Happy Dress Up Day

Sunday, we had Old Fashioned Day at church.  It was fun seeing the people and also singing the old, old hymns.

 

(The 1st Sunday of January....we will have been at our church for 20 years so may days I truly feel......OLD.)  Smile.

 

Tonight....lots of folks were dressed up going to Church Trunk or Treats....or Fall Festivals, etc. 

 

I trust that EVERYONE had a good and safe day!!!

Invitation to two exciting events at The Summit just for Ministers Wives

We hope you can join us for two great events at this year's summit in Sevierville, TN.

The Good Cup
Monday, November 14, 2016
1:00-4:00
Doors open at 12:30 with program starting at 1:00
Ballroom D

Cost: FREE and no registration is needed.

There will be light refreshments, coffee, tea and water

Speaker: Carol Anderson Shores (www.actsofrenewal.com)
Music: Lauren Talley (www.laurentalley.com)

Ministers Wives Luncheon
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
11:30-1:15
Ballroom D

Cost: $20 if you pre-register by November 10; $25 at Summit in the Ministers Wives booth

Speaker: Dana James
Music: Vicki Leavell

In addition to the soloist and guest speaker, we will have a special gift and door prizes!

You can register online for the luncheon HERE or you can go HERE to download the registration form and pay via check, if you do not want to register online.

For more information contact Lana Rose at lrose@tnbaptist.org or by calling 615.714.0142

Faith & Authority

Obviously, I have been doing a lot of thinking on God's authority this week...

To be quite honest, I wrote the previous four posts in one sitting this past Sunday night. I was motivated, so I made a cup of Dunkin' Donuts Coffee in my Keurig. After adding my favorite holiday inspired creamer, Chocolate Carmel, I sat down at my husband's laptop and began to type. The girls were in bed. The house was quiet. The next thing I knew it was approaching midnight.

For this momma that rises a little after 5:00 in the morning that was a pretty big deal. So I prayed that God would provide the energy, strength and patience that would be required of me the next day and into the evening when Daddy would be at a ministry meeting. I knew there would not be even the slightest window of opportunity for even the smallest of power naps. Would I be able to make it?

Perhaps it was a fleece of some sort.... If my into-the-late-night writing session was Holy Spirit led, then God would indeed provide all I needed not just to make it through my Monday, but I would, in fact, thrive. If not, if I couldn't get through the day without biting off at least one of my daughters' heads or collapsing of exhaustion then maybe, just maybe, my Sunday evening writing spree had been done only on the fuel of my sugary, caffeinated beverage....

It is now Thursday night. The house is again quiet. I am still reflecting on God's authority....

Yes. He is THE authority. He is ultimately The Boss, a good Boss setting up the various levels of authority over us, including the POTUS. We should be amazed by his teaching because of His authority, not taking it for granted....

The question that I can't get outta my mind is this, "Why don't we more willingly submit to His authority?"

The answer I feel God has led me to: A lack of faith.

We don't willingly submit to God's authority due to our sinful, lack of faith.

• By not trusting God with the future of our nation, we worry about the outcome of the election and what it means for our family and churches and all the unborn babies....

• By disregarding God's law, we try to decide on our own what is right and true and good only to find our lives lacking purpose and meaning.

• By neglecting the reverence Jesus' teaching deserve, we miss the intimacy of walking through life with our Savior the way He intended.

When we actively practice faith in God's authority, our lives look very different.

• By trusting God's authority with the the outcome of our election, we can look at the days ahead with confidence and with hope.

• By understanding the authority of God in the scriptures, we will strive to live our lives by them and, I turn, are able to find and fulfill the purpose God has created us for.

• By seeking and searching the Word with reverence and awe, the Holy Spirit is given an open window to grow our faith in amazing ways as we become better acquainted with Savior and our God.

If we are going to better submit to His authority, we need more faith.

 Lord, help our unbelief!

Monday, the day after my late-night writing spree, was a good day. I did thrive. No Vinson daughter lost her head on account of my being tired from my lack of sleep.

As I look back, I believe that God led my Sunday night typing. My faith is that He heard and honored my prayer. I believe that by His authority alone I was able to write on Sunday and then live as He intended on Monday. It's a small example of trying to submit to His authority - over time, my physical needs and simply being obedient. Yet, when we can submit to His authority in the small things, it becomes easier to do so in the big things.

I guess if I had to bring all my ramblings on God's authority to a conclusion, it would be this:

The relationship between a growing faith AND acknowledging God's authority through trust is a very real thing. We can't have one without the other....

Astonished By Authority

When was the last time you were astonished by the teachings of Christ?

In three of the Gospels, the people were "astonished" with the authority by which Jesus taught. (Matthew 7:28-29, Mark1:22 & 27, Luke 4:32) Here was an uneducated carpenter speaking with more than knowledge and understanding. He spoke with authority, even more so than their scribes. They couldn't wrap their minds around it.

In just 5 chapters of the book of Matthew (8-12), Jesus exerts His authority over disease, sickness, demons, storms, waves, death, blindness, deafness, and religion. The people rallied around all these demonstrations of His authority and thought nothing of his lowly roots when they were watching and wanting Him to do more miracles.

 Yet the people weren't described as "astonished" by these miracles. They were astonished by the authority of His teaching.

The pharisees even asked Him for more signs, but Jesus wouldn't "perform" for them. He had already shown and would continue to show His power and His authority without playing into their hands.

Jesus knew that they REALLY couldn't understand the authority by which He spoke. They thought they were the ones who were supposed to have the authority.

Honestly, growing up in the church, I seldom respond in astonishment to His teaching OR His miracles.  Don't get me wrong, I am thankful that by God's good grace that I grew up hearing about and knowing these things.

Yet, maybe we should ask God to let us see His teaching with fresh eyes....

This week, I have been focused on God's authority. I want, no I NEED, to be astonished by this the same way the people in the Gospels were astonished.

My prayer for myself, and for you sweet reader, is that we would all be astonished by His authority, especially in His teaching....

If we are astonished by the authority of His teaching, how would our lives be different? How would our faith journey be stronger? How would we approach the relationships and circumstances of our daily lives?

We don't need to go to conference to be astonished. We don't need to purchase LifeWay's latest packaged Bible Study. We don't need to take a Facebook poll or even make a Google search.

Just ask.

Just ask Him to astonish you by the authority of His teaching.

He will answer. This is the kind of prayer He delights in answering. We are humbling ourselves and looking for His glory.

Look for it.

Be astonished by His authority.

Bad Bosses

I didn't see the movie. Even though I like several of the actors and actresses that starred in the film, Bad Bosses. From the preview,  I could tell that it wasn't really my kind of comedy, but the idea behind it is intriguing.

We can all relate to not "appreciating" a boss in some job we had a some point in our lives. If we are honest, who hasn't fantasized about how we would like to respond if we could? Or maybe you actually did respond and have a story about the outcome. Maybe "they" could even make a movie about it . . . Oh, wait, "they" did . . .

There will always be authority figures that we disagree with and, at times, God may call us to stand up to those in power. Christians have to prayerfully proceed in how we handle those rulers and principalities.

We should be different. As Christians we tell a watching world a lot about God in how we respond to authority.  Check out 1 Peter 4. Peter told the "beloved" believers how to respond to an authority that was hostile to them. He tells us too.

No matter who wins the election in a couple of weeks, we can rest in the truth that God ultimately determines the next POTUS.  But whether the person in the Oval Office is the one we voted for or not, our response is critical and crucial.

Our response will say a lot about our faith.

If we really believe that "...there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God." (Romans 13:1b ESV) then our joy will not be shaken on November 9 if our candidate loses.

We may not like the winner. We may not understand why God has determined this specific outcome. We may not even be able see how anything good can come out of either outcome. BUT, through faith we can trust the One who is ultimately in control.

We can know through the scriptures that God will go to extremes to get His people's attention and praise. Not necessarily the USA, but His children are disciplined and tested. Why should the outcome of our election be immune to that?

Let us "pass" this test and glorify our God, no matter the outcome. We have Christian brothers and sisters across the globe that deal with more evil dictators and governments than we believe to ever be possible in our Land of the Free.

Our God knows what He is doing around the world and here at home. And while I don't understand His big picture plan, I can completely trust His heart and know without a doubt that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without His knowledge.

We might classify our next president as a "bad boss" but regardless of who becomes the next leader of the free world he or she is not really in charge- our Good God is and we should act like it. It isn't about who will be appointed to the Supreme Court Bench or which one is more trustworthy. It is all about how we faithfully face the outcome.

Our hope is in an Authority much higher than any "Bad Boss."

Who's the Boss?

Do you remember that sit-com from the late 80s?

Tony Danza, Judith Light, and Alyssa Milano (I used to wanna be her SO bad!) starred in the 30 minute show that highlighted the tensions and the relationships between an advertising professional, her housekeeper, each of their own kids and her mother. The theme song was catchy and the stereo-typical roles of men and women were challenged, but the conflict was always neatly resolved before the end of the show - even if they never really, directly answered the question of the show's title, "Who's the Boss?".

When I go to work, I am "the boss" for about 50 people (give or take 1-5). Yet, I still answer to the authority of my supervisor, the preschool minister. Officially, she and I both in turn are subject to the pastor. Unofficially, I also answer to the parents of the preschoolers who are enrolled in our program. They pay for their kids to come, so in a way, they could be seen as my bosses too.

I get these relationships. My parents taught me from an early age to respect authority. I had a public school  teacher once who explained that even if a person failed to acknowledge authority on a lesser level that there would be another, stronger, higher authority that they would one day be forced to acknowledge, even if that meant being cuffed and carted off to jail. This has always made sense to me. I am thankful by His grace that I grew up in a home where I was taught about authority.

There are some in our society that would say that this sort of understanding is lacking in our psyche today and it is the very thing that is wrong with our world. You don't even have to watch a full 30 minutes of the evening news to see countless ways that various people have assumed that they didn't need to submit themselves to some form of authority or another.

Police shootings (where police are doing the shooting AND where they are the ones being shot.), government corruption, and even vehicular "accidents" caused by yet another DUI- the lack of respect for authority is all around us.

However, this kind of rebellion is nothing new. Mankind has been a rebel-without-good-cause since the Garden of Eden. We don't need people to be more respectful of the laws or of the police or even of each other.

People truly need to be more respectful of God's authority.
 
And by "people" I really mean "me."

When I look at the world around me from this perspective, from His perspective - I have more respect for the other authorities that He has placed over me - the law which tells me I should not exceed a certain speed limit, and the police officer who pulled me over for a broken taillight - among other authority figures.

I also have more respect for those I share oxygen with when I stop and see them from His perspective. Even if I didn't or couldn't see the value of those around me, I should still show them love simply because He said so. This is just one of those areas that He has explained why we should do what we are supposed to do. We are all His image bearers.

God's authority cannot be made into an 80's sitcom. There is nothing funny about it. He is our ultimate authority. Like I said in my last post, whether we acknowledge it or not, He is. It is His judgement that we will one day surely face regardless of how we chose to live our lives.

Maybe we don't have authority issues with the police or even our bosses. But until He returns or calls us home, we will all continue to struggle with rebelling against our Ultimate Authority Figure.

Thinking on this, I know I need to spend some time both confessing and praising-confessing my rebelling ways and praising that I am judged not by my own deeds, but Christ's. By His blood I am forgiven AND made righteous before my Boss.

This is REALLY good news. When I humble myself and acknowledge who the Boss is -not Bruce Springsteen, but a loving Father who by His endless mercy and grace takes care of my problem with authority, I am overwhelmed by Who the Boss really is and His relationship to me.

He Is Still the Boss

Tonight as I was getting the three year old dressed for bed. She stopped, looked straight at me and said, "You're awfully bossy."

I then stopped trying to help her put on her PJ's and looked back at her. Did she really just say what I think she said? Did she really just echo my exact words back at me? How many times have I said those exact syllables when refereeing a skirmish between two or more of my daughters? (Granted I try say "you're being" or "you're acting awfully bossy." But of course that is not what her little mind remembers.)

As a resumed directing her little arms into her little sleeves, I thought to myself that I have every right to be bossy when it comes to parenting. God has given me both the right and the responsibility to tell the two little and one not-so-little girls that call me mom, what to do.

I have the God-given authority over them. 

When I tell my girls what to do, I am not merely being "bossy," even if it seems that way to them. I am teaching and training OR we are running extremely late and I need all-hands-on-deck to get everyone with everything out the door and in the van.

Most of the time, I have a purpose and a plan when I exercise my authority over the girls. From their limited time on Earth, they may not get the bigger purpose behind my directions and instructions, but I still expect them to obey. I am the parent. They are the children.

I don't think I have ever been the kind of parent that practises the "Because I Said So" approach to parenting. From the time my oldest could discern my voice, I tried to be respectful of who she is as person and explain the world around her as much as I could. My mom says I am a patient mom. But there are times that it isn't in my girls' best interest to divulge as much information as they'd like. Yet, it is still their responsibility to respond with faithful obedience.

This is the way God designed it. He thought so much about this relationship, that it even has its own specific commandment in the list of ten. Plus, it's the first one with a promise. Look it up in Exodus! You wanna live a long life? Obey your parents! (Don't think I don't tell the girls this truth!)

I've been thinking a lot about authority lately, mostly God's authority. Then when Eliza accused me of being bossy tonight, I realized that I can be a lot like her in how I relate to my Heavenly Father.

Sometimes I can be a little "too big for my britches" and not want to acknowledge His authority over me. Yet, whether I acknowledge it or not, it is still there. He is still there. He is still the Boss.

He doesn't always tell me what He is up to. He seldom shows me why He does the things He does. He knows more. He understands more. As my loving, heavenly Father, I can trust Him to act in the best interest of my well-being and my relationship with Him.

I am the child. He is The Parent, and the best One ever at that. He doesn't make mistakes.

This week as I blog, I will be reflecting on God's authority. I think the most profound truth for me though is how it relates to me or better yet how I relate to it, God's authority over me. 

My Top Ten Current Church Pet Peeves

Okay, I am in a mood to just have a little fun.  I have decided that today’s topic will be a list of my top ten current church pet peeves.  Maybe you can relate to these or perhaps you have your own list.  If you do, please feel free to join in the fun and leave your comment.

1.       Do not tell me that I “need” to be friends with so and so, because they have lots of money.  Excuse me but socio-economic status is not important to me.  If I recall Jesus ministered to ALL people.

2.      Please do not assume that I do not have plans on a certain night in order to attend an event.  Even though I do not work outside the home or have young children at home, I do lead a very hectic life managing a pastor/husband and babysitting my grandchildren.

3.      Do not expect me to dress nicely to go to the store.  If I am coming from the gym and short on time, I often will do my shopping while I am out.

4.      Please do not bring your “concern” about an issue at church to my husband five minutes before worship service is to begin. Nothing hinders the Holy Spirit more than a critical spirit.

5.      If you must go to the restroom during church, please exit through the back doors.  Walking to the front of the church is a distraction to everyone.

6.      When the choir/praise team is leading in worship, please don’t look like you are sucking on a lemon.  At least fake a smile.

7.      Please do not tell the ministry staff or their wives that you or someone you know are going to be hospitalized and expect us to remember.  Please let the church office know so they can remind us to visit and pray for you.

8.      Please do not assume that as the minister’s wife I know everything going on at church.  I do not know everything nor do I want to know.

9.      Yes, I want to be your friend.  However, do not assume we will be close friends.  God will lead me to the people who will be my trusted friend.

10.  Last and my biggest pet peeve is Sunday afternoon wedding and baby shower???? Why???  This is the busyness day of the week for ministers’ wives. 

So girlfriends, can you relate?  Do you have a ministry/church related pet peeve?  Come one share it with us!  Let’s have some fun!

Will They Ever Get It?

As you know I am a chocoholic.  I stand before you today confessing that it is not unusual for me to consume a handful of Peanut M & M’s on a daily basis.  If those little “Happy Pills” are not available and I need an addiction fix, I will search my pantry in search of chocolate.  Alas, the problem with my addiction is that it leads me to feel sluggish and to put on a few pounds.  When will I ever get it that over-indulgence is not good for me?

As a ministers’ wife, I often find myself asking the question, “Will they ever get it?”  The “they” I am referring to here is our congregation.  For instance, my pastor husband prayerfully seeks the Lord preparing for each Sunday.  He and his staff pray over each aspect of the service, the people who will attend, etc.  On Sunday many of our members sit and just critique each missed music note, each stumbled over word spoken, or a choir member’s attire.  When will they ever get it that the service is for the Lord and everything done is all about Jesus?

As the pastor’s wife, I want everyone to feel welcome.  Jesus welcomed the children, the elderly, the young, the sick and the sinners.  Hmm, I believe he tried to welcome the religious leaders of his day but they did not get it.  Just recently I heard of a church that would not baptize someone because of their color?  Seriously!  When will they ever get it that Jesus came to seek and to save EVERYONE not just a few?

This is my personal opinion.  I believe “they” will get it on the day of our Lord’s return.  Until then we must be faithful to God’s calling and let Him work on people’s hearts.

Ladies, Friday is probably not a good time to write a post but here goes anyway.  I want to remind you about our two Ministers Wives events at the Summit this year. 

1.  The Good Cup, Sevierville Convention Center, November 14th from 12:45-4:00 in ballroom D.  Carol Anderson-Shores will be our featured speaker.  Carol is a professional actress and will be doing skits around different women in the Bible.  Our featured musician is Lauren Talley of the Southern Gospel group, The Talleys.  She will be singing several songs throughout our time together.  You have asked for more time for discussion.  We heard you. You will have several times to discuss topics around the tables.

2.  Annual Luncheon is Tuesday, November 15th from 11:30-1:15 in the same place.  Our musician is Vicki Leavell, pastor's wife at FBC, Millington.  Our speaker is Dana James, from Greenwood, Indiana.  Dana has spoken several times at events for us and is now speaking all over the country.  Dana is a fun, unique speaker that you will certainly enjoy.  The cost of the luncheon is $20 if preregistered or $25 if paid at the Summit.  Online registration is open at www.tnministerswives.org.
You can find the full schedule and hotels for the Summit at www.tnbaptist.org.

The planning team has worked hard to make these two events unique and exceptional.  Join us in Sevierville in November.  Hope to see you there. 

Lana Rose

Leadership Specialist

Tennessee Baptist Convention

What Is Your Necessary Thing?

Have you ever thought about the one thing that you absolutely, positively could not live without?

Is it a person or a hobby or a television program or a favorite food or a vacation spot or the latest clothing styles or a website or the TN Prime Rib Blog?!

In this life we all have things that we convince ourselves that we need, and if we don’t get them, it seems that life will be so unbearable! (I know that’s a bit dramatic, but you get the point.)

I love trail mix. I can eat just about any kind, but it has to have chocolate in it! (Vickie, I like chocolate too!) I purposely don’t purchase it too often because it’s hard to exercise self-control when I dig in. Of course, there’s a suggested serving size on the bag, but I totally ignore that information. So, every now and then, I indulge in my “necessary thing”. I could probably come up with some other indulgences that I also think that I can’t live without.

What is your necessary thing?

Our loving Savior has given us all things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17) as long as they are not sinful, but we are not to have any idols before Him (Exodus 20:4-5). We enjoy, but we don’t worship these “things”.

There is truly one thing that is necessary. Our Savior leaves us no doubt what that “necessary thing” should be for each of us.

Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, demonstrated what that “necessary thing” is.

In Luke 10:38-42 we see Jesus and His disciples traveling, and they come to the home of His dear friends. I call it the tale of two sisters. Mary, sitting at the Savior’s feet listening to His every word. Martha, frantically trying to serve the Savior. Many of you know the story: Martha gets very mad that her sister is not helping her serve, and she has no reservations about letting the Lord know just how irate she is.

Yet, I love Jesus’ gentle response to her. He compassionately tells her that she is worried about so many things, but (and I love this part) only “one thing is necessary”. Mary got it; she understood what was needed above all else. Sitting at the feet of Jesus!

What does that look like today? For me, it is reading His word, soaking in all the precious promises and truths in the Scriptures. It is praying to Him and enjoying intimate fellowship with Him on a daily basis, allowing His presence to encourage me throughout my day. I admit, some days I linger for a short time at His feet, some days I am able to sit longer. It has become a life-line for me, for I am nothing without Him.

So, my sisters, what is your necessary thing?

Oh, I believe it’s okay to have certain things that we enjoy, as long as they don’t become idols in our lives. But let’s not forget what Our Savior taught us; the “one necessary thing” that is needed is Jesus Christ Himself and all that He desires to pour into our hearts.

“But only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42