Looking to Jesus

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2010-01-05T13:14:00.000-08:00

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Romans 14

2008-11-06T16:58:00.000-08:00

Alright, I've been wanting to write about this for awhile and since tonight I have a horrible headache and am stuck on the bed, now seems like the perfect time. Joe just finished preaching a series on Romans chapter 14. I knew NOTHING about Romans 14 when the study began. But let me tell you, it has been FOOD for my soul. There is NOTHING like hearing scripture that you've never understood before. I'm going to put the passage here so you can read it, and then I'll tell you what God has done in my life through His word and the faithful preaching of it.

Romans 14 (please take a minute to read through it!)

Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.For it is written: “ As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.” Each of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way. I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.
Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin

The basis of Romans 14 is that God does not call every believer to have the same convictions on secondary issues. Secondary issues would be any issue that is not BLACK and WHITE in scripture (lieing, stealing, sex outside of marriage, abortion, homosexuality, worrying, etc).

I've had conversations with many people through they years over secondary issues. I know people that believe it is sin to wear pants to church, sin to put your kids in school and not homeschool, sin to go trick or treating with your kids, sin to listen to music with a beat, sin to listen to music that is not christian, sin to go easter egg hunting, sin to have a drink of alcohol in your home with your husband, sin to go to the movie theater.. (if you believe any of these are sin, please don't stop reading, just hear me out!) What does this passage say about that?

The first part of the passage addresses this. It reads, "For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls.

This tells us that back in Bible times, all Christians did not look alike outwardly. They did not all have the same convictions. Some of them could not eat the meat served to idols. These people felt like they would be sinning. And some of the people could. The people that could eat the meat, probably could find that meat a lot cheaper and brought it home and ate it with gladness feeling no conviction over eating the meat. It was obviously a BIG issue and so Paul addressed it to the church in Rome. So here is my first point. According to Romans 14,some people can do certain things with a clear conscience while there are other believers that can not.
An example for me is alcohol. God will not allow me to drink alcohol. I do not see the benefit and I have no desire to have it near me. I know a godly pastor that drinks it in his home and has told me he feels free to drink it and has no conviction. Six months ago, that would have been so hard for me to understand. Honestly, in the back of my mind, I would have judged him just knowing that he drank at home with his wife. But thank you Lord for Romans 14! Now I understand that, he has freedom in Christ in an area that I do not.

Romans 14:5 was also a life changing principle for me. It says, One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.. This verse is telling me to be FULLY CONVINCED in what I believe. Before I understood this verse (a few months ago) I would get really confused if a person told me they believed something was sin that I did not feel convicted over. One time, someone told me they thought it was sin to go trick or treating with your kids. So I got online, I read the history of haloween. I read EVERYTHING I could find about it. I prayed about it. I told the Lord if it was wrong for our kids to knock on doors and ask for candy to convicted me or Joe. He didn't. But I was not fully convinced in my mind. It was sin for their family but why did I not feel that way if it was sin for me? Now that I understand Romans 14, I realize that God has not given this family the freedom to do something that he has given me the freedom to do. So how should I respond?

Well, Romans 14 goes on to say, "Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men." So basically, if this family was in our home October 31st, we would not carve a pumpkin, we would not go trick or treating. We would find something fun to do, and love our brother in Christ in a way that does not cause them grief. This is acting in love.

If I am going into a church where I know the people are convicted of wearing pants, it is not Christ like for me to go in there and wear pants just to do it. The loving thing to do, is wear a skirt so that I do not cause offense. Why would I offend a person on purpose? There is no reason. Romans 14 tells us, we can have unity even if God brings us to different secondary issues.

Joe and I spent a lot of time Sunday nights after his sermons talking about all of this. One of the things we talked a long time about is that God does change you as you grow closer to him. As we desire to please Christ and live for him, it does effect the way we live. But we can not judge others who may also be seeking Christ if He leads them a different way. I'm not saying that everything every "christian" does is ok, I'm just saying according to this passage, 2 people can love God and desire to obey Him, but He doesn't do the same thing in their lives and we can still have unity together.

I had to write about Romans 14 because God has used it in a great way in my life. I am able to be fully convinced in where God has brought me (and will continue to bring me) I realize that God does not give the same convictions to every person that he saves. God is a Holy Righteous God and we do need to make sure that we are seeking Him for all area's in our life. It would be foolish for me to go and do something against my conscience. God has placed my conscience in me to protect me. We should never ignore His convictions in our life. My prayer is that all who read this would get their eyes off others and onto Christ. We will all stand before Him one day, not each other!

50 things about me

2008-10-26T18:25:00.000-07:00

I was reading my friends blog and she made a "100 things about me" list and told everyone to go make one too. I thought I would but I don't think I have the mental energy to make it through 100 so I'm shooting for 50. Here goes nothing

1. I love the south but can't stand Florida
2. I live in Virginia but feel like it is the north. Nobody says ya'll here
3. I hate a dirty kitchen.
4. my dishes get washed right away
5. I love having my feet rubbed
6. my first kiss was Joe
7. if I could spend time with anyone I would usually pick my husband
8. unless I've been with him all day, then I'd probably just want to be alone.
9. I'm pregnant with our 4th baby and we've only been married 5 years
10. I don't have a dishwasher
11. my feet get really dry
12. a dog chased me under a trailer when I was little
13. I'm scared of all animals
14. I've never held a dog or cat
15. but I think labs are cute
16. Noah wants a dog
17. I love big porches with swings
18. I have a horrible memory
19. my dad died in college
20. I really miss him and wish he knew my kids
21. I'm left handed
22. I was a cheerleader in high school and college
23. I play the clarinet
24. I want to start playing the piano again but am too busy with the kids
25. The four funnest years of my life were in college
26. I went to clearwater christian college
27. I'm trying to read through the bible and have been stuck in Leviticus for awhile!
28. I love new recipes
29. I pray a lot in the car
30. I never know where my phone is
31. I think it's gross when I see people lick mayonnaise packets
32. I love talking to old people
33. when I get really nervous, I start laughing and can't stop
34. my mom is my best friend, other than Joe
35. I love hand written letters
36. I loved my home growing up
37. I want my kids to love our home as much as I loved mine
38. my husband is a pastor
39. I could talk about my kids for hours
40. I have strange feet
41. my middle name is Adeeb
42. once I make a close friend, I am a friend for life.
43. I love heart to heart talks
44. I love to ski but haven't gone in years
45. I love the smell of coffee but can't stand the taste
46. I love cappuccinos from gas stations
47. I am never the same size from always being pregnant
48. I love the sauna
49. I love listening to sermons from John Piper and John MacArthur
50. I try to be the same person in public that I am at home.

ok, that list took me awhile. I'm glad I did 50 and not 100! Give me a post back and tell me 10 things I wouldn't already know about you!!

A party or the hospital??

2008-08-12T11:04:00.000-07:00

Joe said something today that has got me thinking. We were talking about Noah and Georgia and how God has wired them so differently. He said, when I look at Noah and Georgia I see you and me. (for those of you that don't know our kids, that would mean Noah=me and Georgia=Joe). He said, if I were on my way to a party or the hospital, I would want you or Noah by my side the whole time, but day to day tasks and getting things accomplished I'm takin Georgia Anne. Well, this was really funny at first but now I'm stuck on the whole comment. I'm glad Noah and I would get to go for a depressing trip to the hospital or a party once every blue moon, but day to day... our little easy as pie Georgia Anne is the child of choice. Why?

Thinking about what he said, it's true, if Noah or I am involved, there's a good chance something is gonna happen. Sometimes bad and sometimes good. If Joe or Georgia is involved things usually go according to the plan..

SO which one is better? Well, if you're sanguine/outgoing you're gonna say Noah and I have the goods. But if you are melancholy/introverted you're gonna say poor Joe and Georgia, how do they deal with them. the point?

Well, I couldn't be like Joe or Georgia if I tried (and believe me I HAVE tried many times) and if Joe and Georgia tried to be like us, they couldn't... so the point...

DRUM ROLL please

Psalms 139:13-16 says, "For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:13-16).

God made all of us just the way we are. We are going to have different struggles and sin issues we have to repent of and work through for our sanctification. A verse that have served me well with my personality is I Tim 4:7 where we are told to "discipline ourselves unto godliness".. Some spiritual disciplines take a lot of effort but they are GOOD for me..

So if Joe is going to the hospital, get your shoes on Noah, we are invited!

favorite verse

2008-06-14T11:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, this verse has got to go down as one of my favorites. I have come back to this verse weekly since I have had kids in the toddler years!! I keep reminding myself of Psalms 127:1.... it says Unless the Lord builds the house,. they labor in vain who build it. I want to hang that verse on my wall one day because all this work I'm doing is worthless unless the LORD does a work in my kids hearts.... anyways, I
love that verse and keep reminding myself of it.... it's a good
reminder for me to go to my bedroom, shut the door and PRAY!!!

Prosperity Gospel

2008-05-30T20:04:00.000-07:00

Pictures

2008-04-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

Here's my rascals. Noah, Georgia and Mr. Titus

Here are some pictures with Chuck and Julie's kids when they came to see us in February. Charlie was really funny this time. When he and Noah weren't wrestling, he was declaring his love for Georgia.

STOP!!!!

2008-04-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was trying to cook dinner while all 3 kids were running around the place. I put Titus on a blanket in the living room to play on his tummy with soft music and I told Noah, "Do not pick Titus up by his stomach" I was outside grilling and walking in and out of the kitchen. Everything seemed fine. Nobody was crying and there was a lot of laughter going on in the living room with the kids. "I finally have it together". I was so proud of myself. Look at me, I thought, cooking while all my kids quietly play together in the living room. I must be doing something right. As my ego was getting bigger and bigger I walked in the living room to compliment my kids model behavior... To my HORROR Noah was tolding Titus by his ankles bouncing his head on the ground over and over again. To see a 3 year old holding your 5 month old baby by the ankles like a pro wrestler was HORRIBLE. "NOAH" I screamed as I rushed to get Titus. "GO sit on your bed" As I held Titus and lay him on the bed to make sure his neck was okay, I realized he was laughing... squealing with delight. His look said to me "Mom, why did you stop the fun. Noah and I were wrestling..." As I frantically got joe from outside, I told him he had to deal with HIS son. I went to my bedroom, I had to be alone. 5 minutes earlier I was patting myself on the back in the kitchen for my parenting skills. Now I am on my bed crying and TICKED. I was SO angry at Noah. What was he thinking!

During the kids nap that day (a few hours earlier), I was reading a book about forgiving your children when they mess up. I kindof skimmed the pages of the chapter. "I don't struggle with forgiving my kids" I thought. So now here I am, a few hours later, wishing I hadn't read that chapter. I wanted to stay angry at Noah. He could have really hurt Titus all because he didn't listen to me!! As I sat on my bed after the incident, I realized that chapter was just what I needed for THIS moment. I could hear Joe disciplining Noah in the other room. Joe spanked Noah and spoke to him about the danger of hanging Titus by the toes. I still wanted to go in there and let him know what a horrible thing it was that he had done, but I knew that I needed to just drop it. To put it in biblical terms, I wanted to be a quarrelsome NAG!! As I sat on my bed and asked the Lord to help me drop the matter, Noah popped his head in my room and ran to me with his arms out. "Mommy, I'm sorry. will you forgive me?" "Of course honey, I forgive you".... Wow, did I just say that? thank you Lord! My flesh wanted to let Noah have it but your Spirit's working spit words of forgiveness off my tongue before my heart even had time to catch up. We prayed together on the bed and God helped me get over it alot faster than I would have on my own. Needless to say, I totally burned the chicken on the grill that day and Noah and Titus are done having blanket time together.....for a few days anyways :)

Love letters to my children

2008-04-16T16:46:00.001-07:00

What a day! 3 kids under 3. Some days it's awesome, today it was a train wreck! Going through the details of the day would be nothing more than me complaining. So instead of complaining. I feel the need to TYPE out each one of these little energy balls and remind myself why I love them. Let's start with the one that is the most work.. my little Noah Spurgeon

Dear Noah,
Oh Noah, the amount of work you take is mind boggling. But you also bring me more joy than you will ever know. You make our family FUN! If I wanted to explain you to yourself when you are grown this is what I would tell you. You love to play with soldiers. Your favorite Bible song is "I'm in the Lord's army". You wear your cowboy boots and cowboy hat every day and your favorite toy is "Sherriff Woody" from Toy Story. He is always in your hand. You refer to yourself as "Cowboy Noah". You LOVE Bible stories with any violence in it. If we are outside, you always have a large stick in your hand. You talk constantly. You love to wrestle with daddy every night. Dad and I have had to work a lot with you on learning to control how much you talk. You get a lot of spankings but they are starting to pay off. You are doing a great job learning to control your emotions. You have gotten a lot better at not whining and sharing with georgia. You love to hear any story from God's word. Every morning you ask me to turn your Bible stories on during breakfast and you soak it up. I pray that you continue to love God's word as you grow. I pray that you would not replace your love with the Bible with a love for things that don't matter. I love you

Dear Georgia Anne,
Oh Georgia, you are my sweet girl. I can not imagine having a more precious little girl. You love to be held and to be kissed. You follow me around all day. You always look at me like you want to be just like me, and I always pray, dear Lord, help me to reflect YOU and not anything else. You love having a purse and sticking things in and out of it. You LOVE baby Titus. If he is awake you want to be with him and give him a blanket, a toy, and a lot of kisses. You love to stand at the window when daddy leaves for the day and wait for him to honk the horn at you. You love to stand at the door waiting for him when he comes home and hold your hands up high waiting for his first hug. You love to walk up and give us random kisses on the lips. You are very persistant with your kisses and we always laugh because it's very methodical and serious :) You are very ticklish under your arms and laugh so hard when I tickle you. You like to swing on the swing outside with me in the afternoons. You are so precious to our family. I love you so much

Dear Titus
You are my miracle baby. The doctors did an ultrasound on you in my womb and rushed you out within an hour because you scored a 0 on a scale of 1-10. When you came out, you were perfect. You are only 5 months old so it's hard to tell what you are going to be like. You love Georgia. When you see her your face gets a big smile on it and you start kicking your feet really hard. We dedicated you in church on Sunday. Your Baba's did the dedication. He prayed that you would "be who you say you are" and then he went on to explain the meaning of your name, Titus Owen. I can't remember all that he said because Noah ran up to the front of the church during it, so hopefully your dad can tell you one day. Anyways, it was good :) I love you buddy and am thankful for your precious life

The church of Oprah exposed

2008-04-07T17:25:00.000-07:00

Here are 2 video's about Oprah. The first one shows what she believes about Jesus, the second is her propegating a new age mindset to thousands!

Guilt

2008-03-18T18:10:00.001-07:00

Guilt... Is all guilt that we feel good? Let me explain!

Ever since I have had kids, I have stuggled with guilt. At first it was when Noah was a baby. He would cry and I would think "why is he crying? what am I doing wrong?" As the responsibilities have increased and life has become more busy guilt has raised it's head in other areas. When I am trying to get dinner on and Noah wants a boook read to him and georgia wants to be held, I would feel guilty that I had other things to do. When Joe comes home and the house is not in order and I look like a "stay at home mom" :) I felt guilty. When I would walk by my laundry basket and it is OVERFLOWING I would feel guilty.... The list goes on and on and on. The stresses that come along with running a home, caring for a family, and wanting to do it with excellence it a way that pleases the Lord can be huge!

So one day I had just had it. I hadn't had a shower, I hadn't had my devotions, my house was a mess, and I needed some peace and quiet... so I packed all my kids in the van and drove and drove and drove. It was my prayer closet, the only quiet place available to me. I needed to pray. As I began to pour my heart out to the Lord, I realized every sentence began with "I feel guilty because..." Somewhere in that van ride I realized that the guilt I was experiencing was not coming from the Lord. It was not a guilt over sin. It was a guilt over being a sinner in need of a Saviour. Let me explain. The reason I felt guilty was because I could not do it all perfectly. Why couldn't I run my home perfectly?? Because I am a sinner. I have been affected by the fall! This is why the Lord has come, to show me my sin and to save me!!! My inadequaciy's are actually a wonderful picture of the gospel. Yes, the Lord wants us to do our best! He tells us "not to be weary in well doing" We should strive to run a home with excellence. we should strive to be like Christ in our marriages and in all other relationships. But if we are truly doing our best and not being slothful, we can look to the Lord in the midst of the chaos and praise Him for redeeming us! Some days, my days I am able to have devotions with my Bible, some days my devotions end up being listening to a great sermon in the van, having a prayer time with the kids on the couch, or praying in the shower. The LOrd knows the season of life we are in. Yes, we should set our goals high but if we are doing our best for the Lord and we don't meet those goals, we should not feel guilty!

God tells us in Genesis 3:1 that satan was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. If we are feeling guilty over something that is not sinful, then it is an unhealthy guilt. So I share all this just to say, once the Lord showed me that a lot of the guilt I was feeling what not coming from Him, I have been able to have a good day even though my circumstances are difficult.

2007-10-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

This is an awesome article my Carolyn Mahaney on True Beauty. It's a little long so I recommend printing it up and reading it for devotions for a week!

TRUE BEAUTY by Carolyn Mahaney

2007-09-18T17:58:00.001-07:00

God always provides

2007-04-04T17:53:00.000-07:00

God has done something BIG for us and I want to share it with everyone. When Joe resigned, the church decided they would pay him for 2 months. His "pay" officially ended this past Sunday. The next day, Joe and I were flying home from Virginia Beach and I realized it was his first day being "unemployed". This morning when I woke up, I fed the kids and loaded them in the car to go to the grocery store. As I was getting groceries, I tried to be as frugal as possible knowing we were no longer having a paycheck coming in. We came home, unloaded the groceries, ate, and then it was nap time. The kids were sleeping and there was a knock on the door. Someone unexpectedly stopped by and handed us a check for a thousand dollars. I couldnt believe the timing of it. Joe's pay ended Sunday, we found out we were pregnant on Monday and Tuesday someone brought us a check that covers all our bills for this month!

I dont know why God put us on those people's mind. But through it, I am reminded that God will supply our needs out of His riches. I heard a pastor say one time that the part of that verse that we should draw comfort from is where the verse says He will provided our needs OUT OF HIS RICHES. His resources to provided for us are unlimited. I have heard a lot of people share stories of how God provided just when they needed Him too... and they always seem to be old people. I hope when I am old, I can still remember this story.

Do yall remember what Psalm 78:4 tells us? It says, "we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done." Oh, the rest of this chapter breaks my heart. The psalmist begs the people not to be like the previous generation "whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him." It then says, "They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them. He did miracles in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand firm like a wall." I wish I could find a way to pour in your hearts the sadness that is in mine reading those verses. Do you know who those verses are talking about? THE PEOPLE THAT SAW GOD PART THE RED SEA!! The same people that walked through those SCARY waters were the same people that forgot to tell their children the works of God... oh, how sad.. I pray God that will not be me. Oh Lord, I have described this trial as my red sea.. I have seen within it, your mighty deeds.. Oh, help me to remember Lord. You have done so much for us. I am going to post all of Psalm 78 if you would like to get alone and read it. As you read it, notice how angry God was with those He had done so much for. The verse I can't help but think of is Luke 12:48 "to whom much is given, much is required.

Psalm 78
1 O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old-- 3 what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. 5 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, 6 so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. 7 Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands. 8 They would not be like their forefathers-- a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him.

9 The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle; 10 they did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by his law. 11 They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them. 12 He did miracles in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. 13 He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand firm like a wall. 14 He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night. 15 He split the rocks in the desert and gave them water as abundant as the seas; 16 he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers. 17 But they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High. 18 They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved. 19 They spoke against God, saying, "Can God spread a table in the desert? 20 When he struck the rock, water gushed out, and streams flowed abundantly. But can he also give us food? Can he supply meat for his people?" 21 When the Lord heard them, he was very angry; his fire broke out against Jacob, and his wrath rose against Israel, 22 for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance. 23 Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens; 24 he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven. 25 Men ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat. 26 He let loose the east wind from the heavens and led forth the south wind by his power. 27 He rained meat down on them like dust, flying birds like sand on the seashore. 28 He made them come down inside their camp, all around their tents. 29 They ate till they had more than enough, for he had given them what they craved. 30 But before they turned from the food they craved, even while it was still in their mouths, 31 God's anger rose against them; he put to death the sturdiest among them, cutting down the young men of Israel. 32 In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe. 33 So he ended their days in futility and their years in terror. 34 Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again. 35 They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. 36 But then they would flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues; 37 their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant. 38 Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. 39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.

40 How often they rebelled against him in the desert and grieved him in the wasteland! 41 Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel. 42 They did not remember his power-- the day he redeemed them from the oppressor, 43 the day he displayed his miraculous signs in Egypt, his wonders in the region of Zoan. 44 He turned their rivers to blood; they could not drink from their streams. 45 He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them. 46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper, their produce to the locust. 47 He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore-figs with sleet. 48 He gave over their cattle to the hail, their livestock to bolts of lightning. 49 He unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility-- a band of destroying angels. 50 He prepared a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death but gave them over to the plague. 51 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham. 52 But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the desert. 53 He guided them safely, so they were unafraid; but the sea engulfed their enemies. 54 Thus he brought them to the border of his holy land, to the hill country his right hand had taken. 55 He drove out nations before them and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance; he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes. 56 But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes. 57 Like their fathers they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow. 58 They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols. 59 When God heard them, he was very angry; he rejected Israel completely. 60 He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent he had set up among men. 61 He sent the ark of his might into captivity, his splendor into the hands of the enemy. 62 He gave his people over to the sword; he was very angry with his inheritance. 63 Fire consumed their young men, and their maidens had no wedding songs; 64 their priests were put to the sword, and their widows could not weep. 65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, as a man wakes from the stupor of wine. 66 He beat back his enemies; he put them to everlasting shame. 67 Then he rejected the tents of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim; 68 but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved. 69 He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever. 70 He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; 71 from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. 72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.

Pregnant!!

2007-04-02T20:27:00.000-07:00

After much shock, we just found out we are pregnant again. We are SUPER EXCITED, SUPER SUPRISED AND SUPER DUPER SCARED. Lord willing, our baby is due December 1st. I never thought in 4 years of marriage we would have 3 kids! I always get really sick in the first trimester so if you ever think of me please pray God would strengthen me. If this baby is a girl, I want to name her Faith..... Our life is so uncertain right now and faith is the one thing I feel like God is requiring from us. Joe and I have had alot of time today to talk and laugh. There couldn't be a scarier time for us to find out we are pregnant. Life right now is amazing though. I have NEVER had to depend on the Lord in the way we have in the past 2 months. Every single aspect of our life is COMPLETELY uncertain right now. Do I trust God? Do I believe Him when He tells me He will meet all of our needs? Do I believe I am strongest in Him when I am weakest in myself? Welp, it's time to find out..

Men of God

2007-03-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

Joe and I just got back from the Ligonier Conference. We've gone to this the past 3 years with Chuck and Julie (Joe's brother). Julie and I had the babies with us so we spent a lot of the time roaming the halls and sitting in the stairway, but we still were able to hear most of the preaching. Most of the conference dealt with the subject of post modernism. Honestly, most of this was over my head, but it was good for me. One night during the conference, I looked on the front row and I was overwhelmed as I looked at so many of the men God has used in my life over the years, all sitting next together. John Piper, R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur, Al Mohler, and Ravi Zacharias. As I looked at them, I realized there were so many other pastors in that room that probably would never recieve recognition for all they have also done for the Lord in this life. Everyone was shaking these well known pastor's hands and thanking them... certainly God has used them greatly in so many people's lives. but what about all the other pastors that have served just as faithfully? So many men study and preach week after week to small churches... so many men in that room will never preach to a crowd more than 100. I read a book by Kay Aurthur a few years ago. It was a study of the names of God. One name has always stuck with me. The name is El Roi and it means the God who sees. We may see what these men who have written books and preach to thousands have accomplished for the Lord,but today I am thankful that our Lord is El Roi. He knows the faithfulness of his servants... even if we are never able to thank them personally. I pray that the Lord would open my eyes to some of these servants so that I can thank them for their faithfulness.

wrong motives

2007-03-09T10:40:00.000-08:00

I heard a great sermon this morning about marriage. The preacher was talking about his marriage and how it seems like his wife is the hardest person in the world to show Christ love towards. I've thought about that a lot today. God has blessed me with an AWESOME husband who desires to put Christ first in our home. The Lord gave me a great husband, but he did not give me a perfect husband... just like God did not give Joe a perfect wife. The problem is, sometimes I expect Joe to be as wonderful to me as Jesus is instead of trying to be as wonderful to him as Jesus is to him. I guess that is what I am realizing more and more. Even my love for my husband is affected by my sinfulness. I want my love for him to be motivated by my love for Christ.. Sadly, I am realizing my motivation is more of a love for myself than for the Lord. My motivation is wrong Lord and you are showing me that today. Only you can change this in me. I ask that you would.

Our Red Sea

2007-02-07T05:37:00.000-08:00

To make a long story short, let me explain what the Lord is doing in our family right now. After many months of seeking counsel from men of God and much prayer, Joe has decided to take 4 recommendations for change before our church body. As the pastor, it is the direction he believes the Lord would have him lead. He brought these 4 recommendations individually before the men. Two men were in complete agreement, believing these changes were needed in our church. One man was in complete opposition. After meeting with all the men together, it was evident that the man that disagreed would never be ok with any of these changes (we disagree with this family but we genuinely love them). We are emotionally drained and exhausted, but we know the Lord is doing His will and is in complete control. Joe is resigning Sunday evening and we have no idea what the Lord has in our future.

I just wanted to share the situation so I could better explain the lessons God is teaching me right now. God saved me when I was 10 years old. In this time, I would say there have been 3 big trials God has put in my life. With each trial, the Lord has laid a portion of Scripture heavily on my mind the weeks before. This trial has been no different. Last week, the Lord gave me a portion of scripture that has been food to my soul during this time.

The passage God is using in my life is the parting of the Red Sea. (you can read all about it in Exodus 14 and 15) The Lord parts the red sea and the children of Israel walk through it. A few weeks ago, I started to think of what it must have been like to walk through the sea. Can you imagine getting a mile into the ocean and looking up and realizing the walls of water on both sides of you could come crashing down on you and you would drown right there? Those people were human... they had to be so scared at some points in that journey!! I know at some point I would have looked up at those towering walls of water thinking what was I thinking walking through this water. I'm gonna get myself and my family killed. Consider for a second the only thing that was keeping the water from coming down on them was the Lord. The pressure of miles and miles and miles of water was pushing against those "walls" on both sides of them. If you have any sense to you, you'd realize the laws of physics say there's no way that water can withstand all that pressure. That water was totally held back by the Lord. Prov. 8:29 says, "... he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command".

My point is that when those people were obeying the Lord and walking through the parted ocean, they had to be a little scared. But, can you imagine what it must have been like to walk through it, then turn around and watch the Lord put the water back in place! They had to be shouting and singing and crying and telling the world what their God had done! How is this my "red sea"? Well, I'm a little scared too. We don't have a clue as to where God is taking us. We know we are obeying the Lord walking through these uncertain waters, but already this week I have felt like I am going to crumble. I just need to keep reminding myself, the Lord will hold the walls up and we will get through this. God could put us in the mountains or in the jungles, your guess is as good as mine. The great thing is one day we will be looking back on "walking through" this trial. I want to be able to look back at this time of complete uncertainty and uneasiness and tell my kids all God did. I dont want to be like the children of Israel who forgot to tell their kids of what God did for them. They did not tell their children of God's working in their life and those kids grew up worshiping the god's of the people all around them. Lord, please don't let us forget!

My memory is horrible, just ask anyone who has ever lived with me. I dont know how many glasses and sets of keys I've lost in my life. It would be so easy for me to forget the details of what God has done if I didn't journal. I encourage you to write down what God has done for you so you can share with your kids all God has done in your life. We serve an AWESOME God, let's not forget that!

Fayez's ordination

2007-01-22T19:29:00.000-08:00

For those of you that know my brother Fayez, he was ordained at his church last night. The service began with Great is Thy Faithfulness. As we were singing that song, I started to think of dad. He would have been smiling from ear to ear to see Fayez being ordained. I usually just miss my dad for myself, so I can spend time with him, but this time I just wished he was there for Fayez, dad would have been SO proud of him. The tears flowed all night, but they were tears of joy.Anyways, Dr. Davies, from good 'ole CCC came and preached the message. He said one thing that stuck with me. He was saying how when he met Fayez 10 years ago, he was "becoming who he has become". Fayez was the same 10 years ago only "raw". Today I started thinking about what Dr. Davies said last night, about "he was becoming who he has become". My mind goes straight to the little ones God has loaned me. What will they be like 10 years from now if I continue to raise them as I am today? What will their hearts love? What am I doing to make sure those hearts love God? Am I pointing at trees and saying look how pretty or am I pointing at trees and saying "God made that pretty tree for us to enjoy" I can't just assume he will believe there is a Creator, I must teach him there is a Creator, who made all things. I heard a lady say one time "when God gives us our children they are "empty heads".. then she said if we do not fill those empty heads with things of the Lord they will be filled with the things of this world." Let's pray right now God would help us fill these little heads for Him Dear Lord I just pray for all of us moms who have these little children that belong to You. Please Lord, remind us in the busy of our days to look for ways to point our children to You. Lord, on our own, we just forget or get too busy.. Please remind us..please point us towards you in the creation and in the circumstances you bring in our lives. Help us to pray with our children during the day.. please help us Lord. We need You, we are not able to do it without You. In your precious Son's name Amen

The danger of our eyes

2007-01-20T20:02:00.000-08:00

Whenever I hear a verse talking about "guarding your eyes" I always think, that's not for me, that's a verse for guys. But I noticed something tonight in Genesis 3 I have never seen before. When Eve committed that famous first sin, she was "captivated by what she saw". Through her eye gates, lust was born in her and that desire became sin, which James tells us, leads to death. What do my eyes linger toward? I don't know what your eyes desire, but I sure know what my eyes lead me to. A big house with a big yard, with big oak trees, with a big playroom, with a big kitchen, with a big bathroom, with a big laundry room.. and if all those things are not BIG, I am not interested. :)The point is, it isn't just guys that have to guard their eyes.. we do too. Would I rather have possessions or give? sometimes possesssions but when I would rather hoard my money on myself, I pray the Lord would remind me to stop LIVING FOR THIS WORLD! We are living in a world where materialism is even acceptable in the church. Let's all check ourselves and make sure, whether rich or poor, we are not captivated by what we see.

Plumbing problems

2007-01-19T06:50:00.000-08:00

This week has been interesting. At the beginning of the week, our toilet, shower, and kitchen sink stopped working. We didn't have any water that you could drink, no way to shower, go the the bathroom, cook, do laundry or dishes. There's two ways to handle this: get upset and become discontent with the circumstances God has placed us in (my first response) or give it to the Lord, trust Him, and laugh.... there has been a lot to laugh at this week. Quite a few times Joe would be studying in his office and I would run in.... leave the kids sitting there and barely make it to the church bathroom. Joe's helped me laugh a lot too, the other day he was leaving and said "is the first or second one yours?" I had no clue what he was talking about and was in the middle of running after one of the kids. He kept saying it and finally I got flustered and snapped at him "what are you talking about". He said "have you been peeing on the first or second tree? I've been using the first one" I think I laughed all afternoon at him. Laughter has been good medicane for us this week. The plumber fixed everything yesterday and now my house smells like bleach. :) Maybe the Lord took all our water away for a week to cause me to stop and beg him to help me be content. It's easy when things are going good, but when those trials come, big or small, I am so quick to fall on my face and realize I am doing this on my own strength again and acting as the world in my trials. Lord, thank you for our plumbing problem because through that you brought me closer to you. love you sabrina

A Godly Woman

2007-01-10T19:21:00.000-08:00

I want to tell yall about an awesome family I met this week at a yearly Bible conference we go to in the area, they are the Gilly family. Let me tell you a little about them. Mrs Gilly was barren for 7 years and has had 3 miscarriages, one of these precious babies she carried full term. Over the years, the Lord has chosen to open her womb and bless her with 7 more children. Her 2 oldest children are on the mission field and currently the family is traveling full time in a conversion van staying in hotels across the country while Mr. Gilley preaches at different churches. She is homeschooling the youngest 5 as they travel.

If you met Mrs. Gilly you would see the Lord all over her. She has such a sweet countanance and it is obvious her husband and children adore her. I wish I could sit under her more than just in conversations this week. She recommended 2 books to me that I want to pass on to yall. One is called What the Bible says about child training by Richard Fugate and Child training tips by Reb Bradley. Her husband told me someone gave these books to them before they ever had children and they have always enjoyed them... I'm excited to read them....

She gave me a really good idea to train Noah to sit in church. She said when her kids were younger, she would sit them on the couch (all next to each other) every day after lunch and would have "church practice time" She would put in a Bible tape for the kids to listen to and they had to sit still and listen (with no talking) just as they would sit if they were in church. She said she sat on the couch right across from them with her "rod" and they were expected to act as they would in the service. They started off with 5 minutes and eventually her kids could sit the full service time...I'll let you know how this goes :) Take a look at their websight. It is http://www.ffministry.org/new_page_1.htm She told me there is a "mom" section on it.

PICTURES

2007-01-07T11:29:00.000-08:00

Here's some pictures of our family. Noah and Georgia Anne are our blessings from God!

Christian mom??

2007-01-06T18:18:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick overview of my day: I wake up, spend time with the Lord, eat some breakfast, find something that is clean and matches (or at least clean :), the kids wake up and the day goes hi-speed from there. Anyways, I can't talk about what I do all day without sharing with yall what God is doing IN me during my days. I remember when Noah was a newborn thinking "man I do the same stuff every day." One day I was standing at my sink thinking, what is the difference between being a christian stay at home mom and an unsaved stay at home mom. I mean, what is the difference .... we do the exact same stuff (feeding, diapers, cleaning, etc..) . I remember that question just got stuck in my brain and I thought about it for weeks!! Being a Christian has to impact how we are a mom even when our children are newborns.. I remember the Lord clearly reminding me of the verse "And whatever you do.... DO ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD!!!!" And then I figured out the difference... I don't know what the motivation for unsaved moms is, but I KNOW my motivation and purpose is to GLORIFY Christ! When the Lord reminded me of this 2 years ago, I began to actually enjoy all the mundane things in my day. When I wash my dishes I can pray dear Lord whoever ate off of this plate today, grow them to be more like you. I LOVE doing dishes when I am praying for my family. When my laundry is more of a mountain than a pile I can thank Christ for giving me a husband and children... We have a different purpose than the person who does not have Christ as their Abba Father. When we look at life as the unbeliever does, we end up acting like we belong to this world. But what a difference our Lord can make in our lives if we are RENEWING our mind in His Word then applying what He teaches us.