Are we doing Communion right?

To answer that question, let's first look at how the Christians celebrated the Lord's Supper in the New Testament.  The Lord Jesus, Himself, showed by example that the Lord's supper was to be a meal shared among his followers in which the bread and the wine brought remembrance of Him.  To the early Christians, the Lord's supper was a festive meal, a chance for Christian brothers and sisters to get together and share their lives and their food and remember Christ. The would break the bread in the beginning of the meal and pass it around, then eat, and afterward they would share the cup.   There were no clergymen there to officiate. It was essentially a Christian banquet.

(See Eric Svendsen: The Table of the Lord  and William Barclay: The Lord's Supper)

Paul mentions the Lord's supper in 1 Corinthians 11 and warns the believers to participate in a worthy manner. If you read the entire passage in context, it appears that some people were using the supper as a chance to get drunk while others weren't sharing their food with the poor! Those are the issues he was addressing.

www.thechurchatwestlake.com

In most modern protestant churches today, the Lord's supper has been reduced to a bite-size cracker and a shot glass of grape juice served by ushers in a very solemn atmosphere. The pastor usually encourages everyone to examine themselves and repent of any wrongdoings before partaking of Communion.

So, how did we get so far from the way the early church did the Lord's supper?  Sometime around the 2nd century the taking of the bread and the cup became separated from the meal. Some say it was because Christians didn't want unbelievers to profane the Lord's supper by participating in the meal, but it also could have been the growing influence of pagan religious ritual.  The term Eucharist came to replace the terms, "the bread and the cup" and the entire process began to be looked at as a holy offering.  The "elements" were then placed on the altar of the church, making them seem like sacrifices and creating a sort of mystique around them as being supernatural in nature. People now looked at them in awe, as things only priests could handle. 

www.eng.fju.edu.tw

Under further influence by pagan mystery religions, the bread and the cup were now considered holy and the taking of them a sacred ritual that could only be performed by priests.  It became shrouded in a religious mist, viewed in awe and taken with glumness. Finally in the forth century, the doctrine of transubstantiation came into being. This is the view that the bread and wine change into the Lord's actual body and blood.  Now, the common man became terrified to take the sacred elements, believing they were actually partaking of Jesus's body, thus further separating the church from the clergy.



Of course the Protestants got away from the view of transubstantiation during the Reformation but we kept most of the other aspects of the now far-removed-from-the-Bible  Lord's supper!

So what are your thoughts? I have to be honest. This information blew me away.

Taken from Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and George Barna

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Feeling "unblessed" Try forgiveness

So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord commanded them; and the Lord accepted [Job’s prayer].

And the Lord turned the captivity of Job and restored his fortunes, when he prayed for his friends; also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.  Job 42:9-10

thelatterdays.blogspot.com

You know, I've read through the book of Job many times, but for some reason I never noticed the highlighted phrase above. This time, however, it screamed out at me!  Yes, I've been torturing myself by reading Job the past month. Poor guy!  I recommend that every Christian who is going through rough times read this book. Believe me, your problems will seem miniscule compared to Job's.  And he was probably a much wiser, kinder, good-hearted, moral person than most of us. But I digress.. that's for another post. 


What I wanted to focus on was that after Job suffered SO MUCH, and after his horrible friends chastised him over and over for having committed some sin that surely must have caused all of Job's problems, God answers Job.  He is stern but kind and basically tells Job. I'm God. You are not. And you don't have a clue what's going on. (Something for all of us to remember!)

Then God turns His wrath against Job's friends (there out of the four of them) and says that they were wrong in what they said to Job. He tells them go bring 7 bulls and 7 rams and offer a sacrifice for their sins and then have Job pray for them. Otherwise they might actually have to face God's wrath!  (If I were them I would have raced to find those animals!)  

www.oldtestamentstudies.org

So, as you can see in the above Scripture, they did and Job prayed. And the Lord accepted his prayer.  Now, this is what got me. These "friends" of Job had been quite cruel to him. Here Job was in the worst condition imaginable. He'd lost EVERYTHING. All his money, land, possessions, children, and he was in chronic physical pain day and night. And these men come and insult him and berate him and condemn him and accuse him.  I don't know about you but I'd be MAD!  I would want God to whoop their scrawny butts! At the very least, I'd want to see them suffer just for a little while.  Instead God asks Job to pray for them. And if you read between the lines, that meant to pray for God to forgive them. In order to do that, Job would have to forgive them as well. OUCH! 

Now I want you to imagine that person in your life who you consider your worst enemy. That person who has made your life miserable. Perhaps it's someone from your past, your childhood, some bully at school, or even a parent. A girlfriend or boyfriend who broke your heart on purpose. Maybe it's someone you know now. Someone who insults you and is constantly hurting you in some way. Now, let's say God comes to you and says. "I'd like to punish so-and-so for treating you so bad. But if you pray for me to forgive them, I will. I'll just drop the whole thing and they'll get off scott-free! They'll never have to pay for what they've done to you"  


So, what do you say now? 
Well, as we all know, Job did pray for his friends.  But look what happened next "the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before".  The thing that struck me was it said WHEN Job prayed for his friends...  I wondered what would have happened if Job had not prayed for his friends. Would God have restored all his possessions, his health?  I wonder. The Scripture seems to indicate that perhaps not. 


How important is forgiveness to God? VERY important. Jesus spoke often of forgiveness. He included the admonition to forgive others in the Lord's prayer. He said that if we don't forgive others, He won't forgive us. Now, that's powerful! And in Job's case, God blessed him financially and physically because he forgive.


Are you feeling rather "unblessed" lately. Is the spiritual well running dry? Are the opportunities for work and success few and far between? Have locusts eaten your crop?  Might I ask you to search your heart. See if you harbor any unforgiveness for anyone, any bitterness. You never know if that evil root might be what is restraining God from pouring out His blessings on you and restoring the years the locust ate!  

“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten. . ."  Joel 2:25

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Fun Fridays: My Organic Garden and a short Q&A!

Thought you might like to get a look at how much my organic garden grew in the past few months.  Sometime in April or maybe it was May, I posted this first picture.

 

Now here is the picture I took last week!

We've already harvested several summer squash, zucchini, 1 green pepper, carrots, beans, lettuce, garlic, and tomatoes. I didn't have much success with the onions or broccoli.  Now, this is all organic.. no pesticides anywhere! I planted lots of fragrant herbs and also marigolds (as you can see) which they say deter bugs, and I haven't had any problems whatsoever.   They also say to not put the same vegetable in a row but group it with different veggies across the garden.  

Anyway, finally someone took me up on asking me some questions!  You may remember that I said part of my Fun Fridays would be used for you all to ask me ANYTHING. It could be something personal (not too personal!) or it could be something about writing or one of my books, my political or religious views, what shampoo I use..etc..  think of the possibilities!!  Not that you all want to know that stuff about me, but it could really open up some great discussions. :-)  

Anyway, here's the questions Joleen Graumann sent me.

What does a typical week look like for you when you're in the midst of writing a novel?

I get up early! Usually by 7 at the latest, grab some coffee and start going through emails. Answering emails and going through Facebook posts takes about 40 minutes. Then I grab more coffee and spend time with God. I am reading through the Bible (again) so I usually read a couple of chapters, maybe 3, pray and just hang with my Father for awhile. Then I get dressed and it's back to the computer!!  When I'm under a tight deadline I will put anywhere from 6 to 8 hours just pounding on the keyboard.   I have to force myself to get up and eat something and go for a walk. (usually around noon)  I try to walk for about 40 minutes and use that time to pray and think about what I've written. Then back to work until 5 when I need to start dinner for hubby. :-)   Unless I'm going to miss my deadline, my evenings are my own to spend with hubby and crash in front of the TV. Bubble baths really help to unwind after a day of writing!

 

How do most of your novels start? (a theme, a scene that develops into a story, a character, a verse?)

 Funny thing but my novels have all started differently. The Redemption started with a scene that played out in my head and refused to leave.  (Charlisse on a ship in the Caribbean in the middle of a storm!)  My Charles Towne Belles series definitely started with a Scripture, the parable about the seed and the sower in Matthew 13. My Destiny series started with a Theme -- God has a special purpose for each one of us!  Veil or Pearls started with a theme- the fear of man. So, I guess it depends on the book and how God reveals it to me. 

 

How many ideas for stories do you have going? (Is it often one idea at a time or do you have lots of ideas running through your head?)  

Normally I have 2 or 3 different story ideas roaming about my head at once. Rarely am I complete dry.  In fact right now, I've had a mermaid tale swimming through my brain that refuses to leave!

 

When writing historical fictions, at what point do you research? (before writing, in the midst, after the gist of the story is written?) 

I do a majority of the research before I start writing. I try to anticipate things I will need to know without spending weeks and weeks on it. It's easy to get lost in research and never come out in time to write the story!   However, once I start writing, there are always things that pop up that I need to go look up. When that happens, I either mark it and come back or I just stop the writing and go look it up. 

If you have questions for next week, please send them to me at marylu_tyndall@yahoo.com

Have a great weekend!!

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The Boston Molasses Disaster!

I found out about this little gem of history from my mother who heard it on a TV show. I was amazed that I'd never heard of it before.

www.itcanallcometrue.com

On January 15, 1919 in the north end of Boston, Massachusetts, a large molasses storage tank burst, and a tidal wave of molasses rushed through the streets at an estimated 35 mph, killing 21 and injuring 150!  Back then molasses was a very popular sweetener. It could be fermented to produce rum and ethyl alcohol and was a key component in the manufacture of munitions.  The huge storage tank (50 feet tall, 90 feet wide and holding 2,300.000 gallons of molasses) sat near Keany Square awaiting transfer to the Purity Distilling Company. Little did the residents know that the tank had been poorly constructed and insufficiently tested. Not only that but the rising temperatures of the day (from 2 degrees F to 41 F) caused CO2 to form inside the tank, increasing the internal pressure.

Witnesses stated that they heard a loud rumbling sound, like a machine gun as the rivets shot out of the tank, and that the ground shook as if a train were passing by. The bursting tank produced a wave of molasses between 7 and 15 feet high and traveling at 35 miles an hour.  Buildings were swept off their foundations and crushed. Even trains were tipped off their tracks as the wave suffocated everything in its path, leaving behind a sticky oozing pool of molasses 2 to 3 feet high.

The Boston Globe reported that people "were picked up by a rush of air and hurled many feet." Others had debris hurled at them from the rush of sweet-smelling air. A truck was picked up and hurled into the harbor. Approximately 150 were injured; 21 people and several horses were killed —crushed and drowned by the molasses.

www.flickr.com

Molasses, waist deep, covered the street and swirled and bubbled about the wreckage. Here and there struggled a form — whether it was animal or human being was impossible to tell. Only an upheaval, a thrashing about in the sticky mass, showed where any life was... Horses died like so many flies on sticky fly-paper. The more they struggled, the deeper in the mess they were ensnared. Human beings — men and women — suffered likewise

Cadets from the nearby Massachusetts Nautical School were the first to arrive, followed by the Red Cross, the Boston police and the Army. Some nurses from the Red Cross dived into the molasses, while others tended to the wounded, keeping them warm as well as keeping the exhausted workers fed. Many of these people worked through the night. The injured were so numerous that doctors and surgeons set up a makeshift hospital in a nearby building. Rescuers found it difficult to make their way through the syrup to help the victims. It took four days before they stopped searching for victims; many dead were so glazed over in molasses, they were hard to recognize.

It took over 87,000 man hours to remove the molasses from the streets, theaters, businesses, automobiles, and homes. The harbor was still brown with molasses until summer.  Some residents claim that on hot summer days, the area still smells of molasses.

Fatalities

Name	Age	Occupation
Patrick Breen	44	Laborer (North End Paving Yard)
William Brogan	61	Teamster
Bridget Clougherty	65	Homemaker
Stephen Clougherty	34	Unemployed
John Callahan	43	Paver (North End Paving Yard)
Maria Distasio	10	Child
William Duffy	58	Laborer (North End Paving Yard)
Peter Francis	64	Blacksmith (North End Paving Yard)
Flaminio Gallerani	37	Driver
Pasquale Iantosca	10	Child
James H. Kinneally	Unknown	Laborer (North End Paving Yard)
Eric Laird	17	Teamster
George Layhe	38	Firefighter (Engine 31)
James Lennon	64	Teamster/Motorman
Ralph Martin	21	Driver
James McMullen	46	Foreman, Bay State Express
Cesar Nicolo	32	Expressman
Thomas Noonan	43	Longshoreman
Peter Shaughnessy	18	Teamster
John M. Seiberlich	69	Blacksmith (North End Paving Yard)
Michael Sinnott	76	Messenger

^{Information taken from  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Molasses_Disaster}

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Wordless Wednesday!

http://my.opera.com/Mathilda%C2%B4s%20Wallpaper/albums/showpic.dml?album=105061&picture=1431480

Loved this shot! Check out the holes in the American Ship's sails! 

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Are we doing baptism right?

"Many institutions and elements of institutions which have sometimes been thought to belong to primitive Christianity belong, in fact, to the Middle Ages"  Edwin Hatch 19th century English Theologian

The good news is total immersion water baptism is Biblical and was preformed all the time in the New Testament!  Most Protestant churches today practice this type of Baptism.  The bad news is, they often do not practice it at the correct time. In fact, when you got "saved", chances were you probably weren't baptized until a later date, weeks, months, possibly years from the point of your conversion. If you were led to your baptism moments after your salvation, then you were following in the correct traditions laid down by God in the New Testament.  Personally, however, I've never seen this. In fact, I was baptized years after my conversion.

In the first century, water baptism was the outward confession of a person's faith. In fact, the writers often used the word baptism in place of the word, faith, because to them, baptism was the one action that portrayed one's initial confession of faith in Christ.  Without baptism, the person's salvation was not complete.  See (Acts 2:41, 8:12, 35-37 and Acts 16 as examples)

Today, however, the "sinner's prayer" has replaced the act of Baptism as the outward expression of a person's salvation. Anytime anyone "gets saved" we have them repeat some form of prayer which declares they've repented of their sins and now believe in Jesus as their "personal" savior.  This, however, was never done in the early church.

The separation of baptism from receiving Christ began in the early 2nd century when certain influencial Christians taught that a person could not be baptized without having a period of instruction, prayer, and fasting. This legalistic view of baptism only grew worse with time when young converts had to wait up to 3 years to be baptized! During that time, their lives were put under microscopic scrutiny and they had to prove themselves worthy of being baptized.  The act of baptism became an embellished ritual complete with blessing the water, full disrobing, uttering of a creed, anointing with oil, exorcism, giving the convert milk and honey.. etc    (How sad all of this must have made Jesus)

But it got even worse!  Many believed that if you committed a sin after you were baptized, you could not be forgiven!!   For this reason, many people, including Constantine, were not baptized until they were on their death beds.

So, although total immersion baptism is correct, we seem to be doing it at the wrong time. I'm sure God is pleased either way, but for me, the New Testament way makes a lot more sense!

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Pursuing Peace!

nuclear-guides.blogspot.com

For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 1 Thess 5:3 

Peace, just the sound of the word invokes a sigh of relief and visions of the wind rustling through a flower-laden prairie or gentle waves lapping on a white shore.  Peace in the world, peace in your home, your relationships, and more importantly, in your heart is something everyone strives for, whether they believe in God or not.

Yet how can anyone have peace without living the life their Creator created them to live? If I fashioned a clay pot into a vase but the vase ran away from my home and tried to be a spoon somewhere, would the vase be happy? Wouldn't it instead be frustrated? disillusioned? Wouldn't it begin to wonder why life was so hard and what the purpose of it all was?  (I know it's a silly illustration but it's so true!) 

I was struck by the extended Greek definition of peace I found in my Amplified Bible here in 1 Peter 3:11

Let him search for peace (harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts) 

Just think about that for a minute. Complete Harmony. No fears, No agitating thoughts, desires, or feelings, and no moral conflicts!  Now, that's peace!!

I don't know about you, but my life cannot be described like that. I'm closer than I was 10 years ago, but I long for this kind of peace.  So, where can we find peace?  True peace can only be found in God. It is the fruit of our relationship with Him. It comes from our day by day walk with Him, talking with Him, laying our cares at His feet, learning to trust Him. 

For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Romans 8:6

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7  NKJ

But did you know that we should Pursue Peace?  The definition of pursue is  to follow in order to overtake, capture; to strive to gain; seek to attain or accomplish; to chase! 

Let him turn away from wickedness and shun it, and let him do right. Let him search for peace (harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts) and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!]

1 Peter 3:11 Amplified 

In other words, don't just wish for peace or long for it. Go out and get it!!  Sail after it! Chase peace down until it is yours. How do you do this?

• You do the things that attract the object of your desire (Peace loves joy, righteousness, kindness, goodness, self control, gentleness.. )
• In every confrontation, you look for the peaceful solution, even if it means you don't win. 
• You apologize first
• You approach everyone with an attitude of humility
• You are quick to listen and slow to talk
• You put others ahead of yourself
• You spend time with God every day (pray without ceasing!  and listen for His voice!)  
• You guard your tongue for it can set forests aflame! 

Can you think of other things you can do to pursue peace??

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One of my readers dressed up in costume as Adalia from my current release Veil of Pearls!! She even wore a string of black pearls!  I'm posting her picture with permission. Isn't she gorgeous?? And what a sweet thing to do!!

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Fun Friday! My next cover!

Well, believe it or not, I'm still trying to get settled from my trip to Jamaica! I suppose it's because Veil of Pearls released this month so I've had a ton of things to do. Blogs to be on, articles to write, interviews! It's crazy but in a good way. I also had to finish the final edits on Forsaken Dreams, which was past-due to my publisher!  But no sooner had I turned it in, then I received the cover in my email!  One of my favorite parts of the entire process is my first glimpse of the cover!!!   I just love seeing the first visual representation of my characters and story. (I also LOVE the Video trailer part too!)  Anyway, here it is! 

What do you think?  What sort of feeling did it invoke?

Here's the story line.

They Left Everything Behind to Build a New Southern Utopia

Colonel Grant Wallace has seen enough death to last a lifetime. Weary and disillusioned, he slumps beneath a weight of defeat and loss. With nothing to keep him home and with the North inflicting punishment across the South, Grant organizes a shipload of southerners who, like him, long to escape the horrors of war and start a new life in a verdant land called Brazil.

Eliza Crawford can barely remember the days of her youth spent in opulence and comfort at her home in Marietta, Georgia. If only she hadn’t met Union Brigadier General Stanton Watts. But how can she even think that? He was her husband. At least he had been for a year before he was killed in the Battle of Fredericksburg. Now, rejected by both North and South, Eliza hopes to escape her past and her pain and start over in Brazil.

But once the voyage begins, troubles abound. Will  dangers at sea and enemies from within keep Grant and Eliza from the new life—and love—they long for?

Have a wonderful weekend!!

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The King's daughters - Filles du Roi!

I came across this little interesting fact when I was doing research for The Raven Saint. It's about a group  of young women who were rounded up by King Louis XIV and sent to the Americas to become wives.  (Would make an interesting book!)

In order for New France to prosper, people were needed. Thus the King decided to send women to the french colonies. Between 1663 and 1673, the King of France sent at his expense, several thousand young women to the New World, and in particular, New France, which was in Canada. Most of these women came from the Paris area or the diocese of Rouen. They were poor, abandoned, with no future in France, often orphans. The King bestowed upon them a dowry of between 50 and 300 livres and named them filles du roi.

"The 100 girls sent over by the king this year have only just arrived," wrote Mother Marie de l'Incarnation, on October 29, 1665, " and already they are almost all accommodated. He will send another 200 next year, and even more in the years following, in proportion to the need. He will also send men to marry withstanding those who are in the army. Truly, it is an amazing thing to see how the country is becoming populated and multiplying." 

The recruiting was often carried out by guardians, such as Anne Bourdon, who witnessed thirty marriages.

Almost half of the filles du roy were from the Paris area, 16% from Normandy and 13% from western France. Many were orphans with little or no education who came from the lower classes, but some were from elite families who had lost their fortunes. Those women of higher birth were usually matched with officers or gentlemen living in the colony, sometimes in the hopes that they would marry nobles living in Canada and thereby encourage the nobles to stay in the colony rather than return to France.

There were rumours that some of the girls sent to the colony had been prostitutes in France, but Pierre Boucher defended the honour of his new compatriots.
"It is not true that this sort of women come here and those who say this are greatly mistaken," he wrote, "if, by chance, it happens that there are a few among those who come who are discovered, or that during the crossing they behaved badly, they are sent back to France." It was hard to live a scandalous life in such a small colony. What these young women had in common was their poverty.

" The girls sent last year are married and almost all of them are with child or have had children already, a sign of the fertility of this country, " wrote Jean Talon to the king, in 1670. Jean Talon actively encouraged their fertility, decreeing in an edict on April 5 1669 that all inhabitants having 10 living children, born of a lawful marriage, "not priests, monks, or nuns, will be paid a pension of 300 livres a year; and for those having 12 (children), 400 livres more; furthermore, all boys who marry at the age of 20 years or less and to girls of 16 years and less, will be paid 20 pounds each on their wedding day. 

When the women arrived in New France, the amount of time it took them to find husbands varied greatly. For some, it was as short as a few months, while others took two or three years before finding an appropriate husband. Some even cancelled their marriage contracts; no doubt finding their fiances distasteful. 

Interesting stuff, huh? I love the part about being paid to have 12 children!! Egad! 

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Wordless Wednesday!

Majestic!!! 

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Is Tithing 10% of Your Income Biblical?

http://heavenawaits.wordpress.com/108/

Ah, yet another controversial topic! I have to say when I first studied this, I was shocked. So, here we go! Ready? There is not one instance of Christians tithing in the New Testament. Yes they gave money and possessions to help other Christians and the poor. Yes, they took collections for special needs. But nowhere do you see a mandate to tithe 10% of their income. Giving was strictly voluntary and was used to support other believers, apostolic workers, and to plant churches.

http://alturl.com/39k6f

The tithe originated in the Old Testament with the Israelites. God instituted three kinds of tithes as part of their country's taxation system.  They tithed of the produce of the land to support the Levites. They tithed of the produce of the land to sponsor religious festivals. They tithed of the produce of the land every third year for the local Levites, orphans, strangers, and widows.  Therefore they gave a portion of their income or produce to support their national workers (priests), their national holidays, and their poor. Most modern tax systems today serve the same purpose. So, essentially, it was a country governmental income tax.

http://alturl.com/wzort

However with the death and resurrection of Jesus, all these laws and ceremonies became null and void.  So how did the concept of tithing become such a part of the modern Christian church? It had much to do with the move from homes into church buildings and the creation of a pastor and clergy who run the church. These men had to be paid, after all! And what about all the expense and upkeep of the church building? Somewhere around the 4th century, Christian church leaders began to advocate tithing as a practice to support the clergy. However it didn't become widespread until the 8th century.  Interestingly enough, the concept of tithing didn't originate with the Old Testament but rather with the early European economy. The use of a 10% tithe was used to calculate payments to landlords. Yet as the church grew and began to acquire more land, it picked up this common practice of 10% rent. By the 10th century, tithing to support the church became a legal requirement

http://alturl.com/6vv4i

Although the tithe is not a requirement in most churches today, some do require a person to be a regular tither if they want to serve.  Often it's the poor who suffer as they try to come up with enough money to please God, all the while fearing His wrath if they don't. How many times have you heard that the more you give, the more God will bless you? That sort of doctrine is rampant in today's churches. It makes God into a stock investor. We give him our money and He makes it multiply and gives it back to us! Yet is that true? Is it even Biblical?  What about the poor widow Jesus talks about in Luke 21 who gave only two small coins, but who gave cheerfully from her heart all that she had? This is God's idea of giving. Not that we have to give everything we have, but that we give voluntarily and with gladness! And without any expectation of return.

Many of the elders and apostles of the first century had an earthly vocation and didn't receive a regular wage, although Scripture does indicate that those who work full time for the church should be paid. But we have turned church into a corporation with a staff of people who need salaries, from the pastor to the secretary to the gardener, accountant, janitor, etc.  This is not what God had in mind.  In fact, when a church functions as it should, a professional clergy becomes unnecessary. A building is unnecessary. And therefore support of both by Christians becomes unnecessary and only a full time evangelist or missionary would need to be supported. Imagine how much good Christians could do if they gave to the poor and needy instead of to a new building fund or to support a pastor?

(Taken from Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and George Barna)

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Praying from the Dungeon

The apostle Paul spent much of his later years in prison. We know this from the many letters he wrote to the various churches from prison. One of those is found in Colossians 4 and really struck me when I read it.  We know Paul was not only in prison but also in chains from verse 18

I, Paul, add this final greeting, writing with my own hand. Remember I am still in prison and in chains. May grace  be with you! Amen (so be it). Colossians 4:18 Amplified

http://www.biblelieux.com/annotations.htm

Now I don't know about you, but if I found myself in prison I'd be pretty frightened. Even in our modern prisons complete with TVs and computers and libraries and weight rooms (courtesy of our government), I'd be pretty frightened (Mainly of the other prisoners). But back then, the prisons were not so nice. They were normally dungeons with dirt floors and bugs, no beds, blankets, or air conditioning. They were overcrowded, and usually dark and gloomy. The prisoners were fettered at the legs and sometimes the neck. The chains were heavy and made of iron that would rust with the perspiration of the prisoners, causing them great pain. There was no personal hygiene. And food and drink was limited and of such poor quality that prisoners were malnourished and grew sick.  It was expected that many of the prisoners would either die of illness or commit suicide.   It was in this environment that Paul often found himself. 

http://alturl.com/dcq9a

Let's face it, if you were thrown into a place like that tomorrow, what would be your first prayer to God? What petition would you cry out to Him over and over? "Please get me out of here!"  I know I would!  I'd be down on my knees so fast, the dust would scatter.  "Lord, free me! Help me!" And what if they allowed you to send letters to your friends and family, wouldn't you ask them to pray for the same thing?  Of course! You'd get every prayer chain in the country buzzing with prayers for your release.  Do you want to know what Paul prayed for? We find it earlier in the same chapter of Colossians


And at the same time pray for us also, that God may open a door to us for the Word (the Gospel), to proclaim the mystery concerning Christ on account of which I am in prison; Colossians 4:3 Amplified


Paul prayed for the chance to witness to people in prison. Oh my. Now I feel like total scum!  But honestly, when I read that, I couldn't believe it. The dedication, the single-mindedness,  the love this man had for the Lord! Nothing else mattered, but obeying God and winning souls, not even Paul's personal comfort. That's the measure of a true disciple, isn't it? 


Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me Matt 16:24

http://alturl.com/nhseh

Yet how often are we consumed more with our own lives, our personal comfort and problem-free living than with attending to God's business above all else? How often do we start to complain and whine when things go wrong.  And how wonderful if (hypothetically) we were tossed in a dungeon in Afghanistan, our first prayer would be "Use me, Lord, to bring others to you."


You may never be thrown in a physical prison, but we all get tossed in life's prisons now and then. Job loss, money problems, health issues, children problems, death, abandonment, rejection, heartache..  life can certainly pile up on us sometimes, can't it? So much so, it feels like we are in a dank, dark, dungeon. And inevitably when that happens, we cry out to God to rescue us. Now, I'm not saying that's a bad thing. God doesn't fault us for prayers like that. But what if the next time the world is crashing down around us, we look up instead and say "Use these circumstances, Lord, use these problems, to bring others to You." 

http://alturl.com/hx58z

I imagine that would put a huge smile on our Father's face.

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Come join the party !! Lots of Free Gifts!

It's my friend Casey Herringshaw's 21st Birthday Bash and she's having a party on her blog and giving away a ton of free gifts!  Plus yours truly will be there with a free copy of Veil of Pearls to give away and some Bubble Bath!!  There will be other authors too!  So come on by.. just click HERE

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Back from Jamaica!!!

First things first!  The final 2 winners of a free copy of Veil of Pearls are:   Michelle and Wendy!!!
Congratulations!!  And thanks again to everyone who entered.  I hope you enjoyed my Veil of Pearls pre-release party as much as I enjoyed reading all your comments! 

Well, as some of you know, hubby and I went to Jamaica the first week of July to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary!  We had a wonderful time! This was my first trip to the Caribbean (I know.. crazy since I write books about it!)  and it was everything I hoped it would be. The weather, the beaches, the color of the water, the plants and trees... ah.. I was in paradise!   We stayed at Sandals Royal Caribbean in Montego Bay, an all-inclusive resort.  If you ever go to a resort, all-inclusive is the way to go! That means all your food, drinks, room, and onsite activities are all included in the price. So, no worries about paying for anything else!  Of course if you want to take any tours, that is extra. Hubby and I took 3 tours.

Hiking to Dunn's River Falls
Swimming with the Dolphins
Ziplining through the canopy!

All three I highly recommend if you ever get over that way!  Here's some pictures to enjoy.

This is one of the rooms at the resort that walks right out onto the pool!

Here's the view from our room. We were literally steps from the water!

This is the front porch of our room.. and my hubby reading!

Beach Beds at the resort! See the storm coming in?

Have you ever seen water so turquoise? That building is a Thai Restaurant on a little island off shore.

Wherever I go, I always manage to find a pirate to hang out with!

Hubby and I hiking THROUGH Dunn's River Falls. They make you hike in the water!

I was afraid of getting swept away!!

Now, this is more like it!! Making friends with the Dolphins!

Maybe a little too friendly!

This was so much fun!

Believe it or not, the Dolphins are pushing me up and through the water with their noses!

Here's hubby !!

Look at me!! 300 feet above ground speeding through a tropical canopy!!

Hubby was enjoying himself too!

Back to our little haven.. our room is the one on the bottom right. The yellow flag means swim at your own risk!

The ocean in front of our room!

Hope you've enjoyed journeying with me to Jamaica!!  Like I said, we had a wonderful week, but all in all, there's no place like home!

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