Sharing the Gospel

Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ can sometimes seem like a daunting task.  Particularly, in today’s culture where everybody can have their own “truth,” talking about the truth of the Bible is often seen as hateful, mean-spirited, or intolerant.  Christians are now put on blast for believing in what some might equate to a fairy tale.

We are, however, called to leave fear at the door and go be witnesses. 

1 Peter 3:14-15—But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed, and do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentles and reverence;

Romans 1:16—For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Matthew 9:37-38—Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

2 Timothy 2:7-8—For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.  Therefore do not be ashamed of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,

Jesus specifically said in Mark 16:15, “Go ye into all the world and share the gospel with every creature.”

We weren’t meant to be shy about our faith!

One of the greatest examples of someone being bold about this very thing is Stephen.  We see him take on the Sanhedrin in Acts 7 after he is accused of blaspheming against God.  He willingly threw down the gauntlet after witnesses lied about what he was saying to speak on who Jesus is.  He spoke frankly.  He spoke clearly.  He spoke honestly.  His sermon didn’t dance around the issue.

Knowing he could die for his words, he laid aside fear of the people, fear of ridicule, and fear of death to proclaim Jesus Christ is King. 

When we are full of the Holy Spirit as Stephen was (Acts 6:8,10), we can be assured that strength and boldness is within us.  The Holy Spirit will direct us. 

How can we be ready for this?  We can pray before we speak to someone, asking the Holy Spirit to direct our words and give us courage to talk.  We can be in our Bible daily, strengthening our knowledge of Jesus and the words in scripture.  We can study to see the truths in the Word, preparing for any questions we might get.  We make Jesus the priority, not the leftovers.

I pray that as we go through our lives, we have the courage of Stephen to proudly proclaim that Christ is King!

~Erin

Crisis

I’ve written this first paragraph 4 times now.  I’ve erased it three.  How do you say, “I had what felt like a mental breakdown and told my Table 8 Bible Study that I had to take a brief break from facilitating.  I called my doctor and had to change my medication.  I think I’m starting perimenopause and am angry all the time.  I couldn’t even force myself to read my Bible or write a blog.  I was sitting in depression that felt so alone.”  I mean, how do you say that and hope that people don’t gossip or read things into what you say?!

That is the reality I’ve been facing for a little over four months.  I would get up in the morning and stare at my Bible as I walked past it.  Get a cup of coffee ready and look over at it, knowing the Word of God was just screaming to be read, that reading it would make me feel something…ANYTHING…and I physically couldn’t do it.  

I know there are other women who have felt like this.  It’s all you can do to get from home to work to home.  It’s all you can do to get dressed, maybe even shower.  It’s a simultaneous feeling of craving to do what you love and begging yourself to get up, while a feeling of emptiness just keeps you right where you are.  Frozen.

It’s actually terrifying. 

Almost three weeks ago, it was like a lightbulb went off in my head.  I finally realized that not only was I going through depression that was bordering on a serious crisis, but I was also most likely starting the hormone changes women see in their mid-40’s, and I knew I needed help.  I got in with my doctor immediately who was patient and listened.  We made some adjustments to my medications, and within just a few days I started to feel differently.  It was like I could breathe!

Last Thursday morning, I voluntarily opened my Bible.  It was a quick decision, but I actually thought to myself, “I want to read You today,” and when I opened the Bible and put my hands to the pages and began to read the scripture, I started weeping.  If I could only use one word to describe what it felt like, I’d say it was relief.  It felt like coming home.

I have, hands down, the most amazing group of Christian women that surround me.  Emily never once said that I had to get myself together or write a blog or tell me I was doing something wrong.  She’s walking with me through it without judgment.  Not a single one of my Table 8 sisters got upset when I said, “I just can’t do it and I need help.  I have to take a break from teaching.”  Tuesday’s Table group loved and prayed for me and didn’t expect anything from me when I had nothing to give. 

God misses us when we aren’t in relationship with Him.  There is verse after verse of His great love for us, Romans 5:8, John 3:16, Ephesians 2:4-5 just to name a few.  He hates when there is a void between Father and child, and He know that what fills that void is Him!

It’s a work in progress.  I’m starting to want to reopen my Bible and do research on what the Word says.  And I recognize the Father’s love and presence again (even though I know He never left me).  I’m ready to get back to it.  In fact, I should probably go because I have a little Bible reading to do.

See you next Thursday,

Erin

Hungry for God

My dog, Winnie, is absolutely obnoxious when it comes to food.  She knows her meal times and will not let you forget it.  If I’m still in bed in the morning, she literally climbs on top of me, nosing her way under my arm and puts her wet nose in my face to get me up.  When it’s time for dinner, if you so much as move your leg from a sitting position, she jumps up ready to go to her bowl.  She’s insatiable for food!

Are we that hungry for God?

Often we use the leftover bits of the day to fit in time with God.  It fails to become a priority, and before long, the time we spend with God ends up only being the obligatory prayer we say before our food. I’m not immune to this issue, either.  There are periods of time in my walk where “things” and other obligations become more important than God…as if that’s even a reality!

I wish to be like Job in this instance.  As his friends go at him in his time of despair, he responds to Eliphaz with this, “I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” –Job 23:12

Job was unwavering in his loyalty and worship of God.  He loved God more than the food that gave him sustenance.  Why?  Because true sustenance only comes from God!  We should hunger for it, long for it, run after it more than anything else in this life!

I pray that as we continue in this week, we hunger for God in this same way!

~Erin

The Breath of God

Today, I needed a reminder of a previous blog I wrote, and it did my heart good. I pray it encourages you, as well…

The early light’s sunrise slowly crept up over the horizon, soft orange and pink hues danced across the sky as I took my first drink of steaming hot coffee.  My bible, open in my lap, rested on Psalm 33.

Before I start any kind of reading from a bible study or the Word, I pause to pray. I ask God to lead me to what He would have me know and learn. The lessons He shows me are priceless gifts that are tucked away into the corners of my heart ready to be used when I need solace from my Comforter, guidance on how to handle a situation, or simply to remind me of His greatness.

This morning, it was no different.  As I finished my prayer, I dug into the Psalm and the words from verse six leapt off the page: By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host.  Did you read that?!  By the word of the Lord….by the breath of his mouth.

From the time I was a small child, flannelgraph story sets brought the story of creation to life. Sunday school teachers placed the sun, the moon, the animals, and Adam and Eve on dusty felt to help us memorize Genesis 1:1 and remind us of the story of how the world came to be.  As an adult, I’ve heard messages from brilliant pastors that recount creation from different perspectives. I’d never really given much thought to this in the past as the story had become routine and mundane. That is – until this morning…
God spoke, and the world was created.  He spoke.  His breath—powerful, graceful, elegant, enormous—His gentle breath breathed existence into….existence!  Do you ever have one of those moments where something you’ve known about for a long time just suddenly becomes the most mesmerizing thing you’ve ever thought about?  That’s what this was for me.

Every day, we breathe.  It’s just a natural event that we rarely think twice about.  There’s generally nothing special about how we do it.  But we know it’s significant.  Our breath shouts in anger at being hurt, brings words of encouragement to our friends, and whispers the ‘I love you’ to a sleeping baby. There’s power in just a single breath.

God’s breath, however, is strong enough to breathe into man’s nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2:7) and authoritative enough to calm a raging storm (Mark 4).  This image alone is as stunning as the beautiful shades of sunlight I captured this morning.

This image, my dear friends, is the gift He gave me today. The glorious breath of Jesus breathes life into each and every one of us. There is joy in knowing that He loves us enough to breathe into our lives every day. My prayer for you is that you see the joy in it, as well.

~Erin

The Devil Never Takes a Vacation

I wish that I never sin, don’t you?  It would make things so much easier on our walk with the Lord.  I’ve heard people say that once they become a Christian they don’t sin anymore but we know that, factually, that statement just isn’t true.  Even when we become born-again, we still fight the flesh every day to keep us focused and aligned on God’s path for our lives.

The reality is, Satan doesn’t take a vacation!  His demons never take a lunch.  They don’t punch a clock, giving you a reprieve when their workday is over.  Satan doesn’t head off to some tropical island sipping a daquiri to give us a break.

Society today shows us that Satan doesn’t have to do much anymore to entice people to sin.  We see selfishness and immorality at an all-time high.  Idolatry runs rampant throughout the nation.  Pride is everywhere.  When we stop looking to God and start looking at “self,” we begin the descent into the sinful nature that we so desperately need to run from.

The bible shows examples of the devil on the hunt regularly.  In Job, we see him say to God that he was roaming through the earth going back and forth.  Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5 that the devil prowls around.  Jesus wasn’t even immune from Satan trying his antics out on Him.  He will try and do anything to prevent people from looking to the Lord for salvation.  And if you’re already a believer, he’ll do just as much to try and keep you from maturing your relationship with God.

When we recognize that Satan never stops being Satan, not even for a minute, we can then look to God’s Word to determine what we should do to be on guard.

We hold onto the knowledge that the devil doesn’t stop.

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.  Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” –1 Peter 5:8

We also put on the full armor of God…and we don’t take it off!

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.  Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with Truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” –Ephesians 6:10-17

I pray that we’re all standing firm in our faith, seeking Christ daily and putting on the full armor of God because we know the devil never takes a vacation.

~Erin

Spring Cleaning

No one has ever accused me of being a great housecleaner.  Please don’t consult my husband on this; he doesn’t like to be reminded.  He learned this a long time ago when we got married the first time.  He quickly figured out that I’m a stacker.  I don’t mind clutter.  My house looks lived in.  Now listen, you’re not going to find me on the show Hoarders or anything, but I’m the queen of “that’ll be ok right there until I get to it…on Saturday.  Or Sunday.

As a result, I’ve never been a spring cleaner.  I envy the homes I see or the people I know who do this ritual every year, doing a deep dive into their entire house.  Their refrigerators look brand new.  Every window on the house inside and outside sparkle.  The baseboards are dust-free and the closets have been reorganized, the clothes having been shipped off to the local shelter or thrift store.

When it comes to spring cleaning, I think there is an area that sometimes gets missed, and that area should be looked at more than in just the spring.  That area is ourselves.  Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” 

As Christians, we are responsible for what we see, hear, think, speak, and how we act.  When we step into sin, we dirty up the corners of our house.  When we violate the Word of God, the house gets greasy.  When we partake in things that aren’t Godly, the dust motes settle.  It’s easy to miss when it’s just a little smudge.  Before long, however, the house is unkempt and filthy.

It’s not for me to say what it is that we do that causes our “house” to become tarnished and grubby.  The Bible, though, can lead us to determine what makes that happen.  And it also gives us the tools that can assist us with that deep clean that is needed.

It begins first with repentance.  1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  King David tells us when we confess our sin it as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).  The cleansing starts there.

Then we can keep it clean.  We practice the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).  We practice Ephesians 4:32, “Be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”  We deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24).  We are faithful to our calling to follow Jesus, and we stay on the straight path with our eyes focused solely on Him.

The final tip to our spring cleaning—don’t leave it for the spring.  Let’s be checking the corners, the floors, the closets of our hearts daily.  It doesn’t have to nor should it be relegated to a single moment in the year.  When we finally say “Enough with the clutter!”, we can focus on having the Holy Spirit living in a home worthy of our God!

I pray you join me in deciding to change the idea of a yearly spring cleaning to a daily cleansing of our hearts!

~Erin

You Are Ready!

Have you ever felt intimidated by someone’s knowledge?  Maybe you’ve been asked to lead a Sunday School, and you envision twelve different 8^th graders who could do a better job.  Maybe someone’s called you to pray out loud in a group, and all of a sudden you’re thinking, “I don’t think my ‘rub-a-dub-dub, thanks for the grub, yeah God’ will cut it this time,” and feel really inept…especially when Grandma Jones just finished praying and sounded like she’s been best friends with the Holy Spirit for 96 years!

We’ve all had those moments of feeling inadequate.  It can be painful to believe that you’re not up to the task.  We see several examples in the Bible.

Jeremiah felt like he wasn’t the person for the job of prophet, speaking on behalf of God.  “Then I said, ‘Alas, Lord God!  Behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am a youth.’”—Jeremiah 1:6.  God reminded him that he shouldn’t say that because He would tell him what to say, that he shouldn’t be afraid.

Moses felt unqualified to lead the Jews out of Israel.  Scholars vary widely on the number of Jews that escaped, but typically the two numbers most commonly viewed as correct are either 30,000 or 2.4 million.  That’s a drastic difference, but the point is that Moses didn’t feel qualified to bring even 100 out!  Five times Moses tried to get God to change His mind about using him, including the excuse that he wouldn’t be believed as well as the fact that he wasn’t eloquent.  All five times, God pressed and said He was the one to do it!

Paul felt unworthy.  He pursued Jews with a single goal: to annihilate the ones who believed in Jesus.  Yet, he later testifies in 1 Timothy 1:12-14, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor.  Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.”

I know it may seem scary to step up and be willing, but the answer to how you can have the courage is found in the Bible.

“I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me.” –Philippians 4:13

“Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,”—2 Corinthians 3:5

“Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”—Joshua 1:9

And if Bible verses aren’t enough, perhaps my practical reasoning will strike a chord:  It stretches your faith, especially in the moments of fear.  It gives an example to the less-mature Christian.  You learn something new as you lead others.  You mature in your walk with God, and it teaches you to be bold with the love and gospel of Jesus Christ.

It’s ok to be nervous or afraid of stepping out of your comfort zone!  But when the fear prevents you from doing the work of God, remind yourself that those moments of inadequacy are ideas from the devil!  God has called and equipped us!  You are ready!

~Erin

The Youth Group

If you were in junior high/high school in the 90’s, you most likely were part of a “lock-in” experience.  For those who were never part of one, the teenagers would arrive at the church around 6pm and you would literally be locked in the church all night with some chaperones until 7am the next morning.  There were areas where board games were played, there were snacks and food galore, you might have a movie playing in a room.  Girls were a lot of times huddled over in a corner, talking about boys and the boys were doing the same thing talking about girls.  I went to several in my time.  They seemed to die out as part of the “youth group” experience as I entered adulthood, and while I thought they were wonderful (think a whole night away from your parents), they weren’t exactly as wholesome as they seemed.

More often than not, the group of girls would find an empty Sunday School room and play “light as a feather, stiff as a board,” attributing it to unseen magic or gossip about whatever nerds were in our classes (we hadn’t figured out that WE were the nerds).  Several notes would be passed back and forth in the sanctuary as we ran around and under the pews about someone liking so-and-so, and could they get a few minutes alone at the end of the empty hall.  More than once, I saw the start of boyfriend/girlfriend relationships at which point they were stuck like glue to each other the entire night, even when we finally fell asleep.  Kids snuck outside to smoke cigarettes.  There was no real monitoring of the music we were listening to.  Usually, the chaperones were nowhere to be seen.  There was never actually any learning about God at these events, rather just an event where kids could hang out with each other in a “safe” environment.    

As an adult now watching churches grow and cultivate their youth groups, I think about what youth groups looked like then and what they look like now.  While the lock-in seems to be long gone, I’ve still seen some culture-based groups turning youth group into a party group.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a pizza party or a game night turn into a giant “cool kids vs. the uncool kids.”

However, I’m encouraged by what I’ve been seeing in the last few years with youth groups in my area (Alabama)!  I see leaders who are true leaders.  They’re not letting the kids run the show.  The teens are having fun, but that’s not their main purpose.  The kids are learning about God, who He is, what He’s done, what His character is, and how to serve Him.  An attitude of prayer and praise have found their way in these local youth groups.  These leaders are teaching them what it means to have a real relationship with their Savior. 

As a result, the local high schools have students who step up as student chaplains and serve others in schools.  Other students openly speak about Christ and His sacrifice.  Talking about God isn’t a taboo subject with teens—it’s not uncool.  It’s the norm.  This is not only a reflection of the way they were raised, and the church they are a part of, but also of the youth group leaders who pour into these kids and recognize that they are helping to mature and grow the next generation of Christ followers.  We don’t need students who just know how to have a good time.  We need students who are completely unashamed of the love of Jesus!

Thank you to all of our youth church leaders out there who pour into our children, who teach them without hesitation what it means to be a Christian!  My prayer is that we continue to turn our youth groups into strong men and women of God!

~Erin

The Full Easter Service

As we head into Easter weekend, we inevitably hear conversations about how packed churches will be.  We laugh about the sheer volume of people that show up.  I’ve heard the team “C&E’s” and “C-EASTERS” (think Christmas and Easter pushed into one word).  Churches are full!

I just laughed about this very topic this week.  And then I felt some kind of way about it.  I was convicted, like the Holy Spirit was doing some work in my heart.  Why would I make fun of people coming to church?

There are plenty of church members that cross the threshold of the sanctuary any time the doors are open.  There are some who only go once in a while, and others who rarely step foot in the door.  Are the people that are faithful to attend weekly better than the ones that attend only on Christmas and Easter?

I’m not advocating not going to church; I know how important corporate worship is.  But as I joked around about the throngs of people that would make it hard to find a seat, I realized that those people are just as in desperate need of a Savior as the ones who attend all the time.  Just because a person attends church faithfully, doesn’t mean that they have been saved and have a personal relationship with God.  If Christmas or Easter is what gets someone in the door, we should be grateful that a place to sit is a problem and not annoyed that they stole our chair!

Why?

Because on a Friday, Jesus took on our sins.  He took a beating, He took abuse, and He took torture.  And He never said to stop.  He took the ridicule and the mocking.  He carried a cross to Golgotha and had His hands and feet nailed to it.  He accepted this punishment as He hung dying.  And when He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30), He became the substitutionary payment for every single wretched one of us.

With His resurrection three days later, He proved His deity.  He proved what He said He was, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25a).  Paul said it best when he said in 1 Corinthians 15:14, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith is also in vain.”

 Praise God for the sacrifice of His Son.  Praise God for a Son who was willing to bear our sin.  Praise God for every. single. person. that walks through those doors this Sunday to hear what Jesus did for them.

May we pray faithfully for the souls that hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, that they may call on His name and be saved.

Happy Easter!

~Erin

You Want Me to Delegate?!

Have you ever felt like you were busy?  I don’t mean just the normal busy.  I mean the 3 kids, carpool lane, one Zoom meeting while baking for a fundraiser, getting two children to basketball practice and make sure you have something semi-healthy for dinner?!

I know that most of us don’t have days quite that bad, but I know what it’s like to FEEL that way.  By the time I’ve finished my day and I’m settled, I realized that I was so busy being busy, the day slipped by with me in auto-drive and I can’t remember anything that happened.  I just knew I had so much to get accomplished and it was all my responsibility to get it done!

It’s even harder to delegate.  It’s MY stuff, MY agenda, MY kids, or MY job and that responsibility of it working out is on me.  I can do it best because I know it best!  Please tell me I’m not the only one that feels like this.

Let’s correlate this overwhelming feeling to scripture.  We, as Christians, often do something very similar in our walk with God.  We’re overwhelmed at work.  We have a medical test coming up because they’ve found a suspicious spot.  Our children have walked away from God.  Our marriage is on the rocks. 

What is the first thing we do?  We try to fix it.  We try to schedule it.  We try to control it to make sure it gets handled in the most efficient way.  But what does GOD tell us?

Give it to Him! 

When we truly lay it at the foot of the cross and submit to His authority, we can ask Him ‘What’s next? Where do I go?’  We can delegate it to Him! 

He tells over and over in the Bible that He will take our burden.  He will sustain us.  Yet we continually try to pick it up because we think it’s our job to do so.  It’s not!  We need to give it to Him and let Him direct the next step.  Then, we walk that first step and wait for Him to tell us where the foot goes next! 

I know! I know!  It’s often easier said than done.  But if we will truly submit to allowing Him to take it and direct us, we’ll find that the “stuff” that we must take care of will be prioritized by the Lord and not by us!  As well, even if it’s not the way that we would handle it, we can sit in the peace and knowledge that God’s taken over and His plan is always better than we could ever dream up.

Here are a few verses for you that I use to remind myself that I can give it to God and He will take it!

“Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” –Psalm 55:22

“Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” –Proverbs 16:3

“Therefore humble yourselves under the might hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” –1 Peter 5:6-7

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.” –Matthew 11:28-30

~Erin