Signing Off

I am going to be moving my blog. You can find my new space at www.crystalledford.wordpress.com

Stumbling Giants

It seems that every body I talk to lately is struggling with something. As those of you who read this blog regularly know, I have been through my share of struggles lately as well. Giants...people.
Giants want to take over our lives. They taunt us and haunt us. They push us and pull us knowing that it would only take one more good yank and some of us would fall. Giants.
We can't allow them to win! That's not how the story goes. It only takes one stone... We have to stay focused on God - a hard thing when we have the feeling that we are going up the creek without a paddle.
The struggle stinks, but if we stay faithful, God will pull us through it. He wants to know that we trust Him and that we sincerely rely on Him to take care of us.
We all need to pray for the pastors in our church, as well as each other. Our prayer should be that God would force us to change and even though it may be painful that we would become more like Him. Change is difficult and its not always easy, especially when God moves us in a direction that we are uncomfortable going in, but we don't have a right to complain.
In the words of Max Lucado, "Focus on Giants, you stumble. Focus on God, your Giants tumble!"
Peace

Last One Standing

"I'm gonna be the last one standing, fighting for something much bigger than me..."
These are the words to a Mercy Me song that I heard on the way to school this morning. So many people have offered encouraging words over the past few days, but the reoccurring theme has been to stay in the ring and fight.
I am going through Max Lucado's Facing Your Giants with my devotion group at school on Wednesday mornings and I was reminded of that theme again as I read Chapter 1 to them this morning. David wasn't perfect...he messed up...alot, but God still called him a man after his own heart. (Acts 13:22)
I know that I'm not perfect...I'm not ever going to be perfect. I also know that I love God and He loves me enough to look past my imperfection and see the real me - the me that He designed me to be.
I also realize now, after much affirmation, that because I am doing what I feel God has called me to do, that I am going to receive what Barry calls "hate mail..." I'm just going to try to take the advice of a friend and throw it away from now on.
Thanks for the words of encouragement and advice!
Peace!

Chasing me

I have been struggling ever since I got that anonymous bible verse in my box at school. I have started to question myself about everything. I just feel like I don't really know what I'm doing anymore or who I'm really doing it for.
I love God and there is no doubt in my mind that he came into my heart and saved my life in February 2006. I don't want to do or say anything that would ever take glory and honor away from my Heavenly Father. I'm really confused and scaired.
Last night, I fought with a demon. All night long, he chased me and he has begun to make me question my every word and deed.
Its crazy how the devil can use God's word to get to me...
Right now, I need prayer,but I'm afraid to ask for it because I don't want to draw attention to myself and away from God. I don't really know what to do, except to continue to pray that God will help me through this.

Amazing Grace

Yesterday morning when I got to school there was a note in my mailbox. It had been typed and printed off of a computer (I'm assuming so I would not recognize the handwriting). The only thing on the paper was this: Matthew 6:1,6:5-7.

I went to my classroom and took out my Message Bible to read the verses and this is what I read:

"Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding."

"And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?"
Here's what I want you to do:" Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and advice, peddling techniques for getting you what you want from God."

To say that I was shocked and hurt would be an understatement. This has come in response to the group of teachers that meets in my room on Wednesday mornings for prayer and devotion. I don't even conduct the devotion or lead the prayer usually. I simply started this group so that we could have an opportunity to hear God's word and pray together for each other, our students, and our school.

I don't believe that this individual knows me personally, but I just want this person to know that there is nothing fake about my love for my God. I am not acting - I actually do believe in the BIBLE and I actually do believe that through amazing grace, God sent His Son, Jesus to save me. I will not be a quiet Christian!! I live out loud for God because I want the world to know what He has done in my life. God's word tells us in Matthew 28:18-20, "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train evryone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son , and Holy Spirit. Then instuct them in the practice all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day, right up to the end of the age."

I believe that God is pleased with what I am doing in his name. I pray daily that I will not be allowed to do anything that takes glory and honor from my Savior. God saved my life - He changed me and made me a new creation.

I pray that the person who put that note in my box will find peace and rest in Christ and that they will be confronted with God's love and mercy daily until they can no longer stand to be quiet about God's work in their own life.
Peace..

Change gonna come...

Over the past several weeks,I have found myself struggling in almost every area of my life. I was feeling like I was trying so hard to keep my life and all of the aspects of it in order but no matter what I did, I was just failing at everything. Those of you who have read my blog before know that my demons are perfectionism and failure and I have to say that they have begun to attack in a fierce way.
I began to pray a few days ago that God would continue to change me and make me more like Him. I really don't think that I realized what I was asking for though. Because over the last several days, I have recognized things about myself that are just ugly and I have been in a lot of personal anguish about it.
I have battled major depression before and I don't want to get back to that point. Because of my perfectionsim and failure issues, I don't like to admit when I am wrong or when something is wrong with me. But I know that I have to if I really do want to be more like Christ. So here is my confession...
I love to sing and I am so very thankful to God that he blessed me with that ability and allowed me to grow up in a musical family. As a member of a praise team, I began to take that talent for granted though and I know that God recognized that in me. When I learned that I would not be able to use my talent in a public way, I was hurt.
Because I was hurting, I felt like I didn't really have a place in ministry and that everyone was just out to hurt me or the people that I love. This is stupid, I know, but this is how my mind works.
Now I understand that this is not about me. I know that God will only allow me to be used for a greater purpose if I learn to humble myself and do what He asks. So here goes...
I am truly sorry to the people that I have hurt over the past several months and I hope that you all can find it in your hearts to forgive me. I am still growing as a Christian and it is hard, but I needed to take this step. I sincerely pray that God will continue my Metamorphosis as I begin to grow closer to Him and step further and further outside of my comfort zone.
Peace!

What does it mean to be called?

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28

When I first was saved, I kept hearing people say things like "God called me..." or "God told me.." I have to admit, I was a little confused. As far as I knew we could not hear God audibly. So I began to try to figure out how to know when God is talking if my ears can't hear his voice. After reading about this (hey, I'm a teacher, so I always read about stuff first) and talking with people who told me that they had heard from God, I began to realize that God speaks to our hearts, individually. God has a personal conversation with us that no one else can hear, just like when I got saved...it was God who was talking to me and saying I needed to give my life to Him.
When people say they have been called by God to do something, only them and God know for sure. It is not for the rest of us to sit around and speculate whether or not we think that God has called someone to accomplish a specific task that He has placed upon their heart. We can not interfere with the call of God...we will be held accountable for our actions and He will accomplish His task with or without the support of people. God does not need us, but He does want us to be a part of something greater than ourselves.
As Christians, we are held responsible for sharing the gospel of Christ...this is our primary task. We must not allow our lives to be filled with selfish desires, but we must turn to God to understand that what He wants is to have His name and His message shared with everyone, not just the people we know or see everyday. This is a God-sized task that only He can accomplish, but if we open our hearts and minds, we will have the opportunity of being a part of something as awesome as this.
Please pray for our pastor and our families as God begins to move in our lives.

Healing Old Wounds

Lately, I have been working on forgiveness and not just sort of forgiving, but truly forgiving. This past week, the Lord allowed me to experience what it is like to truly forgive and to let go of all of the hurt and anger that goes along with it. My faith in God allowed me to do something bigger than myself. God placed a burden on my heart and a desire to truly let go of the one thing that I had not been able to until now.
I was listening to this song by Brandon Heath called "I'm Not Who I Was" and that about summed up the way I feel. I praise God for allowing me to be in His presence and to feel his grace and mercy. Barry and Willie both have said that they were proud of me-but the glory goes to God. I couldn't have done it without Him.

Women's Rights?

I just want to thank the Lord for allowing me to be born during this time period. I have just been reading about the war between the Benjamites and the Israelites in Judges. The thing that got me was that they went to war because the Benjamites murdered a Levite concubine and then the Israelites felt bad because they didn't give the Benjamites wives to continue their tribe's lineage. So what was the obvious solution? To go out and kidnap a wife....!
Now, I don't know about you, but I personally don't know how I would feel if I was having a good ol' time at the festival and all of the sudden ol' boy just came out the woods and kidnapped me and said I had to be his wife?!
All I can say is thank you Lord for again allowing me to be born during this time period.
Holla!

Benevolent Designer?

So, I took the personal dna thing and it told me that I am a benevolent designer..haha. Which, translates to mean I'm a treehugger with good taste...Go figure.
Ok, well, in other thoughts...I read about Gideon defeating the Midianites with only 300 men this morning. I believe that God wanted me to see that sometimes He puts us in situations that we feel are impossible, but we need to only have faith and believe that all things are possible through Him. See, if we accomplish something difficult on our own because we had a lot of help (ie. thousands of soldiers...) then we will take the credit for that. But, if we accomplish something that we know is impossible, then we give God the credit because we understand that God alone could have accomplished such a task.
We don't need to worry about things that God places on our hearts. No matter how impossible things appear, if God wants to accomplish something He can do it no matter if there are 300 men or 30.
Peace!

WARNING: This could offend you...

First, let me say that the opinions expressed on this blog are mine. Ok, so...music. Since I was old enough to listen to music, I have loved it...all kinds. Music has the ability to stir emotions like nothing else, it can make you happy when you're sad, it can lift you up in tradgedy, it can express your feelings when you can't. You don't even have to know what the singer is saying to have your emotions stirred by music. I mean, believe it or not, I sang Italian opera in college and half the time I didn't know what I was singing, but I was still moved by the music. The best kind of music though, is music that lifts up the name of God.
Some church people believe that the only kind of music that does this are hymns. Some will even go as far as singing or listening to "southern gospel," which is basically bluegrass with Christian lyrics. WARNING: If you are one of those people, your toes are about to get stepped on, so you may want to stop reading here.
What makes the music that we sing in the 8:30 service different than your favorite Sunday morning hymn? It is really hurtful to have our motives for what we choose to sing questioned. The purpose for what we sing is the exact same as the purpose for singing hymns...to draw people to God, to lift up the name of JESUS CHRIST and to praise GOD for what He has done in our lives. NO ONE in the praise band is singing or playing for our own glorification...Robbie, as well as the rest us, is totally sold out to God and we don't do anything unless we feel that God will get the glory. God gifted us with these talents and we are using them to serve Him. We put hours into what we do every week in order to give our best to GOD. We are not just "playing church" out there. God is working through all of us to draw people to Himself.
So just to clear things up, stop concerning your self with whether we are praising God or not. We are! Your energy would be better spent on praying for lost loved ones and co-workers and random people that you meet.
Peace out!

Don't Trip

During my family vacation, I had a lot of time to think about the changes that have been taking place in my life over the last year. I thought about the fact that Barry has been called to the ministry and what that has come to mean for me.
I am really honored that God called Barry and I am willing to follow where God leads him. Barry is a spiritually strong person and God uses him to speak to me.
Sometimes though, I think that people forget that we are real people...born sinners just like everyone else. We make mistakes just like every one else and we get hurt just like everyone else. I think that sometimes people think that a pastor and his wife should be perfect - without sin or flaws. That is just not possible.
The only perfect person and friend is JESUS. I have a misguided sense of humor that gets me into trouble sometimes. I sometimes do things or say things that I think are hilarious and nobody else does. But God created me this way and rather than apologize for not being perfect, I am thankful that I don't have to be. Even though I don't deserve it, God loves me and He will continue to change me over the years. He has given me victory over the need and drive to be perfect. I'm done with that, so if I do or say something that someone doesn't like...in the words of Steve Harvey..."don't trip, he aint through with me yet."

SKALELUJIAH!!

The Praise Band is pumped for Sunday!! We had an awesome, God-filled practice last night rehearsing for Sunday's worship service. You will not want to miss this!! We are happy to be out of school and we are kicking off the summer praise with a bang. Pastor Chad will be finishing up his two week sermon series called Consumed and if this Sunday's message is near as powerful as last Sunday's we are really going to have our thoughts and hearts provoked into action.
SKALELUJIAH is coming Sunday...don't miss it!!
Pick it up, pick it up...
Crystal

I Will Survive!

As most of you know, I was attacked (ok, bitten, but attacked sounds better) by a squad of viscious fire ants at my parents' house on Mother's Day. I suffered an agonizing (all jokes aside)allergic reaction. I felt as if I was going to die (which, was confirmed by the doctor on Wednesday). After the reaction, I had a nasty stomach thing going on and when I visited the doctor Wednesday, he seemed to think it was related to the fire ant bites. Anyway, Barry and I were both sick over the weekend and whatever it was seems to finally be gone and out of our systems.
I have been sick many times before and wished that I was dead or that someone would just put me out of my misery, but as far as I know, I have never experienced the feeling that I literally was about to die.
This realization has caused me to reflect on my life and things that God has convicted me about. One of which is spending time with my family. I prayed on Mother's Day that God would not take me yet, not because I am afraid to die - I know where I'm headed, but because I didn't want to miss out on seeing my children grow up and being there to experience all that they do. I didn't want to miss out on seeing Barry become a pastor - something that I know God has called him to do. I believe that God allowed me to stay here because He is not finished with me. I also believe that God allowed me to experience this as a wake up call. As a result of this, I have had to learn to say no to things that I may have agreed to do in the past out of a sense of duty. I have really begun to seek God's will in my life and if He is not leading me to do something, then I'm just gonna have to say no.
Don't forget to consult God before making decisions - no matter how trivial you think they are, you could find yourself stressed out and burned out and far from God.
Anyhoo, get ready for this Sunday morning. We are kicking off summer in an exciting way...you don't want to miss it! Oh, and three more days till freedom!!
Peace Out!

Look What the Lord Has Done..

This morning, Willie came to Byrnes and sang and gave a brief testimony to the FCA here. As he was standing there praising God and talking to the young students at my school, I couldn't help but marvel at how God has changed him in such a short amount of time.
I thought about what he told them as i watched the class of 2007 at their awards day ceremony this morning. I wondered how many of them knew Jesus and how many of them had a close and personal relationship with God. I thought about the paths that they would choose to take and wondered how many of them would be able to live out there dreams.
Then I realized that God has a plan for each and every one of us. We don't always know what that plan is and it may not always be the plan that we had in mind for our lives, but what I do know is that we must actively seek God's voice and actively live for Him so that what we are doing will be a part of what He has planned for us.
I am sure that in 1998 when he graduated from high school, Willie never imagined that he would be addressing a crowd of high school kids about his faith in God and how it has changed his life, but just look what the Lord has done!!

Pathetic

That's the term that was used by a classmate to describe my railing against the awful book I have to read for this class I am taking. I could have had a number of reactions to this, but the one I had was laughter. How ironic that this is the term used for my life now by someone who has no clue where I came from. Pathetic is a word that I would use to describe my previous life (before salvation). This person does not know me personally...so she doesn't know my testimony.
Pathetic is an alcoholic and a drug abuser...pathetic is desperate for attention...pathetic is trying to be perfect...pathetic is depression so severe that you don't want to live...pathetic is all of the things that I used to be before God reached down and took all of that sin from me...
I am not pathetic...my beliefs are not pathetic...my God is certainly not pathetic...and I am thankful that He cares about me enough to have realized my potential before I ever existed and to love me enough to help me to see it through.
I am going to make it my mission to continue to witness to my classmates and I know that God is there right beside me.
Praise GOD!!!

Live What I Believe

Have you ever felt like people looked at you funny or noticed the rolled eyes when you voiced a belief aloud?
This happened to me tonight during the class that I had at a local "Christian" university. For this class, I am required to read an autobiographical novel by a southern writer about his experience as a white guy teaching black kids on a remote island in SC in the 1970s. This would be a fine story, except for the fact that every other word in the novel is some slang term for African Americans or some profane obsenity and that my God's name is taken in vain several times throughout the book.
I explained my disdain for this book to my professor tonight. I told her that this book was highly offensive to me and that I could not see how the university could have her open class with a biblical devotion and then require that the students read a book like this and take a test that counts 20% of our grade on this novel.
She began to demean my intelligence by explaining the premise of the book and its purpose in this class. I had to let her know that I understood well the point of the story, but I felt convicted about reading this novel and then going home to read my Bible. If I heard this language on TV, I would change the channel or more likely turn it off. If I was among people speaking this way, I would remove myself from the situation.
My stance fell upon deaf ears as the students in the corner rolled their eyes at me for voicing my concerns and said that they enjoyed the book and the professor made an attempt to persuade me to look past the language.
I am accountable to God alone and I'm going to stand up for Him regardless of how many rolled eyed frowny faced looks I encounter. I am ready to live out loud for God!! As far as I'm concerned, those rolled eyes are a sign of conviction. So all I got to say is roll on...

Peace!

Here I Am Again

Ok, so the other day when I wrote about following Jesus and laying my burdens down, I felt so much better instantly. I felt (and still feel) like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. My decision has been to follow Christ where ever He leads and in whatever direction He asks me to go, even if it is an unexpected direction.
Of course, I was convinced that this meant that I would be leaving my career in teaching behind and moving on to something else (what i wanted). However, not long after I made this decision, several people approached me at school and talked to me about this, even though they had no idea about what I had contemplated and prayed about.
These women all said basically the same thing. One talked about the importance of Christian teachers being a positive influence in public schools, I beleive she said we are a "light in the darkness." Another spoke to me about the fact that there are always kids coming by my room to say hi, even kids I don't teach, which I have to say is kinda cool. The last teacher talked about the "good kids" in public school and how they make it worth while.
Today, Barry shared something with me that made me feel like what I thought God was leading me to (quitting my job) isn't actually God's plan for me right now. So, it appears that I will remain in education at my current school for a bit longer. Although this is not my desire, I feel like God is not through with me there yet. I will continue to pray that God will guide me and direct my path, but I have realized that this is not about me...It's about God and how my family is going to serve Him in ways that I cannot even begin to know.
For now, I will take satisfaction in knowing that I am following God and that summer vacation is only 22 more days away!!
Love, Peace, and Hair Grease!

I Have Decided...

I had a bad day at school yesterday...I mean the worst in my teaching career. After much aggravation, upset and finally prayer...as the hymn goes "I have decided...to follow Jesus...no turning back, no turning back..." I am going to follow Jesus and what has been laid on my heart for some time now. I beleive that God has something better for me, and so I am finally willing to lay it all down and leave it in His hands.
I have to admit that I am scaired. I am not quite sure where this will lead...but I know that God will take care of me.
So Devil, you might as well give up!! God's got you beat and I'm KICKIN' YA' TEETH OUT!!! WOOO!!
PEACE!!

Facing the Giant

It has been a while since I have posted. I have been very busy - busy fighting Goliath. Our Sunday school class is reading Facing Your Giants by Max Lucado and the first week of class Barry asked us to write down our giant on an index card. I believe that Barry's hope is that we would, with God's help, hopefully be able to defeat our giant by the time we got to then end of the book.
I have taken this challenge very seriously and I thought that I was doing good in the battle against my giant until this week. The giant has reared its ugly head again and once agian is making an attempt to squash me under its feet. I don't want to let this giant get the best of me, but it seems that every time I turn around, there it is.
I listened to Clayton King on the way to school Friday morning and he said that God has created an abundant life for us...all we have to do is live it. I know that what he is saying is true and I want to, but I am afraid because my giant makes me doubt myself. I know that God does not want me to be unhappy and I have been praying for some clarity on the issues in my life that keep resurrecting my giant.
To anyone who reads this blog...I need your prayer. Pray that I will be able to slay my Goliath once and for all and that God will open my eyes to what He wants me to do...

He Knows My Name

As Easter Sunday approaches, I am filled with hope and anticipation. I pray that many people will attend Sunday morning's services and that many who don't know Christ will come into a saving relationship with Him. I am praying specifically for two people who I love dearly...one of them does know Christ, but has not had the relationship with Him that she so desparately needs due to questions and anger over the past - I pray that she would recommit to nurturing her relationship with God and allow Him to begin a mighty work in her life.
The other one does not have a relationship with Christ, though I know that the Lord has had His healing hand upon this man and allowed him to continue to live. I pray that this man would come to church on Sunday and that God would speak so strongly and so loudly that this man would not be able to ignore the voice of God calling him to give his life to Christ.
I am so glad that the Father knows my name, but there are so many who don't know Him. Does He know you? If He does, please invite someone to church on Sunday to receive the Father's word. If He doesn't, please come to church on Sunday morning and receive the love and salvation that can only be found in Christ.

Something is in the air...

I just got in from praise team rehearsal and I can hardly wait for Sunday. I feel like a little kid on Christmas Eve anxiously awaiting Christmas morning to see what Santa had brought. Except this time, I'm waiting on someone much bigger and better than Santa and I know for sure He will show up.
Our new children's ministry Elevate will begin at the 8:30 service and it is going to be awesome!! I can not wait for Reese to experience worship that is created just for her and children her age!! Invite as many kids as you can - they will not want to miss this!
It is hard to believe that God's love is free...free to all who seek salvation openly and honestly. What a heavy price Jesus paid so that I could go free...so that I would be free from condemnation...free to worship and adore a living God!!
Sunday is going to be exciting...Pray like never before for those you love and want Christ to draw unto himself...Invite people to church...God will be there with open arms, make sure you are too!
Peace Out!

Why?

Last night Barry and I went to an Easter drama at Forestville Baptist Church in TR with Willie and Kim. I could tell that many months of planning and promotion had gone into this production before any actors even took the stage.
Willie and I drooled over the award-winning sound system and audio visual equipment that the church had installed in the brand new state of the art facility. The pastor even referenced how much technology was used in the production when he said that "there are more microphones in this thing than fried chicken legs at a baptist pastor's conference" - wow, must have been a lot!
Anyway, as the story of Christ's life unfolded and the truth behind the crucifixion emerged, I prayed intently that those who were lost would come to know Christ. Sure enough, at the end of the production, about 50 people gave their lives to Christ. It was a miraculous thing to watch how God had used the people in that church to draw the lost to himself.
After pondering this production, I understood that God doesn't need for us to have state-of-the-art facilities or expensive productions to bring people to him. The only thing we need to have is a willing and open heart! God wants us to be empty so that He can fill us with His love and so that we will go out and share what He has done for us with those who don't know Him. God isn't a secret that we should keep to ourselves - His love is abundant and we should want as many people to share a relationship with Him as possible. We must never forget the reason that Jesus came to earth and endured what He knew we could not.
Invite someone to church this Sunday so they can know the reason why....

Trading My Sorrows

I have sort of been down in the dumps over the last week. This morning my heaviness was lifetd when I attended the FCA meeting at Byrnes High. The kids discussed the message that they had heard Andre Duprey deliver at the workshop they attended.
My heart swelled with joy as I heard two of those kids proclaim that they had rededicated their lives to Christ!! It reminded me of that the real focus in life must be Christ, not work, or all of the other things we get busy doing.
Thanks FCA for bringing my life back in focus!
Peace Out...

He Ain't Heavy...

I just want to say that I am so inspired by what God has done in my brother's life. A year ago, my brother was struggling through life trying to find his place and this morning when he sang "Nothing But the Blood" I could tell that the Holy Spirit was with him.
It amazes me how much he has matured and grown in Christ. He has never been a shy person, but I am just thrilled at how God is using him in our church and in our family. I feel like this is just the beginning of what God has in store for him.
I love you little brother and I am so proud to be not only your biological sister, but your sister in Christ! YOU ROCK!

Get on Board Little Children!

I've always been a motivated person...always perservered in the face of adversity...always got up one more time after being knocked down. I used to think that was called intrinsic motivation. Now I know it was Christ pulling me back up, pushing me one more time, renewing my strength after I fell and all to bring me to this point in my life. I realize that not everyone feels that way.
Christ is once again motivating me and others around me. Every time I come to church I get that feeling like I'm going on a first date. The excitement and anticipation of what's to come...butterflies! What's going to happen next? I just know that God is about to do something life-changing through New Hope.
Are you on board with the vision, with the call to work for Christ to bring lost people to Him, to make Him famous? We should be fired up and totally sold out to God so much that it shows in every aspect of our lives. We should be willing to serve God in whatever way we can and no matter what it takes! The children's ministry at New Hope is about to blow up (that's a good thing)! Our kids are going to gain such a sense of belonging and a knowledge of Christ like never before. I can't wait!
Get on board 'cause this train is moving full speed ahead to glory!!

Diggin' Up Bones?

I love Wednesdays! I get to eat dinner with my family and then go to church and hang out with the coolest people ever! Excitment is building in our church about the vision that Pastor Chad presented this past Sunday. I know that my household is filled with the anticipation of what God is going to do.
Speaking of what's to come...can I just share with you how excited I am that JESUS is in the news! Tonight when I pulled into the church parking lot, the sign at the front of our church read "No bones about it...Jesus is Alive!" People say that there is no such thing as absolute truth, but the word of GOD is ABSOLUTE TRUTH and the word says THE TOMB IS EMPTY - JESUS IS ALIVE!!!
I wish that these people that focus so much time and effort to disprove Christianity would just accept the fact that the truth is easy to find and the most they would have to spend is maybe 45.00 - 50.00 bucks on a BIBLE!! Then they could take the rest of that money that they wasted on travel expenses, expensive equipment, payroll, etc. and do something really helpful with it like feeding, clothing, and giving medical supplies to people around the world who are in desparate need. DNA stands for Do Not Act like you don't know - cause if you don't know now ya' know!!
Peace!

Perfectionism Stinks!

I am so tired of trying to be perfect. Lately I have been allowing the devil to beat me up. Well NO MORE!! I am through trying to please everybody. The only ONE I need to please is GOD. God has blessed my life in so many ways and I am not going to allow Satan to steal my joy through circumstances or people.
So, to those of you who think that I am fake or think that I am trying to gain some kind of glory for myself, get over yourselves!
I am going to serve GOD ALONE and the rest of you judgemental people can answer to HIM.
PEACE OUT!!

Our God is Awesome!

This week has truly been God-filled. I went to an awesome conference at Newspring Church in Anderson, SC and I saw the power of the awesome God that I serve. This morning Pastor Chad explained the vision that God has communicated to him for our church (New Hope Baptist in Mauldin, SC - Holla!).
I am excited to be a part of what God is doing and I am looking forward to the God-sized task that the Lord has given to the members of this church. I really feel that God will show how awesome and powerful he is and I can't wait to see what He has in store for us.