I Love My Church

I love my church.

No, it's not just the building that I love, although I do love it.

It's not the steeple

 or the stained glass windows, 

although I do love them as well...

 It's not the candles...

 or the decorations...

And banners...

But it is the opportunity to remember our Lord's death and resurrection and sacrifice that Christ made for me, a sinner,  

as we gather together for worship and partake of Holy Communion each week,

and it is the people...

The prayers and the Spirit of the Lord that is in this place...

The children singing and rejoicing to know  that "Jesus Loves Me..."

And the place where we celebrate marriages...

and families celebrating together...

Birthdays, Anniversaries, Baptisms, Births, New members, 

and even where we gather to celebrate the lives of those who have met their heavenly reward...

And I love the choir as we sing praises to God on high, and proclaim His glory as we worship Him...

And most of all I love the preaching from God's Word...

As we are reminded that Christ is The Good Shepherd, Who will always search for that one lost sheep, even when there are 99 good sheep obediently waiting in the fold...He will go out and search for the one who is lost and alone and will not give up until He has found it and brought it safely home... (Matthew 18:11-14; Luke 15:3-7)

The 23rd Psalm...

And As we lift up one another in prayer...praying for the sick, the hurting, the lost, our nation, our President and our leaders, our military and first responders, our families, neighbors, and our friends...

I love that The Spirit of the Lord is in this place, and I can see Him in the faces of our people, our pastor, our children...I can feel Him in my heart as we sing, and pray and read God's Word together.
I know that Christ is present in our service, and He is with us when we reach out to a lost and dying world around us and share His love with those who are hurting...

I love my church.  It doesn't matter to me the "name" of the church on the building. I know that "surely the presence of the Lord is in this place..."

Yes, I know that the United Methodist denomination has been in the news this weekend, and the news is very sad.  They say that our denomination is going to "split", primarily over issues regarding what boils down to what we believe the Bible says about homosexuality.  In other words, does God's Word tell us that it is an abomination to God, or should we just "rewrite the scriptures" to make it say what we want it to say so that people can go on living in sin... I am not going to give all the references here...because I know there are people who will say whatever they want to believe.  But I will say that I believe God's Word, as originally written.   I also believe that Christ came to redeem sinners from their sin...and like He said to the woman taken in adultery, when she was about to be stoned, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more!"   (Read John 8:1-11)  Jesus didn't say, "Neither do I condemn you, now you go right back out there and continue to live in your sins..."  No, Jesus said to go and sin no more. 

The problem is, people don't want to admit that homosexuality is a sin, and our progressive, liberal teaching of this age is promoting this lifestyle as something to be sought after, to teach our little children, to encourage and approve of rather than to try and help those caught in this trap the way to freedom.

And thus, we have a denomination that wants to split over this issue...whether or not to perform marriages for homosexuals, or whether or not to ordain them into the ministry.  Rather than teach what is truth from God's Word, they will force churches to make a choice and to take a stand one way or the other.   I am very thankful that our local church is already taking a stand. I know which way our congregation will go, as we believe God's Word is true, and we will not allow this perverted ideology to be forced down our throats.  We will, however, just as Christ loved the sinner and gave His life to redeem us, love those who are bound in this lifestyle, and will teach them truth from God's Word if they are willing to listen and learn, and we will share the love of Christ with them and pray that they will one day seek to be set free.

My heart goes out to those churches who may have to actually split their own congregations over this. There will be much sorrow in making these decisions over who will stay and who will get to keep the property, etc., and who will have to leave if they want to stand for the truth. It is heartbreaking that even families may have to make such choices. So I share this with you to ask you not to sit and pass judgment on this denomination, because sadly it is happening in many denominations in our land, and those who think it will never happen to them, be aware...and don't get caught unprepared. Our younger generation is being taught this lifestyle in preschools all the way up through colleges and even some seminaries. The progressive liberal agenda will not back down and many people are being deceived. Our future leaders will not know anything different unless we take a stand now. 

Please pray for churches everywhere...pray for pastors, denominational leaders, church leaders, and the people in the pew next to you.  We never know when we will be forced to take a stand and have to walk away from people that we love because we cannot agree on these and many other liberal issues that are taking over our nation. 

Read about the future warnings to the churches as found in the book of Revelation, chapters 2 and 3.  Then hear what Christ said to the churches at the end of the Church Age:

Revelation 3:20-22

20.  "Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  

If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, 

I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

21.  To him who overcomes 

I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, 

as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

22. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

I know that I want to always hear Christ's voice and open the door to Him.  I pray to always be strong enough in my faith to overcome the beguiling voices of this world, and to stand strong on the Word of God and Christ's teaching.  May my door always be open to Christ, no matter what it may cost me.

Amen.

Sermon Notes: God Gives Second Chances

Our choir sang this beautiful song this morning before the sermon:

And He's Ever Interceding

And He's Ever Interceding Someone to go the extra mile, Just like a mother caring for her child; A friend who sticks through thick or thin, No matter what you've done or where you've been; Just like one great big family, A stronger, older brother He will be; So quick and ready to defend The younger, weaker to the end. Chorus: And He's ever interceding to the Father for His children; Yes, He's ever interceding to the Father for His own; Through Him you can reach the Father, So, bring Him all your heavy burdens; Yes, for you He's interceding, So, come boldly to the throne. Just like sheep, we've gone astray, Struggling 'neath the debt we could not pay; Not ever hoping to renew The love and fellowship that we once knew; But He began to intercede; Crying, 'Father, please, forgive, I plead.' And as the nails pierced in His hands, God, once again, reached out to man. Chorus: And He's ever interceding to the Father for His children; Yes, He's ever interceding to the Father for His own; Through Him you can reach the Father, So, bring Him all your heavy burdens; Yes, for you He's interceding, So, come boldly to the throne. Tag: Yes, He's ever interceding, so come boldly to the throne. What a great message in song to set up for a sermon about how God gives us second chances.  Our scripture lesson was from John 8:1-11....the story of the woman caught in adultery that they wanted to stone.  I had just written about this passage recently in a blog post..."Come Out and Be Separate", but this sermon today took this to a different level.  In the book of John 8:1-11, Jesus is talking to the woman who was caught in the act of adultery and was about to be stoned.  After He said to the people holding the stones, (verse 7)  "He who is without sin among you,  let him throw a stone at her first" the people all one by one dropped their stones and walked away, being convicted by their own consciences...(for ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God! (Romans 3:23)  But then in verse 10, Jesus stood up and looked at the woman and said to her: "Woman, where are those accusers of yours?   Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord.  And Jesus said to her,  "Neither do I condemn you;  GO AND SIN NO MORE." In this passage, back in verses 5-6, the scribes and Pharisees were trying to test Jesus, to see how He would handle this situation.  Verse six says they were testing Him, "that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear." But their "trap" did not work, and instead verse nine tells us that those who heard what Jesus said (in verse 7) were convicted by their conscience...and went out one by one.  Have you ever had a good dose of conviction? If so, it will immobilize you...your ears will open right up...your eyes pop open...and your spirit within you says, "I need to do something about this!"  And what do you do? Go to God and PRAY CONFESS your sin Ask for Forgiveness Repent...Go and sin no more God is very willing to forgive us when we confess our sins and ask Him to forgive...and then we can humbly get down on our knees and give Him praise and thanksgiving...because God has given us a second chance when we come to Jesus with repentance. Conviction is rough...we wonder...those men who were condemning this woman...we wonder what did that conviction of their own consciences mean to them? Did they also repent in their hearts? Some examples of other men in the Bible who had a second chance... Zacchaeus the Tax Collector (Luke 19:1-11) The Disciple Simon Peter after he denied Christ  (John 18:15-27)  and then Jesus asked him if he loved Him...(John 21:15-17) after the Resurrection from the dead. Thomas the Disciple: He first doubted that Christ could possibly have come back to life after the crucifixion, and then Christ came and showed Thomas His hands and His side, so that Thomas then truly believed. (John 20:24-29) Jesus is coming again soon.  Are you looking forward to His return without worrying about if you will be accepted by Him?  Have you been convicted in your heart of sins that need to be confessed, repented of, and forgiven? One day we will be like a little child running to the lap of her father and being gladly received...we will run into the arms of Jesus and be able to crawl up into the lap of our Heavenly Father with nothing between us...no fear at all when we face Him...because God, through Christ, has given us that second chance.  May we gladly accept that free gift. Praise God for giving us those second chances in life!!! Sermon Notes: FUMC, Interlachen, FL, Guest Speaker, Rev. John Steiner, 3/3/2019 Please Note : I want to repeat this disclaimer here...the notes, outline, and content included here are based upon my own personal understanding of the message that was being given. I am not attempting to completely quote or reproduce this message or any other message I've shared previously. Just as each person reading these notes may glean insights and thoughts that seem to directly apply to one's own situation and interpretation, my own delivery of these messages is skewed by my hearing and translation of what is being said. Some may read my notes here and wonder if they were hearing the same message as I...and I say, God speaks to each of us as He wills...there are things He is trying to get across to each individual that may be entirely different than what the person sitting next to you in the pew is needing to hear... That is how the Holy Spirit works! He knows what we need to hear and how to apply it to our hearts. So it is with that understanding that I present these sermon notes to you. Thank you for your continued prayers for our Pastor A.C., and for our church. God is answering prayer, and we are hoping our Pastor will be able to come back and preach next Sunday.  Also, thank you for your prayers for my husband, who spoke today.  It was a wonderful day in the house of the Lord.  God is Good! All the time! God is Good!

A Place of Perfect Peace

 

The obituary of an untimely death...

"___ entered the Presence of the Lord on August ___, at the age of 24."

"___enjoyed too many things to list them all, but most notably were baseball, traveling, music, dogs, food, the shore, and fishing. Most of all, he enjoyed meeting people of different cultures, countries and backgrounds. He traveled through Europe, parts of Africa and different islands around the world. He was a person to “ride the river with”.

"__was a member of the US Army, and recently retired due to an injury attained in Afghanistan. He was based in Germany and Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He was trained in infantry and cross trained for the Cobra Strike Team. He went on over 180 missions and received numerous medals and recognition for his service to our country." 

"__was attending Penn State at the time of his death. " 

"He was loyal, kind and generous, yet he was also a warrior and sheep dog through and through. He was a preacher’s kid who loved Jesus, but struggled with the church. One of the highlights of this year was when he was working with His Work, His Way, and he exclaimed, “if every town did this, our country would be turned around for the better”. 

It was with much angst that I read the above obituary recently. Although I did not know him personally, this young man was the son of an acquaintance of ours who was a former colleague in ministry. We knew his grandparents more so than his parents. They were also former colleagues, serving as the District Superintendent & wife for the religious denomination in which we served in the pastoral ministry for many years.  His great-grandparents were very well known in this particular denomination, having served first as missionaries and then in the highest position of leadership for the denomination. He came from a very loving Christian home, with his ancestry steeped in service to the Lord Jesus Christ.

What this obituary did not state was the fact that this wonderful young man, with such a strong Christian heritage and ancestry,  a stellar record in service to our country, and with the intelligence and ability to enroll in an excellent university to begin the next phase of his life's journey...what it didn't tell you was that he died tragically from an apparent drug overdose.

I am not aware if the overdose was on purpose or accidental...and at this point, I'm not sure that matters.  The fact remains that this young man, with such great potential and so much positive influence in his life had his life come to a screeching halt at the age of twenty-four.

My mind is reeling and my heart is breaking...for him, for his family, and for everyone who knew him.  Only God knows what happened that brought him to that point in his life...but I suspect it may have had something to do with the action and injury that he sustained in his service to our country in Afghanistan. I don't know that for a fact and I'm certainly not going to ask...but we see so much of this in the lives of our military when they come back home.  They are wounded in ways that medicine can't fix, and our country has failed in its efforts to rehabilitate and properly care for the countless thousands of men and women veterans who are in similar circumstances.

However, this is not intended to be a political message ...but it does give one pause to reflect on that particular subject, and say a prayer for those in service to our country.

The other part of his obituary that caused me to stop and take notice was this statement:

"He was a preacher’s kid who loved Jesus, but struggled with the church."

From one who knows about these struggles, having had three sons who are preacher's kids, I can so relate.  My kids (now adults--one in heaven) all loved Jesus, but they have also had struggles with "the church".  Not with God, not with Jesus, not with true Christianity, but with "the church".  Or perhaps the expectations of the members of "the church"...expectations that were placed on "the preacher's kids" that no one would dare place on their own kids.  (Something to think about, huh?)

Now, I am not going to bash the church because I love Christ's church, the Body of Christ.  However, all too often things are done and said in "the church" in the name of "the church", or religion, that are not totally representative of Christ and what He intended the church to be. Sadly, many times "the church" stands in judgment of people and forgets that we are to extend the LOVE of Jesus to all people.  Christ offers love and forgiveness to anyone who will come to Him and ask.

Jesus said in John 3:16~

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

But have you ever read the next verse, John 3:17?

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,

but that the world through Him might be saved."

Remember what Jesus said regarding the woman taken in adultery in the Gospel of John, chapter 8...

Vs. 7:  "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."

And when one by one all the accusers dropped their stones and walked away, Jesus asked the woman 

in verse 10:

"Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?"

She replied to Him, (vs. 11) "No one, Lord."  And Jesus said to her:

"Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."

But this isn't exactly where I wanted to go with this either.  It concerns me that perhaps there are those who would cast stones at this young man because he very possibly took his own life due to the wrong choices he made.  Again, I really don't know the details or particulars of what led him to this point in his life.  But this one thing I do know, according to God's Word:

John 6:39:  

"This is the will of the Father who sent Me, (Jesus)  that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day."

Vs. 40:

"And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

Vs. 47:

"Most assuredly, I say to you,

he who believes in Me has everlasting life."

Our God is a God of great mercy...

"But God, who is rich in mercy, 

because of His great love with which He loved us,

even when we were dead in trespasses,

made us alive together with Christ 

(by grace you have been saved)

and raised us up together,

and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace

in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith,

and that not of yourselves;

it the the gift of God,

not of works, 

lest anyone should boast."

Ephesians 2:4-9

It is my prayer that the Lord Jesus Christ give the comfort that only He can give to this dear family and friends during their time of great grief. May they feel His Presence and know that their child is safe in the arms of Christ today... 

No more suffering...no more fears, but in a place of perfect peace forever. Amen.

"Let not your heart be troubled; 

you believe in God, believe also in Me.

In My Father's house are many mansions.

If it were not so, I would have told you. 

I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you,

I will come again and receive you to Myself;

that where I am, 

there you may be also."  

John 14:1-3

"Peace I leave with you,

My peace I give to you;

not as the world gives do I give to you.

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

John 14:27

Amen.

(All photos are from a walk in the woods to a "Place of Peace")

"Watch, Stand Fast in the Faith, Be Brave, Be Strong."

"Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 

Let ALL that you do be done with love."

I Corinthians 16:13-14

(I am trying, Lord. Help me here. Thank you.)

"Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.

Test yourselves.

Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? ...

Unless indeed you are disqualified..."

2 Corinthians 13:5

"And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him,

though He bears long with them?

I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.

Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes,

will He really find faith on the earth?"

Luke 18:7-8

These past few days have really put me into a bit of a quandary.  I am perplexed at the total shift in our society. Although the media would have us believe that it IS a total shift to the left, I believe that if the whole nation were brave enough to speak their true hearts, we would find that it is not as "total" of a shift as they would lead us to believe.  What I don't understand is how so many people are actually celebrating something that is such an unbelievable heresy...and even deliberately teaching their children that this is a good thing. 

In Matthew chapter 24 Jesus' disciples are asking Him about the end of the age...specifically in the following verses:

Verse 3: 

"And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

Verse 4-5:  

And Jesus answered and said to them:

"Take heed that no one deceives you.

For many will come in My name, saying 

'I am the Christ, and will deceive many."

Verse 24:

"For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive,

if possible, even the elect."

Verse 33-39:

"So you also, when you see all these things,

know that it is near--at the doors!

Assuredly, I say to you, 

this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

Heaven and earth will pass away, 

but MY words will by NO MEANS PASS AWAY."

But of that day and hour no one knows,

not even the angels of heaven,

by My Father only.

BUT AS THE DAYS OF NOAH WERE,*

SO ALSO WILL THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN BE.

For as in the days before the flood,

they were eating and drinking,

MARRYING AND GIVING IN MARRIAGE,

until the day that Noah entered the ark,

and did not know until the flood came and took them all away,

so also will be coming of the Son of Man be."

Verse 42-44:

"WATCH THEREFORE, FOR YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT 

HOUR YOUR LORD IS COMING.

But know THIS:

that if the master of the house had known what hour

the thief would come,

he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.

Therefore, you also be ready,

for the SON OF MAN IS COMING AT AN HOUR YOU DO NOT EXPECT!"

I find it very interesting that the iconic symbol of the current wave of deception in our country is a rainbow. The rainbow first came into existence in the time of Noah*, which can be found in the book of Genesis, chapters 6-9.  In Genesis 6:5-8 it says:

"Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,

and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

So the Lord said, 'I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth,

both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air,

for I am sorry that I have made them.

But NOAH found grace in the eyes of the Lord."

I think we all know the story of Noah and the Ark...how God instructed him exactly how to build the Ark, and who would be allowed to enter the ark with him...only his family and two of every kind of animals on the earth.  (see Genesis chapter 7 for specific details).   And then came the flood...and every living thing that was left on the earth was destroyed, except for Noah and his family and those animals that were with them on the Ark.

And when the floods receded and Noah and his family were able to leave the Ark, God spoke to Noah and promised that He would never again destroy all of the earth with a flood (Genesis 9:8-17), and in verse 13 in particular He said:

"I set My rainbow in the cloud, 

and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth..."

The rainbow was meant to be a symbol of God's covenant never to destroy all of the earth again with a flood.  It doesn't mean that God will never judge the earth again, but rather that He will not destroy it with a flood.

To use a rainbow as a symbol of something that is anathema to God is a real sacrilege, and a type of "in your face, God" expression of rebellion. I think I would think twice about that before using God's rainbow as a symbol of something we know that God hates.

I know that I am rambling here...I have so many thoughts on this subject that I can't begin to express them all in this short venue.  

Please let me state one thing here: 

 God does not hate sinners. But God DOES hate sin.  

Jesus came to forgive sinners and save them, giving them eternal life.
But there is one condition...REPENTANCE.  Repentance means to turn away from sin...to change one's mind and heart and behavior.  Jesus told about the woman taken in adultery in John 8:1-11.  According to the law, she should have been stoned for her sin of adultery.  Jesus said to her accusers, (verse 7)

"He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."

When the accusers each left one by one, Jesus asked the woman where were all of her accusers...and asked "Has no one condemned you?"

She replied in verse 11, "No one, Lord."

And Jesus said to her,

"Neither do I condemn you; 

GO AND SIN NO MORE!."

Note that Jesus did NOT say, "Neither do I condemn you, now go on and have a good life.  Go on and keep living in sin because you have been forgiven, go on and keep doing what you want to do!"

NO, that would be totally opposite everything that Jesus stood for...if it was okay for us to continue living in sin after Christ gave His life for us and forgave us for our sins, His whole purpose would be ineffectual.  He came to give us new and abundant life...

"I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, 

but have the light of life."

(John 8:12)

And again He says in John 10:9-10

"I am the door.  

If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.

I have come that they may have life,

and that they may have it more abundantly."

I know I have to wrap this up somehow.  Please understand that I am not trying to stand in judgment of any person or group of people. I am merely stating the truth of God's Word.  

I Corinthians 6:9-20 talks about the Sanctity of the Body...the holiness of the body that is washed and justified by Christ, and the holiness of the body as the temple of God's Holy Spirit who is in you if you are born again...

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, 

whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

For you were bought at a price; 

therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit,

which are God's." (verses 19-20)

Verses 9-11 says:

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?

Do not be deceived.

Neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers,

nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,

nor thieves, nor covetous,

nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

AND SUCH WERE SOME OF YOU.

BUT YOU WERE WASHED, BUT YOU WERE SANCTIFIED, 

BUT YOU WERE JUSTIFIED IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS AND BY THE SPIRIT OF OUR GOD."

And also in 2 Corinthians 5:17~

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
old things have passed away;
behold, all things have become new."

Ephesians 4:17-27 says to the believer as a new man in Christ:

"This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, 

that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, 

in the futility of their mind,

having their understanding darkened,

being alienated from the the life of God,

because of the ignorance that is in them,

because of the blindness of their heart;

who, being past feeling,

have given themselves over to lewdness,

to work all uncleanness with greediness.

But you have not so learned Christ,

if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, 

as the truth is in Jesus:

that you put off, concerning your former conduct, 

the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,

and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

and that you put on the 

new man which was created according to God, 

in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore, putting away lying,

'Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," 

for we are members of one another.

Be angry, and do not sin:

Do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 

nor give place to the devil."

As believers in Christ we are to:

"Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,

but RATHER EXPOSE THEM.

For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.

But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light,

for whatever makes manifest is light.

Therefore He (the Lord) says:

"Awake, you who sleep,

Arise from the dead,

And Christ will give you light."

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,

redeeming the time, 

because the days are evil.

Therefore do not be unwise,

but understand what the will of the Lord is."

Ephesians 5:11-17

I know there are many people, yes, even Christians, who think that the latest Supreme Court decision is a good one. We are each entitled to our own opinions, and so far as I know, we still have the right to freedom of speech. 

 I have disconnected the comment form for this particular post.  Why?  Well, because I would rather not leave it open for discussion or dissension.  This is my opinion based on what I believe is found in the Word of God, the Bible. There has been much said in opposition to what I believe already in the media, social media, and even among family and friends. If you wish to make a statement of your own beliefs, you may do so wherever you wish.  But this is my post. This is what I believe.

 I certainly believe in love and forgiveness...but we as Christians must stand for THE TRUTH.  We must "WATCH, STAND FAST IN THE FAITH, BE BRAVE, AND BE STRONG".  We need to "REDEEM THE TIME...BECAUSE THE DAYS ARE EVIL."

"Finally, my brethren,

BE STRONG IN THE LORD 

AND IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT.

PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD,

THAT YOU MAY BE ABLE TO STAND AGAINST THE WILES OF THE DEVIL.

For we do not wrestle against

flesh and blood,

but against principalities, against powers,

against the rulers of the darkness of this age,

against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God,

that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, 

TO STAND."

Ephesians 6:10-13

Amen and Goodnight.

Casting Stones

So, who hasn't heard the sad saga of Paula Deen this past week in the news?  If you haven't, you've probably had your head stuck in the sand somewhere on an island. Lucky you.  I purposely have not made any comments or statements regarding my feelings about this issue this past week for a couple of reasons:

1. I have never watched the Paula Deen program on TV, nor have I purchased any of her cookbooks, cookware, or anything else connected to Paula Deen.  Why? I'm not at home to watch much TV, and I'm not really into "cooking" that much anymore.  So I don't have any opinion regarding her program, cooking, or other endorsements.
2. Out of respect to my friends and acquaintances who are black, I did not want to appear to be defending Paula Deen's use of the "n" word and possibly be misunderstood.

However, that being said, I do have something to say.  I've been letting this story seep into my thoughts and feelings this week, and I have decided that I do have some thoughts worth sharing with you concerning this.

What triggered my musing a little more was when I noticed the title for the sermon on the bulletin for this Sunday at the church where I work: "What Would Jesus Say to Paula Deen?"  I do not attend this church on Sunday, therefore I will not get to hear the sermon being delivered by our Pastor, and I have not read his transcript, so I do not know what he is planning to say.  I was frankly a bit surprised that this would be the topic of his sermon for this week, but the more I thought about it, I began to feel a bit of a sermon rising up in my heart and soul as well.  As I said, I don't know what he has chosen as his scripture text or what the main points of the sermon will be, but here's what I believe God would want ME to say on this subject:

"So when they continued asking Him, He (Jesus) lifted up Himself, and said unto them, 

He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." (John 8:7, KJV)

Yes, I know this story is about the woman who was caught in the act of adultery (John 8:1-11), but I believe the message still fits the current situation.  

I also grew up in the south, although I was transplanted here at the age of 6  (back in the late 1950's) from the farm country of Pennsylvania.  Prior to my arriving in the south with my family, I don't know if I had ever even seen a black person, let alone I would never have known any negative things about their race or have any trace of prejudice against them. Once our family settled into our new community in this southern part of the nation, we realized we were living in a very different culture and society from whence we had come.  My first hint of being in a different world was when my little friends in my first grade class started calling me a "Yankee"!  I had no clue what that meant, and did not understand why that was considered a bad thing, but the way they said it made me think it must be something awful...even more awful than being called "carrot top" for my red hair, and being told that they'd "rather be dead than red on the head!" I quickly learned to come up with my own taunts to defend myself, but that's another story.

The next clue in learning that life was very different in the south than in the north was that in the County Courthouse, where my mother worked, there were two water fountains...one which had a sign over it that said, "White", and another that had a sign that said, "Colored".  There were also different sets of restrooms, again, "White", and "Colored".  In our drug store and doctor's office there were separate entrances and waiting areas...one for "White", and one for "Colored".    The "Colored" people were never allowed to enter the white area of any store or be served at the soda fountain in our drug store.  The "Colored" people did not even come into that particular part of town unless they absolutely had to.  They had their own little stores, but not nearly as nice as the white people's stores, and they also had their own schools and churches, and they lived in the section of town known as "Colored Town".  

The other thing I learned was that many of the kids in my school, as well as many adults, did not have much respect for the "Colored People".  The "N" word was used frequently, both in jokes, as well as in ordinary language and conversations.  It actually was the common word that was used to talk about the people of color, and no one seemed to notice that it was improper to use that particular word.  I confess that I even learned to say that word myself, although my parents would not have tolerated it if they had known, and I am certainly not proud of it today.  

It was not until I was a junior in high school that our schools became integrated, and my class was the very first class to receive black students. It was called "The Great Experiment", bringing five of the very best students from our local black high school, and enrolling them in our class.  I can only imagine how fearful those five brave teens must have felt on that first day of class in an all white school. To our credit, my fellow classmates and I actually went out of our way to welcome them into our midst...we tried our best to include them in our extra curricular activities, sports, and conversations. We were very proud of them and their accomplishments when we all received our diplomas together the following year.  Amazingly, some of us have actually been reunited in recent years through a class reunion and then as friends on Facebook. Sadly, I just received word last night that one of our courageous black classmates passed away this week from a heart attack.  I am so glad that I had gotten reacquainted with her through Facebook, and I was so happy to see that she was a committed, dedicated Christian woman, a real prayer warrior, a precious child of God, a woman deserving my greatest respect and admiration. She will truly be missed.

I am extremely sorry that I ever thoughtlessly used a word that caused such hurt in the hearts of good honest people, even if they never heard me say it. I ask for their forgiveness today. I wonder also if other people throughout our nation have thought about that very much this past week, and have examined their own hearts and realized that they, too, may have said some words in the past that were degrading to other people, races, or religions.  Southerners are not the only guilty parties.  I know many people from the cities up north who have used racial and ethnic slurs against people from different nationalities ever since immigrating to the United States on the Mayflower.  There is probably an ethnic slur for every nationality alive today.  It's wrong. It's unkind. It's always inappropriate.  But my question is, why should Paula Deen be the only one being crucified over this use of improper language years ago? If she's guilty, then so is probably 99% of the human race. We all know we are guilty of possibly even worse than what she has said.

The rest of the Bible story that I quoted above goes this way:

John 8,verses 8-11:

 "And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, 

"Woman, where are those thine accusers? 

Hath no man condemned thee?"

She said, "No man, Lord." 

And Jesus said unto her, 

"Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."

Thankfully, our Lord and Savior has forgiven us of our many sins, if we have repented and confessed and asked for that forgiveness.  Perhaps this situation with Paula Deen this week has been a bit of a wake-up call for many of us, in more ways than just in our choice of words and language.  Perhaps we all need to do some self-examination and confession.  I trust it won't result in the loss of a contract or job or position in life...but if it does...well, we know we at least did what we believed was right in being truthful and forthright in our confession.  I believe God is going to take care of Paula Deen.  She's not a bad person.  I don't know her well enough to know if she is a believer, but maybe this experience will help her to lean on Jesus even more and not rely on the world for her livelihood.   Maybe He will help her to start a new contract in her life...an eternal contract that will be a blessing to many.  God is in the second chance business...I know that for a fact and from personal experience.  Perhaps He wants to give you a second chance too! What do YOU need to confess?

And Jesus said unto her, 

"Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."