Living Unashamed: Remember Your Name (Part 1)

“Remember whose child you are!” My Dad said this as my brother and I were getting out of the van. We both nodded back in reply, as we closed the door and headed into a teen hang out with our friends. Did your parents ever say that to you? Or maybe it was more along the lines of “Remember your name!” You are probably wondering what remembering your name has to do with dress, so I’ll tell you.



The Bible tells us in Acts that the disciples (those who were saved and serving God) were given the name “Christians.” We’ve held this name ever since even though sometimes we forget what this title means.

To be a Christian you must first be saved. This means that you’ve realized that no good work you could ever do is good enough to save you. Only by putting your faith and trust in Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection alone gives you the promise of Heaven and the assurance that the penalty of your sins has been paid in full.

So many people think that being saved is all you need to be able to wear the “Christian” name, but there’s more. Acts says that the disciples were given the name Christian. This means that you can’t just be saved you also need to serve. Service is done in many ways through the local church but there is one thing we all are commanded to do, “…Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15

“But people don’t listen to me, they call me a hypocrite.” Is it because you are one?

People all around us are watching our every move. Most people, even if they have never darkened the door of a church, know what a Christian is supposed to act like, talk like and even what we’re supposed to dress like.

Here is were I’m going to be very transparent, very open with you. I know I am a Hypocrite. I know that I fail God every.single.day. I know that I never have been and never will be everything that I’m supposed to be as a Christian.

But… (I love this little word)

I know that God’s mercies are new every morning. I know that He never fails. And its because of what I know that I choose to ask His forgiveness, {that He always, so faithfully, gives} get up out of the dirt I’ve fallen in, and continue on, striving to do better for His Glory!

Remember your name! That day my Dad told us to remember who’s children we were has followed me for a long time. We knew what he meant, he was telling us that we were his children and that we were expected to act like it even though he wasn’t going to be there. God is telling us the same thing, remember your name, remember your a Christian, so think, act, talk, and dress like it!

Tomorrow I’m going to go into a little more detail about dressing like a Christian so I hope you’ll come back for part 2. But maybe your here, reading this today and you don’t know what it is like to be a Christian. You’ve never accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, or maybe you never knew that Jesus wants to take your sins away. If this is you please contact me, I would be more than happy to talk to you about this and show you in the Bible how you can be a Child of God.

For my Christian friends, here is the call to action! How long has it been since you’ve asked for forgiveness for not living the way you’re supposed to, dusted yourself off and started living for the Lord? I have to do this every day, sometimes several times a day! Make today your day, put on the “Christian” name and live like it!

If your new here and would like to see other posts in the "Living Unashamed" Series you can do so by clicking on either the "Living Unashamed" Tab at the top of this page or the "Living Unashamed" Button on the left hand side under "Blogging Series." 

~Thank You for your visit!

My Worst Enemy

Who’s my Enemy?

A lot of times we think that because someone is mean to us that makes them our enemy. Maybe a teacher is being unfair, or gave you a bad grade. Maybe your parent came down hard on you for doing something or accused you wrongly. Maybe your spouse said something hurtful or wasn’t as nice as he/she could have been. Does that make them our enemy?

I made a Facebook announcement that my Hubby had accidentally deleted something on our computer that was needed to make my blog writing program work… “It was an accident. I mean, he didn’t intentionally do that to keep me from blogging… right?” This is just the beginning of a thought process that leads straight to me making him, my one true love, an enemy in my mind.

Why am I telling you this? Because it is so easy to forget who our real enemy is. This morning I was reading in Psalm 119 (quickly becoming my favorite passage) and I was struck by this verse:

“Thou through the commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.”

Psalm 119:98

“For they are ever with me.” triggered this thought in my journal - “Often my enemies are my own thoughts and fleshly actions. I need to learn God’s Word, to keep it with me, so I will then learn to recognize the true enemy and fight him instead of those I love.” After writing this I remembered something I had read a while back in a book titled “A Worthy Model – God’s Pattern for Women” by Wendy Burks

“It is when I am not walking in the Spirit, having God’s power on my life, that Satan is able to bring the battle right into my home and deceive me into thinking that my husband is the enemy or my children are the enemy; when in reality, HE IS THE ENEMY!”

The point is that the sooner I figure out who my real enemy is and stop attacking the people around me the better off I’ll be, not to mention those being attacked!

Kenny worked tirelessly into the wee hours of the morning to get the problem on our computer fixed. This included backing up all the files on our computer, deleting everything and re-downloading windows7 along with my writing program to get it working again. “He does love me!”

Remember who your worst enemy is.

 

I’ll be back tomorrow to continue the Living Unashamed mini series. Hope you’ll come back to check it out!

The Devil’s Beatitudes

Heard this at church tonight and thought it was very thought provoking! If the Devil were to write his own list of “Beatitudes” this is probably pretty close to what they would sound like.

“Blessed are those Christians who are too tired, too busy, and too distracted to spend time with their fellow Christians in Church

-they are good candidates to back slide.

Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked

-those I can use to slow things down.

Blessed are those Christians who are touchy; with a bit of luck they may stop going to church and get others to do likewise

-they are my missionaries

Blessed are those Christians who are troublemakers

-they are my best wrecking crew.

Blessed are those Christians who have no time to pray

-they are easy prey for me.

Blessed are those Christians who are complainers

-they are my best discouragers.

Blessed are those Christians who are bored with the minister’s mannerism and mistakes

-they will get nothing out of his sermons.

Blessed are those Christians who expect to be invited to his own church

-they are part of the problem instead of the solution.

Blessed are those Christians who gossip

-they shall cause strife and divisions that please me.

Blessed are those Christians who professes to love God but hates his brother and sister

-they shall be with me forever.

Blessed are those Christians who read this and think it is about other people and not themselves

-I’ve got you!

~Author Unknown

“Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” – Ephesians 6:11

Kenny’s Salvation Testimony

I wanted to share a little more about Kenny and I here on the blog and a major part of what makes us who we are is the fact that we are both Christians. I asked Kenny to write out his personal, salvation testimony for me to post on here, so this is Kenny, my guest blogger for today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I was Born and raised in a Christian home.  At the age of seven, me and my family rode bicycles to a fourth of July fireworks celebration.  on the return trip, late at night and after dark, I began to get frightened at all the noises I heard and things I saw.  I spoke with my mother when we got home, because I was scared about where I would be if I died.  During the invitation the following Sunday I went with my mom and talked with my SS teacher about how I could receive Christ.  It was on that day that I knew I was a sinner and if I would have passed into eternity that I would have spent it apart from Jesus Christ.  So that day, in child-like faith, I put my faith in Christ.  I believed that He came to earth to die for me, was buried and rose again on the third day. The best way I knew how I asked Jesus to come into my heart, to forgive me of my sin and to save my soul.  Rom. 10:9-13

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Through the years, mostly because of my age, I have doubted whether I was truly saved.  The one thing that really confirmed in my mind that I have received Christ is an event that happened to me at the age of 16.  On that day I was going out with my dad to help him finish a roof and I fell asleep at the wheel and rolled the truck.  No one was hurt at all and that in itself is a miracle.  Needless to say something like that makes a person think and I thought of how close I came to dying that day.  I know that God has a special plan for my life or I would not be here today.  But I knew that day that if I had died that I would be in heaven right now.  I would just ask if our places were switched and you had died in that accident would you be able to say the same thing.”

So what about Kenny’s question? Would you know where you were going to spend eternity? If your answer to these questions is no, you don’t know where your going or maybe you just not sure, please feel free to contact me. I would love to show you how you can be 100% sure that your going to Heaven.

Plans for the week

This past Saturday my sister and I went yard saleing and I found several things to aid in decorating the house. I plan to blog about those this week and get them in place. Eventually, I hope, to do a “home tour” for every one here on the blog.

Kenny (finally) made it back home this morning from the Conference in California at 2:45am. Although we didn’t talk much last night, I know Kenny is excited about the things he learned out there and has already been planning some changes for the choir and youth group. Should be really good from what he has told me already.

Also, this week we are getting ready to take the teens to camp in Georgia for a week. If you think about it please pray for us as Kenny and I will be counselors for the week and for all the teens, that their hearts would be open to God’s word.   - Along the same line Alton Beal was preaching at our church  yesterday. His message last night was about the four men who brought the man of the palsy to Jesus by lowering him through the roof. Alton was saved as a young boy through the bus ministry run by four men. His message was “What are you doing to bring people to Jesus?” I know I’ve mentioned praying for our teens a lot but it is an important way you can help bring people to Jesus.

Last thing I’d like to share here today is Your not JUST anything! I follow the blog “Not JUST A Housewife” Its a Do-It-Yourself decorating, organizing and anything else you can think of kind of blog on a budget. (just my style!) She did a really good post yesterday about being proud of what you do. I really enjoyed reading it and hope you will too!

Thankful Friday – The Proverbs 31 Woman

I know its not Thursday but the internet at work was down so I couldn’t send it out. But I hope you get a blessing from it no matter what day its on :)

I was looking online for some new ideas of what I could do for my personal devotions, I like to have a guide or a book to follow to keep me on track, and I stumbled across Revive Our Hearts – The Counter Cultural Woman. I had seen this series before and thought it sounded interesting so I decided to give it a try.

Before I go on I have to say that I don’t particularly like that fact that she uses every version of the Bible under the blue moon but I do appreciate her heart for God and that she really wants to help encourage women to live a Godly, Christ-honoring life.

For my Bible reading I’m taking the 31 day challenge to read Proverbs 31 every day. Its been really neat to see the things I’ve found in my own reading of this passage but what I want to share with you all is what Nancy, Revive Our Heart’s speaker, had to say.

Today she was giving an over view of the Virtuous Woman. Yes, she sews, she cooks, she has her own business but the heart throb behind all of her “works” is her love for God and her desire to please Him above all others. I really had to question myself about the motives I have for doing things.

Am I wanting glory and honor for God or for myself?

(ouch) This was a real burn as I thought “Are the things I do so that Kenny will be proud and praise his new wifey? or because I want to please God whether Kenny, and others, notice or not?”

Going back to the Virtuous Woman, she received her husband and children’s praise at the end of the chapter but how much better to receive the praise of our heavenly Father for work well done that brought honor to His name.

Thankful Thursday – Conviction and God’s Word

Do you ever wish you could sing really well, or preach, or teach Sunday School and Children’s church? Or on the other hand do you wish sometimes that you didn’t do those things? I know this is an odd way to start a blog post but I must confess I’ve been desiring to serve the Lord like so-and-so does and thinking “why can’t I do….. like this person.” “why do I have to do this when I could be doing that?” All of these things stemmed from not being satisfied with where God has me, happy with what He has me doing.

God, ever so faithfully, brought these verses to my mind the other day as I was contemplating my dis-contentment.

1 Corinthians 12

1. Now concerning Spiritual gifts, bretheren, I would not have you ignorant.

8. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

9. To another Faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

12. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

13. For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body…

15. If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

16. And if the ear shall say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

17. If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

18. But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

21. And the eye cannot say unto the hand,  have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

22. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem more feeble, are necessary:

28. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

29. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers?  are all workers of miricles?

30. Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?

I know I’ve skipped over some verses here in an effort to shorten this post and give you an idea of where I’m going with this. My point is that God used these verses in my life this week to say “Hey, I don’t have you doing such and such because I need you to do this” What I do in my service for God is not more or less important than what someone else is doing, it is right in God’s will, where I need to be! I continued reading:

31. But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

1 Corinthians 13

1. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2. And though I have te gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

8. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

13. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

I don’t know how I ever missed that these two chapters “just fit” together but I realized, more importantly, that whatever I do in the service of the Lord, if its not done with love, “it profiteth me nothing.”  I hope I got across my thoughts clearly today and that this was at least a little help/encouragement to someone else.

Random Thoughts about: Decorating and Organizing

Here recently I’ve been gathering idea’s from decorating and organizing websites and blogs for our future home. However, most of the people who have such sites own their home so they can paint, wallpaper, nail, caulk, etc. without the worry of “damaging” someone else’s house.

Just the other day I ran across a website that specializes in helping renters with decorating and organizing a rented home, working with what you’ve got and giving tips for making the most out of your space without damage to the home.

Sounds perfect right?

Unfortunately, the woman who writes the blog uses so much slang language I felt like I was digging through a pile of mud to get the small gems at the bottom. This has happened with several blogs and websites I’ve found under this topic and I just think a person should be able to get the help they’re looking for without extra, unnecessary, foul language, innuendoes' and unrelated comments added.

So I’ve decided, I’m going to…

Wing it, and blog as I go, hopefully to be a help to others in the same position… hopefully :)

Here’s some thoughts and questions I have about this:

• Should I create a separate blog for this and keep Life in the Big City as my personal blog?
• or Should I leave it as is and create a separate tab for decorating?
• If I create a tab how do I go about it?
• If I do a separate blog what should I name it?
• Those of you who have more than one blog, how hard is it to keep up with?
• Do you face any major problems having two blogs instead of just one?
• Is this idea of mine something that my current readers would be interested in if I added it to this blog instead of creating a separate one?

I’m looking for any kind of feed back, if you have comments, suggestions, answers to any or all of my questions, Please leave me a comment or shoot me an email!

Thankful Thursday

With our wedding just around the corner (113 days, 21 hours, 17 minutes and an odd number of seconds to be exact… but who’s counting right?) and weekly marriage counseling I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about, and praising the Lord for a Godly heritage. But not just for mine, I am EXTREMELY thankful for the family/ heritage I am marrying into!

Today I was reading Mom Godby’s blog: Apple Slices of Our Life, she did a wonderful piece about Grandpa Paul for his birthday and shared a little about his life, salvation and how he continues to walk with the Lord daily and share that walk with others, even the hearing impaired! You can read what she wrote here I promise you will enjoy it! I have to say as I was reading it I thought about the song “I have never lost the wonder of it all!”

I can’t say that I know everything about my future family but I do know that they love the Lord and strive to serve Him with their lives, they also encourage us to do the same. It is a blessing to know that Kenny’s parents and grandparents pray for us on a regular basis.

I stole, borrowed some pictures from their blogs to show everyone what they look like.

 

This is Kenny and Grams Godby, Gramps went on to be with the Lord back in August but I had the opportunity to meet him and Grams at the Godby Family reunion in June.

This is Grandpa and Grandma Paul, Kenny and I got to see them when we went to CO around Christmas.

 

 

 

This is Wally and Sherry Godby at his surprise birthday party in December.

What kind of heritage do you have? Better yet what kind are you leaving behind? The second is what I’ve been asking myself a lot recently… just some food for thought!