My Ephesus Letter

Today I write from home, bunkering down from the rain known as Tropical Storm Bill. Mr. Bill is all bark, no bite, at least for us. There have been bands of rain and that is about it. My work was shut down today in case T.S. Bill was worse, so the children and I have spent the day at home not doing much.

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Revelation 2:1-7New King James Version (NKJV)

The Loveless Church

2 “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,

‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: ² “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; ³ and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. ⁴ Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. ⁵ Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. ⁶ But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
⁷ “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’

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I love the church that we are apart of. This week the youth is in New Orleans doing mission work in an area that is out of everyone's comfort zone. On social media I am seeing a generation growing and giving for the Lord. This isn't just a mission trip where you handout pamphlets. They are doing physical labor and it is a beautiful thing to see.

Our pastor last week started a series in Revelation, not the entire book, just the letters to the seven churches. This past week (church #2) I was in the nursery wing at church helping out, so this morning I heard his first part to the church is Smyrna. The first church though is Ephesus. What a letter John had to write on that island in isolation.

His sermon on Ephesus really spoke to me, convicted me actually. I realized that I have gone away from my first loves. The week after hearing the sermon I took a break from social media: no Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. Instead I prayed more, read devotions, download a Bible app for my daughter and had some personal reflection time.

My walk with the Lord grows stronger the longer I live. Some days are better than others, and some days need improvement. My husband is my accountability right now. Our marriage is stronger than ever and we talk all the time.

Hearing the sermon on Ephesus made me reassess my "priorities." I have given so much of myself over to my job and children that I have forgotten myself. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, it has become a passion, and as for my children, I will lay my life down for them if it is requires of me at any point. But I forgot about me in the past year or so. I have been so focused on my certifications and making sure to always have a good face on, that under the surface I have been falling apart little by little.

Once upon a time....I sewed, painted, gardened, cooked, and wrote. This is what I love to do. I love the domestics and crafts. But I forgot. So I have made time to do the things I love. I am working on a nightgown for my daughter, hope to finish in a week or so. The past few days I created some paintings for our guest bathroom that my dad will use when he moves in. I can't do much in the way of gardening this year. In fact I had my husband tear down our gated garden area so the grass could grow in for the children. I hope next year when A & S are about 3 1/4 and 1 1/2 years old, that I can at least do some container gardening with them. As for cooking - I have tackled that with a gusto. Our bills shifted some in the past few months so I am trying to cook at home more often. We had pancakes this morning and tonight I am whipping up some chicken fried steak. I can't wait!

My writing has obviously been neglected. For over a year this blog sat waiting patiently for me to bring life to it. And now within two weeks I have two postings! Not only that I have begun the character and plot development on a book based on the Book of Ruth. My goal in the next five years is to become published. I have ideas for several books based on the Books of the Bible.

God's letter was intended to bring the church of Ephesus back to Him. And while I have been talking about hobbies for myself, by being me, by doing what I love, I am coming back to Him.