Thursday, September 25, 2008
How much more would He do????
Thursday nights have become "FOOTBALL" nights for us. Hannah is cheering on the JV squad at the high school and their games are on Thursday nights. We have always went to every event the girls had that we could possibly arrange to get to, even their practices, just so they'd know we were supporting them. This is no different. But tonight here in Reidsville, NC it was less than comfortable weather conditions. The temperature dropped and the wind and rain set in. Not a down pore but a light rain that was blowing at an angle so as at least part of you was going to get wet! lol! I wore the following. Long Johns, pants, hooded sweatshirt, down vest, thick fuzzy socks, gloves, and a scarf. And I was STILL cold and STILL wet! My umbrella was HUGE but not big enough to keep that blowing rain off all of me. But did I enjoy watching Hannah? Why sure I did!! My baby was down there on that field and I was going to watch her with joy and admiration!! I couldn't help but chuckle at all us parents looking wet and miserable but doing it for the love of our children. Then I couldn't help but think that our Father, our Heavenly Father has braved much harder conditions than that for us. He conquered death, hell and the grave for us! And now, there isn't a place we go that he isn't right there with us. He's in the hospital room, the cancer centers, the funeral homes, the lonely nights you might have, the place of depression, in the financial struggles, the abandonment you've experienced, and he's there because he loves us. Just like we were there for Hannah because we love her. He comes along side to let us know we CAN make it with His help. Oh what a Savior!!! So when you feel like no ones cares and no one is there to support you...just run and call Abba Father.....Your dad is watching!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Blending......
It doesn't seem possible, but it time for the Christmas music program to begin its practices. All the choir members met today to begin the great task ahead of us, learning material we've never heard, notes we don't know if we can reach and committing to hours of practice and sacrificing the "Sunday afternoon nap" which is definitely in the church by-laws of the Baptist church....lol...just kidding.
We have an amazing young man named Eddie as our choir director and he really does know his stuff when it comes to music. I am impressed by his ability but even more impressed by his evident love for our Lord and the relationship that they have. He began the daunting task of teaching each of us our parts; tenors, sopranos, altos and bass, phrase by phrase and measure by measure. Then he would put us all together. I have to admit the sound was much better than I expected for a first practice. As each section sang their part I couldn't help but think how beautiful it was by itself but when you put it all together and could hear the harmony of it all....it was AWESOME! One thing that Eddie said was that we MUST learn to hear the other members, we must learn to listen to the others in our group and they would help us to know if we weren't on key, etc., and we should listen to the ones outside our group to hear the harmony. You see a choir is about a bunch of voices coming together to be one grand sound. He had us all stand and form a circle so that we were in very close proximity of each other and we sang the few measures we learned today. He then asked how it sounded and everyone said "Better! We could hear each other." I immediately thought, it is when we take the time to get close to each other and quit keeping every one at arms length that we "hear each other".
Wow....spiritually, we need to be working together toward one grand work....reaching the lost, ministering to the hurting, and loving each other. How do we do that??? It begins when we realize there is someone other than just us in the choir (so to speak). It is when we being to listen to the people who aren't in our close circle. For example I don't often mix with mothers of pre-schoolers because my girls are in their teens and our lives are at very different places but I shouldn't be so tuned into my life that I can't hear when they aren't in harmony. Maybe they are hurting, need someone who's "been there and done that" to come alongside and just let them know they are going to make it. Do you see what I'm trying to say?
I want our choir to sing in perfect harmony and make a beautiful, joyful noise unto the Lord in worship to Him. So I'm willing to sacrifice those naps on Sunday afternoons and I'm willing to "listen" to the other sections of the choir and make sure I'm blending with them and I'm definitely depending on the other ladies in my group of sopranos to help keep me on key. Let's all be willing to do the same in life. Let's blend to make our service to Christ BEAUTIFUL!
We have an amazing young man named Eddie as our choir director and he really does know his stuff when it comes to music. I am impressed by his ability but even more impressed by his evident love for our Lord and the relationship that they have. He began the daunting task of teaching each of us our parts; tenors, sopranos, altos and bass, phrase by phrase and measure by measure. Then he would put us all together. I have to admit the sound was much better than I expected for a first practice. As each section sang their part I couldn't help but think how beautiful it was by itself but when you put it all together and could hear the harmony of it all....it was AWESOME! One thing that Eddie said was that we MUST learn to hear the other members, we must learn to listen to the others in our group and they would help us to know if we weren't on key, etc., and we should listen to the ones outside our group to hear the harmony. You see a choir is about a bunch of voices coming together to be one grand sound. He had us all stand and form a circle so that we were in very close proximity of each other and we sang the few measures we learned today. He then asked how it sounded and everyone said "Better! We could hear each other." I immediately thought, it is when we take the time to get close to each other and quit keeping every one at arms length that we "hear each other".
Wow....spiritually, we need to be working together toward one grand work....reaching the lost, ministering to the hurting, and loving each other. How do we do that??? It begins when we realize there is someone other than just us in the choir (so to speak). It is when we being to listen to the people who aren't in our close circle. For example I don't often mix with mothers of pre-schoolers because my girls are in their teens and our lives are at very different places but I shouldn't be so tuned into my life that I can't hear when they aren't in harmony. Maybe they are hurting, need someone who's "been there and done that" to come alongside and just let them know they are going to make it. Do you see what I'm trying to say?
I want our choir to sing in perfect harmony and make a beautiful, joyful noise unto the Lord in worship to Him. So I'm willing to sacrifice those naps on Sunday afternoons and I'm willing to "listen" to the other sections of the choir and make sure I'm blending with them and I'm definitely depending on the other ladies in my group of sopranos to help keep me on key. Let's all be willing to do the same in life. Let's blend to make our service to Christ BEAUTIFUL!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Praying
You know, lately I have had some things in my life that I just can't "fix". Things that only the Lord can do and they have "forced" me to pray about them, place them into the hands of the one who can fix "all" things and trust. It is a hard thing for us fixer people. We have the genetic make-up to want to fix everything. We want to fix those people who don't like us, fix our children's heartaches, fix our friends problems, you name it...we want to fix it. We want to see others be happy. Well, while that sounds good, sometimes God has to allow people to be unhappy so he can get their attention. How do I know? I've been there. Honestly, do you spend more time on your knees when you are happy and everything is bliss or when you are in a storm? Yeah....uh...me too. I found these statements about prayer and they are really helping me. I thought they would help ya'll too.
Fifteen Reasons to Pray
To seek the face of the Lord and know Him better - Psalm 27:8
To get your eyes off your problems and onto the Lord - Psalm 121:1
To speak to God - 1 Peter 3:12
To unburden your heart - Psalm 142:1-2
To make your request known to God - Matthew 21:22
To hear God - Proverbs 8:34
To be free of suffering - James 5:13
To resist temptation - Matthew 26:41
To be rescued from distress - Psalm 107:19
To receive God's reward - Matthew 6:6
To withstand evil - Ephesians 6:13
To have joy - John 16:24
To get close to God - Isaiah 64:7
To be healed emotionally - James 5:13
To have peace - Phillipians 4:6,7
Wow....makes me feel the need to go pray right now....I think I will :)
Fifteen Reasons to Pray
To seek the face of the Lord and know Him better - Psalm 27:8
To get your eyes off your problems and onto the Lord - Psalm 121:1
To speak to God - 1 Peter 3:12
To unburden your heart - Psalm 142:1-2
To make your request known to God - Matthew 21:22
To hear God - Proverbs 8:34
To be free of suffering - James 5:13
To resist temptation - Matthew 26:41
To be rescued from distress - Psalm 107:19
To receive God's reward - Matthew 6:6
To withstand evil - Ephesians 6:13
To have joy - John 16:24
To get close to God - Isaiah 64:7
To be healed emotionally - James 5:13
To have peace - Phillipians 4:6,7
Wow....makes me feel the need to go pray right now....I think I will :)
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Pep Rally
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Staying True.....
God showed me something today and it really spoke to my heart so I wanted to share it with you guys. It may not come across to you the way it did to me, sometimes those lessons from my Lord are just for me but I trust you'll at least see where I'm going with this.
Today was the first day for Hope and Hannah to wear their JROTC uniforms to school. Hope is the Group Commander of the JROTC program at Rockingham County High School. This is Hannah's first year. As they stood next to one another in uniform for a picture (yes, you know I had to take a picture...even though they were running late to school...lol) I couldn't help but notice how different their uniforms were. Oh, they were both dark blue pants and a light blue shirt. They both had to have their shirts tucked in and both had to wear belts and have thier shoes shined but there was an obivous difference. Hope's shirt was dripping with ribbons, metals, and chords that she has obtained over her years of service in the program and all that Hannah had was her small nameplate. Are they both in the program....absolutely! Are they both JROTC cadets.....Absolutely! The difference is that Hope has weathered some challenges and worked hard to obtain the ribbons she has. She has had to prove herself and work hard for each one of them. She has never been satisfied with what she has but has kept working to obtain more and more. She was in the top 6 last year but strove to be Group Commander this year. She had to write a letter of intent and interview with the JROTC Colonel and Seargents.
Here's the comparison; if we have called on Jesus to save us then we are ALL His children. That's settled. The difference is, some of us have weathered some storms and came out victorious by his grace and mercy. Some of us bear the marks of experience and determination to do His will. You know, when Hannah has had any questions about the program she has come directly to Hope and asked her to clarify it or her opinion. She knows that Hope knows by experience a lot more than she does. She looks up to her. You know, in Titus it tells the Aged women to teach the younger women. Why? Because they have obtained some ribbons of the faith and can give counsel and instruction from experience.
What if Hope suddenly decided to quit the program or maybe not drop out but just stopped striving. What if she became satisfied, complacent if you will, with her position. What kind of message would that send to all the cadets under her? I know for a fact that it would hurt Hannah and confuse her because of the passion and pride Hope took in her position. We should NEVER stop striving to be more like Jesus! There are people who are "new" to the "program" of faith that are relying on us! Paul took Timothy under his wing and called him a son in the faith. He trained him, lived by example in front of him and encouraged him to be all he could for Christ.
Now if you think all those ribbons came easily or without hard work you are mistaken. I have seen Hope train for the Marine Competition by doing over 100 sit-ups everyday, running, push-ups, flutter kicks, etc. There were days she could hardly move she was so sore and her muscles were screaming at her to STOP!! But she didn't! She knew the intense training was required if she were to be a fierce competitor. Listen dear sisters, no matter how much the world or satan screams at you to stop, don't listen! Keep training, keep reading the Word, kneeling to pray, praising Him with song, inspecting your heart. Keep it UP!!! There are many depending on us!
Another comparison I saw was when I thought about how Hope really wanted the Group Commander position this semester because she KNEW it was her last chance....she graduates after this semester and she wanted to finish being the best she could be. You know, we aren't promised tomorrow, God's word tells us that so we really need to strive to be our best every day!
If you are a more mature christian take that seriously! You are more important than you know to the future maturity of those young ones in the faith.
Today was the first day for Hope and Hannah to wear their JROTC uniforms to school. Hope is the Group Commander of the JROTC program at Rockingham County High School. This is Hannah's first year. As they stood next to one another in uniform for a picture (yes, you know I had to take a picture...even though they were running late to school...lol) I couldn't help but notice how different their uniforms were. Oh, they were both dark blue pants and a light blue shirt. They both had to have their shirts tucked in and both had to wear belts and have thier shoes shined but there was an obivous difference. Hope's shirt was dripping with ribbons, metals, and chords that she has obtained over her years of service in the program and all that Hannah had was her small nameplate. Are they both in the program....absolutely! Are they both JROTC cadets.....Absolutely! The difference is that Hope has weathered some challenges and worked hard to obtain the ribbons she has. She has had to prove herself and work hard for each one of them. She has never been satisfied with what she has but has kept working to obtain more and more. She was in the top 6 last year but strove to be Group Commander this year. She had to write a letter of intent and interview with the JROTC Colonel and Seargents.
Here's the comparison; if we have called on Jesus to save us then we are ALL His children. That's settled. The difference is, some of us have weathered some storms and came out victorious by his grace and mercy. Some of us bear the marks of experience and determination to do His will. You know, when Hannah has had any questions about the program she has come directly to Hope and asked her to clarify it or her opinion. She knows that Hope knows by experience a lot more than she does. She looks up to her. You know, in Titus it tells the Aged women to teach the younger women. Why? Because they have obtained some ribbons of the faith and can give counsel and instruction from experience.
What if Hope suddenly decided to quit the program or maybe not drop out but just stopped striving. What if she became satisfied, complacent if you will, with her position. What kind of message would that send to all the cadets under her? I know for a fact that it would hurt Hannah and confuse her because of the passion and pride Hope took in her position. We should NEVER stop striving to be more like Jesus! There are people who are "new" to the "program" of faith that are relying on us! Paul took Timothy under his wing and called him a son in the faith. He trained him, lived by example in front of him and encouraged him to be all he could for Christ.
Now if you think all those ribbons came easily or without hard work you are mistaken. I have seen Hope train for the Marine Competition by doing over 100 sit-ups everyday, running, push-ups, flutter kicks, etc. There were days she could hardly move she was so sore and her muscles were screaming at her to STOP!! But she didn't! She knew the intense training was required if she were to be a fierce competitor. Listen dear sisters, no matter how much the world or satan screams at you to stop, don't listen! Keep training, keep reading the Word, kneeling to pray, praising Him with song, inspecting your heart. Keep it UP!!! There are many depending on us!
Another comparison I saw was when I thought about how Hope really wanted the Group Commander position this semester because she KNEW it was her last chance....she graduates after this semester and she wanted to finish being the best she could be. You know, we aren't promised tomorrow, God's word tells us that so we really need to strive to be our best every day!
If you are a more mature christian take that seriously! You are more important than you know to the future maturity of those young ones in the faith.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
He is so FAITHFUL!!!
I'm home safe and sound! I have spent over 28 hours in the car in the past two weekends and yet I traveled all that way without any scares on the road or any car problems, etc. God is so good! Mom is home and made the trip well. We all enjoyed her visit and look forward to another one next year. (She's planning on staying 2 weeks then!)
I sure was glad to see Hwy 158 and know that I was almost home. I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA!!!! Thank you Lord for moving us here!
I do have another praise...I did get to spend the evening with Julie, one of my dearest friends and we had a blast! She is such a joy to be with! I'm so glad it all worked out!
I'm off from work tomorrow to recover....another praise for that! I hope you all have a GREAT week!
I sure was glad to see Hwy 158 and know that I was almost home. I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA!!!! Thank you Lord for moving us here!
I do have another praise...I did get to spend the evening with Julie, one of my dearest friends and we had a blast! She is such a joy to be with! I'm so glad it all worked out!
I'm off from work tomorrow to recover....another praise for that! I hope you all have a GREAT week!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
On the Road Again........
I'm dreading being on the road again.......lol....don't think that was how the old country song went by Willie Nelson but that is how I'm feeling. I'm dreading the 14 hours of driving I have ahead of me this weekend. Please pray for a safe, quick trip as I take Mom back to Rossville, GA. I had hoped to see some more of my girl friends while I was there tonight but I'm not going to get an early enough start, or at least it doesn't look like it. I just can't get myself in gear this morning. lol.
I hope you all have a blessed day in the Lord's house tomorrow. I sure will miss it!!!
I hope you all have a blessed day in the Lord's house tomorrow. I sure will miss it!!!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Psalm 107:1-2
"O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy."
I SAY SO!!! I am redeemed! PTL! He is good and his mercy does endure. How do I know this? Because I am a recipient of that mercy every day. He understands my humanity and loves me in spite of my failures and flaws. He is a God of compassion, correction, restoration and mercy! Oh what a Savior. "Bethlehem, Calvary, all of this tells, Oh what a savior is mine, giving his life a poor wanderer to win, Oh, what a savior is mine. Oh what a savior, Oh what a savior, Oh what a savior is mine! Unto the uttermost, he's wonderful and glorious, Oh what a savior is Mine!!!!!"
He worthy of our praise. Not only in speech but in action....in our manner of life....praise Him!
Let each of go start tomorrow with a thankful heart that he has given us another day, and live life for Him....surrendered to him a living sacrifice!
Oh yes.....and if you live close enough to Greensboro, meet with us at Gospel Baptist tomorrow night at 7:00 for the ladies Bible study! Let's grow together!
Love to you all!
I SAY SO!!! I am redeemed! PTL! He is good and his mercy does endure. How do I know this? Because I am a recipient of that mercy every day. He understands my humanity and loves me in spite of my failures and flaws. He is a God of compassion, correction, restoration and mercy! Oh what a Savior. "Bethlehem, Calvary, all of this tells, Oh what a savior is mine, giving his life a poor wanderer to win, Oh, what a savior is mine. Oh what a savior, Oh what a savior, Oh what a savior is mine! Unto the uttermost, he's wonderful and glorious, Oh what a savior is Mine!!!!!"
He worthy of our praise. Not only in speech but in action....in our manner of life....praise Him!
Let each of go start tomorrow with a thankful heart that he has given us another day, and live life for Him....surrendered to him a living sacrifice!
Oh yes.....and if you live close enough to Greensboro, meet with us at Gospel Baptist tomorrow night at 7:00 for the ladies Bible study! Let's grow together!
Love to you all!
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