Tag: prayer

Motivational Monday

On December 16, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

Well friends, we only have one more Monday before Christmas. Are you ready? I’m ready to see my family and watch everyone open presents. That is my favorite part of Christmas. Sitting back, sipping coffee, watching those I love and smiling. Seriously. It brings me an abundant amount of joy. Which just so happens to be TODAY’s topic! Shocker, I know. So, let’s talk about it.

In the beginning, the God of joy made a world full of joys. I like to call these normal joys. Now, let me be clear for a second, none of these joys are exactly “normal”. I mean, I can’t create animals or vegetation. But, that is what I call a normal joy and not a “great joy”. I know most of you here are thinking, “Umm Jennifer…if creation is just a normal joy what is a great joy?” I am so glad you asked! But hold that thought a second.

The word “joy” appears in the Bible over 200 times. Just like your parents when they repeat something over and over, it’s important. Apparently God wanted us to know and experience joy which is why it’s repeated. But did you know there is great joy? Seriously! And great joy is only referenced in the Bible single digit times. I feel like if God could have circled certain things in the Bible as important, I feel like “great joy” would be circled because those things are pretty important. Let me give you some examples of great joy: the anointing of David’s own son as his successor, at the height of Israel’s kingdom — “great joy” (1 Kings 1:40). At the restoration of the Passover after generations of neglect — “great joy” (2 Chronicles 30:26). At the dedication of Nehemiah’s rebuilt walls after the return from exile — “great joy” (Nehemiah 12:43). Matthew and Luke celebrate “great joy” at his resurrection and ascension (Matthew 28:8; Luke 24:52). There’s a few more but I think you get the point on the importance level. Except I left one out…

Christmas is a great joy.

God created the world to just remake it again. God gave us our first covenant to just give us a second. God gave us a garden so we could have a garden city later. God gave us all these normal joys because He knew it would be surpassed with Jesus. He gave us these “normal” joys just so we know deep, great joy. Just like everything else, you have to know good before you can know better.

From Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem to his crucifixion death, this Joy aka Jesus was born of insignificance. Meaning, He was born in a stable and laid on a manager where animals ate. He was rejected by His own people, betrayed by His friend and killed. And it was a “normal” death. He was beaten and made to carry the cross He was to die on through the streets while wearing a crown of thorns shoved on His head. He was spat on, cursed and hated. He was NAILED to that cross where He hung there in the heat. Yet he was still witnessing to the thief next to him. Then, THEN He died. But guess what? Even in death, He could not be extinguished. It was too deep..it was great.

Every Christmas, we talk about Christmas joy. I think most of us get caught up in the season. We know it’s Jesus’s birth. But like everything else, we treat it as just a “normal” joy. Friends, it is so much more than that. We can’t love Him and appreciate Him enough for what He has done for us because we aren’t perfect. And He knows that!! Yet, He still takes care of us.

So this week, as things get pretty hectic, remember Christmas Joy. And a lack of presents, decorations, food, or family can never take that joy from you. Ever.

Love you all,

Jennifer

Motivational Monday

By Jennifer Robbins

On December 2, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

Hey Friends! IT’S FINALLY HERE!!! December! Christmas! THE CANTATA!!! WOOHOO! Seriously, the Cantata is THIS SUNDAY. Listen, we might be a small church but the Cantata sure is mighty. Amy, the choir, those playing instruments, and guys in the sound booth do such a great job every.single.year. Please go if you have never been. Please go if you have been!

When I first mentioned December and Christmas, what was your response? Were you happy, sad, or stressed? I want to go down the stressed road today. Why are you stressed? I am going to go out on a limb and say it’s finances. Am I right? Let’s talk about it.

When Jon and I got married, we were broke. And when I say broke, we were broke. And then BAM! I got pregnant with Logan. God planned him perfectly but Jon and I were not prepared. So after a year of daycare, diapers, formula and all of our other bills that we couldn’t afford, we were bankrupt. Literally. The house was in foreclosure. The cars were getting repo’d. It was bad. We had no choice but to declare bankruptcy.

We wanted to keep everything we had (because we couldn’t afford NOT to). So we filed a chapter 13 which means we had to pay it all back within 5 years. And guess what? We paid it back in 3 years! But there were a million tears shed. Lots of hours worked. And we became a connoisseur of hotdogs. 😏

When Christmas rolled around during those years, my stomach would hurt because of stress. I wasn’t worried about Jon and I. I mean we knew our situation and we just dealt with it. But Logan. We loved that little boy more than ANYTHING and we wanted to give him the world (still do). We never wanted him to know we were struggling. So it was a facade. I was so thankful for our families picking up any pieces we fell short on when it came to gift giving. We got through it. Logan was not impacted negatively. And we are better financial stewards because of this time. So I wouldn’t change it.

So why do we give gifts at Christmas? I mean hello! It’s not our birthday, it’s Jesus’s birthday. And the last I checked, I don’t get gifts on my husband’s birthday.

I think what is important to remember when giving gifts is the meaning behind it. 2 Corinthians 9:15 says, “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” he wasn’t talking about that Bath and Body Works set you were eyeing. He’s talking about His son. The very essence of Christmas is about generosity, kindness, grace and giving. God gives God for the enjoyment of his people, whom he saves by giving his Son to suffer. That’s beautiful. It is the heart of Christmas.

Second, we give to Christ. Now, I want to be clear here. God does not want you to buy anything. I mean, he has zero use for a Lowes gift card. He’s not interested in you trading anything with Him. Seriously, He gave you His son. You can’t compete with that (and He doesn’t want you to!). But what He does want…your time. Commitment from you. Yes, I know it’s hard and there are a million reasons why “you can’t today”. But stop and think about what gift would be equal to what He did for you. I’ll wait. Spoiler alert! There’s not one. You can make time for Him.

Lastly, we need to give in the right mindset. 2 Corinthians 8:2, “for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.” One more…Hebrews 13:16, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” When giving gifts, you need to do it in the mindset of giving back to Christ. That is the gift of trust, hope, admiration, joy and affection.

So, if you are worried about gift giving at Christmas, please hear me when I say, STOP. I promise God did not give you His son for you to worry about gifts. Christmas is truly not about financial hardship. Your children will love you if you can’t afford that XBox. And if you can’t afford it, that doesn’t make you less of a parent. And it sure doesn’t mean you love them less.

So, if you are someone feeling this stress, please pray. I would pray specifically for peace, love and joy in your life and for your family. If you are someone who is more fortunate, remember you are blessed. Your generosity can positively impact someone’s life forever. Can you remember a time someone was generous to you? You have never forgotten it or how it made you feel. That feeling needs to be shared because it gushes love, joy, trust, and hope…like God. Like what Christmas should be.

Love you all,

Jennifer

Thankful Tuesday

By Jennifer Robbins

On November 26, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

Hey Friends! I thought in honor of Thanksgiving this week, I would turn Motivational Monday into Thankful Tuesday (Thankful Monday just doesn’t have the same ring 🙂). Clearly, today, I want to focus on Thanksgiving. Is it a Christian holiday? What should our focus be? So…let’s talk about it.

I LOVE Thanksgiving. When I was a kid, it was just an ok holiday. I saw my cousins. We played. We ate. We played again. As an adult, I feel like Thanksgiving is overshadowed by Christmas. A lot of us LOVE Christmas decorations and we have already decorated (and that’s ok!). Personally I choose not to decorate early because I want to focus on Thanksgiving and if I decorate, it’s hard to keep my focus (again, this is JUST me!). I love that this holiday is not centered around gifts. In fact, the gift is fellowship. We literally sit around, talk, watch some football, go outside and take naps. It’s relaxing. And don’t get me started on the food! Man!

But is Thanksgiving a Christian holiday?

Well, yes and no. It’s a civic holiday with religious roots. I’ll explain. Thanksgiving is a civic holiday that came about from a custom by European Christians. These European Christians were Puritans and Pilgrims. When they came to North America, it was pretty traumatic in a lot of ways but they clearly triumphed. They wanted to give thanks as a community for God’s great provision and blessings. This tradition has been practiced heavily in North America since 1621. So, in 1863 during the Civil War, President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving as a national holiday.

So, let’s peel the layers away and look at Thanksgiving a little deeper. When the Puritans and Pilgrims migrated hare, it was bleak. Out of 102 colonists, 44 died the first winter. At one point, their food ration was down to five kernels of corn. Y’all. That’s pretty bad. But then, a ship came and swapped grain for beaver pelts. This brought hope. Do you believe they were saved by happenstance? Of course not! God saved them! It was all in His plan for them to go through hard times and to be saved. For them to give thanks to Him. For a movement to make it a national holiday. For all of us to stop and thank Him for our blessings every year. That was all planned.

Even though the Thanksgiving holiday is not in the Bible, there are a ton of references of thanksgiving. Individuals offered up sacrifices out of gratitude in the book of Genesis. The Mosaic Law set aside three times each year when the Israelites were to gather together. All three of these times the Feast of the Passover, (Exodus 12:15-20), Harvest or Pentecost (Leviticus 23:15-21), and the Feast of Ingathering or Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-36) involved remembering God’s provision and grace. Harvest and Tabernacles took place specifically in relation to God’s provision in the harvest of various fruit trees and crops. And if you are wondering, yes the New Testament is chocked full of verses to give thanks to God in your prayers.

So while you are sitting at the table with your family and friends, please remember Him. He gave the greatest gift and that is His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus paid our debts so we can peacefully sit at the table with our loved ones this season and for all seasons to come. Please take time at the table to talk about what God has done for you and what blessings He has provided for you. Remember what this day is really about. Make sure it’s not overlooked.

Happy Thanksgiving and love you all,

Jennifer

Motivational Monday

By Jennifer Robbins

On November 18, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

Hey friends! I am so glad you are here! Y’all. I love Thanksgiving. I used to be the person that felt like it was a “eh” holiday but as I have gotten older, I really appreciate it. I am super excited about it this year and I hope you are too!

This week I want to talk about the Bible. I know, I know! I talk about it every week. But THIS week, I want to talk about what’s NOT in the Bible. Am I crazy? Of course I am! Let’s talk about it!

I believe most people in this world are good, well meaning people. Look, I know there is evil in this world. I am not naive. However I believe, as Christians, we say (and believe!) things we have heard that’s in the Bible and we repeat them. We repeat them out of love and support because these things sound really nice. But these things are…unbiblical. So I want to talk about some unbiblical statements that we hear the most often.

“God wants me to be happy.” I appreciate that you relate God to happiness. But God wants you to be obedient. He wants you to trust Him. He wants us to believe that everything He does for us is for our own good. And sometimes, what is good for us will not make us happy. And we need to realize that is ok! It’s ok to be unhappy. I know that’s a VERY unpopular opinion. But listen, you can’t justify sinful behavior with, “God wants me to be happy.” It just doesn’t work that way. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

“We are all God’s children.” Hopefully the person who said it originally meant God created everyone. And that is true. But unfortunately, we are NOT all God’s children. Only those who have repented of sin, placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and possess the Holy Spirit of God inside of them can claim Him as their Father: “But you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:15–16).

“Cleanliness is next to godliness.” Such a good southern saying! I know as a child when I came in sweaty and stinky my parents wanted to just bathe. And, as a parent, I can appreciate that! I mean, we have all been around some stinky people. It happens. But nowhere in the Bible does that statement occur. Can you imagine the smell of the lepers? Or heck! What about people in general at that time? There was no deodorant! You didn’t see Jesus saying, “You stink. I can’t help you because you are dirty.” It was quite the opposite.

“God won’t give you more than you can handle.” My personal favorite. This is always said when you are overwhelmed with life. And, I know the person telling you this is well meaning. But friends..this statement is just not true. Life is more than we handle because we live in a fallen world. It is more than WE can handle which is why God wants us to surrender to Him! God has a way of getting you on your knees…so give it to Him.

“Bad things happen to good people.” I know you’re thinking, “well I don’t see how that statement is inaccurate.” But in order to believe this statement, you would have to believe we are all inherently good. And as Romans 3:10 states, “As it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one’”. We, human Christians, are the ones judging what is good and bad. This is human nature but inaccurate. When we say this (or believe this), I think our heart hurts for someone else because we see them hurting. We need something to help us make sense of what’s happened and that statement is sort of a bandaid. When we just need God.

I can name more but these are just a few. And I do want to say, I truly believe when people use these sayings they want what is best for you. And I believe they believe it’s in the Bible. I don’t believe Christians purposely spread false information. I believe their heart is in the right place. One thing I’ve had to learn (and I’m still learning) is your words can’t fix their problem and vice versa. So I think it is best to listen to state facts. Even if all you can say is, “I am so sorry you are going through that! What can I do to help you? I will pray for you.”

This week, I would like to assign you a little bit of homework. Reflect on a statement you have said or one you have heard. Then, I would like you to look up scripture in the Bible to see if it’s there OR supports what you have heard. I think you will be surprised at what you learn.

See you next Sunday,

Jennifer

Motivational Monday

By Jennifer Robbins

On November 11, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

Hey friends! How was your week? Before we get started, I wanted to throw something out there. We have a Men’s and Women’s Bible Study that meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month (due to the holidays this month, we are only meeting this Wednesday). Listen, I can only speak for the women, but this is a really good Bible Study. This study flows in a way that you can join anytime and you won’t be lost. And even if you do get lost, that’s ok. Sit by me where we can be lost together. The men seem to have a good time because we can hear them laughing next door. So, please come. We would love to have new people to add spice.

How many of you are planners? If something doesn’t go “right”, how do you react? Well, let’s talk about it.

Years ago, Jon and I wanted a bigger house/yard for us but mainly for Logan. We lived in a little townhome and it was a great starter home but Lo had nowhere to really run. So, when the time was right, we put it on the market. It had a contract in a week. So, we were in crunch time to find a house. We looked at several and put an offer on a house. This house had everything I wanted BUT…I’ll be honest, I really didn’t like it. In fact, we called that house the “Pizza Hut House” because it was shaped like an old Pizza Hut! But I settled. We negotiated back and forth and we could never agree on a price. So, we walked away. And then, we went on vacation!! Talk about stress.

While on vacation, I was searching the internet for a house and NOTHING. Finally, I just prayed and asked the Lord for help. I ended the prayer with, “I’ll figure it out when I get home but I want to enjoy this vacation.” The next morning, I got an email of a new listing. I loved this house. It was cheaper than the first one and it had a bigger yard. It had everything we wanted. We sent our real estate agent over to check it out and she loved it for us. We put a contract on it and we had never actually seen it in person! I felt like it was meant to be. Well, 11 years have passed and we are still in that house and we don’t have any plans to move.

You know, some people believe that when you are Christian, everything in life is easy and things just naturally go your way. I have been a Christian for a long time and I can assure you, that is NOT the case. In fact, some of my biggest challenges in life have been when I chose to follow God’s way instead of the world’s. It is so easy to choose the path where you will be socially accepted versus stares, eye rolls, or huffs and puffs (you might get all three!).

Over the last several years, when my emotions get high, I do seek the Lord in prayer. But this was a learned behavior that literally took decades for me to do. So, if this is not your first response, know you are not alone. When my heart is pounding out of my chest with emotion, I will quickly say, “Lord, help me.” That’s my whole prayer. Why? Well, at that single moment, I have something going on and I can’t have a long, drawn out prayer! 😂 But He knows what I need. He knows what I need when I DON’T KNOW what I need! Luke 5:15-16, “Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Sinless Jesus used the same tools we have today! If it was good enough for Jesus, surely you will benefit too, right?

Lastly, let it go. Yep, like the song! Matthew 10:13-15, “If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town”. Jesus tells us to keep preaching. Keep pointing people towards Him. It’s ok to want to explain your side or clarify. But if you keep going and pushing, who are you helping? Is it for your own ego? You have to trust God will work out what He has planned for that person you tried to change. So, preach, point to Him and then, let it go!

So, if things had gone my way, would we still be living in the Pizza Hut house? Who knows. But what I can tell you from that experience, is that I had to turn it over to Him. Once I did, He was right there and handed me what I asked for on a silver platter. And no, my house isn’t perfect but it’s perfect for us. And I am so thankful for His blessings for allowing us to have what He picked for us.

So if things haven’t gone your way lately, don’t get down. Really. I know it’s hard and stressful! But you HAVE TO trust in Him that He has your best interest at heart. Just talk to Him about it. I mean really, what is the downside to praying? And then, once you get it all out…let it go. If you need a visual to help you through it, I have a suggestion. Pick out a beautiful leaf. Take great care in picking this leaf. Then, find a stream and let it go. Watch it drift down the stream. Notice how that leaf gets caught on branches, or get caught in a current where it drifts quickly OR it gets sucked underwater. That leaf that you picked with great care is your problem(s) that you are so stressed about and God is the stream. No matter how hard the situation or where it goes, He will deal with it.

Love you all,

Jennifer

Motivational Monday

By Jennifer Robbins

On November 4, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

As always, it is so good to see you here whatever day it is for you! Tomorrow is a pretty big day so I would be amiss if we didn’t talk about it. The election. So, without further ado, let’s talk about it.

This Motivational Monday is posted later tonight because I have rewritten it several times. Tomorrow, I know who I am going to vote for and I back them quite a bit. Am I 100% happy with them as a person? Or am I 100% happy with all of their policies? The answer to both of those questions is no…for me. I try to approach all things from a christian perspective. In fact, this is probably the first time I have ever prayed for the best candidate to win (and I really meant it!). There have been times I have prayed that prayer but obviously wanted MY candidate to win.

By praying for the best candidate to win, am I voting for the least bad option?

I am, personally, extremely happy that I am not running for political office because Lord knows, I am not perfect. And I have lived a little in my 44 years on this Earth. 🙂 I am a Christian and I am not perfect. Just like your candidate you will be voting for tomorrow (Romans 3:10). So to answer the question…yes. You are voting for the least bad option because you live in a fallen world! But that’s where discernment comes into play.

The Bible teaches us about leadership. Exodus is an excellent source. Exodus 18:21 reveals that one of the most important qualities of leadership is competency. We need a leader who will uphold justice with written policies that align with our christian morals and values. In fact, Exodus tells us this leader should have good character and support godly policies.

This is where I struggled. No one is perfect. Everyone sins. Yet, I need to vote for someone with good character and support godly policies. That sounds like they need to be as close to sinless as humanly possible. Friends, this is where you weigh competency and morals. Political support and moral approval are two very different things. A question that helps me weigh the candidates is will your candidate reflect biblical values in their political decisions?

Life is not black and white. In fact, I think we live in a constant state of gray. That’s why it’s hard. Because we live in gray, most cannot back a candidate 100% and we struggle. But when weighing the candidates, they are vastly different (I know we are talking about the presidential election tomorrow but in all elections, they are ALWAYS vastly different).

I would bet 99.9% of you know who are, will or would be voting for tomorrow. I personally believe it is our worldly and godly civic duty to vote. Yes, I said godly. Here are some verses to help understand the significance of voting from the Bible: Deuteronomy 1:13, Proverbs 14:34, Proverbs 21:1, Proverbs 29:2 and 1 Timothy 2:1-2. I am going to encourage you all to reflect on what is most important to you in your next worldly leader. Pray about it and read His word and then vote.

I hope to see you at the poll.

Love you all,

Jennifer

Motivational Monday

By Jennifer Robbins

On October 7, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

Hey friends! It is so good to be back. I am so thankful for my time away to just regroup when it comes to these motivations. I’ll tell you…the hardest part is figuring out a topic (kinda like deciding what’s for dinner!). Well, while I was away this country had a few things happen…like a hurricane. And there’s another catastrophic one headed straight for Florida. We have seen devastation and sadness all over the news. People missing their loved ones, animals, and everything they have worked for. Where is God??! Why would He allow this to happen?? Well, let’s talk about it.

This is my personal opinion. But, I feel like when you talk about God and natural disasters together, you have to tread lightly. Does anyone else feel like that? I’ll explain. I never want to lead someone to believe that God is “bad” by not stopping what happened. But to be fair to the person the disaster impacted, you can see where they would feel abandoned, hurt and lonely. You could see why they can’t understand why this happened to them and their community when they are a “good” christian.

God isn’t punishing anyone with these disasters. God doesn’t do that BUT if He did, my guess is He would just punish YOU and not everyone else. You’re special but not that special.

In Genesis 1:1, God created the universe and its law of nature. What does that mean? Well, if you live in Alabama, you know when a cold and hot front collide, we have the potential of tornados. Everyone knows that, right? That’s a law of nature. As well as James Spann predicts the weather, he is just a man. God is 100% in control but we are not. He wants us to know it. These types of disasters remind us that life is unpredictable and uncertain. But God is always there to guide us through (Joshua 1:9).

Could God have prevented this? Well of course! He can literally do anything. But if you are like me and something like this happens, you have to look at it with optimism. There is a reason for everything. Yes, even when you have lost everything. You were meant to go through this. Will you ever know why? Maybe. Maybe not. But when you get to heaven, ask Him. He will tell you. I’m sure Noah asked a lot of questions….

When disasters occur, I look at it differently. Again, to be fair, I am an outsider looking in so my perspective is different. One question is why didn’t/doesn’t God intervene? My question back is how do you know He didn’t? It can ALWAYS be worse. If you are alive, it can be worse. That sounds negative but it is the truth. But how many times have you seen a tornado drop out of the sky, LEVEL miles and miles and then poof! Back up in the clouds and never touched that school full of kids. That was a miracle, right? That tornado SHOULD HAVE blown right through that school. No. That was God.

There are times, disasters are a wake up call. Do I think they happened so YOU would wake up? Ummm….let’s just say I think maybe you and several others. Sometimes when our lives get off track, we forget a few things. And when something catastrophic happens, we tend to know who to seek. Kinda like your child when they are scared…they come running to you for comfort and protection. Well, that is no different than you running to your Father. And that is EXACTLY what you are supposed to do.

Listen, we live in a fallen world. We know this and we talk about it every week. As a christian, what should you do? It’s ok to grieve for these people. It’s ok to grieve WITH these people. We can pray for comfort and healing. We can volunteer and help if we are able. We can continue to worship and praise Him despite this! If Job could continue worshiping, you definitely can as someone looking in. Don’t allow these disasters to get you down and doubt. He’s there…just look.

Please keep Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and everyone impacted by these storms in your prayers. They appreciate it more than you know.

Love you all,

Jennifer

Motivational Monday

By Jennifer Robbins

On September 9, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

The 5 “L’s” of Life Series

Hey friends! We are continuing our 5 “L’s” of life series and today is listening. Like the other “L’s”, you can go in a million directions with this one. I talk alot about listening to God. But today, I want to talk about becoming a good listener. So, let’s talk about it.

When I went into HR, I wasn’t a very good listener. I heard what you were saying but I didn’t allow it to actually sink in. I would love to tell you that between the 2 degrees I received and the gazillion dollars in student loan debt, SOMEONE taught the importance of listening! If I was taught, I wasn’t listening. (Come on…that was funny) It wasn’t until I was in my career for a minute when I was with an employee who was irate and I was just overwhelmed. I had nothing to say to them that would calm them down. So…I had no choice but to sit there and listen. And they calmed down. When the conversation ended, I hugged them and promised to do what I could (which wasn’t much). She looked at me and said, “I just appreciate you letting me get this off my chest. I appreciate you listening to me.” And that’s the moment I learned to listen.

So what does listening do for people?

First, it affirms them. A the most basic form, when we listen to someone we are acknowledging their existence. Which in today’s world, says alot. In Mark 10, Jesus was surrounded by a crowd when he heard a blind beggar call out to him. Jesus stopped. Jesus called out to Batimaeus and listened to him. He asked Jesus to heal him and Jesus did. Of course, by restoring his sight, it affirmed him but what if Jesus never stopped to listen?

Second, we strengthen each other just by listening. James Dopson once said, “For some strange reason, human beings . . . tolerate stress and pressure much more easily if at least one other person knows they are enduring it.” Is that not accurate? Look at Bartimaeus. This interaction he had with Jesus strengthened him not only by restoring his sight but through the acknowledgement of Jesus when others didn’t think he was worth listening to.

Third, listening allows others to work through their thoughts. I am sure you have been talking to someone about an issue you were having. They might have asked a few questions now and then but by the time the conversation was over, YOU came up with a resolution. Did you know there’s a bible verse about that? Proverbs 20:5 says, “The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.” How clever that was written in the Bible when you thought YOU were the mastermind behind working out your issue. 🙂

How can we improve with listening?

I’m about to say something profound. I need you all to write this down. Ready? You have to hush and let the person talk. <drops mic and walks away> I’m kidding about the profound part but I’m serious about hushing! When God listens to you, he listens to you. He doesn’t interrupt you. He lets you get it all out. Which circles us back to the beginning!

When you are listening, you don’t have to fix their problems. You just affirm love and compassion. Affirm. Affirm His love to them. By affirming His love, it gives them security. Security that God does love them and He is there for them. And to be honest, He is so much better at “fixing” their problems than you are.

So this week, I want to encourage you to listen to others. When they ask you a question, understand there is a statement behind the question. If they ask you, “Do you ever feel like God ignores you?” That’s how THEY FEEL. And you being the great friend you are, wants to fix their feelings. Work on NOT fixing it. Give them the affirmation they are looking for. If it was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me.

Love you all,

Jennifer

Motivational Monday

By Jennifer Robbins

On July 15, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

Motivational Monday

Hey friends!! I hope your week last week was great and I hope this week is EVEN better. This week’s motivation was inspired by events from yesterday. 🙂 In these motivations, I always talk about prayer. Pastor Scott constantly preaches to pray. But why? What are the benefits? So, you know the drill…let’s talk about it.

Y’all. I need to be real for a minute. I woke up crabby yesterday. I was not in the best mood and I don’t know why. I’m sure you have those days. So, I decided I was going to skip church BUT I didn’t. The whole way to church, I was irritable about a situation I made MUCH worse in my head because of my mood. So, I just prayed about it on the way to church while listening to my christian station on Pandora. Then, I get to church looking for something to bring me out of my funk. Guess what? Nope. Still irritable.

Later in the day, I had some other things I had to do and my mood got better but I was still down (you know…irritable down if that makes sense). Then last night, I got a text message from Martha Fulgham. For those of you who don’t know Martha, please come to church and meet her. She is one of THE MOST genuine people you will ever meet. ANYWAY, her text was something about church but it turned into us texting back and forth. She literally changed my mood in that text exchange. I knew right then that was God. God sent her to lift my spirits. THEN, Debbie Ingram sent a text! Let me add, no one knew I was in a funk (and I don’t think it was noticeable). Debbie’s text was to just check one me because she thought she heard I was sick. Wow. Thank you God.

These texts happened within minutes of each other and I felt so loved and appreciated. It was overwhelming and these two ladies had no idea what their texts meant to me at that time. I knew right then, we had to talk about this today! I know God answered my morning and afternoon prayers.

We constantly preach prayer but let’s look at some benefits we might have trouble seeing.

Prayer can set or change the tone for the day

Listen, start your day thanking God you woke up and that He is there taking care of you today! God has given you an abundance of blessings. Sometimes we need to restore and repair our hearts. A great way to start is with a gratitude prayer.

Prayer helps you make better decisions

Listen, when we stop and pray about a situation, it gives us a moment of calmness. Calmness can bring clarity. Clarity comes from God through prayer. Ask God for clarity and guidance about situations you are struggling with at that moment.

Daily prayer keeps God front and center everyday. He is not just for Sundays

Fun fact, God wants you to seek Him all day everyday and not just on Sundays. If you pray daily, you will see Him more in your everyday life. If you lean on Him when you are hurting, you will feel his peace and comfort. When you ask him for help, He will guide you. But like anything else, you have to exercise this daily. Not just weekly.

Frequent communication builds a stronger bond

This is not a new concept, right? The more you talk to a friend, the better friend they become. Why? Because your conversations get deeper and the quality gets better and better. Then, you trust them with your feelings and emotions. God is no different.

Daily prayer shows the discipline of submitting your heart to Him

Let go. You HAVE to give it to Him. You HAVE to. I know, I know. It’s hard because we like controlling situations. But guess what? You are never really in control. You just feel like you are. But guess who IS in control? Yep…you guessed it!

Answered prayers are prayers prayed

I say this all the time but God knows you better than anyone. He knows when you are struggling. He’s waiting on you to ASK for help. Jennifer. If He knows I need help, why doesn’t He just help me? Good question! God wants your heart. The only way to achieve that is through daily prayer. So friends, if you are struggling, have yourself a little therapy session with God in the car like I did Sunday morning!

Opening your heart to Him transforms your heart

Prayers should not be robotic or transactional. It would be hard to make a friend with someone who’s a robot, right? Friendships are relationships. God is not interested in quantity but quality. He wants your heart. Prayer allows Him to work in you. He will transform your heart and bring you joy that you can’t find elsewhere. So, stop looking for joy in the wrong places!

We say all the time, prayer is your main communication to God. But prayer is so much more. You don’t have to pray pretty either! Trust me, I am a walking, talking truth bomb there. I just talk to God. He doesn’t care as long as you are genuine!

This week, practice daily prayer. If you already pray daily (woohoo!), ask Him for help with any needs you have. It’s ok to pray for you! If you are good this week (awesome) ask Him to strengthen your relationship with Him. You can never have a strong enough relationship with God. And lastly, if you feel like God is telling you to send a random text to someone, just do it. You never know when that person needs to hear from you…but God knows.

Love you all and see you next week,

Jennifer