The Stroll

My husband and I enjoy the walking trail at the park. The beginning of the trail is more a stroll than a walk. Trees cover the lane with shade. There is usually a cool breeze blowing. It starts out going downhill. Halfway through the trail everything changes.  The shade from the trees is gone. The sun beams down on the walkers. It is uphill the rest of the way. I find it hard to complete the trail. The climb becomes a real challenge.

This morning as I approached the dreaded halfway mark I had a thought. I realized how much like my life this trail experience has been to me. I have had times when hardships were far from me. Then without warning, things would change. I would find myself in a hard place. I would need to find strength and faith to be able to keep going. “Trust in The Lord with all thy heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths; ~Proverbs 3:5,6. I am thankful we have Holy Spirit. He will guide us through these hard places of life. He is also there to comfort us along our way.

I will continue to walk the trail. I know it won’t be easy. I also know I can make it.

~Connie Robinson

 

Image credit: WOODLAND WALK
© Matthew Collingwood | Dreamstime.com

Then and Now

The CHOSEN Youth Conference has just ended, and I’ve been reflecting on how things were just a few years ago. When I was a thirteen year old girl, I attended Camp Destiny hosted by Gateway, but it was so much different. Back then, I thought it was all about what I looked like. My mom took me shopping for new outfits, and I was set to go. Of course I was changed by that camp in some ways. I definitely learned where I had more work to do in my faith, and let go of some unforgiveness. I think I was so insecure in myself that I had a hard time trusting God. I definitely didn’t know God like I know Him now.

This year’s CHOSEN Youth Conference was different in so many ways. For starters, all of the speakers came from Gateway. They brought the word and ministered in power during each session. Although I was unable to come during the day, God showed up in the night sessions as well. Even though I knew God was going to do something great during this time, I was still kind of in limbo. In other words, I’m not a teenager anymore and I wasn’t a worker. The enemy really hit me with condemnation saying, “You don’t fit in. What are you doing here? This isn’t for you!” I pressed past how I felt and worshipped in the night sessions anyway. You see, I’ve been in a dry place spiritually lately. Not where I want to be, but not where I’m going, so the devil tried to hit me while I was down.

I can’t write this post without mentioning my sister, Vickie Bowman. Without fail, she came and found me before service silently slipping away from the hustle and bustle for just a moment to give me a hug. She’ll never know how much that meant to me each time. She didn’t have to do it, but it was a powerful reminder that I’m still a part of the Gateway family, even though the past five years have been really hard requiring me to miss more church than I would’ve liked.

I’ve been at Gateway for eleven years, but I didn’t see the speakers as just Ann, Vickie, or Josh. I knew God had something to say, but it was up to me to listen. On the last night of the conference during praise and worship, I sobbed like a baby. I was definitely not concerned with what I looked like or what people thought! It was about experiencing God on a whole new level. The anointing was so powerful that you couldn’t deny it. I left that night feeling refreshed and renewed, knowing God’s not done with me yet. I can truly say there’s nowhere else I would’ve rather been this past weekend than watching those youth and workers lives be transformed. Minute by minute. Session by session. Anyone can get something from God at a youth conference! It just solidified everything that God is doing in and through the people at Gateway, and I’m honored to be a part of this family.

~Madison Sanders

Thank You for Being a Friend!

Everybody wants a friend. Everybody wants to belong somewhere…anywhere. I grew up on Air Force bases around the world. I was a quiet person and it took quite a while for me to make friends. I was very selective in who I chose. I wanted a friend who would always be there. I wanted someone that I could talk to about my deepest dreams, no matter how silly they were. I wanted someone I could entrust my deepest fears who would help me get through them. I used to envy the girls where I would go to school that had a best friend since kindergarten. I wanted that and badly! Military life was not bad but the changing stations and starting to a new school was hard on a quiet, shy little girl.

As I was driving home the other day from Atlanta, I got to thinking about friends…about my friends. I was thinking about the things that I share with them. Not one of my closest friends knows everything about me. It seems that I share some things with one friend, other things with another, and so on and so forth. If they were ever to combine forces and compile what they know then they would have almost a complete picture. I love them all dearly but I have not brought myself to trust one single person with everything about me.

Have you ever had the spiritual V-8 head smack? Well I experienced that while sitting in the wonderful Atlanta traffic (trying hard not to nut up and step out in the flesh at some of the drivers!). I could almost visualize God’s hand smacking me in the head!

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you] as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set  you apart, consecrating you; ]and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1: 5 (AMP) Even though God is speaking to Jeremiah in this verse, don’t you think it applies to you? He may not have called you to be a prophet. However, He knew you before He formed you in your mother’s womb. I think it does apply to me. He is no respecter of persons. He has given us a purpose in life. We are part of His Kingdom. He has approved of us and has appointed us to preach the gospel, His Word to set forth His Kingdom here on Earth.

The revelation that I received was that He WAS my best friend throughout my whole life, and He is STILL my best friend! He knows EVERYTHING about me. He also knows EVERYTHING about you! He wants and desires that BEST FRIEND Relationship. He will listen to you and give you the advice that you need. He will not lead you astray. It is okay to have your really, good friends. Just don’t forget to spend that time with your best friend.

~Ronda Sullivan

The Power of Friendship

“And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” – Jam 2:23

Most places in the Bible, the word “friend” means “intimate companion” or “close associate.” In one place in Isaiah, God talks about Abraham, his friend, and the literal meaning there is “love.” There have been some crazy things said about “friends” in the name of “spirituality.” I’ve heard people say we don’t need to have friends, only disciples. I know people who think that, if you have a friend, then you’re just co-dependent. I just kind of shake my head at those folks who, because they have no friends, try to come up with a spiritual reason why everyone else should feel guilty for having friends. I figure if God loved Abraham and called him His friend, then it’s okay for me to have a friend, too!

In fact, I am incredibly grateful for my friends. It takes a real friend to stick by you when you’re going through tough times. It takes a true friend to be willing to watch your back AND get in your face when necessary. It’s only my closest friends who really understand the joy I feel when I’m celebrating a victory or accomplishment, because they’ve been there with me through every step of the way. Friends are valuable and priceless… just ask God.

So, cultivate true friends. Pattern your friendships after the incredible examples we have in the Bible… God and Abraham, David and Jonathan, Paul and Barnabus. Celebrate and treasure the friendships God has brought into your life. Friends don’t expect you to be perfect… they just expect you to be YOU.

 

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:13

 

~Linda Frederick

Who said Being a Parent is Easy?

Being a parent is one of the hardest jobs that God gave us. Just when I think that everything is going great, the school system rips a rug out from under me and many other people in our county. I stressed and prayed about my children’s education. Education is one of the most important things in a child’s life. I feel that our community felt that our county didn’t respect us; yielding hostile thoughts, people being upset and a lot of tears shed. We had prayer walks at our community elementary school. Many people came out to pray.

Finally, the decision was made by the Board of Education. Our school was closing. I felt disbelief at first, but once reality set in, much heartbreak was ahead. Our children’s education, in our minds, was at stake. Many pulled their kids out of the county to attend school in another county and some chose to home school their children. I lost much sleep agonizing so much over the decision of where my children should attend school.

Sometimes, it seems easier to try to solve these types of issues with our own mind because we feel as if we are fully aware of the circumstances and our emotions get the best of us. Barry and I discussed and prayed so much, but we never fully gave the decision to God. We were so overwhelmed with the rest of the community that we forgot who, ultimately, would take care of our children. We never found the peace of taking them out of the county and didn’t have peace in leaving them in the county; therefore, we decided to just save the money and keep them in the county in which we lived.

I was reading my Bible and meditating one night and it hit me. We, as Christians, have all the authority to pray covering over our children. With this Godly covering, our children are protected by anything that comes against them. I realized that I should let them attend our county and cover them in prayer. We had no control over this situation, but God knew it was coming and He promised to take care of our children. “Seek ye first the Kingdom…and all things will be added unto you.” If I seek first the Kingdom, all the things I need will be given to me.

Fiinally, I found peace with our decision. A few days later, the principals were announced. Our principal and assistant principal were named principals over both schools that my children will be attending next year. Not only that but other structures will be implemented that will absolutely be to my children’s advantage in the long run. I am now so excited about our upcoming school year. No longer am I overwhelmed, worried, or question whether or not my children will receive top-notch education. As long as God is on our side, we can’t fail.

~ Christi Duncan

Behind the Pearls

PEARLS ON BLACK
© Aristide Bergamasco | Dreamstime.com

When I was growing up, my favorite TV show was Leave it to Beaver. I think I saw every one of the 234 episodes at least once (and then there were the reruns!). For those of you who don’t remember, the show was about an “ideal” suburban family in the 1950’s. They lived in a perfect house and had a perfect family. There were two sons, Wally and Beaver, and a dad named Ward. He looked sharp in his suit and tie and was always carrying a briefcase. Then there was the mom, June Cleaver, played by Barbara Billingsley. She was my favorite! June’s hair and makeup was the picture of perfection. She wore beautiful dresses and heels while baking cookies, dusting Ward’s den, and waxing her already spotless kitchen floor. I never forget the fact that she always wore a beautiful pearl necklace. I would dream of how I was going to grow up and be just like her!

Sound like real life? Lets look a little closer.

My husband and I went on vacation to Hollywood, California. While there, we took a tour of Universal Studios. You might imagine my excitement when I was told that is where Leave it to Beaver was filmed from 1957-1963. I couldn’t wait to get down that street! I was finally going to see that perfect Cleaver home!

Boy, was I was in for a big surprise! The house, along with the rest of the neighborhood was only a façade. It was a mere shell, located on what is known as the back lot of the studio. The house wasn’t even a real house. All the shots showing the inside of the house were taken on stages in different parts of the studio. After all, it was only make believe.

In real life, Barbara Billingsley did have two sons of her own. However, where her character, June, was a stay at home mom, Mrs. Billingsley was widowed twice and once divorced and worked long, hard hours while raising her children. Remember the pearl necklace which became her trademark? She came up with that idea herself to cover a noticeable surgical scar on her neck.

What does this have to do with us today? The enemy always paints a pretty picture. He loves to discourage us by having us look at unrealistic images to compare ourselves to. He desires for us to keep our eyes on façades. That way, we will look at ourselves and feel that we are not good enough. Maybe we feel as if we are too old or too young. The enemy may tell us we are not smart enough or are too poor to achieve our dreams. As long as we’re looking at something that is not real, we will remain unsatisfied with ourselves and with our lives. We must seek after that which is real and truly satisfies: Jesus! Everything else will just let us down and leave us empty.

Of course that doesn’t mean we are not to strive to have nice things or a good life. God desires for us to live an abundant life. I am saying that we are to seek first the kingdom of God. He will lead us and guide us with His plan for our lives, and, in that plan, we will always find fulfillment!

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” – Mat 13:45-46 KJV

~Connie Robinson

Let Go and Let God!

PIGGY BACK RIDE
© Alicia Shields | Dreamstime.com

“Point your kids in the right direction – when they’re old, they won’t be lost.” ~Proverbs 22:6 (The Message)

This is an easy scripture to read and believe when your children are little angels, but when the world starts setting into your child, you start beating yourself up, wondering what in the world you did wrong. The number one thing you have to remember is this: it’s going to happen.

You can put your small child on your back, carry them across the desert, teach them right from wrong, tell them what God has to say about them, and show them who they are in Christ, but you can only carry them so far. There is going to come a day when they will have to walk for themselves. And they’re going to make mistakes…and fall down. It hurts our parent’s heart when they jump off our back, thinking they can make adult decisions, only to get themselves in some kind of mess.

Think of the story of the Prodigal son from the Father’s side. He went out everyday, looking for his son. You know he was praying for that boy. When the son realized what he had done and where he had gone wrong, he went home. His father saw him a far off, ran to him, hugged him and brought him inside. He never stopped loving him.

As parents, we can’t really do anything but love our children and pray for God’s help to protect them while they go on their way. When they fall, we have to remember that we have a loving Father in Heaven Who was there for us, helping us back on our feet and loving us unconditionally when we missed it. We just have to trust Him; He’ll be there for our children, too!

~Guest contributor, James Parrish

Power of Forgiveness

CROSS, HEART AND DIVINE LIGHT
© Nguyen Thai | Dreamstime.com

I went to spend some time with my grandparent’s on the night of July 12,1997, so I wasn’t home to hear the rage or violent words exchanged between my parents, but that was the night my family and life as I had known it ceased to exist. In a way I was relieved, because I didn’t have to hide the hurt and agony as a result of my dad’s cocaine addiction. I didn’t have to be woken up in the middle of the night by his boots stomping on the wood floor, causing my heart to drop to my chest. No, no more fear after that night.

I was angry that I hadn’t been there for my mom that night, though. I thought maybe I could have protected her somehow. I wanted desperately to see her smile again, but all I saw after that night was a shell of the vibrant, happy person my mom once was. I hated my dad for what he did to her. My mind couldn’t fully grasp the extent of his addiction, so I blamed him. I didn’t want to look at him, and I certainly didn’t want to talk to him. He had almost killed my mom, the most precious person in my life at that time.

Years went by before I was able to really release that hurt inside of me. Sure, I was finally able to celebrate Christmas and birthdays with my dad and grandparents without seething in rage. I hadn’t really forgiven him, though. I had done just enough so that I wouldn’t hurt. I think I had become numb to the pain, to be honest. When I saw him, I would say, “Hey,” and update him on my life, but our relationship never progressed much further than that.

I watched the process that my mom had to go through to forgive my dad. It didn’t come overnight either. One afternoon we were riding down the road and my mom said, “You know you are going to have to forgive your daddy for what he did.” Immediately, I was mad. Why should I forgive him? Continuing on, my mom pointed out, “There is good in your daddy.” I replied, “Well, I know you always tell me that, but I just don’t see it!” I was just being an honest twelve-year-old child. I didn’t see it. All I had ever known was fighting, cussing, and someone who battled addiction.

My mom told me that I needed to forgive him so that God could work in my own life. Talk about a sobering moment! I decided that it was important that I forgive him. Without hesitating, Mama said, “He’s at home so just go ahead and do it now.” My heart started pounding and my palms got sweaty. We pulled in, and there he was. Mama got out of the car and said, “Madison’s got something she wants to tell you.” Looking kind of bewildered, he waited for me to get out of the car.

Looking into his eyes, I softly said, “Daddy, I forgive you for what you did to Mama.”

“What?” he replied, not sure he had heard me correctly.

So, I repeated it once more, this time tears flowing down my cheeks. “Daddy, I forgive you for what you did to Mama.”

“Oh, that was over a long time ago,” he said, embracing me in an awkward hug. My words just hung in the air, as I straightened up. Even though he didn’t have much of a reaction, I felt better. At twelve years old, I didn’t quite understand the power of forgiveness, but I did it by faith and because it was important to my mom. I knew a magic wand wouldn’t come down from Heaven and fix my relationship with my daddy, but this was the first step in the right direction.

Apostle David talks about ways we deceive ourselves and that unforgiveness is one of the traps the enemy uses against us. As a young adult, I still have to deal with feelings of rejection as a result of my past, but each day I make the choice to forgive others because I’m continually reminded of the grace God has shown me throughout my life. Who am I to deny that to others? And who are you?

~by Madison Sanders

What Does Love Look Like?

What Does Love Look Like?

Put everything you have ever been told about love back on a shelf somewhere. Love is like everything else we have been taught, it is only what has been passed down to us. Whoever taught us before could only teach us what they have been taught. I thought love was a feeling, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Love is kind, it is not self seeking. Love looks for the best in everything and anybody. No matter what! Love does not back bite or gossip. We have all been in the other person’s shoes and some of you reading this may be still there. That does not mean you have to stay there. It is a choice made everyday. Jesus taught that we should love others as He loved them.

~Tammy Sanders

How Bright Is Your Light?

While sitting and praying in tongues, I opened my Bible and came to Proverbs 4:18-19.  “The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.  The way of the wicked is like deep-darkness, they do not know what they stumble over. ”

I kept praying in tongues and a situation that occurred the evening before came to my remembrance. I had peeled some potatoes in preparation for potato salad.  It was already dark when I finished and not wanting to discard the peelings off my back deck, where it would most probably attract a skunk or two, I ventured outside to pitch them a little farther down my driveway.

I already had my bedroom shoes on, so I needed to borrow a pair of shoes that I could easily slide on and then remove again when I returned to the house.  I slipped on my sixteen-year-old son’s tennis shoes and dragged his size 13 shoes down the garage steps, through the garage, and out to the driveway to toss the peelings.  It seemed like an easy task, but the light from the garage only stretched so far.  It did not shine to the corner where our drive began to straighten.  It didn’t shine on the uprooted azaleas that were plopped there on that corner about 6 weeks ago.  It took a few seconds for my brain to decipher what in the world I had snagged, but it finally came to me:  the azaleas!

Well, needless to say, as I trudged forward my left foot advanced, but my right foot hung on the first azalea.  The shoe came off, I stumbled forward, and to add to the drama, our friendly and fun-loving Golden Retriever decided to investigate what was going on.  I had to raise the peelings up because Neo tried to sniff to see what I had in the bowl for him. At the same time, with my other hand, I fumbled to find Nathaniel’s shoe before the “retriever” found it and took off with it.  It was cloudy, about 8:00 P.M., and the borrowed tennis shoe was solid, you guessed it, black.  I felt around for what seemed like several minutes, but was actually about thirty seconds.  I located the shoe, replaced it on my foot, and finished the chore that I had set out to do.

I returned to the house thinking, “That was quite an ordeal and all I simply wanted to do was to dump some potato peelings!”  I now see why I was allowed to experience this unusual happening.  It is a perfect analogy of Proverbs 4:18-19.  The light inside me must shine out brighter and brighter to reveal the stumbling places, “uprooted shrubs”, in myself and also in those with whom I have a relationship.  In doing so, I will help others prevent stumbling or fumbling in the dark with one shoe on and one shoe off, and they can help to shine on areas in my life where my light does not shine bright enough yet to expose the solid black tennis shoe, on a pitch-black night.  I asked myself, “Am I letting my light shine brighter and brighter until it is full day, or am I stumbling and fumbling, wasting my time searching for something illusive like a black-as-night tennis shoe in the night?”

Although it is true I let my light shine in some areas, what about those pain-filled areas of my life?  What about those hidden secret places where I have not allowed even myself to acknowledge?  Where is your light shining?  Is it even shining at all?  I encourage you as I encourage myself, keep praying in tongues, keep in His word, and let His light shine in you and through you.

~Lisa Brannen