Changes

Some of you know about the struggle our church is going through right now, approximately 1200 people being directly affected by the sin of 2 people. Sin which did not begin all at one time, but gradually. It's not a new story. You hear it all of the time - unfortunately. Here's the basic synopsis: pastor gets caught having an affair, resigns from his position, church scurries to find a new pastor and everyone tries to forget the whole mess ever happened.

You learn a lot about your church when this stuff happens. You learn about your leadership. How do they handle the situation? Where might there have been a failure in accountability for the pastor? Where are there strengths in their ability to handle the situation with grace and holiness and honor to God. You learn about your members. Who stays still in their faith despite the fall of a man? Who leaves, frustrated that man has the potential to sin and disappoint? You learn a lot about yourself - or at least you should because EVERY situation in life should cause us to be a little bit introspective and check ourselves for breaches and areas where we still need God to change us, grow us and heal us. The most dangerous phrases I have heard during this ordeal have been "I could never do that" or "That would never happen in my marriage" or "I just don't understand how it could happen."

In Galatians Paul says:

1Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.
2Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
3For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
4But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another.

And in Matthew, we read:

1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Now, I know what you are thinking - We HAVE to judge sin, God told us to. And you are absolutely correct. Judge sin, avoid sin and help restore your brother from sin. But be careful in the way that you judge - judge your own actions according to scripture and not according to others. And never assume you can not fall. We don't ever typically just crash into sin in the blink of an eye. It is a gradual thing....something we typically wouldn't notice happening. Casting Crowns has a song currently out called "Slow Fade" that talks about this very thing. Making exceptions about who you spend time with, what we watch, what we listen to. I think those of us who have struggled with addiction and "lifestyle sins" can understand this concept more. I wake up every morning, especially lately, with the intention of focusing on today and how I can come to the end of it a little bit closer to God and more Christlike, rather than a little bit less. And I try not to judge my progress based on those around me, but on the standard of the Word of God.

Safeguard your lives and your marriages by being intentional in your actions and making a point to remember you are not invincible to Satan.

Ephesians 6: 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. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Thanks for staying with me. I've just had a lot of this on my mind lately and wanted to share some thoughts. Pray for guidance as our church goes through this change and begin the search process for our next pastor.

Now, onto what many of you check this blog to see...cute kids doing crazy things!

Aunt Jennifer Minnis visited recently and stayed with us with her little dog, Melvin. What a cute little furball. Here are some photos of the visit!

What are we looking at???

The girls and Aunt Jennifer

A healthy watermelon snack

No thanks, I prefer Papaw's grapes from his garden. Aren't I cute eating them???

Playing catch with Melvin

Thanks for checking and have a great day!