Happy Reformation Day!
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged boldness, Catholic Church, church history, free download, Here I Stand, Martin Luther, pope, Protestant, reformation, Reformation Day, scripture on October 31, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged church, emergent, gospel, pastor, spiritual formation, transformation on October 28, 2009| 4 Comments »
I listened to a sermon by my former pastor and found it to be actually not that bad. I could be happy that maybe he’s changing his ways, but I actually fear the flaw is more with me. I am thinking I must not have it all down, I’m missing the wrong teaching in what he said. Actually, it’s great if his sermon is better. No wonder most of it was probably okay, he read the bible verse by verse and then preached on it…reading a few verses and describing the meanings. I did have a few nit picky things I thought he could have worded differently, and depending on where he goes with it in the future, they could be problems.
He referenced “strangers” and “aliens” as refugees. He kept saying that we (meaning who I’m not sure) are refugees and he prefers that though I couldn’t find the word in the text in the bible versions on bible gateway. I guess I would prefer one from a good translation, but maybe he knows something about the Greek translation?
He did do some illustrations he drew out, got off on a personal story…but this is minor and only bothers me because I don’t trust his teaching not because a preacher cannot share a personal story once in a while.
Fact is, there are true things he has said in sermons in the past, there have been good things. However, when he is off, he is usually really off.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged abortion, baby, CHRISTIAN, church, ectopic pregnancy, eternity, fetal loss, grief, miscarriage, missed miscarriage, mourning, newborn death, parenting, pregnancy loss, spontaneous abortion, still birth on October 16, 2009| 11 Comments »
I personally believe, as Christians who would mourn with someone who lost a family member, we should also make sure to remember the littlest of people. Mothers and fathers of babies who die in the womb, just before birth, or soon after, are often put through the “just get over it” phase. The earlier in pregnancy the baby dies, or if there are disabilities such as Down’s syndrome or Trisomy 18, there is often a justification for shortening the mourning period.
I believe there is a time to mourn, and also that we do feel a deep sadness for the chidlren we do not get to actually meet because God set eternity in our hearts. Maybe I am making a leap here, and please let me know if this is not a right thought, but I do believe we were not actually meant to be apart in death. Not actually. So, it’s a natural state to mourn our losses.
I personally see grief as a gift. When I had a baby die in the womb at 16 weeks, something discovered at a regular OB appointment, I mourned deeply. I decided I would allow myself to mourn. I spent hours in prayer, and hours letting God hear my anguish. I spent hours reading scriptures. My other children were being taken care of by grandparents and their father. I just had to weep, think, pray, write, and remember. I wanted to go all the way with mourning. After all, God had created the child in me and I actually felt I was dishonoring God to not mourn properly. Now, this was just feelings, not gospel truth. Though now, I am so glad I did mourn fully.
What I did want more than anything though was to bury the remains of my child. I had been pushed into a D&E by my doctor, who was trying to be kind. I am outspoken, but chose not to ask or speak up. I do not know what was holding me back, but I didn’t ask for the remains, didn’t ask to be induced. I later helped get a line written in a law in my state that caused hospitals to be responsible to inform women they can have the remains when being treated for miscarriage or “fetal demise.”
I know there is a time to let the dead be dead and rejoin the living…but I believe the church should be supportive of those families who have experienced the death of a loved one no matter how small. A rose on the piano, a card of sympathy, a prayer from a pastor or maybe a women’s group leader, a book of rememberance in the church , something should be done to honor those who have had babies die in pregnancy or shortly after birth. I do not think this is a mandate, or that a church is less holy for not doing it. I just think it wouldn’t hurt to do a little bit more.
Of course, there are many women who have never spoken of their miscarriages. It’s too painful, or they have chosen to keep the secret to themselves. Others have had abortions and would never speak of it. If a church acknowleges the losses openly in general, this might help the silent mourners too.
I believe, as a prolife woman, thanking my God for the days I was pregnant with the chidlren I miscarried, and mourning the losses, has honored His creation. Again, this is just my opinion and not a revelation from God to me.
If you have had a baby die, I pray for you. I thank God for the time you had with your baby, no matter how brief, and I pray for your comfort.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Holy Spirit, niagra falls, Pastor Tony Felich, sanctification, sin, work of God on October 15, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Pastor Tony Felich of Redeemer Presbyterian has a sound post (though he says it’s incomplete, and when describing God and His work, our words are never complete so he’s right) on the work of the Holy Spirit. http://reepicheep-ajf.blogspot.com/2009/10/power-of-holy-spirit.html
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Bible, CHRISTIAN, Christianity, glory to God, God's Word, process, sanctification, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, study on October 11, 2009| 46 Comments »
The difference between the Spiritual Formation and sanctification is where you go for it. In Spiritual Formation a person goes inward…and supposedly listens. In sanctification, a person goes into God’s word…and the focus is on God. Though both are a process, one is about the Glory of God and the other is about “making my life better now.”
I would love any insight on sanctification vs. spiritual formation…I am not as studied as I should be on this for sure.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged apologies, notes, poor post on October 6, 2009| Leave a Comment »
My last post was horrible. I didn’t edit, and my notes are very disjointed. I want to get back to that “sermon” but I feel I need to sit down and really think about things. Being pregnant with possible h1n1 in the house has me very distracted. I will try to remember not to post disjointed notes again!
Edit to add: Doctor says the fever/cough thing is not a flu virus (at least the tested kind in the nasal swab). Just high fevers and an ear infection, and very annoying horrible cough (dry). No tamiflu here…
Posted in Uncategorized on October 5, 2009| Leave a Comment »
The following I wrote on the fly really, as I was listening to today’s service at my former church. This is notes, and some things aren’t quoted properly. Statements may look like S. Smith but sometimes is speaking to the congregation in first person using words he thinks Christ might…sometimes he’s speaking and I’ve not really put it in quotes. This is a rough draft and I may actually clean it up. However, the enegry I expend on this sometimes drains me so much I don’t know if I can do it. I have been sharing with a few friends I know, and my past reading on this subject allows me to understand “code words” others aren’t picking up on. It’ s like knowing a Jehovah’s Witness thinks Jesus and Michael are one and the same, or that a Mormon believes women will keep having children forever and ever. You can be using the same words and it means something completely different. Forgive my notes and disoranized writing. I have two sick kids (who may actually have H1N1…and with me pregnant, that is just a little bit of a distraction).
Unfortunately, I have sick kids. We aren’t attending church today. Unfortunately, our church doesn’t have a live broadcast as does our former church. So, I’m listening to our former church’s service. I have a worried friend there who wishes she could leave. Her husband doesn’t see her concerns.
Steven W. Smith is speaking today. Already, he’s elevated Lazarus as the only man in the bible that it’s said, “the one whom Jesus loves.” Steven W Smith proclaimed that it doesn’t even say that Jesus loves his disciples. Really? I thought that John states a phrase like this, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Huh.
He is now speaking about why Jesus is lingering though life is terrible. He is talking about Moses being led into the wilderness. He’s talking about Mary and Martha also being led into the wilderness, who cannot on demand God to come by entitlement and save us from our problems. We have to “wait on God” in the wilderness. Why do we have to wait. The etimology of the word “time” in the greek…Kronos…sequential time. We think on demand. Kyros is what the bible uses, a “God appointed time.” Jesus showed up at a God appointed time. He’s going to wait that way for you even if you got the pink slip, even if you felt the lump in your throat…(whatever problem you have). God shows up not according to our pushing or demanding that He show up. In another deeper way as we wait upon the Lord something can happen to us. Lamentations…”when life is heavy and hard to take go off by yourself, enter the silence, bow in prayer, don’t ask questions, wait for hope to appear. Don’t run from trouble. Take it full face. The worst is never the worst. Lamentations, do you know what that word means? Lamentations means lamenting. Lamentations…it’s almost as if you want to grab some of those words. When life is heavy and hard to take, enter the silence. Paul’s right there, don’t reach for your own demand button. Silence has a way of reducing us, we can enter the silence and say, “what are you up to God.” When we enter the silence our prayer just becomes “God what are you up to.” Bow in prayer, that’s right, bow. Bow because we must. We don’t know the future, we don’t know what’s going to happen in our economy, I dont’ know what’s going to happen to my son in Iraq. “You are God, I am not, I release my entitlement…and this is a hard one…don’t ask questions.” Wait for hope to appear, don’t run from the trouble. Dont’ run from teh trouble and seek out another church. Let’s deal with something. May we in our own grave clothes ask to be free. Don’t run from the trouble.
4 reasons why waiting is important:
1. Waiting makes us exercise our faith in God.
“Jesus says I am the resurrection, not your employer”
2. Waiting makes us God aware.
prayer I say every night…a prayer of St. Patrick “Christ be with us, Christ be before us, Christ be underneath us… (missed a bit of this)
It is good to be god aware Blessed are you when you are at the end of y0ur rope because there is less of you and more of God…a beattitude in Matthew 5 spoken by Jesus
3. Waiting may be God’s way of protecting you
There are times in my life I may have made wrong choices…marriage, job. It may be god protecting you from your choices. Practice the sovereignty of God. Just like Mary, Martha, Lazarus. Romans 8:28 In all things God works together for good. Jesus was trying to beg them trust me. You have been laid off, Jesus says trust me. You have adying parent, trust me. This is how the spirit of God works. I know as an American it should work differently. It’s about God, it’s not about us. It’s about His glory, not my strength. Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength…It’s aparadox. They will walk but they will not faint. It’s a spiritual biblical reality. I invite you to wait with me.
Prayer offered (stand right now) reliquish control of your own demands…maybe your act of release can be an act of standing…I need to let go. I need to let go of my life. Stand before the Lord (I hear him recognize standers…all with eyes open???? We give it to you Lord because giving it to you we will be free, in waiting we will be free. We will live in Jesus name, Amen
Posted in Uncategorized on October 2, 2009| Leave a Comment »