Bring on the New Year 2009 December 31, 2008

I am so ready for the New Year 2009, God has something special en-store for my family…I know it!  God is Blessing!  Last year beginning January 11, 2008 we stepped into a storm that actually blew our entire family away…it was so unexpected.  It not only affected my family, but, my extended family as well.   

Have you ever felt like your life has just been ripped right out from under you and there is no where to turn…church gone…friends gone, even friends that you actually thought were your best of  friends, just vanish.  This is what happened to our family…all our friends were in the church.  Cuz you sure don’t want to hangout with non-Christians…now isn’t that right??????  Talk about this more on into my blog!

We left our church toward the end of January, God leading us to worship in our home.  I did have 2 friends and my entire family and Pauls family that stuck to us like clue during this storm.  Although, our BIGGEST and BESTEST friend was JESUS.  Even though I so love those 2 friends and our family, He was the One we needed the most!

We began worship in our home as soon as we stopped attending our other church.  We got up every Sunday morning took our showers as if attending church as we normally would have.  My hubby put all the music together every week and we jammed for 30 minutes to our favorite worship songs.  Man how AWESOME this was, Jesus was rockin in our house with us.  We played the music as loud as we wanted, clapped, raised our hands and partied with the JESUS!  Amen!  After our worship time we watched a video relating to teen issues then following this we did a Kay Arthur 40 minute study lead by my hubby!  Zachary did song worship with us, then he would go and watch a Bible based video in his room.  On Wednesday nights Paul met with our teen boys and did Bible Studies with them while Liana and I did a Bible Study together maybe this could have been call our small group time.

Our family was growing closer and closer together.  Paul and the boys became close and Liana and I became mother/daughter friends.  God had us right where he wanted us in this season of our life.  Even though it was hard we tried our best to keep our eyes on God and be obedient in everything He wanted us to do.

We never missed a Sunday or Wednesday night for 6 months in our home.  God began moving in mine and Paul’s hearts…leading us both in the direction to begin searching for a church.  We begin to visit churches and praying that God would show us the right church.  We visited 2 churches and neither one of us nor the kids felt like God was leading us to either one.

I was searching online for churches in our area and came across Crosspoint Community Church which met in the movie theater behind the Mall in Decatur, AL.  I ask Paul to view their website and see what he thought about it.   I felt like from reading and listening to Pastor Dave sermons online…that this might be a place we could check out and the kids would like.

We had our first visit in June…(during this time Blake our oldest was in Basic Training at Fort Benning) we all thought it was awesome the first Sunday we were there.  We went back again the next Sunday, and the next…we were being drawn to this church.  I began to write Blake about the church while he was at Fort Benning…he was getting excited about it just through my letters.

Let me go back…the first time we visited Crosspoint, what stood out in my mind from the whole sermon was a comment that Pastor Dave made,  ”Crosspoint is a church that wants people that no other churches want,” man that got me fired up!  Pastor Daves sermon was awesome and the worship leader and band were worshiping exactly like we had been doing at home for the past 6 months.  Think that might have been God leading us?

Well guess what, we are still there and have not visited any other churches.  We are involved as volunteers for a portable church…which is the most awesome church I have ever been in or a part of.  Crosspoint is not there for the Christians, but for the lost.  Just as Jesus didn’t come for the religious but for the lost.  Mark 2:17  17 When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”  I’m not saying they don’t love the Christian body…but they need the christian body that comes there to get up off their butts and do Gods work.  Crosspoint wants to harvest the fields that are white to harvest of Morgan County, the City of Decatur and all surrounding cities and counties.  Crosspoint, the staff and volunteers are busy about this work and put their hearts into it.  Yes, it is hard work for them and many are up and at the theater setting up by 5:00 a.m. on Sunday morning then taking down after the service in time for the theatre to open. 

God is Blessing!  Crosspoint is doing 2 services now.  Paul and I have seen it double since we began attending.

Pastor Dave works a full-time job, his job has him traveling, but he never stops ministering to people!  He feeds and ministers to his sheep!  And is fired up about winning the lost to Christ and that is his Vision and his Vision for Crosspoint. 

As I look back on our trial of 2008, I see Jesus carrying my family because there is only one set of footprints.  I see him carrying us right into the doors of Crosspoint and giving us the opportunity to serve Him and be a part of a Vision I have never seen before.  Thank you God for leading and guiding us in this time of trial. 

Another thing I see as I look back over the years and that I have learned from our storm of 2008. is that I pretty much only had christian friends.  Since being at Crosspoint I have learned and have been challenged through the scripture and God speaking through Dave that it’s ok to hangout with or have lost friends.  That’s who Jesus wants! 

It’s ok for someone to come into Crosspointchurch with their houseshoes on.  It’s ok for someone to wear blue jeans on Sunday morning, it’s ok if someone comes into the service with 8 holes in each ear, it’s ok if someone comes in with tatoo’s on their body, it’s ok if a drunk comes in reaking of alcohol, it’s ok if a homosexual comes in, it’s ok if someone with marital problems or drug users come into our church (Crosspoint) on Sunday morning because that is who Crosspoint wants. 

How am I/you suppose to witness to somebody that doesn’t know me…are they going to listen?  Yes, I can be a witness by shuving the scripture down someones throat and MAYBE some would take me up on the offer and accept Christ as their Savior, then what…will they know what to do.  But, if I/you spend your time getting to know that lost person, showing that lost person how much I/you care, devoting our time, our prayers, helping that person out in ways that no one else could do…just maybe this person is going to get to know me/you and through me/you will come to know Christ.  What an investment of our time!  AWESOME!

So this is my taking on beginning the New Year 2009.  I am only going to make one New Years Resolution.   This is…to be OBEDIENT TO GOD IN… INVESTING MY TIME in getting to know HIM more… INVESTING MY TIME into getting to know lost people and WINNING them to CHRIST!  I need your prayers…I’m human, I guarantee you I will mess this up, but keep me lifted in your prayers that I will run the race that is set before me.

Hebrews 12:1-3  1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.^[a] Because of the joy^[b] awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people;^[c] then you won’t become weary and give up.

God Bless and Have a Happy and Blessed New Years 2009!

Family Tradition…But What I’m Thankful For! November 29, 2008

I am so thankful for what God has brought me through.  If you have been following my post on “My Life” which is not complete, you can see where I have been in my life thus far.  I made wrong choices as a young teen, but God used my circumstances to mold me into what I am today.  He continues to mold me like the potter does his pottery or the silversmith refining his silver.  The fire may get hot, and by all means I’m not rejoicing…but, I look back and see how I have grown from the Potters or Refiner’s Hands!  He is not through with me yet!

I went through a time in my life where I had no food or very little (I didn’t go in detail about this in my post on “My Life”).  I am so grateful that I spent that time knowing what it feels like to have no food or very little, no washer to wash clothes or money to take them to the laundry mat, only a tub (bathtub for scrubbing them), no car to go places or a junk of a car with no money to put gas in.

God had a plan for me even after I had made those choices. God is using me now as a servant to others and I am so grateful for that.  I love helping people, it is my passion.

Our Life Group from Crosspoint Community Church  had the opportunity to help with a couple and their 2 granddaughters for Thanksgiving, she was such a blessing to our group!  This is things of which I am so thankful for.  Being blessed more by the ones you are helping, this is what I love.

I am thankful for Christ dying for me and the entire world that we may have eternal life with Him.  I am thankful for my mom who raised me in church so that when I strayed like the prodical son, I knew to come home.  I am thankful for my husband Paul, my friend, the love of my life and my hero.  Without him I would have not had values in my life.  He has taught me so much throughout our 19 almost 20 years of marriage about family, caring loving and respecting one another, I am so thankful that God put him in my life.

I am thankful for the church that I attend now (Crosspoint), it is a church that has a vision to reach the lost (the unsaved) and I feel blessed to be apart of that vision.  I love God, my Husband, my family, my church and am thankful that I have these in my life.  My God has blessed me more than I could ever deserve.

Psalms 100:3

3 Know that the LORD is God.
       It is he who made us, and we are his ;
       we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Psalm 95

 1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
       let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
       and extol him with music and song.

 3 For the LORD is the great God,
       the great King above all gods.

 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
       and the mountain peaks belong to him.

 5 The sea is his, for he made it,
       and his hands formed the dry land.

 6 Come, let us bow down in worship,
       let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;

Psalm 107:1
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

Growing Even Further Away From God and Church (My Life Part 3) November 17, 2008

Between the ages of 16-18 years I was partying heavily.  I began hanging at a house in Decatur that was known as “The Party House of Decatur!”  I made many friends at this house, why?, there was no judgement between anyone, you were accepted the way you were.  Come on in the more the merrier.

Still very introverted the drugs and drinking that I was doing helped me be a little more outgoing.  So by age 18, I was doing pot, pills (uppers, downers) some cocaine, drinking, and playing poker for money, I guess you can say the only thing I hadn’t done was had sex!

The police knew all about this house and it’s owner.  It was raided several times when I was there.  Did that scare me away from being apart of all this?? No! I look back and wonder why God didn’t take me out.  I can see how God had his hand on me and how he was guiding me even in my rebellious stage!

I eventually got up the courage to tell my mom that I wasn’t going to attend church anymore, that I had nothing in common with all those that were attending and most of them didn’t care about church either.  So I stopped going!!!

Then…I met a guy at the party house one night, he was 4 years older than me and very nice looking.  We began dating, if that is what you want to call it.  He began living at the party house, I was there night and day, so this was our date nights.  He never came to my home to meet my mother or father, I knew my parents wouldn’t approve, but I did talk to them about him, I made him sound good.

I was still a virgin at 18, then the inevitable happened.  We had been dating several months, he would tell me he loved me, he was going to marry me, so it would be ok.  I was so naive and wanting someone to care for me that I let it happen.  Soon after we started dating, a warrant for his arrest was issued to him (jail time for writing bad checks) I had no clue this was what he was doing!  He was in Morgan County Jail for about 3 months.  I attended the jail every Sunday to see him. I look back and I know God was giving me clues…No. 1 reason not to marry him! 

While he was in jail I began talking to my parents about him and what kind of family life he had (none…both parents were alcoholics and father was dead) I told my mom we were going to get married, so could he please come and stay at our house, he needed to get away from this home and try to make his life better by getting a job so we could get our own place when we married.  One condition they said, “he would have to stay out in the garage which we had enclosed.”  That was cool with me!  Eventually, we started living together under my parents roof!  How could I have ever done that to my parents?  I made that choice and my parents let me get away with it.  Reason No. 2 not to marry him!  God still trying to move in my life…I’m not listening!

During this time he would go to work, but not come home after work.  Why did I want to marry someone like this.  This was not my upbringing.  But, I had already had sex with him and was going to change him, this was the man I was suppose to marry, I thought.  We were together 2 years before we married, he treated me like *&%#!  Friends tried to tell me things that he had done but, I wouldn’t listen.  Reason No. 3 not to marry him! God still speaking!

Marriage Day, May 1980, big church wedding, many people on my side, few on his.  My dads pockets were emptied on this wedding.  We had no money for a honeymoon so my sister let us borrow her apartment!  Yeah, a borrowed apartment for a honeymoon!  The night of our marriage a couple gave us a big party.  On top of my pill popping my new husband put drugs in my drink!  I passed out to wake up and find him gone.  My friends told me he left with another girl!  What?  On our wedding night!  Yep, it happened, he slept with another woman on our wedding night!  Reason No. 4, God says this is not the husband I have chosen for you.

From 1980-1983 I was abused physically (battered), abused mentally and almost everyday someone else besides me was sleeping in my bed.  I was the only one holding down a job at this time.  His job was selling drugs.  In late 1982 my parents were visiting our home with my niece (Tina) when our home was surrounded by the Drug Enforcement Officer’s (he had sold to an under cover the night before).  They busted into our home with guns and began throwing everything around.  I begged them to let my niece and my mom leave, but ask my dad to stay, I was afraid.  They took my husband to jail after they had ram sacked our home.  My dad stayed with me, I told him I was so sorry and ask for his forgiveness.  As my father, he forgave me and tried to talk me into coming back home.  I looked at my dad and told him, “I made my bed, now I have to lye in it.”  Reason No. 5, God shows me this man was not intended to be my husband!  God is trying to move me in the right direction, but I’m not listening.  Look, God was giving me the out!  He had committed Adultery against me and I knew it!

He made bail (can’t remember who signed) and was out the next day and made a plea bargain with the drug enforcement to be a nark!  Yep, turned in his friends.  No jail time spent. 

After getting busted, we were ask to move by our landlords.  We moved into an apartment complex where one of my other sisters (Nancey) lived with her roommate, son, and baby daughter.  We had no food, and was living on welfare for our rent and utility bills, I barely made minimum wage and he did not work at all, he could get a job, but would work only long enough to get a little money then quit.  I kept Nancey’s daughter part-time also.  

In March 1983, it was my day to keep my niece (Beth) Nancey’s daughter, but her roommate wanted to keep her.  She was going to drop Nancey off at work and take her (my sister’s) car to get some work done on it.  Nancey called my dad that afternoon and said her roommate had not made it to pick her up so she needed a ride home because she couldn’t get in touch with her.  My dad drove to the Arsenal to get her.  When they returned home a police car was waiting in the drive at her apartment.  The officers ask them to get in the police car and ride to the Arsenal.  The officer told them there had been a wreck on the Arsenal involving her car.  I found out later that evening that Beth and my sister’s roommate had been killed in the accident.  My sisters roommate had not taken the car in to get it fixed, but had been drinking at a friends house all day!  She was drunk and hit another car head on.  Beth was 3 years old, all I could think about was that it was my day to watch her…if I had of kept her my sisters baby wouldn’t have died that day!  God was really trying to get my attention!

My father was still a new Christian at this time, but he knew God’s Word.  He held our family together through this huge loss and trial that we were all having to experience. 

After this I started attending church again, but I just couldn’t give up things in my life that God wanted me to give up…drugs, alcohol, and being abused by my husband.  How could I have loved him that deeply?

The sleeping around and abuse by my husband continued and we separated many times, and eventually divorced in October 1983.  I just couldn’t take it anymore!  I divorced him!  I felt worthless, had very low self-esteem, more introverted then I ever had been, afraid to even look at people, talking to people…no way, I was just plain battered.  Was I not low enough yet to listen to God???

Teen Life-Why Do We Want To Fit In? (My Life Part 2) November 13, 2008

If you haven’t read “My Life Part 1″ you can find it in my recent posts or archive.

Let me take you back just a sec for a better understanding of my raising!  I was not a bad child, I was afraid I would get into trouble if I did anything wrong, remember I was an introvert.  I was spoiled, after all I was 8 years younger than my sister and I was the baby.  As a child growing up I did what all kids do…test my parents.  My parents were good role models and had never been in trouble a day in their lives…not even a speeding ticket.  I never saw my mom or dad drunk, my dad may have had an occasional drink.  They had a great marriage and are working toward their 61st wedding Anniversary.

I need to explain to you why I didn’t fit in…in my early years.  I was born with “Dewayne Syndrome,” a muscle in my right eye was not long enough to align my eye straight in the center (my right eye stayed in the corner toward my nose) cross eyed, yep cross eyed!  Kids were mean and this is what I was called “Cross Eyed Lynn!” 

When I was very young I remember hiding behind my parents because of embarrassment, not wanting anyone to notice my eye!  My eye doctor was trying different things with my eye trying to stretch the muscle because surgery was risky (I didn’t know how risky the surgery was until I was about 40 years old).  At 12 years old my doctor decides to do surgery on my eye.  The surgery straightened it, but it can never be fixed perfectly.  I still see double when I turn my head a certain way, when I get tired my eye gets lazy, if I’m trying to focus on someone talking to me it will sometimes drift!  By the time I was 40 I was sure that technology had come for enough along that I could completely get the ole’ eye fixed…it’s very annoying when driving and you have to turn completely around in your seat or you will see two cars! LOL!  I saw a new optometrist, she took one look into my eye and told me if anyone ever told me they could fix the ole’ eye then I had better high tale it out of their office.  The surgeon that had performed my surgery had done an excellent job and that was all that could be done.  Her answer was ok for me, I had already gotten through the rough times in my life that I really worried about what people thought about my eye!  Not until I was in my late 20’s I could use my eye for laughs!  I can do something with my eye that others can’t do and we all get a kick out of it now!  I have family members trying to learn to make their eye do what mine can do! LOL! 

So back to my story!  So my eye is kind of fixed, but I still have the issues of being a very shy teen with a low self-esteem.  I spent my early teenage years 13-16 at the skating rink just like everybody else in the 70’s.  Laugh out Loud there was nothing else to do.  Ha! I’m old!!! During these few years I was turning into a heavy smoker and teen girl that used very profound language!  Still in church every Sunday, Sunday night and Wednesday night! Oh, smoking wasn’t so bad, most all my friends were doing it, even my church friends.  My friends and I would save our lunch money and take time about buying them.  That’s how cheap they were in the 70’s, I think $.35 – $.50 cents a pack.  We would walk right into the store and buy them…no ID required!  It is an encouragement to know that my child can not walk in the store today and buy them, but it doesn’t mean it will keep them from smoking, but it does make it a tad harder.  That is the choice that they have to make…right or wrong as they mature! I pray and hope that each of my children will make choices they won’t REGRET! 

Now don’t get me wrong, God was speaking to me all these years, I wanted to do what was right and be saved…but I was angry with God for the way He made me!  I would beg him to make me attractive, to take away the eye thing, to help me fit in with those popular people, to give me a brain that could understand what I read and retain it.  All I was doing was running from Him instead of stopping and listening and giving Him my life.  I want you to remember as you read about my life that God was with me through it all, I never saw it then…but I see it very well today!

Then…I turned 16 and received my drivers license!  What is it about turning 16 and just going crazy? I know…some teens do and some don’t, well I was the one that did.  I wanted to fit in so bad at that age I was going to try what ever I could to make that happen.  I wasn’t a leader, I was a follower…remember I was a very shy introverted child and teen! 

So where was I…Oh, yea 16 and license!  Guess where that took me??  With the license came the begging for the car on the weekends…me and one of my best friends began circling and hanging out at the boat harbor down at the Tennessee River…this was a hangout for everyone of driving age and older! I practically took over my moms car. How did that happen?? I was spoiled and I did throw some fits!  Fits at 16, me Nah!

We started out riding around on Friday and Saturday night with a normal teen curfew. We met many people as we would sit and watch the cars circle!  Everyone stopping and talking with each other, meeting many people much older than us, more experienced in many things than we were.  A place where a lot of drinking and smoking were going on.  So here it is, I began drinking at 16, it was there and it was offered and I took it, again starting out just to fit in.

One night as we were all sitting on the hood of my car (my moms)…here came a white 1960’s Jaguar…I’m talking cool car!  I don’t remember how in the world we got the guys that were in it to stop and talk to us, but they did.  My best friend and I ended up in the car with them…this car was so cool…the inside was decked out in wood that was very expensive and beautiful, it even had black lights in it…man it was ripped!  As we were riding around in this hot car, with some cool guys having fun, one of the guys took out a joint (marijuanna) and lit it, they all started passing it around…I had no idea of what to do, I had never seen that, I was afraid!  My friend and I wouldn’t have any part of it that night and the guys never pressured us to!  As time passed night after night hanging at the hot spot, meeting up with these guys, riding in a hot looking Jaquar, listening to loud music, and drinking…thinking this was great fun, this was our life with pretend church on the other side.  These guys never pressured us, just liked us for who we were.  We became good friends with them and of course you get the picture, we both eventually caved!!!  We decided to try it (pot)! The day we smoked our first joint was on a Sunday afternoon, we were always at the Sunday night service at our church and we walked in late.  Both of us walked in that service “high,” I will never forget it as long as I live!  It is as if I spit in the face of Jesus!  

Hangest thou in there, more to come (My Life Part 3)!