It has been awhile...

I know...it has been awhile since you have heard from me. I just couldn't think of anything to blog about. I thought about blogging about how blessed I was...but that was taken, I thought about telling you how my blog life and real life have collided, but it was taken. I was going to share how my mom sold her house but I didn't want to steal her moment or her topic for blogging. I was going to tell you how exciting it is to have another girl in the family but my brother already blogged about that...I was going to post picture of how cute my kids are (AND THEY ARE) but my cousin trumped that idea by putting her 5 year old daughter's pictures online and she is way too cute in her ballerina outfit to compete with right now since my kids have nothing to show but their battle scars. I would also blog about how grateful I am again of my friends but I didn't want to start WWII again and plus my friend Sarah did that topic this week. SO now what...ramble on and on and hope that you all are just happy that I blogged in the first place and that you now have something new to read. Pretty much...

But what I really should be blogging about is what a great sermon we had today and how much I am enjoying my new bible study on Thursdays or how much I enjoy listening to other point of view in my Sunday school class. Shouldn't my focus everyday be first on what a great God that we have. That it really doesn't matter what denomination you are or what church you do or you don't attend but that YOU know that you are under the umbrella of grace...that no matter what the storm, we are protected by our God. The pastor was speaking about being so involved in the church that we are producing "fruit" (new followers of Christ). We have so many churches that are growing in numbers but they can't really tell you how many people were saved last year but they know that they had 800 for one service. He said that each church has its core of believers, people who are completely "sold out" to Christ and their "denomination" is not a factor. Then there is a larger circle of workers in the church who believe in the church/denomination and what they are doing and they know the rules and the follow the rules and they believe in the general belief of Christ. Then there is an outer circle of people in a church that simply come to church so that they can say that they go. They are coming but they are not connected, they don't volunteer for anything, they don't get involved...they just come. Christianity is not based on some creed but on Life and Giving Life. Being a servant and witnessing to potential servants of Christ. If they reject us...it is OK...at least we tried. If they accept...great...chalk one up for God. But at least do something. Matthew 13:2-9 gives the parable of the sower and how he planted his seed in many different soils...some in a path, some in the rocks, some in the thorns and some in the good soil...in Matthew 13:18-23 it breaks it down...

18"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do. And by the grace of God, I will.”

Edward Everett Hale quotes (American Clergyman and Writer, 1822-1909)