Gather in Jesus' name

Not too long ago I had an older man ask me where I went to church. When I replied that I didn't go to a church building, he frowned at me and said I needed to get into church and get my life right. He then invited me to his church. 

I will admit, that it was disappointing for him to automatically assume that by me not going to a "church building" like he did, that I wasn't living my life right. He didn't know the relationship I have with God or allow me to explain what I meant before he disapproved.

When I was younger I went to a church building every Sunday and in recent years, I have visited a few church buildings. What the man didn't allow me to explain is that the modern definition of church emphasizes the organization, the building, and large group worship. The biblical definition of church is the body of Christ. Wherever two or more, gather in Jesus’ name, that is the church.

God and I have conversations all throughout the day. Most times I talk, but here lately I have been listening. I have conversations about God and His word, with friends, family and sometimes strangers. I take God's word scripture by scripture and try and figure out how to apply it to my life and put it to action. I ask God every day to show me things that I wouldn't normally see and to guide my steps.

For awhile, I worried what people thought of me because I didn't go to a church building. Then I realized that as long as God knows my heart and knows that I meet with Him every day, that is all that matters. Going to a church building is great! But what really counts is us allowing God to be in our everyday lives and us meeting with Him daily. Not us just acknowledging Him on Sunday, Wednesday or Thursday. But us allowing Him to be a part of our daily lives and allowing Him to work through us.

How other people view you isn't as important as how God views you. So many times I have seen people hide who they are and what they do from their parents, family and church family, for fear of letting them down or hurting them. But the most important thing that they forget is that God sees all and His opinion trumps all others. He knows every single breath we take. And most important of all, He knows the intentions of our heart.

"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." - Matthew 18:20

And well, I just like talking to everybody! :) 

16 facts about Mvskoke People.

Now that Thanksgiving has come to a close, I would like to share some things that you may not know about Mvskoke (Creek Indians).

1. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians started off as 7 family's that migrated from the Wetumpka area to what is now Baldwin county. From there, some migrated and settled into what is now Poarch.

2. Traditionally, our Tribal Council when making decisions are to keep in mind the 7 generations past and the 7 generations to come.

3. We did not live in tipi's. We lived in homes made of logs and clay.

4. The finger-woven belts that are worn were traditionally worn to hold up our wrap skirts.

5. The China berries that we use for our jewelry is something that is only native to Poarch Creek Indians.

6. Mvskoke women only wore their hair down in time of mourning or during a wedding. Traditionally it was always kept in a bun to keep it out of their face and their work. When I see a woman in traditional clothing wearing her hair down, I automatically think that she must be in morning.

7. We were not beading people. Our jewelry pieces consisted of copper, pearls, few beads, China berries, German silver, shell carved gorgets, and trade beads.

8. When one person was done with their work, they helped others in the community to get their work done. Because helping each other out is who we are and it was beneficial to the community as a whole.

9. Three of the main important crops to our people were "The Three Sisters". Corn, beans and squash.

10. Green Corn our peoples New Years. It is called "Posketv", which means "to fast". It is where old things are done away with, new things are made, medicine is taken, prayers are said, dancing, celebration and a time of forgiveness.

11. Clan membership was determined by the child's mother. The fathers clan was respected but he had little role in his child's upbringing. It was the men of the mothers clan that saw to the child's development.

12. Before marriage, a man had to prove himself to be an able provider. Such as planting and harvesting a crop, bringing her a supply of game and providing her with a house. 

13. All of which is now know as Georgia and Alabama, used to belong to the Mvskoke people.

14. We survived and depended on 'community' and the cooperation of all of our people working together for the better of us as a whole.

15. Mvskoke people were deeply respectful of the natural environment.

16. Our language is sadly a dying language. There are very few fluent speakers left and it is up to each individual Mvskoke person to be proactive in learning the language of their people and teaching their children and so on so it will still be around for generations to come.