Monday Morning Perspective

Another awesome Sunday at Millbrook.
Starting with sunday school...fabulous. We started our lessons with the seniors combined for transitioning to college. I have heard from my girls what an awesome job the Opreas do with these lessons but got to witness it myself. If you have a senior, GET THEM TO SUNDAY SCHOOL for these lessons. We had a full room but always love having more!!
On to worship...better every week if that's possible. Have to say that as long as I've been listening to my man preach, I have NEVER known him to go into the pulpit unprepared. He brings it week after week after week and this Sunday was no exception!!
We looked at the three crosses. The Cross of Rebellion, the Cross of Repentance, and the Cross of Redemption. We saw that the cross of rebellion represents those who refuse the gospel. The cross of repentance represents those who choose to believe in Christ and trust Him as Savior and Lord. It was pointed out that we all fall onto one of those two crosses and were challenged with the question, "which cross are you on?" The cross of redemption is for Christ alone. He is the only one who can offer redemption and the only one who died for our sins. This tells us that salvation is by Jesus alone and we have nothing to offer for our salvation...a free gift if we will only receive it.
A shout out to our music ministry as well. The great job you all do sets the tone and allows us to worship and prepare our hearts for the message we will hear. Thank you for your commitment.

The Ugly Side of Baseball

Baseball is definitely my favorite sport. I love football and I like basketball a lot, especially if my kids are playing. My Dad coached basketball and I played and all my kids have played. However, I LOVE baseball. I keep a scorebook for each of my boys mainly because it keeps me calm and focused. I tend to be highly emotional at games and that helps me keep my head which is the problem with basketball, it is so fast paced that my emotions at times run ahead of my brain and that's never a good thing. The last thing I want to do is lose my witness at a sporting event.
I've always thought of baseball as a classy sport. I like the short hair (so obviously Manny Ramirez isn't my fave player but for reasons other than his hair). I like the discipline it takes to play. I like the focus it requires. I like that it's a team sport and teaches that you have to work together to accomplish your goal and trust your teammates (although I do know that some have the attitude that it's all about them...the diva mentality). I appreciate walking with confidence but there is such a thing as confident humility and we don't allow strutting around our house.
We have been blessed that our boys have had great coaches who at least seem to care about life issues and them being good people as well as being great ballplayers. They have been coached well in every area of the game: fundamentals, how to carry yourself on and off the field, the itty bitty details of their position to make them better. I like that they are not allowed to give less than their best or make excuses or blame others. I like that the bar is set high!! My boys are as competitive as they come. It's in their blood, we love to win and hate to lose, so we battle with perspective at times and reminding ourselves that it is a game, a great game, but a game.
So what's the ugly? The ugly usually comes in the form of the way others behave. It seems like this year I've noticed it a lot more than years past, who knows why. We have played some teams that have made me EXTREMELY grateful that my boys play for who they play for. There's so many teams with such a lack of discipline and respect for the sport or themselves. They show up their teammates. The language is horrible on the field from players and coaches. Things start going bad and it's written all over them. And the parents??? Parents call out kids other than their own. They yell horrible things at kids on other teams. They cuss and rant and rave like we're in the World Series and their life rests on that game. THEN, unbelievable, they go home and get on line and start writing back and forth calling out kids, hello KIDS, about their errors and who's better than whom. Yeah everybody thinks their kid is the superstar. THESE ARE ADULTS, at least in numerical terms. I sit there and think this must be all they are living for. No, our team parents, players, and coaches aren't perfect. We yell at times and we all HATE to lose. We have the talent this year to be state champs and noone wants that more than the Leopard household BUT if we don't accomplish that, life will go on.
I have learned that we can learn just as much from ugly stuff as good stuff and we've learned a lot watching and reading some others this year. I've learned I don't want to act like a raging lunatic no matter what happens and I know my family will escort me out if I do. I've learned that I'm glad my boys are my boys and not some other boys. I'm glad we have the coaches that we have who have not only knowledge but class. And I'm glad that even though my husband may throw his hat, I don't have to worry about what comes out of his mouth. I also know and my boys know that if they act like some, they will be taken out of the game for good and I won't be waiting for the coach to do that.
Baseball, gotta love it at least most of it and I DO!!

Monday Morning Perspective

Was yesterday awesome or what!!!?? I feel very inadequate even trying to blog about it because if you were there you know it just speaks for itself.
We began our series on The Road to the Resurrection. First up, What Happened in the Garden.
Points I took away:
-Adam assserted his selfish will and it led to the fall. Jesus deserted His will and it led to redemption.
-Circumstances sometimes dictate our posture in prayer.
-Prayer CAN change things but our circumstances don't ALWAYS change.
-Prayer is about grabbing hold of God and allowing Him to grab hold of us.
-My favorite: Our battles are won during our prayer time, there God gives us what we need. Jesus won the battle in the Garden as He prayed.
-He was in total control of His circumstances on the cross.
-It's ok to tell God what we want, our dreams and desires but we must be willing to relinquish our will to His will for us.
-The victory is ours when we relinquish our will and submit to Him.
-He provides all we need to live a victorious life.
Easter is my favorite time and I love how we are building up to that time. Outstanding start Pastor!!

Spring Break #1

This has been spring break for my college girl. We have been busy, busy, busy working on wedding stuff. We have crammed more in the past few days than I can even go into right now. It has been a blast!! I feel right now like we are so far ahead of the game or at least where we should be at this point which is a great feeling. It's been a busy time of meetings and planning but we have worked in some other-than-wedding fun as well...lunches, Tako Sushi, hair fun, baseball, and on and on and on.
Today Chrissie got her wisdom teeth out. She did great. Hated to do it over spring break but just one of those things you have to take care of so we did. Right now she is tucked away in her bed fast asleep. So hard to believe she is 22 and getting married, right now she looks like she's 10 and very very precious! Ok, I'm back. She's awake and needed some meds and jello. Wow, that medicine works FAST!! Praying for a quick recovery.
We did get to enjoy a great South Aiken/Brookland-Cayce baseball game this week. Stephen pitched against their #1 Gilroy. We won 1-0. It was one of the best I have seen. I wish we had more runs to calm my nerves but it was a great pitching dual. One of those where I held my breath when Stephen came set and let it out after the pitch. I told Stephen I was absolutely exhausted after that game, LOL. We have another region game tomorrow. It's at home thankfully but I'll have to see how Chrissie feels before I determine if I can go.
All in all it's been a great spring break with her and now I'm ready for my next one!

Monday Morning Perspective

Eddie delivered the state of the church message yesterday. It was great. I think we need that at least once a year. It's good to reflect on where we've been and look forward to where we are going. I came away reflecting on Eddie's challenge for church health. I believe we are for the most part an extremely healthy church but there's always areas that need work. Healthy churches start with healthy people since that is what the church is, not buildings but people. I believe it is extremely important for all of us to have regular checkups and make sure we are healthy and not in any way spreading bad germs. Are we doing those things that will keep us healthy? Are we DAILY spending time with the Lord, in His Word and prayer? Are we DAILY repenting from sin that so easily entangles us? Are we watching what we feast on...is it pure and lovely or is it junk food? Are we exercising our spiritual gifts? Are we carrying excess weight...bitterness, jealousy, hatred? If we would all do our part in keeping ourselves healthy we would probably have very healthy churches. I was reminded of a study in Revelation with our college girls a few weeks ago about how deeply Christ cares about the goings on in His church. He walks through the hallls, He sits on the pews, He sits in our classrooms and He takes it all in. He cares deeply about what is happening and He takes it very personally. Let's allow Him to cut out any disease we may have that keeps us from being a healthy body.

Weekend

I have a feeling this will be one of my all-time fave weekends. Gonna be busy so some things will have to be on the back burner...computer time.
My future son will be in town for a whirlwind couple of days and we are gonna make the most of the little bit of time we have. Lots of wedding preparations and some marriage preparations all of which should be lots of fun. When we don't have much quantity we have to make sure it's quality and that's the plan. Gonna squeeze in some "relaxin around the house" time for sure!! Can't wait to see him, it's been almost 3 months and the whole Leopard clan misses him.
In case you haven't heard, Sunday morning is State of the Church sermon. DON'T MISS IT!!! Would really hate for you to get all of that 2nd hand. It never ceases to amaze me how things get twisted and turned when we try to pass on what we heard or think we heard. I like to hear things for myself firsthand, hope you do too.
Toby Mac and Brandon Heath are in town Sunday night, can't wait for that!! And all next week is spring break for Chrissie so I'll have her around ALL week. The week is jam-packed so I'm sure it will fly by.
Loving this weather, hope you are too. Praying for my friends out there who are hurting...you are MUCH LOVED!!! Would love prayers for my uncle who has been diagnosed with cancer and will be leaving for Houston for treatment hopefully very soon. Love my youngins...you are the bright spot in my every day and I'm so proud of you and so glad you are mine!! Of course, love my honey, my one and only, never been more proud to do life and ministry with you. Praying a weekend full of blessings for all.

mondaymorningperspective

If you spent any time attending our GIC missions conference, I'm sure you are just as full this morning as I am. Pastor Sasha did a great job Sunday morning and evening opening our eyes to the needs in Russia but also around the world. Youth sunday school was super-blessed to be able to hear the Emblers story of their journey walking from North Carolina to Peru. The stories they shared of how God met their needs and how perfect His timing was was an incredible encouragement to all of us. I sat in the back and it was awesome to see how the kids were super-glued to them. I am praying that their story has a huge impact on all who heard including myself!! It was equally encouraging to see some of our very own on the stage whom God called and they answered. It was a bit overwhelming to say the least. What was so awesome was that as I looked at them and having seen and heard from the Emblers, was the amazing radiance among them. You could see joy and love all over them that can only come from Christ and a life living in obedience to His call.
I came home thinking about some of those who serve in our church. Those who are called to certain ministries. It's amazing to see the difference in the faces of those who are serving where God has truly called them to serve and how He has blessed those ministries. I think of some sunday school teachers whom God is all over and has truly blessed year after year and they continue to radiate joy as they serve. I thought of our greeters. God has poured out His blessings on that ministry. Some of them just seem to love it, smiling and serving and speaking to people as they come and go and so many back on sunday night to greet again. I've seen dear friend Brian Johnson as he serves others in this way radiate joy and you can sense God's call on him in this area. It's amazing the difference the call makes when it's from Him and not of ourselves and not just something we choose for ourselves and want for ourselves. His call makes all the difference as our missionaries would tell you, as our staff and their families would tell you and those who serve in our church would tell you. I keep going back to Eddie's sermon a few weeks back...His call makes all the difference in our service.

Monday Morning Perspective

I loved the evangelistic message that Eddie challenged us with yesterday. We've spent the last two weeks in youth sunday school talking about witnessing. I LOVE when that happens. So many of the things we were trying to get across to our students was again touched on in the worship service. God is so good.
I appreciate how Eddie pointed out that Jesus' heart and purpose was evangelistic and to love Him is to love what He loved and follow His example. True...so often God tells us to go out into the deep but we can't get off the shore. As it was pointed out, the deep is right outside the front door. We were challenged to not be a church that is just the keeper of the aquarium. That is not what God has called us to. He has called us to go out and fish for men bringing them in and discipling them so that they will then go out to fish for men as well.
Great reminder...God does the work through us. So often we think it's up to us and we "work" so hard to "make" things happen only to be frustrated. We can't minister in and through ourselves, there's no success there because there's no power there. We have to let Him do it through us if we are following Him and being obedient to Him and following His call. My heart aches for those I see who are frustrated in their ministry opportunities because they feel like they are doing all the "right" things to reach people and are getting no results that they can see. Been there. So much more rewarding to just yield to Him and watch Him work.
Favorite quote...It's an insult to God to say we can't be used or we aren't equipped. He chooses the ordinary so He gets all the glory!
Have a blessed Monday.