My Prayers Of Forgiveness & Praises To God

[Kathie5255]

I have really fallen down on my Prayer life, Bible Study and Church attendance over the past few months and I feel so ashamed. After confessing to and being forgiven by the Lord; I believe that confessing it to my friends and family will give me 'several someones' to be accountable to. I'm looking forward to that accountability keeping me focused as I make a concentrated daily effort to make changes in my life for Him.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (KJV)

I plan to use this as my platform for keeping up with getting back on the right path of my journey. Feel free to reply to any of my notes with suggestions, devotionals, links, verses or prayers. I will be looking forward to those from you, my friends, for support.

Thanks for the kind words and concern from those of you who have written to me. It is good to know that not only am I not alone in my struggle, but many others experience similiar feelings, as well. It was suggested by one friend that I may have had a reason for the distance that I've been experiencing Spiritually. I may never know the reason; God may or may not choose to reveal it to me; so whatever it WAS won't be important as long as I am now guided in the right direction again.

I was committed to beginning church attendance again this past Sunday and did. Not because of what others may have said or thought while I have been remiss in my attendance (as someone has suggested), but because it is Scriptural and something I believed in even before I became a Christian. btw I still have such warm memories of the day of my Salvation at the age of 12!

Hebrews 10:25 (KJV)
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
[Exhort meaning to urge, advise, or caution earnestly.]

I made that next step in following the Lord more closley, after sending up many, very sincere prayers last week and already sensing answers to prayer. I had a renewed excitement ahead of time for hearing God's Word through our Pastor and other participants in the service (and the music, too). Being in Fellowship again with my brothers and sisters was so refreshing. I do want so much to reclaim the JOY that filled me not so long ago. I know that the Lord is and has been with me all the time and it was I who selfishly turned aside for a time and allowed other things to get in the way. Our Pastor has sometimes referred to our Church as God's Livingroom and I have thought of that many times in anticipation of last Sunday.

I have to share this link with you. Bible reading is a breeze with the online Audio Bible that I use. With it anyone can read verse after verse of their chosing while listening to a very powerful reader. Maybe you'd like to try it.
Go to http://www.audio-bible.com/home.html and click on> "Use Audio Bible online". I am currently reading and listening to 3 chapters each evening in the Book of John, in my favorite version "The King James" (of course!).

[dadof4]

I can say that I have never fallen away from going to church. Rather, it has just become like breathing - you just do it naturally, you don?t think about it. I just go to church because I always have. I guess you could call it a habit - a bad habit. A habit that I need to change.

How does one change a ?good? bad habit? Again, look at breathing. In my speech classes in college, we were taught the proper techniques of breathing - from the diaphragm - deep inside. Church attendance has a proper technique also. Go faithfully, for starters, but then go deep inside. Listen to and apply to your life the Sunday school lessons and the sermons. Enjoy the fellowship with God?s people.

I am glad that you have made the decision to renew your walk with the Lord.

[HappyChristian]

Kudos to you, Kathie!

[John81]

Praise God Kathie! You saw the steps necessary to take and you took them.

I know many folks who always say, "I HAVE to go to church..." and I think that's a bad way to say it, regardless of how they may mean it. It sounds too much like something forced, or an obligation they feel they must keep but would rather not.

For this reason, I've been very careful to say, "I GET to go to church...". I think this put's it in a much better context.

[Kathie5255]

Last Sunday was perfect. The sun was shining and a light breeze was blowing. The night before had gone well, we both had a good night. The morning had no interruptions or stress as we got ready for church services. My energy level was good for an early morning start and Mike's pain was no worse than usual and he did not even feel the need to take his oxygen with him this time. Nothing came up as an excuse as it does sometimes. Thankfullness filled my heart as we headed for services. (Did I mention that we live less than 5 minutes from our little country church?)

We arrived and were welcomed by friends and family. It felt warm and right! We settled into our usual pew (don't all Baptists?) and answered a few questions concerning health and recent hospital stays- knowing that they had been in prayer for us. We were glad to be able to confirm that many of their prayers for us had been answered. Just being back in fellowship was one answer of many!

The altar was set for the service of "The Lord's Supper" (which we have every quarter or more often). How wonderful that it was being observed on our day of returning. My prayers in preparation for church attendance alone had my heart feeling lighter- knowing I was on my way to getting back on track , back into a routine of going (the first step IS the hardest when one is out of that routine we all know). Being able to take part in this great ceremony of Christ's act with His disciples to remind them, and now us, of His death, burial and resurection was a fitting way for me to reconnect with Him in an even more special way. I know the timing was right because His timing always is!

Mike took me to a leisurily lunch at Popeye's for one of our occasional fried meals (both of our cardiac and diabetic diets prevent it being more often). We visited with my first cousin and her husband who were eating there, too, as Mike enjoyed his popcorn chicken and I relished my chicken liver meal. What more could we ask for as a way to spend a Sunday afternoon?! I caught up on her family news and we shared pictures of our grandchildren as I gave the good report that all is well in our family at this time.

I'm thankful that I was invited to join the fellowship here and am really feeling 'a part of' the Online Baptist Family. I really enjoyed sharing thiings with you, my friends. I will be back with more goings on at another time, till then I'm enjoying the fact that...
...we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (KJV)

[John81]

Thank you for sharing Kathie. That was real nice to read.

[Kathie5255]

October 2, 2007

Yet another GOOD day with good results. I'm so caught up in a whirlwind of thankfullness! Mike took me for my follow-up with the surgeon who did my procedure last week and I got the "all clear" to go about my usual routine and return to classes and therapy. I already had been to my cardiologist last Friday and was told the same as far as he was concerned, and was given permission to resume riding my stationary bike.

He was pleased with my tests during and after the surgery and the lab work. My LDL cholesterol is only slightly elevated and HDL is only slightly lower than he would like to see. Both readings were not too bad but my triglyceride count was up. He changed my cholesterol medicine (Zocor) to one which works better for triglycerides (Tricor). I'm looking forward to seeing an improvement when I return to him in 2 months. Mike and I topped off the trip with lunch at The Waffle House, his favorite place to eat.

Being a diabetic makes one more susceptible to plaque in the system resulting in blockages. I'm going to put a bit more effort into being faithful to my cardiac and diabetic diet, and increase my exercise some, but slowly. We've put a lot of money into this ole body of mine recently and I really SHOULD take better care of it.As the old saying goes (and one my brother R. quotes a lot) "If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself!"
I'm enjoying my journey through the Book of John that I'm reading and listening to at:
The Audio Bible online: http://www.audio-bible.com/bible/bible.html

I ran across this 'true' quote today:
I don't know the key to success,
but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. Bill Cosby

[John81]

:amen: