If you are from Birmingham, AL, you know who Matt Pitt is and what is going on with him. If you're not, he is a "Youth Leader" for an organization (for lack of a better term) called "The Basement". And it is about as creepy as it sounds. If you want to know what is going on click here.
This organization started when I was in high school and it was all the rave to {some of} my friends and the dealings of satan to my other friends. I was caught somewhere in between. I remember visiting when it was still in the Pitt's basement and then a couple more times when it was at a church before it was an auditorium-sized ordeal. I went 3 times because I just wanted to be sure what I was feeling was real.
Here's a little recap of how one of my visits went. Upon arrival I was greeted with the most "in your face" people I've ever experienced. I'm not easily overwhelmed but this made me want to crawl in a dark hole and never speak again. It was that over the top. After the meet-and-greet, we all crammed into a tiny building and sang songs and listened to Matt's message. The "message" consisted of Matt pacing the stage, Bible in hand, telling of how God redeemed his life, telling about stories in the Bible where God redeemed lives, but never actually reading those stories. He quoted a couple scripture (probably out of context) but never opened his Bible. That, to me, felt strange. It's not really a "Bible" study if you don't study the Bible - quoting doesn't count.
Worship was also interesting, but that's for another blog (or not).
Afterward was when things got r e a l weird!
I was standing out front with some friends of mine, when we were approached by some of the "leaders" asking if we wanted to go pray. Well of course we did! Who doesn't love a good old fashioned prayer time? Well, I don't know what exactly happened, but this was no prayer meeting I'd ever been to.
We all circled up and maybe joined hands, maybe we didn't. I'm fuzzy on all the deets, but we definitely circled up. Everyone {but my friends and I} started praying at one time - nothing wrong with this, I had just never done it before. Then a couple of guys walked from one person to the other, asked a question, laid a hand on them, and the person receiving prayer fell to the ground.
W H A A A A A A A T ? ! ? ! ? !
In case you haven't figured it out yet, I am a Southern Baptist girl and have been since my Christian walk began at age 9. Don't nobody "fall out" in the Southern Baptist church.
The guys got to me and my heart just about shot out of my throat. One guy asked me "What do you want to do?" Um I want to haul A outta here but looks like that's no longer an option. "What do you mean, 'what do I want to do?" I ask. "What do you want to do?"........"uh...sing?" He prayed some prayer over me, I was oblivious to what he was saying, too distracted by the pressure being applied to the top of my head....are you trying to push me down? I just stared at the guy with his hand on my head. I wasn't about to go down. I don't even know what this whole falling down business means. They moved on and I gathered my things so my exit could be swift and unhindered.
I have never been a fan of The Basement and the previous story is why. I have never felt that it was a true Bible study or that the {real} Gospel was spread there. I have only ever heard "inspirational" stories to get you revved up.
With all that said, I believe that many a soul has been led away from the real Gospel and away from God's truth because of The Basement and other "ministries" alike. I believe that a lot (not all but a lot) of Basement names are missing from the Book of Life. I also believe that a lot of Sunday School names are missing from the Book of Life. When you put your faith in man and not in God, you DO NOT inherit the Gift of Life. When you put your faith in the things of this world and not in God, you DO NOT inherit the Gift of Life.
I cannot say whether or not Matt Pitt is a Christian and neither can you. I can say that his actions point away from those of a Follower of Christ. I pray that he and The Lord will work out whatever is going on. I pray that he will seek Christ in his ministry and that "his people" would be God's people. Lastly, I pray that we will stop bashing Matt Pitt and start lifting him up in serious prayer.
Matthew 7:15-23
Colossians 3:12-14
Titus 1
1 Corithians 1:11-13
8.13.2013
Mushy Mushy Mush Mush
I recently got a friend request from an old boyfriend (like 10th grade old). Getting this request really sent me back in time. Not in a "I miss my old life" kind of way but rather a "Wow how different life would be had God not granted me this wonderful man that I call husband" kind of way.
Ashamedly, I dated a decent bit in high school. I say ashamedly not because I dated a bunch of hellion guys who took advantage of me or whatever (not that I always dated the best guys either). I say ashamedly because, unless we were ready to make the marriage covenant, it was pointless to waste our time and emotional energy on each other.
When I look back at old relationships, I am nothing but more thankful, grateful, and in awe of how magnificent and omniscient our Father in Heaven is. He knew exactly the man who would bring me to the throne room of God; who would honor and love me more than himself; who would be an incredible father and provider for our family.
Thank you, Lord, for bringing this man into my life. Thank you for continually molding me into the wife you want me to be. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Ashamedly, I dated a decent bit in high school. I say ashamedly not because I dated a bunch of hellion guys who took advantage of me or whatever (not that I always dated the best guys either). I say ashamedly because, unless we were ready to make the marriage covenant, it was pointless to waste our time and emotional energy on each other.
When I look back at old relationships, I am nothing but more thankful, grateful, and in awe of how magnificent and omniscient our Father in Heaven is. He knew exactly the man who would bring me to the throne room of God; who would honor and love me more than himself; who would be an incredible father and provider for our family.
Thank you, Lord, for bringing this man into my life. Thank you for continually molding me into the wife you want me to be. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."
James 1:17
8.02.2013
Have you commanded the morning since your days began and caused the dawn to know its place?
You know when you're feeling down and someone randomly asks if everything is alright causing you to burst into tears? Well, that happened to me last night, sort of.
I was in a weird mood and wanted a change to Rob's and my evening routine, which typically consists of a show or movie. What I truly wanted was Rob's attention - specifically, his encouragement. So, We turned off the TV and started talking. Then Rob said one encouraging thing, not knowing what was going on, and invited a flood of tears to rush out. With that, I confessed what was really bothering me.
Since giving birth, my number one struggle has been comparison. I compare everything these days. My body. Date nights. My child's weight, height, abilities, temperament, and, yes, even nap schedule. You name it, I compare it. {Sorry}
My precious child is 10.5 months old and the only word he says is "da-da"and as of yesterday he signs "more". He babbles like crazy, but no other words. According to Facebook, he is behind. According to the enemy in my ear, I am a failure.
Those of you who know me know that I have zero problem with social media. I love it. I have Facebook, Instagram, and obviously this blog (no twitter, because my life isn't that exciting) and I visit them regularly. However, social media feeds my comparison monster.
Every time I read on Facebook about another child his age (or younger) who's saying 5+ words, I feel a sharp jab in my heart. How are these babies saying "puppy", "bite", etc. and mine is crawling around on repeat? And yes, I know he's a boy and boys talk later, blah, blah, blah -- Unfortunately, most of these kids are boys!
It's always annoying to me that once one little insecurity pops up, it seems to invite a whole new slew of shortcomings and failures.
I don't work. My one job is to teach my son, help him flourish, explore, and grow into a self-sufficient, {speaking} young man. If I can't succeed at being a stay-at-home mom, what can I do? Because of course, being a stay-at-home mom is the lowest of occupations.
When I was finished crying and whining about my insecurities, Rob recanted how meaningful it was for him to grow up with a stay-at-home mom. 25-years-old and he is still positively affected by his mom doing daily life with him as a child. He reminded me the importance of me staying home and expressed his gratefulness for what I do. He also reminded me that, while I do need to challenge E's mind, his developmental timeline is 100% in God's sovereign hands.
Later, we read Job 38-42 together. Wow, what a humbling reminder of how tiny we are and how mighty our God is! I immediately felt repentant for doubting God's plan for my child and for questioning His calling on my life as a mother.
It's times like these, when I'm feeling weighted down and worthless, that I am thankful for a husband with a wealth of Godly knowledge who can bring me back to the Cross.
I was in a weird mood and wanted a change to Rob's and my evening routine, which typically consists of a show or movie. What I truly wanted was Rob's attention - specifically, his encouragement. So, We turned off the TV and started talking. Then Rob said one encouraging thing, not knowing what was going on, and invited a flood of tears to rush out. With that, I confessed what was really bothering me.
Since giving birth, my number one struggle has been comparison. I compare everything these days. My body. Date nights. My child's weight, height, abilities, temperament, and, yes, even nap schedule. You name it, I compare it. {Sorry}
My precious child is 10.5 months old and the only word he says is "da-da"and as of yesterday he signs "more". He babbles like crazy, but no other words. According to Facebook, he is behind. According to the enemy in my ear, I am a failure.
Those of you who know me know that I have zero problem with social media. I love it. I have Facebook, Instagram, and obviously this blog (no twitter, because my life isn't that exciting) and I visit them regularly. However, social media feeds my comparison monster.
Every time I read on Facebook about another child his age (or younger) who's saying 5+ words, I feel a sharp jab in my heart. How are these babies saying "puppy", "bite", etc. and mine is crawling around on repeat? And yes, I know he's a boy and boys talk later, blah, blah, blah -- Unfortunately, most of these kids are boys!
It's always annoying to me that once one little insecurity pops up, it seems to invite a whole new slew of shortcomings and failures.
I don't work. My one job is to teach my son, help him flourish, explore, and grow into a self-sufficient, {speaking} young man. If I can't succeed at being a stay-at-home mom, what can I do? Because of course, being a stay-at-home mom is the lowest of occupations.
When I was finished crying and whining about my insecurities, Rob recanted how meaningful it was for him to grow up with a stay-at-home mom. 25-years-old and he is still positively affected by his mom doing daily life with him as a child. He reminded me the importance of me staying home and expressed his gratefulness for what I do. He also reminded me that, while I do need to challenge E's mind, his developmental timeline is 100% in God's sovereign hands.
Later, we read Job 38-42 together. Wow, what a humbling reminder of how tiny we are and how mighty our God is! I immediately felt repentant for doubting God's plan for my child and for questioning His calling on my life as a mother.
It's times like these, when I'm feeling weighted down and worthless, that I am thankful for a husband with a wealth of Godly knowledge who can bring me back to the Cross.
"Comparison is the thief of joy"
-Theodore Roosevelt
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