Different Denominations (and I'm Not Talking About Money)

Our church just began having a contemporary service in our Fellowship Hall on Sunday mornings in addition to our more traditional Sunday morning worship.   W.I.T.H  or Worship in the Hall wasn't a change in theology, but a different style of worshiping the same God.  It is an amazing worship service and it got me to thinking about different denominations and the different ways that people worship the One True God.

I think it's really neat that we as the body of Christ can choose how we worship and belong to the denomination of our choice.   It would be boring if everyone were alike.  Some prefer chocolate, some vanilla.  And so it is with worship, we have different preferences.

Sunday morning before last I turned on the television to hear a popular Atlanta pastor as usual before leaving for church.  I couldn't find him, so I settled for a different channel and different pastor.  I never did find our his name because I was listening from another room as I got ready to go to church.  But it was a very interesting explanation of denominations.

He surmised that  different denominations possibly existed in the Old Testament.  I know what you're thinking, probably the same thing I was; huh?   After the Egyptian Pharaoh released the Hebrews after 430 years of captivity, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments and other laws.  He later gave him detailed instructions on building a sanctuary or Tabernacle for Him so that He could dwell among the people. The Israelites  were divided into 12 tribes and each tribe set up camp around the Tabernacle, the position of each tribe's campsite had been determined by instructions from God to Moses. 

Each of the twelve tribes had different standards or banners that they flew over their tribe.  Even though they were all Jews and they had all been enslaved in Egypt there were differences in each tribe.  Every tribe had a set of values; personal values, traditional values and core values.  Personal values could be shaped by circumstances in their lives, their jobs, etc.  Traditional values were held by each tribe, and came from traditions that had been passed down from the families in the tribe from generation to generation, like what dishes they ate their Passover meal on, whether they watched the Passover football game, etc. (I'm just kidding.  But you get the drift.)  And core values are the values that they all held as God's chosen people.   These core values were absolutely non-negotiable.  "You shall have no other gods before me, You shall not make for yourself an idol, You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, Honor your father and your mother, You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not give false testimony, and You shall not covet".

We who are Believers have our own set of personal and traditional values.  Some of us are quiet in our worship, and some of us clap our hands.  Some of us like the old hymns and some of us like the new praise songs.  We are Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Catholics, and Lutherans to name a few.  But our core values are the same.  We are followers of Christ.  We believe that Jesus died once for all, taking on our sins and on the third day rose from the dead, giving us eternal life and preparing  us a place with Him in Heaven.

 
  

Putting on My Armor

Hello again.  It has been forever since I've seen you!  I've missed you.  I had no intentions of being away so long, but God had other plans.  This has been a hectic year.  In March and April I battled the flu for a month and in May our daughter got married.  In my last post I told you that God had me in a place of quiet rest to recover from all the excitement.   I really didn't expect my rest to be an extended one, but in July I came down with what the Doctor thought was bronchitis but turned into pneumonia.  The symptoms lasted over a month and then I was diagnosed with asthma.  That explains why it was so hard to get over the flu and pneumonia.


I have to be honest with you, while I was going through the flu I began to feel so defeated.  I don't think I had ever felt that bad and it got to the point where I wondered if I would ever feel better again.  And even though I knew that it wasn't the truth, I even felt like God had forsaken me.   Those were lies straight from the enemy himself. When I got sick with pneumonia I briefly entertained those lies again.
Both times when I was sick, I was unable to sit up and just generally felt lousy, not even like reading.  So I let my Bible reading and my Bible study lapse.  Big mistake.  One that I will never make again. 

Today in my Bible study on Covenant,  I read Ephesians 6.  I have read this passage many times, but today God showed me something new.   Kay Arthur says: "  The word "struggle" in Ephesians 6:12 is the Greek word pale.  It is a wrestling term - meaning to throw to the ground and hold there.  Could this be why so many who profess Jesus find themselves pinned to the ground by the Enemy?"  That is exactly how I felt!  I realized that during my illnesses, I had not put on the FULL armor of God.  I had select pieces on, but not the full armor.  My feelings were due to something that I had not done.  God had not forsaken me, I hadn't done my part.   Listen to me my sweet sisters, we cannot function at all unless we are FULLY armored!  We cannot stand firm against the enemy's schemes without God's complete suit of armor.  We cannot resist his lies unless we are fully armored.   It is impossible to stand against his evil ways without His complete armor. 

Ephesians 6:10-17 (New International Version)

The Armor of God

 ¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.









       

Rest

Hello friends!  I have missed you all.  But for the last several weeks God has had me in a place of quiet rest.  A place of rest in Him.  After the flurry of activity leading up to my daughter's wedding I was ready for ttanquility, both physically and mentally!  The Lord had me to refrain from any blogging or blog hopping in this season.  I was just supposed to be still in Him. 

I've been able to read 6 books so far this summer, something I haven't done in a while.  I am one of those readers that gets completely and totally lost in my book and can't put it down.

I also began a new Bible study that I am enjoying greatly, From the Trash Pile to the Treasure Chest: Creating a Godly Legacy by my very good friend Leah Adams.  Perhaps you've heard of her.  Leah is in the process of final edits and it will come out in the fall.

Anyway, I've missed you.  So tell me, what has God been up to in your life?
 

We Are Blessed

After many months of prayer, planning and preparation, the time finally came for our daughter's much anticipated wedding.  The week leading up to the wedding had proved to be typical weather-wise for May.  It rained off and on nearly every day with afternoon thunderstorms.  Saturday morning it looked like more of the same.  The day dawned overcast with dark clouds.  I had prayed for no rain because although the wedding would take place under a covered pavilion, it was quite a hike to get there and even being shuttled on golf carts the guests were bound to get wet.  I prayed for God's favor, but we knew that it was in His hands come rain or shine!  By mid-morning the sun was out and it was a beautiful day.  And we experienced the unmerited favor of the Lord.

Caitlin was one of the calmest brides I have ever seen. She woke up that morning beaming, with the biggest smile on her face.   We had a couple of minor emergencies; one of the groomsman's tux pants didn't fit and he had to make the two hour drive back to Men's Wearhouse to exchange them. They wouldn't meet him halfway.  The zipper on one of the bridesmaid's dress malfunctioned. Through all of this Caitlin was cool as a cucumber.  She commented that it didn't really matter what happened because at the end of the day I will be Mrs. Jody Jenkins.  I think a nuclear blast could have occurred and it wouldn't have fazed her.  Here she is getting ready with her bridesmaids.

The weather was still beautiful when it came time for the ceremony.  My heart was so full of emotion.  My little girl, now a grown woman beginning a family of her own.  Walking down the aisle on the arm of her daddy. 

The ceremony was so sweet.  They were married by the Youth Minister at our church.  He and his wife were such an important part of Caitlin's spiritual life and she couldn't imagine anyone else marrying them.  Instead of lighting a unity candle, they chose to enter into a Salt Covenant.  It indicates a binding contract, uniting their grains of salt for eternity.  Then they took communion as their first act of worship together as a married couple.

One of the most touching things in the ceremony were the unashamed tears of one of Jody's brothers and of Caitlin's brother.  I hadn't seen my 19 year old son cry for a very long time.  But his tears flowed freely.  He said, "I'm just so happy".  Here's Jody and his brother Toby.

We are so blessed to have gained another son.  He loves my daughter with all of his heart and we love him.  We also love his family and had such a good time with them as our families were joined together. 

  Here are a few photos from the reception:

  

I didn't have the presence of mind to take any pictures, so thank you to all of you that sent me pictures.  And thank you for indulging me and letting me share our special day with you.



Life Is Good,

Cindy

Waiting

But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior;
             my God will hear me.
            

This is my grandpuppy A.J.  Recently I got to puppysit while his mommy and daddy went to their premarital counseling.

He sits at the door eagerly waiting on his people to come back.  I try to get him to play and he will for a little while, but he knows that they will return for him and he anxiously waits by the door so he won't miss them.

He made me think about waiting on the Lord.  Am I eagerly waiting to hear from Him, eager to see what He has for me each day?  Am I watching in hope, knowing that He will hear me?

Life is Good,

Cindy

Happy Mother's Day

On this Mother's Day, I am so thankful for my precious Mother.  She was a beautiful example of what a godly Mother should be.  She is a prayer warrior and I remember her studying her Bible daily.  Thank you Mom, for taking care of me, and loving me always, especially those times that I am hard to love.  Thank you for being a wonderful role model and giving me the tools I needed to become a mother myself.

                                           My mother,  my daughter and me

And thank you to the loves of my life.   Life with you has never been dull,  motherhood was a wonderful adventure.  You've made life interesting and have kept me on my toes.  You are fun and funny and I am blessed to be your mother.  I love you both so much.

Life is Good,

Cindy

So Long, Insecurity

On April 24th, my friends Leah, Kristen and I joined about 10,000 other ladies at First Baptist Church in Woodstock, GA and 300,000 worldwide to hear Beth Moore speak on her book So Long, Insecurity. Yes, I am slow but it has taken me this long to process everything. It was wonderful day of worship and fellowship with old friends and new. I am ready to say goodbye forever to my insecurities. They have taken up too much space in my life

Here are some of the points of the day: A Secure Woman is:

1. Saved from herself (Insecurity is a twisted from of self-interest)
2. Entitled to truth (The more we live withdrawn, the darker our thinking becomes)
3. Clothed with intention (We can't be weak willed women)
4. Upended by grace (Grace is the only thing that we can give away that we can also keep)
5. Rebounded by love (We are loved by God regardless of our pasts)
6. Exceptional in life
   

We traveled to Atlanta the day before the event for some girl time. I hadn't seen Kristen for several months and there was a lot of catching up to do. Kristen had never been to Phipps Plaza and so we decided that it would be a good place to get a bite to eat and do a little shopping.

We then met a group of Siestas at Pappasito's for dinner. I knew a few of these women through their blogs but hadn't met them in person. It was a great time with about 30 ladies. And the Mariachi Band!



Our friend Kristen

Karen, Leah and Abby

Tammy


Lora and me. I was so excited to meet her. I feel like I have known her forever. I also met Yolanda and Georgia Jan, but failed to get a picture of them. I was so excited it's a wonder I got any pictures at all!

And no Mexican dinner is complete without a Mariachi Band!