Easter at Johnson Ferry this year was beyond spectacular! The sanctuary service was especially wonderful with the full choir and orchestra taking me straight back to Memorial Baptist church in Baytown, Texas where I grew up and was baptized. Music does that to you. We were early for once and it's a good thing because we had most of our children with us, taking up most of a row. The choir filed in and we all sang the wonderful Easter hymn, "Christ the Lord is Risen Today". You can't not get a lump in your throat while singing that song!
Bryant then delivered the perfect message for the day and gave an invitation just like the one I heard at the age of 12 (that was a long time ago!) except I had to walk the aisle to the front. I remember how hard my heart was beating and I can't remember how many stanzas of Just As I Am played before I got up the nerve to move my feet. I was honestly almost as nervous when Bryant asked, "Who will be first?" Several brave people stood to their feet and made the best decision of their life. They put their trust in Jesus to make Him Lord of their lives just like Thomas answered, "My Lord and My God!" when he put his hands into his side.
We witnessed the spiritual birth of these precious people and applauded in celebration for them, like the angels are celebrating in heaven. One man I saw was older with completely white hair and I couldn't help but wonder what his story was. What took him so long! No matter, whether 12 or 72 it's never too late. Praise God!
When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We'll sing and shout the victory!
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
Sunday, March 10, 2013
The Great Adventure
Global Missions Week is one of my favorite weeks of the year at our church. This is our second year to host a special guest. It never ceases to amaze me at how ordinary our special guests are and I don't mean that in a bad way. Like many of you I expect that special guests, as we are now calling them come from a special hospital with halos over each bassinet and holier than your average baby, always knowing that they have been set apart to do God's work. This is not ever the case. We have found that they have just as many doubts, questions, concerns as we do about life. They have just chosen to say yes to the Great Adventure, for you Steven Curtis Chapman fans out there.
I have also been surprised at the resourcefulness of God who can use all personalities, strengths, and even weaknesses. The special guests that we have hosted have been rather reserved and analytical types, again not what I would expect as qualifications to be used by God to spread the gospel. Our guests this year head up an engineering firm in Costa Rica! Who knew? They were an inspiration for sure and a joy to be around. It was a privilege to get to know them personally and pray specifically with them for decisions that they are making about their future.
The enemy worked over time this year trying to interfere with our visit with our special guests. Eric's mom had surgery on her broken arm while they were here which involved rearranging our schedules to help her but our time was blessed anyway.
I'm excited to see how God will answer our prayers for our guests and where He will lead me to go this year. After all, it's not a question of whether or not I should I go serve, but where will I go.
I have also been surprised at the resourcefulness of God who can use all personalities, strengths, and even weaknesses. The special guests that we have hosted have been rather reserved and analytical types, again not what I would expect as qualifications to be used by God to spread the gospel. Our guests this year head up an engineering firm in Costa Rica! Who knew? They were an inspiration for sure and a joy to be around. It was a privilege to get to know them personally and pray specifically with them for decisions that they are making about their future.
The enemy worked over time this year trying to interfere with our visit with our special guests. Eric's mom had surgery on her broken arm while they were here which involved rearranging our schedules to help her but our time was blessed anyway.
I'm excited to see how God will answer our prayers for our guests and where He will lead me to go this year. After all, it's not a question of whether or not I should I go serve, but where will I go.
Monday, February 25, 2013
The Bible
The Bible Series
THE BIBLE - Extended Look
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Chocolate Lava Cake
Like most of us whose parents are still living, my parents' health is on the decline. They have good days and bad days but the good days are getting to be fewer and fewer. My mom and step dad live in Houston and stopped traveling to see us quite a few years ago. This means that our relationship is mainly over the phone these days. It had been awhile since I had seen them so I decided to make a quick trip this past weekend. I am so glad I did.
We had the best visit that I can remember. I took my mom shopping like she had taken me so many times when I was a teenager. She needed to return a mini megaphone that she had purchased to aid in talking to my step dad! I guess desperate times calls for desperate measures. Unfortunately it did not work. She was also on the hunt for some jeans. Though it took going to all 4 clothing stores in the area, I was able to locate some jeans that had a flat front with the elastic only in the back. These are not easy to find. I learned that though comfort is the most important factor, she still wants to look as slim as possible.
My brother and I later took her out to lunch and she insisted that we get the chocolate lava dessert to share, the jean shopping excursion apparently all forgotten! Later that evening, the whole family came over to my brother's house where we ate BBQ, caught up and played pool and Foosball late into the night. The laughter and happy faces of my parents to have us together was so great.
Bringing my parents joy for an evening is one small thing my brothers and I can do to repay them for being our parents and for loving us. As I have learned from Downton Abbey this past week, life is short and I need to cherish each and every moment, especially good times with my parents.
We had the best visit that I can remember. I took my mom shopping like she had taken me so many times when I was a teenager. She needed to return a mini megaphone that she had purchased to aid in talking to my step dad! I guess desperate times calls for desperate measures. Unfortunately it did not work. She was also on the hunt for some jeans. Though it took going to all 4 clothing stores in the area, I was able to locate some jeans that had a flat front with the elastic only in the back. These are not easy to find. I learned that though comfort is the most important factor, she still wants to look as slim as possible.
My brother and I later took her out to lunch and she insisted that we get the chocolate lava dessert to share, the jean shopping excursion apparently all forgotten! Later that evening, the whole family came over to my brother's house where we ate BBQ, caught up and played pool and Foosball late into the night. The laughter and happy faces of my parents to have us together was so great.
Bringing my parents joy for an evening is one small thing my brothers and I can do to repay them for being our parents and for loving us. As I have learned from Downton Abbey this past week, life is short and I need to cherish each and every moment, especially good times with my parents.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Sharing My Faith
After a simultaneously depressing/inspiring Summit Adult Leadership meeting last Sunday night, I purposed to be more intentional in sharing my faith this week. The depressing part of the meeting was that I have not shared my faith with more people and the inspiring part was there is still time!
I thought today would be a perfect opportunity as I had a hair appt. I was seeing someone fairly new so could take the opportunity to find out where she stood spiritually. The minute I started talking about my faith, she opened up and shared that she had recently joined a church and proceeded to ask me about my faith. We got on the subject of marriage as she is seriously dating someone and was very interested to talk to someone who had been married forever and forever! Really! Am I that old?Apparently the answer is yes! I was able to talk about marriage in the context of my faith with this young woman and plan to drop off the book, Love and Respect, a book on marriage.
Later in the week at the information desk where I work, I struck up a conversation with someone who I had recently seen at the showing of "Faultless", the film put on by the Married and Families/Adoption ministry here at our church. He asked me if we had attended the meeting because we were considering adopting. I told him that we had already adopted 3 children and that we went to support the ministry of adoption. He proceeded to ask me to pray for him and his wife as they contemplate adoption. He then proceeded to share that he himself had aged out of the foster care system as a child and that he would love to prevent one child from experiencing what he had experienced.
While I earnestly had prayed for an opportunity to share my faith with those I came into contact with, it looked nothing like I thought it would look like. I was not able to lead anyone to making a decision for Christ, yet anyway. I am hopeful that the conversations I had will lead to more and deeper conversations about Jesus Christ. I know that both of those conversations were ordained for me to have.
It brought home the powerful reminder that you can't judge a book by its cover. My new salon friend looked like another hip chick in her stylish clothes and hairstyle yet she is a young woman trying to find her way to a fulfilling marriage. The man who spoke to me about adoption looked like just another man killing time in the lobby yet when given the opportunity, shared his heart with me.
Was I scared? yes Was my heart beating fast? yes. Would it have been easier to make small talk? yes. Am I glad I shared? oh yes!
I thought today would be a perfect opportunity as I had a hair appt. I was seeing someone fairly new so could take the opportunity to find out where she stood spiritually. The minute I started talking about my faith, she opened up and shared that she had recently joined a church and proceeded to ask me about my faith. We got on the subject of marriage as she is seriously dating someone and was very interested to talk to someone who had been married forever and forever! Really! Am I that old?Apparently the answer is yes! I was able to talk about marriage in the context of my faith with this young woman and plan to drop off the book, Love and Respect, a book on marriage.
Later in the week at the information desk where I work, I struck up a conversation with someone who I had recently seen at the showing of "Faultless", the film put on by the Married and Families/Adoption ministry here at our church. He asked me if we had attended the meeting because we were considering adopting. I told him that we had already adopted 3 children and that we went to support the ministry of adoption. He proceeded to ask me to pray for him and his wife as they contemplate adoption. He then proceeded to share that he himself had aged out of the foster care system as a child and that he would love to prevent one child from experiencing what he had experienced.
While I earnestly had prayed for an opportunity to share my faith with those I came into contact with, it looked nothing like I thought it would look like. I was not able to lead anyone to making a decision for Christ, yet anyway. I am hopeful that the conversations I had will lead to more and deeper conversations about Jesus Christ. I know that both of those conversations were ordained for me to have.
It brought home the powerful reminder that you can't judge a book by its cover. My new salon friend looked like another hip chick in her stylish clothes and hairstyle yet she is a young woman trying to find her way to a fulfilling marriage. The man who spoke to me about adoption looked like just another man killing time in the lobby yet when given the opportunity, shared his heart with me.
Was I scared? yes Was my heart beating fast? yes. Would it have been easier to make small talk? yes. Am I glad I shared? oh yes!
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