What I Learned at Revival

(I guess this seems a little like the essays we wrote after summer vacation back in Middle School, but I just wanted to jot down a few points, mainly for myself and my bad memory…but possibly someone else can benefit, too!)

 

First, I learned (once again) that God is bigger than ANYTHING satan throws at me! I knew that when I said “yes” back in January to leading worship at this Revival, satan would try all of his little tricks that he uses to buffet me.  (I had to use that word buffet, just look at the definition!)

 

buf·fet = VERB

(especially of wind or waves) strike repeatedly and violently; batter; knock (someone) over or off course; (of misfortunes or difficulties) afflict or harm (someone) repeatedly or over a long period.

 

I know that God has given me a gift that He wants me to use for His glory.  I also know that satan doesn’t want me to use said gift for God’s glory. Therefore, there is always a battle.  Even after everything that was thrown at me over the last couple of weeks, I felt stronger leading worship last night than ever before...and this is why…because it was all of Jesus and none of me.  When I let go and let Him take over, He always comes through.  May I never, ever forget that.

 

The second thing that I learned was this:  It is so important to show up for those that we love. To have the support of my friends, family and church family means everything to me.  I am so thankful for those in my circle that I can always depend on.  I pray that I never take that for granted and that I can be a person that always shows up for the ones I love. 

 

Finally, I learned from the amazing message that Bro. Flowers brought.  So many things spoke to me, but something he said at the end really resonated with my soul.  He told a story of a man named William Borden. (If you get a chance, read his story. He was an amazing man of faith that accomplished some great things in his very short life.)  As the story goes, at the end of Mr. Borden’s life these words were found written in his bible; no reserves, no retreats, no regrets.  I could say so much about these three things, and maybe I will at a later date, but here is a synopsis of what I got:

 

1) no reserves – I work at a job where it is very important that we keep a set amount of money in reserves in case our funding is cut and we need to be able to continue operations, so the word “reserves” is something I am very familiar with.  To me, having no reserves in life means that I will hold nothing back.  I will give everything that I have.  This reminds me of a quote I once saw by Erma Bombeck, “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'.”

 

2) no retreats – in battle, to retreat would be to withdraw from enemy forces that are coming against you when you feel you have been defeated.   If I withdraw every time I feel satan coming against me, I will NEVER do anything for God.  But, if I take the stance of NO RETREATS, I am saying that I will not step back or quit what I am called to do.   

 

3) no regrets – I already have many regrets in life from things I did in my younger years, but I know that God works ALL THINGS together for good and He can use whatever I bring to Him for His purposes.  I pray from this day forward, I can live a life that is pleasing to Him and always points others to Jesus. I don’t want to regret missed opportunities.  I want to be what God needs me to be for my family, my church, my friends and my co-workers.  I have a long way to go, but if I start now, I will get there a lot quicker! 

 

Just a few thoughts for today…I hope it touches and inspires someone the same as it did for me.  

Pick Up That Fork!

"Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

and let your soul delight itself in abundance.”

Isa 55:2 NKJV

At one time or another (if we are honest with ourselves) I’m sure every church-going Christian has said this in reference to their church services or Sunday School classes:

“I’m just not getting fed.”

I know that I have.  A couple of weeks ago, the Lord gave me a mental picture that really spoke to me concerning this and I pray that by sharing it, I can help someone else. 

That particular morning, I read a post/rant from a friend on Facebook about how we as Christians sit idle in our churches and complain because we are not being fed instead of picking up the fork and feeding ourselves.  It really kicked me in the gut and I began to see this picture in my head….

Imagine this with me…

The pastor is standing at the front of the church with a fork in his hand.  We are each sitting in our pews with our families and every person has a huge plate of food on their lap.  We are all so hungry for the food, but the problem is…we are just sitting there on our hands.  Our children are sitting there on their hands.  And this just sounds absurd, but we are expecting the preacher to take that one tiny fork and feed each and every one of us (until we are full) in a 30-45 minute span on Sunday morning.  And the rest of the week? We have the food with us everywhere we go, but do we eat it?  No! We don’t eat all week long!  We wait for that one small period of time on Sunday and expect the preacher to fill us up enough to last until the next week.  AND we expect him and the Sunday School teachers to fill our kids up enough to last them until the next week.

When I pictured this in my head…it seemed so ridiculous.  We certainly would never do that with actual food-food.  If you put a plate full of food in front of me when I’m hungry, there’s NO WAY that I’m not going to eat it. If I didn’t have a fork, I’d use my hands!  I PROMISE you, if we were hungry enough, every one of us would find a way to eat that food. 

It’s the same with spiritual food…if we are hungry enough,

we WILL find a way to eat.      

In this day and age, we have access to God’s word- our spiritual food- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We have the bible (in multiple versions), bible apps for our phones, Youtube-where we can watch and listen to any kind of sermon you can think of, awesome bible teachers that share their teachings and sermons FOR FREE on the internet, CD’s and flashdrives filled with sermons and biblical teachings that you can listen to in your car…and so much more.  There is an endless supply of spiritual food!  So why are so many of us starving for the word of God that is sitting right there on our laps?  Is it because we are waiting for our pastors to feed us? 

I can promise you…there is no possible way that we can get everything that we need to fill us up for an entire week in that 30-45 minute span on Sunday morning.   Yes, one of the pastor’s jobs is to feed his flock, but that is just one small part of what he does as the shepherd.  We also have the responsibility of feeding ourselves and our children. 

I hope this gives a new perspective to someone as it has done for me.

Let’s pick up that fork and feed ourselves!                 

 “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;  For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.” Jeremiah 15:16 NKJV

P.S. (And please don’t try to use the excuse…”If I can feed myself, then I don’t need to go to church.”  The bible is VERY clear about assembling ourselves together. Hebrews 10:24-25 NKJV says,  “ And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,  not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”  It’s so important to gather with like-minded believers to encourage and lift each other up.)

Stopped Up Heart

I just realized that I only wrote one blog post in the entire year of 2016.  Where did that burning desire inside of me go?  I love writing...devotions, songs, poems...I used to have a constant flow of words.  Now I can't even remember the last song I wrote. 

The bible tells me that everything I do flows from the heart. (Proverbs 4:23)  I believe that I have let my heart get a little bit stopped up.  It's kind of like when my nose gets stopped up.  I have an allergy to tree pollen. When tree pollen is in the air and it hits my nose I will immediately stop up and then nothing will come out no matter how much I blow my nose.  It's a terrible feeling.  

Not being able to write is also a terrible feeling.  So now I need to figure out what that allergen is that is stopping up my heart.   This week I will pray for the Lord to show me what I have allowed in that is causing this blockage.  If you read this...I ask that you join me in prayer about this.
 

Wrecked

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own

understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall

direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

This scripture became my lifeline in June 2010.  We had just finished up the first night of a weeklong vacation bible school on June 21.  As my daughter Maddie and I were leaving the church, my phone started ringing.  Two different people called me in a row to ask if my son, Cody, was ok because they had heard that a truck like his was involved in an accident.  Praying that they were mistaken, I began to frantically call Cody’s phone. There was no answer, but within a few seconds, I got a third call that no mother EVER wants to receive…it was the Emergency Room nurse telling me that my son and his girlfriend had indeed been in an accident. 

When we arrived at the hospital, we had no idea what we were going to be facing.  Miraculously, Cody’s injuries were minor…his ear was cut, he had glass in his skin, his shoulder was separated and he had a slight concussion...but besides the bruises and cuts, he had no internal injuries. His girlfriend (now his wife), Rebekah, was in much worse condition.  Her collarbone was broken, she was bruised and banged up and she had internal injuries that required emergency surgery which left her in the hospital for over a week and with many weeks of home recovery time. 

When something like this happens, there are two responses that one can have.  You can either trust God and lean on him to carry you through, or you can worry yourself sick and fall apart.  I wavered between the two for the first few days.  Besides the injury aspect of an accident like this, there were so many other issues to deal with involving the driver that caused the accident, auto insurance, medical insurance, medical bills, attorneys, loss of pay and so many other things that I can’t even recall right now…it was incredibly overwhelming.  I remember sitting at my desk one day feeling like I was drowning in a sea of unanswered questions.  I didn’t know what to do or where to turn because I had never had to deal with anything like this before.  I felt so lost.  Then parts of the scripture in Proverbs began to flood my mind, “lean not on your own understanding…He shall direct your path.” 

I had been praying throughout everything, but I had also been worried sick about everything.  At that moment, I decided to trust that God had Cody and Rebekah’s best interests in mind and that He knew exactly what He was doing. I decided to trust Him with ALL MY HEART and stop worrying about things that I had no control over. I felt a weight lift off of me.  I didn’t have to know all of the answers, I just had to trust in the ONE that did and take one day at a time.   

 I remember telling the kids (after I saw Cody’s truck and how mangled it was and had received all of the scary details of the crash) that God must have something BIG planned for their future because He protected them and kept them here for a reason.  It is now six years later, and I have been able to see how much God is using these two for His kingdom.  They are both active in their church, serving and ministering in many different ways. They have a wonderful life together and they both are a blessing to anyone that they meet.  

June 21 is a day to be celebrated in our family, because satan tried to wreck all of us that day.  You see…it is always his intention to “steal, kill and destroy” according to John 10:10.   But what the enemy meant for harm, God used for good to draw us all closer to Him and to each other. I know there are many families in our area right now that are going through rough times and are drowning in that same sea of the unknown.  I urge you to take this scripture and write it on the tablet of your heart.  When you feel lost and confused, say it over and over again.  Trust Jesus with your whole heart and let His peace and comfort carry you through.                                                                                       

       

       

Even This

^“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  Romans 8:28 NIV

October 2015 will forever be a memorable month for my co-mother (my son’s mother-in-law…but that sounds too impersonal, she is much more than that…she is my friend and the future grandmother of my grandchildren!).  

 

 On October 1st Dianna had open heart surgery to replace her aortic valve.  Although the surgery went well, something happened to cause her not to wake up for three days after the surgery and to have a seizure.  Her family struggled terribly through this time, drowning in unanswered questions and heart-gripping fear.

 

 

Then on October 4th she finally woke up! But after a few hours her family realized that something was still terribly wrong…Dianna did not know them and she had no memory of where she was or what had happened. It was a scary time for everyone, including Dianna because she was having terrible hallucinations (a side effect from one of her medications).  Over the next few days she grew stronger physically, but she struggled with her memory and hallucinations for more than a week. 

On October 13th Dianna got to come home from the hospital! But she was still struggling with her memory.  She didn’t recognize the roads or towns along the route home, not even her daughter’s house.  This was still scary for her and her family…there was always that little question in the back of everyone’s minds, “will she ever truly be herself again?” 

On October 15th  God showed me that HE is large and in charge and there is NOTHING impossible for Him.  When I sat and talked with Dianna on this day, I saw the light in her eyes and heard her talk about memories from the past that none of us could even recall.  She had been completely restored mentally!         

So many times in my life I have seen the miracle of Romans 8:28 unfolding before my eyes…especially in this past month.  Even though there have been lots of very scary and bad moments, God has brought so many good things out of this situation.  They are still unfolding day by day…but here are just a few:  a quick diagnosis (God placed the right doctor in the right place at exactly the right time),  a miraculous recovery and restoration of Dianna’s mind (like I said…she remembers things that no one else can), new and re-newed relationships with Jesus for several family members, the revealing of incredible maturity and spiritual strength in Dianna’s children, encounters with angels, increased prayer time for many of us and stronger faith for all of us.

Although this has been a terrible experience that I wish my sweet friend and her family would never have had to go through, God was able to take what satan meant for harm (his evil purpose was to steal, kill and destroy) and brought so much good out of it.  And just like Joseph was able to say to his brothers after they had tried to destroy him…Dianna can shout out to the devil,

“ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”  Genesis 50:20   

 

 

Today is Dianna’s birthday…and what a great cause to celebrate!!!  She has survived satan’s greatest attack and has triumphed through the POWER of GOD!  I know that the Lord will use her testimony to reach countless people.  We praise Him for working ALL THINGS together for her good….even this.   

The Battle is the Lord's

How many of us feel like we are always in a battle with someone or something?  It seems sustained periods of peace are few and far between in this world.  The battles that each of us face can be very different but equally grueling: they can be spiritual, emotional or physical; internal or external; short lived or never ending.   Right at this very moment you may be in the midst of any number of skirmishes involving work/school/church related conflicts, family problems, health or mental issues, monetary dilemmas, home/vehicle troubles and the list goes on and on…and on.  But great news!  I have a message for you today that should bring you total peace and harmony. You do not need to fight!  The Lord has your back!    

I want you to open your bible, your bible app or get on your computer and look up 2 Chronicles 20.  I want you to read verses 1-30.  When you are done, please continue reading! 

King Jehoshaphat was warned that three armies had declared war on his kingdom and he was terrified.  Along with his community, he began to beg the Lord for guidance through fasting and prayer, admitting that they were powerless against such a mighty enemy and that they were not equipped to handle the problem.  Then the Lord spoke through the prophet Jahaziel in verses 15-17 and said, “Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.   Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel.  But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”  

King Jehoshaphat and all the people began to worship and praise the Lord for what He was about to do in their lives.  The next morning as they readied for battle, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of his army to praise and worship the Lord as they went.  And something amazing happened in the midst of the praise:  the Lord caused their enemies to start fighting amongst themselves.  They turned on each other and every last man was destroyed.  When the army of Judah arrived, there was no one left to fight against.  And as an added bonus, there was so much equipment, clothing and valuables left behind it took them three days to collect it all.  The Lord had held true to His word. 

He had fought the battle for them.

In this passage of scripture I see three things that we can learn from how King Jehoshaphat reacted when he faced an impending battle.  First, he sought the Lord for guidance (he PRAYED). He didn’t panic, worry, call all of his friends and ask them what to do, google his problem to see what the internet had to say or read a self-help book.  He immediately prayed and begged the Lord for guidance.

Next, he PRAISED and worshipped the Lord.  He had faith that the Lord was going to do what He said and he praised Him in advance!  He didn’t wait until the battle was over to see if God was really going to take care of things, he praised Him through it all. 

Finally, he PROFITED. King Jehoshaphat and his army did not have to lift a finger in this battle, the Lord went before them and took care of everything. The blessings that they received through trusting God’s plans were even greater than they could have ever imagined!  Romans 8:28 tells us that ALL things work together for good for those that love Him and have been called according to His purpose. The Lord wants good for us, we just need to trust in His plans and His timing.           

I can’t imagine what kind of destruction King Jehoshaphat would have caused to his nation if he had not sought the Lord before this battle.  We will face that same kind of destruction if we don’t seek the Lord to fight our battles for us.  The bible has warned us that we have an enemy that has set out to steal, kill and destroy us in any way that he can. (John 10:10)  The only way to have victory is to give it all to the Lord. Today He is telling His children the same thing He told Jehoshaphat…

Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you.

PRAY for guidance, PRAISE Him through it all and then you will PROFIT with victory and blessings! 

We Saw God at Church Camp

I know that every year I say that church camp was amazing and couldn’t get any better…but this year something was different.  I really cannot put my finger on it, I just know something was different.  I have attempted many times to begin to put into words what we experienced, but I just cannot seem to explain it with mere words.  (I hate to use the phrase, “you just had to be there,” but you kind of did.)  SO instead of me telling you what happened, I thought I would share a few quotes by some of our teenagers…

 

“this past weekend has been a real eye opener, and I am so very blessed that I attended. I couldn't be more grateful to have such an amazing group of people to be there when I need them. Hearts were changed and relationships were mended throughout this camp, so many laughs were shared and tears were shed but so worth getting to worship and grow closer to God with a youth group like this. Thank you to the sponsors for taking the time and working so hard for all of us and a special thank you to @thedavidfarren for coming to lead us in worship, so very grateful for all of you.”

 

“My heart is so full, and I am becoming a better inspiration and bigger leader than ever before. I am blessed to not only have these people in my life but the rest of our youth group as well. It is our job, now, to hold each other accountable for the decisions we make daily. I love each and every one of you, and I cannot express my readiness for the changes that are taking place. God showed up and showed out this weekend, that's for sure.”

“My life is forever changed. My heart is so much fuller and there's so much weight lifted off my shoulders. This weekend church camp changed me for the better, and I can't thank my friends enough for inviting me. I love you all so much and above all I love God more than anything now.”

“Church camp was amazing. Came home with a full heart and NO TURNING BACK. I love my church family soooo much.”

 

"I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. (Philippians 3:13-14 MSG) God definitely did some amazing things in all of our hearts this past weekend, and I pray that everyone continues on the path God has set out for them, though we may stumble and Fall, we must remember we ARE NOT alone. I love this entire group so much. Thank you for allowing me to come with y'all!"

 

(Hebrews 12:1) "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" Now, if you’re like me, you spend your whole life in church being confused about something, but you're too afraid to ask anyone what it means. With this particular verse I always wanted to know, "who are the witnesses?!" I got my answer at church camp this year; our “witnesses” are the believers who have already went to be with the Lord.”

 

As you can see...lives were changed.  The only thing that I can compare it to would be the Day of Pentecost...when the Holy Spirit fell on the people and everyone was changed. 

[Acts 2:1-4 NLT] "On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place.  Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting.  Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.  And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability." 

We did not speak in different languages...but our kids (and some adults) changed before our eyes and began to speak their testimonies in front of everyone with  great boldness.  It was pretty amazing...we saw God at church camp. 

 

I Saw God at Church Camp

by: Sherri Mayo 8/4/15

 

I saw God at church camp, when so many hands were raised

In worship to their Father: not embarrassed, not ashamed

 

I saw God at church camp, when I prayed over a doubting soul

She came alive right before my eyes, then proclaimed her salvation to all

 

I saw God at church camp, when He increased my faith

He used a needle in a haystack to prove His power that day

 

I saw God at church camp, in the tears of a broken child

In the sharing of her struggles and her boldness to walk the aisle

 

I saw God at church camp, when a whole family was restored

Forgiveness overcame the hurt through the power of the Lord

 

I saw God at church camp, when the shyest boys I know

Held nothing back, stood up and went to pray with a struggling soul

 

I saw God at church camp, when my own timid child

Began to speak out boldly and transformed before my eyes

 

I saw God at church camp do things that I couldn’t have dreamed

He impacted each and every life in a way I can’t even explain

 

I saw God at church camp, in each sweet tear-stained face

Who left that place on fire for God, determined to finish the race

 

I saw God at church camp, He made His presence known

We may not have been at Pentecost, but it’s as close as we’ve ever come.