Wednesday, April 30, 2008

The Expense of Church

Katie originally posted this in March of 2003. The points are still valid and I thought I'd repost it again as food for thought.

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I remember when I was young. Christians attended church to hear the word of God taught. There were family outings at the park and tithes paid for materials for Sunday school. That was sufficient. Now, in a world of "No matter how much you have, you always want more, bigger, better", I am somewhat convicted. Has this philosophy of life penetrated into the church? The service isn't enough anymore. Even with all the talent and drama and music of today that is so awesome, we still want more. Now we go to seminars and conferences that are becoming more and more popular. Christian concerts are no longer taking up love offerings. They are charging more money for tickets than many secular music shows. I know.....they have to make a living. It's expensive to put on the big shows and seminars. I must say, I have attended and will continue to attend these things as long as God makes a way for me to do it. I do grow in many ways and I definitely benefit from it. I think the biggest reason I attend these events is not actually the event itself. It's the fellowship. It's spending the night in a hotel and traveling with my sisters in Christ. I love, getting to know them on a more personal level. I love it. I'm not here to bash anybody or criticize. I'm just trying to sort some things on my heart.

For example:

This month Sue and I are attending a conference. In order to attend, the cost (excluding hotel and all but two lunches) is $99.00 per person. This is for 3 sessions over two days. At church today, in the bulletin, we were informed that we had to pay the deposit of $40.00 for the youth trip and the remainder of the $246.00 can be paid later. Then, I was approached by the interpretive movement instructor that I would need to purchase ballet slippers, tights and leotards in order for my daughter to be a part of the Easter presentation. This should come to at least $50.00.

Today, there was an awesome sermon. I was so blessed by it and the praise and worship. I felt renewed, refreshed and stronger against the financial blows I have been receiving this year. Then, I read the bulletin, was approached about the things my daughter would need, and thought about how much money Sue and I have been asked to spend the past two weeks. Not including hotel costs for next weekend, the total comes to approximately $500.00. I must say, it put a damper on my spirit before I even walked out the door. I wanted to cry. Not because of the expense, but because I am wondering.......Is this really necessary? Jesus asks us to be like Him. He had nothing but the clothes on his back and the shoes on his feet. People followed him everywhere and he didn't charge one dime. He offered himself freely to all who came. He gave His love, His time, His attention, His loving discipline, His knowledge, His wisdom, His strength, His body, His blood, His life. He gave. GAVE! He gave it all freely and for freedom's sake.

So, do we need all this entertainment? If so, I have to wonder why? Sure it's fun. I can see this from both sides. I think it's wonderful that we have the awesome music that we have now. I love it! I love going to the concerts and I love the fulfillment that comes from conferences. It was at a Beth Moore conference where I received the calling to minister to women and to attend school for this. I am in college now because of that conference. I can see that lives are changed. I praise God that I am so blessed that somebody paid for me to go. She knew God wanted me there. He will always make a way for His will to be done. It can be really fun in the process.

When I approached a precious friend today in regards to the youth trip, I asked, "Do you really think it's necessary that the kids go on a trip that is so expensive? Shouldn't there be some conviction?" She lovingly told me that she can understand my concern but that all the churches are doing it now and it is a very fulfilling experience in many ways. She said it is in-depth Bible study, and it also helps build relationships amongst the youth. She also made the point that it can be very expensive to put up the kids and feed them for a week. I can see her point. Okay, so lets all chip in, rent a couple cabins nearby in a campground, bring our own food and relax in the midst of God's creation. That would reduce the cost wouldn't it? But, would the kids be satisfied with that? If not, then why not? Is it because all the other churches are doing bigger and better things? Oh, okay so then it's right isn't it? Or is it?

Has the church become like the world in the aspect of not being content to gather in God's house and worship God without all the added expense of ballet costumes and fancy choir robes? Can we not learn and grow in our relationships to God and one another without spending thousands of dollars every year on conferences and materials? I am not knocking what is being done. I'm just trying to see things from All perspectives including and especially Gods. Are we a part of the body because we truly seek to please Him and fulfill His purpose in our lives? Or are we just part of the body because it's fun? I love that my kids anticipate going to church. But, if the trips stopped and we went back to studying the word of God with nothing but the Holy Spirit, our church leaders, praise, worship and the Bible would everybody quit meeting? Do these trips cause us to focus or keep us from focusing on the right things?

Okay, I'm about to digress. Each week I meet in the homes of my family SaLT members. We meet together for study, reflection, and fellowship. The homes we meet in are BEAUTIFUL! I sit there and think about how I would love to have a beautiful home like this one or that one. I even get envious sometimes and have to call on God to put things back into perspective. I would love to have a beautiful home, a wonderful husband and a family gathering around the fireplace to sing Christmas carols near the grand piano at Christmas every year. Most anybody would. But, at the same time, there is this other side of me (Maybe I'm schizophrenic) that feels compelled to give up material possessions in order to be better focused and able to do the will of God. This side of me wants to forget "things" and focus on the calling God has given me. I wonder if having a house would just be a distraction from my call. It would be something that would give me roots and plant me in one place. I would have to have a steady job to pay the bills and It would take away the freedom that I would have (after my kids are grown) to pick up and go wherever God leads.

I am by no means saying that it is wrong for people to have a nice home and material possessions. God lays different convictions on different hearts and I believe it all depends on what His calling is for their life. I'm not saying that it is wrong for the youth to go on this trip. I just can't help but wonder the kind of message that is sent to the poor and needy of the world when they don't know where their next meal is coming from and they learn of the money that is being spent by the church for elaborate youth camps and trips. Aren't we called to minister to the poor and needy? This doesn't just mean baskets at Christmas time! Wouldn't this money be better spent on a missionary trip? I don't know. I am not complaining at all. I just want to know if we are dong the right thing. Just because it's what everybody else is doing doesn't make it right. I have struggled with this for years. I just pray that God will give me an answer. I pray that He will once and for all grant me peace with my convictions. Should I continue to stand against these activities or should I accept them as part of His plan that I can't see?

Well, I've babbled on long enough. I wish I could say that I feel better now. I guess it's time to pray again.

Father,
I want to be like the lilies of the field.
Amen.

Labels: christianity, church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 9:50 AM

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Saturday, December 01, 2007

Working Faith

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Posted by Susan L. Prince at 11:53 PM

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Saturday, August 11, 2007

The "Can I Try Your Crutches" Church

I've really been doing a lot of thinking on transparency in the Church these days. I thought of this analogy and you can tell me what you think about it.

Remember back in school when someone would hop in on crutches because they broke their leg or sprained an ankle? There were always students flocking to that person to find out what happened. They wanted the "inside scoop". Some of those gathered seemed to always ask "can I try your crutches?" and then they would have their fun playing around with those sticks that helped their friend with the broken foot walk. After a while the novelty of using those crutches goes away, and so do the "friends".

To some kids, all that extra attention at the onset of the injury probably felt good. Suddenly they were noticed by other people and made to feel special.

As we grow up, we learn quickly and at times painfully, that those who "want to try our crutches", don't really care about us...they just want in on the drama. Once the "drama" ceases, so does the attention and the "caring". In kids, physical injuries usually heal in a short amount of time and will then be forgotton...as adults, the emotional and spiritual injuries we endure, don't go away quickly at all.

As adults in churches, we do the same as the kids wanting to "try the crutches". We flock to the person newly divorced and hurting, but as time goes by and the person still hurts, we lose interest and move on to something more exciting. It's too depressing to be around a hurting person for long periods of time anyway. We want to "try the crutches", but we don't want to "be the crutch". I think sometimes God asks us to "be the crutch", but we don't have the endurance.

When someone is brave enough to be transparent, and confesses a sin, many will flock to that person out of care and concern. There is immediate attention brought to that situation, but what happens after the drama dies down? What happens when the "fun" of trying the crutches is over?

Are we as a Body, ready to invest in the lives of each other? Are we ready to "be the crutch"? Carrying a burden of a sister or brother in Christ doesn't just mean you are going to pray for them. It should mean you will invest in them. Jesus was the ultimate investment in us, He is the crutch!

Labels: christianity, church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 11:40 AM

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Friday, August 10, 2007

The Church Can't Handle Transparency!

I often think about what it means to be transparent as a Christian. I have posted about it before, and lately, while doing a study on small groups, I've come to realize that much of the church body just can't handle transparency.

Transparency requires us to live our lives out in the open. This allows Christians to share each others burdens. When you share a burden, it becomes lighter, just like having someone help you carry a heavy box. We are to pray for each other and encourage one another. We should not judge another's behavior, but rather love them and help restore them to Christian fellowship and walk beside them as they attempt to adjust their life to live according to God's principles.

While I do try to live a life pleasing to the Lord, and I try to be the same person at home, work, and church...am I really? Am I really the same person? Obviously different "sides" of my personality or character will show depending on the environment I am in, but in the end, would all those "pieces" of me join to show the real me? Who I really am in Christ?

I do not share my burdens with my brothers and sisters. I figure people have their own burdens and don't need to hear mine. Is the opposite of that true too? Do I really want to hear other people sharing their burdens?

What do we really know about the spiritual needs of other people in our churches? I think to some extent we all hide behind our stained-glass masquerades. Why do we do this? Are we afraid to be judged? Yes...I think we are.

We are afraid that people will see how pathetic we are.

God sees how pathetic we are. We can't help but be transparent to Him. He sees right through our masquerade.

What would a church look like that lived transparently? Would sin vanish? No, it would not vanish, but it also wouldn't be hidden away and we wouldn't pretend it didn't exist. In fact, only when we acknowledge sin, can we be saved from it.

Our churches are crippled from a lack of transparency. The church can't handle transparency!

Labels: christianity, church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 11:36 AM

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Saturday, July 07, 2007

Fellowship

Our small groups this summer are working through CJ Mahoney's book "Why Small Groups". (You can download a pdf version here.) In this second week, Chapter Two, the topic is on fellowship, and is called Fellowship Rediscovered. John Loftness, the author of this particular chapter, points out that today's church has redefined and simplified fellowship to mean any warm human interaction. But, this is NOT biblical fellowship.

This study is requiring those of us in small groups, or in any Christian community, to examine what we are doing to foster real, biblical fellowship. Fellowship is not a small group bible study where we meet together to discuss theology and learn about Biblical truths while we sit in a room together. It is not attending a Women of Faith, or a Promise Keepers gathering where emotional stimulation is high and we are surrounded by hundreds of others in the faith. It is not friendly conversations with other sisters in Christ who share the same interests like blogging, gardening or movies, nor is it a men's social gathering to watch the Super Bowl or go whitewater rafting.

At our church we have FWF, First Wednesday Fellowship. This is a meal we share together the First Wednesday of every month, and it is usually a potluck type deal. We eat together and mingle with one another sharing stories of our week, laughing about various experiences and simply sharing what's going on. I believe the purpose behind this is noble because the intent is for believers to "break bread" together and work to build relationships. Unfortunately, building relationships, even with other believers, requires effort, and too many of us aren't willing to commit to relationship building in the way God intended.

Truthfully, I don't much enjoy FWF and rarely attend. One reason is it's all surface stuff, it's all "small talk", and introverts like me don't ever really enjoy that kind of stuff anyway. I don't think anyone over the years has ever asked "So, what is God doing in your life these days Sue?" Although there are exceptions, because I know for a fact there are good, sound, and biblical relationships being fostered at my church, the word fellowship, in general has come to mean food and small talk. The many SaLT Groups (small groups) in our church that meet weekly will have a good half hour to an hour of "fellowship" before the study begins, and that means we share a light meal together before bible study. Christians toss the term fellowship around like it is some sort of an event, when it is much more than that.

So what is fellowship? What does God intend it to be?

"Fellowship is a uniquely Christian relational experience. No one but those born of the Spirit of God can have fellowship"... "participating together in the life and truth made possible by the Holy Spirit through our union with Christ. Fellowship is sharing something in common on the deepest possible level of human relationship -- our experience with God himself."

In order to have fellowship with each other, Christians must first have fellowship with God. God is the source of fellowship, and fellowship is manifested through the Holy Spirit directly in our hearts, and the work of the Holy Spirit through other believers. God is the source and He designed us to work together in His love and mercy, to grow in knowledge of Him. He designed us to use the spiritual gifts he gave us to encourage one another in the faith, lift one another up in prayer, work to restore one another to fellowship when one strays from the faith, carry one another's burdens, and worship Him.

Fellowship isn't all roses. It's dirty work. It's sacrificial work. Sometimes it hurts.

John 15:12-13

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

If we are commanded to love each enough to lay down our lives for each other, then, as the leader of last weeks group said, "changing diapers shouldn't be anything". When a couple you know is struggling through a difficult time in their marriage, maybe it is time you took their kids for a weekend so that they might have some alone time to work things through. Maybe it is time you volunteered to pick up the "shut ins" from your church and get them to a worship service, and really get to know them on the way. Maybe it is time to listen to your friend without offering your words of wisdom. Maybe it is time to go to your friend who you suspect is involved in some type of sin, and talk to them about it, and be willing to carry that burden as well. Go to that AA meeting with them, hold them when they cry, and not think about yourself.

Fellowship is an investment in each other. Love God first, then love others. This is what Jesus taught, this is what Jesus did. When we do this, we are most like Christ.

Have you listened to a list of prayer requests in your community of believers recently? It strikes me that many of the requests are for physical healing of self, family and/or friends. I can also recall a number of times people have requested prayer for a non-believer they know, that they may come to know Christ. But, how often do you hear a fellow Christian ask for prayer about a spiritual need that they themselves have? Are we sharing each other's burdens like we are supposed to? Why?

We can't share each other's burdens unless we reveal that we have any! Fellowship, true Godly fellowship, would foster an atmosphere that would allow freedom to worship and freedom to confess! Freedom to confess without fear of judgment or condescension! If we can't fellowship as God intended, how will we ever be successful at discipleship?

What can the church do to be proactive about fellowship? Be careful to understand that doing any of these things will not automatically produce fellowship, these, instead are "means of fellowship". This is a list from Chapter Two:

1. Share about our spiritual experiences.
2. Confess our sins to one another.
3. Correct one another.
4. Serve on another in practical ways.
   

These are some of the discussion questions, and some of my own, that conclude the chapter and really gave me some things to consider. Maybe they will for you too.

• Can you name an activity you once believed to be fellowship, but which actually is not?
• Which spiritual gifts do you think you possess? How might these promote fellowship in your small group?
• Do you know the spiritual gifts of the members of your small group? Are those gifts being utilized in your group?
  
• Do you know about the major spiritual experiences of the members in your group?
• Self-sufficiency, formality, bitterness, elitism; Do these categories suggest any sin you may need to confess?
  
• Do you know how God is currently working in the lives of the members of your group?
  

Labels: christianity, church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 5:56 PM

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Saturday, June 16, 2007

Albania

Thanks to Skype, I was able to connect with Katie who is currently in Albania on a mission trip. The fact that she is 6 hours ahead of my time makes it difficult to meet online, but with some planning it's possible. The Internet is sooooo cool! The fact that I can talk to someone on the other side of the planet bloggles my mind! (Skype Name: Sue = susanlprince and Katie = beauty4ashes613)

She said that she was able to share some testimony in a prison this week and that God made Himself known to many women there who have never heard of Jesus. Many of the women listening to Katie share about having lived in abuse, and then about how God heals and loves, were moved to tears and crowded around Katie at the end asking for her to pray for them and wrote down family members to be prayed for too. It was very impactful for all there it seems.

She also describes some very interesting and DANGEROUS driving conditions with few rules of the road, crowded streets and 90 degree curves around cliffs! Funny thing is when I checked out Albania on Google Maps/Earth, the first thing I noted was the congested traffic...Katie says that is nothing! "It's like playing Frogger everytime you try to cross the street. Horns never stop honking!"

She told me I would die there because I'd starve. I'm such a picky eater that there would be NOTHING there for me to eat. I figure I could survive without food for a few weeks, but it doesn't matter, I have NO DESIRE WHATSOEVER AT ALL to go to Albania, or anywhere outside the country really...except maybe Iceland.


Albanians love American's and are still all hyped up about President Bush's recent visit which happened to be the day before the "Go Team", our mission team, arrived. Katie told me that the Albanian's are very hospitable and like to give gifts...where we might greet people with a handshake or a hug, they give gifts. Albania is a poor country, and Katie and her kids are learning that being poor in America, is not really poor at all. So, the fact that Albanian's like to give gifts, when they have so little, says a lot about the hearts of the people there. (The above picture was snagged from Bagel Belly Blog, and Katie has taken hundreds of pics of the mission, so those will be forthcoming.)

She said America could learn a lot from the people of Albania.

I'm hoping Albania can learn about Jesus from the Christians that descend on that country to share the Good News!

You can read updates about the "Go Team's" mission in Albania at northbrookchurch.com.

Labels: christianity, church, Personal Interest

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 9:55 AM

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Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Honoring Singles

I heard the best message on singlehood from the pulpit last Sunday. In fact it was the ONLY message on singles that I've ever heard!

Singles in the church are often overlooked. Singles ministries are usually made up of college aged kids that have not yet married, so those over 25, and not married, can often feel left out of the church family...as if they don't really belong. In fact, in the message Russ presented Sunday, he quoted one single as having pointed out that the singles ministries are often used as matchmaking opportunities, as if something is wrong with you if you are unmarried by the time you are 25 or 30 years old.

Russ said that there is a place for singles in the Church body and that it is Biblical! His message said to Honor Singles and I recommend a listen to it HERE.

He also said something profound at one point his message...that what we imagine heaven to be is what we worship. Think about that!

Labels: christianity, church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 7:59 AM

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Saturday, March 17, 2007

I Like Jesus, Not the Church

This article 'I Like Jesus, Not the Church' really got me thinking.

What do my non-believing friends and family think when they hear the word Jesus?

What do they think when they hear the word Christian?

In the article Dan Kimball, the author, explores perceptions people have about the church. It is pretty interesting, but it has me wondering do I even know what people around me think about the church? How can I help clear up misperceptions if I don't know what people's perceptions are?

I have to say of those people I have on my "impact list" (those I'm building relationships with in hopes that they will come to a saving knowledge of Christ) most just see the church as hypocritical. I did have one person who saw the church as only wanting his money.

I used to see the church as hypocritical, but that was in ignorance. I never really saw it as judgemental, but I know that some do, and if you think about it, criticizing the church for being judgemental is judgemental and that would make the "judge" hypocritical!

If one looks to the media, as Dan Kimball discovered in his research, it is easy to understand why so many people have the ideas about Christianity that they do.

The media will find the interesting stuff to print. How boring a story about serving in the food kitchen or taking an elderly neighbor to her doctor appointment would be. It is much more exciting to print about the "christian" picketing the funeral of a dead homosexual.

These days people are getting their "education" from news media, all the inaccuracies and bias included. The Internet is filled with information, but we have to sludge through so much junk to find truth. Too many people stumble upon something that sounds interesting and pass it along to the next web surfer via links and soon, ignorance is being spread like wildfire.

Heck, these days the media is even spreading non-truth about Jesus Christ, through movies like the Da Vinci Code, and whacked stories about burial ossuaries. Why do people so easily fall for this stuff? Is it because we are too lazy to research things for ourselves and find out the truth? Is it because we don't want to know the truth?

I've strayed from my original thought about what the people around me think of when they hear the name Jesus and the word Christian. I figure it is my responsibility to live a life that best exemplifies what being a Christian should be.

I shouldn't have to introduce myself and constantly announce "I am a Christian". It should be evident in the way I work, the way I play, the way I serve others.

I'd like to make it a goal that if Dan Kimball asked someone that knows me and is a non-Christian, that they would light up when they hear the name Jesus and speak of true things about Christians just because of the fact they know one.

Labels: christianity, church, Personal Interest

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 9:20 AM

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Sunday, March 04, 2007

How to Walk in the Light

Use the power of the Cross.

Chuck delivered a very convicting message at Northbrook today. Wow. We are in the middle of a series called "SAVED! Knowing it. Living it." We studied Ephesians 5:3-14 today which discusses walking in the Light. There is no darkness in the light, this is why sin is usually hidden away in shadows and in dark alleys. However, living in the Light gives a freedom to live life to it's fullest and live without the bondage of sin. The Light comes from God alone, and Light exposes sin, it convicts. Sin brings darkness and a heavy burden.

Being the doodler I am, I doodled on my page of notes that I took during the message. (and I took a LOT!) I scanned my notes and grabbed my illustration of living in the Light...standing firm on the Rock, fully exposed, fully alive and then living in the shadows, under a rock, in the shadows, carrying a heavy burden that makes one's knees buckle.

One of the most important parts of Chuck's message came after illustrating a point through a quote from the John Piper sermon "Passion for Purity", Chuck said "Whatever your struggle with sin today, use the power of the cross."

"If you are counting on yourself to break the pattern of sin, you will fail."

To set the stage, imagine that you see someone of the opposite sex wearing very revealing attire and your mind immediately begins to fantasize....NO! You have 5 seconds to "demand it of your mind" to look to the Cross.

PLEASE Listen to the powerful, 2-1/2 minute clip HERE.

I also highly encourage you to listen to the entire message "To Walk Distinctly in the Light" in which Chuck talks about two sins that should be unheard of in the church: Sexual Immorality (and talking about it), and greed. I believe this message to be one of the most powerful and convicting messages ever delivered from the pulpit at Northbrook.

Subscribe to Northbrook Church's Podcast by clicking HERE.

Labels: christianity, church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 5:00 PM

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Monday, January 22, 2007

25th Wedding Anniversary SURPRISE!

The youth pastor, Cody, stood out front and called Chuck at home (which is very near the church) to come to the church because he had "accidently locked his keys in the church building". The plan was for Chuck to come let him in. The pastor's kids were planning "a family night out" and so it worked out that Chuck would just pop over to the church to let Cody in while the entire family was enroute to "dinner". The kids, then "decided" to follow Chuck into the building, and his wife, Ann, decided to go in to since everyone else was. It was classic to have an entire church family, a good 60-80 people, give a surprise party and literally, Chuck and Ann had NO CLUE!

Labels: church, Personal Interest

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 9:10 PM

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Sunday, January 14, 2007

Christian Transparency

It is always interesting to see what brings visitors to one's blog. My post "I Saw a Lot of Naked Men..." sure gets a lot of hits (imagine that), but one post that garners a lot of attention is my post from August of 2005 on Transparency.

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Here is the repost:

The Christian is to live a life that is transparent. This means that the Christian should live their life out in the open, hiding nothing. We should go about our work and play in plain view of anyone, and avoid every kind of evil.

I Thessalonians 4:11-12 "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody."

I Thessalonians 2:4b "... we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts."

We are to live in the Light, and when we live transparent lives, all becomes seen in the Light. The definition of transparent is "easily seen through", "free from guile", "candid or open". God sees all that we do, everything. Character counts to a Christian because integrity and character is built by what we do "in the dark", when men can't see. If we are alway conscious of the fact that God is watching, and that we will one day give an account for all that we do. "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight."(Romans 14:12, Hebrews 4:13)


This does not mean however, that we are not to have private moments at all. Of course a Christian has intimate details of life that are his/her own business, but those details are always to be within the confines of Biblical teachings, therefore approved by God. We need not point out the aspects of our life either, we should "make it our ambition to lead a quiet life...", because a life that is in the light will be seen naturally.

What it does mean is that we are to be ultimately accountable to God for our behaviors. Christians are instructed to "submit to one another", "confess your sins to each other and pray for each other" and "do not lie to each other". "We who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." Because we, Christians, form one body, it is important that we are transparent with our lives, so that we can all "encourage one another and build each other up". If one of us is involved in sin, the entire body will be affected. One day our pastor gave a powerful visual of just this thing when he used this example: "Let's say I chose to sin and commit adultery"...then he asked his wife to stand up. After she stood, he had his children stand up. Then he had members of the leadership of the church stand, one by one. Then the friends of his family stood. Then the family of the people already standing were asked to stand. By the end of the illustration, the entire body of believers in that gathering place were standing.

Christians are to hold one another accountable. When we see a sister or brother falling into sin, we are to go to them and lovingly try to help them to see the error of their ways, and point them toward Christ who is the only One Who can fully restore them to the faith. If we say nothing, and we allow the sister/brother to stumble, unchallenged, we will be held accountable by God for that inaction. God gave us a voice to use!

Ephesians 4:25 "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body."

Christians who are leading transparent lives will invite intervention by another believer. By that I mean that the Christian who is transparent makes it obvious that they are sincerely trying to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. An observer would feel comfortable (maybe not the right word because the circumstance would be difficult, but they definately would not feel like "I'm not getting involved, it's none of my business") approaching the transparent Christian with words of caution or accountability.

Do not hide in the dark!

Ephesians 5:8-14 "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible.

Be transparent! "...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

I don't believe living transparently means telling every person you come in contact with about each and every aspect or detail of your life. To me it is just what I do...I go to work I work hard. I uphold a certain standard of behavior, the same as I do at home. Different aspects of my personality may be prominent at work, as opposed to home life, or socially, but the foundational character that I have is the same. I'm a honest person, so at work I am trusted, as I am at home. I had a mentor/counselor tell me once that she sees me as someone who is the same at work, home, and at church. That to me, is part of being transparent, because people will see me as the same person in all environments.

Am I always successful at being transparent? No...but it is what I strive to be. Having an accountability partner like Katie really helps in that department too. She is very quick to point out areas of my life that need to be exposed and dealt with. It's scary, but very necessary.

Transparency is necessary in the life of a God-fearing Christian. "If you walk in His light, the lost will see Him more."

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Have you any additional thoughts to add on the topic of what it means to live a transparent life? Are there inevitable consequences for living your life out in the "open"? What about hiding how you live? Does anything good come from that? There are obvious challenges that come from living transparently.

People, including brothers and sisters in the faith, will form opinions about you based on what you share, it's inevitable. Will those opinions be accurate? And, will those opinions change how they deal with you?

Think about it, even if you aren't transparent, people still form opinions about you, and how accurate can that possibly be? They form those opinions on how little they know about you. I guess this is why we all wear our "stained glass masquerades" on Sunday. As Christians, we really need to learn to take those off, cast them aside, and love God and others whole heartedly!

I'm so thankful that God knows me, and chooses to love me. He is the One with Whom I can be transparent, and even when I try to hide, He sees all. (Psalm 139)

1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

Labels: christianity, church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 2:08 PM

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Friday, January 05, 2007

Podcasts

Here are a couple of podcasts to check out. The first is of my home church, Northbrook. One interesting thing about the messages from Northbrook is that they are delivered through a number of different men in the congregation who have an amazing ability to communicate. These are usually members of our PLT (Pastoral Leadership Team) who give a message on the current topic in whatever series we are going through at the moment. We also are blessed to have men from local Union University to teach as well. There are quite a few messages available online to listen to, and the fact that almost every week we hear from a different voice kind of keeps things from getting stuck in a rut. Chuck, the pastor, does deliver the majority of messages, but we also hear from George, Walt, and Russ quite often.

Click here for the podcast of The Gathering Place of Northbrook Church. (There is also a feed subscription in the right menu under "Podcasts".)

The next podcast I will point you too is that of First Baptist Church in Marshalltown, IA. I have roots there because it is at that altar that I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. The people there started me out in my spiritual walk and I will forever feel tied to that place. Pastor Richard Sipe is one of the most animated and passionate teacher/preachers I have ever had the good fortune to hear. He just has this way of making me understand how much God loves me. He is also fun!

Click here for the podcast of First Baptist Church, Marshalltown, IA. (Podcast feed listed in the right menu under "Podcasts".)

Then, you can listen to the amateur podcasts that Katie and I have thrust onto the unsuspecting world. Some hate it because we are so bad at it. We talk over each other at times and meander all over topics, never really discussing much of anything. (Our biggest trouble is finding podcast topics...so, offer some suggestions please!) Some love it because we have so much fun and the strength of our friendship comes through, even though we poke fun at one another quite a bit. It really is hard to listen to us and not laugh!

Click here to listen to Sisters' Podcast: It Bloggles the Mind!

And for some great Christian radio click HERE!

Labels: church, entertainment, podcast

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 11:39 AM

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Sunday, November 05, 2006

God Loves Me

(This is still on the subject of the post below. The information is "sensitive" so I can not disclose the news just yet, but I will be able to later this evening when all the people involved are notified.)

At church today, after having missed it for a good month due to work, I was reminded about how Jesus loves us through others. The people in my SaLT group have been praying incessantly for me, for a good year, and most intensely during the past few months.

One particular sister in Christ is Miss Katherine. She is a frail, elderly woman who we have all grown attached to, and watch over her as best we can. She hobbles around with her cane and requires help with opening doors, climbing the three steps to our SaLT group gathering, and could use a warm campfire in The Gathering Place (our house of worship) when the AC is blowing like a blizzard and keeping a chill in the air...which, for the rest of us, is usually welcome in the warm climate of Tennessee. She is a sweetheart, and very soft-spoken. She sits quietly during our discussions in SaLT group, and rarely has anything to add. (Let me tell you though...the few times she has spoken up have been profound!)

We have learned over the years of knowing Miss Katherine, that her spiritual gift is prayer. We are all sure to ask Miss Katherine to pray for us when we need it. She is one of the first I go to when I need prayer. I trust Miss Katherine to go to the Lord on my behalf.

Today when I shared my news...Miss Katherine smiled a huge ear to ear smile through tears of joy and celebration.

She rejoiced and grabbed my hand and offered a short word of encouragement, and at the same time she was giving all the glory to God for answered prayer.

At that moment, when she looked in my eyes, I realized the significance of the love and the attention she had given to my need. She carried my burden and spent countless minutes, hours going to the Lord for me.

It was then that I also realized that what I was seeing in the eyes of Miss Katherine was the love of Christ. Christ also revealed something else. You see, I saw not only Miss Katherine, but my mom and dad too, whom I know to have been in prayer for me as well. (I wish they weren't so far away) It dawned on me that people cared for me, and that they had taken my burden seriously and have been praying for me! I suddenly felt a rush of, oh...it's hard to describe. Let's just say at that moment I felt so loved. I understood in that moment that God has surrounded me with family and with friends who care so deeply for me. I mean, this is stuff that I already know, but what I'm telling you now, is that I FELT that. I felt it right then.

It all happened in only a moment. The time it takes to look into the eyes of someone who said "I've prayed so hard for you."

And...it is not just the fact that the prayers have been answered as I had hoped...as everyone had hoped, but simply that today I was reminded that God loves me. He put people around me that love me. Nothing else really matters.

Even if those prayers had not been answered as I had hoped, God loves me.

Labels: christianity, church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 3:37 PM

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Saturday, August 26, 2006

Egg Relay - Eli and George

George is a member of the Pastoral Leadership Team at my church. Here he is in the Egg Relay with his son. This picture was snapped just after they had a slight spill...dropped the egg, but it didn't break, so George scooped it up and he and Eli went on to victory!

Tonight was another SaLT with WaLT fellowship "summer salt shake". In order to get to know other members of our church better, we meet once every three weeks or so to share a meal, conversation, and "Karen Games" with another SaLT Group. There hasn't been one dud night yet! It is always so much fun and you can see just how much fun we have by clicking on the picture. You'll be taken to a Flickr page to view hundreds of other SaLT pics and personal pics I want to share. Enjoy!

I love my church family!

Labels: church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 10:57 PM

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Sunday, August 13, 2006

My First Time

A few months ago, WaLT, my SaLT Group leader asked me to consider teaching a class, basically subbing for him so he can have a break. I said no.

Who am I to teach the Word? I told him that I couldn't because my heart was not right. I have been dealing with some spiritual issues that were detrimental to my relationship with God lately, nothing that was of huge concern, but that my heart was just not in a state that would be conducive to learning the Word enough to teach it. I would feel too hypocritical.

Walt told me that sometimes preparing to teach gets one in the Word and God uses that to help correct an issue like I described. I simply discarded what he had to say at the time.

A few weeks ago, I was feeling better, Walt asked me again to take one of his classes. I still said no. But, eventually, after numerous pleas said yes when he asked again.

The past few weeks I've spent in the Word preparing to lead on John 11. It was an experience and made me study a bit differently than I have before. Usually, when I study, I'm praying for God to reveal Himself to me through His Word. While that is still my prayer, I was also asking Him to guide me and reveal Himself to others through His Word, and chosen instrument, which was to be me. Ugh. The pressure!

I had, and have, so many thoughts running through my head. I have thoughts like I'm not qualified to teach, I'm a hypocrite, I'm encouraged, scared, why me?

Well, it's over now. My first time leading/teaching SaLT is over.

Things seemed to go smoothly. The class responded well to my questions and leading, and I don't think I taught any false doctrine. LOL I feel humbled, privileged, excited, challenged, relieved, anxious, etc. all at the same time. It is such an important responsibility to share the Word with others. I want to make sure I get it right, but it is comforting to know, that if I had said something incorrect or out of line, I have brothers and sisters in Christ who love me enough to correct me and encourage me. I received a lot of encouragement today, thanks be to God.

God is amazing...He uses even me.

-Sue

Labels: christianity, church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 12:26 PM

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Sunday, August 06, 2006

Chuck and Melissa Grillin'

SaLT with WaLT continues our new summer "salt shake" tradition of getting together with other SaLT groups. Last night we combined for an evening of fellowship with Chuck's group.

Chuck is the pastor at our church and he was the grillmaster last night. Melissa, also pictured, is the hostess. She opens her home up for these fellowships which is turning out to be every three weeks or so.

It has been a lot of fun and has really been helping us get to know other people in our church that we normally do not spend too much time with.

We played some of the DVD game "Scene It" and then headed outside for a new round of "Karen Games". Karen is our game organizer and her games have become known lovingly as "Karen Games". They are usually the kind of game that gets one out of their comfort zone and many times they require physical activity. Last night was some "Queen of the Ocean" and a fun game where a circle was formed and the person in the middle was "it".

Someone was appointed the "leader" and they give a certain sign that everyone in the ring imitates. The person who is "it" has to identify the "ring leader" in three guesses or less. It was a lot of fun!

As usual, pictures are posted on Flickr...so click the picture!

Labels: church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 8:28 PM

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Saturday, August 05, 2006

Not Taking Up Our Cross

I asked participants who claimed to be "strong followers of Jesus" whether Jesus spent time with the poor. Nearly 80 percent said yes. Later in the survey, I sneaked in another question. I asked this same group of strong followers whether they spent time with the poor, and less than 2 percent said they did. I learned a powerful lesson: We can admire and worship Jesus without doing what he did. We can applaud what he preached and stood for without caring about the same things. We can adore his cross without taking up ours. I had come to see that the great tragedy in the church is not that rich Christians do not care about the poor but that rich Christians do not know the poor." - Shane Claiborne

Read that on page 113 of "Irresistible Revolution - Living as an Ordinary Radical"

The Simple Way - check it out

I'm not sure I agree with all the stuff Shane Claiborne says or does, but he does make me think and that makes for good reading!

Labels: christianity, church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 4:00 PM

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Sunday, July 09, 2006

SaLT with WaLT Fellowship

My SaLT group had yet another fellowship gathering last night. This time we gathered together with the Sikes SaLT and had an absolute blast! We had a great meal and then it was time for "Karen Games".

Karen, a beloved member of SaLT with WaLT, who also happens to be Walt's wife, keeps the parties we have very lively with her brand of games. She organizes us all together and pulls us out of our comfort zones, (or at least those of us who choose to participate) for some sometimes very unusual activities. Melissa is pictured here intently balancing an egg on a spoon during a relay race. I call that the Michael Jordan look, with the whole tongue sticking out thing going on!

I think one of the most fun things were the water balloons! The kids, and just about everyone else, had a blast nailing Keith with the balloons and he was a great sport about it too. Good time!

One of the unusual games was the Spoon Relay Game. In this race, a large cooking spoon is passed through the top of the participants shirt, down through their pants and out the bottom of the leg. Charles said "this looks crude", and it does...but it sure is funny! You can watch a video HERE and see for yourself!

I just love my church family!

Labels: church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 8:26 PM

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Saturday, May 27, 2006

A Spiritual Meme

Tagged by Barbara at Tidbits and Treasures

A Spiritual Meme

1. What is your life verse? Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God,..." This is not my "life verse" because it is something I successfully live by, but it is a reminder to me that I should!
   
2. Give a bit of your testimony. Saved at age 32 on April 4, 1999, when Jesus entered my life, rescued me from a serious depression and loneliness, then lifted me up out of the mire, and set me on the narrow path of righteousness that is only obtained through Him. (read my testimony, the long version)
   
3. Do you have a favorite preacher? Pastor Richard Sipe, First Baptist Church, Marshalltown, Ia. He has a heart for God and his love for Jesus Christ shows in his countenance. Pastor Sipe preaches with sincerity, love and passion. (listen to a podcast)
   
4. What is the best Bible study you have ever done? Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby
   
5. What do you feel God's calling is on your life? Love Him, love others. Serve Him, serve others. Follow Him wherever He leads me.
   

I tag whomever wants to share in this meme. Let me know by leaving a comment, if you join in the fun, so I'll be sure to head over and check out your answers!

Labels: church, meme

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 7:00 PM

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Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Baptism By Squirt

Oh what an awesome worship service was experienced at Northbrook Church on Sunday. The music, the message, the baptism! Woohooo!

A friend of mine was baptized on Sunday, and baptisms at Northbrook are something to celebrate! Baptisms anywhere are things to celebrate! At Northbrook we celebrate baptisms by hearing testimony from the person who will be baptized, but because Melissa is deathly afraid of standing up and talking in front of people, to the point she literally feared fainting, Paul, the pastor, brought Melissa to the front and spoke for her. He shared with the church family about some of the spiritual markers in Melissa's life and how God used different people to plant seeds of faith in her. He also shared with some hesitation and added "God works in mysterious ways", that Melissa realized her need for salvation while reading the first few books in the Left Behind series. She read about characters recognizing their need for a personal relationship for Christ and who got down on their needs to ask forgiveness and to be saved from eternal separation from God. One day, she quietly asked Jesus to save her and He did! That was a little over five years ago.

Melissa had never been baptized and thought it time to do that. Her fear of being in front of people kept her from publically demonstrating her faith through baptism, but God answered her prayer seeking courage and Melissa was obedient. After Paul finished relaying Melissa's testimony, the church body is asked to offer some scripture and words of encouragement. Many people offered up touching words and tributes to Melissa who is very popular at Northbrook as she has been serving as the church administrative assistant for a couple of years now. After everyone had an opportunity to share encouragement, Melissa was baptized. The place broke out in celebratory applause! Woohooo!

Melissa is a member of my SaLT group (small group, cell group) and we meet for study right after the service. Our leader, Walt, had another "baptism" planned for Melissa and it was all in fun. We all were in on it and were awaiting Melissa's arrival to SaLT.

Melissa arrived and as usual we began sharing different prayer needs. Then WaLT opened by asking for anyone who still has encouragement to share with Melissa and maybe felt too intimidated to share in the "Big Room", can share in this smaller, more intimate setting. Some chose to share and then is was Walt's turn. He encouraged Melissa with his words and then came the cue....

...so we all grabbed our concealed "weapons", our squirt guns, and blasted Melissa with water! Leave it to SaLT with WaLT to baptize by squirt! It was hysterical and Melissa loved it! She laughed and laughed! Unfortunately, I was already two hours late for work so I stood and announced "I hate to squirt and run, but I gotta go!". I gave Melissa a hug, got a little wet in the process, and headed out.

I was so blessed by God through Northbrook Sunday, and I am thankful that I was two and a half hours late to work!

Labels: christianity, church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 11:00 AM

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Wednesday, May 03, 2006

I've Been Asked to Teach

Someone who knows my former background as a band director came into my store and told me of an opening in his school. When the position became available he thought of me.

I told him I've let my certification expire and I didn't plan on going back to teaching, that I enjoy my career in retail management.

I enjoyed teaching and believe I was good at it. I think my students learned some things and hopefully have carried some of those "lessons" into their adulthood. I often remember back and wonder how some of them are doing.

I left teaching when I was laid off due to budget cutbacks. Why is it always the "arts" that get cut first? Anyway, that summer I continued searching for a teaching job while I worked at Camelot Music. I interviewed in a few places, but was not hired so I continued working in retail and found that I really enjoyed it, so I decided to stick with that and have worked my way up the ladder into management.

This past weekend I was asked by my SaLT Group leader to teach some lessons this summer as we study the Gospel of John. I am humbled to have been asked, but I replied "My spiritual life and my heart is not in the place it should be for me to be in front of people teaching anything."

I've been struggling as of late.

He told me, "well, sometimes I have found over the years that when I have to start digging and preparing to teach, that it helps me overcome spiritual dryness."

He doesn't understand that my issue isn't just spiritual dryness.

I don't know what it is. It is more than dryness. I hate it.

Katie and I are going to restart the Beth Moore "Believing God" study that we stalled on about 3/4 of the way through. We kick-restart today. I hope refocusing on Him, and getting into His Word more will bring me forth from the desert.

I just thought it was weird that back-to-back I was asked to teach.

Labels: church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 8:09 AM

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Sunday, March 19, 2006

Suffering

"Thanks be to God that suffering doesn't only come to those who 'deserve' it."

An excellent message was delivered to Northbrook Church today through George Guthrie.

Labels: christianity, church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 12:31 PM

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Saturday, March 11, 2006

So You Are Visiting a Church for the First Time...

What things do you need to know about that church?

What thoughts are going through your head as you pull in the driveway, the parking lot, or first walk in the front door, or side door? Do you wonder which door to enter? or where to park?

Where's the steeple?

What kinds of things are you looking for when you are greeted, or not greeted, at the door?

Do you have a "checklist" in your mind that you mentally check off when you visit the church? or do you just go and experience whatever comes your way?

Is all you care about is where to find the coffee?

Is it important to you that the members of that church introduce themselves to you, and meet you? Would you rather be left alone?

How about the music in the service? What kind of music do you prefer to worship to? What about the drama that accompanied the service, is there a place for drama/theater in church? Interpretive movement? Dance? What is all this stuff? Does any of it matter?

Is the spirit of the living God here? How do you know?

Why isn't there an "invitation", or what's an invitation? Why isn't there an "offering", or how can I give?

I attended a "summit" meeting at my church today where we discussed some of the things we feel we do well as a church, and some of the things we need to improve upon. It got me wondering what a person's first impression of our church is? and what should it be?

So, I am asking you, dear reader, to tell me what you look for as far as a "first impression" of a church, when you visit. Please share in the comment section about any experience you have had, or would hope to have you when you visit a church for the first time. What would impress you the most about a church? What would totally turn you off to a church, and would basically wipe out any chance of a return visit?

Labels: christianity, church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 4:14 PM

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Monday, February 20, 2006

We're An Original

I was listening to a sermon (02/05/06/) today from Pastor Richard Sipe at First Baptist Church in Marshalltown, IA. Pastor Sipe is an amazing communicator, and in his sermon he made a neat analogy that I wanted to share.

Recently, Pastor Sipe had been on vacation and took a cruise. On this cruise he was introduced to a bit of the arts, a bit of "culture" as he says, and learned about lithography.

We all couldn't have the original painting "Daily Bread" on display on the walls in our home without lithography. He said that he learned that an original piece of art can be when someone else sees a piece of artwork and then makes a lithograph, which is a reproduction of the artist's original work. Then the creator of the artwork, the artist, comes along, looks at the lithograph and says "hey, that's pretty good" and then he signs it. With that artist's signature on the lithograph, it is now considered an "original".

Pastor Sipe went on to say that's the way it is with us:

We live our lives and then there comes a day where we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and we say yes we believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and we understand that Jesus cares so much, that He weeps for our pain, He weeps for our needs, He understands and He weeps because we have hopelessness and we need Him, and we turn to Him and the Bible says then we become a new creation and Jesus comes along and He signs His name on us. And we're an original. And we're an original child of God who has eternal life. We're an original.

I'm an original! Woohooo! I kind of like the image of Jesus signing His name to my heart. That's cool!

I'm an original!

Are you?

Labels: christianity, church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 8:48 PM

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Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Can the Church Become "Top Heavy"?

Northbrook Church is embarking on a new study in The Theology Program.

This teaches people to glorify God by using their minds. Do I think this is important? VERY MUCH SO!

Our church is heavy in the "brains" department. Dave Gushee, a few years ago, spearheaded a mission to start the educational program at Northbrook called "Northbrook U". We constantly have "classes" being offered in theology, Greek, "How to Study Your Bible", ethics, and various other mind exercising courses over the years.

After I was saved in April of 1999, I dove into all the studies I could possibly handle. I studied a lot of "heart" stuff, and I also got into theology and apologetics. I'm not exaggerating when I say I was actually reading an apologetics encyclopedia! I purchased and read many theology books and books that stimulated my mind. However, I learned that I was feeding my brain, and my heart began to suffer from spiritual malnutrition.

Knowing facts and being able to spew theological arguments is one skill, whereas knowing comforting words of scripture to offer a person who is suffering is entirely different. A relationship with God and with others that is built on love and compassion is a different kind of "knowledge".

I am starting to wonder if it is possible to get too much head knowledge, and not enough heart stuff. Can the Church get too "top heavy"? By that I mean, is it possible to feed the mind out of proportion to the heart?

We are instructed to love the Lord with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind and with all our strength. There needs to be balance. If we get too "top heavy" we are bound to fall over.

Labels: christianity, church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 3:43 PM

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Sunday, January 29, 2006

Evil

We had a great message delivered at Northbrook Church today. It was all about evil. Evil is here. Like it or not, evil is here.

The passage was from Daniel 7:1-28 and packed a powerful punch. David dreamed of evil. Evil took the form of beasts in his dream, beasts that were like a lion, a bear, and a leopard. All of these are beasts of prey that roam around waiting to attack and kill.

Listening to the message today really had me pondering some things that bloggled my mind.

Evil is here and always roaming, waiting to attack and kill. The attacking and killing take place in the spiritual realm, in the unseen world, not our physical one.

Many times we don't even see the evil until we are attacked by it and then we have to react. Reacting puts us on the defensive immediately.

Christians should always have on their spiritual armor as Ephesians 6 states:

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.

Christians "fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace" should never be caught off-guard. We should not ever need to react to an attack of the evil one, we should be ready and armed for battle at all times!

We know evil lurks waiting to devour. We should not be surprised when the attack occurs!

This is where I got to thinking...what do you do when evil confronts you face to face? When you are standing there with evil staring you in the face? Looking you in the eye? At that moment when evil attacks, what do you do?

YOU STARE EVIL IN THE FACE, LOOK IT IN THE EYE, AND SAY GET BEHIND ME SATAN!

Evil is here, yes, but we already have the victory. The war has already been won. There are battles raging, those are the "attacks" I speak of, but the war is won. What makes evil that much more frightening is that the evil one knows that the war for him is already lost, so why not pull out all the stops? It's a game for him. A taunting game, with the goal to keep people from knowing God. If he can ruin the testimony of one, it can effect the souls of many.

If he can ruin the testimony of one, it can effect the souls of many.

But, the war is already won. God is in control. Jesus Christ looked evil in the eye, even as He hung dying on a tree. He died and was buried, but then took his life back up again, and in essence said, "GET BEHIND ME SATAN!" as he emerged from his tomb. Death, evil, has no power over Christ. God is the winner! God rules!

Jesus never turns his back on us, sometimes he may look away from our sin, but never, NEVER, has his back turned toward us. That means we stand, bow, lay prostrate before Him, we are IN FRONT of Him. He stands and looks at us.

If we are in front of Him, where is satan? Satan is BEHIND HIM! Satan has no authority over Jesus Christ, over the Son of Man, over the Ancient of Days!

God wins and God rules the world!

Labels: christianity, church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 4:22 PM

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Sunday, December 25, 2005

Framily Christmas 2005

I just got all emotional.

I have a framily for Christmas.

(Framily: Friends + Family This is a term I coined a few years ago to describe Katie's family (herself and her kids) and me, the friend, and our unique living situation. It has become a part of our everyday language, so much so that people from church will refer to us as a "framily". The neat thing about a "framily" is that any friend of the "framily" is a "framily member"!)

Gifts are nice and all, but nothing beats being surrounded by people that love you. Spending the holiday with the special people in my life is priceless.

Nothing beats knowing you are loved by family and friends, those who live close and those who live far away too.

Nothing beats knowing that we celebrate the birth of our Savior this season.

That's what makes this the most wonderful time of the year, because we take time to remember that and to remind each other how much we love them.

I love my framily!

Labels: church, Holiday

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 10:39 AM

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Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Why Was Jesus Baptized?

Why was Jesus baptized?

My SaLT group is reading The Jesus Creed; Loving God and Loving Others by Scot McKnight, and you can learn more about him at his blog The Jesus Creed.

We are really taking a critical look at this book and the topic this past week really had the discussion going. It was from Matthew 3:13-17, when John baptized Jesus.

McKnight points out that John was confused as to why Jesus came to him to be baptized. He goes on to say:

"But Jesus is baptized anyway. John's baptism is for repentance, and Jesus doesn't need to repent. Clearly, then, if Jesus doesn't need to repent, then he must be repenting for others, for us."

He continued:

"Because in so 'repenting for us,' Jesus begins to unleash the power of the Holy Spirit for his followers. John baptizes with 'water,' but Jesus will baptize 'with the Holy Spirit and with fire.'"

In conclusion McKnight states what he believes is "clear":

"Jesus is baptized to repent perfectly so God can send the Spirit to empower us for our vocations."

Any thoughts?

Labels: christianity, church

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 5:11 PM

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Sunday, December 18, 2005

SaLT with WaLT Christmas Party

Here's a picture of us at our annual Christmas party at Karen and Walt's in Martin, TN. It's a long drive, but well worth it!

Great people! Great fun!

You can see a bunch more pictures by clicking on the photo at the right.

I'm so blessed to be loved by these people! I can't wait to see them all at church tomorrow!

Labels: church, Holiday

Posted by Susan L. Prince at 12:36 AM

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Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Why Church Membership Doesn’t Matter

There's an interesting and rather in-depth discussion going on over at nakedreligion about why church membership doesn't matter. Read the post there and check out the comments.

I posted in there a couple of times explaining a little about the membership in the church I attend, and why I think church membership IS important and DOES matter.

The author of nakedreligion.com, BJ Berfalk