God is Crazy About YOU!

My good friend Brandi Peters wrote my blog entry for Connected by Grace this week. YAY!!! Thanks, Brandi

Tonight we watched a video by our favorite, Angela Thomas, entitled “God, use me just the way I am”. This video talked about how as women we never feel that we are worthy of anything. GOD FEELS SO MUCH DIFFERENT!!! God wants us to bring our broken down lives, our broken down hearts, our broken down dreams, and the truth of who we really are to him and lay them at the altar of His feet. God will bless what we have brought Him and cover it in the robes of His glory and in the blood of Jesus Christ. God considers us His Prodigal son’s and daughter’s. No matter what we do, how low we feel, God wants us to turn our hearts, mind, and bodies back to Him. Just like the story of the prodigal son, God is scanning the horizon, waiting, for us to return to Him. He will welcome us back to the family and to His love as soon as we turn back to Him. God knew that we as simple humans were not worthy and that we would need a savior. In fact He isn’t even mad at us, He is in love with us! He is crazy about us! He loved us so much that He sent His Son to save us. To God it doesn’t matter if we aren’t worthy, just as long as we belong to Him.

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Truth vs Tradition

I had the privilege of presenting a section of the WMU program last night. I didn’t feel like I had enough time to say all that I wanted to say because there were at least 8 presenters and so my time was short. So, I wanted to continue my thoughts with you guys today.

Willie & Ozzie Jacobs are missionaries working in Memphis. As many of you are aware, Memphis is a really tough place full of crime, drugs, and as Mr. Jacobs says – spiritual warfare. Memphis is huge – over 1.2 million people live in the Memphis area and there are a lot of those people who need to know the Lord. Willie feels that one of the biggest challenges to winning those people over to God is changing the mindset of the missionaries – the Christians who are working to win the lost. He says that churches need to learn new approaches in order to reach people with the Gospel, and do it in a way that is non-threatening. You have to build relationships.

Personally, I think Willie is dead-on correct—not just in North America or Memphis, but in Bristol, and in Woodlawn. Yes, Woodlawn! If you think about Bristol today compared to the Bristol of 10, 20, and 50 years ago you will see huge differences in the city. The look of the city is definitely different and the mix of the people living here is too. We need to ask ourselves – how has our church changed in those 50 years to meet the new needs that have popped up in our city. I believe that satan is ALWAYS being creative and finding new ways to draw people into sinfulness, but I believe the church (church in the big sense of the word) has been somewhat stagnant. Are we doing enough to draw the people away from the bigger and better things that satan has to offer?

We cling to our traditions that may not even be relevant to the majority today. Don’t get me wrong! I think traditions are great. I love the traditions that my family has during various holidays. That is one of the things that makes us a family. Traditions do tend to draw families close – on the same note, traditions can also make others feel excluded. And we definitely don’t want to be exclusionary at our church. We need to strive to draw everyone-no matter how different from “our family” they are-to Christ.

We need to be flexible in our traditions. We should not be flexible with the truth of God’s word though. His Word can stand & is just as relevant today as it was 50 years ago. We just need to come up with new ways to present the Truth. So, if you aren’t afraid of change – I think you (and I) should push and push and push to move others in a new direction. Will it be easy? NO! You will receive huge resistance from a lot of folks who don’t want to change. But do it anyway—the world is counting on us! If you are one of those who resists change – lighten up!! When something new is introduced and it is different than the way it has always been done – just ask yourself I am just trying to hold on to tradition? If the answer is yes then have an open mind and try the new way. Never compromise the Truth but always keep trying to reach the lost. Just remember that your way is not necessarily the best way. Only God’s way is the best way and He wants us to reach everyone not just those who look like us and make us comfortable!!!

True Forgiveness

I'm reading The Shack right now and was searching the internet for some other opinions about the book - from a Christian perspective. One of the main themes of the book is forgiveness. I won't tell you about the book, but it's pretty good. You have to keep an open mind, but if you can do that, then you can get a lot out of the book. Anyway, one Chrisitan book reviewer made a comment about forgiveness that I'm not sure I agree with. He says that in order to have true forgiveness the person in the wrong must (1) ask for forgiveness and (2) repent and be sorry for their actions (because that is the way it is modeled in the Bible with sinners repenting & turning from their sin & asking for forgiveness.) I kinda think that my action of forgiving someone doesn't rely on their actions at all. I am responsible for how I react whether or not they react/behave the way that they should. What do you think?

Various Summer Pictures

Here are some summer pictures. Emma's 5-year birthday party at Chucky Cheese's. She had a great time - for the most part. A few tears were shed, but I felt like shedding tears some myself. That place is WILD!


Emma & her Dad at the 2008 Appalachian Fair. She wouldn't ride anything except the Carousel & the huge Ferris Wheel.

Emma's first day of kindergarten!!! She loves it and I am so glad. I was so worried about her entrance into school, but she is having a great time there. It's a pretty big adjustment from Wellmont's CDC. I was so spoiled!

Sandy Shores

We just returned home today from a great week at Fort Walton Beach. I LOVE the beach and so does the rest of my family. We did nothing except play in the sand, eat, and play in the pool. What a great week! Emma & I made snowmen (or sandmen, I guess) and turtles, she jumped waves with her daddy, and was definitely water logged from the hours she spent in the pool. We met lots of great people there.

On the first full day there we had thunderstorms during the afternoon. While Scotty & Emma slept, I sat on the deck and watched the threatening clouds form over the ocean. I'm always in awe of creation when I'm sitting by the beach. How powerful the ocean is! So, as I sat on the balcony all of the black clouds came together right in front of me. It was kinda spooky, but I couldn't take my eyes off of them and how the clouds that were once spread out over the entire sky seemed to roll together into just one huge thundercloud. Just another example of how awesome and powerful God is.

This week we were also reminded of how fragile life is. First, our dog, Sumo, died while we were on the way to the beach. Our poor neighbors had the unfortunate task of notifying us and of burying our little pooch. During the same drive to the beach we were called by Scotty's mom and were told that Austin (our 16-yr old nephew) had to be taken by MedFlight to the hospital. Later during the week he was taken by Medevac to Vanderbilt & his prognosis wasn't too promising. He had encephalitis (swelling of the brain) and was unreponsive. Amazingly, though, he made it back home before we did!!! He & his family were bathed in prayer this week and it's just amazing what God can and will do when we persistently ask. How scary & how eye-opening it is when a otherwise strong and healthy teenager is knocked completely out in just a blink of the eye.

Oh, did I mention that we also have a new family member? Well, we do! Introducing...Sebastian, the hermit crab :)

Curves, tummy-tucks & a tan

Don't you just love how the camera adds an extra 20 pounds to you in pictures!! OK, so maybe the camera didn't do it. I joined Curves today because I feel like I look just awful. And, I promised myself a tummy-tuck if I can lose all of the weight that I would like to. Those post-baby bellies just aren't that grand to look at.

Last night I had my first spray tan. It looks pretty good today! I had a Mystic Tan and it was really neat. You just stand in a big box (looks like a huge industrial shower) and push a green button & get sprayed for a few seconds. It was over so quick- probably no longer than 15 seconds or so! I'm loving it & going back on Wednesday - WOOHOO!

3 more days until we leave for the beach!!!