A WOW Moment with Vicki and Mercedes - May 14, 2020

We didn't. Is your Wi-Fi working? Yes. Is the Wi-Fi working? Yeah. We should be asking Cindy for her password when we get here. I will give it to you. Asking you, she'll have it. I didn't either. We've been too busy talking.

Opening Banter and Technical Setup

Hello, everybody. Welcome to our Bible study. Tonight, we are at Ms. Cindy Lewis' home out here in Fayette County. I hope you remember who I am. I'm Vicki. Everyone remembers Mercedes, and this is Ms. Cindy.

We had a great ride out here, actually. Mercedes didn't say three words all the way here. It was a nice, quiet road trip. Any of you know Mercedes? That's very odd. I like what the underside of the bus looks like.

She threw you under there. I was just complimenting how nice the drive was out here in Mercedes. That's all it was doing. I love you so much. You're feeling it, aren't you? Not right now? I'll show you how much I love you on the way home.

How about that? Tonight, we've asked Cindy what her verse is that she would like to study for the evening. I'll just go ahead and let y 'all know before we get started that we're probably jumping around to more than one verse.

Cindy had about five verses picked out when we first started the discussion with her doing this tonight. She texted me last night and said she had picked one. What is the verse that you've chosen for this evening?

It's going to be Ephesians 4 .32. Ephesians 4 .32. As all of you know that have been watching with us, we have done a study on Ephesians 4 .32. The thing is that that night and the meaning and what somebody got from that scripture may be something completely different than how it helped Cindy in her life and how she applies it and how she reflects on it.

That's why we may do this verse 15 times. I don't know. I do know, though, that people use scripture or look on to scripture in different ways. Hopefully, that's one thing that we'll accomplish today.

I will explain my different... She said favorite verse and I was like, whoa, wait. I've got to come up with one favorite verse. I like all of them. Not all of them. It just depends on what day it is. I explained to Vicki that it depends on what day it is.

Do you get happy Cindy? Do you get sad Cindy? Do you get the world is ending Cindy? Do you get the one that's going to minister someone else Cindy? Which scripture do you want to do? That's why I had several.

We're supposed to memorize scripture and use it to help us. That's why I was confused and excited at the same time. Which is not hard for me to do. It's not hard for me either. That's why we have Mercedes.

That's right. For what? For you to keep us informed. Oh, yeah. To help us determine which day it is for Cindy to be... To know which scripture we're going to play with. Are you still not awake? No, continue.

I woke her up. Now she really wants me to throw her under the bus. Anyways, Mercedes, if you'll read the scripture please. Ephesians 4 .32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

Forgiveness, Compassion, and Obedience in Ephesians 4:32

Cindy, what does this scripture pull out for you? What do you get from this scripture? Well, I don't like to be defined by my sins, big, small, or whatever. This is a scripture that when I first got saved...

Well, not when I first got saved, but closely thereafter. I was struggling with a family member. And I had a very wise woman tell me... She instructed me to this verse. And she said, you know, be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

And we tend to hold grudges depending on the hurt. And she presented it to me as an act of obedience. And she explained to me that I could deal with this person in a manner, as a choice, not necessarily to have a daily relationship with her, to reconcile with, but as just an act of obedience to remind me.

And what it did was I addressed this person out of this verse only in forms of whether it's just a card or a letter or whatever occasionally. And sometimes the attitude would be wrong. But I would do it based on the scripture.

Ms. Suzanne was the lady that told me. And she's like, just do it. I love her. I know. And so I made this comment several years ago. I'm convinced she works for Nike because her attitude is just do it.

There's no, there's no, it says it, so what's your problem? Just do it. It's just that, cut and dry. So when I went, as time went on, this scripture, I would repeat the scripture to myself. And I even addressed it in a couple of the cards and the letters that I sent.

And after about four or five times of doing this and a couple of years going by, I found my heart changing. And she told me this would happen if you would just be obedient and do what scripture says. It's not going to change your situation, but it's going to change your heart.

So I found that my attitude changed without me even realizing it. It was like, oh, well, I hope this makes this person smile. I hope this makes this person happy. Instead of doing it because I was told to.

It's like, it was more hurt, not necessarily anger, but more hurt and not knowing how to handle the relationship. So just doing this act of obedience, just being kind and compassionate. So basically, you went to the mailbox and you—.

Threw it in there. And you slammed the door on the mailbox. You put it in the mailbox and you shut the door and you happily lifted the flag on the mailbox for it to be sent. And this actually came up with one of my siblings the other day.

And I was speaking to her about this and I was explaining. That's why I decided on this verse because it depends on—. I have a lot of favorite scriptures, but when this came about again, it just played on my heart for a few days.

And I thought, I have a lot of scriptures, but then one of my other favorite scriptures tied into this. And that's Luke 747. You got that one? Yeah, I got it. Luke 747. Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven.

That's why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little loves little. Well, to me, Ephesians is about grace. Ephesians tells us how to be Christ-like. And then that is a parable in Luke where, you know, basically it's showing her love.

She remembers her forgiveness, basically. She's been forgiven, therefore she forgives. That's what this is. So they kind of go hand in hand. And like I said in the beginning, I don't want to be defined by my sins, big or small.

We judge people or how we handle people or how we treat people or extend that grace based on the hurt that we've experienced with them. Well, if we remember how much we're forgiven, we should forgive and love that way.

And it is an act. I mean, love is the greatest command. So it's like, you know, be kind and compassionate. And kind and compassionate results in love, whether you think it does or not. I mean, before I knew it, I was doing things out of love instead of intentional obedience, and it changed my heart.

So she loved much because she was forgiven much. And if you live by this scripture, some days it's extremely hard because I didn't want to do it the other day. I don't want to lie to you. And I kept preaching that to myself.

But I would go back and I was like, do you really want God to judge you or forgive you less? Yeah, no, I don't. And I, you know, I told somebody, the person that I'm referring to, one day I came up and they were crying.

And I said, what's wrong? And she said, I don't deserve your help. And I said, if we got what we all deserve, we'd all be in hell. So Ephesians is about grace. He's given us something we don't deserve, but he's also given us mercy.

And kind and compassionate is both of those combined. And mercy is getting what you do deserve. Grace isn't getting what you don't deserve. So being kind and compassionate to me gives both of those. And she loves much because she's forgiven much.

We've all been forgiven. Well, in the same grace that's been shown to us, we should show to others. It can be hard to do, but if you, you know, it's hard to apply the word. We're good at memorizing it, but when we're dealing with someone that has hurt us or something that we've done or something we're dealing with, it's not easy to apply because you're like, I don't want to do that right now.

You know, that don't apply to me. You know, and until you can come full circle, you know, you might think, you might actually consider, we'll just skip the verses we don't like. We'll just skip the verses we don't want to do.

I mean, that's what everybody does. I mean, take something out of context. We do it all the time. But, you know. Yeah. Yeah. You're right. Well, and you know, I've not always gotten along with saying, my husband and I have not always seen eye to eye, but I, like you, like dealing with somebody, you have to deal with your spouse day in and day out.

And we struggled for many, many years. And the way that I viewed the situation that I was in and what I was having to deal with, it brought a lot of bitterness within me. And I learned, the more that I studied, the more that I saw how I was really causing myself.

Because just like you, once I started flipping things around, it changed who I was. God doesn't always change your situation. He changes your heart, so how you can deal with it. And then through that, eventually the love that you show changes the person you're dealing with.

Yes. And it changes the relationship of who you're dealing with. And that's what God did for us. It changed our life. It made us new. It made us whole. You know, so he showed us how to do it. We just don't want to do it all the time.

Right. Because if you go back up to 31, one minute, where is it? I can't see. All bitterness, anger, and wrath, shouting, and slander must be removed from you along with all malice. And then it says, and.

So you've got to remove all that. And be kind. And be kind and compassionate. And therefore be imitators of God. That's the next step. That was going to be my next one. That's why I'm saying Ephesians is all about grace.

It's all about imitating Christ. It tells us what we're supposed to do. It doesn't mean it's easy. It don't mean it's fun. So memorizing scripture, that's why I made the comment, I have so many different scriptures.

It depends on what Cindy we're dealing with. And I'll do these for you. Oh, I'm on. So if we're dealing with. We're going to a different Cindy. Different Cindy. If you're going to the world is ending.

How smart. I can read that from over here. I told you I'm blind. The big text. We're good. I can't. I mean, I love the Bible. But I have to put a flashlight on it. As you just saw. Okay. If the world is ending.

I quote scripture 1633. John 1633. I have told you these things so that in me you will have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous. I have conquered the world. When I wake up and I see the news.

And I just go to this verse. That's my comfort. That's my worship for the day. That's what I do. It reminds me. I don't have to worry about this. God's got this. Okay. So if you're going to. That's an everyday life.

Ain't it though? See, isn't it funny how scripture applies every day? Because I was just talking to a lady in our church on the way here. Well, no. It was on the way to her house. And we have an older lady in our church that's in the hospital.

As we, everybody knows. And I was telling this other woman from the church. I said, I just hate it so bad. There's nothing that I can do but pray for her. You know, I mean, we can't go see her. We can't let her know that we're praying for her.

We can't communicate with her at all because of COVID. But in that verse right there, be courageous. And God's already conquered it. It's tough. Now, if you're dealing with Cindy, it's a sad Cindy day.

Psalm 51:12 for a Heavy Heart

Oh, sad Cindy day. Sad Cindy day. We're going to write that down? She's going to hold me to this just so you know. Okay. Psalm 51, 12. Restore the joy of your salvation to me and give me a willing spirit.

51, 12. 51, 12. Because the part that speaks to me, it's not about restoring the joy. Give me a willing spirit. If I'm sad, if I am struggling, I'm in my feelings, which is not where I need to live and be.

So I need a willing spirit. Mercedes, did you hear that? Yeah, when I'm in my head and I'm in a hole, that's the one I've gone to. See? Specifically blot out my rebellion. Create a clean heart in me. Renew a great spirit within me.

Let me memorize that one too. That ain't on my favorites list yet. I've actually got it a few, some years, years ago before I really go there. Yeah. I got my family crest on the back of my leg. And it has the Latin of create a clean heart in me of God.

Did not realize that. Did not realize that was an actual verse in scripture. Really? Until somebody directed me there. And I was like, oh, I've got that on my leg. Who knew? Who knew? God said it first.

Who knew? Yeah, this was back when I was like, I don't want anything to do with church or church people or anything. And you were doing it just didn't even know it. God has a sense of humor, doesn't he?

Man. Very much so. Okay, so Sad Cindy is Psalm 51 -12. And Control Freak Cindy. Oh, yeah, let's talk about that one. Do you have that problem too? All right. Good, it's not just me. Psalm 46 -10. Stop your fighting and know that I'm God.

Exalt among the nations. Exalt on the earth. And there's another version that says be still and know that I'm God. It's the same verse, but it just depends on the translation. And stop your fighting. I envision somebody that's treading water, drowning, won't be still to allow themselves to be saved.

So when I'm Control Freak Cindy and I can't calm down a minute, this is my verse I go to. This is it. Stop your fighting. Be still. I got this. And it calms me sometimes. And that's one thing. There's a difference between memorizing.

The reason these are my favorite is because these are the ones I can actually apply. I can apply all of them, but these are my favorite ones to apply. But they comfort me. They give me peace. Well, it's strapping on the armor of God.

Yes. In all the situations. Yes. What is the peace in 6? 6? No. 11? Uh-uh. All the way through. No. 10. Ephesians 6. 10 through. Let's read it in context. The rest of the chapter. The rest of the chapter.

Let's stay in context. Let's stay in context. Let's see. I think that's the majority of those. So let me get this right. The John 1633 is the what, Cindy? That's the world is ending. That's when everything is doom and gloom.

You're going to use these against me, aren't you? No, I would never. I think you and Mercedes have got some... Y 'all got some ties going on because a lot of stuff that you just have described to me and some of the verses that you have used have been some of the same issues that the one sitting beside you has dealt with and gone through.

It's okay. We're not rude. But you know, the more studies we do, the more I'm finding out that as women we all deal with about the same issues. And we all struggle with the same heartache. And we all struggle with that one family member that...

I got one. Mercedes, you got one? What? Sorry. Family member. That one? Yeah. Family member. Well, three or four maybe. Most count. But I mean, it's true. I mean, but in all honesty, I believe that I married my husband.

Number one, I love him. But because of the issues I've gone through with him, God broke me and changed me. In the process of all of that. And to sit back now and look back on the 21 years we've been married and the person that I was when we got married and the person that I am now.

I mean, there's... And then it's like I told Mercedes. I said, who would have ever thought, I would have thought it eight years ago when I first started attending church at Whitten, that we'd be sitting here doing a Bible study together.

Not just me and you, but this one with green hair and tattoos all over herself. Do you see her earrings? You can't put earrings in there. They fall out. I've picked on her as much as I can. That's okay.

But a lot of times she doesn't notice because she's reading while we're doing this. Yeah. She's actually reading scripture while we're doing this. She is. Yeah. That's a good thing. That's why a while ago she said, what?

Huh? I'm not that good either. And that's because Pastor Jeff tells people all the time, watch our women, watch our women. And I'm going, we don't know what we're doing. You really want them to watch us?

Are you sure? Have you watched us? That's too busy scrolling. Because I'm like, there's a lot of bloopers. The first one we did, we did a blooper reel. It only got shared to the women. It was on the private page.

Private page. Did we? No, we're good. We're still live. We're good. That's why I saw it flash. I looked up. I looked up as well. I was weird. Except in the group. Yeah, it was a crap call. I'm just curious.

And I apologize. I've seen a few. I've watched some of the, I'll watch them later as I get. I don't know anybody in Knoxville. I'm so sorry, everybody. Nobody calls me until you're busy. Until I'm doing this.

You're trying to distract me. Man. Okay. Well, anyways. So, this is a different, yes, this is completely different. This is a different view. This is like Mercedes. I hope everybody's okay. I don't know anybody in Knoxville.

They should be calling at this time of night. Do you know anybody there anyways? I don't. Well, we'll sit here and just look at your phone. We're going to have another phone call. I think what we'll do is, sit down.

I think what we'll do is we're just going to cut it short. We're only five minutes. Because Mercedes is getting a phone call, and it looks like it might be somebody that's kind of important. Because they've called four times now.

But, with all that being said, Cindy, I want to thank you so much. Thank you for having us tonight in your house. The sweet tea is absolutely delicious. Thanks for asking me. Oh. I was afraid after you asked me, I scared you.

Oh, with all the different personalities. Yeah. Anyways, so thanks for joining us tonight. We're going to find out who this is calling Mercedes. And what is it you say at the end? This has been a wild moment.

Have a good night, y 'all. Thank you.