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House church tonight....

8/18/2010

Tonight was the first house church Bible study at the Bates' home. There was 14 of us in attendance and it was GREAT! I must say that I totally appreciate Darryl and his heart. We read and discussed Matthew 22:34-40. In the discussion, Darryl brought out that we should love the Lord our God, we should love others as we love ourselves and we must love ourselves, otherwise, we will not be able to love others the way the Lord wants us to. You know, I had never really thought about it, but it makes total sense, if you don't love yourself, how can you possibly love others effectively? Loving others as you love yourself if you don't love yourself is not much love and surely will make no positive difference in their lives for the kingdom.

Darryl went on to share how the 'church' in the Bible is a group of people, not a building....to which I totally concur. Other thoughts on the subject will be coming in future posts....

I would just like to close by praising the Lord for the awesome time we had tonight with everyone as we discussed the Word. We look forward to next week. We are also looking forward to the visit back in our hometown this weekend. We will be leaving on Friday morning to ride up. Chas and I will be riding the bikes and David & Angela will be riding the cage. On Friday, we are meeting with HBW Royalty. We will meet President and Queen Bob and Angie DeHoney and will then meet up with former President and Queen, Herman and Susan Willoughby, as well as Bob & Angie's daughter, Mandy & family. We are so excited to get to spend a little time with them! On Saturday, we will go to visit with Chas' dad. This will be difficult, as Chas feels like this will be his good-bye. Then, we will be going to Victoria Bryant State Park to attend a reunion of sorts of the first youth group Chas ever worked with (circa 1991-1993). Love those kids! Then, we will attend church with my parents on Sunday, visit with them, and head back to LA. Your prayers for safe travels and wonderful time in the Lord with those we love would be most appreciated.

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Loooong day....

8/17/2010

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Tonight, I sit at the computer totally physically exhausted and in pain physically. This is common and shouldn't take me by surprise when I have days like this. However, I am excited that even though it has been a long day, coming off a busy weekend and looking to a busy weekend. I am excited that tomorrow evening after work, I will meet with friends at Darryl and Karyn's for Bible study. This is another of the steps we, along with the Bates are taking in the direction of walking away from Logan Road Baptist and all that we attempted to do, but were not afforded the opportunities to do. We are hopefully going to be able to reach out and make a difference in many more people's lives through simply being real and sharing the love of a real God. Now, don't get me wrong, we have been sharing Jesus and will continue to. The difference now is that we have no one to tell us we MUST do things a certain way at a certain time, etc. We are free to do everything we do with no time restraints or expectations, except that all that we do be uplifting and glorifying to our savior. We are hopeful that others we are in contact with will begin to experience the same love and liberty that we do in Christ. Today, I had a conversation with someone and in the conversation, we discussed the 'rules' of religion and the 'high, right, and holey' and how they think we MUST attend Sunday School and Discipleship Training because it is 'necessary'. It totally amazes me how some people can claim to know Jesus and yet feel the overwhelming need to attend services simply for the sake of doing so. It is like they think God is keeping a roll book and they lose points unless they miss for a 'good reason', which is alright for them and their families, but not so for anyone else in the church. The truth is simply this: God does not keep a roll book for church attendance. Further more, He does not care how 'faithful' you are to attendance if you are unfaithful to Him daily in your thoughts, actions, deeds, etc. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that we should have daily time with Him. Picking up the Bible on the way out the door to church is NOT the only time we should pick up His word. We should seek Him and to know Him daily. The only real way to do that MUST include being in His word more than the time you are at church. It is sad that some believe that their 'service', 'presence', or the fact that they 'have been there since...' is going to win them points with God. If our relationship with God depended upon some ritual or other thing that we did, that would mean that we could simply depend upon the Ten Commandments and Jesus would have died in vain. Well, I am here to tell you, Jesus DID NOT DIE IN VAIN! He came, He saw, He conquered death and hell and He did it in spite of anything we might do or have done, not because of anything that we have done to deserve it from Him. So, basically, regardless of how tired I am or how long the day seems, it is nowhere the day Jesus went through for me, or for you.

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Psssssst....did you hear.....

8/16/2010

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I read a couple of interesting quotes today that I would like to share with you tonight. The first: "Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it" ~ Robert Frost. Now, let's think about this for a moment. The first part of this quote is something all of us can relate to at different points in our lives. The second part, however, is something we are often guilty of. Yes, I said it. We are guilty of this. Now, for the second quote, while a bit lengthy and the point is the quote at the bottom of the story: In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high
esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?" "Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything I'd
like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
"Triple filter?"

"That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and."
"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"
"No, on the contrary..."
"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of usefulness. Is what you
want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"
"No not really …”
"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"
Did you get that? I found this story very intriguing and quite applicable. My goal in sharing this is not necessarily that you will remember the whole story, but that maybe we all might remember and apply the final quote from Socrates. Sadly, too many people spend too much time remembering the things they are itching to pass along that they just heard, but they NEVER apply the triple filter to whatever it is. I am personally thankful that I have a few people in my life who either apply the triple filter or simply dispel whatever is being said with the truth.

Remember,what we say should be to apply 1 Thessalonians 4:11, "... make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business..." This is basically a Biblical command to do exactly what Socrates told his 'friend'. May we all be busy about the Kingdom and our own business, and less busy about the tearing down of those around us....

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Another soggy Sunday in LA....

8/15/2010

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While it may have been another soggy Sunday in LA, we were blessed beyond description. For various uncontrollable circumstances, everyone planning to meet up with us and ride to New Effort Church was unable to do so. However, there will be other times for other rides. So, Chas, Mike and I saddled up and headed South. We rode for about an hour, through a little rain, and arrived a little after eleven. The message was pertinent and refreshing. For a glimpse into the message, please visit Chas' blog for tonight. Oh, and while on the subject of his blog, I just want to say that I think that my guy is the talented, gifted one in this family. I simply use the blog as a way to share our story, but don't feel that my words convey very well. Chas, on the other hand, is gifted and has a way of being able to present a message clearly. So, if you haven't been reading his posts, please do so! Oh, yes, I was telling you guys about our visit to New Effort Church. After the service, we dismissed to the fellowship hall for a great meal. The people there were very warm and we look forward to our next visit with them. We followed the pastor's family (friends Brent & Deborah & kids) back to their house and spent the afternoon fellow-shipping with them and other friends from college, Craig & Cyndi Jacobs. It was truly a good day in the Lord. This evening, we met with friends for a drink...at Sonic. Later, Darryl joined us and the fellowship carried on. Basically, it was a great day, soggy, yet great, in LA. Today marks our second Sunday post-Logan Road and I can honestly say that we have been blessed and had so many opportunities that traditional stick-in-the-mud, legalistic, church attendance would never have afforded us. Having said that, let me conclude by saying that we are loving this great adventure and the Great and Mighty God we serve!

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Ride to Abby Creek

8/14/2010

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We had planned to get up early and go to breakfast with locals, however, you know what they say about the best laid plans.... We decided to spend a little extra time at home and slept in. Funny how the spirit is willing, but the flesh is sometimes weak. For us, basically, the body aches and pains won the skirmish this morning. I am pleased to say that we met up with Darryl, Karyn, & Moe at the Village Inn this afternoon and rode to Dothan to pick Angie up after work. We quickly got out of the Dothan traffic and found our way to a convenience store in Columbia where we stopped for a bit of AC and a cold drink. Then, we headed out of Columbia toward Haleburg. As we rode, we could see rain falling in the distance. Ryan, our Road Captian for the day, led us to Abby Creek in an attempt to run from the rain. Abby Creek Park & Boat Landing was a nice place with a nice bathroom facility. However, we soon found that while there were picnic tables, there was NO pavilion. So, as the rain began, we stood around under trees hoping they would block some of the downpour. Note to self: the rain falls RIGHT through the the trees and you STILL get wet! Poor Old Socks got the worst of it I think. He opted to sit on the Mistress under a trashbag to try to keep the cloth seat dry. Of course, he and the seat were soaked when the rain stopped. Then, we mounted back up and headed out. Not even a mile up the road, there had been absolutely no rain. We were shocked after the rain storm we had just been in. We decided to turn right and wouldn't you know it? We went back into another rain cell. We then stopped in Shorterville at another station and jumped off the bikes to go stand under the awning to wait out the rain. From there, we split up. The others headed home and we headed to the Elliotts for a cookout. David met us there and we had a great time with them (Casey, Dana, Zadia, Karina, Allan, Tammy, Leigh Ann, Judd, and Ally). So, after a full day of riding, getting rained on, hanging with great people, and coming home, I sit here typing this post. As I do so, I reflect on the day and am very thankful for the friends we have and the Lord who brought them into our lives.

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Busy weekend....All about Him and nothing about us....

8/13/2010

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We are excited to have a weekend when I am off work, but we will be extremely busy this weekend. We are planning to go to the local biker breakfast hangout tomorrow morning, then are meeting friends at the Village Inn (biker bar) and heading out on a ride in the afternoon. After the ride, we are planning to go to see Casey, Dana, Zadia & Karina in the evening. On Sunday, we are meeting more biker friends and riding to church together. We have no plans for the afternoon, but we are pretty sure it will involve riding and ministry opps. The reason we are so excited to be so busy is that we are able to devote a lot of time to riding and meeting our brothers & sisters where they are. We have been called to do this for many years, but we have not had the opportunity to devote the time to it that we now have. Chas often spent a lot of most Saturdays in the past several years finishing sermon prep, making power point presentations, etc. Now, we finally have the freedom to be out in the highways and hedges, seeking opportunities to compel people to come to know Jesus. There is a certain freedom and liberty in being able to do this. We have no 'start on time' nor 'end on time' to deal with. We have no one to try to satisfy except the One who really matters. We are able to go out and do what we know He desires us to do and don't have to worry who might be whining about what time it is or who did what to upset their apple cart. Yes, we will still attend church, as I stated earlier, we already have plans to do a church run this Sunday, but we DO NOT have to deal with things that a lot of people place a higher importance on than the will of God and His desires for reaching people, like by-laws, church constitutions, and covenants. Listen, I understand that these things might be needed, but when they take priority over reaching and loving people, and even the word of God, there is a HUGE problem. The fact that He loves us, gave us His word, and sends us out should be first priority. That is what we strive to make priority in our lives each and every day. I would like to challenge and encourage each one of you who read this post to make these things your first priority as well. Remember, when it is all said and done, all that really matters is what we did to honor Him and bring people to Him. It is ALL about Him and nothing about us.

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Property of....

8/12/2010

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So, my sister HBWer, Angie, had a status update the other day that I thought was very neat. It said, 'Property of Jesus, on loan to Bob DeHoney. I thought about the statement and thought it would make a great patch. You see, in most MC's the old ladies wear patches that identify them as the property of a man. Well, we are definitely property of someone, but His name is Jesus. He paid a great price for each of us. That price was paid for men and women. As I thought more and more about it, I mentioned it to Darryl and Karyn. They liked the idea. Darryl went on to say that he thought there would be great opportunities to share because of the patches. So, I then asked Angie if I could borrow her thought to have patches made. She said I could if I had her one made. Ok, no problem! So, I ordered blank patches and got a quote to have them stitched. As of tomorrow, I will be taking them to be stitched. We definitely want to be able to identify with those around us who ride, but moreover, we want to be able to share of the love He had for us. Hopefully, within a few days, I will be sewing a patch above my colors. We will be having others stitched, but will leave the on loan name blank for other sisters who want one. If you read this and are interested in a patch, let me know. Remember, we are not our own, we were bought with a price. This very thought is very humbling to me, yet makes me overwhelmingly grateful that He loved me so.

Thanks Angie, for without that status, we would not be getting these patches done!

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Knuckleheads....

8/11/2010

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Ok, so tonight I read an article titled, "Why Are There So Many Knuckleheads in the Church?" I was intrigued by the mere title. As I read the article, I realized that the idea presented in the article is not limited to churches alone. I do, however, agree that churches are FULL of them. The author of the article goes on to compare the 'knuckleheads' in churches to rats in a sewer and says that they breed and multiply more just like them. I must further agree with this statement. What grieves my heart in all of this is that people who claim to be 'Christian' act in such divisive ways. It is our desire to see unity and less divisive. My post will be short tonight, but don't get used to that ;). The reason is simply that I wish to challenge all who read this to take a little time to think, pray, reflect, and ponder the whole idea of knuckleheads. I will post the article link, but please keep in mind that the article is about churches, but could be applicable to any ministry group or group of believers.

http://michaelcatt.com/2010/04/why-are-there-so-many-knuckleheads-in-the-church/#more-463

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Blessed beyond belief....

8/10/2010

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As the days have passed and the blog has kind of taken a life of it's own, I have come to a few realizations. First off, there is always something to be said, and oft times, much is left unsaid. Secondly, I am totally surprised that we have as many daily visitors to the website as we do. We have been blessed beyond measure by a great and mighty God! He has brought us through many things, as you have been able to see through the nightly blogs. He also continues to carry us through each day. By no means have we shared all that He has done in our lives. We hope to be able to take you through many side stories as the blog continues. Also, we want to be able to share with everyone all that we are blessed with day-to-day. Take the past few days, for example. We are both blessed to have jobs that we are able to freely share what a great and mighty Lord we have. In our jobs, we have the incredible opportunity to encounter people daily that we are able to minister to. Many of them, in turn, minister to us. We are also blessed to have a great bunch of friends. Are they perfect? No, but neither are we. None of us are, but we do have a perfect God Who is working in our lives daily. As noted in posts, we have had great opportunities to spend time in person, on the phone, or chat, with some of the best friends anyone could ever ask or hope for. It is by His grace that we have been blessed with these great friends. We spent time with some over the weekend, tonight, and plan to spend time with more of them on the weekend.

Speaking of the weekend, we have a ride planned for Saturday afternoon and will be meeting up with some friends on Sunday to go to church together. It will be our first 'church run' so-to-speak in many years and we are excited about it. Moreover, we are excited about what the Lord is doing with a few bikers in LA. It is our prayer that He grow LAHBW in His timing and to His glory. If you read this post, ride (car or bike) and want to plan to ride with us this weekend, Saturday, or Sunday, or both, contact us via the guestbook. We would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to ride together.

In closing tonight, may I reiterate the overwhelming feeling I have. We have been blessed beyond belief. It is quite humbling when you look around and know that you will simply NEVER be able to please some people, yet God loves us in spite of our many flaws and faults, not because of who we are or what we have done. I take great comfort in knowing this and because of this, I feel blessed beyond belief. It is my prayer tonight that you, too, will take comfort in the great love He has for you and in that realization, seek to know Him more.

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My hat is off.....

8/9/2010

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For the past few weeks, we have experienced a lot of mixed emotions. For any of you who have been following the blog posts, you know what I am talking about. For those of you who have not, go back and read them. So, why is my hat off tonight? I had the privilege of reading a couple of blog posts by a very respected pastor. In them, he basically called out all of those church 'leaders' and their self-righteous, indignant attitudes and actions. He said everything most ministry families see and are unable to get anyone else to see. The problem is really more widely common than most want to admit. The truth is, these articles came to us via a couple who has been wounded in ministry. We feel their pain. We also see clearly what our brother, who, incidentally , served as the President of the 2008 Southern Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference, representing over 42,000 churches. Needless to say, this man is not a hayseed, redneck, or biker pastor on a tangent because he was jilted by a church. He is widely respected throughout the Georgia Baptist Convention, as well as the Southern Baptist Convention. Basically, he could be thought of as being an authority on such areas as that of the blog posts he posted in late July 2010 (21 & 24). These articles this man authored echo everything we have felt and experienced, as entirely too many other ministry families have also. The articles further encouraged me that we are headed in the right direction in our service in His name. Maybe some of you will read this and be ministered to, as we were. Yet others of you may read this and decide to make changes in your own churches to be more Biblical and less self-centered/motivated. At the very least, you owe yourself and those you are in church with to read the posts. I will post the links. Who knows, maybe you will print them and share them with those in your life. Also, if you think about it, the things Pastor Catt discusses in these articles are the very things that not only drive ministers out of ministry, give their whole family (self, wife, children) such a distaste for church, not to mention those who are looking for a reason to believe, yet are often turned off by the 'church folk'. At any rate, I do urge you to read them and as always, please feel free to comment here after you have read them.

Again, my hat is off to Rev. Michael C. Catt, Senior Pastor of Sherwood Baptist Church, in Albany, GA, since 1989.

http://michaelcatt.com/2010/07/what-if-pastors-had-a-union-part-1/

michaelcatt.com/2010/07/what-if-pastors-had-a-union-part-2/

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My name is Sonja. I am known as Road Rash, for obvious reasons. I have been a member of His Blood Warriors since 1996 I served as Secretary of LAHBW since the charter began in February 2002. In October, I became International Secretary and currently serve in that position.

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