I just got home from an amazing communion service at FBC Texarkana. It was especially meaningful for me, because it was the first time for Erin to partake in the Lord's supper. As a mother, my heart overflows with joy as I sit beside my husband and children and know that we are all complete in Christ.
Admittedly, I had been a little anxious about how Erin, at the age of 5 would react to the service. Jason and I both explained it to her, and what it meant. She would just say, "I know, I know!" in a typical 5 year old fashion. After all, she is nearly 6... she knows everything now!
The service began with great worship in song. At one point, Bro. Mike Harris was sharing a little about his ministry. He played several different renditions of Amazing Grace, and concluded with us all singing a couple of verses of it. It was during this time that Erin first began her own private back row ballet recital. That's right, I said it, there was a little back row dancing at a baptist church tonight. I might add, that it was very good. If David could dance for his Lord, so can Erin!
Just before Pastor Jeff began, Erin did lean over and say, "I am hungry. When are they passing out the food?" I assured her it wouldn't be long. I decided to not remind her that the portion sizes would be tiny. As Pastor Jeff began to explain the Lord's Supper, both of my children were completely glued to what he had to say. After we prayed, we received the bread and the cup. I could tell that Erin was truly considering what she was doing. She may not completely understand all of it, but she knew Jesus had instructed us to do so, and to remember Him. I believe she did just that as she drank and ate.
Tonight, the Eppinette family ate, drank, and yes, even danced in remembrance of what our Lord, Jesus Christ did for us.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
God's Phone
My son has been wanting a multi-color pen to use as he makes notes in his Bible. We got him one today. He was so excited that when we got home from the store, he went straight to his Bible. A few minutes later, he is showing me his pen clipped to his Bible. He then said, "Look, my God phone has an antenna now." Now, in all fairness, the statement was made in jest. However, the profoundness of that statement from a 10 year old really struck home for me.
In this day and age, almost everyone has a cell phone. We can call anyone at anytime... and admit it, if we are not able to reach someone instantly, we become a little aggravated. Knowing that, I have to ask, how often do we dial up God by turning the pages of His word? How often do we pull out the "antenna" and mark verses, or write down insight He is sharing with us? When was the last time you used your "God Phone"? Think I'll go pick mine up now.
The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:10
In this day and age, almost everyone has a cell phone. We can call anyone at anytime... and admit it, if we are not able to reach someone instantly, we become a little aggravated. Knowing that, I have to ask, how often do we dial up God by turning the pages of His word? How often do we pull out the "antenna" and mark verses, or write down insight He is sharing with us? When was the last time you used your "God Phone"? Think I'll go pick mine up now.
The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:10
Monday, February 14, 2011
Do you Know Jesus?
I have battled writing this blog all day. I told myself that I would not write about my nephew Hamp today, but I have an overwhelming need to share Jesus with each of you. You see, Eight years ago today, my nephew was killed in a car wreck. I had always heard that "life is short", and that "you are not promised tomorrow." However, it wasn't until Valentine's Day 2003 that I understood the full extent of those statements.
Before the wreck, I found it so easy to fall into the belief that those type of things happen, but never to me, never to my family. Now I know better. Though I do not understand why it happened, I do know without a doubt that Hamp is in heaven. I also know without a doubt that one day I too will be in heaven. Do you know where you will be when you die? Do you have any doubts? Let me tell you how you can know for sure...
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
This verse tells us that God, the ONE true God, sent His son, that son is Jesus. Jesus came so that anyone who believes in him will not perish in hell, but will have eternal life.
All we need to do to have that eternal life is to believe that Jesus is the son of God, that he died, and that he rose again. He did all this for us so that we will be saved. There is nothing we can do or not do that can save us.
In John 14:6, Jesus tells us, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Jesus is the only way. If you have never made the decision to accept Christ as your Lord and Savior, I urge you do it now. Pray and ask God to forgive you of your sins. Jesus paid the price on the cross, so that you don't have to. Confess that you believe that Jesus is who he says he is. You can do it by yourself or call a friend who is a believer. After you do this, tell others about it. Let them know your decision. And please, let me know, I will love rejoicing with you.
Believe me when I say that you are not promised tomorrow here on this earth, but you are promised eternity. Where will you spend it?
Before the wreck, I found it so easy to fall into the belief that those type of things happen, but never to me, never to my family. Now I know better. Though I do not understand why it happened, I do know without a doubt that Hamp is in heaven. I also know without a doubt that one day I too will be in heaven. Do you know where you will be when you die? Do you have any doubts? Let me tell you how you can know for sure...
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
This verse tells us that God, the ONE true God, sent His son, that son is Jesus. Jesus came so that anyone who believes in him will not perish in hell, but will have eternal life.
All we need to do to have that eternal life is to believe that Jesus is the son of God, that he died, and that he rose again. He did all this for us so that we will be saved. There is nothing we can do or not do that can save us.
In John 14:6, Jesus tells us, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Jesus is the only way. If you have never made the decision to accept Christ as your Lord and Savior, I urge you do it now. Pray and ask God to forgive you of your sins. Jesus paid the price on the cross, so that you don't have to. Confess that you believe that Jesus is who he says he is. You can do it by yourself or call a friend who is a believer. After you do this, tell others about it. Let them know your decision. And please, let me know, I will love rejoicing with you.
Believe me when I say that you are not promised tomorrow here on this earth, but you are promised eternity. Where will you spend it?
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Do you Know that God Loves You?
Just a few minutes ago, I said to my daughter, "Do you know that I love you?" Without hesitation, she said, "Yes, I know because I know you." Then she went on to say, "You show me everyday." That struck me as a really profound truth coming from a 5 year old.
Then I thought, how many of us really know that God loves us? Could it be we doubt His love because we don't really know Him? Do we not recognize the ways in which he shows His love to us everyday?
God loves us even more than we as parents love our children. How do we know this? His word tells us so. In order to know God, we must read His word. The more you dig into the word of God, the closer you become to Him. The closer you get to Him, the more you will recognize all the things He does for you daily. The more you see what He does for you, the more you know how much He loves you.
It is an amazing cycle... I encourage you to try it and see for yourself just how much God loves you!
Then I thought, how many of us really know that God loves us? Could it be we doubt His love because we don't really know Him? Do we not recognize the ways in which he shows His love to us everyday?
God loves us even more than we as parents love our children. How do we know this? His word tells us so. In order to know God, we must read His word. The more you dig into the word of God, the closer you become to Him. The closer you get to Him, the more you will recognize all the things He does for you daily. The more you see what He does for you, the more you know how much He loves you.
It is an amazing cycle... I encourage you to try it and see for yourself just how much God loves you!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
His Love Never Quits
When you were growing up, if your mom told you something once, you may or may not listen. If she told you twice, you would probably consider what she is saying. If she tells you more than twice, you had BETTER take notice. In Psalm 136 God repeats Himself 26 times!!!! I think we better take notice.
I have read this Psalm before, but a few weeks ago I was reading it from the Message. The repeated phrase jumped off the page at me. In the Message it says, “His love never quits.” I love this!
Anytime a verse jumps off the page to me, I always compare what it says in other versions.
King James says, “His mercy endureth forever.”
New International Version says “His love endures forever.”
Amplified says, “for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.”
New American Standard says, “For His loving kindness is everlasting.”
As I was thinking of these, I wondered why some versions say mercy, some say love, and some say both. Although I believe that God does indeed love us, and show us mercy, they are not words that are interchangeable. So, I decided to check how it was written in the original text. I just love technology… you no longer have to be a Bible Scholar in order to discover the original Hebrew text.
In the original text the word is Hesed. This refers to the mutual relationship between man and God. The best translation is loyalty. The word mercy comes from the influence of the Greek translation of the original Hebrew.
So why is He so loyal to us? He loves us unconditionally.
In Psalm 136 the writer describes when God loved us. In verses 1 – 9, He loved us before we were born. In verses 10 – 24, He loves us during hardships. In verse 25 – 26, He loves us when everything is going well.
I want to share with you 4 specific times when God’s Love Never Quits.
1.His love never quits, when we make wrong choices.
2.His love never quits, when someone else causes us harm.
3. His love never quits, when there is no explanation for the events happening.
4. His love never quits, when everything is going great.
So, let me wrap up by encouraging you to remember that no matter what you are going through, no matter what you have done, no matter what someone else has done. God’s love for you NEVER QUITS!
I have read this Psalm before, but a few weeks ago I was reading it from the Message. The repeated phrase jumped off the page at me. In the Message it says, “His love never quits.” I love this!
Anytime a verse jumps off the page to me, I always compare what it says in other versions.
King James says, “His mercy endureth forever.”
New International Version says “His love endures forever.”
Amplified says, “for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.”
New American Standard says, “For His loving kindness is everlasting.”
As I was thinking of these, I wondered why some versions say mercy, some say love, and some say both. Although I believe that God does indeed love us, and show us mercy, they are not words that are interchangeable. So, I decided to check how it was written in the original text. I just love technology… you no longer have to be a Bible Scholar in order to discover the original Hebrew text.
In the original text the word is Hesed. This refers to the mutual relationship between man and God. The best translation is loyalty. The word mercy comes from the influence of the Greek translation of the original Hebrew.
So why is He so loyal to us? He loves us unconditionally.
In Psalm 136 the writer describes when God loved us. In verses 1 – 9, He loved us before we were born. In verses 10 – 24, He loves us during hardships. In verse 25 – 26, He loves us when everything is going well.
I want to share with you 4 specific times when God’s Love Never Quits.
1.His love never quits, when we make wrong choices.
2.His love never quits, when someone else causes us harm.
3. His love never quits, when there is no explanation for the events happening.
4. His love never quits, when everything is going great.
So, let me wrap up by encouraging you to remember that no matter what you are going through, no matter what you have done, no matter what someone else has done. God’s love for you NEVER QUITS!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Silver Lining of Victory
I received a phone call of encouragement this morning. During the conversation, she reminded me of an event that I didn't even know she knew about. I want to share that with you.
Several years ago, I was in the midst of the consequences of my poor decisions. I was a newly wed, and therefore the consequences were not only affecting me, they were affecting my husband. I think this may have been the first time that truly understood that my actions and consequences were not limited to me alone.
One morning, after several weeks (maybe months) of wallowing in self-pity and despair, Jason and I were driving to work, and I noticed the clouds. They were large, fluffy, white, and beautiful. As I gazed over all the clouds, my eyes stopped on one. This was the most beautiful cloud in the sky, and it was surrounded by a silver lining.
I knew and received immediately the promise God was showing me in that cloud. He was telling me that all was going to be okay. He was telling me that I was victorious. I still had consequences to live, but I knew that God had not given up on me. I knew that God has plans for me.
Jason and I both walked away from that event in our lives stronger, closer to each other, and closer to God. We are living victorious!
No matter what circumstance you are going through, whether caused by you or other events, God has a plan for you. Trust Him, and through Him you are Victorious!
Several years ago, I was in the midst of the consequences of my poor decisions. I was a newly wed, and therefore the consequences were not only affecting me, they were affecting my husband. I think this may have been the first time that truly understood that my actions and consequences were not limited to me alone.
One morning, after several weeks (maybe months) of wallowing in self-pity and despair, Jason and I were driving to work, and I noticed the clouds. They were large, fluffy, white, and beautiful. As I gazed over all the clouds, my eyes stopped on one. This was the most beautiful cloud in the sky, and it was surrounded by a silver lining.
I knew and received immediately the promise God was showing me in that cloud. He was telling me that all was going to be okay. He was telling me that I was victorious. I still had consequences to live, but I knew that God had not given up on me. I knew that God has plans for me.
Jason and I both walked away from that event in our lives stronger, closer to each other, and closer to God. We are living victorious!
No matter what circumstance you are going through, whether caused by you or other events, God has a plan for you. Trust Him, and through Him you are Victorious!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Are you Ready for a Remodel?
If there is one thing I have learned from owning a remodeling company, it is that you never know for sure what you will find when you start making improvements on an old house.... Even when it is your own house.
We live in a house that was built in 1952. We love this house, and if you look at the superficial, it looks great! However, there are things that have to be improved in order to make living in it more comfortable. Things such as adding storm windows, beefing up the insulation, upgrading the heating/AC unit, all things that will make the house more cost efficient... not to mention warmer or cooler. This is the process we are in now.
Our house has a fireplace. It was originally built to be wood burning, but someone through the years converted it to gas logs. This was decorative only. Since Jason and I both enjoy a warm fireplace, we had it converted back to wood burning when we first moved in. However, it did not heat the house like we wanted, so we decided to add an insert.
This brings me to the surprise we discovered yesterday. As the man was installing the insert for us, he noticed a hole in the chimney. The hole was in the attic area. When I heard this, I immediately thanked God that we had not had a fire break out in our attic. As the man ivestigated further, he realized that it wasn't a hole, but rather our heating and air ducts had been vented through the chimney, and not through the roof. Once again... Thank you Lord that we have not had a fire. So now, we have to move the duct vent.
As I thought about this, I realized that just like remodeling a house may hold unexpected changes, remodeling our lives holds unexpected changes. When we turn our life over to Christ, we know that a change takes place. However, we do not always know the full extent of the changes that need to be made. As we allow God to remodel our life, we discover other areas that need attention as well. It doesn't matter how long you have been a Christian, we all have areas in our life that we need to allow the Master to work on. The question is, are you willing to allow God to make the changes? Are you Ready for a Remodel?
We live in a house that was built in 1952. We love this house, and if you look at the superficial, it looks great! However, there are things that have to be improved in order to make living in it more comfortable. Things such as adding storm windows, beefing up the insulation, upgrading the heating/AC unit, all things that will make the house more cost efficient... not to mention warmer or cooler. This is the process we are in now.
Our house has a fireplace. It was originally built to be wood burning, but someone through the years converted it to gas logs. This was decorative only. Since Jason and I both enjoy a warm fireplace, we had it converted back to wood burning when we first moved in. However, it did not heat the house like we wanted, so we decided to add an insert.
This brings me to the surprise we discovered yesterday. As the man was installing the insert for us, he noticed a hole in the chimney. The hole was in the attic area. When I heard this, I immediately thanked God that we had not had a fire break out in our attic. As the man ivestigated further, he realized that it wasn't a hole, but rather our heating and air ducts had been vented through the chimney, and not through the roof. Once again... Thank you Lord that we have not had a fire. So now, we have to move the duct vent.
As I thought about this, I realized that just like remodeling a house may hold unexpected changes, remodeling our lives holds unexpected changes. When we turn our life over to Christ, we know that a change takes place. However, we do not always know the full extent of the changes that need to be made. As we allow God to remodel our life, we discover other areas that need attention as well. It doesn't matter how long you have been a Christian, we all have areas in our life that we need to allow the Master to work on. The question is, are you willing to allow God to make the changes? Are you Ready for a Remodel?
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