Tell Your Faith Story

Sunday was Heritage day here at FPB. It was a blessed and wonderful event. One of the highlights for me was the first service altar time. Watching all those come and have the elders pray over their lives was great. I personally knelt and ask Elder E.O. Winkler to pray for me. Oh did he pray. I felt the strong hand of God though those prayers. I heard others talking about the blessing of hearing their Elders pray for them. It was a blessed day.

I hope we never forget the rich history we have in this Apostolic Church.

We need to keep passing the stories of the great hand of God in our lives, on to those around us. It builds faith and encourages lives. We too often think our story is not that big of a deal but if the Almighty was involved, it was a big deal. Someone else needs to hear your story of faith.

As I mentioned yesterday, we often go through valleys and down paths that we don’t understand the why, I personally have such events in my life. Yet, I remind myself as Elder James Lumpkin once reminded me, I may have lived there so someone coming behind me will have a faith story. Some things we walk through is simply so we can be the wittiness of the fact that others can make it. Tell your story of faith. Tell us how God has touched your life. Never forget to listen and tell all the stories of faith. It’s part of our rich yesterday.

I want to share with you something my daughter Rachel wrote in the Sunday News Letter. I hope you enjoy it like I did.

For me the old hymns bring back memories of those who have led us

and propelled us to where we are now…

of Eva Williams and her love for hats,

of Sister German and her warm smile,

of Brother and Sister Burrow leading the Sunday morning singing.

Those hymns remind me of hot camp meeting nights,

of tambourines and a passionately played piano,

of hand-clapping and toe tapping

of bobby pins and liberally used cologne.

Give me that old time religion,… It was tried in the fire,

Makes me love everybody,

It will do when I’m dying, It will take us all to Heaven,

Oh give me that old time religion!

The sound of those hymns recall to mind the tinny notes played during

the introduction of “I’ll Fly Away”,

the enthusiastic wheezing of an

old organ during “Just over in the Gloryland”,

and the whole-hearted singing of a congregation during, “At the Cross”.

Yes, I love the old hymns.

They fill me with a heavenly hope.

The same hope once felt by the elders of old.

The divine pull towards a home on another shore.

Until that blessed hope is realized, I will continue singing…

When we all get to Heaven,

What a day that will be!

When we all see Jesus,

We’ll sing and shout the victory!

Written by Rachel Crabtree

Let us never forget to tell our stories of faith. This generation needs to hear what God has done in your life so tell the story again.

I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only. O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come. Psalm 71:16-18 NKJV 

That the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children, that they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments; Psalm 78:6-7 NKJV