I am sitting here thinking how many different posts I have started and stopped thinking I am to write about some profound thought or thing in my life and I seem to end up never posting anything to my blog. Then I realized writing on my blog doesn't have to be all profound or theological. All it needs to be is something that I feel passionate about at the time I am writing.
So I stop to think about what am I most passionate about at this very moment. Ah, what could that possibly be. Well, as I sit here racking this brain of mine (yes for my closest friends I do have one of those LOL) I realize one of the things that really is on my heart at this moment is something that God spoke to me about last night while I was sitting in my Romans class at seminary. (Thanks Brother Roy). We were going over Romans chapter 6 and preparing for our finals next week when we started to discuss the scriptures Romans 6: 1-2.
Romans 6:
(v1) What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? (v2) Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? NKJV
One of the examples that was used for this scripture was that of a dead body. You can touch it, caress it, and move it's hand but there is no responds. I had never really thought of this scripture in this way. Then there was a short story of a young pastor that was truly on fire for God and in this same church was an old deacon that was set in his ways, basically his way or no way. For years the old deacon would discourage, oppose and criticize the young pastor. One day a member of the church asked the young pastor how he managed to put up with this deacon and he simply replied, "I died to him five years ago." The young pastor had grasped the concept of the believer's death with Christ.
So as the scripture says "How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" I truly don't think (in my humble opinion) that we have grasped the concept ourselves. If we have or had how could we continue on the way we are with worrying about the problems that our children are in or the direction they are going. Continue finding ourselves stressed out and letting our health be effected by the things that our family members put us through. Get mad and upset when someone doesn't see things the same way we do in our work place or even in church. Even as simple as being on the road and getting cutoff and getting mad and passing that anger off to the next person we meet.
I know to some people these are things that we take with us daily but even the little things worry, anger and so many other are all sins that if we are truly in Christ we have died to. We should be like the corpes and the young pastor and really die to these things. Let them go we say that we believe and trust in God then die to these sins and let him take over for us. I am not just writing this for those reading this I am writing this with myself included. And I am not saying that we (I) am/are prefect but we should strieve to be. Yes we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. But I praise him daily for the grace that he has given us all.
So what I plan to do that next time I find myself in these situations I am going to remind myself as the younger pastor said "I have died to this" and give it to Christ.
Lord, Thank you so much for the gift of grace you have given each of us that are your children. Lord I pray for strength to continue walking daily in your light and to remember daily that we who have accepted you as our Lord and Savior died to these sins with your son Jesus Christ. In your blessed Sons name I pray AMEN
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
Blessed weekend
This post to my blog has no profound insight that the Lord has laid on my heart to share or scriptures to quote, it is just me reflecting on the past week and weekend that God has blessed me with. Of course today is the beginning of a new work week with all new adventures and plans that God has for me and each of us. But I felt like taking a few moments to just share a few things about the past week. It is always a blessing and a joy to be able to spend time with your church family. We have been practicing and preparing for our performance of HEE HAW. The stage went up on the weekend of 10/20 and from that point on it was on. With our regular lives and practice each night the show went on. It was great. Friday night was dress rehearsel and Saturday was the first show. We had lots of people and lots of laughs. But of the two shows in my opinion Sunday night took the cake. Packed house, lots of laughs, mistakes made that made it even funnier. Dennis and Wanda are a blessing and a joy to have as apart of our Bellevue family, Dennis (Grandpa) and Bro Jerry (Gober) was a real treat you could say they were side splitters. I laughed so hard and thank you for that. Tena (Maw) and Howard (Paw) two people that could not have fit the parts any better. Tena do you have all your rollers. LOL. Duke (Junior) and Melanie (Misty) what a couple, I could not have asked for better friends and a true blessing from God. Kevin (Roy) and Christie both did a great job, Kevin, I am so glad God blessed you with Christie and Christie with the ability to keep you straight. I am so glad God sent your family into my life. Now for Troy (Buck, Elroy) where oh where does a person beginning. I will get you even when you duck. Oh by the way it is after the pigs. LOL. We even got to see Brother Rick (minister of music) do a little gig himself, keep on dancing brother. To everyone that was in the cast you are all a joy and a blessing to be around. From the time the stage went up to the moment it went down last night I count each and every minute with we spent together a blessing from God. A person can help but love everyone of these brothers and sisters. I know God had to be rolling around on the floor of heaven last night at each of everyone of us.
I look forward to seeing the pictures and video that were made this weekend. As soon as I get a copy of the group picture I will post them for all to see. Thank you God for the blessed weekend and the wonderful people you have put into my life. I could not have asked for any better. Now to get started with this new week you have blessed me with and the new adventures that still await.
I look forward to seeing the pictures and video that were made this weekend. As soon as I get a copy of the group picture I will post them for all to see. Thank you God for the blessed weekend and the wonderful people you have put into my life. I could not have asked for any better. Now to get started with this new week you have blessed me with and the new adventures that still await.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
When Life Give You Rapids
Have you ever felt like sometimes that your life is like a raging river with rapids and strong under tow that every time you turn around you are just being swept under. You are going so fast down river that you can get things under control. You keep hitting one unseen rock after another. It seems like every time there is a rock you are just pulled down more and more under the water. It is like if you were to be pulled down just one more time your would drown and that would be it. You know we say that we know that God is there with us but to we really believe it deep down in our hearts that he is there. We say we read our bible and we attend bible study, we know that he says he is there because he tells us in his word that he is there and he is watching over us. Just like in Matthew 6: 25-31 he tells us that he knows our every need and he will meet those needs. So if we truly believe he is there then why do we do not try to call out to him more for help.
Well let me tell you I know for a fact he is there and is just waiting for each and everyone of us to just call out to him for help. I am not just saying this because I read and study my bible and I know what he promises me he will do, I know for the very simple reason that I have actually experienced what it is like to be in a river with mighty rapids, being pulled under, not being able to turn around to face down river like the guide has told you to do at the being of the trip. Where you feel that my moment is going to be your last. You come up for air and you see your best friend in the same situation and you can’t do anything to help yourself or him. Yes I have truly experience the real thing and believe me it is not something I wish to ever experience again. But I will say on that day God showed up and show off in one of the most awesome ways I have ever experienced.
On Saturday September 15th we took some of the youth White water rafting down to Ocoee River in Tennessee. It was going to be a lot of fun all the way up to Tennessee we had joked about being dumped out of the boat which you figure that sure you maybe but there is a jacket you wear and everything has to be safe because people do it all the time. Well, when we got there we all divided up into groups of six, but you see we had fourteen on the trip so that left Troy and I in a boat with three other ladies from Atlanta and the guide which was always a young lady. It was all a lot of fun to begin with until we came upon the rapid that is known by Double Suck, this is where it all goes crazy. We had already been making comments about praying and joking around about being thrown out and then it happened. All of the passengers were dumped out the guide was the only one left in the boat. Troy, myself and one other ladies was thrown down river by the current about fifty feet. They tell you the assume a white water possession and I tried very hard. The only thing I was unable to do was get turned around to face down the river. I could see Troy up river from me and he shouted for me to get turned around I told him I had tried and could not. The current was so hard and swift that I had come to the conclusion that God if this is my time okay. Just take care of my boys. I never had a panic about the possibility I knew every time that I would hit a rock with my back I was going under. I knew many more times and it could be over. Then finally I was able to get turned a little and there was a boat. I yelled for help and the next thing I knew they were there and pulled me into the boat. The lady that was in our boat had been pulled from the river just before me and Troy was pulled back into the boat we fell out of. Finally once everything had settles down we were all back in the orginial boat that we had started in going back down river. Let me tell you one thing is for sure if some of these people that were on that river did not know the power of God they did by the end of the trip.
We would stop to rest every so often to let the other boats catch up and make sure everyone was safe. Our guide saw where a couple of other rafts had pulled to the side and decided to stop also. Then there on a concrete culvert God showed off. I looked up and told Troy to look and there he was. A small cross with sun rays was drawn on the side of the culvert with six of the most beautiful words a person could ever see. I WAS HERE, I AM HERE. I knew then at that very moment that God was with us when we were going down river and was holding on tight every time we went under. He would be there on the rest of the trip and make sure we were safe.
The other two boats with the Bellevue crew did not stop in that place while we were pulled over. We found out later on that where we pulled over was not one of the regular resting spots is the reason they did not stop. You see now why I said God was showing off. The name of the section of the river that we went down was Hell’s Half Mile and praise God he took us through every inch of it.
So believe me when I say these things. When you feel like you are going down your own Hell’s Half Mile in your life just take a moment to call out to him and realize that God is everything he tells us he is, he will do everything he says he will do and He is there in the difficult time and I AM HERE to see you through the rest.
Well let me tell you I know for a fact he is there and is just waiting for each and everyone of us to just call out to him for help. I am not just saying this because I read and study my bible and I know what he promises me he will do, I know for the very simple reason that I have actually experienced what it is like to be in a river with mighty rapids, being pulled under, not being able to turn around to face down river like the guide has told you to do at the being of the trip. Where you feel that my moment is going to be your last. You come up for air and you see your best friend in the same situation and you can’t do anything to help yourself or him. Yes I have truly experience the real thing and believe me it is not something I wish to ever experience again. But I will say on that day God showed up and show off in one of the most awesome ways I have ever experienced.
On Saturday September 15th we took some of the youth White water rafting down to Ocoee River in Tennessee. It was going to be a lot of fun all the way up to Tennessee we had joked about being dumped out of the boat which you figure that sure you maybe but there is a jacket you wear and everything has to be safe because people do it all the time. Well, when we got there we all divided up into groups of six, but you see we had fourteen on the trip so that left Troy and I in a boat with three other ladies from Atlanta and the guide which was always a young lady. It was all a lot of fun to begin with until we came upon the rapid that is known by Double Suck, this is where it all goes crazy. We had already been making comments about praying and joking around about being thrown out and then it happened. All of the passengers were dumped out the guide was the only one left in the boat. Troy, myself and one other ladies was thrown down river by the current about fifty feet. They tell you the assume a white water possession and I tried very hard. The only thing I was unable to do was get turned around to face down the river. I could see Troy up river from me and he shouted for me to get turned around I told him I had tried and could not. The current was so hard and swift that I had come to the conclusion that God if this is my time okay. Just take care of my boys. I never had a panic about the possibility I knew every time that I would hit a rock with my back I was going under. I knew many more times and it could be over. Then finally I was able to get turned a little and there was a boat. I yelled for help and the next thing I knew they were there and pulled me into the boat. The lady that was in our boat had been pulled from the river just before me and Troy was pulled back into the boat we fell out of. Finally once everything had settles down we were all back in the orginial boat that we had started in going back down river. Let me tell you one thing is for sure if some of these people that were on that river did not know the power of God they did by the end of the trip.
We would stop to rest every so often to let the other boats catch up and make sure everyone was safe. Our guide saw where a couple of other rafts had pulled to the side and decided to stop also. Then there on a concrete culvert God showed off. I looked up and told Troy to look and there he was. A small cross with sun rays was drawn on the side of the culvert with six of the most beautiful words a person could ever see. I WAS HERE, I AM HERE. I knew then at that very moment that God was with us when we were going down river and was holding on tight every time we went under. He would be there on the rest of the trip and make sure we were safe.
The other two boats with the Bellevue crew did not stop in that place while we were pulled over. We found out later on that where we pulled over was not one of the regular resting spots is the reason they did not stop. You see now why I said God was showing off. The name of the section of the river that we went down was Hell’s Half Mile and praise God he took us through every inch of it.
So believe me when I say these things. When you feel like you are going down your own Hell’s Half Mile in your life just take a moment to call out to him and realize that God is everything he tells us he is, he will do everything he says he will do and He is there in the difficult time and I AM HERE to see you through the rest.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Friends
The GirlsWhat's so poignant about this picture?
It shows a line of little girls holding hands facing the immensity of ocean waves.
Alone they might be washed away, but together they stand strong.
Thank you each for holding my hand somewhere along the way when I was facing a wave of my own.
I hope you will reach for my hand when your own wave threatens.
All of us girls..
Old and young...
Near and far...
Hold special memories of good times we've shared.
We've had our share of hard times when our friends were there to make us feel better.
We've shared...
our hearts
our time
our secrets
our fears
our hopes
and our dreams.
Let us never break the chain of friends!
Pass this on to all of those girls that you are happy to have as friends. And if you get this back, then you know the chain of friends is strong.
One of those special emails I told you about. Feel free to copy and paste into your email and send to all your girls in your chain.
I love each and everyone one of mine.
Becky
Hello
Hi everyone,
I just want to say hello to all my friends. This is kind of funny, I created a MySpace to be able to keep up with a few friends and with the youth at church which has been interesting. People can get very creative on MySpace. Then one day I was searching for some information on Lifeway and one thing led to another and I found myself on Beth Moore's Living Proof web site. She had a blog on her site and I wonder into it. The next thing I knew I wanted to post a comment and realized you had to sign up for a blog in order to post. Well I signed up and the rest is history.
I thought at first it was very complicated and not sure if I would ever use it. Then one evening I set down and figured it out (easy as pie) just have to read the directions. LOL. Anyways I thought I would share the site with my close friends (the adults, the kids still have MySpace).
Some of the things I might have on the blog is web sites I enjoy and hope you will also. Pictures of family and friends. A heart warming email that I have received. Or anything that God may be leading me to post.
When things are left up to God you never know what may happen just be glad you are along for the ride.
Oh and by the way if you would like to check out Beth's blog you may find at www.lproof.org I hope you would find it as much of a blessing as I have. You can also meet some very nice and interesting women of God.
Love you all and God Bless you
Becky
I just want to say hello to all my friends. This is kind of funny, I created a MySpace to be able to keep up with a few friends and with the youth at church which has been interesting. People can get very creative on MySpace. Then one day I was searching for some information on Lifeway and one thing led to another and I found myself on Beth Moore's Living Proof web site. She had a blog on her site and I wonder into it. The next thing I knew I wanted to post a comment and realized you had to sign up for a blog in order to post. Well I signed up and the rest is history.
I thought at first it was very complicated and not sure if I would ever use it. Then one evening I set down and figured it out (easy as pie) just have to read the directions. LOL. Anyways I thought I would share the site with my close friends (the adults, the kids still have MySpace).
Some of the things I might have on the blog is web sites I enjoy and hope you will also. Pictures of family and friends. A heart warming email that I have received. Or anything that God may be leading me to post.
When things are left up to God you never know what may happen just be glad you are along for the ride.
Oh and by the way if you would like to check out Beth's blog you may find at www.lproof.org I hope you would find it as much of a blessing as I have. You can also meet some very nice and interesting women of God.
Love you all and God Bless you
Becky
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