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Mount Sinai

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A year ago…it amazes me how quickly a year can fly by while still feeling like it moved as slow as molasses. Last year, I was in the middle of the Sinai Peninsula hiking up and down what is held in tradition to be the Mount Sinai. My trek up that mount was difficult, but the trek down has a story of its own. I thought more than a couple times I would not be able to complete the hike. It was a 3 mile hike each way with two and half of the miles going up being done on a camel and the other half mile being 750 stone stairs. The day before my trek up Mount Sinai I had climbed to the top of a pyramid in a squat position most of the way up and rode a camel…almost falling off said camel making me say I would not ride a camel again. Do you know how wide a camel is? Imagine horseback riding the berth of two horses when you have short legs. My legs were tired already before Mount Sinai. We had gotten up at 3:30 AM the morning of Mount Sinai to get on a plane to the Sinai Peninsula. Then...
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If the church is not a building...

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If the church is not a building, then why are pastors and worship teams so determined to go to the church building to lead worship? Do not get me wrong, I am so excited for live streams. On Easter Sunday I had the privilege to watch 8 Easter services. I started early with a friend’s church in England and ended with a friend’s church in College Station, Texas. Of the 8 services only 2 were done within the concept of social distancing, lowering the number of people in contact, and stay at home orders- the first one and the last one I watched. Some of the churches only had three people while other churches had up to ten people at the church building.   Can a pastor or a worship team truly say they understand what the church congregation is going through when they themselves are still getting dressed and going to the building? Yes, they are doing their best in leading the church. For sure, it is strange to lead a congregation that is not even in the sanctuary. For a worship team ...
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Reacting the Opposite of Mary

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This Christmas I got the privilege to go to two Christmas concerts on one Sunday. One was the cute one played out by children; my nieces were especially cute. Second concert was one of extraordinary talent and powerful reverberations of music. In between the concerts I found an Assembly of God church to go to where the pastor was so passionately excited about the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Together the three events moved my heart and had me on the verge of tears many of times. Christmas felt different this year to me. God has so broadened my mind in the past year in knowing Him in deeper and more fantastic ways than I could have ever imagined. I am excited to celebrate that baby in the manger with more passion and gratefulness than ever before. My excitement is not over the present or the new gigantic Rudolph inflatable yard decoration in my neighbor’s yard (which I really do love). Instead I am moved more than ever by that baby’s life we celebrate arriving on December 25th. A...
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Jesus Looks With Compassion

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Most people look at others through different lenses of life.   For example, if you are a dermatologist maybe you are the first to notice someone’s face complexion. Or maybe you are into name brands, so you probably notice the symbol as a Tory Burch or Michael Kors. Toward the end of Mark 6 we see a special lens Jesus uses as he looks at the mob of people. He did not see a crowd but saw individuals in need of a shepherd. The lens Jesus looked through is one of compassion. Mark 6:34 states, “When He went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” Each face Jesus saw reflected a need, a hunger, or a hurt. In this moment, being a thoroughly others-centered person, Jesus cared more about the needs of someone else than he cared about His own needs. Compassion moves a person to see beyond the pressing demands to the prompted need. 1.  What is compassion? One of Strong’s definitions of compassion...
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Putting on a Helmet

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Praying through the Psalms in the New Living Translation I came across this verse, “The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me (Psalm 118:6)?” The verse struck me at the confidence we are to have in the LORD as we are moving through life. God is for us. As a result, we should have no fear. This is such a powerful truth to stand on in life. However, as I thought more about the verse, my mind turned to the second phrase. Mere people can do a lot of damage to each other, especially through words. I heard once that for every harmful word said to you it takes at least seven words to undo the damage done. Others may use a different ratio, but the concept is still the same. Negative words do so much damage to the mind. This topic of speech has continued to be something God is stirring in me. Right now, I do not have a vocal platform to speak from on a regular basis, but I have used speech in conversations or the written word to speak into others’ live...
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Thanksgiving is Our Dialect

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When I drove home from Richmond it was late at night with my emotions high. As I cried out to God, He in His awesomeness put a cross in the clouds just over the moon. It was a reminder He was with me in the drive as well as moving forward into what is next. In that moment as I was driving trying to look at the cross and the road I was reminded of the words of Deuteronomy 31:8 which states, ”The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Since being home I was not ready to give up going to a Pentecostal church, so I took my mother to an Assembly of God (AG) church and a Church of God service. Going with her I got to experience a little of what I imagine the people of Lighthouse saw happen in me. There is the general sense of astonishment by the passionate controlled chaos going on in the service. You want to accept what is going on while still standing back with a state of shock. I remember ...
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Expiration Date

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My expiration date has come for my time in Richmond. I was at Lighthouse for two months under the grace of God’s providence and the openness of the hearts of the people. The Holdeman family was willing to let me come and observe them almost daily in the office to see the operation of the church. I am beyond grateful for the chance to have been in Richmond, especially at Lighthouse. God put the people of Lighthouse into my heart. There will be songs and memories associated with Lighthouse which I will cherish for a lifetime. On my last Sunday at Lighthouse I was able to participate in the bus ministry of Lighthouse Church. The bus ministry is a very large part of Lighthouse’s heart. It was amazing. God opened some doors for me to have conversations with a couple girls on the bus. As I rode the bus, I felt right at home as I was reminded of the summers of riding the bus with activities for Epworth. If I had stayed in Richmond, I would have liked to have done more bus rides....
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