My Life's Message

Before I met Jesus I struggled with feelings of rejection. I felt like an outcast, unloved, without God and without hope. I was considered unwanted and my parents seriously considered aborting me. On more than one occasion I miraculously survived due to failed attempts by others to end my life in the womb. I love my parents and I am thankful to God for the gift of life. He knew my exact make and design, and He carefully knitted me together in my mother’s womb for life in the 21^st century.

I realized I needed Christ when my great-grandfather told me the Good News at a tender age between 3 and 6. I remember being stunned by the unconditional love of God the Father and the amazing grace that comes through His Son, Jesus Christ. My great-grandfather planted the seed and my grandmother watered it. And God over time increased His Word in me. I knew from early in my childhood development that all have sinned and all needed God’s forgiveness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ and repentance from sin that leads to death – spiritually and physically.

When I was 13 years old, I followed Jesus in the act of water baptism. I wished I had done it earlier. I was submerged into a stream against the backdrop of witnesses both in heaven and on earth. And I came out of the water with hope, purpose and a reason for living. I started to feel loved, accepted, understood, trusted and forgiven. Also, I started to battle with sin and the unseen forces of darkness like never before. As I walked out my faith through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord taught me some valuable lessons. In failure, I learned humility; in lack, I learned trust and faith in God. The Lord through my pain and suffering taught me compassion and forgiveness. In waiting, God taught me patience; in sickness, He revealed His awesome power. Moreover, in disappointments, I learned that God is all-wise. Above all else, God taught me love through bruised, battered and broken relationships.

Interestingly enough, God not only taught me life lessons but shared the passions of His heart with me.  I first recall the passion of making disciples at the age of 13 and it is still strong in my heart today. Mine is the mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ and equip them (by the power of the Holy Spirit) to serve His purposes in their generations. It is the passion of my heart (and God’s as well) to make and multiply growing and reproducing disciples locally, internationally and globally. We have received power from above to be Christ’s witness within Alabama, across the states of America and to the four corners of the globe!

Why? Because we are surrounded and come across someone each day and week who is at the end of his/her ropes or breaking point - without hope and with God! The love of God compels us to reach out to the "whosoevers" who will come to Christ to find love, acceptance and the forgiveness of sin. God will never turn away a repentant sinner who comes to Him in faith. With open arms and love in His heart He accepts all people from all nations. We are saved by the grace of God and not by our good deeds. Salvation is a free gift and not based on works, so that we cannot boast. God saves us because of His great love. Whosoever will repent of their sins and turn to God, He promised to accept. To as many as received Him, even to those who believed on His name, He gave the right to be children of God (John 1:12).

Now, salvation or freedom from the power of sin is not the end but only the beginning of life in Christ. God wants all people to become members of His family, the Church. He wants all nations to be a model of Christ by walking in step with His Spirit. He wants us to tell others the Good News with gentleness and respect. He wants to serve others in love through our mortal bodies. We are ministers of the Lord Jesus Christ and have a mission to the world around us. Ask, seek and knock and God will answer your prayers, show you His will and open the door of His heart to you!  

- by Bristan Heaven

“He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)

“In learning how to be single, sometimes we attach ourselves to another human being, hoping they will be 

able to meet our deepest needs and heal our hurts. So we reach out to relationships that only pull us

 farther away from where we need to be and bring more hurt into our lives.” 

– From "Faith of a Single Mom" Blog

I’ve been a single parent for almost 3 years now. I was in a 10 year relationship that began at the young age of 17, had our son at 19, married by 21 and at the end of our 6 year marriage had our daughter. Inevitably, the bad outweighed the good, drug problems and cheating ended our marriage. It was really hard making the decision to divorce. When I said my vows I believed in staying committed regardless of the situation. I finally decided to do what was best for me and my children because we deserved better.

Since I did everything at a young age and was in a relationship for so long, being ‘single’ was very new to me. The demand of being a full-time working mother and dating seemed out of the question. But right after my divorce I gave it a try and admit that it did help me get over my ex-husband. For 2 years, I dated on and off - always hoping the next guy I met would magically fit and be “Mr. Right”. That Mr. Right was going to take all of the pain in my heart away. That Mr. Right would love my kids and me the way we deserved. Truth be told, each guy turned out to be Mr. Wrong. I started to feel more and more discouraged and depressed, blameful that I was subjecting myself to more heartache. So I wouldn’t date at all and then I grew lonely. Something was missing from my life and it wasn’t a man.

In July of 2012, I went to a small house church women’s meeting. I felt completely out of my comfort zone. You see, growing up, although I believed in God and attended different churches here and there, I never fully understood “church stuff” nor did I read the bible.  My old self would have found any excuse possible not to go, but it was time. That evening, I stayed fairly quiet and just listened. One of the women there told us her testimony about her divorce and it really moved me. By the end, the good Lord led me to open my mouth and ask, “What does it take to be saved?” They told me to just pray and ask Him into my heart. Then they asked if it would be ok to pray over me. In that moment, as each woman laid their hand on my shoulder, I truly felt God’s presence and officially asked God into my heart. His love surrounded me, filled my broken heart and told me I was forgiven and that He truly loves me! 

[Jesus] said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” – Mark 5:34 

Since that day, I have completely turned my life around. My focus changed from the wrong things to the right things.  I don’t feel alone anymore because God is my stronghold. With each situation or circumstance that comes my way I call on my heavenly Father for guidance and consoling. For all of my single parent friends, please know you are never alone. In the Bible, the first single parent was Hagar, a servant woman who was basically used to give Abraham a child and essentially abandoned. She referred to God as “The God who sees me”. Through her struggles she learned obedience through suffering. God sees you, let Him use your struggles and turn them into blessings. Be obedient, be patient and wait on His timing. God loves you and your children so much! He wants you to be happy and succeed.  Trust and have faith in His plans for your lives. 

"Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for seeing me and loving me and my children. Thank you for placing the right people in our lives who help us and support us through our struggles. They are a great display of your love and kindness. Lord, I pray for all of the single parents out there who are struggling, who are lonely, and who are desperate and hurting. Heal their hearts Lord and bless them. Amen."

by Michelle Fowler

L-O-V-E

When I think about love I think about people. For the most part, I think about my relationships with my children, family, and friends. I love these people unconditionally. Loving unconditionally means loving without limitations or conditions. It means that my love for them endures regardless of unfavorable circumstances. And, well, that definition makes me think about God.

In I John 4:16 it says, "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in Him." We...Us...His people are to be His representation of 'Love'. Now, think about what motivated the Father to send His only Son to die for us? That’s right! LOVE!! God knows we are sinners that can and will fail Him, but He loves us anyway - so much that He sent His only Son to die so we could be redeemed and LIVE! How great is that?! Love is the foundation of all things good.

There is a song by King and Country called "The Proof of Your Love," and it is one of my absolute favorite songs. If you have a moment, please listen to it and the powerful lyrics. It really captures the essence of how we should want to let our lives be the proof of His love by being more Christ-like:

VERSE 1

If I sing but don't have love

I waste my breath with every song

I bring an empty voice, a hollow noise.

If I speak with a silver tongue

convince a crowd but don't have love

I leave a bitter taste with every word I say.

[Chorus]

So let my life be the proof - the proof of your love.

Let my love look like you and what you're made of.

How you lived, how you died. Love is sacrifice.

So let my life be the proof - the proof of your love. 

VERSE 2

If I give to a needy soul but don't have love

then who is poor?

It seems all the poverty is found in me.

[Chorus]

When it's all said and done, when we sing our final song

Only love remains. Only love remains.

[Monologue]

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy

but don't love I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

If I speak God's word with power, revealing all of His mysteries

and making everything as plain as day,

and if I have faith to say to a mountain jump and it jumps

but I don't love I'm nothing.

If I give all I earn to the poor

or even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr,

but I don't love I've gotten nowhere.

So, no matter what I say, no matter what I believe, no matter what I do,

I'm bankrupt without love.

[Chorus] 

Even though we cannot reach perfection here on earth, God wants us to grow and progress and not be stagnant. To love, we can improve on our relationships and our attitudes toward people by being more like this verse, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. All the special gifts and powers from God will someday come to an end, but love goes on forever." (1 Corinthians13:4-8)

L - Letting

O - Others

V - View

E - Emmanuel

"Dear Heavenly Father, Your love is so amazing! Thank you for loving me so much! Please help me to love others the way You love us. Help me to progress in my walk with You to show others the proof of Your enduring love! Amen."



By Michelle Fowler

God's Cure for Anxiety

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7)
 
Anxiety was taking control of my life. I had all of a sudden developed “fear” issues while driving, especially at night or to new foreign places. If I was driving down long wooded roads or a long stretch of the interstate, I would get terrible “what if” worry thoughts stuck in my head and before I knew it I had “allowed” the thoughts to take over. I then felt panic stricken, my stomach would ache, my mouth grew dry, my heart would race, my throat would clam up, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. If my kids were with me I became even more overwhelmed and I would find the nearest public place to stop and calm down. Once I was relaxed again I would reluctantly drive on to my destination with the feelings still lurking.

One night, I had to take my son to basketball practice. This particular evening was very cold, dark, misty and foggy. I had already set my mind that the normally simple 10 minute trip would be difficult based on the conditions. Half way there, my anxiety kicks in the whole “fight or flee” feeling and I actually wanted to flee back home to my “safe” place. So I asked my 9 year old son, “Would it be okay if you missed practice tonight? Mommy is not feeling well.” He says, “But mom, we are almost there!” He was right. This “anxiety” issue was getting plain ridiculous! At this point, I took a deep breath and redirected my thoughts in prayer. I talked to God and remembered all the times He had gotten me through trying times, storms, and other anxiety attacks. He never failed me and He was always there by my side. I kept going and, of course, made it just fine.

No matter what trials we are going through we need to discipline our minds and give our worries to God. You see, worry steals our peace. It also causes us to lose our connection with the Lord as we focus on our inward thoughts over listening to His voice. We must call on Him for comfort and healing and He will direct our path out of the storm. In Scripture it says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) This verse is a command that we do not need to be anxious about anything. It’s not a suggestion! We should talk to Him about our concerns. He will give us His peace and in turn we should praise Him for what He has done.

Prayer: Father God, please help me to retrain my mind to obey and be disciplined in Your Word, to not be anxious and to declare a sound mind for my life. Lord I declare you are my refuge and fortress and I put my trust in You. I praise You Father for Your unlimited healing, mercy and grace in my life. Amen.

by Michelle Fowler