My Favorite Pastors

I was never one for watching most televangelists. Some have done more to allienate and turn people away from the church than they have done good, in my opinion. However over the past 10 years I have found a few that I enjoy. I pulled away from the church for about 10 years because of the hounding. Bad things were happening to me and I was told it was because I slipped and said a bad word the week before when I hit my finger with a hammer. Or because I was a bad mother for missing a PTA meeting when I had to work overtime. On and on, it was all about God constantly punishing me for the least little slip. I had friends who were total heathens and living the good life and it made me wonder.

It was many years later when I met my friend Frances and she explained these people were wrong. It wasn't God heaping retribution on me, it was the Devil testing me. She pointed out that heathens don't need to be tested because they are in the Devil's pocket, their retribution will come in the end. Christians are tested daily by the Devil as he tries everything to pull us away from God. Once I understood this, I knew that God was stronger than the Devil and would help me overcome anything thrown at me.

If I am up in time, I listen to Joyce Meyers on weekday mornings. Her humor brightens my mornings and helps me to look at myself and my shortcomings more deeply.

On Sunday mornings, I am up early, fix a little cocoa and scrambled eggs and sit down to enjoy Charles Stanley, The Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah, Joel Osteen and Ed Young. I have been reading Stanley's books for about 15 years and taken a number of the study courses offered through them. Dr. Jeremiah also offers a lot theological insight in his sermons that help me to understand the Bible more deeply. I enjoy Joel Osteen and Ed Young because of their positive messages. Some people argue they are less theological or "Christian Lite" but I think they help me see the Bible in ways that are relevant to everyday life and offer ways to apply it to that everyday life. I enjoy their positive messages and also receive their daily devotions.

Two others that I truely admire but can't seem to get the timing right to catch them on TV are T. D. Jakes and Max Lucado. I have been reading their books for years. Jakes is broadcast on Sunday mornings while I am at church and at the same time our head church out of Knoxville broadcasts so I am already taping them. (I tape our main church and CBS Sunday Morning every Sunday and watch them Sunday afternoon unless I am glued to golf. Then I watch them on Monday:) I discovered Lucado's services on cable about the time I moved and lost my cable. I thought it amusing that I had been reading Stanley and Lucado for almost 12 years and had never seen either until this past year.

Anyway these are my televangelists that I follow. I occassionally pick up others through our local CBN (Christian Broadcast Network) but they pre-empt a lot of national feeds with local ministers, most of whom are the shout, scream and point fingers type that I ran away from many years ago. My feeling is I want to understand the Bible so I can live it, not be beat over the head by it and want to hide from it.

First Sunday of the year..

I belong to Caton's Grove United Methodist Church just a half mile from the Great Smoky Mountain National Park entrance. It was founded in 1903. At one point it was overflowing but over the years many of the members have died out and their kids have moved to town and attend churches there.

There are only 11 members left but we are paired with a sister church that has a membership of about 40. We have a circuit pastor who preaches at our church first and then heads over to Pleasant Valley United Methodist Church for a second sermon. We do a lot of church dinners and get togethers as one unit and consider both churches as one family.

Being the first Sunday of the year, we discussed our hopes, dreams and goals for the coming year. Each spring the church is invaded by tons of ladybugs. A former pastor, Elizabeth, said we should pray that one day we have as many members as we have ladybugs. Several of us admitted we still pray the ladybug prayer, hoping for an increase of membership.

My own personal goals included trying to be more diligent with my business, to spend more time on my writing and to finish all these unfinished projects around the house. It has been a year since I moved in and I still have stacks of unpacked boxes.

Leroy, our pastor, pointed out that we can make all the plans we want but we should also take time to make sure they are the plans God has in mind for us. Sometimes we get an idea and get so excited about pursuing that goal that we forget to stop and ask God if that is a goal he wants us to achieve. Remember to pray for guidance in all pursuits.

Happy New Year

Linda :)

A place to share my Christian experices

As a Christian, I am always looking for new places to share the things I hear at church and the beautiful posts passed on by friends. This is my place to share them with others.

Hugs
Linda :)