A New Beginning

     As I sit here staring at the utterly white computer screen before me I am amazed at how blank it is. That statement might sound clearly evident,and you may be thinking "Duh". This for me however is as the title says a new beginning.I have never created a blog before.In fact setting this up occurred merely out of the desire to follow my friend's blog(sn: you need to follow her shes awesome her URL is: http://www.steffiefresh.blogspot.com/ ).Anyway it took me an endless amount of time to create a profile so that I was able to leave her a well earned kudos on today's blog. As I was sitting here doing it I felt compelled to take the next step and begin my own chronicling. Back to why the the contrast of the white screen is so crucial to this blog.
      This year has been a new beginning for me in so many ways. I have always been a religious person and  lived what I thought was a good life. A few years ago however I walked away from my church for personal reasons and in essence lost sight of what was most important >>my relationship with Christ. I still prayed and all but forgot about the component of fellowship and  the integral role of it in your walk with Jesus . In the summer of 2010 I endured a medical injury that forced me to rexamine and prioritize my life and what really mattered. I was amazed to discover that at the end of the day the things that I had "thought" mattered were just "distractions" placed in my life to keep me from walking in His light. I need to acknowledge that I am taking responsibility for those distractions because I ALLOWED them in my life by my shutting  out Christ!!
    Much like the whiteness of this screen as I began to blog tonight ,the weather here in South Carolina has been uncharacteristically "northern" to say the least.In the past 2 days we've received 6" of snow and if that were not enough add sleet and freezing rain for fun. I grew up in Upstate NY where the average snowfall is 121" a year so snow is not anything new to me. However as I stood on my balcony staring out at the blanket of white I was filled with such peace  and love & how the snow is somewhat symbolic of the purity of Christ and the gift of His life that He so lovingly gave for us on Calvary .
       This past Sunday our Pastor talked about Taboo + Wounds (check out his blog @ http://pastorjonathanmartin.com/ )(or if you would like to listen to the series check out sermon archives on the church's website  http://www.renovatuscommunity.com/ )in the sermon he discussed  how Christ can heal all wounds as found in Isaiah 53. As I reread this chapter of Isaiah the verse 6 jumped off the page at me "All of us ,like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's path to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all". WOW!! That one verse is so defining in my life and if we're to be honest ,I'd say ALL of us can shake our heads and say "yes that is me".
    The past six months have been filled with many ups and downs medically, finacially,emotionally and spiritually.However I have been blessed to have found fellowship in church again(thank Heavens for Renovatus Church in Charlotte NC & soon in Fort Mill SC) and know that no matter what happens I am not alone for He is with me. Through my fellowship in church I have regained my focus and found unity with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.One of my sisters doesnt attend my church but we are there for each other ,lifting one another up when the other finds themselves struggling(I love ya steph).
      We are on the eleventh day of the new year and I'm so awestruck by what I've witnessed this year already.Winter Jam 2011 at TWC Arena in Charlotte was simply magnificient. 18000+ people  gathered  together in freezing weather,(waiting hours for a ticket,but oh so worth it )to worship  in song and praise. There was a defining moment before the show in which a protester began shouting at the people waiting to get in (many young children there w/their parents) calling us all ugly names that I will not repeat. Rather than acknowledge this man's ignorance and feed into his negativity the crowd began singing ""Jesus Loves Me". It started with like 10 of us soon there were hundreds singing at the top of  our lungs .But we werent singing to shut him up (well maybe in the beginning that was the desire) but soon we were all arm in arm just singing of our love to our Heavenly Father. It was such a moving experience.
       Im sorry that someone felt the need to try to disrupt a Christian event, yet I know in my heart  that the Holy Spirit called on all of  us there to  demonstrate our faith in a way that is edifying to His Holy name. As Steven Furtick Pastor of Elevation church (http://www.elevationchurch.org/) says, "When we give God the Greatest Glory He gives us the Deepest Peace". This example is living ,testifiable proof  of that !! I left the arena that night feeling more at peace then I have felt in so long.I know God was working the Time Warner Arena  on Sunday January 9,2011.
   Inside the concert as I previously mentioned, we discovered the venue was packed to the rafters literally!! On that night many came to accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour.It is such a blessing to witness such a raw outpouring of love and moving of the Holy Spirit in people of all ages ,converged together for a brief moment in time.We entered as strangers and left as brothers and sisters . It is incredible to "Discover" how actively  Christ is working in your life if you just choose to listen.Once you turn your life over to Christ 110% no questions asked ,no holds barred...brace yourself sit back opens your eyes,ears and your heart and be prepared to be AMAZED !!