm in Florida. My parents both worked and they would leave me up there from the day I got out of school til about a week before I went back. This meant that I spent a large amount of time helping my grandpa with their 2 horses. When I turned 5 they bought me my own horse and I named it "Tweety". Tweety was way too big for me to handle so they traded Tweety in and got me "Shadow"- a pony. I rode Shadow almost every day during that summer and my Papa trained us both :). One weekend when my parents came up to visit I decided it was time for my papa to let go of the reins and let me show my parents what I had learned. However, during my little show, someone forgot to lock Dolly and Shotgun (the other two horses) up in the other field and they came bolting at Shadow-which freaked her out. Needless to say she started bucking and threw me into the electric wire that surrounded the riding pen. I don't know who was more concerned..my parents or my grandpa. I dont remember even being bruised by that but I became very scared of horses and only got back on one in 10th grade to ride Shotgun for a show at my grandma's country themed VBS. Anyways, that whole story was just one of the memories I have with my grandpa.
Living up there during the summer also meant that I got to spend a ton of time with my great grandma, who died only 5 years ago. We would pick butterbeans, make tomatoes and rice and eat ice cream. She was Pentacostal and never cut her hair, wore make-up, shaved her legs, wore jewelry or wore pants. She didn't own a TV and loved to listen to the radio. At Christmas time we would catch her watching the TV at our house..i think Animal Planet fascinated her!
My great grandma, grandparents and cousins all live on the same dirt road, Kinzie Lane, named after the first grandchild (and probably favorite :) ME. So summer's were also spent with all of my cousins, which is why we are all still close. Most people don't get the chance to become close to their extended family but I now realize how lucky I was. It was very important to me that every single one of my cousins were in my wedding, since I literally grew up with them.
I really just wanted to write this blog about my grandparents and how much they mean to me. I just started remembering stories and got sidetracked. I actually just sent my grandpa a long email and some pictures. He is pretty good on the computer and sends me updated pictures of my cousins and pictures of his pet deer. I am so fortunate to have such a good relationship with them. I will never get tired of their 11 o'clock phone calls just to say "I love you"
This is a picture from my wedding. Left to right -Nana, Mom, Me, Brother, Dad, Papa
I have to admit that the first time my Papa called it really freaked me out. He has never been one to call anyone..he lets my grandma call and after we get done talking he'll grab the phone, say Hi and Bye and get off. So when he called and just said " i love you" i called my mom frantically thinking that something was wrong or that he had just found out some horrible news. She called him and he said that he had just been thinking about his grandkids lately and wanted to call me.
When I was younger I spent every summer with my grandparents on their farm in Florida. My parents both worked and they would leave me up there from the day I got out of school til about a week before I went back. This meant that I spent a large amount of time helping my grandpa with their 2 horses. When I turned 5 they bought me my own horse and I named it "Tweety". Tweety was way too big for me to handle so they traded Tweety in and got me "Shadow"- a pony. I rode Shadow almost every day during that summer and my Papa trained us both :). One weekend when my parents came up to visit I decided it was time for my papa to let go of the reins and let me show my parents what I had learned. However, during my little show, someone forgot to lock Dolly and Shotgun (the other two horses) up in the other field and they came bolting at Shadow-which freaked her out. Needless to say she started bucking and threw me into the electric wire that surrounded the riding pen. I don't know who was more concerned..my parents or my grandpa. I dont remember even being bruised by that but I became very scared of horses and only got back on one in 10th grade to ride Shotgun for a show at my grandma's country themed VBS. Anyways, that whole story was just one of the memories I have with my grandpa.
Living up there during the summer also meant that I got to spend a ton of time with my great grandma, who died only 5 years ago. We would pick butterbeans, make tomatoes and rice and eat ice cream. She was Pentacostal and never cut her hair, wore make-up, shaved her legs, wore jewelry or wore pants. She didn't own a TV and loved to listen to the radio. At Christmas time we would catch her watching the TV at our house..i think Animal Planet fascinated her!
My great grandma, grandparents and cousins all live on the same dirt road, Kinzie Lane, named after the first grandchild (and probably favorite :) ME. So summer's were also spent with all of my cousins, which is why we are all still close. Most people don't get the chance to become close to their extended family but I now realize how lucky I was. It was very important to me that every single one of my cousins were in my wedding, since I literally grew up with them.
I really just wanted to write this blog about my grandparents and how much they mean to me. I just started remembering stories and got sidetracked. I actually just sent my grandpa a long email and some pictures. He is pretty good on the computer and sends me updated pictures of my cousins and pictures of his pet deer. I am so fortunate to have such a good relationship with them. I will never get tired of their 11 o'clock phone calls just to say "I love you"
This is a picture from my wedding. Left to right -Nana, Mom, Me, Brother, Dad, Papa
Thursday, June 5, 2008
I want you to touch.
TO be honest....I don't want you to touch. I just realized that I touch hundreds of peoples hands every week. Not just by touching monies, but I actually touch their physical hands. With the exchange of change comes the touching of cupped hands to ensure a clean disbursement of coins....."that is gross" you might be thinking. Well it is actually. Millions of germs flow from the bathroom, which is right around the corner from the gift shop, to my hands and to the money and items in the gift shop. I haven't even started talking about the candy that is just sitting there collecting dust-dead skin cells and grime from the floor. Now that I have your attention.
Enough grotesque images or maybe not. We are traveling this weekend and you know what that means. GAS PRICES!!!!!!! That's right, we are going to spend close to $100 smackers just to get from point A to point B. Kinzie could tell you that I do not enjoy grocery shopping for the main reason that I don't like to spend money on food. What a waste. I just eat it then it is gone, just like paying monthly for things I don't even use or use completely (phone bills, INSURANCE, home warranties, power). "So, what's the big deal Adam" you might be saying. Well the big deal is that not only is everyone around the earth paying great sums of money to fuel their autos, but we are destroying the natural things that exist on it. We were commissioned to take care of what God gave us and unless a drastic event were to occur there would be nothing done to realize the atrocity that bestows us. I have a really strong feeling that a major event will happen within the next 5 years. Something that will affect the life Americans are leading. This feeling is followed by a knowledge of a God that has supreme control over these situations and has predicted the world's demise from the introduction of sin into his perfect creation.
I will be writing a blog about church discipline after we are finished with our series on Sunday nights. Just something to look forward to. I personally never grasped the whole concept, but it has more to do with our personal walks with Christ then just being a leader or keeping order in church.
Enough grotesque images or maybe not. We are traveling this weekend and you know what that means. GAS PRICES!!!!!!! That's right, we are going to spend close to $100 smackers just to get from point A to point B. Kinzie could tell you that I do not enjoy grocery shopping for the main reason that I don't like to spend money on food. What a waste. I just eat it then it is gone, just like paying monthly for things I don't even use or use completely (phone bills, INSURANCE, home warranties, power). "So, what's the big deal Adam" you might be saying. Well the big deal is that not only is everyone around the earth paying great sums of money to fuel their autos, but we are destroying the natural things that exist on it. We were commissioned to take care of what God gave us and unless a drastic event were to occur there would be nothing done to realize the atrocity that bestows us. I have a really strong feeling that a major event will happen within the next 5 years. Something that will affect the life Americans are leading. This feeling is followed by a knowledge of a God that has supreme control over these situations and has predicted the world's demise from the introduction of sin into his perfect creation.
I will be writing a blog about church discipline after we are finished with our series on Sunday nights. Just something to look forward to. I personally never grasped the whole concept, but it has more to do with our personal walks with Christ then just being a leader or keeping order in church.
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