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My Creed is Jesus Christ

My Creed is Jesus Christ

The first church I became a member of was Southport Methodist Church.

Here’s a picture of me and my 5th grade Sunday School class sometime around 1964 or 1965. I’m on the second row, second from the left. This was the church our family attended while I was growing up in Indianapolis. I have some very fond memories from when I attended this church, especially when I was young. It was here that I first trusted in Christ around the age of 12, although I don’t believe it was a saving faith.

Around 3 years after this picture was taken, the church changed their name to include “United.” I continued my membership there into my young adult years, with increasing periods of inactivity on and off during my late teens and early 20’s, and then a resurgence in my mid-twenties. God got my attention one night after listening to Billy Graham speak on TV a few nights before. I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about all the sin in my life, and I cried out to Him in repentance and faith. I believe it was at this time that I was born again, as it was from this point forward that my life began to change. I began reading my Bible and started going back to my old church. However, after a while a couple of things started bothering me. My Sunday School class studied books that seemed more philosophical than biblical, and many of the pastor’s sermons were light on Bible verses and heavy on modern day stories.

Around this same time, I was listening regularly to Charles Stanley from First Baptist Atlanta, on the radio. His sermons were jam packed with Bible verses and Bible stories. This style of preaching was new to me and I found myself very drawn to it. While I enjoyed my old church, God had different plans for me.

In 1988 I was convicted to be baptized by full water immersion at age 33. I became a member of Providence Baptist Church in Riverview, Florida. It was a series of events that lead up to both my change in church membership and in my relationship with God. I wrote about this experience in a previous chapter titled, Another Gospel. In short, God was calling me to draw closer in my relationship with Him.

Nowadays I do lean more toward Reformed (Calvinism) Theology, which makes me more of a Reformed Baptist I suppose. I respect the hero’s of the Reformation such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Jonathan Edwards. I like John Bunyan, a Puritan who famously wrote Pilgrim’s Progress. I also like Charles Spurgeon; I agree and appreciate his clear position on water baptism, aka believer’s baptism/credobaptism.

Spurgeon wrote, “Conscience has convinced me that it is a duty to be buried with Christ in baptism, although I am sure it constitutes no part of salvation.” In his testimony, he says, “I had no superstitious idea that baptism would save me, for I was saved” even prior to being baptized. Thus, baptism was an act of obedience for Spurgeon. He answers his own question, “Why was I thus baptized?” by saying, “because I believed it to be an ordinance of Christ, very specially joined by Him with faith in His name.” So, even though he did not believe baptism as essential for salvation, he would reject the notion that baptism is non-essential.

Though baptism did not save, it symbolized or was emblematic of salvation. Spurgeon says, “I regarded baptism as the token to the believer of cleansing, the emblem of his burial with his Lord, and the outward avowal of his new birth.” That word avowal conveys the idea of baptism as a public profession or declaration to the world that a person belongs to Christ.

Clearly, the Bible contains many verses about baptism, some of which may seem to infer that baptism is required, however based on the whole of the gospel, I too, do not believe that baptism is required in order to be saved.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8

In my own personal experience for example, I was a 33 year old adult when I was convicted that I needed to be baptized by full water immersion. I understood that baptism is a step of obedience, and an outward sign of an inward change. At age 12 I had been “sprinkled” at my old Methodist church where I first trusted Christ, however was later convicted that neither the sprinkling or my salvation at age 12 was valid. Comparing my voluntary and obedient baptism as an adult, to people who get baptized because they’re told they “have to be baptized in order to be saved,” reinforces my belief that baptism is not required for salvation.

I also agree with Charles Spurgeon’s viewpoint on baptismal regeneration, the unbiblical practice of baptizing unbelievers and infants. Charles Spurgeon emphatically stated that, “We will confront this dogma with the assertion that BAPTISM WITHOUT FAITH SAVES NO ONE.”

Over the years, I’ve read many wonderful quotes and biblical teachings from Charles Spurgeon’s writings. In fact, I’ve been using The Spurgeon Study Bible since 2019 for my personal Bible study, and have grown in my faith by using it. He is one of my favorite Reformed preachers of old. John MacArthur, Voddie Bachman, Paul Washer, Sinclair Ferguson, and Alistair Begg top my list of favorite present day Reformed preachers.

At the same time, I also like Arminian preachers such as the late Charles Stanley from First Baptist Atlanta, Ray Comfort from Living Waters, Greg Laurie from A New Beginning, the late Adrian Rogers from Love Worth Finding, and of course, the late Billy Graham, who is probably the most well known evangelist of the 20th century.

I believe God uses both Arminians and Calvinists to preach the gospel message and to teach us about the Bible. I like this quote from Arminian pastor Leonard Ravenhill,

“Think like a Calvinist, live like an Arminian.”

I also like this quote from Martyn Lloyd Jones. So,whether you lean toward Arminianism or Calvinism it is a non-essential issue.

“I am a Calvinist: I believe in election and predestination; but I would not dream of putting it under the heading of essential. I put it under the heading of non-essential…. You are not saved by your precise understanding of how this great salvation comes to you.” #MartynLloydJones

So, whether you lean toward Arminianism or Calvinism it is a non-essential issue.

Now, I do find debates between Arminianism and Calvinism interesting to a point, but it bothers me when soteriology becomes an argument between believers. Those who find themselves in frequent debates on this subject would make better use of their time by instead sharing the gospel with a lost and dying world. Our job is telling. God’s job is saving. I believe God saves, with or without our help, however what a blessing it is to be used by God to help spread the gospel.

I like the response that Charles Spurgeon once gave to someone who asked him about his theology. Though he preferred to think of himself as a “mere Christian” he also said “I am never ashamed to avow myself a Calvinist,” and “I do not hesitate to take the name of Baptist, but if I am asked what is my creed, I reply, ‘It is Jesus Christ.’”

Game Set Match

They say that friendship is somewhat like tennis; it’s fun and you take turns playing off of each other’s volley; hitting the ball back and forth into each other’s court, kind of like the back and forth interaction we have in friendships. I still have fond memories of my first friends.

Annette:

Annette was cute and bubbly, the same age as me, and full of mischief! We were born just a few days apart in the same hospital. Our mom’s were friends. We were also neighbors until Annette and her family moved away when we were in 1st or 2nd grade. I was so sad when she moved. Our neighborhood was full of boys, and there weren’t very many girls my age to play with. I’ll never forget one day when we were playing over at her house, and she said, “Let’s put apples in our shirts,” and then go show her mom. I remember thinking it probably wasn’t a good idea, and I was right; her mom frowned at us and I was so embarrassed. And what made it worse, Annette told her mom that it was my idea!

Lynn:

Lynn was also a neighbor; she lived two doors down from our house and although Lynn was a couple of years younger than me, we got along good. Her house was warm and inviting, filled with antiques and the tick-tick of an old clock. We almost always played indoors so I guess that’s why I remember her house so much. Lynn was quiet and small for her age and she was super sweet. I remember her mom telling me that Lynn’s health was fragile and that she couldn’t play outdoors or as often as I wanted to. As life would have it, and I guess because of our age difference, our friendship faded. Years later, I was so sorry to hear that she passed away in her late thirties. I never learned what caused her early death or what her mom meant when she told me that Lynn was frail.

Carla:

Carla and I met in 3rd grade at our elementary school. She had the prettiest smile and such a beautiful complexion. Most of my memories of our friendship consisted of spending the night with each other and playing Barbie dolls. Our friendship was short lived though as she also moved away. Several years later I was surprised to see her at high school, but so many years had passed, we really didn’t know each other anymore.

Judi:

Judi lived next door to the elementary school we attended and I remember thinking it was so cool that she could walk to and from school everyday. We were friends from the 4th through 6th grade. She was creative, fun to be around, and we had something in common: The Beatles! We, like most every other girl in 1964, were in love with John, Paul, George and Ringo. Besides listening and singing along to Beatles songs, we liked to dance, practice cheers, play Four-Square, and tetherball. She was so athletic and was almost always better than me in whatever we did. I remember her mom would drop us off downtown Indianapolis to go shopping all by ourselves. I felt so grown up. I think we were only 10 or 11 years old at the time. I also remember going on a trip with her family to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. I thought that was such a cool place.

Me and Judi in a Photo Booth somewhere in Indianapolis in 1964 or 1965, me at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, and Judi’s sister, Vicki (on the right) and her friend, Marty, in the Photo Booth.

We lost touch after 6th grade when we went to different junior high schools for 7th – 9th grade. We ended up going to the same high school but it wasn’t until the end of our sophomore year that I realized who she was. She had grown about 6 inches taller than me and I hadn’t even recognized her. It was sad though because we didn’t know each other anymore. Puberty grew us up and we weren’t the same little girls anymore.

Donita:

I met Donita in 7th grade junior high and we were immediately kindred spirits! Our common interests were boys and fashion.

Donita’s 9th grade yearbook photo.

That’s me and Donita in the October, 1968 school newspaper. I don’t remember what we were buying but that’s me opening my coin purse and Donita standing next to me talking.

We’d talk on the phone for hours! I remember my dad getting so annoyed because we’d be on the phone almost every night with each other. And this was back when we only had home phones, and of course they were attached to the wall. I would lay on the floor in the living room and stretch the cord out of shape, and my dad would complain that the cord was stretched out of shape and that I was always on the phone and nobody else could get through. Back then, home phones would give just give a busy signal to the caller if you were already on the phone talking with someone. Eventually I got a phone, also with a long cord, installed in my room but we still only had one telephone line.  

My favorite memories with Donita were spending the night over at each other’s house, hanging out with our junior high friends,  and when she came with me and my family on a vacation to Indiana Beach in 1968.

 

It was on this vacation to Indiana Beach that I got to fly in an old open cockpit Fairchild PT-19 warbird. The pilot’s name was Mike and I only know that because that’s what I wrote on the back of the photo! I was thinking it was my sister, Joyce, who set this flight up for me as she had started working at Sky Harbor in Indianapolis in 1968, but she doesn’t recall this. So, I’m not exactly sure how this came to be, but I think this was my first flight in an airplane, and it was a good one! Joyce did take me flying two or three times while she worked at Sky Harbor from 1968 to 1973 (and I worked there from 1977 to 1986) but I don’t have photos so I’m not exactly sure when and in what aircraft we were in, although I suspect they were Cessnas. I do remember coming dangerously close to the active propellor on one occasion. I exited the aircraft for some reason which I don’t recall now, and was unaware of how close I came to the propellor until I got back in the aircraft and Joyce told me she about fainted when she saw me walk so near it. I was not a Christian at this time in my life but believe that God, knowing that one day I would be, protected me that day.

Toward the end of 1968, Donita told me that due to her dad’s job she had to move to Georgia. We cried for hours! We kept in touch by writing letters to each other for the first few years.  Then, when I graduated from high school, I arranged to meet her at the Atlanta airport on a stopover on my way to Florida.

As the years went by we lost touch. I thought of her often, and then in 2009 I remembered a picture that she had sent me of her baby girl, and it had her name written on the back of it. I did a Facebook search and found her daughter, Gina, who gave me Donita’s email address.  We connected again and I got to visit her again, but this time we met for lunch in Lawrenceville, a suburb of Atlanta, while Harold and I were on a road trip. It was so good to see her again and to be back in contact after so many years.

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Donita and me in Lawrenceville, Georgia, November, 2009.

Donita passed away April 11, 2024. I mourned the passing of my old friend; I missed the Donita I knew when we were young and I miss her now. I decided to send Donita’s old letters to her daughter. I re-read the letters with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat, and shipped them in a lavender flowered box to her daughter, Gina, along with some photos and a stationary book of Bible Promises for her, her sister, April, and their step-brother, Shane.

Penny:

Penny and I met in Junior High and our common interests were shopping, Janis Joplin, rock bands, and boys. I don’t know how, but somehow we managed not to get into too much trouble. One night we took her brothers car out for a drive (she drove, not me!) and we were probably only 14 years old. We loved going to parties, singing Janis Joplin songs, hanging out with friends, and dancing at Sherwood Country Club. We also went to rock concerts to see Three Dog Night, Chicago, and Iron Butterfly.

I remember Penny always had a beautiful tan (even in the winter) and I tried so hard to get a tan like her. One day, after laying out for several days in the sun, her mom told me, with a serious face, “Elaine, you should get out in the sun more.” 😳

Me, Ron and Penny 1969

Here we are in 1969 with my brother Ron, who had just graduated from Navel training.

At Indiana Beach summer 1968.

In a crowded Photo Booth sometime in Junior High school.

At my cousin’s wedding  in 1969. I brought Penny with me and we sat in the second row. There’s my grandma and grandpa, my cousin Todd, and Uncle Bill in the first row. My cousin, Connie,  told me years later that Penny was her official “wedding crasher!”

DSC04649Here we are at our 40th high school reunion in 2012.

And here is Penny, Annette, and me at our 50th High School reunion in October 2022.

…There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother….Proverbs 18:24

I remember the first time I read this verse, I assumed that it referred to friends and wondered if I ever really had a friend like that. Later I learned that the “friend” in this verse is actually referring to Jesus. Which makes perfect sense. Friends come and go but Jesus has long been my closest friend.

It’s interesting how you can hear or read a Bible verse several times and then, it’s as if you’re hearing it for the first time. In the late 1980’s I remember hearing this next verse in a sermon and it really caught my attention. Interestingly, it’s the first half of Proverbs 18:24,

A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly….Proverbs 18:24

I’ve thought about that verse often over the years, as throughout most of my life, friendships have been difficult for me. First of all as an adult, I think it’s easy to get “out of the practice” of friendship. We get busy with kids, work, and just the busyness of life. But personally for me and for as long as I can remember, I’ve always felt a little uncomfortable around other people. I enjoy people but I enjoy solitude more. In retrospect I think that God has used that to help me draw into a closer relationship with Him, which of course is very good, but I’m not so heavenly minded that I don’t also realize that having friends is also good.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

So,

I need to be continually reminded to stay in the game; to serve and to return the ball whenever it lands in my court; to seek common interests with others and to take time to invest in friendships. This goes for anyone who finds themselves with similar feelings. I’ll close with this quote from C. S. Lewis:

Friendship … is born at the moment when one man says to another “What! You too? I thought that I was the only one!”

Note: This post was originally written in 2019, however I updated it on April 2024 due to the passing of my friend, Donita. ❤️‍🩹

 

Dancing With The Scars

Dancing with the Scars

No one is immune from life’s difficulties. So, while I’d rather write about all the good times in my life, I know that my story would not be complete without including the not-so-good times. I believe it was in my search for answers to those dark times that I learned to trust in God and in His goodness. I also believe He allowed my struggles and difficulties to mold and make me into the person He wanted me to be. He has an eternal perspective and long-term plans in mind when He allows various circumstances in our lives. He knows the big picture.

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” Vivian Green

What an encouraging old quote! If I could update and simplify it a bit, it’d be, “Dancing with the Scars.” While dancing (living) we’ll likely develop scars (hurts) and while scaring is a natural part of the healing process, dancing and scaring are inevitable, but healing is optional. I found my healing in Christ.

So when I was around age 6 to 8 years old I was sexually abused. To those who have not gone through this sort of thing, I understand where you might think, “Get over it.” But to those who have, I say, “You’re not alone. Abuse is traumatic. It affects how you think and feel about yourself and how you relate to people. It also affects how you relate to God.”

I never told anyone about the abuse back then; I was afraid and I was a child. My mind blocked the memories of it until I was an adult. When the memories of it returned in adulthood, I went through a series of faith growing periods in my life, which also included forgiving those who had abused me. While I choose not to go into details of the sexual abuse, I will share about another traumatic experience that I went through when I was around 11 years old:

While babysitting a toddler and a baby, I was held at knife point over a large bloody bowl of water that contained a dead rabbit. I was forcibly held and forced to watch him cut apart the rabbit. I was basically scared out of my mind and was afraid to tell anyone about it. That experience alone was traumatic enough but it was made even more frightening when I learned that within a few months of what he did to me, a woman’s cut-up remains were found under the floor board of the very kitchen where he had traumatized me. He had fled the state and within a few months was caught and convicted of attempted murder of a woman in another state. I was told that he was suspected of murdering several other women while he was on his 18 month run from the police. He went to prison, where he later died, while on a work-release program.

In retrospect, even though it was a traumatic experience for me, I believe that God placed His hand of protection over me that day and protected me from being murdered. This event and the sexual abuse was all prior to me coming to faith in Jesus Christ. I believe God, in His sovereignty and providence, had plans for me and my life even before I was born.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.” Jeremiah 1:5

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Romans 5:3-5

I believe the hardships in life have a purpose; they can develop our endurance, strengthen our character, give us hope, and shape our thoughts about God.

In Genesis 50:20, Joseph told his brothers, As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

God uses the troubles and traumas in our lives to get our attention, shape our perspective, and ultimately to make us more like Him. While we may not understand why He allows some things in our lives, we are to trust Him nonetheless.

I have long ago forgiven my abusers, and it was because I asked God to help me forgive them. When I asked him to help me forgive, He gave me the gift of forgiveness in my life. It changed my perspective radically. God’s word tells us to forgive:

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

Regardless of what sins were committed against me, there came a time in my own life where I realized that I too was guilty of sin. It was at that point, that my life began to change; and when I came to understand that:

We’re all born with a sin nature.

We’re all hopeless without Christ.

We’re all sinners in need of a Savior.

Jesus took the penalty that we deserve and offers us a new and eternal life in Him, when we come to Him in repentance and faith.

I also believe it’s wrong to see yourself as a victim. While it’s true you may have been a victim, I’m saying it’s wrong to see yourself in that way. See yourself in the light of God’s word:

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23-24

“All” includes the most vile person you have ever known, up, and including the sweetest person you have ever known.

“None is righteous, no, not one.”
Romans 3:10

And when you receive God’s free gift of salvation through faith and trust in Christ alone, God sees you and receives you, clothed in the righteousness of Christ. That offer includes you and me, and it includes my abusers.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

So dance, because life is a gift, regardless of our difficulties and scars. God has made a way for all who come to Him in repentance and faith to live here and now, and into eternity. Don’t focus on the difficulties and the scars. Focus on Him who,

“…was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5