9 Mar 2025 Corn

March 9, 2025 by saymber, posted in Home, Leading Life by Example, Spirituality and Religion

Hello to you. How are you doing? I’m back from church – Pastor Jayson had a good message as always. His message was really relatable. He used gorging yourself at a buffet so you would get carried through the week is kind of what a lot of Christians do with their faith. His most powerful example was a seed of corn. To grow the seed you need soil, water and sunlight. He showed what you should do – put the seed in the soil and water it. He then pulled the seed out of the soil and laid it on the table, rinsed it off and put it back in the soil and repeated this process a couple of times. This was another example of how many Christians treat their faith. If you keep pulling the seed of corn out of the soil it’s never going to grow! The same things can apply to us with our faith. An hour on Sunday isn’t enough to get our faith to take root and grow.

John 15:5New International Version

⁵“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

8 Dec 2024 Garden of Anguish

December 8, 2024 by saymber, posted in history, Leading Life by Example, Spirituality and Religion, Writing and blogging

Hello to you! Today it was hard to get up because I knew I would have to scrape my car of ice. I forced myself to get to church and I’m glad I did. Today’s message took us to the garden of Gethsemane, the garden of anguish, where Jesus pleaded with God to spare him the cross. Even though he was afraid he prayed for protection over his disciples and you and I. He said “not as I would have it but your will be done” he resolved to pay the cost that was being asked of him. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to accept such a burden that was put on him! Without his acceptance and going through what he did we wouldn’t have the Christianity of today!

Here is the scripture we read today:

Matthew 26:36-39New International Version

Gethsemane

³⁶Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

³⁹Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Matthew 26:44-46New International Version

⁴⁴So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

⁴⁵Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

John 17:1-5New International Version

Jesus Prays to Be Glorified

17 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heavenand prayed:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. ²For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. ³Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. ⁴I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. ⁵And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

John 17:9-21New International Version

⁹I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.¹⁰All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. ¹¹I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world,and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of^[a] your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. ¹²While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by^[b] that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

¹³“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. ¹⁴I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. ¹⁵My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. ¹⁷Sanctify them by^[c] the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸As you sent me into the world,I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

Jesus Prays for All Believers

²⁰“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,²¹that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

28 August 2024 Something to Write About

August 29, 2024 by saymber, posted in Home, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, Writing and blogging

Hi there! How are you doing today? I hope this finds you well. I am trying to write a little more often and it’s kind of hard. Being single and living alone with my sweet dog Link – not going out much makes for not much to write about! Most of the outside my home activities are family, church and medical appointment related. Starting next month on Tuesdays I will be joining my Aunt for a Bible study called One in a Million. This study will go on into November. It will be nice to have an opportunity to make new friends! People my age are still working so most of the people will be older and retired. As a newer Christian it will be good to learn more and have the opportunity to ask questions.

Recently I had the question about being baptized as a baby versus being baptized as an adult. The difference is not having a say as a baby and my parents choosing versus my being an adult and making a conscious decision to follow Christ. So at some point I may decide to get baptized as an adult!

Sometimes I feel like I’m holding back from being all into following Jesus. Part of it has to do with each of the episodes I’ve had being Bipolar. Each episode involved religion and Jesus. This last episode that landed me in the hospital and trouble with the law was because I felt Jesus was taking too long to return so I was going to push things along! So I have been avoiding becoming overly religious for fear of what could happen! So much of my life I have been into death and darkness – my early life began with such things losing my Mom so young. I’m grateful to be surrounded by loving family both by blood and by church. They are helping me navigate this phase of my journey.

7 October 2023 Topic Change

October 7, 2023 by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, Health, Home, human rights, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, trust, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

What’s a topic or issue about which you’ve changed your mind?

The topic or issue I’ve had the most change about in the past couple of years is spirituality. I have more of a Christ consciousness than I did before. In the past it was simply just God I believed in not so much Jesus. Now after time and experiences the focus has narrowed down to Jesus. I can remember a couple scary lucid dreams I had and the one name I was barely able to say got me free was saying the name Jesus. I have always believed in God but for the longest not just Jesus. I have only just recently declared my belief. Once you say yes to Jesus, you can’t really say no!

I just want to give thanks for my family and friends today. I had something scary happen yesterday and they helped me get through it. I am so blessed to have such a support system!

Psalm 142:7New International Version

⁷Set me free from my prison,
that I may praise your name.
Then the righteous will gather about me
because of your goodness to me.

7 May 2023 Heart

May 7, 2023 by saymber, posted in Art and Poetry, Bipolar life, drawing, history, human rights, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Movies, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. How are you today? I’m just back from church – wasn’t sure if I was going but I did go. There are so many nice people that go and as I get regular with my attendance, the more people I get to know. The next event the ladies are having is a Ladies Tea on the 20th. My Aunt and I are planning on attending.

Todays message was more about the life of Abraham. The part we went over was when Abraham’s wife didn’t want to wait any longer for the God promised baby and she suggested Abraham conceive with Hagar the slave. The message about that was when we push our will instead of waiting can cause heart ache. The other message, and this has come up before, is how our hearts can’t be trusted. I wanted to put up my hand and disagree! One of my favorite sayings is from a 1920’s movie called Metropolis “the mediator between the head and hands must be the heart.” That silent movie was about how ruthless a business person can be without using their heart. As a woman and an empath I use my heart a lot! Sadly that’s probably why I have so many labels and mental health issues.! So much inner conflict between my brain and my heart.

I understand the intent of the message is to encourage us to get closer to God and not lean completely on our understanding but as I’m experiencing lately – God has been really quiet and without using my heart, I wouldn’t keep going to church and try to find a way to serve God and the community.

The world can be a heartless place – all you have to do is look at a news feed or talk to someone. It’s hard to find and achieve balance between using my heart and leaning on God. How can you love others as you should love God and yourself without using and trusting your heart?!

There is so much conflict for me with how we are taught to operate in this world. On the one hand we are taught to turn inward and find God and wisdom. There is emphasis on prayer and meditation which comes from within and then flows out. On the other hand we are taught that our inner selves are unreliable and inherently bad . We are taught to look outside ourselves for guidance and wisdom. This was what I learned in AA and all the church’s I’ve been to. I was taught I’m not trustworthy on my own. How can be turning inward to where the Holy Spirit is supposed to be bad? Where does the Holy Spirit within us reside? Where does our souls energy reside?

I am still learning and have to trust God will show me his truth.

I guess I don’t like to hear that on my own I’m not a good person. I have spent a lot of my life in therapy to deal with low self esteem issues! That’s probably not what is intentioned in todays message but that’s what I heard and keep hearing. That’s the tough job of a Pastor I guess – sometimes to tell us not what we want to hear but need to hear? Pastor Jason said it was a hard sermon for him to write and I can see why!

One of my drawings – this was during one of my more creative phases

Acts 2 : 2-4

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ²Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues^[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

30 January 2022 Feeling Like a Seat Warmer

January 30, 2022January 30, 2022 by saymber, posted in Art and Poetry, Bipolar life, drawing, Home, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Check out 30 January 2022 Sunday morning chat https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1281299640

Hello to you. How are you doing today? I hope we’ll. It’s Sunday and I woke up feeling pretty good so I decided to go to Grace Bible Circle in Middleton. I was feeling some anxiety after I got there but I found pressure points on my hands this morning that helped me out with that!

The messages today had to do with the revival of the church. Pastor Jason spoke specifically about the vision he and the church team have about that. How to minister to and reach more people. How this area is growing so much they may have to have more than one service. What they want to do with the office on Main Street. Even doing outreach to the kids that pass by from the high school! A sports program. Life groups and Bible study. He talked about so much! I found myself feeling really overwhelmed. There is so much need! Sometimes it’s all I can do to even show up much less commit to things. I also felt like a seat warmer. That’s what we used to call people in recovery that showed up to meetings but were not active in the fellowship.

Sometimes I feel like a bit of a fraud when I go to church. Like I’m not there for the right reasons. I’m not sure if I belong. A lot of it has to do with me not being comfortable going on my own. I’m surrounded by couples and families with children. Everybody seems to know each other.

I guess all I can do is the next right things as they present themself. For some reason I am going to this church! May be God will show me some way I can go beyond just warming a chair on Sunday.