REVIVAL IN PICKENS, SC - MT. SINAI BAPTIST CHURCH

I have a TON of editing waiting for me to finish - but I HAVE to write about this NOW!

Mt. Sinai Baptist Church in Pickens, SC (not too far from Easley if you are looking at a map), is experiencing a true revival. I cannot explain it, but the presence of God is very real in these services. Over 60 people have been saved thus far.

They started having a regular revival meeting for their church of about 140 people...4 weeks ago! The Lord started moving and people were getting saved and attendance kept climbing, new folks were coming...so they extended it a week. Then another, then another - they announced yesterday they will start a 5th week on Monday.

We attended a Monday night service there last week. There were probably 240 people present. This isn't about some big name preacher they've paid big bucks to bring in (They pass an offering plate quickly, but there's no emphasis on giving money) - I can't even recall the preacher's last name. His first name is Mark and he pastors a church in NC. He's married and he has two (?) little kids. That's all I know about him. He doesn't talk about himself much - he just preaches. Nothing "new" or "enlightening" - just the simple truths of the Word of God. But the power of the Lord is at work all over the building. That night we were there we saw 6 teens and adults get saved, including a grandpa! One man came up to me and said, "I can't remember the last time I couldn't wait for work to be over so I could get to church!" These folks are really excited about what's happening.

We went again last night, partly because CJ asked if we could go again. I had wanted to attend another meeting there, but it's an hour drive for us. But if you have a teenager who is ASKING to attend a revival service, parent, you better make time to go!

Parking was everywhere! On the grass across from the church, down the road - I'm telling you, that building cannot hold all the people who are coming. We arrived 30 minutes ahead of service, and the sanctuary was packed! There were about 50 people who raised their hands as having never been there before. One lady said she'd arrived at 6:35 (services start at 7:30) and she had trouble finding seating. We can't all sit together - our teens sat in chairs set up in the vestibule and Curt and I sat in chairs along the back wall of the sanctuary. At a rough guess, I'd say there were close to 300 there last night.

Now I've been to tent meetings and I attended a Nazarene college and they get a little "active" -- but I've never seen what I saw last night. Folks were going forward and getting saved during the song service! All night long, people were popping up and getting right with God or their fellow Christians, rededicating their lives to Christ - and the preacher never even ended up preaching his message. He talked a lot about the Lord and what He's been doing, there were some testimonies of God's goodness, good music, a psalm (46 I think) was quoted by one gentleman and Scripture verses were quoted, but it was the Spirit of God moving in people's hearts. I felt transported in time, as if I could close my eyes and picture myself at an old-time revival - one where folks got up and got saved without needing an invitation.

Pastor Stafford and Jan attended a meeting last night in Landrum, SC, and they are apparently witnessing a similar moving of the Spirit.

Wouldn't it be awesome if this is just the beginning - perhaps we can see true revival spread through our land once again!

Great Raffle Going on at HomeschoolChristian.com

Hey folks - all you homeschoolers - the above site is having a raffle and they are giving away the neatest things! I had not seen this website before, but Martha Robinson of HomeschoolChristian.com is on my Christian Self-Publishing Loop. She sent out an invite to all of us self-publishers, asking us if we'd like to contribute something for the raffle. Of course, I said yes! So, among the vast array of items are two of my own - the Grains Unit Study and the Kitchen and Cooking Terminology Study. Everything she is raffling off is either individually worth about $20 or more, or she has "packages" of two or more items, totaling $20 or more. In any event - the values are fantastic and it's a fun way to try and win a bunch of cool stuff. Thought I would let you all know!
Gail

Christian Work at Home

CWAHM.com Announces Work At Home 101 A FREE online 3 week course designed to give moms a work-at-home starting place. Most people are curious about working from home. We know others do it, but aren't sure how they do it. CWAHM.com's Work at Home 101 is designed to give you an overview of the choices available that will allow you to work from home. This online course will give you the starting place you've been searching for. Best of all - it's completely free! CLICK HERE! Some of the things covered during Work at Home 101: * Where to Start * Telecommuting * Home-Based Businesses * Avoiding Scams * Entrepreneur Tips *AND MUCH MORE!

Jesus Loves Me

This was good. Got it today in an email:

A 92-year old retired preacher was asked to speak to the congregation and tell them what the greatest lesson was that he'd learned after 50+ years of preaching. This is what he said:

Jesus loves me this I know.
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong,
We are weak but He is strong.....
Yes, Jesus loves me...
The Bible tells me so.'

A pastor once stated he'd noticed it was the adults who sing "Jesus Loves Me" the loudest because they
knew it the best.

Senior version of Jesus Loves Me:

JESUS LOVES ME:
Jesus loves me, this I know,
Though my hair is white as snow
Though my sight is growing dim,
Still He bids me trust in Him.
(CHORUS)
YES, JESUS LOVES ME.. YES, JESUS LOVES ME..
YES, JESUS LOVES  ME FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO.

Though my steps are oh, so slow,
With my hand in His I'll go
On through life, let come what may,
He'll be there to lead the way.
(CHORUS)

When the nights are dark and long,
In my heart He puts a song.
Telling me in words so clear,
Have no fear, for I am near.
(CHORUS)

When my work on earth is done,
And life's victories have been won.
He will  take me home above,
Then I'll understand His love
(CHORUS)

I love Jesus, does He know?
Have I ever told Him so?
Jesus loves to hear me say,
That I love Him every day.

Random Thoughts on Valentine's Day

Last night was the Valentine Banquet at our church. We decorated (I'll post pictures as soon as I find the cable for my photo card reader!) and it was lovely!  We all enjoyed sitting down in the candlelit atmosphere, chatting with good friends and enjoying one another's company. My wonderful hubby bought me a dozen roses, a super-soft teddy bear, and a helium balloon! 

Eleonore and Willie attended, too. That was the first time Elly has had a date for a Valentine Banquet - and she's attending one with him tonight at his church, too! They sure are enjoying each other's company! Curt and I are very happy the Lord has brought them together and that they are taking their time getting to know each other. Willie is great about spending time with our family and all the kids really like having him around. 

Tim Joiner brought a great devotional for the group. He recommended a book by a man whose first name escapes me, but his last name is Vinney. He wrote a book on the ministry of marriage - looks like a great book, and I'm anxious to read it.   He brought out some very great points.  As most of know, marriage is a symbol of Christ's relationship for the church. Our marriages are to bring honor and glory to God. This can be extremely difficult at times, but our heart's desire should always be to honor and glorify God. Does this desire begin at the marraige altar? It shouldn't. It should begin when a young man or a young woman first begins to seek a mate.

This is one of the reasons Curt and I now promote courtship and not traditional dating. On some points, the two may seem very similar, causing some to say, "So what's the big difference?"  However, there is a big difference, starting from the very beginning. Our oldest child did not wish to have any of our involvement in her dating relationships, but the next three have expressed a desire to comply with our ideas of courtship and marriage. Consequently, they are watching Elly very closely.

Traditional dating, which many parents allow to begin at age 13 or 14, is not best on a variety of levels. First, you begin an endless stream of "falling in love" and "breaking up" -  practice runs for multiple marriages and divorces.  We believe there is no point in "dating" unless you are of an age to consider marriage. Why allow children to have all the emotional ups and downs associated with traditional dating, when they shouldn't even consider marriage until they are finished with high school?  When you really stop to consider it, young teen dating is very irresponsible - it does nothing to benefit the teen, and many times only causes hurt, grief, regret, and sorrow over lost emotional and/or physical purity.

Some folks criticize courtship, saying, "Oh - I'm not having my parents pick who I'm going to marry!" We don't "pick" who our children will marry. But we do offer advice, concerns about someone's character, point out positives or negatives, etc.  We've learned a lot about Willie. So far, we approve of all his answers and his character seems to bear out his beliefs. So, we have approved of him seeing our daughter. If at any point along the way, Elly had said, "Mom, I'm not really interested in him that way," we would simply have told him that, relieving Elly of any emotional burdens. But, she has been as interested in him as he is in her.  We want what is best for both of them - we want each to know God's will for their lives. I think Willie has a lot of character because he is willing to come to my husband and talk. So many young men today wouldn't dream of such a thing. Yet it shows incredible respect for both Elly and her familiy!  Why wouldn't parents want that? Why wouldn't wouldn't a girl want that? 

Well, I'm sure there will be more to post on this topic as time progresses. But for now, I'm glad Elly sees the importance of honoring God in her relationship with Willie. If more young couples would seek to honor Christ while "dating" or "courting" then there would be more young married couples doing likewise.