Take A Walk With Me

For tonight's Bible Study at Bethel, the Discipleship Series on Speaking in Tongues was taught by Bro. Joe Rapaglia. I enjoy it when he teaches. As I have done before, I will copy and paste sections from the actual lesson that is posted on the Bethel App. I enjoy these lessons. I love to learn about the Word of God. Acts 2:1-12 – “1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak ...

 On Sunday’s at Heavenview, there are two different services, one at 9:30 am and the other around 12 in the afternoon.  When we visit, we like to attend both, because more often than not, there will be two different speakers. They both  are always good. Today, the 9:30 am speaker was Bro Ray Byfield and the afternoon was Brian Carrecia. Both of them had a sermon that tied in perfectly together. Unfortunately, I did not have my journal with me, so I was not able to take notes. Their sermons can be found online via somewhere on their church page. Google Heavenview in Winston- Salem NC and you should find a link to all their sermons. I usually go to their Facebook Page and watch their live streams on Sunday and Wednesday. Today, both Bro Ray and Bro Brian talked a bit about making the right choice. We are usually faced with making a decision where the choice made could have a life long affect. It’s important that we go the way of wisdom in what we choose to do. What way is G...

 I was born and raised in the church. As an adult it’s my chosen lifestyle. I’ve been across the USA and lived overseas. I have attended church services with congregations of all sizes from 10 members to a thousand. Everywhere I have gone each church family had their own culture. Some have been very welcoming while in others I felt like an island to myself. The most loving places were the ones that embraced who they were in the environment that they were placed in.  They genuinely had a love for the the community. None of them were perfect. All of them had someone who was corrupt. All of them had people who had bad intentions. All of them had to deal with church hurt. On the flip side more often than not, the common denominator was that we are a family and form the body of Christ. In our imperfections we love Jesus and are in need of  a Savior. Christ shed His blood for us all. The church has loved me more than it has hurt me. And  let me tell you- it has hurt me. I ...

 Tomorrow is Father’s Day and I will honor my dad then. For tonight I want to honor the men who make the decision to love others as their own. The beauty of being a part of a church family is the community it creates. Growing up in church I had several men step in my life to offer guidance, prayer and instruction. I am thankful for each and every one of them. One of them eventually legally adopted me as his own. I’m thankful they chose to invest in me. A girl needs a dad in her life. These men over the years stepped in to fill a gap that I so needed to be filled. I appreciate each and every one of them. I honor you all in this Father’s Day. 

 Today at Bethel there was a freedom of worship that broke out across the entire congregation. Bro. Walker in the middle of the worship service called for people to come forward and praise their way into victory. The alter was packed with people worshiping. It was a freedom that Bethel needed so very much. Then, Bro. Robert Linder got up to preach. He is just as funny as his twin brother Bro. Harold Linder. Bro. Linder preached a dynamic sermon on "Now That You Know".  I highly recommend that you listen/view the entire service as well as the sermon, for I believe they will both be a blessing to you. The link is  here.  I will share with you what stood out to me the most. As with anyone listening to a sermon, what might have encouraged me and stood out, may be different for someone else who was in attendance. Thus, if you are able to watch it on your own, I suggest you do. The main text was taken from John 13:15-17. If you know these things blessed, are you if you do ...

 Tonight, RJ and I had the privilege of "baby sitting", the Border's children. Brandon and Mollie Borders along with their son and daughter are missionaries to New Zealand. It just so happens that Monday is their wedding anniversary.  I gladly volunteered to spend a few hours with their children so they could go on a date to celebrate. RJ and their son bonded immediately and had a lot of things in common that they enjoyed. Their daughter stole my heart within the first five minutes. We baked chocolate chip cookies, had pizza and then I made them grill cheese sandwiches. We played board games, science experiments and read some great books. The time flew by.  These precious children are sweet, kind and love the Lord. Most of all, they love New Zealand and truly want to return to their home. Currently, they are traveling raising funds. They are in need of 17 more Partners In Missions before they can all return to the people they love so very much. If you would like to give a...

 For Bethel's Thursday night Bible Study, Bro Will Cook continued with his lesson series on The Godhead Part 2.  I always enjoy hearing him teach because he truly gets excited about it. His love for The Word is evident and it comes through in his teaching. As I have been doing in the previous Thursday night lessons, I will pull directly from the notes that are posted on the Bethel App. Due to the extensive length, I will not be posting it in its entirety.    The trinitarian concept of God has been compared to “one law firm with three partners,” “one senate with three senators,” or “one club with three members.” The word “trinity” never appears in the Bible, and the original church of the apostolic era did not believe or teach the idea of a “trinity.” The official doctrine of the trinity is formally expressed in the following terms, none of which are found in the Bible. • “Triune God” • “Separate and distinct Persons” • “Co-equal, co-eternal, co-existent” • “God, t...

 Today is Pentecost Sunday, it's the birthday of the church. I'm thankful to be able to attend church in freedom. I'm thankful that I attend a church that is spirit filled. Bethel loves to worship the Lord; I don't take it for granted. I was so happy to hear Pastor Davis preach today. My admiration and respect for him just grows when I hear him preach.  Today, he preached on "The Celebration Of Pentecost" and his main text was taken from Exodus 19:16-20.  As always I will share the notes I took as well as what I received from the sermon. However, I strongly suggest you watch/listen to it on your own. You will pick up on something I may have missed. You can find the link  here.    The first part of the sermon was in reference to the feast of Shabbat and the eventually leading up to when the blood was placed on the doorpost to spare the lives of the first born sons. After Pharoah had changed his mind many times, he finally agreed to let the people go. Now the...

 It's been two years since Bethel has been able to hold their Ladies Breakfast. We had a very large gathering of ladies who joined today for a much-needed time together. There were many new faces mixed in with those who have been tried and true over the years. There was an abundance of food to choose from.  The tables were decorated beautifully. We had an outstanding balloon arrangement as a backdrop for taking pictures. Worship was led by two talented young ladies. Our two speakers were uplifting and challenging in their stories that they shared. The food was blessed by one of my favorite ladies who happens to be a pillar of our church. There was much laughter and love that could be felt throughout the entire breakfast. Towards the middle of the morning, right before the worship music started, our beloved Sis. Vickie Davis joined us. There was the sense of a wave of love that just swept through the building. Oh how we love our First Lady. I watched her with tears in my eyes a...

 Bro Will Cook taught the Discipleship Series "The Godhead Part 1", for Bethel's Thursday night Bible Study. Bro Cook is funny, because he gets very excited about what he is teaching.  I'm waiting for him to get so excited that he finally runs the aisle in the middle of his lesson to liven up a Thursday night. As I have done for the previous Thursday's I am going to copy in this blog portions of the lesson. This is taken directly from the Bethel App and with permission to do so.  THE PERSONA OF GOD  Corinthians 5:19 – “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself…”  1 Timothy 3:16 – “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”  God is an invisible Spirit and cannot be seen by the human eye.  • John 4:24 – “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worsh...