One of the rights of passage in High School is getting your class ring. You wait a whole year for it to come in and then another half a year for them to get it to you.

It was so exciting when they called your name, and then you would hold your hand out to try it on. If it didn’t fit correctly, they would take it back, and then you would have had to wait for another 6 months or so to get it back.

The day came that our class-rings came in. They called all the juniors in the auditorium for our “fitting.” I could barely contain my excitement. I realize that it wasn’t such an experience for everyone else, but to me, it was everything. I was just beside myself when they finally called my name! My hand shook a little as they held the ring out for me to see, and try on. Imagine my relief when I slipped it on my finger and it fit!

I thought that ring was the prettiest thing I had ever seen. It was silver with a ruby (my birthstone and our school color). If you looked in the middle of the stone, you could see an Indian head – a beautiful chief! It had “1981” on one side with the “Honor Society” emblem and then on the other side a beautiful Sunrise (new day dawning). The coolest thing was the signature on the inside was actually in my handwriting! I couldn’t think about anything else but that ring! I wanted to wear it until the day I died!

All this hype over a class ring may seem dramatic to some, but you have to understand something. At this point in our lives, we were not allowed to wear jewelry: no rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces…nothing. So, when my parents said I could wear the ring, I was elated. It may seem silly to some people, but it was a huge deal for me! I just kept staring at it, hoping it wouldn’t go away.

After I got my ring, I would sleep with it on, bathe with it on, and cook with it on. I didn’t want to lose it, and heaven forbid anything would happen to it because I was careless. That wasn’t gonna happen! I would often look down at my hand to make sure I still had it on, and it was real and not a dream.

SO MY CHURCH (BRAT) STORY begins:

Being evangelists, my mom and dad traveled everywhere. One Friday night, we were going to Kentucky for revival. We had been to this particular church many times before. They were dogmatic in their beliefs, citing everything as a sin. The kind of church that would make you feel like if it was the least bit fun, then God said emphatically, “NO!”

SQUIRREL: Funny story, sometimes my dad thought he was funny, even when no one else thought he was. My dad was not a singer and pretty much tone-deaf. This knowledge makes the story even more comical.  

One night the pastor got up to sing, and like my dad, she was not a singer and was tone-deaf. The musicians hit a note. She said, “No, give me a B” she still could not find the note. She turned to them, pretty irritated, and said, “Give me a B flat.” My crazy dad, with zero tact, said out loud, “Give her a B; she will flatten it herself!” My mom was mortified. But me? I thought it was the funniest thing ever. I was bent over laughing! I guess you can see by now I get my humor from my dad! 

Back to my story!

We had not been to this church since I had gotten my class ring. I was excited to show my friend that was going to be at church that night. So, I was poised and ready to show it off! But, I knew it would have to wait until after church.

IMPORTANT side note: My oldest sister, Debbi, had gotten a birthstone necklace, and since I could wear my ring, she got to wear her necklace, partially hidden under her top.

The music started! Everyone knew that church had officially begun when the organ started! It was a given that when a Hammond B3 hits specific notes, the Holy Ghost would show up! As soon as my sister hit the first note on the organ – people were on their feet, dancing, shouting “Jesus” and “Amens”! Church was in the first stretch of a 3-4 hour service! I could only think of the ring that I was going to show my friend! It seemed like church was 12 hours that night!

Finally, church was almost over! I was going to get to show my friend my beautiful, shiny ring. It glowed; it was so glorious!

Then I heard the pastor call for “sanctification!” Everyone knew what that meant. Anything that was considered sinful would be “laid on the altar” and given to God. I sat on my hands so she wouldn’t see my prize possession! But, it was too late; she had spotted my ring and my sister’s necklace when we came in. Neither of us moved. Then I heard the “call to holiness,” including any jewelry anyone was wearing (meaning my sister and me)! Debbi reluctantly got up and took the necklace off, and placed it on the altar. I was horrified. Was God going to give me this one thing and take it?

Then I heard, “Anyone else have something to give to the Lord.” I looked around, me??? Ummmmm…NO! I felt like everyone was staring at me and my hands with my shiny ring. I angrily got up and placed the “unholy ring” on the altar. I was MAD! I was crying because I was so angry. Others were crying in repentance, not me! I couldn’t believe I just lost the most precious thing that I had at the time.

I think it is pertinent to know that the pastor also owned a pawn shop. So, I just knew she was going to pawn my ring that had my birthstone, my Honor Society emblem, and my signature! Well, not on my watch!

When church ended, I had no ring to show my friend. I had no ring to wear to school. I had no ring to wear to bed! I was “fit to be tied!”

I simply HAD to get that ring back. I had to do it when no one else was around and could see me. I had watched the pastor put everything in a box and put it behind the altar. So I knew where it was! And I knew where it was going to be – it was going home with me.

As everyone was talking after church, I made my way up to the altar and saw the box! I saw my ring – so shiny and new. I saw my sister’s necklace. I wasn’t sure if she was as devastated as I was about the whole thing. I looked past her necklace and focused on my ring. It wasn’t at the bottom of the box but laying right on top! It sparkled and called to me! I had to “heed the call!”

I made sure that no one saw me, and I quietly and quickly retrieved my ring from the box. I slipped it into my pocket with ease. I swore my friend to secrecy, and I showed her the ring. She was in awe! Then she got a scared look on her face. She realized I had taken the ring back. She just knew that lightning would strike me, and she didn’t want to be in the way. She literally backed away from me! I didn’t really care; I had my ring back! My precious Oceana High School class of 1981 class ring and it was going home with me.

I kept it in my pocket all the way home, reaching in every so often to make sure it was still there. With great relief, it was there every time!

As I got home, I started to think. I could not wear it, and I could not show it to anyone. My parents would know I “stole” my ring back. The more I thought about what I had done, the sicker I got. I begged God to forgive me for stealing, but then tried to explain, it was mine to start with, and I really didn’t want anyone else to have it, so was it really stealing?!

As time went on, I had to be satisfied placing it under my pillow and sleeping with it. As I got older, I kept the “stolen” ring a secret, and I would repent almost daily for being a thief.

Fast forward from 1981 to 1987 when I got married. I was packing my stuff and found my ring! I remembered that I had never told my parents what I had done. I was satisfied to know that God knew. I had been married for about 5 years, so around 1992, I finally told my parents what I had done. My dad just stared at me with nothing to say. To my surprise, my mom laughed and then asked why I didn’t get Deb’s necklace back, too!

Hey, sister, I was already on the hook with God for stealing one thing, and I sure didn’t need 2 things on my conscience! Every man for himself!

Sorry Debbi!

WHAT’S ON MY MIND?  GLAD YOU ASKED!

I think of this story often. How often do we call things sin that the Bible doesn’t say that it is? Then, how often do we sin against God and make excuses for ourselves? Growing up, I found that line hard to define. What was actual sin and what was called sin because of someone else’s beliefs? Where do we find the truth about sin?

God’s Word! That is our guide for life. That is our guide toward Christ and eternity with Him. Growing up, there was a song called “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth” (the BIBLE)! That is where we find our instructions on how to live. How to worship. How to treat each other.

Often, people do not read the Bible because they feel like they do not understand it. So, they skip it and hope the pastor or evangelist will give them a passage of Scripture to understand and live by. But, what if they are wrong? What if they are taking God’s Word and twisting it to suit their own agenda? You need to know this truth for yourself. You will be able to detect what is right and wrong if you have His Word in your heart.

Psalm 119:11

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 37:31
The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not falter.

Psalm 40:8
I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”

We cannot blindly follow everything everyone says or does. We have to know ourselves what the Word of God says about things.

After I got married and was out on my own, I struggled with right and wrong. Not out and out sins, but a lifestyle of how I looked. Was pants a sin? Was make-up a sin? Was going to the movies or a ballgame a sin? Was wearing jewelry a sin? I was tormented wanting to know.

One day I told George I needed him to tell me what to do, what was right, what was wrong. The words he spoke to me changed my way of thinking. He said, “Wendy, you have God inside of you. Ask Him. He will be honest with you. He does not want to trick you and make you think you are saved when you aren’t. Let His Word speak to you. You will figure it out!”

Great, when you don’t ask for someone’s opinion, you get it, then when you ask them, you don’t get it! Great! Just great!

So I began a journey of prayer and reading. I tried to listen to God and what He was saying and what He was asking of me. I eventually found peace in knowing God was a God of love, and He wasn’t just looking for a reason to put me in hell. He didn’t create hell for me. He created hell for the devil and the fallen angels. Heaven to be with Him is what He created for me. That is what He created for YOU! We were created for Him and by Him!

Matthew 25:41

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Colossians 1:16

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

I found out through prayer, fasting, and reading that Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world but to save the world (John 3:17)

To allow God to speak to you through His Word, you must understand what you are reading. You cannot grow unless you know what God is saying to you. I suggest you get a translation that you can understand.

I know some people are totally against anything but the KJV, which is fine if you understand it. You have to realize that King James had the original languages of the Bible TRANSLATED. The people under King James did not understand the Bible, so he had it TRANSLATED for them.

NOTE: There is a difference between TRANSLATION and PARAPHRASE versions.

Simply put::

Translations are scholars taking the language (be it Hebrew or Greek) and translating word for word, as much as they can, so we can understand what we are reading. Yes, I know that over the years, since the original scrolls were translated, there may have been words left out or words added to help people understand what they are reading. The bottom line is the meaning staying the same. To translate word for word from one language to another can be tricky at best. Find one you can understand so you will understand how God wants you to live.

Paraphrases are people interpreting what they think it means and putting their own spin on it. I personally feel like these can be used as references. I compare to the translations to paraphrase at times so I can get a different perspective.

**A great reference to understanding the difference between TRANSLATION and PARAPHRASE versions is found in Discover Discipleship Book 3: Growth. You can get this from Amazon. The entire series is available, and I highly recommend them.

https://www.amazon.com/Discover-Discipleship-Workbook-Growth

Some other great resources to use are youversion.com and biblegateway.com.

The YouVersion app will allow you to have dozens of versions at your fingertips. It is a tool I use all the time, and it is free, and it is easy! I love it because I can do a parallel of versions. Meaning, I can have KJV on one side of the screen and maybe ESV on the other side and compare verse by verse.

As we get ourselves in a quiet place to pray, listen to this powerful worship song!

PRAY THIS WITH ME TODAY (as Jesus taught us to pray)