New Life Church, sbc

Brother Jesse started a new series today that focuses on making the most of our marriage vows.  On a humorous note, my husband picked THIS weekend to go fishing and possibly not make it back in time for worship.  As soon as I saw Jesse's Facebook post about the topic, I called Bobby to tell him.  He was already in the truck, speeding back to make it home in time to hear it!   Wow....there I go with that word again, but WOW....how things have changed in our marriage over the last twenty years!  

It's no secret that many marriages today don't make it.  Jesse hit the nail on the head today when he said one of the enemy's favorite attacks on followers is to attack the home from the inside....by causing couples to doubt each other, to bicker, and to get their roles completely mixed up.  The Lord truly knows how much Bobby and I have struggled with this over the years!   

I once watched a show where an elderly couple was interviewed.  They had been married for more than 70 years, and the interviewer asked, "What is the secret to the longevity of your marriage?"  They were sitting their holding hands, and they looked at each other...then the wife said, "I guess neither of us fell out of love at the same time."  That simple answer really struck a chord with me.  

I am thrilled to be able to say that I married my best friend, and that I know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that we will be married until one of us takes our last breath.  I most definitely could not have said that ten, five, or if I'm completely honest, even two years ago.  Over the course of our twenty year marriage, Bobby and I have looked quite perfect on the outside, while on the inside our marriage was crumbling and even WE didn't realize it until it was almost too late.

We have been at a crossroads in our marriage twice.  Once, I fell out of love and then it happened to him.  Both times, the thing that pulled us through was our kids.  While I don't believe in "staying together for the kids," I do think there are times when it's not only possible to do it....sticking it out for the kids, if done with a right heart, can also be the biggest blessing to a dying marriage.  We CHOSE to get married.  We CHOSE to have children.  They did not choose to be born....and they deserve a mom and  dad who love them enough to learn to love each other again, even if seems like it might be easier not to even try.  

What has made the biggest difference in our marriage?  It's simple:  We are both on the same page spiritually and emotionally--but that didn't magically "happen."  It took WORK....and prayer.  God allowed the enemy to test us, because He had faith in our marriage and knew we'd pull through it--even when we didn't know it ourselves  We are now walking Christ's path for our lives, side by side.  We are an equal partnership, but Bobby is most definitely the leader in our home.  (Those who know me definitely know I'm not "submissive" by any stretch!--but in my marriage, I really am) I defer to him, but he does not abuse his position in our family hierarchy.  We discuss all situations with each other, and we make all decisions TOGETHER.  

Another key component, I think....is that we don't side with our kids over each other.  EVER.  If I disagree with something he's done regarding their upbringing, I wait till we're alone, and we talk about it.  He does the same with me.  

It's all a give and take.  Are there times we struggle?  Yep.  Do we still argue?  Oh yeah....  Do we get frustrated with one another?  Absofragginlutely!  But the bottom line is, we promised God, and we promised our kids....everything else is secondary.

There's so much more I could say on this.....but I hate only giving MY reactions to Sundays messages.  I would LOVE it if people would comment!!!   (That's not really a hint....I'm begging!)   

Blessings, 

Teresa

I'm not going to open this blog post with "WOW," even though I really want to.  Once again, God spoke to so many hearts in the message this morning.  I know that most people take one specific thing away from the message on Sunday mornings, and for me, the one word I wrote bigger than any other on my notepad was "Integrity."  One of the enemy's main goals is to rob us of our integrity."..and I must say I wholeheartedly say AMEN to that!  

I've always believed in God, but it wasn't until I developed a personal relationship with Him, through Christ and the Holy Spirit,  that things began to REALLY change for me and my entire "what makes me tick."  I've thought about this a lot over the past few years, and when Jesse said that about the enemy and integrity today, a HUGE bell went off in my head.  Let me try to explain....

I haven't always been the church-going, shout-my-faith-from-the-rooftops kind of person that I am today.  OK, I don't really shout it from the rooftops, but I do post a lot about my faith on Facebook...which is kind of the same thing.  :)   Like I said, I haven't always been the way I am now--while I HAVE always believed in God, it hasn't been until the past ten years or so that I've really changed dramatically on the INSIDE.  It wasn't until this morning that I realized that I haven't changed....God's just fully taken up residence in my heart and that is reflected  in the choices and decisions I make.  

When I was in high school I lied.  A lot.  I lied about insignificant, unimportant things.  I lied about big, hugely important things. I never thought twice about saying whatever I needed to say to get whatever I wanted at any given time.  If that was lying about why I couldn't go to school, lying to my mom about where I was going at night, lying about well, just about anything.  It simply did not bother me. I was very good at making sure I covered every base with my lies too...like, covered every "what if" with a ready explanation should the need for one arise.  I also had no shame in stealing.  I've never admitted that before, but I didn't.  If I wanted something, I took it.  I was a MASTER manipulator and liar...when I think back on some of the things I did and said in high school and early college...I cringe inwardly....seriously cringe.  It was HUGELY important to me to be liked and respected...even though I lied to gain that admiration and respect.  Crazy, huh?  INTEGRITY?  I had none.  Zero.  

Thankfully, I don't lie anymore, and I can't fathom stealing....ANYTHING.  Today, it registered with me that those changes came in my personality not because I married into a wonderful family,  am trying to raise my children to make good choices over bad, or even because I realized consciously how WRONG I had been in my youth.  It's true that when I found Bobby, I wanted to be a better person and represent our family in a good way, but the real changes weren't because of him. No, those changes in me came as a direct result of God working in my life and changing what makes me tick.  Not on a conscious, concrete way, but in a spiritual, eternal way.

For years, the enemy had a hold of me.  I'm not saying I FOLLOWED evil or anything like that, but I allowed material things and what people thought of me  overtake many of my thoughts and decisions.  There wasn't one hugely impactful moment that I changed....but I am MOST DEFINITELY not the person I was before developing a close personal relationship with God.  

A lot of people live their life by asking "What would Jesus do?"  I totally applaud that way of thinking!  The REAL transformation though, happens when you don't have to ask...you just know and do the right thing.  That's called integrity....and it's a wonderful bonus feature of TRULY accepting God's call in  life.  I not only DON'T do the wrong thing, (well, not often...nobody's perfect but Jesus)  I don't even THINK about doing the wrong thing very often....because it would cause too much internal conflict and stress to do so.  

That being said, I'm terribly weak when it comes to gossip and using foul language.  I'm still not the most patient person when dealing with my children, and I am still sometimes extremely lazy and could be doing more for the Kingdom. Guess God's still gotta help me work those things out....  

It's been said by a lot of different people but...I'm not who I want to be, but I'm SURE not the person I used to be.  God loved me too much to keep me that way. 

Blessings, 

~Teresa

Wow.  Once again, I left church with that word in my head.  Today's service was nothing short of amazing....for one thing, it was PACKED!  During greeting time I simply could not believe how many people were there--and that it was the second service of the day!  It's always a great time to be a first time visitor at New Life, but MAN....today was just incredible.  (Given the fact that Jesse was on the verge of tossing his cookies the whole time, that's pretty amazing too!)

I took a whole bunch of notes and scribble a few things in my Bible becasue I knew I would want to post something here about it...and wouldn't you know it....I left my Bible at church!  So...I won't be quoting the scriptures from Matthew, but I will share the most important thing I got from this morning's message...in my own words.  Here it is: 

"There is nothing that can be done to us  or by us in our earthly form (by someone who's hurting us in their earthly form)  that is unforgiveable on a spiritual level."   Holding back forgiveness can be a huge roadblock to powerful prayer.  God has shown us so much Grace and Mercy--who are we to hold any of that back from someone else?

Today was pretty monumental for me on a personal level, because as I sat there listening to how important it is to forgive others, I literally could not think of anyone I haven't forgiven.  That, is HUGE--and if you know me at all, you understand how huge that is.  If I had heard the same message a year ago, I would have been a puddle of agonizing tears.  I still shed a few tears today, but not because I'm harboring unforgiveness in my heart, but because I'm NOT harboring any. 

Jesse said something else that was very power for me.  He said something along the lines of, "If you're fishing in the same place for a long time, and keep pulling up junk and getting your line broken, find another place to fish!"  That was a huge "aha moment for me."  Even though I'd forgiven myself and others who have hurt me or my family, I would still sometimes find myself revisting the situations and having negative thoughts.  When Jesus said all our sins were forgiven and buried into the deepest depths of the ocean, He really should have hung a "no fishing allowed" sign for those of us that are a little slow to figure things out.  

These are my thoughts on today's message--I'd love to hear what others got out of it too.  If the Spirit is nudging you to share, please click on "comment" and do so!

Blessings, 

Teresa  

Wow.  I always seem to find myself saying "WOW" after each and every worship service I attend.  If I'm out of town and can't make it, as soon as the service is over, I will usually get a one word text from Bobby:  "WOW".  I can't find words to express how much this church has changed not only my life, but the life of my entire family, and many of my friends.  As I was driving home today, I was thinking about how awesome it is that I'm able to worship with a few of my sixth grade students, and some of my other middle school and high school students as well.  That got me to thinking about ALL the things I love about New Life, which in turn gave me the idea for this blog post.  Following are the top ten reasons to attend New Life Church, in no particular order of importance, other than how they pop into my brain.  

1.  The HOLY SPIRIT is truly present--He is there in an extremely alive and powerful way.

2.  There is NO HUMAN JUDGMENT within the walls of this church.  It is made very clear that God wants us to LOVE, not    judge--only God is allowed to do that.  

3.  The MUSIC.  Our praise and worship team literally glows with Christ.  Just watching Justin worship is reason enough to come check it out.  :)

4.  The YOUTH.  I have never been in a church where so many young people are on fire for God.  I'm also able to worship with my own students, which is a gift not many teachers get to experience.  

5.  The MESSAGE.  I am one of those people that has a hard time giving my undivided attention when someone else is speaking, for more than about 12 minutes.  LOL  All my life, no matter what church I was attending, I always seemed to find my mind wandering by the end of the sermon. I've even been in churches where not just one, but several people actually fell asleep during the service.  Now, for the first time in my life, when the message is over, I actually find myself thinking, "Oh man, not yet!"  It's not just me either....the YOUTH even pays attention!  That, in and of itself is a powerful testament to how gripping Brother Jesse's sermons are.  I believe it's because HE'S not speaking to us--he's merely passing along words that God has placed on his heart to share.  

6.  The BIBLE.  You won't find any pre-written prayers or hear us reciting stuff from rote memory.  You WILL, however, find everyone flipping back and forth in their Bibles, as Jesse leads us to God's end of a powerful conversation.  

7.  LIFE GROUPS.  Each and every night of the week there is are small groups of people meeting in various homes across Beeville.  This is the vision Christ had for the church.  It's in these small groups that the real bonding and fellowship occur.  We come to love each member of our group in a way that wouldn't be possible if we were only attended on Sunday mornings. 

 8.  The YOUTH LEADERSHIP TEAM.  My own daughters are involved with the youth and I have seen their faith mature in such a strong and powerful way over the past year.  It's the youth ministry that is actually responsible for my family becoming a part of New Life.  My girls started attending several months before Bobby and I did...they led us here.  How cool is that?

9.  The AUTHENTIC WORSHIP.  There isn't any false bravado or show here.  There is genuine fire and passion for God.  Some praise quietly, some praise loudly, some do a little of both--whatever your personal worship style, you're sure to find someone who shares it within the walls of New Life

10.  LOVE.  It all comes down to love.  God loves us and wants us to love Him back, and to demonstrate that love in all that we do and say.  

I could probably list a LOT more, but I said I'd give ten, so I gave ten.  I'd love people to comment and share why YOU attend New Life, and how it's changed your walk with God. 

Blessings, 

Teresa

Wow, it has been a while since I've posted, and for that I apologize.  I have found that I have to be really moved by something and connect with it on a personal level in order to write about it.  Whether it's with regard to this blog, my personal blog, or my professional one, I have to have an "A-HA moment" to be inspired.  I will think to myself, "T--you really need to post something" but then I'll sit down to try and just go completely blank.  But if I read something or experience something that moves me, I find myself clammoring to get to a comptuer in order to get it down before it flies away.  This is what happened this morning, so here I sit, hammering away at my keyboard.  :) 

Every morning, the first thing I do is read a "Reminder from God" and share it on my Facebook wall.  Today's gave me a ginormous "A-Ha moment."  It said, "All down the ages men have been too eager to say what they thought about My Truth. Hear Me. Talk to Me. Reflect Me. I can explain to each heart."  

Too often I think even the most well-indended of us (meaning ME, mostly)  can come off sounding a tad self-righteous when we try to talk to a non-believer about Christ, or why WE think THEY should live their lives in a "better" way, when we should be more focused on living our OWN lives in a way that reflects what happens when we fully accept God's love and live according to His plan.  If we all just focus on living our OWN lives in the light of Christ, then that light WILL be reflected out....person by person.  

With regard to how I think of my own life on this level, I immediately think of my family and careers.  For those of you who know me, you know that I LOVE my family and my three jobs.  I was blessed to have God lead me to my best friend and soulmate. (After I stupidly tried to lead myself--and failed--miserably--a LOT! Heck, I've even tried to mess THIS union up, but God wouldn't let me--that, however, is a whole different topic.)  God has entrusted us with two of the best kids (I think so anyway) on the planet and together we have created a home that fills me with happiness and pride.  (The "good" kind of God-reflected pride, not the sinful self-relected kind)  I am a full time librarian, I teach sixth grade Reading and I have a book trailer website and consulting business.  If you get me talking about my family or my work, you best be prepared to listen to me GUSH.  :)  I'm just eaten up with love and admiration for all of it! 

I've had people ask me, "How do you manage it all?  How can you travel to another state for a consulting job, be back in you classroom/library the next day, and STILL be so dang happy and full of energy?"  My answer is pretty simple, really.  Once I stopped trying to PROVE how good I was and started to let God lead me on a path of what HE wanted me to do, then I started being able to do more....and more.....and more.  My life is currently so full on so many levels, that I will admit there are days when I'm not sure how to get it all done--but it always seems to get done--and THAT is a direct reflection of GOD working my in my life, family, and careers.  When people ask how I do it, it might sound a little "canned" to reply with, "It's not me, it's me allowing God ot work," but that is the "God's-honest" TRUTH of the matter!  (Oh---it also helps to have a husband that does WAY more than his part to keep our household running and functioning.  SHMILY!)

If you see someone that always seems happy, and has a ton of energy on days you find yourself dragging your butt to the coffee pot just to have the energy to GET UP...ask yourself, "HOW are they that happy?  WHAT are they doing that I'm not?"  The chances are pretty good, that if someone is GENUINELY happy--then they have GENUINELY accepted God's plan for their life.  The secret to happiness?  GOD!!!!!!!!   

Blessings, 

Teresa

P.S.  After reading this through, I realize that it sounds like I'm ALWAYS happy and bubbly--trust me, I have my bad days--just ask my family or students!  BUT....when you have true joy deep down, in your heart, the good days wil FAR outnumber the bad.  Also, the most important part of why I wanted to post the reminder seems to have gotten lost in my ramblings up there....but the bottom line is, we don't have to PREACH to others about God's Truth.  We need to LIVE God's truth--and make people ask themselves, "What the heck is she ON?  I want some of THAT!"  THEN.....invite them to church! :)