Why go to Church?

Many articles and commentaries are out there on why different generational groups are leaving the church, what they like and how many people out there believe in the organic church and I could go on and on about less is more, more is less and philosophies, theories, etc... but I won't.

First and foremost, why go to church?
Is it for self? for enrichment, fueling, getting revived and improving oneself?

Of course, and  that is a great biblical question.

That is the day ole question.

Do we go to church to worship and fellowship with other believers, well yes, that is biblical too.

God's word when shared has the ability to produce new life, whether it's from a pulpit or in personal conversation.

The question here again as it is always is a matter of the heart. There is a fine balance in all things of life. Finding that balance and contentment is our journey.

Is church necessary? another question that poses many debates.
God's word says preaching is necessary and assembling together is necessary, so the answer would have to be yes. Some type of worship with fellowship is necessary .

"not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another ; and so much the more, as ye see the day drawing nigh" Heb 10:25


 “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17)


God's word when shared has the ability to produce new life.......

we are to share, share our life, our hurts, our hopes, our short comings, because when we share with others and explain how awesome our God brought us through, held our hand, taught us something or simply gave us peace.... we touch a life.

If you are in the church or not in the church, search your heart today and ask yourself some important questions.

Why am I here ?

What am I doing to help someone else along the way.

Am I too proud to join a body of believers, am I scared, am I hurt and feel like I cannot get close to others because of past hurts, insecurity or pride?

A true body of believers will accept you right where you are..... God will change you and mold you and make you more like him if you will let him.... If you are in the church and feel like you don't belong, take a look at self and look closely to see if you are allowing God to mold you, drawing you closer to him. Stop looking at others and comparing yourself, your ideals, your beliefs and start looking at others like God looks at them...

A beautiful being he created, that isn't perfect, that may be hiding, may be "fake" as some people say, they may have walls up, they make mistakes, in church or out, but they are his, and they are trying, and it is up to HIM and them to follow that narrow path to Him, not us to judge and feel elevated because we have it all figured out.

Try and look at others as God does, someone he loves, someone he created...
If you can do that, you can fellowship with a body of believers .... even the ones who you deem fake or pretending .... We are all traveling this journey together, some just figure it out before others.....

Not Good enough

I woke up feeling slightly oppressed and questioning “am I good enough” 

Am I pouring into people like I should be, 

Am I living as holy as I should be

Am I loving like I should 

Am I the mother and wife that I should be 

Am I the daughter and sister that I should be

After all those questions, I came up short. I came up short in every category 

Why do we come up short? Why do we as Christians always come up short? 

I am reminded of the other blog I wrote about "Fighting an image", though a true Christian will try and work hard at being Christ like, we often fail and the world around us sees it. Whether it's small or big, they look for excuses to prove that we are no better than them.   I am reminded that my sin or short comings are covered by the blood of my Lord and Savior and the world hated him then, just as they do now. Things are really different, times are different, but's it's all the same, just as the Bible predicted over and over that it would be. IT's not popular to be a Christian and never will be. 

A true Christian is striving to be Christ like so we are reminded when we mess up. Whether we are reminded by others through reproof or through the nudging of the Holy Spirit, A Christian will evaluate self and turn or try to correct the problem, striving to be Christlike,

 but we will never be perfect until we make it to heaven. 

I woke up feeling inadequate because I am inadequate, I am completely inadequate in my own strength.
 I prayed this morning and God reminded me of a few things, including my purpose.  He reminded me that I can do all things through him(Phil 4:13) and the key there is through him, in that I must include him and how do I include him? 
I include him by praying, seeking, reading his word, 
He reminded me that I am His and I need to lift up my head and go forward, continually striving 

I serve an amazing God and I am so thankful to be his. 

Fighting an Image

I have been on both sides of the coin, the judged individual who was living a life of sin and saw the "church" as my judge and have been on the other side of the coin in which now I see the church being judged and ridiculed and honestly feel like a minority in this beautiful America that was founded on God, and a protestant religion. 

As a Christian, or Christ Follower you are under a microscope to live up to the teachings of Jesus Christ and walk a straight line or else you bring damnation and a bad taste into that unchurched, or de-churched or lost person who is watching you intently and waiting for you to mess up or make a mistake.

They don't see you as an individual who is struggling to live right, or who is under grace or who is under the potter's hand being molded to become a better person, no,  they just see you through their convicted, judgmental eyes, looking to see that you are no better than them. 

Well I have news for you. I am no better than you. I am a sinner. I am only saved by grace and my savior went to the cross to die for my sins and through him and only through him can I live authentic, abundant life and when I say through him, I mean being in fellowship with him.  I am on a journey to find that perfect person, that perfect life, that perfection but I know that I will not see it until I am in heaven and Christ makes me perfect there. Until then I can only strive and do my best. 

I seek Christ to help me to become better and I seek HIM to forgive me when I mess up, no I am not perfect, but one day I will be. 

I am living my life to try to be a light to others, to extend Christ's mercy to others and to love others so that this sad, oppressed world can get maybe a glimpse of who Jesus is and I say glimpse because I know that I am not perfect, but I love, I hope and I pray for you.  I am thankful for his grace, I don't think one can live soley on grace.I do think there is some action on our part to strive to be better, and to read our Bible and take the whole Bible in stride, not just parts of it, but all of it. I do think we are required to strive and try, but with God all things are possible and he can and will help each one who desires him. 

My prayer for you is to find him, not find some religion or some church or group but Jesus Christ. 

My prayer is that you can have an intimate relationship with him who can change your life and make you new !! 

My prayer is that we can extend grace, love and acceptance to others as such has been given to us by Jesus Christ. 

Reflection of 2014 / The Mirror of 2015

James 1:23-25 ...'For if any be a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass; for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way and straight away forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continuity therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.'

This past year, I have been reminded more than once how fragile life is. How life is fleeting and like a vapor. It has been a great year, but it has been real as well. In experiencing life and death, I am reminded how Jesus Christ is who helps us daily, he gives us peace and sustains us. He gives us hope to see us through.
I am also reminded through living life that in all things I want to glorify Christ. Not because life is fleeting or short, or because of fear, but because of love, because of hope and because of life promised to all who will. All who will. It’s a choice. 
Christ gives us a choice to follow him. I don’t want to be the man or woman who looks in a mirror and forgets where I came from, or who I am, but I want to remember where I came from so that I can extend mercy and hope to others. Through him, we as Christians can share a light that he gives.


This year, if you display the banner of “Christian”, please remember what it means. Please look in the mirror and strive to see Christ. Strive to live like Christ, not a forgetful hearer, but a doer.

No one looks in the mirror and forgets himself, but who might just go to church for one hour on Sunday and then forget God the rest of the week ? 

It's easy to go to church for one hour on Sunday and get that feel good feeling of worship, the great songs, and maybe even listen to the message as long as we can refrain from our smart phone distracting us for that one hour, but regardless, one hour a week is not gonna give you the strength and peace you need to have the peace you so desire. It's a daily walk, it's constant prayer, it's a relationship with Jesus Christ that will get you through. 

One hour a week won't sustain you when trials come, one hour a week won't fulfill you when life is not, one hour a week will not empower you to go the distance and minister to others which we have been called to do. One hour a week is not enough.... 
unless you are a baby Christian and just learning how to walk, God will help you increase, and grow from there. 

As you reflect on 2014 and move forward into 2015 remember who you are and where you came from, pray that as you look in any mirror you will see Christ or at least a portion of Christ, a desire and a hope. 

My prayer for you in 2015 is the promise that Christ gives. Peace to sustain you and hope to get you through, resulting in abundant, & authentic life through him. God Bless ! 

Tis the Seson

       As we get closer to Christmas, and we see all the lights and excitement around, we are reminded of the 'season' we are in.


The light shows, plays,shopping and musicals, fill up this wonderful season. We are so busy, that we often forget or just get caught up in the hustle and bustle that we truly just want to participate and sometimes just get through it.  We are just counting the days down to our day off at work to visit family or day off so that we can get into the mood, but the season is here, the time is now !!! 

Personally, I have to constantly remind myself that the season is a fragile season, for some it's a sad time of missing loved ones, for others it's a time of feeling left out or alone as they have no family or friends to make it special and fellowship with. 
Some people do not have gifts or money to buy gifts and though in their heart they want to give, they have no gift to give and they are oppressed by life. 

This is the time, we as Christians and Christ followers are to reach out to those that suffer, that are oppressed and alone. This is the season to show others there is more light in us than in that park down the street all lit up with holiday lights and excitement. We have a true glow, a bright light and the light that Christ gives is the never ending, always glowing, always bright light,  all year long not just at Christmas. This is the time to touch those fragile hearts that are breaking. 


What are you personally doing for Christ this holiday season?  We are reminded of the celebration that is coming. The gift of a Savior !! Pray and seek God and ask him, to put someone in your path to bless, to help, to pray for. 

Tis the season.........
                                 ......the time is now ! 

Pride forgets, Humility remembers: Commentary on Thanksgiving

"Be careful that your heart doesn't forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery." Deuteronomy 8:14 HCSB

Has God brought you out of a place of slavery? Enslaved to sin, oppression, depression, the world? If you are a child of his, you can relate. You can go back to that place of void, that lonely place where you once lived and re-visit the pain. Go back there right now and remember that place where your soul suffered and felt alone......

He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the [a]miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear
And will trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:2-3 NASB

When we think of where he brought us from, we are often thankful.
The children of Israel had a problem with remembering and being thankful. They had been brought out of a real place of oppression. They thought they wouls be much happier in the place they were because their reality at the time, was hard.
Isn't that how we all are, we want to tuck tail and run at the slightest bit of persecution, and hardship and go back to what we once knew even it it means being enslaved and oppressed. Why, because it's familiar and "our Normal".


Pride forgets, humility remembers: Pride is a product of our carnal man, of "self" and often that is the world we live in, but if we can concentrate on humility, humility will yield Thanksgiving, why?
When you think and concentrate on where God brought you from, you not only become humble, but Thankful, Thankful for a chance for a new life with him.

I am sure that is what the children of Israel thought too, can't we just go back to be enslaved where we are comfortable?
They were liberated, they were free....but often forgot and did not have a thankful heart and complained often about everything.

They never embraced a spirit of Thanksgiving, that spirit of humility, of humble Thanksgiving, submission and surrender to our Lord God.  They were given miracle after miracle and would forget so quickly because their focus would reside on "self" and pride and they would forget.......

Pride forgets, humility remembers..........

Where are you? Do you live in a place of humility and thanksgiving, or a place of pride and self that yields unhappiness and negativity?
Surrender today to him and what he can offer. Discipline yourself and concentrate on a spirit of Thanksgiving daily, not just the month of November but always.......

A Shack versus a Mansion

Why do we build for our souls a shack when we can live in a mansion?

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Eph 6:12

I used to dream of living in a nice home, large, spacious, beautiful... I can remember as a middle schooler, when I first started really thinking of my future and dreaming of escaping my present lot in life, I dreamt of a successful, career in business where I could dress up everyday. I would literally pull pictures out of Southern Living magazine with the blue prints and save them for my future dream home. I loved looking at the blue prints and still do at times. 

      Reality is I am a nurse, not glamorous at all(though some people seem to think it is) and due to decisions made and circumstance I may never get to choose a blue print to make my home. Those dreams were relinquished long ago when I was convicted after I was first saved when I read the scripture where your treasure is there will be your heart also, so I kinda gave over the desires of this world about 20 years or more ago. So I don't struggle with that much. 

I struggle with the more here and now, I struggle with being good enough, being enough, being present, being available with the people in my life, I struggle with helping my family and am I doing enough. I struggle with things that matter, but it's still a struggle, it is still a battle and often I allow my soul to live in a shack when, because of Christ and his promises I could live in a mansion, literally one day I will, but I could live in a mansion here on earth, right now, if I so chose to. Why do I still live in a shack ?  I can't say that I live in a shack all the time, that would be pretty depressing if I stayed oppressed, no the enemy just wants me to slum, he wants me to go back to that shack and stay there, hungry, hoping, and having a pity party at times, he wants me to stay there if I will, he wants me to concentrate and think of my failures... What is your shack? 

The shack of rebellion? Of despair,  of oppression, of broken dreams, of hopes not fulfilled, why do you choose to allow this world, this present situation dictate your living arrangements?

Sometimes I question....  Am I not spiritually mature enough to resist this? No, I am, I am strong enough to resist this to live above this through Christ, we wrestle against spiritual battles and the more of Christ we can put into our lives, the more fulfilled we become, the more at a peace and we don't have to live in a shack, we can live in a mansion. Often the battle is in the mind, I have never read the book Battlefield of the Mind, but I strongly feel if we can get our minds under subjection to Christ Jesus then our battle here on earth is  most won and we can live in that mansion. 

Keep striving, keep trying, don't loose hope and if you slum at times in that shack, recognize it and get back home, back home to the feet of Jesus Christ..... Keep putting more of him in your life, and go live in that mansion, here and now....