Inspirations & Photography

Well I must admit I am not a harlequin romance novelist, but I do know a thing or two about romances. I know what it’s like to see a boy and feel like you’re going to melt.  Today, we would describe him as “hot!”  As I think back, my first summer love was when we took a vacation with my new family. My mother had just passed away and so I moved in with my father and his new bride,  equipped with 2 younger sisters and 2 brothers, one who is 6 months my senior.  It was quite a change for me since I came from a family where I was the youngest of 3 other siblings and now I was the “older” sister, which I really liked.  That summer we were visiting a friend of my new family and they had a son who was really cute. I was one of those girls who always fell for the “cute” guys!  As I’m sharing this, I remember one time I was with friends at a theme park, not sure of the name, but this guy walked by and I mean girls he was gorgeous! I can remember him so clearly, long blond hair and beautiful blue eyes, I was in such awe that I could not take my eyes off of him as he walked by and it felt as though my jaw dropped to the ground, that’s how stunned I was!  Well, back to “cute” guy on vacation.  We pulled up in the driveway and brought our luggage into the house and there he was. If I remember correctly (this is so many years ago) we were about the same age.  We hung out a lot together with my new little sister who was 2 years younger than me and I remember her getting so upset because I “always” got the cute guys! I’m sure she’d laugh at that now, but at the time she was pretty jealous.

It was your typical young summer romance when girl meets boy and  you go for walks, hold hands and experience that first kiss.  This would be the beginning of many summer romances (before I was married).  As time went by and I grew older the romances became less innocent and more passionate which led to the breaking of my heart multiple times.  I learned quickly about the slyness of boys and their luring lines and I had no one that I could turn to, no one to help me with my raging hormones and how to control them.

It wasn’t until I was much older that I finally met my “First Love”  He showed me what “real” love is and that it had nothing to do with physical attraction. He taught me that I was worth something and to have confidence in myself.  He has also taught me that I could be loved by another without it turning into something physical.  Yes girls, I fell in love alright, but it wasn’t the way you may think.  I met someone who loved me more than I could ever know. And that because he loved me so much he died for me and because of his Fathers love, he was raised to life again.  I remember my family was not at home and I read this little booklet that talked about this man and how much he loved me, even with all the mistakes that I had made. I learned that he was not ashamed of me, no, on the contrary. That night when I prayed I felt his love, it was as if someone put a blanket over me.  I cried, but they were tears of joy not sadness.  I no longer felt empty: I felt more alive than I had ever felt in my entire life. It was that night that I met my first love and his name is Jesus.  The Bible says, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.

It is my prayer that you come to know “this” love.  A true love that will never leave you or break your heart. Nor will this love take advantage of or abandon you.  It will always be there for you no matter where you are or what you’re doing now.  It is not ashamed of your past mistakes.  Yet His love for you is full of mercy, forgiveness and compassion.  He’s here for you right now.  All you have to do is invite him into your heart and life.  He is a gentleman, he will never force his way or his will upon you. Yet he waits patiently, waiting for you to open your heart. Waiting for you to pray this prayer similar to the one I prayed many years ago, “Jesus, I believe in You.  I want you to be the love of my life. Come into my life and into my heart. Forgive me of all my mistakes. Help me to live a life of making better choices. Show me how to follow you and walk with you. You promise to never leave me or abandon me. Be my Lord and my Savior, and thank you for your amazing Love”

If you said that prayer from your heart, then you are now a Christian, a believer and follower of Jesus.  I encourage you to find a church that teaches that Jesus is your Savior and that teaches his words  about faith and love.  I encourage you to read the book of John in the new testament.  It will give you a good understanding of who Jesus is, how he lived his life and what he teaches his followers.  You can also read my other writings here at ninatidwell.com  that will help you understand more about God’s amazing love and how to live by faith.  You can also follow me on Facebook:  “Pastor Nina Tidwell” or Ponce Church Surfside~Ponce Inlet, FL

Have you ever approached an employee of a store for help and had them respond with something like, “Sorry, this is not my department” Or have you ever had someone come up to you at work and say, “Can you help me with this?” Knowing that what they are asking of you does not fit your job description, what do you think  your response would most likely be? For many of us it would probably go something like this,  “I’m sorry, I’m not qualified in this area, let me find someone who can help you”.

The kingdom of God is not much different.  In some cases we’re all called and equipped to do many of the same things and then there are some “roles” that we are not qualified for.  Let’s take a moment to address the role of a “Judge” In the kingdom of God WHO is qualified?  Hebrews 11:23 says that God is the “…judge of all“.  Also Romans 2:16 says, “And this is the message I proclaim that the day is coming when God through Christ Jesus will judge everyone’s secret life”

In my thirty plus years as a Christian and nearly ten of those years as a pastor, I have many times found myself trying to fit into God’s shoes! It is very easy for us to “see” others faults and mistakes, and for some reason we think we have the “right” to judge them.  On the contrary! Jesus himself is very clear in his teachings, particularly in Luke 6:37, “Judge not, and you will not be judged, condemn not, and you will not be condemned, FORGIVE and you shall be forgiven”

Just recently while I found myself feeling the need to fulfill God’s role in the area of judging others, this thought came to me loud and clear: “That’s not my job!” It was then that I realized I do not need to waste my time playing out a role that is not mine! That would be like a police officer walking into a courtroom acting as if he was a lawyer. Or a dentist thinking he or she is qualified to perform brain surgery.  As Christians, we need to be aware of what OUR job description is.  If we are not to be the judge of others, then what are we required to do? Remember what Jesus said in Luke 6:37? We are not to judge or condemn others, BUT we are to FORGIVE.  Jesus teaches all throughout the scriptures the importance of Love. He encourages us to “Love others” as he has “Loved us”  John 15:12, 13.  The scriptures also say that “Love COVERS a multitude of sins”  It also says to Love others without conditions.  As Christians,  followers of Jesus, our job description is simply to Love.  Why? God IS Love, and because we belong to him we have his life, his nature, his Spirit in us. In fact the Bible says that the “Love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit”  As you can see our job description is very clear as the people of God  and that is to Love and Forgive others and not judge.

Another great example is the prodigal son and his older brother. Here you have a story of a two brothers, both were given an inheritance and one day one of the sons came to his father and asked for his half and when he received it he went and spent it all on wild living.  Once his wealth was all gone, he found himself having to eat pig food. He then realized that he had made a huge mistake and decided to go home to his father. He thought he would no longer be worthy so he was willing to go and be a hired servant. Well, his father was so full of compassion, he saw his son returning and welcomed him with open arms. He decided to throw a big party for the safe return of his son. When the older brother heard what was going on he was so upset and would not attend the party. The father came out to talk with him and his son said, “I’ve served you and have done nothing wrong and you never threw a party for me and my friends”  His fathers reply was this: “You know that everything I have is yours. Your brother was lost and now he is found, he was dead and now he lives” Luke 15:11-32.  The older brother is a perfect example of  how judgemental people can be.  We witness the mistakes of others and many times  we think we have the right to be their judge.  The scriptures say that when we “judge” we are guilty of the same things.  We must remember the importance of mercy and grace.  The Bible says that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” and that the only way we can escape the judgement of God is through Jesus Christ who went to the cross to die for the sins/mistakes of all mankind and when we receive the Fathers forgiveness, we are required to forgive others, if we do not, Jesus says in Mark 11 “…neither will your Father in heaven forgive your sins”.  If you are struggling with judging others such as a friend or family member, ask the Lord to help you to forgive them. One way that works for me is I am reminded that I’ve been forgiven of so many things because of God’s rich mercy and grace through His son Jesus Christ, that I must forgive others if I want my sins forgiven, and it works every time!

The next time you feel the need to do God’s job and make yourself a judge, think again and say to yourself, (out loud if you have to) “My job is not to judge, but to be merciful as I have received mercy!”

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Have you ever met someone that left a lasting imprint on your life? I have met many people in my lifetime but I’ve never encountered someone so full of love and compassion as my best Friend. He has never left my side. He’s been with me through the happiest and even the most trying times of my life and because of his amazing love, has helped me through them all!  His name is Jesus.

It was over 30 years ago and although I could not see him in this natural realm he showed himself so real that it was almost as if I could.
As time went on I began reading about His life and character.  I read in the scriptures how he interacted with people during his lifetime on this earth.  Real life stories of how he treated others. One of my favorites is Jesus encounter with the woman who was caught in adultery and how unconditional his love was toward this young woman. He was on his way back from the Mount of Olives and a crowd gathered and he sat down to teach them, “As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of a crowd. “Teacher” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” John 8:1-11 NLT.

This is the Jesus I met one evening 30 years ago. His love and grace left such an imprint on my life that I have been spending each and every waking moment with him ever since, learning from him and doing my best to follow his example. Giving and showing the same love and mercy that was extended to me many years ago. Loving my enemies as he did when he said to God while hanging on the cross, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” after they beat him and hung him on the cross to die.  Luke 23:34 KJ

If you have not met him yet, I encourage you to  open up your heart and mind. In fact he is standing at the door of your heart  right now, “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” Revelation 3:20 NLT.  When you make what I believe to be the most important decisions of your life,  you will not only meet  the Savior of the World, the Prince of Peace, you’ll meet the only Friend that will forever stay by your side. Your new relationship with Jesus will allow you to  get to know him and experience his amazing love on a daily basis. You will also be able to have one on one conversations with him (this is a form of prayer, just talking to the Lord) and he promises that he will “hear” and “answer” you.  He will then begin to show you His purpose for your life…all the good that He has planned for you.  All you have to do is talk to him.  Tell Jesus that you believe in him, that you believe that he is the Son of the living God, and that you believe that he died and that God raised him from the dead. Ask him to forgive you of all your mistakes and ask him to help you love others and forgive them as he forgives you. My personal prayer many years ago went something like this: “Jesus, I believe in you. I believe that you died for me and that God raised you from the dead. I believe that you love me and forgive me of all my mistakes. I believe you have a purpose for me, I want to follow you, I want everything you have planned for my life. I receive your love right now, be my Lord and Savior, thank you Jesus.”  Now that you’ve made this decision find a church that teaches that Jesus is the Son of God and that teaches that believing in Jesus is the only way to heaven.  A church that also teaches his commandment to “Love your neighbor” by helping others as He taught in the Gospel of John chapter 15, Mathew 25 along with  James chapter 2, and 1John 3.

May the Lord Bless you, protect you and give you His Peace.
Pastor Nina Tidwell

Visit our website at poncechurch.com or Facebook

For thousands of years the story of Jesus death and resurrection have been told in churches, meeting places and homes all over the world.  Jesus himself began to speak of his death even before they laid a hand on him. “Listen” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans. They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again” the gospel of Mark chapter 10, verses 33 & 34.

Celebrating Easter is more than the traditional  chocolate bunnies and colored Easter eggs, it’s remembering Jesus laying down his life for all mankind and God raising him from the dead. Why? Jesus Christ the Risen One was sent to us because of God’s amazing love.  Jesus endured the beatings for you and me. He allowed them to hang him on the cross to pay for our sins.

In the old testament Adam and Eve chose to not follow God’s instructions and when they disobeyed what the Father told them sin came into the earth.  Prophets in the old testament spoke of the coming Messiah who would take away the sin of the world.  “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” 2Corinthians 5:21  Because of the wonderful mercy and love of God, he sent his one and only Son to die for you and me, and when God raised Jesus Christ to life again, he made it possible for us to be put back in good standing with God our heavenly Father again.  All God asks of us is to believe. Believe that he sent Jesus to us, that he went to the cross for us, died and believe that God raised him from the dead.

Jesus Christ is alive and well today. He sits at God’s right hand in Heaven and because of the power of the resurrection, he lives in his people, his followers, Christians today. How? “The Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” Romans 8:11

As you celebrate Easter this year remember God’s amazing love for you and all of mankind. Realize and accept the truth that we need our sins forgiven. Understand that with our own strength or works we cannot make that happen, forgiveness only comes through believing in Jesus Christ and that he died for us.  Open your heart to Jesus and follow Him. Once you make this decision, your life will have meaning.  “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. As the scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced…Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” Romans 10:8-13

Happy Easter!

Pastor Nina Tidwell
Ponce Church, Ponce Inlet, Florida

Everyone Welcome! We’re Surfside and we’re Casual!
Sundays 10AM
4670 S. Peninsula in Ponce Inlet

“You’re never gonna be alone…If you feel like letting go-I’ll never let you fall…I’ll hold you til’ the hurt is gone”  Lyrics from the song “Never Gonna Be Alone” by Nickelback.  On YouTube alone there are have been over 8 million people that have nourished their soul by the verses from this song.  That’s 8 million people that are either going through or  have experienced some kind of heartache in their lives.

As I listened to the powerful words of hope, I could not help but think about how close they are to the very words of Jesus. In one particular scripture Jesus says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” and in Luke 4:18 Jesus himself says that He has come to “…heal the brokenhearted”

Maybe someone has hurt you or you have lost a loved one and wonder if you’ll ever be free from the pain.  Or maybe you have gone through a divorce and feel like you’ll never love again. Whatever you are going through the God of all Peace wants you to know that you truly are NOT alone.

You may be asking the question “How do you know?” Let me encourage you to read one of my previous blogs titled: “Girl Meets God” in it you’ll find my personal story and how I met the only one who could take my own pain of loss and heartache away. Is it possible? Absolutely! The only way the pain can continue is if you choose to hold on to it.  It’s like a wound on your own body.  If it is not given the proper care such as cleaning the affected area, medicating it and covering that wound with clean bandages it will not heal properly, in fact it can even get worse by becoming infected. Our heartaches and pains in life also need the proper treatment.  Just like Jesus said, “…I have come to HEAL the brokenhearted…” So how does he “heal” our broken hearts? He says that when we forgive and have mercy on others that we will receive that same mercy when we need it but if we choose to not forgive those that have hurt us, then we become locked in a prison of torment (Mathew 18:21-35). You might be thinking “That’s not fair! They’re the ones who have hurt me” Forgiveness is a powerful thing.  We did not “deserve” God’s mercy, but because of His love He sent his Son to take our place, to pay the penalty of our wrongs, He chose to forgive us and so He expects us to extend that same mercy.  When we choose not to do it, we make it worse for ourselves so much so it can lead to mental torment and physical pain.  Jesus wants us free, and the way we become free is by following his teachings and commandment of love.
Loss of a loved one: In my research when someone experiences a loss of any kind, there are emotional stages and one of them is “anger”  We can become angry with others and even angry with God.  Let me stop you here for a moment:  The scriptures say that we have an enemy and that enemy is NOT God.  Jesus says in John 10:10, “The thief (devil, satan) has come to steal, kill and destroy, BUT I (Jesus) have come that you might have life and life more abundantly” Look carefully at this  passage Jesus is letting us know right away who our enemy is.  He clearly lets’ us know that it is neither God nor Himself  bringing evil into our lives.   In this passage Jesus is teaching us  that there is a thief  (this is the same enemy that deceived Adam and Eve in the garden) and that He (Jesus) came to help us and deliver us from this evil and gives us His Life in abundance.   If you look at the life of Jesus on the earth, you’ll see that the scriptures say “He went about DOING GOOD and HEALING all that are oppressed from the Devil”

So we can clearly see here that God is a GOOD God…and He sent His Son Jesus, giving us good things and providing a life greater than we can ever imagine.

Once we make the decision and believe the TRUTH which is God’s word, then we can begin to “let go” of the anger and begin to “Look to Jesus and do what He says” His promises to help us to be free from pain and torment, he promises to “heal the brokenhearted”.  There is hope my friend, just ask God to help you.  Believe in His Son Jesus and follow his teachings…He is the one who came to give you His Life…full of joy, peace and happiness…and remember, you’re “Never Gonna be Alone”

“Forgiveness” brings you freedom from the pain of others hurting you, listen for free “Mercy and Forgiveness”
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And there she was, a beautiful woman crouched  down covering her head in fear knowing her death was just a stones-throw-away! Then, all of a sudden, a kind and gentle man approached her and said to the crowd surrounding her, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down and began to write in the sand…when the accusers heard what he had said, they slipped away one by one, then the man stood up and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No Lord,” she said, and Jesus said to her  “Neither do I go and sin no more.” John 8:1-11 (New Living Translation)

After the 2011 Super Bowl began I sat down to check my facebook newsfeed and as I scrolled down I could not believe one of the posts I read regarding Christina Aguilera and her National Anthem performance. It was not so much what was said, but it was “who” said it (a fellow Christian): Filled with judgement and condemnation.  I thought to myself, “Aren’t we Christians?! What kind of example are we setting to those surrounding us? Especially the ones we’re called to win to Christ.”  Then I began to think about Jesus and how gentle and merciful he was (and is) during his life here on this earth before his death and resurrection. He set so many examples for the Christian to follow and yet sometimes, because of our words and our actions, I feel many of us have forgotten who we represent! It seems as though we have allowed ourselves to be tricked into following religion instead of Jesus.  When we as Christians read this story of the woman caught in adultery we say, “Yes, that’s right, we are to show love and be merciful” But then when REAL life presents itself  it seems that many times  we’re left standing with rocks in one hand and a pitch fork in the other.

To the Christian: If you are a true follower of Jesus, check your heart and your motives. Ask yourself this very simple and world renown question: “What would Jesus Do?” Take a close look again at our Saviors life…how did He live and treat others? And then make the necessary adjustments and act accordingly.

To the person who is on the fence regarding Christianity:  I know it may sound strange, but don’t make your decision based on the people around you.  As Christians we are flawed! Jesus said that there is “Treasure in Earthen Vessels” meaning, as people, we are going to make lot’s of mistakes and that your BEST example is Jesus Himself.  He came to forgive and show God’s mercy in action. He was a man with no sin, but yet he became sin for us…he paid a penalty that none of us deserve and why? Because, “God so loved the world that He gave His One and only Son, that whoever chooses to believe in Him (Jesus) would not perish, but have life everlasting” John 3:16  He loves and forgives you, and all He asks of you is to believe and love others in return.

Loving others is not easy especially those who irritate or rub us the wrong way. Many times in my walk with the Lord I have had to endure people that are difficult to be around. No matter where you are in life, you will have such experiences and there is no avoiding it. Sometimes even now when loving others does not come easy I remember what my husband Pastor Rick  shared with me not so long ago: “Given their situation or circumstances they are doing the best they can.”
I remember while living and raising our children in Arizona I had a hard time with forgiving some members of my family.  I knew as a Christian how important it was to love and forgive others, but in REAL life I found it to be extremely difficult at times. As  a young Christian I remember Jesus teaching me the importance of love and forgiveness.  In  Mark chapter 11 Jesus says, “…and when you stand praying forgive. If you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive you your sins.”  I must admit, even today this scripture ALWAYS keeps me in check. Why? Because I have been forgiven of so many things in my life and God expects me to show that same love and mercy to others.In my own life I have found that when I love others I am happier and at peace. I am able to really enjoy life.  You could say that LOVE has a “freeing” affect on the one who chooses to give it out.  So go ahead, begin to look at others as God looks at you, with love and compassion.  I guarantee you will find that your life will be full of real happiness and joy!