Abide | Hebrews 13:3 | The Persecuted Church

"Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also." {Hebrews 13:3} 

Praying for Asia Noreen, a wife and mother of five imprisoned since June 19th, 2009 for defending Christ in response to an attack by her Muslim co-workers.

Praying for Mostafa, an Iranian Christian jailed since December of 2012 and sentenced to ten years imprisonment for exercising his faith openly.

Praying for Zafar, a believer accused of blasphemy and imprisoned in Pakistan for 406 days so far.

And lastly, praying for their unnamed persecutors who Jesus loves just as much...

Christians, let's remember our brothers and sisters who remain faithful in the most dire of circumstances! Remember: "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." {James 5:16b}  

Thank you! And there's much more that can be done, just take a trip over to www.persecution.org to find out how!

ABIDE | MY SECOND BAPTISM {1 PETER 3:21}

I got a wonderful surprise in the mail not too long ago- these photos! I was baptized this past January on our last Sunday at the most wonderful church we've ever been blessed to be a part of, and it's a true gift to have it documented in pictures. This was technically my second baptism, the first being at the age of eight. So why do it a second time? Because I didn't have a genuine relationship with Christ at the age of eight*, and I certainly didn't understand what the biblical model of baptism meant.

A couple of years after I did start down that path of a real relationship with Jesus, I had a moment of clear conviction that I needed to be baptized again. Annnd, I ignored it... 

For a few reasons: 1) I didn't want to get out of the pew and actually do something in front of people, because that meant stepping out of my comfort zone. 2) I didn't want to publicly admit that I'd been putting it off and living in disobedience to God's Word and to His personal call. 3) I didn't want to look out of place as a 28 year old being baptized when you usually only see eight year-olds {ha!} and new believers doing it. Oh, the reasons we come up with when we try to resist God...

But, consistent as He is, He kept reminding me. And finally, after about six years of feeling Him tug, I did it. And let me tell you, it was more beautiful than I could ever have anticipated. It was our last day at Edgewood before moving from Georgia to New York. Our Pastor, Andy Merritt, turned it into an occasion for what you might call a mini-sermon to tell a little bit about why I was doing it again as well as some of the amazing things God had been doing in our family. {The best part being that he did all the talking! I'm not much of a public speaker.} And to make it even better, I was surrounded by dear, dear friends. The name of Jesus was proclaimed. And, by His grace, His patience, and His strength, I was finally stepping out in obedience to Him. 

And let's face it; being baptized is no where near as scary as I was making it out to be. There was absolutely no reason to allow myself to shy away from doing it for so long. This was my chance to follow Jesus' own example- see Mathew 3:13- out of love and commitment to Him. To identify myself as His own {as awkward and as imperfect as I am}. And it was such a tiny act in comparison to what He subjected Himself to on the cross. And yet, even in this simple act of being baptized, I deserve none of the credit. It was during one of Pastor Andy's sermons that I felt the Holy Spirit give me the courage to pursue it, so this was truly a work of God in every facet. And all the better, because He's the One who shined that day!

And then...relief.

Oh, the joy of a clear conscience before God. As the bible says, baptism is "not the removal of the filth of the flesh" {1 Peter 3: 21b}, for no outward cleansing or work of man can purify us from our sins or reconcile us to God**. But instead, baptism is "the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ..." {1 Peter 3:21c}. And this "good conscience toward God" is exactly what being baptized a second time as a mature, believing adult gave me. It allowed me to obey His command {Mathew 28:19-20}, to demonstrate my repentance, {as called for in Acts 2:38}, and to follow the biblical model of baptism which Jesus Himself demonstrated in Mathew 3:13.

I'm so, so thankful for His patience with me over the years {in so much more than just this, trust me}. And I hope that I can encourage you if you're a believing adult in the same circumstance. If you think you may need to re-baptized- or even baptized for the first time- go for it! You'll be amazed at how He blesses you.

Praise God for His goodness!

P.S. You can't tell from the photos, but baby Silas got dunked too!

Notes:
*I don't condemn being baptized at a young age- if you know Jesus and can understand what you're doing, then praise God no matter what age you are!
**For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God... {Ephesians 2:8}

READING THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH YOUR SPOUSE

"...And the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh." {Mark 10:8} My husband and I were extraordinarily blessed to be married as two bible believing, born again Christians. I continually thank God for this, knowing that not every believer has this privelage. But even though we went to church together and agreed on the finer points of Christian theology, we were operating as two single people in the area of spiritual growth. Bible reading was something we did as individuals, not something we were committed to as a unified couple in pursuit of the "oneness" that the Bible speaks about.

Until we started {and completed!- by the grace of God} a year through the bible reading plan together. This was the single most significant thing we've done as a couple to grow into a deeper understanding of our Creator God & Savior Jesus and His perfect truth. Praise Jesus for His words: "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." {John 8:31b-32} What better way to pursue the promise of intimacy with Jesus and the freedom of knowing the truth than  in a unfied effort with your husband or wife? Of course there's more to growing spiritually together than just reading. Regular church attendance, participating in bible studies, prayer, and fellowship with other believers is also crucial.  (And generally commanded for all believers.) But diving into the Bible played an invaluable part in our growing relationship with Christ and with each other.

So if you and your spouse have never done something like this, it's absolutely worth a try! I'm so thankful that God motivated us to do this together as husband and wife and gave us the grace to complete it. I can't stress enough how every measure of spiritual growth in our lives is an act of total, undeserved grace from Him: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." {Ephesians 2:8-9} I praise Him that He saves not by our good works {of which we have none of in our own strength}, but to good works for His glory {Ephesians 2:10}. 

But back to the reading the bible together- I know it's not always easy to take on such an endeavor. Our first son Asher was born towards the end of our year through the plan, and although I did complete it, Thane and I definitely didn't have the same kind of time and leisure for discussion. But if you're busy with full time work or young kids at home, even just a chapter {or less} a day is invaluable!

The Method.

We chose a chronological reading plan, but there are so many good ones out there to pick from! Each month I typed up a small guide for each of us that we could tuck into our bibles to stay on track {pictured above}. We did the daily reading separately, and then talked about whatever stood out to us at our leisure. I have to admit that it was pretty fun to egg each other on about who was ahead of who. It wasn't always easy too keep on track {but the little bit of competitive fun between the two of us kept us accountable and made it fun!}

Plans & Resources.
Assortment of plans {from esv.org}

Chronological plan {Great for getting a perspective on what happened when in biblical history- for example, Job, which alludes to dinosaurs and describes a lot of creation, took place around the time of Noah.}

How to Enjoy the Bible- An encouraging article by theologian John MacArthur.

My prayers are with you and thanks for reading!

Moving

Ah, moving. Cleaning out drawers, organizing clutter, filling holes in the walls. Embracing the chaos and letting go of having a clean, orderly house. This past couple of weeks has been a flurry of all of this, and praise God that we've sucessfully completed the first big phase of our move up north {to Fort Drum, NY}. We've packed up {with a little a lot of help from moving companies- that's the way it's done in the Army}, and cleared out of our Georgia home. So many sweet memories here...I've been taking lots and lots of pictures this past month, trying to preserve every wonderful knook and cranny of this place where Jesus has blessed us so abundantly. But at the end of the day, a house is just a house, and it's really our church  family and wonderful friends and neighbors that we'll miss. For those of you we've left behind- praise God for you and we'll cherish you always!

The photos.

1. I actually started to enjoy having a messy, care free desk.

2. Enjoying the little bit of extra natural light coming through the windows after taking all of the curtains down.

3. Oh, the infamous kitchen-miscellaneous-drawer. It has been conquered once and for all! {Till the next house comes along, anyway.}

4. Asher just learned how to make an owl sound and loves to get his hands on this little guy.

5. The result of a cleaning out the miscellaneous drawer!

6. The view on our routine walk back home from the playground.

7. Staging for the move.

8. Goodbye, Georgia home!

Making Time for Jesus

I'm sure I'm like many of you who recognize the vital importance of having a genuine, personal day-to-day relationship with Christ, yet struggling to stay in a disciplined daily routine of actively spending time with Him. And might I add, enjoying that time with Him? It's such a blessing... As born-again believers, we carry with us the very presence of God's Spirit. And in our fingertips we hold His love letter to us, full of truth, wisdom, and comfort. 

So then, why is it so hard to keep a consistent, daily prayer and reading routine? Why is it so hard to practice His presence? I'd like to say "it's my toddler's fault", but more truthfully I'm sure it's my tendency to make idols out of everything but the true God. There's always something to distract me, whether it's chasing my little boy, browsing blog-land, the dirty dishes in the sink, etc. Those are the things that I'm regularly tempted to deem "more important" than Jesus by the sheer fact that they get the bulk of my time and attention.

If I'm willing to make time for many of the lesser things, surely I have time for Jesus. Again, it boils down to priorities, and I'll be the first to admit that it's a daily challenge for me to keep them ordered correctly. It's taken a lot of time, trial, and grace from God Himself to battle this tendency in me {and this will no doubt be a continual, lifelong pursuit}. So if you find yourself often struggling with the same issue, I hope and pray that this can encourage you to keep fighting the good fight!

Here are a handful of strategies I've worked into my daily routine to keep my relationship with Jesus grounded in prayer and scripture {I don't necessarily do all of these things at once, it depends on what the home situation is like in regards to family/pregnancies/baby phases/etc}:

Tried & True Time Making Strategies

Morning Prayer.
Start every single day with prayer, even if you're only able to pray for a minute or two at a time. Thank God for the new day in which to live under His grace and truth, and ask Him to help you to live the day according to what pleases Him and fulfills His will. If you're married, ask Him to help you be the best wife to _______ that you can be. If you have kids, ask Him to help you be the best mom to _______. If you work full time, ask Him to help you do your job to His glory. Etc.

Daily Devotions.
If you're able, get up 30-60 mintues before the routine demands of the day begin and spend time praying and reading the Bible {see a great bible study method here}.

Listen to Sermons Online.
Find an online collection of sermons you enjoy and play them while you're doing the dishes, folding laundry, driving to work, etc. {My favorite online source for great sermons is Mars Hill church, by Pastor Mark Driscoll}.

Download a Free Audio Bible.
If you have a smart phone, download a free Bible app that plays audio so that you're able to listen to the Word while sitting down to breakfast or during any other time when you're hands and eyes are occupied.

Keep a Portable Bible on Hand.
If you don't have a smart phone, keep a small portable bible tucked in your purse, in your car, or anywhere that you know you'd be able to easily pull it out and sneak a chapter or two in while you're standing in line at the store, sitting in the waiting room, etc.

Establish Routine Prayer Time with Your Kids.
If you're a parent, pray with your children at bedtime {even if they're very young}. Thank God for the time he's given you together, and ask for their salvation, protection, and/or whatever special needs He may bring to your mind. Also, ask your spouse if there's anything that you can pray for him/her about, and take just a short time to do that.

End Every Day with Prayer.
End every day with prayer, {even if it's short}. Thank God for the day, confess any sins, remember any family and friends with special needs, etc. 

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As an Army wife and mom, I know it can be extremely difficult to establish and stick to a good routine. The nature of my husband's job and schedule is constantly changing, and my little boy's schedule changes over time as well. So, gone are the days when I have the freedom to sit down and spend an hour+ in quality fellowship time with Jesus. Likewise, gone are the days when I can even stick to one of the things on my list above for more than a day or two in a row! But between all of them, I can find some amount of time each day to dedicate to one of those options. 

I hope you find absolute fulfillment in your personal walk with Jesus. Praise God for His unfailing patience and faithfulness towards us!

Thanks for reading!