- I am so thankful for my husband, Anthony. He is an amazing man who has a tremendous love for his family and for Christ. He is devoted to our marriage and to being a great father! He helps me in so many ways. He is the laid back side of me. He takes care of Drew when I am trying to get ready in the morning. He even cooks! There is so much more I can't even begin to tell. He shows his love for me when he wraps his arms around me and holds me close to him, when he gently kisses my forehead and when he plays with my hair as I'm drifting off to sleep. What an amazing man...and he is mine! So much to be thankful for!
- For the provisions that God has made for my family. He sees our needs and meets them, not always in the ways I am looking for but always in ways that are glorifying to Him. I know that the plan he has for the house in Fairhope to sell will bring him all the honor and glory and will (and is) reminding me that I don't have to be in control all the time - that's His job!
- For our family - blood and by the blood! Just knowing how much their friendship and love means to our family. I am thankful that I can call my mom and she will talk with me as a mother and a friend. I'm thankful that I have a sister, brother and sister-in-law who get along and we are close to - no matter the miles that seperate us. I am thankful that I have a mother-in-law that I love as my own mother and that loves me too. And to know that we have a church family that accepts us as we are and loves us.
- Thankful for a job I enjoy that's close to home and co-workers who are easy to get along with.
Friday, October 23, 2009
what's today...
This morning, on my way in to work, I was listening to a local Birmingham radio show. They were briefly sharing about thankfulness. I know that we set aside one day a year (Thanksgiving Day) specifically for that. But do we really use that day to express our thankfulness or do we just stuff ourselves with unnecessary amounts of food and lay around watching parades and football? It is so easy for me to get in my own little world and lose sight of what I am thankful for. So today I want to begin sharing some of those things.
Monday, October 19, 2009
the baby blues...
Well, I guess today I officially have the baby blues. So many friends experiencing parenthood lately. Makes me think about when we had our sweet boy. Today that sweet boy is at school, a strong-willed yet compassionate two year old. Although he didn't want mommy to leave this morning and cried as I walked out the door - and mommy almost did too - I can't help but sometimes wish he was a little baby again. When I could hold him all day long. Now it is "no mommy" and " I do it". They sure do grow fast! I was thinking as I left the daycare this morning about what it would be like to have another one. The house in Fairhope needs to sell before we could "afford" another one...if that is how it works! So, I guess until that day comes, I'll just keep hoping and starting praying that we can have another one! As for today...if only I could have the day off, my precious boy and I would play and have some great mommie son time!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
crime and punishment...
Today I have found myself reading various articles on moral/ethical issues. One topic really caught my attention. It is a highly debated argument regarding the sanctity of human life. Capital Punishment – the death penalty. As a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, I must be honest in that I haven’t (until now) put much thought or study into this. I had formed an opinion (which I will not state) and presumed it to be correct. Here are some of my thoughts...
What is capital punishment? According to Wikipedia, “Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a person by judicial process as a punishment for an offense.”
Is capital punishment biblical? Yes. In Exodus 20 and going forward, we find the account where Moses tells the people of God’s commandments and laws. There are multiple offenses that are punishable by death. Examples are: if a person deliberately kills another, kidnappers, those who curse their parents, if a person hits a pregnant woman and causes her to miscarry ending in the death of the prematurely born child and also anyone who practices sorcery. Let me set this straight though. There are limitations on this penalty that must be followed. Leviticus 19:15 says, “Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly.” Deuteronomy 17:6 and Numbers 35:30 tell us that a person should not be put to death on the testimony of only one witness; there must be two or more witnesses.
If capital punishment is biblical, is it only limited to the Jews? No. Deuteronomy 1:15 – 18, “So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials. And I charged your judges at that time: Hear the disputes between your brothers and judge fairly, whether the case is between brother Israelites or between one of them and an alien. Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it. And at that time I told you everything you were to do.”
If Christ came, didn’t he do away with the law and thus capital punishment also? No. Matthew 5:17-18 records the words of Christ saying, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the Law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.”
What is the purpose of the Law of Moses? Romans 3:19-20 gives us that purpose, “Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.” Galatians 3:23 – 25, “Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.” Please understand that Galatians 3:25 is not saying that we do not need the law; it is saying that it is no longer our guardian because Christ has come. Check out Romans 5:14-16, “Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.”
Now you are getting religious. Not so, as Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and every other denomination or religion is made up of people. When we, people – all humanity, try to make our own way to God that is religion no matter what “religious” affiliation we are, if any. However, God himself made a way for us. Unlike any other religious belief, Christianity believes that no one can or will ever be good enough on our own to go to heaven, in fact we all deserve death and hell. We also believe that because of Christ’s sacrifice and risen life, we – all humanity – can be made right with God. However, Christ is the only way we can be made right with God because He is the way that God gave us.
What does this have to do with Capital Punishment? Laws are in place to keep us doing the “right” things. Does that mean we always do? Not even close. Are there penalties and punishments when we break the law? Oh yeah. Why do we even need laws? They were established – even the Law of Moses – as a standard for us to meet. Do we meet those standards all the time? No way. Do we deserve the penalties and punishments when we don’t meet the standards of the law? Yes, we don’t always like it but we deserve it. If the penalty for taking a life is a life – that is what is deserved for the crime committed.
My last thought on this... as I thought about Christ and his “endorsement” for capital punishment; I was drawn back to a familiar story. Check out the account in Luke 23 - 24. Jesus is now before Pilate, the Roman governor, and Pilate, acting as the judge in this instance, found no reason to sentence Jesus to death. Yet the voices of Jesus’ own people grew louder and louder as they insisted he die by capital punishment. So Pilate gave in to the crowd and ordered Barabbas, a murderer – who according to the law deserved capital punishment, freed and Jesus to die in Barabbas’ place. Did he have to; no. Did he deserve it; no. He took the death penalty for my sin…so that I could be set free because of His sacrifice and risen life. I think we need to take a step back and realize that all human life is sacred to God because we are made in His own image by His own will and for His glory alone. The penalty we deserve…we don’t have to get – because of grace. For us to obey God’s call to live for Him is better than to sacrifice our eternal security for hell.
What is capital punishment? According to Wikipedia, “Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a person by judicial process as a punishment for an offense.”
Is capital punishment biblical? Yes. In Exodus 20 and going forward, we find the account where Moses tells the people of God’s commandments and laws. There are multiple offenses that are punishable by death. Examples are: if a person deliberately kills another, kidnappers, those who curse their parents, if a person hits a pregnant woman and causes her to miscarry ending in the death of the prematurely born child and also anyone who practices sorcery. Let me set this straight though. There are limitations on this penalty that must be followed. Leviticus 19:15 says, “Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly.” Deuteronomy 17:6 and Numbers 35:30 tell us that a person should not be put to death on the testimony of only one witness; there must be two or more witnesses.
If capital punishment is biblical, is it only limited to the Jews? No. Deuteronomy 1:15 – 18, “So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials. And I charged your judges at that time: Hear the disputes between your brothers and judge fairly, whether the case is between brother Israelites or between one of them and an alien. Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it. And at that time I told you everything you were to do.”
If Christ came, didn’t he do away with the law and thus capital punishment also? No. Matthew 5:17-18 records the words of Christ saying, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the Law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.”
What is the purpose of the Law of Moses? Romans 3:19-20 gives us that purpose, “Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.” Galatians 3:23 – 25, “Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.” Please understand that Galatians 3:25 is not saying that we do not need the law; it is saying that it is no longer our guardian because Christ has come. Check out Romans 5:14-16, “Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.”
Now you are getting religious. Not so, as Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and every other denomination or religion is made up of people. When we, people – all humanity, try to make our own way to God that is religion no matter what “religious” affiliation we are, if any. However, God himself made a way for us. Unlike any other religious belief, Christianity believes that no one can or will ever be good enough on our own to go to heaven, in fact we all deserve death and hell. We also believe that because of Christ’s sacrifice and risen life, we – all humanity – can be made right with God. However, Christ is the only way we can be made right with God because He is the way that God gave us.
What does this have to do with Capital Punishment? Laws are in place to keep us doing the “right” things. Does that mean we always do? Not even close. Are there penalties and punishments when we break the law? Oh yeah. Why do we even need laws? They were established – even the Law of Moses – as a standard for us to meet. Do we meet those standards all the time? No way. Do we deserve the penalties and punishments when we don’t meet the standards of the law? Yes, we don’t always like it but we deserve it. If the penalty for taking a life is a life – that is what is deserved for the crime committed.
My last thought on this... as I thought about Christ and his “endorsement” for capital punishment; I was drawn back to a familiar story. Check out the account in Luke 23 - 24. Jesus is now before Pilate, the Roman governor, and Pilate, acting as the judge in this instance, found no reason to sentence Jesus to death. Yet the voices of Jesus’ own people grew louder and louder as they insisted he die by capital punishment. So Pilate gave in to the crowd and ordered Barabbas, a murderer – who according to the law deserved capital punishment, freed and Jesus to die in Barabbas’ place. Did he have to; no. Did he deserve it; no. He took the death penalty for my sin…so that I could be set free because of His sacrifice and risen life. I think we need to take a step back and realize that all human life is sacred to God because we are made in His own image by His own will and for His glory alone. The penalty we deserve…we don’t have to get – because of grace. For us to obey God’s call to live for Him is better than to sacrifice our eternal security for hell.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
who are we...
Last night Anthony and I were talking - not that we don't talk any other time- about something near and dear to us...our call to ministry. He is in the process of completing his Masters of Divinity through New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS). Several months back he came home and handed me a piece of paper. On that paper was information about classes offered for wives of current NOBTS students. After weeks of trying to decide if it was worth it, I decided to jump in. So here I am in week 6 of my first 8 week course. Studying about "What Baptist Believe".
During the last few weeks I have really began to feel the press of the Holy Spirit on me, reminding me that I too am called to ministry. There are days it feels that my heart has turned in my chest...anxious over what He is telling me. Lately my focus has been on the church - it was our study focus in class last week. What is "church"? This word is often misunderstood. My sweet little 2 year old always points and says "church" when we pass by the building where our church meets. Is the building the church? Not quite. My perception of "church" has been a little out of sort also. For several years, I too had the same idea as my 2 year old. Church is just a building where we go to worship God. After the first few years of full-time ministry, I caught myself thinking, "Well, this is just where God has us for now." Because of that attitude I did not allowed myself to function within the "church" as is necessary.
What is "church"? 1 Corinthians 12:12-13a, "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body." The church is the body of Christ - those who've been identified with Christ through salvation and baptism. Now, there may be people who attend worship services, fellowships and Bible studies who have never accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior - they are not part of the church. The church is an extension of Christ on earth. We follow His leading - prompting through the Holy Spirit who lives within the believer directing them back to Christ. Just like hands and feet have their function within the body, so every believer has their function within Christ's body. It is our responsibility as the church to reach those who do not know or believe and share Christ's love and salvation with them.
The church is not a democratic body. Just like my hands and feet have no say (and can't vote) on what my head tells them to do, the church has no say on what Christ has commanded them to do! We must live out His commands - they are loving and not demanding. We must take care of other believers within our local fellowships. It is so easy to become social groups within the fellowship that we leave others out - this is not what Christ would have us do or be! It is easy to allow 20% of the fellowship to do 100% of the "work". Again, not how Christ has set it before us - we ALL have a function, every believer has a function!
Within the body we must be reaching out to nonbelievers, supporting the ministries of the fellowship, educating each other in Biblical truth, and taking care of the needs (physical, emotional, spiritual) of the fellowship. So, who are we? The church or just a building...
During the last few weeks I have really began to feel the press of the Holy Spirit on me, reminding me that I too am called to ministry. There are days it feels that my heart has turned in my chest...anxious over what He is telling me. Lately my focus has been on the church - it was our study focus in class last week. What is "church"? This word is often misunderstood. My sweet little 2 year old always points and says "church" when we pass by the building where our church meets. Is the building the church? Not quite. My perception of "church" has been a little out of sort also. For several years, I too had the same idea as my 2 year old. Church is just a building where we go to worship God. After the first few years of full-time ministry, I caught myself thinking, "Well, this is just where God has us for now." Because of that attitude I did not allowed myself to function within the "church" as is necessary.
What is "church"? 1 Corinthians 12:12-13a, "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body." The church is the body of Christ - those who've been identified with Christ through salvation and baptism. Now, there may be people who attend worship services, fellowships and Bible studies who have never accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior - they are not part of the church. The church is an extension of Christ on earth. We follow His leading - prompting through the Holy Spirit who lives within the believer directing them back to Christ. Just like hands and feet have their function within the body, so every believer has their function within Christ's body. It is our responsibility as the church to reach those who do not know or believe and share Christ's love and salvation with them.
The church is not a democratic body. Just like my hands and feet have no say (and can't vote) on what my head tells them to do, the church has no say on what Christ has commanded them to do! We must live out His commands - they are loving and not demanding. We must take care of other believers within our local fellowships. It is so easy to become social groups within the fellowship that we leave others out - this is not what Christ would have us do or be! It is easy to allow 20% of the fellowship to do 100% of the "work". Again, not how Christ has set it before us - we ALL have a function, every believer has a function!
Within the body we must be reaching out to nonbelievers, supporting the ministries of the fellowship, educating each other in Biblical truth, and taking care of the needs (physical, emotional, spiritual) of the fellowship. So, who are we? The church or just a building...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)