Wednesday, November 21, 2007
More of Africa...
Give me that old time religion...
He has done great things...
Group Prayer...They prayed in our language but what a powerful thing to hear them pray to our shared God in their native language. (I wish I would have gotten this recorded)
I surrender all...This is how they ended this service with us.
This was TOO FUNNY...American Nazarenes DANCING!!!!
Here are some sermons that were preached by the students at NTC (Nazarene Theological College) (These are 6 and 11 minutes)
Monday, November 12, 2007
Relaxed and Renewed...
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." He doesn't promise an easy road but he reassures us that there is hope in the midst of our trouble.
I am ending tonight with a few pictures from the ladies retreat (some came out better than others) AND a video of Tammy singing. My stomach is still recovering from all of the laughing and my ears are recovering from my poor use of the sound system.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Once in a lifetime...
We also had the privilege of going on a safari and we were truly blessed. The guide was so impressed that we got to see as many animals as we did. He said it was the best he had seen in the 6 years he had been giving tours. We saw elephants, female lions (who chase a warthog), giraffes, zebras, and ONE TOTALLY AWESOME male lion. He walked down over the hill while we are looking at the giraffes out the other side of our safari truck.
So...Needless to say we were busy and we managed to do a TON of work while were there. We spent 9 + days working on 2 cottages for the faculty which needed updating and cleaned and scrubbed and painted and remodeled and.......... They turned out wonderful and they are now ready to move into. We also helped them turn an old bar (the Nazarene Theological College land used to be an exclusive resort) into a book store. Everyone worked really well together. Sign me up to go again....
Well...I am going to bed...enjoy the pictures. I might put more out later.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The much awaited...
Other than that little trip...I have been busy with my liquidation business. I have finally decided to put all of my efforts into making this a part-time job. I opened a store on Ebay called "Returns Back to You". Take a peek. Right now my inventory is all that I am going in have for awhile because I want all of the auctions over by the time we leave for Africa...which by the way is the other thing I have busy with. We leave for Africa in 22 days and counting. Which brings me to my final thing...I am still going to church...I think some have thought that I quit going because of my lack of sermon note blogs. But you are in for a double treat...Here is this week's sermon notes and this one happens to go along with several other blogs this week.
Sermon: "Can you handle the stress test?"
Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
Guard our hearts not shelter our hearts. That is the message that comes from that verse for me. A healthy heart does not come from sitting and doing nothing. A healthy strong heart comes from being stressed and then letting it rest, then being stressed and then letting it rest. If we want a healthy heart we need to be prepared to be stressed and know that it is in God's plan that we are stressed and before long he will give us rest. It is how we handle the stress tests in life that determine if we have a healthy heart. Just as with our physical heart...the problem with a heart doesn't appear until all other tests have been run and the doctor has you jump on that treadmill and then your heart shows its weakness in that stressful time. This is much like our spiritual hearts. When we get stressed, it is then that our weaknesses show through. It is then that people see the desires of our heart. If in a stressful situation we turn from God then we weren't as in love with God as we thought. If in a stressful situation we do things that are displeasing to God then we don't rely on God as much as we might have appeared to have in our unstressed out times. Matthew 5:8 says Blessed are the PURE in heart for they will will see God. We would all love to avoid any thing that my stress our heart or challenge our shaky hearts. We don't want anyone to see our hearts under stress. God knows our heart and the intentions of our heart.
Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. If we really give our whole heart to God then we will handle the stress tests of life with a breeze even if we don't understand why this or that stress happens to be in our lives to handle.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Take You through the Fire
Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
On Sunday we didn't have the traditional worship service but it a service where the spirit of the Lord showed up. People were standing and applauding, shouting and if we had kept singing...we may have had a few runners. One of the songs that we sang was "Through the Fire" and it was not only inspiring for those who heard it but it touched me personally as I have been reading about the trials of the Bucks and the Hummels and watched as those families know what it means to be in the fire. God never promised that we wouldn't be in the fire as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego found themselves but he promised that he will SHOW UP and take us through the fire. I included a video of the Crabb family doing this song with the Brooklyn Tabernacle choir. (it may take a few times running it to hear the whole song...but worth the time)
The service ended with "Who can satisfy my soul", here are the lyrics...
Chorus:
There is a Fountain Who is a King,
Victorous Warrior and Lord of everything,
My Rock, my Shelter, my very own
Blessed Redeemer, Who reigns upon the throne.
Verse:
Who can satisfy my soul like You?
Who on earth could comfort me and love me like You do?
Who could ever be more faithful, true?
I will trust in You, I will trust in You, my God!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
These are the brochure pictures of the FAMILY FUN CENTER...
THIS IS WHAT WE GOT!
I never knew that you could MOW a sand volleyball court but they did. When we questioned where it was at, they said...we will send "LeRoy" out to mow it. GEEZ!!! Despite all of the miscommunication, we did have almost 50 people (but I did see a couple of cars come and go and it could have been family leaving, can't prove it). It all turned out wonderful. The next day, Sunday, we went to another family reunion, The Hersman reunion. This is the second year in a row that we have went since I was in high school. The reason is...the Grate reunion used to be on Sunday and well...it was always the one that we knew everyone at. The thing I enjoy the most about this reunion, other than the food, is the pictures. Some of you know that I am a bit obsessed with ancestry stuff and they have pictures from every reunion since 1963-present in photo albums. So this year I took my digital camera and snapped a few pictures of my great grandparents that I didn't have.
Other than all of the reunions...we made a trip to Indianapolis that same night and back in Ohio by Monday at 2 so Wayne could go to work. We are starting this business in a big way...more on that later. I am also in the process of planning the popcorn festival parade float for our church...all of this AND...the doctor told me last week that she thought I might have a brain aneurysm or AVM so I had to have an MRI on Friday or it could be a blocked artery in my neck so today I had an ultrasound on my neck. She also said it could be nothing. So far the MRI is clear and Tom will be happy to know that the doctor doesn't "see" anything there. I am waiting for the other test which is suppose to be read by Friday. WHO KNOWS!!! This all started because I have had this obnoxious swishing sound in my ear that is about to drive me crazy.
Sorry for such a long blog. I could write all night and still not get everyone caught up on what is going on .
Thursday, August 02, 2007
I'm back....
I am really excited about this trip and all that God has planned for us but I am a little freaked out by the amount of time that I will be spending in the air, we leave on the 13th of October at 12:10 pm and arrive in Jo'berg S. Africa at 4:10 pm on the 14th. 28 hours later....Yikes...
But I can't wait to get working over there. Well...that is it for the day...I would write more but my desk chair is broken and I have to sit on my knees to type and I can't feel feet and the last time I did that, I think I broke a toe as I fell on the floor because I had no support under me. Maybe I can find a pallet with desk chairs...Off I go to search.
PS....the new song on here is for my mom.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
HE IS 6!!!
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Tagged by Kelley
- I have almost electrocuted myself twice, once with my mom’s car keys and once with a bobby pin. Which to most will explain everything…
- I am a “prove it to me” person…see above…I don’t think I REALLY believed sticking something shiny in the outlet would hurt because I did it TWICE!
- When I was younger the neighbor’s used to refer to me as “Daisy Duke” because I always wore short shorts and I was super skinny. In fact people used to make fun of me because I was “all skin and bones”. See what teasing does to a person.
- I have reverse anorexia…I see myself as thin while the sizes I wear and the pictures of me tell a different story.
- I am not as confident as I seem or as strong as everyone thinks I am. I feel like the personality I started in high school got out of control and people’s perception of me is not the real me but it is a hard thing to change.
- I really want to become a chef. I love to cook. I have to thank Marsha and my grandma for this…Marsha made the best stuff when I was a kid and grandma always asked me to help but would then do all the work herself. I would like to use these skills to one day open a pizza/arcade.
- I am a landlord…We own a duplex that we have been very fortunate to have great renters and it seems to have been a great investment.
- Here is my last one…I love Ross the intern from the Tonight show...He is hilarious...very few things make me laugh out loud but he does.
Boy that was a lot of pressure…check back frequently because some of my eight things might get bumped from the list and get replaced with truly interesting items.
Monday, June 25, 2007
VBS
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?
So I decided to blog anyway because I have had a few people ask about the kitchen...well....IT IS DONE!!!
The picture with the 2 doors is my NEW PANTRY! It is amazing. I can reach it from either side. Right below where the outlet is on that wall we are going to put in an island so our kitchen will eventually be a U-shaped kitchen. So I guess it is not DONE completely but it is done as far was what we could afford to do this year.
Other than the kitchen, not much else is going on. We are in the middle of our church's VBS program and I have a unique group of kids this year. By the time I get home I don't want to hear my kids talking...As the week has went along though it is getting better. Speaking of my kids...they are both doing wonderful. Josh is just as funny as always and is either talking or running or touching things, or "shakin' his booty". Ever since he could talk he would call Samuel Nanell. But this week...he said "SAM-NO" Closer...I was encouraged by this. Samuel is doing great and getting bigger everyday. He is SO serious. He is really enjoying VBS this year because he is with the big kids. I am putting a few pictures out here of them since it has been awhile.
So that is all...I will try to keep it light and I will still be doing my sermon summaries.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Saved and Sanctified
For more on this see John 17:6 through the end of the chapter. It is Jesus praying for the disciples and for all believers.
Ok...that is what I got out of the sermon. Feel free to re-direct me if necessary...I never know if I hit the mark or I am way off. I just tell it like I hear it.
On another note...We had a wonderful weekend with family. It seemed like we spent most of the time at the grandparents' house. I am sure that they needed at least today to recover and clean up after the boys were there. We spent Saturday planning for my mom's visit at 1pm but as many of you know she tends to make a late appearance so at about 5:30 she finally showed up. I made dinner for all that night and then I stayed around after Wayne took the boys home until about 2 in the morning trying to fix my grandpa's computer. All the time waiting for the computer to update, I spent sorting coupons which was quite a feat since I had about 2 or 3 weeks worth to go through and several copies of each coupon. Anyway...I still have a few more to do. BUT...I did go on Monday morning and purchased $146 worth of groceries for $64. I would have not spent so much if I didn't have to buy the many items for homemade ice cream that are not on sale and have no coupon. Anyway...we had a great time and thanks to grandma and grandpa for opening up their home for us all to enjoy. It was so much better than having everyone at my house that doesn't have an A/C. Also thanks to grandma and mom for going shopping with me. I guess that is all...Sorry to ramble at the end there.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Why do we need to read it?
Here is why:
2 Timothy 3:15-17 (New International Version)
15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Amazing Song...Amazing Singer...
It's another good to see you Sunday morning
Though I hardly hear the words roll off my tongue
Looking in myself for signs of something, that's long gone
Oh I stumble through a verse that says You love me
As the voices echo my thoughts drift away
And I close my eyes ashamed I'm feeling nothing
And I pray, I pray
Heal me heal these eyes heal this heart heal my mind
Breathe Your breath of life
Heal me, wake my soul from this sleep
Give me back the joy of when I first believed
Heal me
Oh I lose myself to one more day's indifference
When my eyes are everywhere but fixed on You
I don't have the strength to overcome this distance, but You do, You do
Heal me heal these eyes heal this heart heal my mind
Breathe Your breath of life
Heal me, wake my soul from this sleep
Give me back the joy of when I first believed
Heal me
I don't want to waste another minute
Taking all Your love for granted
I just want to feel Your Holy Spirit rushing over me
Heal me heal these eyes heal this heart heal my mind
Breathe Your breath of life
Heal me, wake my soul from this sleep
Give me back the joy of when I first believed
Heal me
Thursday, May 10, 2007
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
You sure have gotten "OLD" er...
I thought I would blog about this wonderful guy that I know. He is not only a great person, a great son, husband and dad but he is also a great brother. I hope that you know what a wonderful person that you are and that I love you for being the rock and supporter of our family. I am so proud of you for pushing through everything that you have been through. I could never express my gratitude for all the times that you have called at the right time to make me laugh or cheer me up. I don't think I could have made it through dad's death without you by my side supporting me, crying with me, and taking time to sit with me and talk over everything. I really appreciate it. I love you and I hope that you have a wonderful birthday.
YOU ARE THE BEST!
Sunday, May 06, 2007
God Planned Surprises...
So God answers prayers and he hears our thoughts because I have been talking a lot about my bible studies that I have been attending with several people and how I felt that Pilate and King Darius in Daniel had a lot in common, they both picked the social status and their "job" over what they believed. King Darius in Daniel, with a lot of pressure from society, created a law that no one could pray God or man for 30 days unless they were praying to King Darius and if they broke that law they would be throw into the lion's den.
Daniel 6This same thing happens in John 19 with Pilate. He was pressured by his job and by his people to crucify an "innocent man". He even had Jesus flogged so that the crowd might see that this man, Jesus, had paid enough. After the flogging he brought Jesus before them as if to say...hasn't he paid enough. He was shocked when the crowd said...crucify. He kept giving the crowd a chance to not crucify and yet the pressure of the people and the thought that he might lose his job if the people didn't like the decision, he caved. He even had the nerve to say to to Jesus...Don't you know who I am? Don't you know that I decide your fate, I have the power to set you free or crucify you. Jesus answered...You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Jesus was showing Pilate that he was just merely a chess piece and that God was the one controlling the moves.
3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, "We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God." 6 So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said: "O King Darius, live forever! 7 The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions' den. 8 Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed." 9 So King Darius put the decree in writing.
John 19This conversation between Pilate and Jesus is very significant with our lives. We are either on God's side or against Him. We are either holy or unholy. We are either good or evil. There is a clear way to live and not to live. The pastor said that if just 1 person is committed to God's side, they will do more than 1000 who are just interested in God's side. Satan's plan for our life is to get us discontented...disillusioned, discouraged, disgusted and ultimately destroy us. There is only a black and white for God...Heaven or Hell, no gray. If we keep searching in this world for what we can only find in God...which is peace and understanding, answers to prayer and comfort at our times of need and that reassurance that when our "dash" is over...we are going to get to spend the rest eternity with Him then our life will be much like "a blind man in a dark room searching for a black hat, that isn't there. " Charles Bowen
1Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face. 4Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." 5When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!" 6As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!" But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him." 7The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God." 8When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10"Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" 11Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin." 12From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar." 13When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour.
"Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews. 15But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" "Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered. 16Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.
Sorry it was so long...but I couldn't condense it anymore than I already did. Thanks Powell...what an awesome sermon again!
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Happy Birthday Mom!
"Happy Birthday" means much more
Than have a happy day.
Within these words lie lots of things
I never get to say.
It means I love you first of all,
Then thanks for all you do.
It means you mean a lot to me,
And that I'm proud of you.
I really am proud of you and all that you have accomplished as a single mom of three kids. Tonight as I was talking to you about this new opportunity for ministry, I was amazed at the knowledge that you have. Thanks for always supporting me and encouraging me in my many ideas and being brave enough to tell me when I am way off base. I love having conversations with you, nightly, about everything from the kids to the deep stuff about my beliefs and this new found faith of mine. Those particular conversations about the bible and God are the ones that I cherish the most lately as I am reminded of how short our dash in life is. Thanks for being a great listener...and thanks for being a great mom. I love you. Happy Birthday!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Finally...
So this is actually from 2 weeks ago when Pastor Powell preached. I will summarize this weeks farther down in my blog so this may be a bit long.
So last weeks sermon was on the "Sixth Toe". SEE PICTURE.
His sermon started out with a story about dating someone until you find out that they have a sixth toe even though they are a great person you just can't live with them having a sixth toe. He said it is a lot like this with the church...we date the church and when we find the sixth toe we leave even though we love everything else about the church. He said there are three things that people who are dating the church see the church to be.
- What they will get...socially what can this church offer me.
- They are attending because that is what "Christians" are supposed to do but they are never committed.
- They are very critical...finding the best product for the cheapest price...as long as they don't have to change anything they love this church.
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her"
We are to marry the church...not just date it. Not just the universal church but a local church. We need to find a local church and commit to it, marry it and not look for the sixth toe.
He used 1 John 1:5-10 as a reference for our commitment to be like Christ who loved the church. It reads
5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[a] sin.8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
He also used this verse:
1 John 2:9-10
9Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him[a] to make him stumble.
We need to love our church with the following:
Passion, Priority, Philanthropy, and Promote.
We need to have a passion about our church and the direction that it is heading.
We need to make it a priority to come to church and not let other things in our life come in the way. He used Philanthropy (mainly to keep with the letter P, it is a pastor thing)...but as defined on dictionary.com "Philanthropy is the act of donating money, goods, time, or effort to support a charitable cause, usually over an extended period of time and in regard to a defined objective." and finally promote...tell other about your church. Do something...not just mortar and bricks but as the body of Christ...reach out. Read Romans 12...it has become for me my mission on where I want to be as a servant of Christ.
I know I said I would blog about this weeks sermon but it will have to wait, I am tired and I don't want to mess it up. Sorry Mark...you will get your sermon summarized tomorrow or Saturday or...
Saturday, April 14, 2007
2 POST IN ONE DAY!!!
Toy Story...
On another note...we are slowly getting our kitchen back to normal. We installed all of the cabinets, laid the tile floor and Wayne is installing the backsplash as I sit here and blog. I am not helping today because our friend Dave came over to help...THANK YOU! We are hoping, or at least I am hoping, to be able to have it finished by next Sunday. I would even settle for being able to cook and run the dishwasher. It has been quite a waiting game getting this done...it is one of those hurry up and wait projects. We bought the unfinished oak cabinets so that meant we had to stain everything and staining one side at a time on the doors, then we put 3 coats of polyurathane on everything and of course there is nothing but waiting for all of that to dry. When I look at everything we have left to do it seems a bit overwhelming but if I look at what all we have accomplished then I realize we have come a long way.
So that is my quick little blog for the day.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Must have...
http://www.thegrocerygame.com/ This is the site that I use for all of my great grocery shopping deals. The message boards on this site are priceless for non-grocery deals. (you don't have to be a member to read the message boards.) But the membership dues are well worth the savings.
http://www.currentcodes.com/ This site is great because it gives you 90% of the current promotional codes that you can use when checking out at online stores.
http://www.momsview.com/ This is another site for getting those promotional codes...but it is not as user friendly as the one above.
http://www.thefrugalshopper.com/directory/links15.html This is one I stumbled onto today that gives some great sites for being able to print off coupons or get free samples.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Just had to share...
We got Samuel's school pictures and as you can see he looks a bit older than 5. He is growing up so fast. I knew it was going to happen but it hit me this week as I watched as he braved getting his tonsils out with the bravery that not even some adults have. He said he had to be brave for Josh, who also had tonsils out the same day. He was very understanding of the process and told us many times that he didn't like the medicine that he had to take for pain but that he knew it would feel better if he did. He is so amazing! So as I said...the whole tonsil thing went well and I would do it the same way if we could go back and do it again. They were such troopers and they really took care of each other. The worse part was having them here together with me for 2 whole weeks! Once they started feeling better they were bouncing ideas off of each other on what they could get into. These last two weeks have been a constant 2 weeks of hearing Joshua talk, and talk, and talk. I prayed he would talk but maybe I should have set a limit on the amount of talking. He talks continuously as my mom can attest for. He barely breathes in between sentences and to make matters worse...most of it I can't understand so then he screams it to me, which only makes understanding it more difficult. If I am not focusing right on what he is saying he has a tendency to grab both sides of my face and make me look at him and he says "I talkin to you mom".
I have to throw a picture of Josh in here...his rottenness is covered with a smile....DON'T be deceived!!!
Monday, April 02, 2007
I came back!
So why did I come back? I came back because in all of my searching for who I was I lost myself and some where deep inside of myself I knew that getting closer to God was probably my only chance at true happiness. I also wanted my kids to have some sort of basis so that they would have a place to come back to if they decide to explore like I did. I want them to have that little voice in them that warns them when they are skirting the line between world and God called convictions.
As you get older you say...if I knew then what I know now...well...knowing now what I looked for then, I am going to try to live as close to God and how he wants me to be as I can so that those people looking for me to trip up will have to look a little harder. I don't want to be anyone's stumbling block.
Romans 14:13
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Saturday, March 24, 2007
I MUST BE CRAZY!!!
I thought that since I haven't done my weekly sermon update from last week's sermon I thought I would squeeze it in before tomorrow. I would like to say that everyone has been asking about the lack of sermon but I think all of the preaching has left some of my loyal readers with nothing to say...surprising from some...I must say.
This weeks' sermon was titled "What are you going to do with your dash?"
Dash? you might ask. Yes, dash...the one that seperates the year you were born and the year that you die. Like my dad's dash 1945-2007. It is so little but so significant. Are we letting the world pass us by from our "EZ" chair or are we out there doing something with our life? God has given us that dash between birth and death for more than just the "EZ" life. He wants us to be open to his calling to do something big. If we look at the different people from the bible that were called to something big by God then you will see it is neither easy or comfortable. Take Noah for example...God didn't say...I have this boat over there that I have loaded animals and I need you to get on...No he said...I want you to build a boat (ark and you need to collect the animals. He did it in faith of a promise that was unseen. I am sure he was ridiculed by on lookers and mocked about his faith but he stood strong and did what the Lord had asked him. He answered that intial calling. But the calling doesn't just stop there. God gives us reassurance that if we remain faithful that he will reward us for our faithfulness. Becoming a Christian doesn't remove our suffering but many know that if they didn't have the reassurance of God during their suffering their suffering would have been unbearable.
Lately I have been straining to hear the calling for what I am to do with my dash...I want to make an impact, I want to be remembered for more than just someone's daughter, granddaughter, mother or wife. I want my life to impact someone. Wayne and I both have this awesome opportunity to go to Africa to help with the mission work that is going on there. We are excited and a bit fearful. Not afraid but apprehensive of how this will change our lives. Some have asked why Africa...well the truth is...why not Africa. I feel like people in other countries don't have the opportunity and resources that we have here. We have been blessed with so much and we are ready to give back. I don't want this "mission" work to stop in Africa. I want to reach out to those around me. I watched this really neat video a couple of weeks ago in my bible study and it has really been a reassurance for me that what me and Wayne are doing is the right this (There is that reassurance after the call that the pastor was talking about). The video was of Reggie McNeal at the M7 leadership conference for Nazarene leaders. He was talking about how we "the church" have a tendency to yell from our steps "COME TO OUR CHURCH...WE HAVE THE ANSWERS...BE LIKE US AND YOU WILL GET TO HEAVEN" What we need to be doing is getting out in our community and becoming friends with the community and examples of Jesus. He said maybe all of the "churchy" people are already in church. That makes sense to me. Maybe we are going about this all wrong maybe we need show by example and then if they come to our church they are there to further their knowledge of the bible and it's teachings.
Ok...I think I will end there. But let me leave you with a passage that has sustained me a few times in the past. ***It is a bit long but I couldn't share it unless I shared the whole thing.
Psalm 139
1 O Lord, you have examined my heartand know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!
7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! ****THIS IS MY FAVORITE LINE
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!
19 O God, if only you would destroy the wicked!
Get out of my life, you murderers!
20 They blaspheme you;
your enemies misuse your name.
21 O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?
Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?
22 Yes, I hate them with total hatred,
for your enemies are my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Example of Great couponing...
I was so excited that I wanted to show you what it looked like so I took a picture...here it is.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
GROCERY COUPONS!!!
Out of Pocket | $340.72 | |
Total Savings | $537.67 | |
mfg coupons | $167.15 | |
coupons doubled | $144.13 | |
Kroger Plus Savings | $226.39 | |
Percent of Savings | 60.60% | |
Items Purchased | 294 |
Now this is not just the bulk kind of things...included in these totals are pop, milk, bread, hot dogs, mac and cheese, diapers (essentials for kids) laundry detergent, cleaning supplies and a lot of medicine for colds and flu and a lot of other things that we need or use on a daily basis. But on the bulk side of what I was getting for my buck was 20+ boxes of cereal (now with dates on them so I know which ones to use first), 15 boxes of toothpaste, 10+ deodorants for me and 10+ deodorants for Wayne plus I have about 15 bottles of shampoo and enough toilet paper that I could wrap the world twice.
The neatest thing about this "game" is getting free or almost free stuff. Like I will never pay another dime for toothpaste (that would be paying TOO much). The reason for the incredible amount of cereal is because cereal is one of the items that always seems to be on sale and for under .50 a box with a coupon. So those are just a few examples and I feel I can type about this because my sister-in-law doesn't have a blog and she can't show me up in all of her savings.
That is it. OH one more thing...AFRICA HERE WE COME. We are making plans to go to Africa and we are excited about what God has in store for us there. We are going with an open mind and an open heart and so much excitement. I can't wait. We will be going in October.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
I didn't make it...but Wayne did
Do you admit that you are a sinner and that you can not save yourself?
Do you believe Jesus Christ died for you sins?
Do you confess your sins now to him and declare him to be your Lord and Savior?
On the other side of this card was a number. So he starts off by having 6 staff members come forward and he asked them these 3 simple questions for which they answer yes to, and he says...now they are saved. Then he asked those same people to pick up props that were sticks with churches on them and he said each of these people represent a church. Then he had 6 volunteers who were the congregation of those prop churches and he told the our congregation that if the prop churches' congregation approached them and asked them those 3 questions then we were to get up and go to the nearest church and stand and follow the rules of that church. So off they went asking several people in the church, Wayne was one of the first and so he got up and went and stood at the nearest church. Then the pastor asked them to stop asking people and watch the big screen. On the screen was a scene of a plane crash that goes up in flames. He said, if you were asked by one of prop churches those questions and you are number 1, then you can make your way to heaven (the stage). If you have a number 1 and no one asked you, please get up and head to the back of the church where the last three rows have been designated as hell. Then he told the churches to continue asking...some churches did, some churches just stood there and talked among themselves but it wasn't long until again they were asked to stop and again...watch the big screen. This time it was an earthquake that had taken the lives of people. The pastor said...if you are a number 2 and someone asked you then make your way to heaven and those who are 2's and didn't get asked head to hell. This went on until the church was divided in half...I was unfortunately a number 4 who never got asked. It was weird...I wanted someone to ask. Wayne could have told me but he had went to a "fellowship" church and they were not allowed to ask anyone they were just there to socialize and have fun with each other, no need to witness. There were tears throughout the church as each person realized that a mother, a father, a son or a daughter had not made it to heaven He then asked everyone to take a seat and then asked if anyone wanted to share their impression. Many of all ages stood to share their heartache as they watched those they love not get asked by anyone. Some shared the joy as they saw their family in heaven. One man in particular said that he was one of the first people who made it to heaven and he had to watch as his family sat and didn't get asked by anyone. He said he ran out of time to ask them himself and he was hoping as he watched from the stage that someone would ask them. It is exactly how I have been feeling for years about my great grandparents as they watch from heaven. Are they thinking...if only I had talked to them more then maybe or are the looking with joy in their eyes as they see each of us come to Christ? So I ask myself am I running out of time on witnessing to anyone and everyone I know about this wonderfully simple message of Christ. Am I relying on someone else to ask?
It struck me that he used the numbers as a way of dividing the church because it is often said...you never know when your number is up.