The Fall

Good morning to all on this beautiful fall day in Georgia. It is already October 9th. I was telling my staff that when I was in my teens, time seemed to move so slow; now it just seems to zoom by. Waine and I are in Thomaston this weekend and its just good to be home and not traveling.

I am continuing my journey in Genesis chapter 3: verses 1-24, "Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”  He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”  And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,  "Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly  and you will eat dust  all the days of your life.  And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head,  and you will strike his heel.” 

To the woman He said, "I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you;  through painful toil you will eat food from it  all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.  By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” 

Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. " Amen and may the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

I have read this passage many times and this is the 1st time I realized that Adam was RIGHT THERE WITH EVE when she was being tempted by Satan and Adam never intervened. He just let Eve disobey God and then followed suit. It was woman who was tempted and deceived and gave into the temptation of the eye and it was man who followed woman. There is a lesson in this trend of events. Women respond to the lusts of the eyes and men follow the lusts of their loins. In each situation the lust is greater than reason. They both knew what God said but allowed their lusts to over power obedience. A good take home message. When we are tempted through our lusts, we need only to turn to God through obedience and the lust will be conquered. Lust cannot be conquered by reasoning. Only obedience.

The next striking thing is that the consequence of disobedience is SHAME. Both Adam and Eve were ashamed of their nakedness and sought to cover themselves. They had lost their innocence. Babies neither care if they are clothed or not because they don't know that not being clothed caries a stigmata. They are innocent. God's response to Adam's loss of innocence is to ask "Where are you?" God was really asking Man--now that you have disobeyed me "where are you?" which is the question that continues to be asked of us by God. Where are you (man) as you live in disobedience. We are lost and ashamed. God's immediate response was to "clothe" Adam and Eve because God still loved them and wanted to ensure that they understood this love even though they disobeyed Him. God has not changed through the ages --...it is while we are yet sinners that Christ died for us". God loves us even when we don't recognize Him as out creator. He loves us even when we disobey Him; He loves us even when we don't acknowledge Him as our Creator and Father. He is LOVE and will always reflect this LOVE regardless of the circumstances.

I was also struck that when He asked Eve and Adam IF they disobeyed Him, instead of saying "YES" they each sought to blame someone other than themselves. With Knowledge comes the inability to accepted blame. I see this in myself and others. When asked a simple yes or no question, the sin in us will always seek a reason why we sinned. If we are honest we sin because we are disobedient--plain and simple AND it would be much better for us to acknowledge our sin and then get right with God instead of rationalizing our behavior. Just come clean and accept the forgiveness that comes through Christ. God's love has never changed. He cannot be in the presence of sin and therefore when we feel "abandoned" we really only need to accept he forgiveness of God through Christ so that we can be in His presence again.

As God is asking you today "where are you" instead of hiding, heed His still small voice and say "here am I Lord I claim the blood of Jesus. Cloak me with the sacrifice of Christ so that I can see your face and bask in your love.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you.  May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Stephanie

The Breah of Life!

Good morning to all on this wonderful Sunday morning. I can't believe that my last post was in June. Since then Waine, Mackenzie, Brooks, Audrey, Vincent, Kai and Hailie  and I have been to South Africa and back. Waine and I had a wonderful 2 weeks with our grandchildren on Safari. The kids were so well behaved. They got to know each other and got to know us. They are the carbon footprints that Waine and I will leave when we cross over Jordan. They are our legacy and a great one at that.

I am continuing my journey in Genesis Chapter 2 verses 1-26, "Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all His work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that He had done. 

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 

Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there He put the man He had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.  The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold.  (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there. The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.  The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.  And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;  but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.  Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame." Amen and may the Lord add a  blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

One of my prayers on a daily basis is to have the discipline of diving into the Word of God and having it wash over me--to make it "bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh". I want to hunger and thirst for the Word so that I am changed from the inside out. I want to be as Adam was--innocent and hungry for the company of God made manifest through His Word. There is Power and Instruction in the Word as revealed by God.

As a prayerfully consider this chapter, what struck me is the Order in which God moves. There is no chaos--just methodical movement. He first created order out of the vastness of space. He then organized this planet we inhabit and created a safe haven for "man" and put man in charge. Adam got to name all the beasts of the earth, birds of the air and all the growing plants. God gave Adam dominion and in so doing, Adam did not find anything that was like him so God created woman from man. God thought of everything and in order! Everything was in the "Garden" that man needed to sustain himself and there was a place that God could walk with man and commune with him one on one. At this one very moment, nothing separated man from God--Order.  What a privilege Adam had. He didn't have to worry about anything. He had it all and was able to face God, unashamed, on a daily basis. No ill thoughts, no ill body, no ill soul. Completely naked in front of His God. There was Peace in the Garden and Peace in man. The Breath of Life was present for Adam.

We can find this peace again as we read, understand and absorb the Word of God. Not read just to each but read it to be transformed. Each time we open the Word we are to be transformed because our minds are renewed and refreshed. As you read God Word, ask Him to do just that--renew and refresh you. Ask Him to Breath a new His Breath as Life for you. He is sitting across from you as you read--He the teacher and you the student. He will reveal and renew as much as you are able to accept. Go to Him with an open Heart and open Mind.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Stephanie

Thinking - The Beginning.

Good morning to all on this beautiful Sunday morning. Waine and I are in Thomaston today! A shout out to all the Dad's. Happy Father's Day. My last post was on May 1st. We have been running around trying to get our new site up and running. The opening day is tomorrow so please keep your prayers coming. It is all in God's timing so when God's gives you a vision he also gives you provision, so I have no worries. This is God's project and as Waine and I continue to be faithful to His plan and vision we will be blessed--we will enjoy God's ZOe for our lives. I am going to embark on a study of Genesis. Most people call the book of Genesis, the creation story. It can also be considered the Book of Opportunities. All of us, as Christians are provided Opportunities to exercise our will to be aligned with that of the Father. So where do we go wrong. I want to find out. Thanks for joining me.

Genesis 1-31 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so.  God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.  And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years,  and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.  God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.  God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”  And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.  God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”  So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them;  male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. " Amen and may God add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

And God saw that it was Good! What strikes me about this passage is the recurring themes of:

1. God having a thought.
2. God speaking the thought and bringing the thought to life with form.
3. God evaluating the results of His thoughts.
4. God judging that His thought was Good.
5. God concluding that thought on a good note.

Talk about speaking Truth to Power! In every instance in this chapter God had a thought. He probably had many thoughts on each day, however His thinking was methodical and always had a good purpose. He didn't just speak, He spoke and His Words had creative power. He then evaluated His thinking and speaking and judged that both were good.

I have heard many theologians, many Christians speak of this concept of "what a man or woman thinks, so is that person who then will bring things to past". What God was thinking was born out of love. He was in a CREATIVE mood. I have no doubt there were many universes ahead of our; there were beings called angles; there were many galaxies with stars, moon, suns. There was the essence of life in God and out of this essence One Day the First Earth Day, He created something other than the Heavens and called it Earth. Hallelujah. God saw fit to create "Earth" and in so doing did not want it to remain formless and void so set to work on the next succeeding 5 days to create the Earth as we know it.

On days 2-5 He began to organize everything that Man would need to be sustainable. He created the atmosphere  and populated it with heavenly bodies to give us sustenance both during the day and during the night. God then populated Earth with plants that not only maintained our atmosphere, the plants provided nutrients for what came later--animals of all varieties that lived on the land and sea. God saw all this working well and called it GOOD. God didn't move to the next phase until He saw it was good.

He then created US. He made sure we had all we needed before He created us. He gave us dominion over all He created prior to the 6th day because He loved us. He didn't say we had partial control. God gave us complete control. Now if you reflect on this concept of complete control,  when does someone give you complete control. When they trust you unconditionally! God knows  no other way to love us other than unconditionally and through that unconditional love, God created Earth not for Himself but for US!

What kind of love is that? He didn't have stinking thinking--He had powerful, uplifting, creative thinking. I have been searching for that creative, unconditional thinking lately. I have had it in the past and know when I am in sync with God's thinking.  I have been mired in challenges that I have had to face daily. I have been mired because of my THINKING and on this day I have seen it has been my thinking and not my circumstances. Instead of speaking truth to power I have been trying to resolve these problems myself. Creating my own timing and not relenting to God's timing. When I am not aligned with God, chaos reigns and that is allowing Satan to rule. God, has demonstrated in this chapter that He is a God of order and God of Good. He delights when we are in sync with Him and can say with us "IT Is Good". Hallelujah. God and chaos cannot exist in the same space and time. If chaos is present it is because God has been excluded from the throne in your life by your free will.

If your day is not ordered today. If you feel you are in chaos, then go  back to the beginning and evaluate your thinking. Turn your attention to God and allow His thinking to take over. Just be quiet and if you don't know what to say or do, just keep saying "God you are Love and you are Good. Thank you for the Goodness in  my Life and thank you that Good things that will happen to me and for me today!" Amen and Amen.

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! You are Blessed today. Experience the ZOe of God.

Stephanie



Seek Truth--Not Myths! Fight the Good Fight and Finish the Race!

Good morning to all on this first Sunday in May. Waine and I are in Thomaston, GA. I couldn't believe that I didn't enter my Spiritual Journey in March. My walk has increased in determination. My faith has been tested which is a good thing. Like Elijah with his great victory with the agent of Baal, I think March has been my "cave". But just as God called out Elijah, so too have I been called out to walk the talk Trust and Believe for God and He only is the author and finisher of my story. Hallelujah. No man, woman or evil doer will write my story. Only God. So what God has placed His hand too will prevail. Amen

I am continuing my journey with Paul with his last letter to Timothy. II Timothy 4 verses 1 -22 "In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His Kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing. 

Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments. 

Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.  But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His Heavenly Kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 

Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus. Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters. The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all." Amen. May God add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

Fight the Good Fight, Keep Your Head Up and Finish the Race! Paul's message was directly for me today! My faith lead Waine and I to Thomaston, Georgia in 2011. I promised God in the back road of Louisiana in 2011, driving from Baton Rouge to Greenville, that I would toil in the "Fields" of His choosing, which as it turns out was located in Thomaston. I remember the road I was on when I made this promise, I remember I was listening to a tape by Crefelo Dollar which talked about the ZOe available for Christians, I remember pulling off the road and praying the prayer of commitment. 

On the 1st Monday of April 2012, God, Waine and I opened ZOe Center for Pediatrics and Adolescent Health in Thomaston, Georgia. On my first day I saw 8 patients in the rented building we now own. I walked around that building 8 times, praying as Joshua did around the walls of Jericho so that any walls that Satan had affecting our success would be removed. The patients began to come and we now have over 2,000 patients who have selected ZOe Pediatrics as their Medical Home.

We opened ZOe Pediatrics - Barnesville, Georgia in November 2012 in a rented Suite from Upson Regional Medical Center. We now own our Building in Barnesville and our patients enjoy a wonderful practice.

In April 2014, we opened ZOe Pediatrics - Columbus, Georgia. We have quickly overgrown the 7 exam rooms in our rented building so God lead us to open another site in Columbus with 20 exam rooms. We own this new building and will move into in by June 15, 2016. God parted the waters for us to find this location, buy this location and find the staff to run this location.

So why am I sharing this story. With every decision, I openly talked about God's plan for ZOe. When meeting hospital officials who asked me why our practice was called ZOe, I was able to witness to them and talk about this story. I have been bold every step of the way and have seen with my own eyes God parting the waters of defeat and obstacles. I have had  my Elijah moments too, when I want to flee into a cave after my  mountain top experiences BECAUSE I TAKE MY EYES OFF JESUS and focus on the waves.  God never promised us Blue Skies and Smooth Sailing. He promised us a Boat, Jesus and a Rainbow! Hallelujah!

My experience is not unique to Christians. If you find yourself on your Emmaus Road, have faith because God goes before you. He desires your obedience and your faith. He doesn't need us but God DESIRES us to be in a relationship with Him by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus. He desires us to be a WITNESS for HIM. He desires all to come to a knowledge of Him through Christ so that satan can be defeated and we can live with God through Christ in the Eden of Heaven. Order has been and will be restored for us. We will walk with God as He intended in a Garden called Eden.

If God can use someone as flawed as me just imagine what He can do with you. Be blessed TODAY. Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Stephanie

Defeat Confusion Through Prayer

Good morning to all on this 1st Sunday in March. I was reviewing my entries and I couldn't believe that I didn't post in February. God has been so good to Waine and I; we celebrate daily His work in our lives. We are not traveling this week and are at home. March still has cold weather although it can get up to the mid-60's during the day. We closed on our new building last Monday so a new chapter will start for ZOe. Continue to keep us in your prayers as we forge ahead in God's planning.

I am continuing my journey in 1 Timothy 2 verses 1 - 15 "I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior,  who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.  

Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.  A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve.  And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.  But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety."










Timothy is urging the young church in Ephesus to pray for change and when praying, pray with Thankfulness in their heart "as if their prayers were already answered". Remember the young "church" wanted to be rid of Roman rule and their pagan lifestyle. They wanted to have the ability to worship in the style of this religion called Christianity without hassle, which is what they were subjected to. Timothy is admonishing them to PRAY for change and in so doing pray for the government that was in power in Ephesus. The Jews still had Kings, Sadducees and  Pharisees and the Gentiles still had the Roman power structure. Timothy was urging all young Christians to pray for the people in power and in praying bring about change. This message is so true today. As we watch what is unfolding in the Presidential race we ALL should be praying for our country. To see adults think and say outrageous things about minorities and the less fortunate, and use as an excuse the frustration of whites who feel their power base has been eroded, is really for me a sign that evil is rampant in the United States. The "filter" of humanity is completely missing in some of the comments that are coming from the Republican field. As Christians we have to be in prayer to defeat Satan and his minions -- as Timothy admonished "we are to lift our hands and pray".






Timothy is also giving the young church in Ephesus some guidance as to how to conduct themselves as Christians. Remember his audience are folk who were practicing pagan religions. As young Christians they were being taught how to live a moral life so that they could be a witness to those in Ephesus who had not yet converted to Christianity. Even today as Christians, we are to set ourselves apart from the morality of the world, so that others can come to know Christ through us. This is my struggle daily especially as it relates to anger. I am to suppress my anger and reactions so that the love of Christ can come through me to others. If my first inclination is to tell someone off when they offend me, then I am no better that those folk on national TV running for the Republican nomination. I am to conduct myself in Quite Confidence because I know that my Redeemer lives. I need not be  afraid because I know who is in charge; God through the sacrifice of Christ and the Power of the Holy Spirit.




Likewise as a Christian wife, I am to be submissive to my husband. When Waine reads this I am sure he will think I surely have missed the lesson in submissiveness. In all candor, I strive to be submissive as my husband's wife. I conduct myself in a manner that is befitting my status as his wife. I have forsaken all others and cleave only unto him. In matters that concern our family his word is the last word. As most of you know Waine and I are also in business together. As business partners I am not submissive to him in all things. We are equals with respect to decision making for ZOe and my husband defers to me on matters that are clinical and matters that affect our practice. He is a confident man and it shows as he does not allow his ego needs to interfere with the growing of the practice. Waine demonstrates his love for me daily in this regard and I don't take it for granted.




The words that Timothy has for women are a little hard for me understand. I do agree that sin entered Eden through Eve's lack of obedience and that God's punishment was exacted on both Adam and Eve for their lack of faithfulness. I don't believer however that God doesn't use women in positions of authority in the church and in the world. A good example of Joyce Meyer. God has blessed her ministry and blessed many people through her preaching. Dave Meyer is an integral part of the ministry but it is Joyce that God anointed to preach. She is truly teaching men every day so I am not sure if what Timothy was teaching was true in the context of his time only. Be in prayer about this passage and it is through prayer we will gain clarity.




Bottom line message today is that Prayer will change everything and being clarity out of confusion. Be in prayer for our nation and for each other. Experience the Power of God through prayer as you navigate this day.




Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.




Stephanie

God's Work is Faith! His Forgiveness is Grace!!

Happy New Year 2016 to everyone. Waine and I are in Thomaston and enjoying the few days off that we have had. It is nice and quiet and restful. I actually slept to 7 AM this morning which is rare these days. The weather has been in the 70's for most of the last 2 weeks. It also rained everyday for 2 weeks and so the plants don't know what to do. They are trying to bloom but not doing a good job of it. I can't believe that I have been posting since Mother's Day weekend 2009. That's remarkable to me.  We have finished Thessalonians and I am moving on to 1 Timothy verses 1-20..

"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,  To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith.  The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers,  for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which He entrusted to me. 

 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me trustworthy, appointing me to His service.  Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.  The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.  But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life.  Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

 Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well,  holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith.  Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme."  Amen and may God add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

Paul is writing to Timothy, a young minister in Ephesus, to remind him how to teach the young church members in Ephesus. Everyone at the time were "young" Christians either learning how to live through Faith as opposed to the law (Jews) or how to live through Faith and not through paganism (Gentiles). Learning to live with God through Christ requires all of us to shed all those old beliefs of Right and Wrong and turn our hearts and minds to God through Christ. We have to change our way of thinking because as Christ states "As a man or woman thinks SO IS HE OR SHE". Paul is reminding Timothy to help the early Christians of Ephesus to CHANGE THEIR THINKING!

As Christians we should remember that WE ARE ALL SINNERS SAVED BY GRACE AND GRACE ALONE. It is not by works should any man boast. God has been dealing with mankind for a long time. He knows us coming and going. He knows how shallow we are as humans. How sin has made us wicked, immoral and judgmental. Those qualities have to be crucified daily until the Fruits of the Spirit become the norm in our lives.

I have a problem with ANGER. I am never slow to anger HOWEVER I am now in a position that I have to practice daily, becoming slow to anger. I daily have at least 100 chances every day to exercise my Faith and not my anger and IT IS HARD. I can't just tell people what I think or feel concerning their mistakes because then I wouldn't have any staff  or patients. I have to let the mercy and love of God shine through and let me tell you I am not there yet. I have recognized though that I have a problem in this area and now I can let God through Christ correct this problem. I do not have the power to correct it myself and I recognize that Satan uses this weakness in me daily.

The Good News is that God loves me despite this fault and the many others I have. When I focus on that I am humbled and no longer angry. I think I have found the meaning of "take the pole out of my eye first before I focus on the thorn in the eye of my brother or sister". I also know when I am able to give my anger to God daily, I will move on from this phase in my life to another phase of my development before I am called home. The blessing in all of this is that Christ never leaves my side as I carry each of my crosses to the Throne of God through Grace and are able to leave them there. Hallelujah! God loves me just the way I am. He also loves you Just the Way you are and wants you to love yourselves "just the way you are".

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Happy New Year.

Stephanie