Living Above the Sun Ministries

"You can safely assume you've created God in your own image when it turns out He hates all of the same people you do." -Anne Lamott God has been teaching me a lot about grace especially in the past week reading through the Bible in 90 days again. Many times in my life I feel like when another "Christian" if that is really what they are treats me so bad I wish God's wrath on them, but they too remain his Children covered by his grace and mercy and blood. I guess that's why he commands that we love and pray for those who hurt us because we are just as guilty as the people who offend us. I read things in the Bible and I don't understand how God can be "okay" with what just happened, such as Jacob stealing Esau's birthright and blessing. Esau got mad! He wanted to kill Jacob. But aren't we all Esau? We don't understand how God can still love that person because we sure don't at the moment. But that isn't God's c

"And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it." -1 Peter 3:15 According to Charles Malik says we as Christians face two tasks in our evangelism, and that is, "saving the soul and saving the mind." In other words converting people not only spiritually but intellectually. The church is lagging dangerously behind in the part of being intellectual. In 1980 Mr. Malik rose to the podium to deliver the inaugural address at the dedication of the new Billy Graham Center on the campus of Wheaton College. In his speech he stated the following: I must be frank with you: the greatest danger confronting American evangelical Christianity is the danger of anti-intellectualism. The mind in its greatest and deepest reaches is not cared for enough. But intellectual nurture cannot take place apart from profound immersion for a period of years in the history of thought and the spirit. People who are in a hurry to get out of the university and start

This whole weekend I have been in Columbia, SC on the mission field in prisons. Satan wants you to think that it's going to be scary and something bad might happen, but can I tell you, the only thing bad happening when Satan is telling you that, is Satan! Satan will kill you quicker than the mafia. At first I was excited, but I was also apprehensive because I was kind of by myself. My adopted dad was going to be there, but he wasn't in any of my groups, and I just wasn't sure. He (adopted dad) has been on me about this for at least a year now, and praise God I finally was able to go, and I'm addicted to it. I must also add and tell you what a special person my adopted dad is, especially in the basis of this ministry. He and his wife adopted me into their family last summer, and I was cool with that, and I do love them both. Pretty soon he had me plugged into our churches Addiction Ministry which he also serves in. As I have been going to these meetings I have l

We arrived in Columbia, SC about 3:00, and we checked into our hotel. My room consists of a king sized bed, and a flat screen TV! That is luxury! It is my prayer that this weekend will be a weekend of spiritual growth. Last night the service I was in is called Midlands which is a Juvenile Detention Center for boys ages 11-17. I had been to the Midlands before with Student Worship from FBCIT, and had experienced all that goes on there. However, tonight was different, in that in was more one on one with the boys, and more in the real side of things. I was not with a bunch of students trying to get them in order and participating, and all being a leader there involves, don't get me wrong though, I love all of those kids, and I am grateful for every opportunity I have to be a leader among them, and a friend. On this trip I am what they call a prayer warrior. I'm always praying, I pray over where we are going, I prayed over chairs last night that these boys would be sittin

When I lived in Wilmington, things were going pretty well. We all bump along in life, but some of the bumps make you sick and nauseous and ready to get off this ride of life. I loved Wilmington, I had friends, I loved my church, I was playing in worship band using my talents for God, I had a job, I had a bank account with a little money, I had plans. However, when you are a preachers kid things don't go as planned, EVER. We had to move away to Charlotte. You all know my testimony. I kept asking God why. I was pretty happy. Since I have lived in Charlotte, it's been a very hard journey, things haven't been easy or like they were in Wilmington. I've not worked much with the economy being the way it is, my bank account was closed, just various things along the way that make me say, "I wish I were still in Wilmington." But then I stop and think, and get out of the emotional moment and think about all the blessings God has given since living here in Charl

So as of Monday, I am reading through the Bible in 90 days again. I think I will make this a yearly thing. Monday evening as I started reading in Genesis, I picked up on things that I had somewhat missed in all my years of reading the Bible. As many people have stressed in my life, you are never done learning about the Bible, and God and His divineness, and supernaturalness. Hebrews tells us that the Word is alive and active! That in meaning there is always something to learn. So here is what I learned Monday night through my tired eyes. There were 2 trees placed in the center of the Garden of Eden. One was called, The Tree of Life, and the other, The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. You see, when Satan tempted Eve, he asked, "Can you eat from all these trees?" Eve replied, we can eat from them all but the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God didn't exclude the tree of Life. Only after Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil did God

The world stands on the brink of disaster. Its need for the church is more evident than in more optimistic times. Christians know the Lord has called them out from the world to send them on an urgent mission. But many are confused as to the precise nature of their task. Is it social work or evangelism, or both? I read in the Charlotte Disturber this morning. Apart from the murders, rapes, missing persons, and Britney Spears coming to town, I was disturbed yet again by a church news article. Right smack on the front headlines "Churches putting out the diversity worship mat. Their mission: Comeback of the neighborhood church." So why did this disturb me? Well, you should read the article. There were a few things in the article that bothered me. It's been my prayer that would not allow me to get stuck in my ways at church. To not get upset when I don't get to sit where I want, to bear with music, and other such things. One thing that we MUST learn as Chris

Fenelon wrote in one of his letters that, many think "dying to themselves" is what causes them so much pain. However, in actuality, because part of you still lives is what causes the problem. Let all that is not born of God with you die. Learn to accept your weaknesses, and see who you are so that God can heal you. If we die a little bit everyday of our life, how completely will these daily deaths destroy the power of your final dying. Essentially, when we die to ourselves daily, daily God will fill us with His peace, because God is peace-even the heaviest cross must be carried in peace. Do not resist dying to yourself. Volunteer for your own death, God heads straight for that which we are most reluctant to give up. He seeks to destroy your old nature, and it does hurt, but remember that pain is only felt where there is life. He takes away so that He might be your supply. He owns it all. A few thoughts I've been having over the last few days has been based

Last Friday as I was visiting my Grandmama in Kingsport, TN, I got up and got the paper from the porch. I did not know that the Kingsport Times News would contain such an article that would leave me sleepless as tonight, and somewhat of a haunting thought that the future of our churches are diminishing. What a shame! Here are some quick facts I'd like to share with you that I read in this article which by the way this is from a Methodist standpoint, an article based on Methodist church interview: -In the next five to ten years, 1/3 of all churches across all denominations will close. -In the last 10 years in the United Methodist Kingsport district, membership, and numbers of professions of faith and attendance all have declined and 8 United Methodist churches have closed. -Statistics say that 74% of people in Sullivan Co. don't attend church on Sunday morning. The population of Kingsport according to a 2010 census was 156,823. Stunning. Heartbreaking. The article

A few weekends ago my Aunt Linda gave me a book called, "The Seeking Heart" it is a book compiled of letters written by a Frenchman by the name of Fenelon. His name has stood for spiritual depth and insight for 300 years. Seeking Christians throughout the years have turned to his writings for their quest of a deeper walk with Christ. This book is not for baby Christians, it is for people who have been walking with the Lord for quite sometime. My Aunt felt like I was ready for it. His works are challenging, they are for the devout and understanding Christian. It is my prayer that I would always have a seeking heart after my Father, and creator. And not just seek with my heart, but seek HIS HEART. We can always trust His heart when we don't understand things, or trace His hand in things. So I pray that if you already are not, that you will seek God. That you will allow Him to soften your heart, and that you will humble yourself to a place where God can began to m

Tonight I went to a thing at my church Elevation where the guys were honoring the girls. It was so refreshing to see. Car doors were being opened, cars valeted, being waited on, a sweet hand written note, decorations, being ushered to our seats! They told us we were beautiful, stunning, gorgeous, pretty, fantastic....It was fantastic! They honored us by speaking life into us. On top of it all, we were all dressed up! We also had our pictures taken all dressed up. However, I skipped that because 1 I was by myself, 2 I felt ugly and fat and 3 girls were driving me crazy...just sayin ya'll. I never went to prom, I've never really dated, so tonight was some what special in that though it wasn't really a "date" thing I felt like I was being treated as if I were on a date. I don't remember ever being honored in that manner by a guy. I can't tell you if a man as ever respectfully told me I was beautiful. A lot has to do with my self image, I've ALW

"In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth." -Genesis 1:1 In 1215, the Catholic church spread temporal creatio ex nihilio as official church doctrine at the Fourth Lateran Council, declaring God to be "Creator of all things, visible and invisible,...who, by his almighty power, from the beginning of time has created both orders in the same way out of nothing." God brought the universe into being without a material cause. There is no preexistent material, only God who created. "In the Beginning"- bereshith indicates absolute beginning used equally in Isaiah 46:10. "Create"- bara, a word used only with god as its subject and which does not presuppose a material 'substratum.' "The Heavens and the Earth"- eth hassamayim we'eth ha'arets, this is a Hebrew expression for the totality of the world, or universe. Darwin in his "Origin of the Species" has other ideas. There are some questions to ask, and

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort." 2 Corinthians 1:3 Yesterday I drove my grandma a nursing home in Monroe to see her friend from church that had recently gone into the nursing home. It's a real joy to be in the presence of older people and hear them talk about the Lord. For so many years I was under the impression that all old people knew Jesus and were saved. But that is not the case, my eyes were opened to this truth when I was on a mission trip to Detroit, MI in 2008. We did a concert at a nursing home and several people accepted Jesus as their Savior that day. It blew my mind! Yesterday as my grandma and I were sitting in her friends room, her friend said "I love Jesus so much, but I just wish I could see so I could read my Bible. I can't see, I love God's Word." So my grandma volunteered me to read some scripture. So I did. Of course this ladies Bible w

“Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ." -Acts 10:47-48 This past weekend, and this weekend coming up my Pastor, Steven Furtick of Elevation Church here in Charlotte has been preaching our series "Follow." He gave all of our campuses an opportunity to be baptized spontaneously. 1,426 people responded to this opportunity. 1,426 ran to Jesus, deciding to obey and follow their savior in believers baptism. Do you know why the verse above happened? Because of Acts 10:9 "The next day as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon..." Because Peter prayed. Do you know why 1,426 received Christ and were baptized? Because Elevation church and their leaders prayed asking God move and intervene in lives, to change lives. We pray in audacious faith believing that God

It has been my prayer lately that God would use me as much as he can to where when I'm old and close to the end of my life there is absolutely nothing more I can give. I didn't expect that he would allow me to be poured out so much lately though, but he has. I am thankful for the opportunities he gives me to pour Him out into others through my life. For the past 2 weeks I've been taking care of my Grandmama in Tennessee. I poured out all I had into helping my Grandmama and doing things she needed help with. I cleaned, and cooked, drove her around, painted her fingernails, worked in the yard, played her favorite game...and it was all such a blessing. When I got home from taking care of her, I continued to pour myself out into my brother, and my adopted son from church. Most think I'm way to young to be adopting anyone, and I have to say I agree, but I enjoy spending time with these guys and pouring my love out on them, and showing them that Jesus is the way. I