When in need, dial 91:1

Hey, everybody!

God has placed on my heart to share something with you. On the night before our wedding, I was viciously attacked by the enemy. It was quite obvious that he did not want me to get married and have the life God wanted for me. I was so sick. My poor friends who stayed in the hotel with me may never be the same. LOL

But, my friend Jackie came to my side with her Bible and said, "When you need God, you dial 911." And, proceeded to read Psalm 91 over me, starting with verse 1.

I hadn't really thought about Psalm 91 since then. It's been over a year and a half now, and God brought this verse back to my attention.

But, why? Was I under attack? Was something going to happen that I didn't know about? Who knows. But, God does. And, I was obedient, and read it day after day after day.

Then I realized, He wants me to trust Him. It all comes down to trusting Him. To hiding under His wing and allowing HIM to work in my life. That he will cover me. That I am safe under His shadow. That if He is my covering me, the fiery arrows of the enemy cannot penetrate Him and get to me. He is my strong fortress and shield. He is impenetrable. He is GOOD! He protects us. We have nothing to fear as we nestle under His wing.

When I need encouragement, I read the words below and change the he's to you's, or I even change the pronouns entirely and say aloud, "Because I love you, Lord, You will rescue me. You will protect me, for I acknowledge your name. I will call upon You, and You will answer me. You will be with me in trouble. You will deliver me and honor me. With long life you will satisfy me and show me your salvation." Amen! These are God's promises. His words are true. Our God cannot and will not lie. EVER! And, as we pray the Psalms over our lives, God will give us hope in His arms. He is our hope and our salvation.

¹⁴ "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

¹⁵ He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."

I feel as though someone is in fear tonight. In fear of the future.

Our beautiful, precious, loving Father has everything worked out. I urge you to read Psalm 91 and read it out loud boldly declaring God's promises over your life. And, do not be afraid to declare His word over your life again and again and again. Let it sink in. Steep yourself in His promises. They will take hold and be written on your heart. Do not be afraid, for God is with you. He walks you beside still waters. His Word is TRUTH. Our God is POWERFUL. He is pure power. He spoke the world into creation. He is the beginning and the end. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The promises He wrote in His book so many years ago are STILL His promises! He is not too old, or out of style. His Word was not for that time only. He is the God of the Bible. And, His miracles and promises are to be seen today. Speak His Word boldly over your situation. Ask the Holy Spirit to pray through you. Be real with God, and He will be real with you. Enter into His presence. He is full of joy, release and rest. Become one with our Savior. He wants to become one with you so badly. Let Him in.

Trust Him. Trust Him with everything. With your job, your finances, your laundry, that turkey who will fry for the first time on Thursday. ;o) Trust Him.

I realized on Sunday how ungrateful I am for all the blessings God has given me. Without Him, I am and have nothing. I am thankful for so many things, most importantly, that He chased after me. And, that I've learned--finally--to stay tucked neatly and passionately under His wing.

To be used by Him,

~Chelle and BaB

October's Lunch - What a blessing!

Wow! Sometimes I wake up so tired and drained that I wonder how I'll make it through the day let alone how I'll serve God and His children. But, however I feel doesn't matter.

Our God is a mighty, wonderful, gracious God who places us in His hands and gets the job done!

I was beat down and in a daze. But, I gave it all to God, and He made yesterday's Be a Barnabas one of my favorite lunches yet. God was there in all His glory! We ate in abundance -- God stretched the food to feed 42 of His children! We sang songs in praises of our King, and Tracee led a lesson on the Five Love Languages so we may all know how to better love one another. It was a glorious day!

And, to top it all off, one of our members, Fidencia, was BAPTIZED! Congratulations, Fidencia! The angels in heaven as well as all your friends on earth celebrated and rejoiced yesterday! We love you!

Thank you, Ricky, for the brisket and rolls! And, thank you to Tracee, Jen, Michael, and Judy for providing the rest of the food.

Our next lunch will be November 15th! I hope to see you there. God is so good!

May your week be blessed and filled with Christ's love!

To be used by Him,

Chelle and BaB

October 18 - Be a Barnabas and Brisket

Hello!

This month's lunch will be on October 18! Come ready for brisket, homemade rolls and all the best fixin's! We will have worship and the Word following lunch.

I've missed seeing everyone and look forward to Sunday!

If you have friends who'd like to join us, pass on the info! We'd love to meet them!

See you Sunday! God bless!

~Chelle and BaB

July Lunch to Coincide with Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser

Hello!

This Sunday, Be a Barnabas will participate in the Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser to help defer cost for students traveling to Orlando for the National Fine Arts Competition. The lunch will be held in the gym immediately following the 10 a.m. worship service.

We have been guaranteed free tickets, but if you would like to donate, the cost is $5 per person. Please e-mail me if you would like tickets to the event. Our small group will meet after we finish eating.

I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday!

To be used by Him,

Chelle and Be a Barnabas

Our God is a Matthew 6 God - Part 3

My stomach growls as I go on hour three. "God, please be with me in this fast. Show me what you have for me and what direction I must take." I grab my water bottle in hopes that its contents will quench my thirst and quiet my protesting stomach.

And, I'm only on hour three.

Fasting is not my favorite thing to do. I think I worry about it too much. I worry my blood sugar will drop, and I'll get dizzy. I worry that I'll be nauseous and miserable. I worry that my stomach will growl so loudly that God and everyone will hear.

Why do I bother to worry? Who knows. It's what I do.

For some reason, I feel that God didn't intend for it to be this way. Why are we predisposed to worry? To worry about everything. From what we are going to wear tomorrow to how the bills are going to be paid, no matter how big or how small, we worry. But, in Matthew 6, God so loved us that he laid it all out. An outline of how to be, of how to pray, of how to give all of cares and worries to our loving Father. He truly loves us. Oh, how He loves us!

This week, let's focus some more on fasting, and how God intended it to be.

Matthew 6: 16-18 says...

¹⁶"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. ¹⁷But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.


From my study of Matthew 6, I've learned one thing about God. He created us to worship Him and truly wants it all about Him. His glory. His kingdom. He created us to worship Him and proclaim His glory to the nations. He did not put us here to crave approval from our friends or co-workers. He put us here for His glory -- that is where the reward is. He repeatedly says throughout Matthew 6 that our reward is in heaven, not on earth. He reveals to us through this chapter how to act, what to do, and what our reward will be for obedience to Him. God made it so easy. Drink in His words this week. Drink them in and invest in your future in the Kingdom of Heaven.

To be used by Him,

Chelle and Be a Barnabas

Movie Night this Friday at VLC Waco

Hello!

Friday Nights Lights will host a weekly Family Movie Night at VLC Waco each Friday through the summer. Meet at the gym behind the church at 7 p.m.

This week's feature will be Love Comes Softly starring Catherine Heigl and directed by Michael Landon, Jr. The movie is based on the popular Christian-fiction series by Janette Oke. I've seen this movie and love it! I can't wait to see it again surrounded by all my friends.

See you on Friday!

Chelle :o)

Our God is a Matthew 6 God - Part 2

Prayer. For some of us, it flows off the tongue shaking the foundations of heaven. But for others, we get stuck, or maybe even think too much about it. In this week's scripture, Jesus tells us exactly how to do it. How easy is that? My comments are in blue.

Let's break it down:

Matthew 6:5-15

5And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

~Once again, Jesus addresses the "heart issue" behind our actions that we spoke about last week. Are you praying to touch the heart of God, or are you praying to be heard, to feel important, or to show others how smart you are?

6But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

~Matthew 6:8 is one of my favorite verses. He knows my needs even before I know them. And, I need a lot. LOL Or at least I think I do. He knows my every need. He knows I need food. He knows I need shelter, and he knows what clothes I like to where. Dad is so good! And, he always knows what's in style.

The next section is the best part! It's all about prayer and Jesus lays it all out. No parables. No tests. Jesus even says "this is how you do it"! How easy is that!

9After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
God is GREAT! Always praise Him first regardless of the situation.


10Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
God may your will be done on earth in my life just as your will is always done in heaven.

11Give us this day our daily bread.
God, you know what I need even before I need it. Please provide for me what you feel I need.

12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Lord, please forgive me of my sins. I'm sorry. I will forgive others as you have forgiven me.

13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Lord, please keep me safe today as I resist the temptations of the enemy. Amen.

The Lord's Prayer. This is the first thing I ever memorized because it was so very important for my mom that I know it. I was three years old.

Now, let's look at the final two verses in this section:

14For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Forgiveness: It's more than sayin' sorry. (Sorry, I had to throw in a movie line. :oP) I've noticed something recently about Jesus: When it's important, He repeats it.

In fact, forgiveness is so important, that it will be the subject of a future blog.

I hope Part 2 is beneficial in your faith walk. Please post any questions or observations below, especially if you are feeling the Holy Spirits leading.

Love y'all!

To be used by Him,

Chelle and BaB