...They rejoiced with exceeding joy...

***Editor's note***I'm going to try to blog today about the sermon we heard in church yesterday. I'm not sure how successful I'll be at conveying my message, but I'm going to try. As a disclaimer, I'm not a biblical scholar and I don't know all there is to know about the bible or about Christ. My opinions are just that, although I will try to include biblical reference as often as possible. I would very much like to start blogging more often about my thoughts and ideas and musings on God, the bible and my faith. Since I'm goin to be doing so and putting myself out there, I'm going to demand that those who comment be more respectful than usual. I absolutely will not tolerate attacks against my readers/commenters or against myself when it comes to issues of faith. If religion ain't your thing, no biggie, just skip those posts. On a technical note, all my Scripture quotes will be from the KJV version of the bible, which I believe is the most accurate translation, before the other versions got all free and wild with their "interpretations"***

Yesterday at my little church we had a terrific Sunday School hour. We've been doing a study on the biblical concept of worship. Sunday's message focused on the wise men from the familiar "Christmas" passage in Matthew 2. Here is the passage:

"1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
3When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
7Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
9When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
12And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way."

Based on this passage, Pastor Tim pointed out there were a few things we should notice about the worship of the wise men. Their worship was intentional, volitional, personal, confrontational, emotional, relational, sacrificial and effectual. It's the effectual part I want to talk about today. It's interesting to me the way he put it. Because their worship had an effect on those around them, God makes it a point to move and work in their lives. In my head this starts a chain reaction. They worship God which has an effect on others. God sees the effect it has on those around them and works in their lives even more. God's work in their lives causes them to worship which affects even more people.

Do you think your worship influences other people? Do you think your worship and its influence is important? I know a lot of people worship "privately" and are shy about a public display of worship and joy. Does that describe you? Why are you shy about it? I think regardless of whether you worship publicly or not, if you're true and sincere in even your private worship it will affect other people. And I think it's important that it does. I think the way to win souls for Christ is not to PREACH but to LIVE with an attitude of peace and joy and contentment so that when other people look at you they think, "jiminy, I want what SHE has". Do you carry that message across? I can only hope that I do.

He only loved one woman, he was always proud of what he had. He said his greatest contributions are the ones he'll leave behind

I don't blog about my faith real often. The reason for this is simple: I'm not a theologian, not a biblical scholar, not an expert on anything (anything, period really!) regarding my religion. I'm a Christian because I see the Good Lord's Love everywhere I look. I have physically felt His touch when I needed him, I see blessings (there are no coincidences) everywhere and when I need a little comfort, I fall to my knees and look inside. And if I ever needed proof that God has a plan, I just look at how it worked out for us to be here in Nebraska, but that's a story for another day. My Pastor did a sermon once on the importance of knowing Christ as well as knowing *about* Christ. Well I've got that one covered and I'm learning more about Him as well. I read my KJV bible and attend a small, conservative (by religious standards, not political) Baptist church. We have about half a dozen families and a whopping 50 or so active members (14 of which are my Pastor and his wife and 12 kids!). Well a few short weeks ago, we lost a beloved member of our church. Brother Mel Johnson suffered an aneurysm a few months ago and developed MRSA, as well as remaining in a coma. He was a deacon in our little Church and a truly delightful man. He was easy with a smile and he *always* made you feel like seeing you at Church was the highlight of his week. He loved children and the baby of our church loved to hang out in his arms and make him laugh. We had a small service for him at our little wooden white church. He'd been buried where he was raised down in Missouri, but his family felt it was extremely important to have a service for those of us who loved him as our Brother in Christ to be able to say goodbye. It wasn't a sad occasion, per se, but it was very emotional. You see we all know that Brother Mel is in Heaven right now with our Lord and Savior. He's in Heaven not because he was a good man (though he was), not because he was a good church member (though he was) and not because he gave so freely of his love and time (though he did). He's in Heaven because he accepted his condition as a sinner and realized that the only Hope (capital H hope, we call it) lie in Jesus Christ and the blood he shed on Calvary to wash way our sins. So knowing that Brother Mel is up in Heaven makes us joyful, blissful, thankful for HIM. But for those of us left behind, particularly his wife and son and daughter, it's a tough lot. I watched Mrs Johnson cry in the front row, just staring at the images of a life well-lived and my heart just broke. You see, when I'm in those situations my sorrow is always for the wife left behind. I love my husband with every fiber of my being and I know that if he passes out of this world before I do, that my life will come to a screeching halt. Can you imagine having to say good-bye to someone who has been your friend, your partner, your only true love after 30, 40 or 50 years? It's easy to see why some spouses just can't go on and die of a broken heart, much like Johnny and June.

So I want to raise my glass to Brother Mel Johnson and the life he lived so well. Thanks for touching all of us around you. In the spirit of the man you truly were, I'm going to close with a bible passage that I find particularly touching.

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee."
--Titus 2:11-15

Who is your spiritual hero?

My pastor talked at length about Paul last week in church. We're working week by week through the book of Acts, so we've been talking about Paul a lot lately. While Acts was authored by Luke (who I also love to read), it talks at length about Paul's travels and sermons. I enjoy him thoroughly and am inspired by his devotion. Besides, how can you not like a guy who says "y'all" (ye all) throughout his epistles?! I mean Paul is clearly a Southerner! But beyond his unique choice of wording, he never stopped preaching the Word, even when it proved most dangerous. I look up to Paul and admire his strength and commitment. I don't know that I would be able to stand up for Christ throughout everything, as Paul did. Would I still preach the Word if my life was threatened? I don't know, honestly. I'd like to think I would, but I'm not sure my faith is as unwavering as Paul's.

So, let's chat. Who moves you in the Bible? Do you have a favorite disciple? What's your favorite passage? What's your favorite "story" of the Bible?

I'm fond of many passages, but right now I'm really loving this one.

"But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God."
Acts 20:24

There is always room for improvement

The Wii Fit might just be the greatest invention in the history of the world. I'm just sayin y'all. In honor of Wife Appreciation Day *and* how hard I've been slaving on the Super Secret Sewing Project (which isn't a secret anymore, hope the quilt keeps you warm, Mom!), hubby brought me home the Wii Fit. Right off the stinkin bat in the balance test, the doggone thing insults me...er knows me...er something. "Balance clearly isn't your forte, do you find yourself tripping a lot?" Well yes actually Mr. Fit, I do. Thanks for noticing. Aaaaanyway, I spent the first 2 days doing 20 minutes of cardio (that felt like 5 minutes of cardio because it was so fun), yoga, and balance exercises. I have to admit, this is the perfect thing for me. You see, I'm very competitive, I just hate people, and I'm clumsy and too embarrassed to be all awkward in front of other people. That means competing against myself is PERFECT! I'm starting to feel a bit sore from the step aerobics I've been doing, but I still really enjoy it. I keep telling myself that as uncoordinated as I am, I can surely do better. So it quickly becomes "one more try, I know I can do it better". Before you know it I've been on the darned thing for so long! So that's really been fun.

Also, I started the Bible in 90 Days program. Esword is the most awesome computer bible study tool I've ever seen. Not only can you highlight text, keep your notes right there and set it up to do devotionals and bible study passages right on start up, you can adjust the font so your old lady eyes can read it! HOORAY I SAY!

"Most true happiness comes from one's inner life, from the disposition of the mind and soul. Admittedly, a good inner life is difficult to achieve, especially in these trying times. It takes reflection and contemplation and self-discipline."
William L Shirer

The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot protect you.

It's Revival Week at our church. For those unfamiliar with a Baptist Revival meeting, ours is basically a time to get together, pray, worship, hear special music and of course, hear a message by a preacher who isn't our usual preacher. This year's meetings are being led by Richard King who is, for lack of a better word, a *riot*. It's always a glorious time and I was so thankful to feel well enough to go last night, especially after hearing the message.

Do you ever have those lightbulb God moments? You know what I mean, right? The ones where God has basically said "ahem, could you listen to me please, I'm telling you something important here!" and you listen and realize God's answering questions you've been asking for months? It was one of those moments last night at church.

It's no secret that my hubby and I are struggling with infertility. We're being treated by a fertility doc and just trying to expand our family. It's been a long, frustrating process and, I'm not going to lie, I've strayed farther from God than I ever thought possible. I'm new to Christ, having been an "atheist" all my life until the last 6 or 8 years. This is the first major trial we've dealt with since I found God in my life. I mean, there was the miscarriage, sure, but God got me through that. My testimony on that is for another post. At times I've felt as if I'm having a crisis of faith while I deal with all this. Simply put, I've felt abandoned. Last night, at the end of the message (which was about Gideon), the Pastor talked about how God will try us before he can use us. I freely admit that I don't know how God means to use me in this life, I'm just not sure how I can help serve Him best, ya know? And that's when it hit me. I'm not supposed to know yet, I'm still being tried. Obviously I've realized this, to a certain extent. But I've never heard it put so well as I did last night, and I'm not going to be able to do it justice trying to repeat it here, but I went to the altar to pray last night and I walked away crying and weak-kneed. I realize I'm not even making a lot of sense. So, let me just say this in closing: "I got it, God. Thanks for making the message so clear".

And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
- Judges6:16 (KJV)