Midnight Mutterings: The Living Page & Baptists

Uh oh. Is this an indicator of how my week will go? I certainly hope not! It is after midnight and I am awake with a nice headache. The same headache I went to bed with at 9:00 pm.

It's not been a totally negative experience, however. I have been reading over at the AO forum, and a bit here and there in my new book, The Living Page by Laurie Bestvater. *affliate link* I also got 'caught up' in Towards a Philosophy of Education, Volume 6 of Charlotte Mason's Homeschooling Series. It's been so long since I have read in it but I am going to the CM book study on Tuesday night in Akron, and I needed to have at least read the assigned portions. When I said I got 'caught up' it doesn't mean I can now say I have read all that way through the work. No, I just skipped ahead. I still have over 100 pages to read to really be 'caught up'. But as I was skimming through the pages to get to where we are now, I was tempted more than once to read from random points.

Oh and back to The Living Page. I am only on page 8 and I know I will love this book. I already wrote my name in the front. I often resell books I get so hesitate to write in any.

And since I am awake and I have determined, no matter how half-heartedly, to write more than just one post a week, I figured there's no time like the present. For the remainder of the post, I'll share what I 'learned' in church today. We made it to Sunday School and stayed on through the luncheon.

For Sunday School, Pastor talked about what makes a Baptist a Baptist. Apparently he started this series last week when we weren't there. It sounds like we would have enjoyed it. Anyhow, this week he covered the autonomy of Baptists. Our final authority, actually our only authority, is the Bible; God's Word. There was no single individual in the early church that people went to for the 'laws'. It is the same today with Baptists; they decide together and may even bring in a 'sister church' to help if needed. But the decisions are based on the Bible. Some verses Acts 6:1-4; 13:1-3; 15:5-28 (selected).

Another reason we don't have an individual in charge is because we are a priesthood of believers with Jesus as our High Priest. We have a direct line to God; we do not need to go through saints or a priest. Verses: 1 Peter 2:5; Hebrews 4:14-16.

We have only 2 ordinances that were modeled and commanded by Jesus and instituted in the early church: full immersion baptism and Lord's Supper. Verses: Matthew 3:13-17; 28:19, 20; Acts 2:41; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.

And finally (for today's portion), we believe in free-will and choice. Or as Pastor put it "Individual Soul Liberty". It just means that no matter how much we want to, we cannot make someone do or decide something. We all are responsible for the choice that we make. We have the liberty to make the choice but we also have the rewards or consequences of the choice. Verses: Romans 14 (selected); 2 Corinthians 4:1, 2.

At the start of Sunday School he listed only some of the "Baptists" there are today- some include (he read them too fast for me to write them all down; going by memory- short list!):

Evangelical-Free Baptists

Seventh Day Baptists

Baptist Universalists

Independent Fundamental Baptists

Overall, it was very interesting. I'm looking forward to next week. 

I was going to share what was talked about at the luncheon but I think my headache is gone enough that I can sleep now. And my eyes are drooping *wink*

God is Faithful- Do I Have Faith?

Today was one of those Sundays when I really didn’t want to go. It was one of those Sundays when I’m really glad that I did go.

We missed last Sunday {forget why} but I gather that the ‘theme’ for the next few Sundays is about faith. Last week was about Grow In, Grow Up, Grow Out; pastor gave a quick recap. Today was titled Faith for the Growing. Here are some things I picked up:

Ultimately, faith begins where man’s power ends. It is when the “possible” becomes “impossible” that we see what kind of faith we truly have. Many have “faith” but what do they have faith in? If it isn’t in God, then their faith is misplaced and worthless. An example that Pastor gave is when we pray for someone who is ill to the point that only a miracle can heal them, we pray for the doctors to have wisdom and for God to touch that person with his hand; to heal them. However, when the doctors say there is no more they can do, we often stop praying for healing and instead shift to comfort in their last days. Why do we stop praying for healing when the doctors say there is nothing else they can do? God is able to do anything!

There is no glory for God in what is humanly possible. The glory is when he does the impossible. And he does it all the time.

The scripture we read from for today was 1 Samuel 14:1-23. This is about Jonathan fighting against the Philistines with faith in the Lord. Jonathan knew that it looked impossible to fight the Philistines but with God there are no restraints. There is nothing God cannot do.

God can and does that which seems impossible to our minds- what is impossible for us. However, if we do not have faith that he will do it, he won’t do it. If we do not believe he will, he will reward us with the faith we have placed in him- we see no miracles; the impossible remains impossible. When we believe that which he can do is when we see the great works. Jesus said in Nazareth that no prophet is honored in his own country and he did not do miracles for the people to see (Matthew 5:53-58). They did not have faith in him and therefore that was their reward.

If there is ‘nothing happening’ in my life, is it because God isn’t working- or is it because I am not having the faith I need to see his great works? Definitely some food for thought for me. I have been feeling…out of sorts lately and even if I am not exactly sure why, this is a good place to start looking, I think.

Here are some verses that deal with God’s faithfulness:

• Psalm 32:8 {worry}
• Philippians 4:19 {needs}
• Hebrews 13:5-6 {‘do it yourself’-er}
• 1 John 1:9 {guilt}
• John 5:24 {doubt}
• Isaiah 26:3 {fear, panic}

A few years ago someone had told me that when we worry we are fairly telling God that he is not good enough to help us with whatever it is that we are worrying about. Today Pastor said pretty much the same thing. When we worry we are in essence telling God that we do not believe that he will do as he has said. We do not have faith when we worry.

I have faith but I do not rely on it as often as I should. My faith has not been tested as some have been. We are spoiled in life and faith. Our faith and constancy in life is rarely severely tested causing us to struggle with the smallest, most insignificant things (paraphrasing from today’s sermon).

My favorite verse today is Hebrews 13:5-6 (KJV);

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. (emphasis mine)

What I Learned at Church Sunday, September 18, 2011

Perhaps I should title this, “What I Realized…” because these were not things I had ‘learned’ all of a sudden on Sunday.

We visited a new church Sunday morning. Sunday School started at 9:45 am and then the main service followed at 11 am. In Sunday school (for the adults) they were reading from (and studying) 1 Peter 2:5. Apparently, they went through previous verses on previous Sundays. I will not say that I was enlightened during this portion (not because of any particular reason) but did come to realize again that I do not believe in the Trinity. Interesting that a verse that makes no mention of the Trinity led the ‘teacher’ to bring it up more than once.

There. I’ve said it. I am a Christian that does not believe in the Trinity. I believe that the concept of a triune god is polytheistic and rooted in pagan practices that do not belong in Christianity. The Trinity is a concept presented by the Church to explain what it doesn’t understand- in a way that isn’t understandable, it is merely ‘accepted’.

The rest of the Sunday School was just fine –many good points and comments were contributed during the session.

During the main service the pastor talked about the importance of bringing up our children in a biblical way. Not the way the world believes we should but how God says we should. What I ‘learned’ from this portion is that I need to be more conscientious of what my children watch and hear. What they see us doing, they will do as well. The pastor made an excellent point of what we as parents do in moderation, our children will take farther. If we believe that something is okay in ‘moderation’ our kids will take it farther and do more than what we think is appropriate. The example he gave was rated G movies. If we watch only G movies, our children (he postulates) will watch PG13 movies. If we watch PG13, they will watch R.

Although I do not agree that we should not watch movies at all, I completely agree that what we do, the kids will take farther. It is a test of limits and boundaries.

I also ‘realized’ (again) how important routine, schedules, discipline and consistency are to our children. With our move, the tv at the hotels have been a luxury that seem to have turned into a ‘need’. By that I mean that with limited activities and resources at our disposal, my kids are ‘bored’ so easily and tv is a readily available fix for boredom.

Personally, I think tv in general is worse than watching movies. The shows on the local channels (not even thinking of HBO, Showtime, etc.) are steeped in filth! The filth is presented in a fun, entertaining way. We laugh at the crude jokes. We fill our eyes with sights we shouldn’t be seeing (the commercials are what I am referring to, with scantily clad individuals interacting in ways that are private) and hearing what we’ve no business hearing. Even the ‘kids shows’ are laced with this. It seems harmless because it is on the ‘kids’ channel. But it really isn’t.

Saying “No” to our children will not hurt them. Saying “Yes” when we need to say “No” will hurt them.

Those are the two things I realized (again) while at church on Sunday

*Note: If you disagree with my reasoning that is just fine and I welcome your comments. Please know, however, that if you post a comment that is rude, it will not be approved.

Revisiting "Bethel"

What a wonderful Sunday! It is beautiful outside (albeit windy). I have quite a bit to get done on my weekend still but wanted to share the message from church this morning. It was a very good one- one that I needed to hear.

Our reading came from Genesis 35:1-15

At first I couldn't figure out where Pastor was going to go with this reading. I would type it out for all to read but I hope you have a Bible or you can use biblegateway.com to read it online. 

Bethel means House of God. Or it can be thought of as where we first met God. Pastor asked us to recall that place we were when we first 'met' God; when we realized we needed Him. It could be a physical place (many recall kneeling at an altar, or beside their beds, asking Jesus to be their Savior) or just the memory of the time. In verse 6 of the chapter we read that Jacob was in Luz, which is Bethel. This place he named many years earlier, in chapter 28 of Genesis. This place, Bethel, is where Jacob had first met God. In his talk, Pastor refers to Bethel as the place were we first met God.

It is good to go back to "Bethel" because when we do that we are refreshed, reminded, reassured and reconnected. (Yes, he likes to use alliteration to get his message across- I like it myself)

When we go back to "Bethel" we are refreshed. In Genesis 35:2 we see Jacob telling his family to get cleaned up and to put away their strange gods. A nice note here is that back in this time, bathing was not a frequent occurrence. But when Jacob was instructed by God to go back to Bethel he felt the need to clean up; to be fresh. Jacob's actions were in anticipation of going to back to Bethel but I think that when we think on that day and/or place, it helps us to purge out the unclean. It refreshes.

At our Bethel we also are reminded of the distress we were in when we came to God. In chapter 28 of Genesis, Jacob was on the run from his brother Esau, who wished to kill him. Jacob was distressed; he slept with his head on a rock. You have to be pretty low to sleep on a rock... (of course the Egyptians used them all the time... I wouldn't wish to!). God came to Jacob in this time of distress and Jacob made promises to God. This was a point that Pastor made sure to reiterate. The vows we made when we first met with God are just as relevant now as they were then. We should have them in the front of our minds. They should not be forgotten. When we go back to Bethel, we are reminded of our distress- why we needed God- and also of the vows we made. We are also reminded of the wonderful salvation that was given us by God.

If we think back to the distress we are also reassured that God can handle anything. There is nothing too large for God to handle. We cannot do it on our own. In Genesis 35:11 we read "And God said unto him, I am God Almighty..." Jacob was reassured. We are reassured that God will be there for us.

Finally, we are reconnected with God when we go back to Bethel. When we first were at that place the fire and passion we felt for God was intense. The closeness we wanted was wonderful. As time goes on though, we may separate ourselves from God. He never turns from us but often we do from Him. We are reconnected with God and His plan for our lives when we revisit Bethel. In Genesis, Jacob had gone back to Bethel and he was refreshed, reminded, and reassured. The reconnection though was something that was so important for Jacob because in verses 16-20 we read of Rachel's death. Jacob had to endure something horrible but because of God, he was able to come through it. 

That was the lesson in church today.

This was a great lesson today. And timely. Just last night I kept thinking on the word complacency. I think that in the United States we are complacent. There is a danger but we have such comfortable lives that we fail to see it for what it really is. We are like the Laodicean church in Revelation. We are in need of nothing and therefore do not call on God any longer. We in America are lukewarm. 

It is a tough thought- being complacent, lukewarm. It means that more is required of us. It means stepping out of our comfort zones. Doing more for Jesus. Doing more to declare the God of heaven. It isn't something to take lightly but I'm sure that it will definitely cause turmoil. Jesus said he did not come into the world to bring peace but instead to bring division.

Personally, it is very tough. It makes me want to do so much more but at the same time, I must say, it makes me somewhat sad to think of all the comfortable things I've become used to that I need to give up. Tough indeed. 

Jesus' Transfiguration- Our Perspective

Matthew 17:1-13
1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2 and he was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his rainment was white as the light. 3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with hm. 4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 5 While yet he spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. 7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. 8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. 9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. 10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? 11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. 12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. 13 The disciples understood that he spake unto them John the Baptist. 

The theme of today's talk at church was Jesus' tranfiguration- but not exactly this one. We did read this and I think it is easy to imagine the wonderment, amazement and awe that the few disciples that were with Jesus felt when this took place. The transfiguration that was being talked about this morning was the one that we see. If we merely see Jesus in one aspect (as a friend, a savior, a healer, etc.) we are missing the big picture; missing the depth of Jesus' importance. Pastor gave four points to ponder in regards Jesus' transfiguration, as it applies to our perception of him. Knowledge, Respect, Desire, and Commitment. I will try to convey the main points but if I fail to do so accurately, or adequately, I apologize now. :)

• Knowledge- We need to know more about Jesus to be able to see him in all the ways we are meant to. The best way to do this is through reading the Gospels; the entire Bible actually.
• Respect- we saw in Matthew 16:22 that Peter lacked respect when he spoke to Jesus in a way that would suggest that he, Peter, knew more than Jesus could. We must show respect to Jesus to be able to truly see him as he wants us to see him.
• Desire- We need to have a desire to see our 'deficiency'. That means that we understand that we are not moving forward towards a more accurate perception of Jesus; we need a desire to move beyond that. More than that though, we understand that we are in need of Jesus as our savior.
• Commitment- Peter said in verse 4, "Lord, it is good for us to be here." We need to be able to see that regardless of where we want our life to go, God is the one that has a plan for us. Commitment means that we accept where his plan takes us, and put aside our own selfish desires. We come to see Jesus in a different perspective.

We need to have a perspective of 1. our deficiency, 2. his deity, 3. his depth, 4. his duty. Fortunately, the pastor's wife texted me the last bit about perspective, or I wouldn't have recalled it right now.


If we feel that where we are in life is 'just fine', it may well be but it can be so much better. If we enhance our perspective. If we change our perspective. Of course, if we choose not to continue to grow, nothing changes. Our relationship can be so richer, if we choose. 


I found today's 'lesson' to be inspiring. We are always changing- sometimes when we would rather not. I want a change that is for the better.

Progressive Church

Perhaps many have seen this video already? I don't have cable so I hadn't. But someone posted this on FB and I personally just love Progressive commercials. Some people think Flo is so annoying. Haha! No, we don't use Progressive insurance... Anyway. I decided to actually watch this video to see what the hubbub is/was.

WoW

I will warn that I don't think this is appropriate for younger kids although they may not understand exactly, it'll get in their heads and it'll have to be removed... For older kids, they may get the ridiculousness of it but at the same time, they might get it in their heads that this is something to want so caution. Ah, and the very very end talks about drugs and inappropriate media entertainment. Just a heads up.

I think that adults should watch this. Our day and age definitely endorses the Progressive Church! So here's the video:

Sunday- Finally made it to Church

So with us being gone on our Oregon trip we haven't been to church in uh, well, let's just say it's been awhile. Dear hubby was able to go at least once while we were gone but was also out of town on the other Sundays.


There is just something about being in church. It doesn't matter what the building is officially called (mine is Torrington Baptist Tabernacle, yours may be something very different) it holds a certain something when you walk inside. It isn't really the people either (although they do help, don't they?). It isn't the building at all. It is the presence of God. Plain and simple.

When you walk in, before you are greeted by anyone, there is something you can feel envelope or surround you that is comforting. When the preacher, pastor, elder or what ever title they hold, begins to speak, the Word of God is there.

In our church they say "Amen" a lot and it used to really bother me. We also have a time of 'testimony' at the beginning of services that used to make me uncomfortable. I am used to it now and although I am not the type of person to say "Amen" randomly and unfortunately I don't stand up and tell of all the good things that God has done for me, or give my 'testimony', I felt so good to be back.

We had "Q&A" Sunday school today. I love it when it is "Q&A." It is a small church and it seems the numbers are falling all the time (perhaps we are at a plateau now). There is usually one, perhaps two people that ask questions during this time. The one that does so more than half the time is my hubby. He asks the questions that make you think. At least the pastor has to take a moment to collect his thoughts before answering!

I will share what the question was today but don't go getting ideas! He asked for the separating point from the Old Testament and the New Testament pertaining to polygamy. It was allowed in the Old Testament but not in the New Testament. He often will ask for comparisons from the OT and the NT. Like the laws from the OT and the laws of the NT. Anyway, I cannot remember how the topic came up but my husband and I were discussing when and why did polygamy become taboo, and obviously not legal today*. I know that it has never been acceptable in the US. But in the OT is was the norm, I believe. It was an interesting question. There were a few snickers from the family behind us in church when he asked the question. The answer given by the pastor was an interesting one but I am not so sure that he 'answered' the question, if that makes sense. He said that because of the 'hard-heartedness of the Israelites' God allowed it. But at a later point he makes mention that God had a plan when the 12 tribes of Israel were from one father and four mothers. That seems a little contradictory to me...It would like saying God changed His plan because the people wouldn't cooperate- just doesn't sound right. In the OT there is no mention of how many wives that one is allowed to have but in the NT there is somewhat of a 'rule' set that says one wife per husband. Although, the OT does say: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." Genesis 2:24- emphasis mine to show wife as singular not plural.
Pastor described it as "I don't know how you can get three-shall-be-one like you can 'the two shall be one'".

The message delivered for service was about being humble enough to listen, truly hear, and obey what Jesus has said to us and what is continuing to be said through the Bible. I cannot remember everything that was said but I enjoyed the talk.

It was just so nice to be there today.

*The topic actually came up somewhat from my studies of the Celtic peoples this term- they practiced polygamy, which the Christian, civilized Romans thought part of their barbarianism.

Reflecting...again

About a week ago I had posted about my conundrum with the church we attend. I haven't stopped going. We did go to the evening service that day but missed Wednesday night. This past Sunday we went to both morning and evening service.

The morning service had a lot of visitors to the church that I was happy to see. Attendance to church has been waning for almost a year now. I had thought that perhaps I was having issues with there not being very many people attending the church and that is why I was feeling that it wasn't the right place for us. But I don't think that is it.

As I listened (as I usually do) to the Pastor talk on this past Sunday morning, I began to see that the problem may not be with the church but with me. I know that I am not perfect but it may have been that I was putting the blame elsewhere for my reservations with church. There isn't anything wrong with the church, or the pastor, or the messages given. It is me.

Our church has only 4 families (not including Pastor and his wife) that attend on a regular basis. I do include our family in that number although we miss Wednesday nights quite often. There are three families with children (including our family). There is not a children's program besides Sunday school. Right now there are only two boys (ages 12 and 10) and five girls (ages 13, 9, 6, 5, & 4). The three younger girls go with Miss Erma (Pastor's wife) for Sunday school, while the 13 and 9 year old girls go with Miss Hannah (Pastor's daughter in law). The two boys alternate between Pastor and Brother Jacob (Pastor's son) for their Sunday school lesson. Every other Sunday we have Q & A Sunday for adult Sunday school, which I appreciate. The other Sunday, Pastor gives a talk.

The church is Independent Baptist. They do not condone drinking and feel that women should wear skirts or dresses at all times. They believe in the Trinity and that Jesus died on the cross to atone for mankind's sin. They believe that the Bible (specifically the KJV) is the infallible word of God. They do not condone same gender marriage and are also very conservative in a political sense. Although the Pastor's political views are not pushed, it is easy to see where they (the church in general) stand on political issues. They believe that tattoos and piercings are wrong as well as smoking or overeating, because it is destroying the body that God supplied and should be kept well. Although I honestly do not know all that the church believes, this is what I have gathered from going for over a year. What is wrong with those views? Nothing that I can see. I do have trouble with the Trinity and that Jesus died on a literal cross. I do not have a problem with the other views of the church. Oh, I do not wear skirts/dresses all the time, nor do I see the need to...and tattoos are not a problem for me either... I think those issues (like how to wear ones hair perhaps) are issues between God and the person.

My daughter attends a youth group at a local Presbyterian Church, and my son will also be attending in the fall, on Sunday evenings instead of going to evening service at our church. The Pastor did tell my son that it is a 'betrayal' to our church for her (and eventually him) to go to the other church when there is service at our church. I disagree with this and it bothers me a little that the Pastor would tell my child that. But I don't think that is enough of a reason to make me feel that the church is not the right place for us. Fortunately, my children have an open communication with me and they know I will not just fly off the handle when they tell me something. I like to explain things when I am telling them how I feel or what I think. I think that it helps them with their ability to think about what others say and not just take it as a fact. I would like to see more involvement with the community through our church but I don't see that happening. Right now there is a ministry at one of the local assisted living centers and they would like to start a Sunday school ministry where they are able to actually pick the kids up and bring them to the church on Sundays. That is something that would be good to have happen.

So, what is my problem? And why do I say, now, that it is me and not the church itself? I wonder if it isn't my own lack of commitment and involvement with the church that bothers me. I'm a bit (okay, a lot) of an introvert; I am fairly shy and do not like to stick my neck out. I notice things that I would like to happen or I think I could help with but do not offer my ideas or help because I worry that I will mess up or that my ideas or offers of help will be rejected. Perhaps it is a self-esteem issue, who knows. I have begun to volunteer at the local library's used book sale (which I love) and that has helped with my confidence in the 'putting myself out there' bit.

Pastor has talked more than once on committing to do something for the Lord. I have often thought of this but feel inadequate. Quite inadequate. But it is tugging at me more and more. I can't really expect it all to just come to me without any effort on my part. I really do not know where to start though. I pray for God to help with my heart because that is where my problems lie, I believe. It could be my mind, my conscience, whatever you would like to call it. But that is where it starts. If I cannot get that straight, it doesn't matter what church I go to or who is the Pastor, or what the message is. If my heart isn't right, it will be for naught in my case.

That is my reflecting for the day (or for now). I know I need to pray more. And if any that read this feel it in their hearts to say a prayer for me, it would most appreciated. I know that God hears prayers and the more people that pray for a cause, the louder it is to God.

Now that it is after 9am...time to get school started so that we can get done before 6pm today!