Why can't we make the earth shake?

Luke tells in Acts chapter 4 the story of Peter & John and their first encounters with the Sadducees. To shorten the story, Peter explains to the council their questioning of his healing of the crippled man by what power it took place: "... he was healed by the Powerful Name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,

"The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone." (Psalm 118:22)

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name in heaven by which we must be saved."

After a few more minutes of deliberation amongst the council members, they decided to let Peter & John go because "they did not know how to punish them without starting a riot."
(verse 21) But they did tell them not to teach about Jesus any more.

Peter & John returned to the temple where the people were and told them what had been said and done. So the people prayed a powerful prayer for courage. And powerful it was: "After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the Word of God with boldness."

I don't know about you, but I wish that I could know what its like to pray with such faith & fervor that God would send the Holy Spirit down in such hugeness that the place where I am would shake! These people didn't just ask God to help them preach well; they asked Him to do miraculous signs in Jesus' name! Luke goes on to explain that they were all united in heart & mind. If we, as believers, pray together in one heart & mind, I believe that we will see miracles and we will make the earth beneath our feet "shake."

Things on my prayer list:

*Beth's lost co-workers (This one is fresh on my mind because Beth just called me with it.)

*Exercise Your Faith

*several lost family members

*some friends in a financial bad-habit

*friends of some friends in marital trouble

*friend's grandmother with pancreatic cancer

*a family I know has had some dissension

*Jared's trip to Turkey in a couple of weeks

*Baby Girl (possibly Claire) and Beth's continued health

*Michael in doing his best in school

*Valarie as she is teaching high school for free and going to school (which is NOT free)

Thought some of you might need a few things to pray about. I love you all!

2 Posts in 1 Day!

My first "Official" Exercise Your Faith was last Wednesday. I had about 20 ladies in attendance!!! We had fun sweating and laughing at ourselves. We were in cramped quarters though, so we finally will have a permanent and much larger meeting space this week. I have been searching for the right literature to use as a weekly devotional in the class. I wanted to find something that was relevant to our bodies/exercise/spiritual health. Last Wednesday I came across a sermon done by the president of Southeastern Baptist, Dr. Daniel Akin, called "Spiritual Exercises to Make You Strong." Its based on the scripture written by Paul in his final instructions to the church in Thessalonica. (Thess. 5:16-22)

"Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil."

Dr. Akin has broken down this passage into 8 specific disciplines. http://sebts.edu/president/?p=448 (click the link then click manuscript) In Exercise Your Faith, we are going to be reading 1 discipline each week and finding out what Dr. Akin has to say about applying it in our lives. I'm very excited and praise God for allowing me to find this sermon in print! I made copies and gave them out to everyone there last week. If you would like to join us in class, we meet at 6:15 Wednesdays in Room B-301 at FBC Sevierville.

I would also like to thank God for blessing us with the Smoky Mountains. Ben and I were privileged to go to Mt. LeConte on Sunday after church. It was a beautiful day with perfect views and fresh almost fall-like air! I asked Ben on our way up, "Do you get kinda giddy when you hike? Cause I do, especially today." He said its endorphins and fresh air and I agree, but God made our bodies release those endorphins to make us "giddy." I just felt so close to Him while we were out there. Jesus "withdrew himself to a mountain" several times in the Bible. It was when He was feeling overwhelmed and needed to talk to His Father. We should do that more. Maybe your mountain isn't a literal mountain like mine, but we should all retreat to a quiet place where we can just enjoy God's presence. YAY GOD!!!

Jesus wept...

Most of us have read John chapter 11. (If you haven't I suggest that you do so). Lazarus is dying and his sisters, Martha and Mary, send word to Jesus asking Him to come and heal their brother. (Aren't siblings a blessing?) Jesus had already been preaching in their town but had left for the unbelievers there wanted Him stoned to death. After receiving word from Martha and Mary Jesus waited two days before He and the disciples went to Bethany in Judea. In John's account there is no explanation as to why Jesus waited, but I learned yesterday that it is most likely because the Jews in that day believed that the spirit of a person hovered over their dead body for two days after death and could possibly take up residence again and the person would live. I love what the disciples say when they realize they can't stop Jesus from returning to Judea and learn that Lazarus has died: "Let us also go, that we may die with him." They've been so humbled at this point in realizing that Jesus let Lazarus die for their lack of faith. Jesus had told them in reference to Lazarus's death, "For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe..." So they get to Martha and Mary and find them both in deep sadness. They each exclaim to Jesus that they believe their brother would not have died had He been there. Even when Jesus tells Martha that Lazarus will rise again she thinks that Jesus is talking about "the last day" when all in the dead in Christ will live. Here's where it gets interesting: When Jesus sees Mary and Martha and all the "professional mourners" weeping for Lazarus my NIV Bible says "He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled... Jesus wept."

Now, why do you think Jesus wept? Yes, I do believe He was sad for the death of His beloved friend, and He did not like seeing all of those people mourning. But He had already decided that He was going to raise Lazarus! I believe that Jesus was weeping for their lack of faith. Jesus reminded Martha, "I told you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God."

It is so convicting- that my Jesus weeps for my lack of faith in Him. I wonder how many miracles and opportunities I miss because I'm not believing. I pray that I start expecting miracles, not just asking God for them. I want to thank God for the miracles that I will experience each day before they even happen.

Just like the miracle of my little niece. I am so excited to meet her and I'm so excited about how God will use her. She may not know how special she is right now, but I sure plan on letting her know. "Whoever lives and believes in me will never die."

Exercising Our Faith

Well, I've been officially leading an exercise/devotional class for 3 weeks now. So far, I have had at least 5 in attendance each week and I know more will be coming next week. (Our meeting time will be later so more people can come.) I cannot begin to describe how excited I am about this! As some of you know my life verse comes from 1Peter 4:10: "As each one has received a gift, let him minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." About a year and a half ago, this verse picked me... I didn't pick it. I was reading some verses about wives/husbands and came across it. It was like it jumped off of the page; I was able to understand what it implies right away, but I wasn't sure how it was going to apply in my life.

I was struggling for a while about being content in my day-to-day life. I was grasping for the future (read previous blog "So I'm Selfish") and missing out on what God was wanting me to do here and now. I asked a couple of friends to pray for me in that situation and I cannot tell you how the Lord has responded! Wishing for the "next big change" in my life is not on my mind much at all anymore. I am being used where I am and I PRAY that I can impact others lives through my new "ministry" that I have named "Exercise Your Faith." Here's our Mission verse:

1Corinthians 6:19 & 20 "Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."

Oh, and please pray that we will be granted a big enough room for our meetings. Our meeting place thus far was only temporary and yesterday was our last day there. Have a blessed day!

I Finally Did It!!!

For about a year now, I have wanted to start leading a Bible study/exercise class at church. I let a few things get me discouraged and put it on the backburner for a long time. Funny how God brings things back up (although He will erase things just as easily)... affirmation everywhere. My major point of conviction was in something that Beth Moore said Saturday morning. She said that God expects us to act inobedience immediately when He lays something on our hearts. I didn't catch her scripture reference. But I think that my life verse is relevant: I Peter 4:10, "As each one has received a gift, let him minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." Randy Davis's definition of being a steward is to act as caretaker of something that is not yours or that was given to you. You might be thinking, "April, do you really think that God gifted you with the ability to teach exercise classes?" And, well, in fact, yes I do believe this. I have taken a couple of Spiritual Gift survey thingys and my strength is always encouragement. Can you think of any better way to encourage women about who and what they are in the Lord's eyes? What a THRILL it is to know that I am going to be doing the Lord's will!!! I'm not sure I've ever taken seriously that I am actually caretaker of something that belongs to the Creator of the universe. Please pray that many many many women draw closer to the Lord as we start our committment to scripture memorization and prayer partnering, not to mention - uh-hem - kickbutt exercise routines! YAY GOD!!!

Rhapsody

Go to Rhapsody.com, search by artist Sara Groves, click Sara Groves then click "When the Saints" to hear the song for free. Sorry; I don't know why the link doesn't work.

What I've been working on...

http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=tra.17151702&variant=play

This link should take you to the Rhapsody website for a free play of the song "When the Saints" by Sara Groves. I was asked to sing tonight at our Marvelous Monday service and this song was laid on my heart. Since Sara mentions some missionaries, I thought it would be nice to put together a slide show of some soul-winners. Thanks to Jared for the book by Dr. Akin. It helped me a lot and added some personal inspiration as well. I can't figure out how to add the powerpoint, so if I do, I will post it. Sorry!

The people that I put in the video never said that they didn't know enough about the Bible. They never said that they didn't have the money to go. They never even said that they were afraid to go for their safety. They just said that they would go. Now, I am not saying that we should all become foreign missionaries, but I am saying that God wants to use us ALL. Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me." Matthew 16:24.

If we have a desire to please the Lord and serve Him, we must empty ourselves of our fleshly wants and allow God to fill us with His desires. In order for us to be used of God to our full purpose, we must be properly equipped. In other words, we must be familiar- very familiar- with God's Word. God's Word is His being for us here on earth. We must know Him to reach others for him. This means spending time with Him all day, every day. Meditating on a certain verse and praising Him for all things. As weird as it would sound to an unbeliever, it is a real and intimate relationship that we must have.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man (or woman) of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." II Timothy 3:16 & 17
So, as I challenge myself to take care of business, I challenge you to do the same. I don't know about you, but when I see the Lord face-to-face I want Him to be proud of me. I want to see others that came to a relationship with Him because I emptied myself and was filled with Jesus.

"You are enriched in everything by Him, in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ is confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." I Corinthians 1:5-9

If we are saved, we have everything we need to be effective. Yay, God!!!

3 weeks without blog does not equal 3 weeks without JESUS...

I've had Romans 12 on my heart for about 2 weeks now. Verse 2 is especially convicting: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Verse 9 as well: "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good."

My thoughts on these verses and the entire chapter have been many, but the most recurring one has to do with television and movie-watching. If you know me well, you know that I have always been sensitive to movies with horror themes or explicit portrayal of women. But I have not always been so convicted about TV shows or other movies. If I am to have a renewed mind in order to glorify God, I cannot willingly watch most sitcoms that are on TV tonight (unless its on Nic-at-Nite of course). If I am to abhor what is evil, I cannot support people that make fun of Christianity and evangelism. I want to cling to what is good. As I often quote her, Shelley Moore's song "Grafted" says this:

"I'm holding on to You although my grip is weak, but Yours won't release. All I need comes from Your grace bestowed on me. You are the Vine and I am grafted and nourished by the life You lived."

If we are grafted from the Holy One, we should be more choosy about what we watch. "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (v. 21)

So... I'm selfish.

Not totally off of the spiritual base here; lately I am feeling impatient for my future. I think this may be directly related to that my life is speeding up and passing me by rapidly (or maybe even the cause). One thing that Ben has always said is that we must try to enjoy where we are right now. But it just seems like my definition of "seeking" God's plan for my [our] life [lives] means always looking ahead... very frustrating for me. I am even capable of admitting that I know I can be in God's will with my every day life (aka where I am NOW). For some reason, though, I am looking for it (God's will) to be in something exciting...waiting for me...NEW. Its that- "NEW"- that I feel like I am always reaching for. Why can't I "Be still and know that He is God"? In my bible study that I am doing right now, which I have referenced several times, Beth Moore addresses that unsatisfaction and similar feelings are a result of a broken relationship with the Lord. I am NOT saying that my relationship with the Lord is perfect but I have confessed to Him that I am willing to go and do whatever it is that He wants me to do. And I definitely wouldn't say that my relationship with the Lord is insufficient. So... obviously I am looking for the Lord in the wrong places (eh-hem) my near future. I pushing Him into my ideas of what I want. If you would, please pray that I no longer try to put Him where I want to be, but that He can put me where I never thought I could be. OK, I think that in typing all of my thoughts I have realized where I've messed up. Thanks, y'all and yay God!

Inspiring Words

This is a song by Shelley Moore Band that always speaks to me (the lyrics that I remember anyway):

Hearts are hurting, faith is shifting, but our souls don't rest on sand. Pillars of strength now piles of rubble; in tears we try to make sense of this puzzle. Seasons will change, colors will fade. These notes will be heard no more. One day the pain will cease to remain, but this was NEVER A STORY ABOUT ME. For now we cry wiping the tears from our eyes; we wait for You, we wait for You. You are making all things new. For now we cry wiping the tears from our eyes; we wait for You, we wait for You. You are making all things new.

To me this song says that no matter how "awful and unbearable" we think our circumstances are, we must remember that it is not about us; its about Him. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." James 1:2-3 Thank God for the times that you think you can't go on. To glorify God is to allow Him to show Himself through you. So all you have to do is let Him work.

The Great Smoky Mountains

Today is the day that we are celebrating our anniversary (which was Tuesday the 17th). We are going to Cades Cove which I believe is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I'm pretty sure that because I love it so much wherever my house is in heaven will look a lot like it. Anyway, we are going to pack a picnic and go hang out there until time for our dinner at the Richmont Inn restaurant where they serve a four-course fondue (MY FAVORITE!) meal, chocolate included :). There is a pretty good chance for rain today, but it held off long enough for us to go running this morning so maybe it will hold off while we're at the Cove.

Three years of marriage have FLOWN by. We've lived three different places, lost contact with friends, gained new friends and changed our opinions on different things. God has been so good to us in our 3 years. I am looking forward to the next 3 (and more). If you have any GOOD comments about marriage please leave them here. I like to hear people say good things about their spouses.

By the way... the biggest thing that I have learned in the past 3 years is that it is true what the Bible says: "It is not good for man to be alone!" Just kidding... my biggest lesson (and the hardest for me to learn) is the lesson of silence. I know that verbal communication is VERY important in a marriage, but usually if I will keep quiet and take it to the Lord first, the problem or concern or whatever passes much more smoothly. Sometimes its never brought up because in talking to God about it, I realize that it was my own selfishness or spiritual emptiness; sometimes Ben will bring it up to me before I even say anything; sometimes I am the one to bring it up after my praying first and the discussion goes very well. Now, I'll be honest and say that I don't ALWAYS pray about something before I bring it up to Ben. Ladies and gentlemen, that is a mistake. But, like I said, this has been my biggest lesson and the most difficult for me to learn. Thanks for listening. And Ben, I love you more than ever!

I'm gonna copy you, Jared...

Here goes, y'all...

My efforts to be a consistent woman of faith will be chronicled here. My hope is that this will create some extra sense of accountability. I, like Jared, am prayer journaling. Not only does it keep me in a daily habit, but I feel more of a connection with my Jesus when I am writing. Drifting thoughts are not a problem when I am talking (writing) to my Lord. Plus, its neat to go back and see how God has worked in your life and in others lives and how your prayers helped.

I am currently reading Beth Moore's "Breaking Free." Great book ,if you need a good one to read. The book is about the benefits and obstacles that keep one from receiving the benefits of having a REAL relationship with God. The chapter that I read today is a bout the obstacle of prayerlessness and the benefit of peace. Beth says, "... peace is the fruit of an obedient righteous life." She reminds us that "the better we know God, the more we trust him. The more we trust him, the more we sense His peace when the wintry winds blow against us." (Eph. 1:17) Not only does prayer bring us peace, but it gives us protection, power and PASSION! "... it turns cowards into conquerors, chaos into calm, cries into comfort. The enemy knows the power of prayer!"

Mark 1:35 tells us of how even Jesus prayed with His face to the ground! Pray, pray, pray.

My first attempt at blogging...

April <><