Monday Morning Perspective

Did anyone other than me know they were in huge trouble when the sermon started out with Eddie saying that "if we examine our talk, we will learn a lot about our maturity and spiritual health"? Woe, knew I was in for it. It was kinda like when as a kid you would get sent to your room to wait for your parents to cool off. You knew what was coming and it probably wasn't going to be good. That's how I felt yesterday.
I've thought a lot about that sermon today and how many times my words have probably left as much destruction as those Myrtle Beach fires. I'm sure we are all grateful for God's grace and forgiveness. I like how Eddie pointed out that our complaining is to Satan what our praise is to God. That will certainly help me the next time I start complaining. I don't want to do anything that Satan could delight in. I have some friends that I love being around because their words are refreshing and positive. I gain so much encouragement from them. That's the kind of person I want to be for others.
Have you ever said something or finished a conversation and thought, where in the world did all of that come from? I guess the message made it very clear that it comes from our heart. I want a pure heart and I know the only way to have that is to allow the Holy Spirit full control. If you're anything like me, we need His filling more than a few times every day. I don't know about you but sometimes I think I leak.

Prom 2009

No promises but here goes trying to talk about prom without flooding my computer with tears.

Well, prom week started with a little drama. Jess' date cancelled thus the drama began. Knew if we survived that it would build some character and maybe show her that she actually can survive what an 18 year old thinks that she can't. Went back to some of Jacob's messages on the strength from within. She did find out what good friends she has as they rallied and showed a lot of love along with seeing the loyalty and love of a sister and two brothers...so proud of them. She did get a date with a sweet young boy who is a friend and stepped up to say he would go. We sent his family into a whirlwind trying to get a tux and make plans but I think both agreed that they had fun. End of drama.

So it was Jessica's senior prom and Stephen's junior prom. They both went with the same group for pictures and dinner which for a mom was extra special to see the sibs do that. Stephen has a friend in Toccoa that he met at church beach camp last summer who came for the weekend to be his prom date. We are all in love with her, such a precious girl who loves Jesus. Stephen had a game in Georgia that morning so the day started extra early. I had to pick up boutineers and corsage early. The florist we used is right across from the ball fields where my boys started playing T-ball as 5-year olds. That morning the fields were full of little ones so yes you know what happened next. My mind started racing backwards to all the times we spent out there and now here I was preparing for his junior prom and my daughter's final prom. You guessed it, the waterworks started. Had an extremely hard time pulling myself together but I did.

Pictures were a blast. We took some at home and then met their group downtown. So much fun seeing all the kids all over downtown dressed in beautiful dresses and some very handsome boys in their tuxes. My major thought was time does go way too quickly!!!

They all had dinner at Casa Bella's (great food and atmoshere) and of course more pics there. They went to the school for the dance. The theme was a night in Paris. All was beautiful according to the kids. About 11pm they came back to our house for a midnight breakfast til about 1:30. Must say that usually very little is going on in our house that time of any night but especially Saturday night with a preacher in the house. He was a real trooper but he admitted that it was lots of fun. I loved having so many come back and tell of all the goings on. You get the true emotion of all of it when they first get back. Kinda like school. Always loved picking them up from school and hearing all about it right when they would get in the car. Just nothing like that emotion straight from the moment. Have to say that this was such a great group of kids, their parents should all be proud. They were all beautiful on the outside but so precious within and chose to have a safe smart fun-filled prom that I'm sure was very God-glorifying. I'm still not sure who had more fun, them or me watching them. Gotta love em.

Monday Morning Perspective

Yay for me. I'm doing this and it's actually still monday morning. That hasn't happened much lately.
Sunday again was awesome. Not looking forward to finishing the fruit series but I know Eddie has something just as good coming for us.
I hope I'm not the only one who needed the sermon on self control or spirit control. It seems like from the comments I got anyway that we all struggle with that. I love how Eddie said that it's having a sweet spirit in the midst of a sour situation. LOVED THAT...had to practice that a lot lately and will continue to strive for that. But isn't that hard. I'm getting better at it but I used to be so bad about allowing others' moods affect mine and I still fight that. Actually so funny because one of the last things I said to mine before leaving for church that morning was be sweet and told a sleepover friend that she was on sweet patrol that day for the benefit of someone else. "Be sweet" is one of the things I have always said to my kids just randomly, something I'm sure by now they just tune out. It doesn't seem that hard to do. Just BE SWEET. But I know from experience that in the middle of a sour situation, sweet doesn't come naturally. Eddie's right...it can only come from the Spirit and nothing within our flesh because let's face it we are just not naturally sweet. Well, let's all strive for that spirit controlled self control fruit this week. I promise I will be the one having to work the hardest. Great message, can't wait for Sunday.
I will blog prom stuff later this week when I think I can type without drowning the laptop in tears. For now, I'll just say it was perfect for my junior and senior as well as their mom and dad.

Good Friday

This is my most favorite time of the year, always has been. What could possibly be better than Easter? Have to admit I get more aggravated when Easter is commercialized than Christmas. That aggravates me a little too but Easter just seems different, so sacred. Do our kids get Easter baskets, yes. Still do even at their age and they hid eggs when they were young, but I can't carry it much further than that.
I remember growing up in First Baptist Spartanburg we always had a Good Friday service. My absolute favorite worship service all year even as a young person. It's the service that still sticks in my mind years and years later. My pastor Dr. Alastair Walker always did the same message, the walk to the cross. There was a huge wooden cross at one end of the platform and as he preached he walked towards that rugged cross. A man named Frank Dillard always sang the same song. I still get chills thinking about that day. He painted such a picture of Christ and what He went through on our behalf that it's hard to believe anyone could commercialize Easter. And as my Dad says about Christmas and Easter, "it's not a holiday. It's Christmas or Easter". Amen Daddy.
My prayer for all is that the real meaning of Easter would stay with us throughout the year. If it does it will affect every area of our life, attitudes, fears, anxieties, priorities. EVERY AREA!! It will cause us to lay down our "rights" for others. To do for others even when it hurts or when it's for someone who has hurt us. To see inconveniences and interruptions as opportunities. We will lay it all down for the cause of Christ. He held nothing back for us. He gave it all. My prayer for myself this next year is that I will hold nothing back for Him. That I will follow hard after Him, love the things He loves and hate the things He hates. As my parents used to tell me, "if you have nothing else to be grateful for (and we all do) you should be grateful for your salvation, a free gift from the Lord Jesus". Have a blessed Easter.

Monday Morning Perspective

We continued our study on the fruit of the spirit with a great message on gentleness. Eddie pointed out some things that a gentle person would look like. He did a great job describing personalities and the fact that God doesn't want to change our personality, He just wants our personalities to be under His control. I kept wondering if it's possible to be all four personalities rolled up into one. What would we call that personality? Just a thought.
The expectation part of the message really made me think. Eddie told me years ago that he thought my expectations for people were extremely high and I set myself up to be let down. I've tried to work on that through the years but the truth is I still do that from time to time. I just think people, including myself, should always strive to be the best and do their best, to work hard and play hard, to set the standard high, especially believers. I just don't think we should settle but I know at times I do and others do and we all let each other down. I guess it's about perspective.
I do know this...for this type A control freak, who struggles with being critical and at the same time can be quite undisciplined, opting for a good time, who appears to be easy-going yet is actually quite stubborn, I need to daily almost hourly submit my personality to God and allow Him to rule and reign.