Tuesday Setpember 30th, 2008

I mentioned in my last blog that I would tell you a little more about my husband's ministry at our church so lets pick up from there. Jimmy is the Director of Reformer's Unanimous at Union Grove Baptist Church in Lexington, NC. It is a program that exist to help anyone find freedom from an addictive behavior through the truth of Jesus Christ. There are chapters all over the United States and even overseas. The founder is Steve Currington and his testimony can be viewed on the www.reformu.com site and more information is given about the program. How Jimmy became involved with RU is credited with our Pastor, Ken Harris. Shortly after Jimmy was saved, Pastor recognized the need for Jimmy to serve the Lord and also saw the desire in Jimmy's heart to serve. The Lord started to reveal many things to Jimmy after he was saved. I remember the first, being the desire to tithe. A couple of weeks after Jimmy was saved, we were driving home from church one Sunday evening and he turned to me and said, "I want us to sit down tonight at the table and budget our income because we are going to start tithing to our church according to biblical principles." I'll be honest with you, my faith in the ability to pay our bills and also give our tithes to the church was not as strong as it should have been. After all, I had been going it along for several years, just giving here and there to the church as I could financially afford so that strife within our home stayed to a bare minimum. Arguments over money were often the beginnings of bigger things in our home and God had to humble me many times after my birth in Christ. You see, in the initial stage of our marriage, Jimmy and I both indulged in the things of the world. This included addictive behaviors that only weakened our marriage and sought to destroy our family. Just because I came to know the Lord did not mean that everything just became "a bed or roses". I struggled at first in my spiritual walk and growth with God. I wanted my marriage to work so at times it seemed the lesser of two evils just to give in to the temptations that Jimmy was involved in so that there could be this peace within our household. Each time I chose to indulge in sins that were a stronghold in our marriage, conviction would overtake me in such a way that I thought I would surely die if I took another breath. (Romans Chapter 6 ). I stayed in prayer and sought encouragement from close friends. I remember the very first encourager that God sent my way. Her name is Yuri Brown. She mentored me in Christ and encouraged me in my walk. Yuri never gave up on me and she continues to be a dear friend. As my love for Christ deepened the desires of the world lessened. I no longer wanted to indulge in things of my old nature and God was dealing with my heart on many issues. He wanted to teach me humility and meekness in my marriage. Before I was saved, I had no problem confronting Jimmy and placing the blame on our troubled marriage in his hands. After I was saved, God began to show me that in order for Jimmy to want to become a new creature in Christ, he must first see Christ through me. As I continued my growth in the Word, God began doing a work in Jimmy. Jimmy would see me in prayer, watch me in my devotions, see Rachael and my faithfulness in church, and observe a more humble wife. I no longer wanted to place blame but to let Jimmy know that I loved him and would be praying for our marriage and our family. It still was not easy and I cried a lot but just when I, in my flesh was ready to give up, God answered prayers. Two weeks before Jimmy received Christ, God began using different situations and people to show Jimmy his need for salvation. I had visited with my Pastor and was in the bottom of my valley and my Pastor encouraged me and prayed with me. This lead up to the day of Salvation for Jimmy. What I did not know was that my doubts of having enough money to pay bills and tithes had already been taken care of by God when Jimmy got saved. You see, Jimmy had a "secret" fund of money that he had set aside so that he could use this money to indulge in his addictions. Once Jimmy was saved and God delivered him from the addictions, the money was already there for God's Glory. God provided everything that was needed to tithe, pay our bills and even allow us money to place in savings. Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
The other thing God began to deal with in Jimmy was his need to serve. Jimmy desired to serve the Lord in all things and still does. That is why I love him more and more each day. He desires to Serve the LORD. I remember one Sunday morning in church, there was an lady of the church that came in with a flat tire. She had mentioned this to Pastor and he made an announcement in church and asked, "Is there a man willing to change a tire for Ms. Phillips?" Jimmy immediately shot up from the pew, raised his hand and say, "I will Pastor". He started to leave the church, right then during service, in his new suit and change the tire. Pastor told him that he could wait until after the service. Pastor and his wife got tickled over that one and Kim said it was such a blessing to see Jimmy desiring to serve. The Lord placed the need of RU on Pastor's heart and God sent him Jimmy to help meet the need. Pastor asked Jimmy to go to a RU meeting in another local Independent Baptist Church and see if this was an area that Jimmy would be willing to serve in. Needless to say, 4 years later Jimmy is still serving as the Director of the RU ministry at our church. He is so faithful and he loves to tell others what Christ can do for them. RU meets every Friday night at our church from 7:00-9:00 pm and anyone is invited. I head up the daycare and schedule the workers for babysitting. I also serve as a daycare worker. RU is a part of my family's life and at times I admit I can be selfish in my desires of wanting Jimmy to myself. Giving your husband up every Friday night can put a damper in family planning but God has rewarded us for our faithfulness. We find family time in other ways and on other days and I know without a doubt that Jimmy is serving exactly where God desires him to be. This is just a portion of God's blessing upon our lives but I will continue with those tomorrow.

A good day to start blogging.

Monday, September 29th, 2008. I have decided to start blogging. I cannot guarantee that I will be faithful each day but I will do my best. How do I start? Maybe by telling a little (or lot) about myself and my family. I'm 42 (soon to be 43) and will never be older than my pastor (inside joke). I think I should start by giving my testimony. I grew up in a family of 4 children. I am the baby. My mother and father took us to church every Sunday and sometimes on Wednesday. We "played church" but inside the home, things were not as normal as it seemed. I made a profession of faith when I was 7, again when I was 23 and finally got it right at the age of 36. I had struggled with the " relationship with God" thing throughout my life and never had clear direction and understanding until I started attending Union Grove Baptist Church in 2000. My husband and I had placed our then 3 year old daughter, Rachael in the preschool in 1998 for daycare purposes and out of this need, a seed was planted. Rachael stayed on through preschool and soon began an official student of Union Grove Christian School. As Rachael began hearing the gospel, she soon began "harassing" her mother to take her to church at Union Grove Baptist. Mom would sometimes drive by visiting another local church but soon found our vehicle wanting to exit at Hickory Tree Rd. After many pleads from my daughter, she and I began visiting Union Grove. In October of 2001, I heard Pastor Kenneth Harris preach and the sermon was on the assurance of salvation. I had never quite heard the message so clear as God directed it that Sunday morning. I knew without a doubt that if I died that day, I would spend an eternity in hell. I did not go to the altar that morning but when back to church that evening. God would not let me get peace even after I left church again that night. I took my daughter home and before I walked into the house, I was in tears. I knew that all the sleepless nights, the dreams, the fears, the disappointments, the failures, and my own insecurities amounted to one thing. I needed to give these things to God, ask forgiveness for my sins, and accept Christ as my Savior. I went inside and told my husband, "I cannot teeter on the fence any longer. I am going to my bedroom to get on my knees and ask God to save my soul." Wow! What a burden lifted that day. I know that God did forgive my sins and save my soul. I know that if I died today, I would be eternity with him. I would love to tell you that my husband immediately got it as well, but that would have been too easy. The more I fell in love with Jesus, the harder the marriage was to endure. I know now that it was only by God's grace and mercy that our marriage was saved. I spent the next 2 years in prayer asking God for strength and comfort. I had Jimmy on every prayer list available and never neglected the opportunity to ask believers to pray. It was not easy and there were times, I wanted to give up. I know now why the book of Job is so precious to me. My daughter, Rachael was saved in 2002 and we were very much involved in our church. One Wednesday evening in August of 2003 we came home from work and daycare to quickly get ready for Wednesday service and sitting in the chair with his bible in hand was my husband. Needless to say when God moves, we are not always prepared. I almost fainted. My husband asked if he could come to church with us and I immediately responded with an astounding YES! My daughter and I quickly placed him in the car (so he couldn't change his mind) and down the road we went. I would be fibbing if I told you that my car was not going faster than the normal speed limit, after all, we were on a mission for God. Arriving for church, I took him to my normal seating area (even though it was the 2nd row, nothing like the front to get his attention). The service was beautiful and so memorable. I don't ever want to forget it. I always tell people that getting saved was the best day of my life but the most memorable one, I desire to be my last thought on earth, was that service, that day, my husband stood up and asked our pastor to have an altar call because he needed to get saved. The sincerity in his voice, the words spoken, and the plea for God's forgiveness will always be with me. My husband went to that altar that night as an old creature but arose a new man in Christ. He has never looked back and I love him dearly for it. We have been married for 17 years but we were joined together in God's eyes in 2003. I am so thankful for what he has done. My cup runneth over. Jimmy is now the director of Reformers Unanimous at our church and I tell you more about the ministry and things that God is doing in our lives in the next blog. For anyone that reads this and wonders, what draws you here to this place, this moment, and this time, I believe God has a purpose for everything. If only to encourage the discouraged or share hope where there may be none. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8