Humble Pie

Humble pie is a figurative serving of humiliation usually in the form of a forced submission, apology, or retraction. I encourage you this Holiday season to eat some :) There are so many times when we do or say something stupid. In those times we need to step up, eat some humble pie and force ourselves to apologize and repent from those actions. I know there have been many times in my life where I have had too much pride and have not wanted to say I'm sorry or admit that I was wrong. The bible says we need to do otherwise...

Micah 6:8 says, "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

Humble means 1: not proud or haughty, not arrogant or assertive, 2: reflecting, expressing, or offered in a spirit of deference or submission, 3: ranking low in a hierarchy or scale, insignificant, not costly or luxurious

The ultimate example of being humble is JESUS. He was God in human form but he lived as a servant. He loved all people. He did not judge anyone. Mary Magdalene, a sinner was about to be stoned, and he himself said "he who is without sin be the first person to cast the stone". He always said the perfect thing to convict people without condemning them for being a sinner.

1John 2:9-10 say, “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him^[e] to make him stumble.”

This was a huge thing for me. Here I was convicted of thinking I was better than non-Christians because I am a Christian. I live a life trying not to sin by following the commandments but the truth is I fail too. I have just received the gift of being clean from my Father in heaven who sent his son to die for EVERYONE not for me. I am no better than anyone else, all the glory goes to Jesus. I should live in love with all of my brothers and sisters because by doing so I become humble and make an allowance for other’s faults. Ephesians 4:2 says “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each others faults because of your love.”

If I think of myself as low in a hierarchy, as a servant and live a life where I recognize luxury is not necessary, I open myself up to the ability to see everyone as an opportunity to love them and to serve them. This verse in Ephesians is huge. If we were all patient with each other and allowed people to be imperfect by loving them in spite of their faults, imagine what life would be like. I want to open myself up to praying for people and loving them. I repent to my old way of thinking and will practice humility. I know I will screw up again but that is why God gave grace and mercy.

May “the Lord bless you and keep you, the lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace” this Holiday Season.

In Love,

Courtney

Prayer Poem to My Savior

Lord, thank you for the beautiful sunrise.
Thank you that each day contains a surprise
Father thank you for your grace, mercy, and most of all love.
Every day that passes I feel closer to my father above.
My daddy in heaven carries me through it all.
He cares for me so much, he doesn't like to see me fall
Lord thank you for your blessing and your promises for healing
I know your presences is so much more than a feeling
Thank you father for helping me through school
Thank you for using me and guiding me as your tool
Make me bold, make me peacably loud
Father you're the only one I want to make proud
Thank you father for my life
Thank you for being with me and carrying my strife
Father I need you to take over
I need you to be closer
Lord, as I draw near to you, won't you draw near to me
Lord, your glory is all I want to see
Father I need your help in having patience
Please help my husband to step up and be the man
Lord carry him and guide him by the hand
Father we need you to come and provide for our lives
Help us to wait and trust in you, and thank you for being alive
Father I love you and pray for your Glory
Lord guide us in your kingdom so we can fulfill the story
Lord comfort those in India, hurt and lost from the cyclone
Be with them, surround them, provide for them
Don't let them feel like they are alone
Father bless Northstar and all the parents and teachers
Be there today and show your love to all my peers
Lord I know I'm right where I'm supposed to be
Lord guide me to love and give me a vision to see
I trust in your word, for it is the lamp of life
I pray that you will be with me today and help me be a submissive wife
Protect me lord
Guide me in your word
Thank you father for this poem and for never having to be alone
Lord, you sit waiting faithfully on your throne
Open my eyes, ears, and heart to receive from you
For your view is and forever will be the only truth.
In Jesus Name, Amen.

Hope, Purpose, and Love

He gives me HOPE

He gives me PURPOSE

He gives me LOVE

For so many years, I walked in the wilderness, almost eighteen to be exact. I spent that time searching. When I realized there had be something more to this life, I started looking for a purpose. In every bad time I encountered, I went to God. I don’t know why or what put that in my heart, that God would hear me when I called. I guess maybe I was born with it, or maybe someone planted a seed of his word. Who knows? In elementary school I had anxiety issues and had to go to a shrink who told me my problems were from my mom leaving me. In middle and high school I struggled with bad thoughts, thoughts of suicide, cursing, disobedience, and self image. I can’t say that I don’t struggle with some of those now. But now I’m not alone. In the spring of 2004 something higher called my name. On April 18, 2004, my god touched my heart, reached out and grabbed me and gave me hope, purpose, and love.

Without Jesus, my lord and savior, I would not be able to see the light of hope in my life. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path (Psalm 119:105).” With out His light I would be in darkness. After living in darkness and not realizing what it really meant to live a life of sin, it was amazing to see the changes I needed to make. He revealed his truth to my heart. As I studied the bible, went to church, and made new relationships with Christians I could see the hope he had given all of us to live with. The life here on earth, 80 years average, is only a glimpse of what he has planned for us. Here on earth we struggle with sin, live with faults and trials, and battle the enemy. In Heaven we will be set free from all of those things. We will live the life he had intended for us from the beginning. It will be reset back to the time when He looked down upon the earth and said it was good, so very good. It is in him that we can find hope that one day everything will be good and it will be Heaven.

At the end of my senior year, I had some big plans for myself but that all changed when God looked down on me and called me out and gave me a purpose. It did not change like a flash of lightning. It was a “process” that all Christians have to go through. I didn’t even change my life until I went away to college in August and even now there are things I am still working on. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." In the driver seat of my car, sitting at the church I found to be my home in Knoxville, TN, I pondered the meaning of that verse. I was battling feelings of whether I should stay in Knoxville or come back home to Richmond. I really had no idea what I was going to do in either place. I just wanted to make the right decision. By this time I had made a small group of Christian friends who held me accountable and showed me what life really meant. I joined my very first small groups. I found purpose and I was on fire. I wanted to touch people’s lives and show them why I was so happy and where I found my hope. In 1Peter 3:15 Peter writes, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” I was living this out in my own way at first. Once I met opposition it got harder. My family was the first to hurt my faith. They wanted me to come home from UT because they believed I was in a cult. Being so on fire, I had talked to all of them about Jesus, how my life had changed, what I thought they needed to do to get to heaven and how to live this life. Ouch! Did that hurt the relationships I had, especially on my dad’s side of our family. My life has not been easy since I became Christian but it has been more joyful. After three years of being a follower of Christ, I realized love I the one thing that conquers all of the opposition we face.

When Jesus walked in this world, he walked in love with everyone. For us to walk with him we must walk in love. God inspired me with this knowledge through the reading of his word and the other Christian leaders that I take advice from. I’ve learned that the only way we can teach others about Christ is to live like him and to show people the respect and love that he would have shown them if he were here, no matter how awful we think they are. I follow Christ because he loves me and because I know he is faithful. He has loved me all of my life, through my sin and shame. He has blessed me with the ability to love others, to see past their iniquities, and go out of my way to show them my faith.

Jesus Christ died for us to have life. He lived a life with out sin and suffered for our sins so that we would make the cut to be on God’s team. In the many blessing that I have received since I turned my life over to Christ, I got hope, purpose, and love. I know so many other people who need these things in there life. I pray that I will live a long life to reach as many people as possible to bring glory to God in the end and joy to lives all over the world. In Jesus Name I pray. AMEN