Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Malachi

     I recently had the opportunity to be a part of a bible study in the home of Allison Wilks. God has given all of us a gift, and hers is definitely teaching. I still remember the first time God used her to kick me in the butt. It's as if she had followed me that week and knew exactly what I needed to hear. Well of course she didn't follow me but God did. God has used her several times to speak to me, and I am so thankful for her obedience to Him.

     Our bible study was on the book of Malachi. I've never read this book before. It's the last book of the old testament and is filled with (once again) God's love, discipline, and promise to restore those who are His. I use to be the secretary of the singles class at my church. Since I've gotten married I resigned my position. After every Sunday school class I would send an email during the week wrapping up what we discussed. So here it goes...




     God loves you. He loved His people even though they were in a destructive cycle of sin and its bondage, repentance, forgiveness, and living in harmony with God only to fall back into sin and start the cycle over. It's so easy to read the life of the Israel people and wonder, "What were they thinking? I mean they were in the loving arms of God. Why would they ever chose to leave that and return to the bondage of sin?"

You've never thought that?

Me neither...still I can't help but see myself in them. Do we not do the same things? Here's what God has done for us. He has given us what we don't deserve and kept from us what we do deserve. We are sinners people, and no matter how hard we try we are still sinners. He has given us grace. He loves us so much to give us a book of knowledge to learn Him. The bible is our way to study the Lord and to be more like Him. It is natural for every child to want to be like their father or mother. As a Christian we should have a desire to be the best representation of our Father. The only way to know Him is to spend time with Him and time in the living, breathing word.

     Every day we have a choice. We need to chose to stay in the will of God. What's His will for us? Everyone is called to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. What does that look like for you? It could mean being the best wife, mom, father, husband, leader, or whatever else you are passionate about. It means bringing God into everything you do to show His light in your life. It means being good stewards of our time. It means falling at the feet of Jesus and keeping a short account of our sins. It means giving God our first fruits and not our left overs. It means learning when to say yes, and learning when to say, "I am doing more important work for the Lord right now and cannot commit myself to this task." It means knowing what fits in line with your gifts, and not taking a position from some one else God is working on to be used just because you are afraid to tell someone no.

Why are we so scared to tell someone no anyways? Yet we find it easy to say no to God? It could be because of that old saying that people write you in pen, and your family writes you in pencil. Family and those closes to you will erase your faults, whereas someone who's just met you will write you off by the first appearance or association with you. That's why we find it easier to be nice to a stranger and yet take a hard day out on the ones we love. I think it's because we know God will forgive and accept us with our faults. Still is that anyway to treat the one who died for us, who has given us so much? Is our wasted time and efforts how we think He should be repaid? Family may write you in pencil, and strangers in ink, but God wrote you in the blood of the lamb. We owe Him so much more than what we are giving. At least I know I do.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Apples Of Gold

Winter 2012 Apples of Gold



Winter 2012 Apples of Gold and Mentors



     My church has a program where more experienced ladies take on the task of teaching us younger ones the proper ways of a wife. All of the studies are biblical sound. The topics they teach are...

Kindness
Loving Your Husband
Loving Your Children
Submission
Purity
Hospitality

     Each week we would meet at the home of Sylvia Knight. We always started with a time of prayer. After prayer time we would be directed to the kitchen. Each week we had a brief section on how to cook what we were eating that night. After the beautiful demonstration by Dianne Penton we would be escorted to a game room where we would have our bible study time. It's just wonderful being around such powerful Christian women. They are the ones that know what it takes to make a marriage and family work. Each week these women would take turns teaching us what the bible says about each topic. I got to laugh with them, pray with them, talk with them, and cry with them. It was a wonderful time had by all. When the bible study was over we would then go back down to the den and kitchen. We all would sit and be formally served a meal each night. The 6 week program ended on Valentines night. What a beautiful way to end it with a sit down dinner with our apple mentors and our husbands. Mine couldn't be there of course because he's stationed in South Korea. He was there in spirit, and many people said he was missed.

     As a gift (a sort of graduation gift if you will) we received aprons that have scripture on them and our name.

 It reads, "Like apples of gold in settings of silver. Proverbs 25:11."

     I wanted to thank these special women from my church. Like I said these are powerful women because of their submission God. Sylvia Knight, Sue Savell, Dianne Penton, Jeannie Boyd, Wynette Cox, Arlinda Coleman, and Beverly Malone, thank you ladies for your time, love, and obedience to God. You have truly touched this apple's life. May I now be able to take up root and spread my seeds just as you all have done.



Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Singing In Church


I recently had the opportunity to sing the special at all three services of my church. I've been singing since I was about 5 years old. I remember my dad getting his first guitar. He would sit on the edge of the piano bench at church and play while the three of us sang. My older sister Heather could play the piano beautifully, and the house was filled with my mother's singing voice. I can still hear her singing Bringing In The Sheaves as she rocked us to sleep. 

Okay so you get the point...I've grown up around singing and music. It was known by my parents, at an early age that God gave me the gift of singing. When I was in the 4th grade I joined my first choir. It was so much fun. I learned how to be an alto (thanks to the most amazing teacher Glenn Greg). I could pick out harmony notes just like that and remember those weird notes we altos have to sing a lot. It was fun... it still is. 

I've wanted to sing for my church since I started going in June of 2006. I joined the choir (thanks to Beverly Malone) and have enjoyed making those people my family. Besides Sunday's my second favorite day of the week is Wednesday. I tell my husband I go to praise the Lord, love on some special choir members, and to be loved by them. Still I didn't feel like it was enough. Erin Stinbridge joined about a year or two after me. She has an amazing alto voice that can hit some pretty high notes. I'm still not sure why she's not a soprano. I'm also sure its because of her that we've been able to have this opportunity. We were paired together to sing this past Sunday. We both share the same nervousness of singing in front of people. If you can get that first note out your fine. I got tickled at us fighting over who was going to start the song. I got voleen"told", as they say, since she started the last song we sang together. 

The performance went well and I enjoyed all three times we had to sing. One thing I noticed was our choir director standing in the back of the sanctuary for each service. As I left the church that day I began to wonder why he did that. Was he feeling like a proud papa because we were an extension of his choir? Had he not ever heard the song and liked it? Just as I was asking myself that I remembered his smile while we sang. Mitch is always cheerful and has a positive light about him. My thoughts were directed at another proud papa that day. You see God was listening too. Erin and I were both nervous. It's just because you want to get it right. You know hit every note and be on pitch. While I think we did excellent. God gave me a peace as I left church Sunday. God told me in the parking lot, "Good job my sweet child. Just know that your obedience means more to me than you hitting every noted perfectly." See God loves me and cares for me deeply. He wishes nothing but the best for me. It's not how good I am but the fact that I allow him to work through me for the betterment of the other sweet child he loves...that's you! 



Jeremiah 29:11-13

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "Plans for your welfare, not disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to Me, and come and pray to Me. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."