Deep Thoughts

I've been thinking lately - which usually gets me in trouble - about sin, weights, and what it means to be a Christian. I'm chock full of deep thoughts, so I'm gonna share them so I can move on to other things!

I realized when my brother got saved, he is only the 3rd person I've ever been able to watch as they are transformed by salvation. Meaning, I knew him before and he was definitely not living a Godly lifestyle, and didn't claim to be. Then, I was able to witness an immediate change in him after he accepted Jesus as his saviour. I know God saves, and radically so, but most of the Christians I know, I didn't get to witness their transformation personally.

But this time, I get a front row seat...and it's been amazing!

I gave my heart to God at age 6. Some people don't believe it's a true confession at such a young age, because your level of comprehension is just not where it needs to be to grasp what all that entails. But for me, I knew there was sin, I knew Jesus died to save me, and I wanted Him in my heart. I prayed with my mom, and it's one of my earliest memories. I cherish it. I was also blessed to have that same conversation with Katie at age four, which blew my mind, and then Ethan at age 6 or 7.

Anyway, so I wasn't a hardened sinner, or big sinner of any kind, except for the fact we are all born into sin. (Let me say, I don't believe children go to Hell if they die without asking Jesus into their heart. I don't remember the Scriptures right now for why I believe that, but I find it if someone wants to know.) So there wasn't a radical change in me that I can really testify about. My testimony has been how God kept me from a lot of things. I didn't always follow Him perfectly, but most of my life has been lived trying to please Him.

Now I'm watching Aaron. He was bored with life, sullen, depressed, listless, and unhappy. He was in and out of trouble, serious trouble, and his life was getting messed up before it really even got started. Plus - and he knows this - Aaron was a huge liar. He would lie at the drop of a hat. Rediculous, fat lies. It was the most annoying thing about Aaron. You couldn't trust a word he said. For instance, I told him we were buying a four wheeler. He called my sister up and told her I was buying THREE four wheelers. His lies didn't even make sense, as they were easily disproved...but he couldnt' seem to stop himself and it drove us all nuts.

But that has all changed!

He is saved!

The lying stopped immediately! Now if he even exaggerates a little, he corrects himself immediately. If he says he caught 10 fish - you can bet he really caught 10 fish (and we know how fishermen like to tell their whoppers LOL). He is happy, he suddenly cares deeply that his friends and siblings find Jesus, he actually wants to go to church, every service, which is a BIG switch for him! He is talking to me about prayer, what he read in his Bible, having his Grandma pray for his best friend to get saved, quitting smoking, singing with me & Beth in church...I mean, he has been radically changed in just ONE week!

Even if I didn't see all of these things, I know he prayed and accepted Jesus into his heart. But these things are just encouragement that God is cleaning out the old man, and installing a NEW Aaron. He's moving in and taking over - how exciting is that?!

But not everyone allows God to change them after that first step. You can fight those changes, and lose so much that God did for you with that very first prayer you pray.

For example: Aaron didn't smoke a single cigerette for about 18-20 hours after he got saved last Sunday. That is a record for him. He smoked about a pack every day or every two days. But he got home the next day (from NC, where he got saved) around his friends and brother that smoke, they asked if he wanted to go outside for a smoke and he said yes, probably without thinking too hard about it. He told me tonight that he has smoked more this week than almost any week before. Why is that?

I think he he was delivered of cigerettes that first night and without even realizing it, he gave in the first time he was tempted and allowed that habit, that spirit, back into his life. He told me he is going to quit, and soon. I don't want him, or anyone, to feel like they have to clean up for God - that's GOD'S job. He cleans us up on his schedule, at His time, and with His help. So, I told him to follow God's lead on that stuff. If he's convicted - if he feels that little prick in his spirit when reaches for one, follow that and let God take that desire to smoke from him. We can't give things up just to please people...it's all about pleasing God.

And PS, yes I know smoking is not listed as a sin in the Bible...and I don't think it will send you to Hell. There's a scripture in the New Testament about "sins and weights"...I think smoking, just like some other things (cursing, in my book) are weights that hinder us (weigh us down) from something God wants to do in our lives, not to mention the affect it has on our Christian witness. And we are ALL called to be witnesses unto Him.

Second, it defiles the body. I know people that wouldn't drink caffeine for the same reason, or take Tylenol. Again, some of that is between you and God. Paul, I believe, said if meat offends your brother, don't eat meat in front of him. Just common sense, really.

If you override a conviction to give something up, to YOU it is sin. You would be in direct rebellion to God to hang on to something He says to give up. But to impose your own convictions on someone else and cause them to stumble is ALSO sin: He said it'd be better that a millstone was tied around your neck and you were cast into the sea, than to cause one of his little ones to stumble.

That's how protective God is over His own! We can rest in how much He loves us, what lengths He will go to take care of us.

So, don't give up on your loved ones, don't give up on yourself. He loves you with an everlasting love and He will not fail you. He will not leave you lonely. He has a plan for you, and you are a part of His plan, the bigger picture that began with Adam & Eve in the garden.

Can you tell I went to church twice today?!?! LOL :) Also, I took a nap!

P.S. Aaron doesn't read my blog, but I also would say everything I just wrote to his face, and he would totally agree. We actually have talked about most of this stuff already. God is so good!

Miss me?

I didn't get to do regular updates from Mt Airy, NC, like I had planned. The motel boasted about it's free wifi but forgot to mention it offered just ONE BAR of connection! Then, my little broadband stick was hitting only 2 bars, and my pages took forever to load, much less upload a picture. So, I was basically internet-less for 5 days. It was a LONG five days, in that aspect.

Here is my quick update, until I can get some quiet time to actually think deep thoughts ;)

I played the organ every night I was there, and my sister Casey kept Ben while Mom watched Ethan & Micah. Katie is good on her own. She constantly checks on me to see if I'm giving her my "evil eye." She's so me!

My view from the organ:

I love playing the organ because I get to view ALL the action from a front row, elevated seat. And trust me, there is ALWAYS action at these camp meetings! I'm talking, a guy knocking preachers' hands away when they tried to pray for his girlfriend - I mean, you knew it was a Pentecostal meeting when you passed that big sign at the entrance that said HOLY GHOST TENT REVIVAL. And yeah, we like to lay hands on anything that moves. If it moves suspiciously, like you did, we lay hands it TWICE.

Then, of course, there is always shouting. Flailing arms-busted lips-shoes flying through the air kind of shouting.

There is nothing like a Holy Ghost Tent Revival - especially campmeeting style. I'm so glad I went.

And then, there are healings. A wonderful lady from our church, Sis. H, has walked with cane for 4 or 5 years. She has to sit through the entire service, even when she comes up front to sing. But Friday night, she got miraculously healed without anyone touching her, and is now cane free! She walked up to me Saturday night before church and I just about did some shouting of my own. She has wanted to be healed and talked about the day she wouldn't need that cane, since I met her. God is good!

Thursday, July 2, 2009
We ended up filling this tent by Friday night, over 275 people there:

Then, my little boy. Ethan came to me about 2 weeks ago with a deep punture wound on his hand. He said he had scraped with with lego, but as the sore continued to grow and eat away at his flesh, we all had the same thought: brown recluse spider bite. The skin was green, black, and infamed and red, circular, and spreading very fast. Here's what it looked like Saturday night (PS this is not for the weak stomached!):

I took this Saturday night, right after they prayed for his hand:

See how big? How red, green, and black? It was breath-taking to see for the first time, and every morning I dreaded seeing how much it had spread.

And this is what it looked like the very next morning, after they prayed! Today it is
even better but I'm too tired to run take a pic and do all that. I'll update again as it totally heals up. He definitely got a miracle! Thank you, God!

And last, but certainly not least, my baby brother got saved! So many friends and family have been there with us as we sat in the hospital room with Aaron last year, when he was so messed up on drugs that he didn't even know what had happened. We prayed and God moved for him. Over the past year he has been in and out of trouble, with such an aimless, restless spirit in him.

But Sunday night, he gave his heart to God! He was with my parents in NC and at the altar call, he went forward and accepted Jesus as his saviour. I wasn't there, but my parents and friends said he cried and cried for about 15-20 minutes, then went between laughing and crying for the rest of the night, his whole body shaking like a leaf.

I think God knows what each of us needs, what it takes to get our attention, and what we need to feel when He comes into our life. He totally overwhelmed Aaron's emotions, totally cleaned him up and out, and gave him an experience he will NEVER forget.

Isn't He good to us?

So, that is my fast update. I will have more later, as I unpack, look at my pics, and replay it all over again in my head :)

PS Congrats, Michelle, on your new job!