Happy New Year...2013

New Year's Eve 2012...I love New Year"s Eve and New Year's Day!!!  There's something refreshing about looking at the past year and truly reflecting not just on what God did that year in your life but also who He was to you.  He showed Himself in some new ways to us this past year.  I could go month by month, and will in my own journal, and see God's hand working and Him showing up in some big ways!!  I also love looking ahead with excitement to the endless possibilities and opportunities!  He's such a creative God that I believe He has some new creative things ahead for all of us.  My prayer for myself is that I don't get bogged down in the unimportant and moved by the urgent that I miss Him in the every day things of life.  That's where I love seeing Him most!!
I've been pouring over some verses, actually passages, in scripture to claim for this new year.  It's always so hard because they're all my favorites.  There's 2 that I just can't choose between so 2013 is going to have to share my script for the year.  My 1st is Phil 1:9-11.  I love it because I think so often we settle for the good when God wants the best for us.  We settle for good relationships when God has some that are best for us.  We settle for good exercise when God wants to push us to the next level of best.  We settle for some good ways to spend our time, money, efforts but God's ways are bigger than ours and He has some of the best ideas for those things.  I also believe discernment is HUGE and I think there's a need to pray for that daily.  I see a need for that more and more not only in my life but as my life intersects with others I believe we all are in great need of godly discernment as Satan attempts to blind us and get us off track and deceive us!!!  I want to love Him more, not what He gives or does, but HIM!! I want to be pure and blameless, not perfect, before Him.  And I want it all to be for the glory and praise of God alone.
My 2nd one is 1Thess.5:16-24.  It's loaded with challenges that I need to clothe myself in daily.  It's a reminder of God's faithfulness and that we can do nothing on our own but He is faithful and He will do it.  I need Him to do some things in 2013!  I want desperately to be a part of His great work and I want it to be a work that ONLY He can do!!  And I need Him to pour faith into my life so that I can trust Him with all of this.
I hope as you set goals for the coming year that you won't forget the spiritual goals.  Start something new with God this year.  Beg Him to stir up a fire in you that will drive you closer to Him.  He will do it.  He's longing to do it.  As Eddie said yesterday, if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.
Happy New Year to all from our entire family!!  May it be a year full of all God longs to do in us and through us!!

Monday Morning Perspective in the midst of so much hurt

I've said it over and over again and I'll say it again...one of the greatest joys of being the senior pastor's wife is the opportunity to be on the front lines of people's lives.  I get to hear and rejoice with many over what God is doing in their lives.  I get to hear from them the struggles and have the privilege of praying for them and with them.  I get to weep with them over the hurt of loss.  So much is not easy and after years in ministry it never gets easier to see the hurt but I get to see God in action and I get to hear words of faith come from so many even in the midst of the struggle and that never gets old!!  JUST LAST WEEK came messages and calls from those facing job loss and 3 deaths of loved ones.  Then top it off with the fears of some from the school shooting in Newtown, CT.  So much heartache, fear, anxiety.  I'm so thankful when I hear people in my church as well as on tv talk of the bigness of God and how they trust Him knowing He is always good and constant.  I'm so thankful for the people who don't waiver in their faith and reach out to those who are waivering a bit to offer hope and encouragement.  I got to witness all of that last week.  I got to witness my husband ministering up close and personal and see the compassion he has for the lost and the hurting.  My favorite time of day is when we go to bed at night and grasp hands and begin to pray together over the day and all the people that God has put in our path and those we love in our church family as well as friends and our own family.  To be able to offer those prayers up to a God we KNOW hears and cares and acts is the most comforting thing of all.  Our hearts ache for those who don't have that assurance and God is burning within us the need to share Him more and more in this sin sick world we live in where tragedy is now much more common than rare.  Eddie said to me last night that it's a time where it's one tragedy on top of another.  Mall shootings, school shootings, robberies and shootings in our town and all over the country that just don't get a lot of press but they're happening constantly.  These are not times to cower in fear but to stand firm on the hope we have in Christ and share that hope with everyone we see.  These are not times to trust in the political system for change or our educational system to make things better.  Jesus Christ is the only hope we have.  I'm so thankful for all the ministers I've seen on tv on the major networks nationally who are sharing the truth and scripture for people.  I am amazed that they are even given air time but it's times of tragedy that we seem to want to hear from God and I'm thankful they are taking the opportunities they are given.  I'm praying that as a country we become a people who daily want to hear from God and that it will begin with His people.  Because until His people get serious about Him, the healing won't happen.
I'm praying that as all of us go about this next week getting ready and preparing for our Christmas celebrations, that we will remember those who are planning funerals.  That we will remember those sitting at the bedside of those sick and dying.  That we will remember those who have lost their job.  And that we will remember that in the midst of all of that, we can still celebrate Christmas because the real meaning is that God sent His Son to us so that in times like this when we are hurting there is One who knows exactly how we feel, exactly what we are going through and He will draw near to all of those who draw near to Him!!  Immanuel, God truly is with us!!!
As for yesterday's message...WOW!!  God press on our hearts to be the church you've called us to be.  May we return to You our 1st and greatest love.  Another perk, I get to hear how these messages are doing a work in people's lives!! I'm right there with you, they are working hard on me!!!

Don't Cancel Christmas

I had a sweet word from a friend the other day about my lack of blogging and she nudged me a bit to get back to it.  As I told her there have been more than a few reasons not to lately, the biggest one being I've been doing lots of journal writing for another purpose but other little reasons were adding up as well.  Anyway, kick the little reasons out the door and took the suggestion to get back to it.
Someone told me yesterday that a friend of hers had canceled Christmas this year.  Since that's impossible, I'm guessing he meant he was cancelling his own personal Christmas...no lights, no gifts, no celebrating.  I understand his reason...he feels it's too commercialized.  I agree.  It's most definitely not celebrated in many circles as the birth of our Savior but I don't think I can go to his extreme. We absolutely LOVE Christmas in the Leopard house.  The decorations begin going up Nov 1st.  I'm not a fan of Halloween so it's usually all I can do to get through that and onto Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Yes, we make a big deal out of Thanksgiving, I just don't decorate for that.  Sorry.  I'm one of those that tends to overdo a bit (my husband would say a LOT) but I love everything about Christmas and I believe that Jesus deserves the best of everything and the most of everything so we do lots of lights, gifts, family time, worship time for about 2 months around here.
The bible talks a lot about celebrating.  The OT is full of feasts and celebrations.  Worship itself is celebration and I'm not shy about being over-the-top with that either.  God encourages joy!!  He encourages us to celebrate who He is and all that He has done for us.  Ezra connected celebrating with giving.  Giving to others strengthens us and fills us with joy.  What joy is there in hoarding up for ourselves?  Sidenote...if you watch the show about hoarders, I've noticed, they don't seem like very happy or joyful people.  Ok, back to the main road.  So many people think that God is anti-celebration and wants to take the fun out of life.  His Word tells us that He came to give us abundant life John 10:10.  I believe that those who know and love Christ have more reason than anyone to celebrate!!
Think about your holiday traditions.  What do they say about you?  What or whom do they say you love and treasure the most?  Do you make Jesus part of your Christmas celebrations or is He the center of them?  Do you leave Him out completely in the rush of it all?  Is He the greatest gift that you give away at Christmas?  Hopefully we are giving Him the entire year!!  Let's not be one of those people who TALK about sharing Him, let's do the thing.  Share your story about your walk with Christ but don't get so caught up in YOUR story that you really don't share HIS story.  We will fill the stores and restaurants over the next few weeks.  Will we tell our waitress and store clerks that Christmas is all about Jesus and how much He loves them, so much that He came at Christmas so that He could die for them so that they could live?  He's not just the reason for THE season, He's the reason for EVERY season.
So celebrate Him!!!  Don't apologize for making the most out of His birthday just make sure He's the focus of it and everything revolves around Him!!!  Merry Christmas!!!

Monday Morning Perspective

We wrapped up the series Love God Love People and put a beautiful bow on it yesterday.  I echo what Eddie said though...the series is over but the living out of the series should never be!!
My favorite part was When you love someone you will set an example for them.  Holiness is living an unedited life.  The illustration and idea of someone following us with a video camera all day every day and then showing it for all to see really struck a cord with me.  And I walked away with the whisper in my head that one day it will play.  God tells us over and over in His Word that nothing is hidden from Him and that one day we will give an account.  Not only our deeds but our attitudes and our thoughts.  Oh my...
Cannot wait to dig into Revelation in a few weeks...it's gonna be good!!!

When life stinks

I was going to spend the afternoon writing and this particular writing was going to be for something else at a later time but God keeps pressing on my heart to do it here and I sure hope it helps someone.
God has been so good to us.  It doesn't mean we haven't experienced hurt or pain or betrayal or fear or uncertainty.  We have.  As a matter of fact, in some way, we have experienced all of those and some more in recent days.  Life is hard and is rarely fair.  But God is so good.  And He is so faithful.  And He loves us so much.
One of the things God does that even makes the suffering bearable is that He shows us Himself in a new way.  He allows us to experience Him in a fresh light.  He shows us things that may even hurt and perhaps we had rather not know but it only hurts for a moment and then He turns it around and shows us why we needed it.  He shows us many times to grow us.  If we allow Him to, He takes the hurt and before you know it, we are thanking Him for it because of so much we have learned through it.  It's about our good and His glory.
Another thing He does is He allows us to minister to others through our experiences.  There's nothing better for us when we are hurting than to reach out to others and help them.  If we keep our eyes open and our ears tuned to Him, He will bring opportunities our way.  It will take our eyes off of ourselves and put them back on a world that is hurting and people who are suffering.
There are so many hurts.  People dealing with family issues, financial hardship, fears concerning jobs and the future, worries over aging parents, illnesses, are only a few of the conversations I've had with some recently. Some have said that if feels like Satan just won't back off.  These problems aren't respecter of ages either.  Young people are struggling with these concerns.  It's as if Satan has upped the ante.  I believe with all my heart he knows his time is short.  We all know he's out to destroy but we also know that with our God there is victory.
What helps me through these times...LOTS of time in His Word!!!  LOTS of prayer time!!!  Reading over and over encouraging notes and texts and cards from others who are praying for me and care about me.  Reaching out realizing others have been there and they want to help.  Remembering!!!!  Remembering other times God has been faithful.  Remembering who and what I was and how He has changed me and changed my heart through His Spirit.  Remembering His promises and who He says He is and who I am in Christ.
My prayer list grows longer every day for myself and others.  I'm sure yours does too.  If you spend any time at all with people having conversations of any substance, you know exactly the many needs of those around us.  Keep praying.  Keep loving.  Stay in the Word and point others to the Word.  He is a God who cares.  He is compassionate and merciful beyond all measure!!  His mercies are new every morning and He never tires of us!!
Eddie said so many things in his message yesterday about compassion and how Jesus always acted on it.  He mentioned humility and how it's about thinking of others more.  He spoke of patience and how we are to yield to others and be longsuffering.  We need to do these things for one another bearing with one another.
The one piece of practical advice I always give when asked what will help, is to get some scriptures that go along with whatever you're going through.  Write them down.  Take them with you wherever you go.  Put them on sticky notes and put them on your bathroom mirror or on your car dash.  I'm a slow learner and the older I get the more forgetful I get so I have to keep them in front of me all the time to remind myself of them and draw upon them.
What a joy it is to pray for one another and talk it out with one another.  Sometimes it's just letting someone talk even when we don't have an answer for them.  And never forget, even when times are tough, the joy of the Lord really is strength.  He is more than enough even if noone around you "gets it".  He really is the only friend we can't live without.
Psalm 86 is one of my favorite passages and I go back to it time and time again.  Psalm 145 is another good one, actually they're all so good!!  As I stop and read them again the tears are flowing.  But they're tears of joy and comfort.  I hope they will be that for you as well.

Monday Morning Perspective

Wow!!! I can't believe I haven't been on here in over 2 months!!  Things have been busier than I even thought but have also been doing some other writing of sorts other than right here.  Anyway...
I have loved the series Love God Love People!!!  It has been so challenging for me as I have examined my life and my motives.  I love how my husband challenges me every week! I'm one of those that if I leave just feeling good about myself, I feel like I missed something.
Yesterday's message challenged me in a lot of ways.  It was so practical and thought provoking.  I guess that's why I had to jump on here today.  If you missed it, catch it on the website!!!
My take away...Jesus knew all of His disciples, how they would betray Him, deny Him, turn on Him when He needed a friend the most, and He still washed their feet. I have a long way to go!!

And the baby is off to college

Just looking at you, noone would guess that you're the baby of the family. You are neck in neck with your brother for the biggest one in the house but under this roof you are and always will be the baby. That's not that bad a place to be.  Your sibs would say you got by with more than they did.  They would probably say you're the most spoiled because we were all looking after you.  The flip side is you had 3 moms telling you what to do and how to do and giving you advice on who to date and who "you will absolutely not date".  You were the only one left at home for the past 2 years which dad and I loved and enjoyed but you no doubt felt smothered at times.  Yep, I guess you are ready to head out on your own and whether we are ready or not, the time has definitely come for that.  But before you do, I'm your mom so I get to be sappy and cheesy and since it's my blog I get to write it all out. So...
I really think you know this, but we are super crazy about you!!  You are an absolute delight to chill with, talk to, shop with, play with, and on and on and on.  You make me laugh hysterically, make me pull my hair out often and blow me away with your sweet gentleness. Even though you were covered up in prayer from the moment we knew you were a reality, we are still blown away by who you are at your young age.  Your faith and your testimony of God's love and grace is evidence that you spend time with Him, trust Him, and truly walk with Him.  College life will bring a new set of challenges and opportunities.  God will bring people into your life for you to make an impact on and be a witness for Him and He will bring others who will be dear to you for years to come because of their influence on you.  You've always chosen friends so well, you will need to do that in college.  Seek those who are also walking closely with Him so the stumbles along the way will be few and not life altering.  Satan seeks those to destroy and he is very active on college campuses but you serve a God who is so much greater than him and who has a plan and a purpose for your life.  He's giving you the opportunity to play the sport you love in college.  Everyone doesn't get that opportunity so don't take it for granted.  Let it be a tool that God uses for His glory and He will use you in a mighty way in this culture that makes athletes godlike.  You get the chance to show them who the true God is with a sports platform.  Remember the Rebekah principle...do what's asked and then some!!!  Christians should be the hardest working, most dedicated, even the most competitive in a good way type of people.
Remember how much your family loves you and how proud of you we are!!  Stay away from the cleat chasers and don't miss class unless you are sick!!  Be everywhere on time and tidy up your room.  Don't eat your roomies snacks and don't forget your prayers every night, every morning, and all day long!!  You are headed to SMC to be a Pioneer...be one in the right way.  Pioneers blaze the trail for others to follow so blaze it for Christ!!!  I love you!!  Did I already say that? Ok, I love you!!!!!  See you soon in that Pioneer blue.  In that way, I'm as excited as you ;)

25??? My firstborn??? No way!!!

This Thursday, July 26th, will mark a huge milestone.  25 years ago this coming Thursday, God sent this baby girl into our lives and from that day forward life changed, for the better of course.  I'm still amazed at how an 8lb15oz bundle of baby could totally take over your life and grip your heart so hard that you would be forever changed but that's exactly what happened.  After 26 hours of labor, she decided she was ready to make her appearance early that Sunday morning. Somehow we knew then that she was going to be a force to be reckoned with.  My strongest willed child of all and that strong will has served her so well as I've told her many times.  One of my sweetest and dearest friends and mentors told us one day when she was about 7 years old, "if you get her on the right path with that determined will of hers, she will be unstoppable...BUT if she gets on the wrong path, it could be very bad especially through the teen years."  That day changed my prayer life in a radical way.  That sweet strong-willed baby grew into the sweetest strong-willed 25 year old who makes her mom and dad proud every single day.  She has stood firm in her godly convictions in a graceful and loving way and God has blessed her life with a godly man and a ministry with students far beyond what I'm sure she ever thought possible.

Chrissie, your Dad and I love you and are so thankful for you.  You are a perfect picture of God's grace to us and His amazing work in a young woman's life who is determined to do life His way.  As much as I miss those little ponytails and Saturday night mani/pedis in the den and pushing you on the swings and praying over your sweet head every night, I wouldn't go backwards.  I would miss my 25 year old best girlfriend way too much.  Happy 25th Birthday a few days early punkin!!!

Monday Morning Perspective

We have had three weeks now of our series on Praying like Jesus.  Haven't posted on it because my mondays have been terribly busy and the closer we get to our college kids headed back the less I will spend time at this computer...a blog on that to come when I get myself together enough.
Anyway, some highlights at least for me throughout this series...
...prayer is speaking to God the Father through God the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit
...to receive we must believe
...as a child of God we don't have to pray, we get to pray
...so often we pray as if we need to inform God as to what is going on
...we need to walk with Him in the calmness before we cry out in the crisis
...key to praying like Jesus, Your will not mine
...if we don't pray for His will, then it's carnal praying
...praying should be us trying to align our will with God's will
...Jesus won the battle on the cross in the Garden
All of this has been great but if we don't apply it to our lives and our prayer life it can't help us.  Praying God will continue to transform my prayer life and it will be more focused on His will for my life rather than my will and what I think is best.  Have a magnificent monday!!

What is worship to you

There have been a lot of conversations in our house through the years about worship.  Lately, we've talked more about it than not since we are looking at a new service, lots of things have been written about worship and many of course like different "styles" whatever that means.  John says worship God in spirit and in truth period.  He doesn't really talk "style".  I grew up in a very large but traditional church and loved it.  I felt like I was offered everything possible in terms of church.  I grew up listening to my grandmother sing hymns as she cooked dinner and find myself doing the same thing so often.  I love a choir.  I love a band.  I love contemporary music that I can dance and praise to but it's not all about music.    I know many people mean different things when they say I'm going to worship.  Here's what I mean...

Worship to me isn't just music.  When I invite someone to our church to worship, I'm not asking them to come hear the music or sing the music.  I'm asking them to come and hear Jesus proclaimed.  That comes through music.  It comes through hugs of fellowship.  It comes through the preaching of God's Word.  I don't feel like I'm worshiping any more during the music than I am when my husband is preaching and I'm engaging in what God's Word says.  So, when I say "great worship" or "going to worship", I mean the whole piece of pie.  When I tell my husband that I heard a message online or went to another church and the pastor rocked the message, he doesn't take that as a slap against him.  It's not necessarily "yay" for that person, it's "yay" God did a work there through them.  I'm thrilled to the bone to see God work through others.  I'm not a "fan" of Beth Moore, I praise God for the ministry she has without seeing it as a knock against Priscilla Shirer's ministry.  I'm not a "fan"   of Mark Batterson, but I love his writing and it speaks to me like none other.  That's not a knock against Steve Groeschell whom I love as well.    Are we not supposed to cheer one another on?  Are we not to be thankful and praise God for doing great things in other places?  How is that a knock against us?  We are all on the same team!  My daughter mentioned this morning being aggravated that churches compete with one another.  I share that frustration.  How can you compete against your own team?  Satan's greatest weapon is lying and dividing.  I honestly think he has more fun and success within the church doing this than on the outside of the church.  The message I heard Father's Day by Brad Cooper was on the glory of God and how we are so busy giving glory to everything and everyone down here that is not worthy of it.  Let's keep our glory pointers pointed upward where they belong and stop pointing it other places and at ourselves because like Brad said most of us want the glory pointed right back at us.  A gentle reminder, God WILL NOT share His glory!!

This may not be what you think of worship at all.  I would LOVE to hear what you think of when you hear that word or what you mean when you invite someone to worship with you. 

A side note as a pastor's wife...I love going somewhere to worship every now and again where I'm not the pastor's wife there.  I'm just one of everybody else.  My kids aren't the pastor's kids there for one Sunday.  Maybe we are the only ones who feel that way but I don't think so...

Monday Morning Perspective

Well we wrapped up 1John yesterday and put a big bow on the top.  This entire series was definitely a gift at least to me.  I love digging deep into these books in God's Word, so many treasures to be found when we are willing to do the work.
I loved the entire message but the best for me was the last.  Idols.  How we try our best to rationalize our way through believing they don't exist in our lives and yet they surround us.  I loved the story Eddie shared from Mark Driscoll.  If you didn't hear the message, jump online and take a listen.  That story was an eye opener all by itself.  I'm thankful Eddie challenged us by pointing out how it's ANYTHING or ANYONE who takes our time, energy, or resources.  It's so difficult in our culture to keep things in a proper perspective.  We get so caught up in celebrities and sports and how many of us have even let another person become our idol not because we like them but maybe because we don't.  They sap our thoughts and we give them power over our emotions.  Yep, that's making them an idol.  Guilty.  One of the things I love about Michael Roth, USC pitcher, is that he says "baseball is what I do, it's not who I am".  What a great perspective and a great lesson for all of us.  I guess my take away is that the more I focus on Christ and the more time I spend in His Word, the less time I have to focus on the things that don't matter and the people that aren't worth my allegiance.  He is the only one worthy of our time, energy and resources.  He's the only one who will never disappoint us or make us feel like we have wasted our time going there.  He's the only one who has our very best in mind.  Happy Monday to all!!

Monday Morning Perspective

As I sat going over my notes this morning from yesterday's message, I gained a new and refreshed respect for how much study and time it takes for my husband to bring a message the way he did.  It was a "put on your thinking cap" one for sure.  All of the different thoughts from other theologians and scripture from the Old Testament and New Testament was mind blowing.  I love those messages best of all.  It reinforces how all of scripture works together and how God truly is the same yesterday, today and forever.  It's definitely worth your time to check it out online.
What I took away with most is the need to pray for myself and others.  The need for quick repentance when we sin and how we need to be focused on our own sin and not the sin of others.  I love how he pointed out in this passage in 1John 5:16-17 that it says if we SEE another sin then pray.  Not if we hear about it or go call someone or sit down over dinner and discuss it with someone, but we PRAY!!  So often we tend to overlook those commands in scripture and the little words like SEE!!  Thankful for God's grace in light of how often I blow it and my need for repentance every day.  May we all focus more on our own sins and failures than those of others and may we handle all situations the way God commands us to.

Colorado...Graduation...Summer Begins

Well to piggyback on a post a few posts back, God did some more showing up and showing out in our midst.  He answered some little prayers in big ways and gave us a smooth trip in every way to Colorado and back.  He gave us very little traffic and a perfect parking spot at the airport only to walk in and be right at our counter and very little waiting.  We had a super time in a perfect amount of time during our layovers in Atlanta and Dallas with a few treats to make us grin along the way.  The big prayer need came when we were flying into Grand Junction only to have the pilot come on and tell us we would have to reroute to Denver because of the terrible winds.  He didn't think he could land in the conditions and we knew a reroute to Denver also meant a 4 hour drive back to Grand Junction and it was already about 9pm.  I gripped Eddie's arm as we went through the turbulence (always nice to have flesh to grip when scared) and we both started praying to the God that we knew could calm that storm.  He did it in His Word and we knew if He chose to He could calm that wind storm as well.  Without saying a word to each other we knew exactly how the other was praying.  We could still see out of the window and all we could see was mountains.  Much to our surprise the pilot continued lowering that plane and before we knew it we were on the runway in Grand Junction.  The whole plane cheered and Eddie and I were praising!!  As soon as the man from the hotel picked us up at the airport he was telling us how bad it had been there all day but suddenly it had all calmed down.  We knew we were meant to be there, He had made it all happen and come together and He proved faith in Him was the perfect path!!!

We had a super fun week.  Wish we had won some games but the time with Stephen and his team was fabulous!  They were all treated like superstars and the people couldn't have been more hospitable.  We took a day and went touring with one of Stephen's teammate's parents.  We had no idea they were Christians too but it was an extra treat since we got to see some of God's most beautiful work with those who saw it all from that same perspective.  We talked about what a mighty, creative God He is and what a beautiful setting that would be for our alone time with Him every day. We all had tears as we talked about His goodness.  That was just an extra blessing God chose to give us along the way.
And yes (as was mentioned previously too) we got back in perfect time for John's baseball banquet.  All planes were on time, no traffic coming home, God is good!!  It was a special night for the boys especially seniors.  Graduation time was fun as family arrived to celebrate John's special time.  I only cried once...when they moved their tassels, something just seemed so final then.
Now bring on the summer!!  My favorite time of year. It's going to be different, 1st time in 10 years noone is playing summer baseball.  I'm praying for lots of  family fun and relaxation, lots of God time alone and with other believers, some ministry opportunities, and that every day will be an opportunity to experience God in a way that will heal some hurts, clear up some uncertainties, bring a huge smile to my face, and cause me to praise Him whether things are good or not so good.  I know He is in the midst of it all and I know that a little better than I did a year ago and I hope I will know it even more a year from now.

Monday Morning Perspective

We are looking at the end of 1John but before John let us go he dealt with the issue of prayer and I'm so glad that he did. Eddie's message yesterday was from chapter 5 verses 14 n 15.  He talked about the confidence of prayer, the conditions for answered prayer and the clear answers we receive from God when we pray.
I think the 2 main things I came away with most was that prayer is a privilege and we must believe as we pray according to His will!  We get to go before the God of the universe and know that He hears us (based on the conditions we talked about).  He loves us and wants a relationship with us and that is formed through our prayer life as we pray and read His Word and act in obedience on it.  We must believe when we approach Him that we can trust Him when we are praying according to His will that we will receive His best for us.  It may be a different answer than we want or expect but it will be His best for our best.
Prayer has been huge for me especially lately.  I knew it was the only way we would get through the previous months with all that was on our plate.  I even listed while we were in Colorado all the little and big things that I saw Him do as we prayed. Over just a few days time I had a list of about 12 things, some may seem small in the eyes of others, but they were little things that added up to some big things and I'm a big believer in the fact that God cares about even the "small" things in our life.  Little things like little traffic and a perfect parking place that kept us on schedule. Big things like flying into very strong winds that the pilot even thought would cause us to reroute.  I'm just saying that I believe we pray about everything and watch God do His thing.  No wonder the Christian life is anything but boring and mundane.  He is an active, involved, loving God.  Pray without ceasing is the way to go.

John Michael Graduates

This one's for you John John.  Cannot believe it's time to sit here and write your graduation blog, the baby of 4.  I'm sure you are a lot more ready for this than I am and you should be. Your future looks so bright and there is so much to look forward to.  If you can spare your mom just a moment to put into writing how proud of you we are and what an enormous blessing you are.
I told your siblings and I will tell you...after graduating from South Aiken with a strong Christian testimony and morals intact, you have become my hero.  It's not an impossible task but it's difficult in the culture in which we live.  You chose to take the narrow path and thankfully you had some friends who were willing to take it with you.  You chose good friends along the way and maintained your witness when I know it wasn't always easy.  I know adults who are less committed and outspoken than you are as a young man.  God will bless you for it as He always blesses obedience.
The road doesn't get any easier as you leave and go to college.  The good thing is that you take Christ with you and the same Jesus who got you through high school will get you through college.  He will never fail you or leave you or lie to you.  Keep Him the priority in your life.
We know you will do well in school and baseball.  There will be lots of fun along the way and memories to make.  Don't take any of it for granted.  You are getting an education which will help you accomplish goals.  Very few get to go on and play the sport they love in college, don't ever take that for granted and remember someone is always working a bit harder so keep working at it.  You will make new friends that will turn into lifelong friends.  Treasure all the memories knowing that God is the giver of all good things and wants you to enjoy the life He's given you.
Never forget that your family will always love you more than you can even imagine and nothing will ever change that.  We are super proud of you!!  Now go in the strength and love of the Lord and live for Him!!

I Timothy 4:8-16

What an on-time God...He's my Drama King

I woke up the other morning at 4:15.  I spent the next 2 hours flooding my pillows with tears...good tears.  Been a lot of those lately. I've also done a lot of fasting lately and I wish I could say it was planned, get closer to God fasting because that would sound right and spiritual but it wasn't that kind.  It's the kind where there's such a huge knot or knots in your stomach that there's no room for food, just a huge knot.  So much lately has been personal and private journal kind of stuff. I haven't done the blog a lot. I've been selfish, just keeping all the stuff to myself...good stuff.  Have you ever felt like if you started talking about it then it would go away or sound cheesy or people (most of whom you don't really care what they say or think anyway but you bow to it) would think you're bragging or overthinking everything or Satan would hear you and have at ya?  Wierd I know but that's how I roll a lot of times.  Some of it is just that it's so hard to put into words.  But I decided I'll give it a try and hope that it helps encourage others if it makes sense and I don't just talk in a bunch of circles.  I want to boast in the Lord as Galatians tells us to do because Lord knows I have nothing of myself to boast about.  I'm choosing to do it because I saw a fb post by such a sweet young woman the other day having to do with trusting God's timing and not stressing and so knowing that we are not called to be selfish but we are called to encourage one another in the faith I decided I would write this and hope that it helps because if she struggles with it and I know I do then I know lots of others do.
This is all about God's faithfulness!!  His faithfulness even when I am not!!  His goodness even when I don't deserve it!!  His love even when I still worry, stress, or lack the faith to believe Him!!
We (our family) went into January knowing how crazy and hectic our schedule would be.  We knew there would be lots of opportunities to get bogged down in busyness and be exhausted beyond what we could handle.  We knew in our own strength and genius planning we were doomed before we started.  We figured we would spend a lot of time in different directions and having to pick and choose between children and events not to mention all the ministry stuff going on.  And of course there were shots along the way about our schedule or more like Eddie's schedule but somehow God did not let us get fazed by that (and it's always interesting that those things come from directions you don't expect but that's for another time).  For anyone who knows me at all knows that I hate to miss anything my kids are involved in even if it's being at one child's thing over another child's thing and Eddie and I constantly texting with info.  Jessica was cheering at SMC, Stephen was playing baseball at SMC and John was playing baseball at South Aiken.  The potential was there to get all out of sorts and not do anything well.  I'm one that believes God cares greatly about everything in our lives even the things we deem little and insignificant.  So I gave Him all the schedules, all the possibilities for problems and anything He could see coming that might throw us into a tailspin.  Can I just tell you that God worked little miracle after big miracle and blew our minds over and over again.  From seeing Stephen through his surgery and recuperation to us not missing out on anything, God has been busy showing up over and over again.  He has done a few huge things in the past months for us but He's also been busy in the day to day and I think that's where I tend to miss Him the most.  I'm trying hard to focus on seeing Him in action in the every day stuff of life.  I have to admit a few times along the way I stressed and wondered how He was going to fix this or make this happen or what He was going to do about a particular thing.  Then I end up crying my eyes out when He does it and repent of my lack of belief. I saw Him turn things upside down!!  Don't you know He is our Drama King.  I believe He loves to surprise us and prove our faulty thinking wrong!!  I know He's never late and He's an on-time God but sometimes I still fight doubt.  He has taught me so much about prayer and trusting Him and His personality.  I have pounded His throne over and over and I've learned to never give up because it could be just one more prayer away.  I saw Him heal my uncle when there seemed to be no hope.  I know how my family prayed over him and believed God for a miracle and Saturday I stood with him in Spartanburg not believing my eyes as he was the picture of health and proclaiming God's goodness to all who will listen.  I had just told Stephen Sunday afternoon that I wasn't sure we were going to make it to Colorado to see him in the World Series because it came on us so fast and we had no idea what plane tickets would be and we were just short on cash.  Sunday evening someone gave us a gift to help us make that trip happen.  Don't tell me God doesn't care about those kinds of things.  He has made a way for us to go and then get back and hopefully be only a tad late for John's final baseball banquet.  What a heart He has for the things that He knows are so special to us. He is capable of doing so much more than we can even imagine if we let Him...Eph 3: 20!! In the midst of our trust issues that Eddie and I both battle in ministry, He continues to proclaim to us in a silent but extremely loud voice, "but you can trust Me".  He has proven that over and over lately as well.
If I could offer any encouragement it would be, TRUST HIM!!  He will never let you down.  He knows what is heavy on your heart whether it's a sick family member, a friend's betrayal, or getting to a ballgame that is important to you.  You may know His character but do you know His personality?  Remember trusting Him and waiting for Him is part of what keeps life fun and challenging and full of adventure.  I can still hear my grandmother's voice singing as she would cook late in the afternoon.  Her favorites were Victory in Jesus and I know whom I have believed.  I've been singing those a lot lately myself.

Monday Morning Perspective

Yesterday was Mother's Day and I hope it was a great day for all!  I've come to learn that our spiritual mothers should be celebrated that day as well and I have several of those in my life who are extremely special to me.
Eddie and I got to tag team the message and we focused on parenting offering some things that we have learned along the way sometimes the hard way.  I think what we most wanted everyone to take with them is that even though parenting is probably the hardest job we will ever do, it's the most rewarding and can only be done with the power of Christ working in our lives.  Doing it God's way is always the best way.  We also hope that we all realize that noone is perfect therefore noone's family is perfect.  We want those struggling to find hope and help to come and find it within the church family not run from it because they feel they can't measure up.  We should all be helping one another along the way encouraging and striving together as God writes His story upon our lives.  Be encouraged.  Never give up praying for your kids whatever season of life they're in.  Pound the throne daily on their behalf, no prayer or tear goes unnoticed by our God.  He loves our children even more than we do!!!

Monday Morning Perspective

Yesterday Eddie preached on a Know-so Salvation and he was so right when he said that every Christian needed to hear this message.  What a miserable way to live wondering if you're saved or hoping that you're saved when God's Word says we can know that we are saved.
He gave us 3 ways we can know...
1.  The work of the Savior.  It's all about what Jesus has done for us and not what we do.  His work on the cross was all sufficient and we cannot add to it or take away.
2.  The witness of the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit confirms and bears witness to what Christ did.  I love how he pointed out that we are so quick to believe stuff we read or hear that may have no truth to it at all but we fail to believe the real Truth!!  How sweet to also hear that it's so much deeper than feelings.  Our emotions are the shallowest part and God goes down to the depths of our heart and confirms we are His.
3.  The Word of the Scripture.  It has stood the test of time and the attacks of critics.  Rom. 10:9-10, if you've done it, then stand on it.  We should be exclamation marks of our salvation not question marks!!!
Big question...Are you trusting in the Jesus way?

Monday Morning Perspective

Yesterday was phenomenal at MBC!!  I don't think anyone who was there could say they missed Easter this year.  We were packed to the ceiling with people who were there to worship and celebrate the resurrection.  I loved how Eddie didn't do the typical Easter message but stayed in 1John and presented the gospel from the standpoint of God's great love which is the joyous part of Easter that Christ loved us so much He laid down His life and then picked it back up again!!
Eddie and I talked so much about how special Easter is and it's always been my favorite day on the calendar however there's also this side of it that we should celebrate the truth of the resurrection every day.  What if we lived every day with the confident assurance that Christ is alive and active and working in and through our lives to bring about His good purpose?  What if every Sunday we went to church to celebrate and worship like we did on Easter?  What if we were busy throughout every week inviting others to come to church because the gospel was going to be shared?  What if every seat was filled in our church every Sunday?  I'm thinking we would begin to see a huge difference in not only our own lives but in the lives of those we rub elbows with every day.  What if...
Quickly want to share with you...we were in Louisburg for Stephen's tournament Friday and Saturday.  On Saturday when Jessica and I walked through the gate, a dear older man was taking up the money.  He had his bible there and his radio was playing with a man preaching.  I asked him if he was ready for Easter and ohhhh did he take it from there.  He began to talk about how if it wasn't for Easter everything was in vain and it was just one of the sweetest moments of my Easter weekend.  He didn't care how loud that radio was playing with that preaching coming through, he meant for everybody to hear.  Praying for that kind of boldness to increase among God's people.  And while we are on that subject, just gotta give a shoutout to my boy John and several others who chose God music for their baseball walkup songs this year.  Several of our South Aiken boys did it but I also heard it from other teams we have played as well as a few college boys this weekend.  For those of you who don't know how big that is...WALKUP SONGS are HUGE to baseball boys.  It's a way of describing themselves, a slight pic of who they are.  If they can choose those kinds of songs in front of teammates, peers, community people...I'm just saying they are HEROES and have a lot to teach some of us!!!

Monday Morning Perspective

I know it's not true for everyone, but I love Mondays!!  Monday mornings are a great reflection time for me on the past week and especially on Sunday.  God always shows up and usually it takes the quietness and stillness of Monday morning to grasp it all.
We closed out 1John 3yesterday and also got a little glimpse of what may come in the fall if we dive into Genesis.  I love how the whole Word goes together from Genesis to Revelation and even as Eddie pointed out John 3:16 and 1John 3:16.  His Word really will blow our minds and keep us wanting more and more if we will just dig deep enough.
Have to say my favorite part from yesterday was "where love abounds".  It was a challenge to remember not to always trust our hearts and follow our hearts as so many will say because our hearts are inconsistent at times and our hearts will condemn us.  I love the fact that God knows our hearts so well.  He knows our motives and desires.  He knows if we serve out of selfish ambition or for public praise and approval.  And knowing us so well  there is still no condemnation in Christ.  He loves us and forgives us and redeems us.  This is so good to remember especially when others are questioning our motives and they think they know us but they don't truly know our hearts.  They are judging from what they are seeing with fleshly eyes on our outside. That's why it's so important to focus on being God pleasers and not people pleasers. Trust Him with our hearts!!
Love 2 final statements Eddie made...
We cannot be right with Him and not be right with others and
Quit beating yourself up because you mess up.
Happy Monday Everyone!!!

Monday Morning Perspective

As we continued through 1John yesterday, we keyed in on verses 4-10 of chapter 3.   Although it was a message on sin, it was encouraging as we saw that we can have victory thanks to the cross.  I loved the visual Eddie gave of thinking of our sin as the garbage in our life and just as a garbage truck comes and hauls away our trash never to be dealt with again, Jesus hauls off our sin as far as the east is from the west.  How encouraging is that?!  I'm so glad that he pointed out the fact that even though we still sin, it should be less often and we should be much less comfortable in it as we grow more and more in our relationship with Christ.  No true follower of Christ is comfortable in their sin.  We may lapse into it where an unbeliever may leap into it but we are never ok with it.  Because of our conversion we have the power of the Spirit within us and with that superior power we can walk in  victory over sin.  Realizing that as believers when we sin that we break God's heart, we should be motivated by our love for Him to repent quickly when we do.

Monday Morning Perspective

As we continued through 1John yesterday we were encouraged as we looked at the love of God.  We looked at our position.  We are God's children.  That means so much to me because I know how I feel about my own children and for God to see me that way is more than remarkable.  We talked about our potential and how our best days are ahead of us.  We will be with Him, we will see Him, and we will be like Him.  We closed with our practice and a question...what motivates you in the Christian life?  Hopefully the answer to that for all of us is love.
Looking forward already to next sunday.  So exciting to be a part of a church that I just can't wait to get back to starting on monday morning.  Have a super week!  Allow God to do something through you this week that only He can do. Nothing is better than that!!

Monday Morning Perspective

The only thing I can say about Eddie's message yesterday is that everyone, in any season of life, any age, any life circumstance, believer or unbeliever needs to go online and watch it.  Out of the park homerun, walk away and say WOW and beg God to let it change your life!!  I love that my husband/pastor preaches God's Word boldly and unashamed and in the power of God's Spirit!! millbrookchurch.org!!

Monday Morning Perspective

I think yesterday was one of the most powerful sermons yet on 1John.  I don't know how any of us got out alive especially as I sit and ponder my notes again.
Some of my favorite points from 1John 2:15-17...
If we claim to be a Christian, our walk must match my talk and when that happens we will create waves.
I may say I don't love the world (the world system) but my attitude says that I like it a lot.
We can take people to heaven with us, so invest in their lives.
Pride of life=elevating self.
We spend money we don't have, on things we don't need, to impress people we don't even like.
Aren't we glad that Jesus didn't have temporal vision.  He saw the big picture.
We are in the last hour-live for what's everlasting!

Monday Morning Perspective

If I write everything I want to about yesterday's sermon, I would be here forever.  SO, I think I'll just jot down the things that hit me throughout the message...
...Those in the infant stage of their Christian life, no matter their physical age, base everything on their feelings. They go from spiritual highs to valleys and life is like a rollercoaster.  They are selfish, thinking the whole world revolves around them and their needs.  They make messes, in bible study, on committees, etc.  They fuss and fight over everything.  They are easily led astray.  I know we all have days like this but God help us not to live in this stage.  You know they are the ones you see coming and want to avoid or the ones you care very little about spending time with.  Who wants to be like this?!  Praying the Lord brings all this back to my mind the next time I venture into this stage.
...Mature believers are those who move from the bottle to the battle.  They are interested in serving others.  They put on the whole armour of God and know how to do battle with the devil.  Eddie mentioned that a small percentage of believers actually read their Bible.  I know we have a lot of people in bible study but the number doesn't look so good when I look at it as the percentage of members that we have.  Praying for more to get in the Word and grow in their walk.
...I love how Eddie compared fathers in their spiritual walk to our earthly fathers.  What a great visual!  They are God-centered and so focused on Christ that the inconveniences of life rarely trip them up.  They also reproduce by leading others to Christ and discipling them.  This is the stage I long for.  It takes struggles and fighting in the trenches to get there but I'm convinced it's worth it.
I echo what Eddie said yesterday that I too look back and my biggest regrets are times I wasn't growing as I should in my walk with Christ.  Times when I got distracted with other things that seemed important at the time and now I see them as a huge waste of time.  I'm so glad that God redeems and He gives back.  I'm praying that He continues to redeem those times when I got off track.  If you missed this message it would be well worth your time to take a listen!!

Monday Morning Perspective

Yesterday's service was one of my all time favorites.  We honored our Aiken Public Safety Officers with Buckets of Hope and a standing ovation.  We are filling these buckets with different things and giving one to each member of Aiken Public Safety.  It's a small token of care and compassion and love for those who lay it on the line every day for our safety and as they hurt, we hurt along with them.
We continued our series in 1John looking at what it really means to be a Christian.  My prayer is that for those who have been unsure and questioning their salvation, they took the opportunity to nail it down and know for sure.  Praise God we can know that we know that we know we are saved.
I love how Eddie closed with sharing his biggest burden as a pastor...people who say they are Christians but live in darkness.  They listen to the world's view of things taking advice from the likes of  Dr. Phil and Oprah and psychics instead of praying and digging into God's Word.  As he said, "how's that working for you?".  So many cycling in and out of seasons of sin based on their feelings at the moment.  We are praying that  more and more Christians will live Jesus out loud and make a difference.  It's the only way to live!!

Signed, Sealed and will be delivered in August

Tuesday was a big day for our family.  Even though John had already given his verbal commitment (which is just as important), to play baseball at SMC, he signed his letter of intent on Tuesday.  He made that decision himself after weighing other options and thinking through what would be the best fit for him and praying over where God wanted him to be.  He was great at blocking out all the other noise and opinions in his ear and making a mature decision for himself. I'm so proud of him for all the different things he considered and taking his time to pray over it.  SMC is a great place for baseball players for LOTS of reasons and I'm sure it will be for him.  Stephen couldn't get away for the day with classes and practice but Jessica and Chrissie jumped in the car together and made the trek to Aiken to be here to celebrate with the brother.  It was special for him to be able to sign along with good friend Blue Sanderson. Those boys have played together since they were very young and to get to do the college thing together is extra special.
As proud of John as we all are with the baseball opportunity and the player that he is, we are even more proud of the person that he is.  Our prayer for him is that baseball will be a platform and a tool to give God much glory.  As crazed as our society is about sports, we are praying it be used as a witnessing tool at every opportunity.  For John personally, just like it was with Stephen, to be able to play college ball and yet be balanced in other areas, keeping God first and not allowing baseball to become a god, is the thing we are all most thankful for.  Keep working John, in some ways the work has just begun!!

Monday Morning Perspective

We took a look at our walk yesterday as pointed out in 1John 1:5-7.  We saw how we start the walk, how we stray in the walk, and how we stay in the walk.
I love how Eddie pointed out how John uses the phrase "if we claim" a lot.  Unfortunately we are pretenders.  We do a lot of pretending when we are young and sad to say it carries on into our life so often.  Eddie asked several thought-provoking questions...Does our lifestyle match what we say?, How can I know I'm a Christian? Several things to consider as we judge ourselves in light of scripture is whether or not we are comfortable in our sin.  We shouldn't be if we are a new creation in Christ.  Has our beliefs and behavior changed?  Christianity is not a belief system it's a lifestyle.  We have a new nature. He changes our desires and our
want-tos!!  As Christians we should never be comfortable in darkness so why is it we spend so much of our life there cycling in and out of sin instead of fleeing temptation as we are told to do?  Soooo, how is your walk?
I have a feeling 1John is going to continue to be very challenging...I sure hope so!!

Monday Morning Perspective

New series in 1John, Walk in Light, Live in Love, got off to a great start!!  Absolutely love getting the background that Eddie gave us on John himself.  What a reminder of the sweet relationship John had with Jesus and to know that we can have that same sweet relationship with Him today as we walk with Him.
My favorite part had to be on Real Joy.  As Eddie pointed out joy is an inside job that can only come through our relationship with Christ.  It doesn't have to have anything to do with our circumstances.  As he preached on this my mind kept going back to our weekend.  We had the opportunity to attend a bible study in downtown Greenville.  What a conglomeration of people...college kids, adults my age, and some homeless believers.  As we talked to and listened to one of the homeless men after the bible study talk about his own relationship with Jesus and to see such joy in his eyes and the glimmer of hope that ONLY Jesus can give, it just reconfirmed that we can have nothing on this earth but if we have a personal relationship with Jesus, there is much joy!!  He is everything!! For those of us that think we need "stuff" and that joy and happiness are the same, we have missed it.  To be in a room with those who have nothing but what's on their back and they are praising Jesus and their eyes are filled with tears of joy and hope was such a blessing and such conviction all at the same time. God have mercy on us and grow us up in Your Word and what You have to say to us through the book of 1John!!

This and That 2012, oh my!!

What an incredibly busy but fabulous time it has been over the past few weeks.  Christmas was a blast as we did much celebrating around here, lifting Jesus high and proclaiming His goodness and reclaiming His special day!  The time we spent away was refreshing and much needed. Very rarely do we take things in small doses and I have to say we all overdosed on laughter!!  There are some funny people around here and I'm talking bend over with the tears squirting out of your eyes and laughing just as hard later when it comes back to your mind.  I'm so glad God loves laughter and is the giver of much joy!!  Actually had one of those mornings and it was much needed!! Eddie and I are definitely sleep deprived at this point but honestly I don't think either of us are missing it.  Since the kids came home from school and John got out we have stayed up much too late at night just squeezing out every moment we have with them.  Only problem is they turn around and sleep til lunch and we are still up early.  Lack of sleep continued as we went with our MBC students to Passion 2012 with the cherry on top being that Michael and Chrissie brought their students and we got to worship along with them.  That's probably an entirely new blog post but just let me say I've been to many conferences, conventions, retreats, camps, call em what you want...never been to anything like Passion.  Many times I sat and just tried to grasp it and wrap my mind around it.  45,000 students ages 18-25 gathered to worship Jesus, and oh my soul, do they know how to worship. I'm talking wreckless abandon, don't care who's looking, kind of worship.  I was one big goosebump with my heart pounding so hard at times I wondered if I would survive.  I couldn't quit looking around thinking what a mighty force they are and if even a small fraction goes away with that much passion, what a work God will do.  Yes, I know it's a spiritual high time.  And there were probably those that were there last year on fire and fizzled out during the year deciding to cycle back into a stronghold of sin again just like I've seen many others do after spiritual high times.  But I know God's arms are long and He never lets go even if we try to get away.  I'm praying that each and every one will hold fast to what God did in their life last week and it will only be the beginning of what He is going to do in them and through them. Definitely a precious time that Eddie and I got to enjoy with all of our kids and our church kids who stay heavy on our hearts as well.
State of the Church was awesome.  If you're a MBC member, check it out online. EXCITING days ahead for us as a church!!  I've been about to burst waiting for Eddie to share it all! I have no idea the specifics of what 2012 holds for us as a church or as a family but I'm resting in His great love for us all and knowing that there won't be one moment we walk alone or celebrate alone.

A few pics added, hope you enjoy!