My Heart Song today

Our God is Great by Chris Tomlin

Water You turned into wine
Open the eyes of the blind
There’s no one like You
None like You
Into the darkness You shining
Out of the ashes we rise
There’s no one like You
None like You

CHORUS
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God…

Into the darkness you shining
Out of the ashes we Rise
There’s no One like You
None like You.

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God…
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God…

BRIDGE
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
What can stand against?

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God…
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God…

And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who can ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
Then what can stand against?
Then what can stand against?

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God…
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God…

Restore Me

by Jason Ingram

Restore me, I would have no way
But your's my Lord,
Restore me, like the eagle
Spreads it's wings and soars,
I will lift my faithless heart
To a God who's love is pure.
Resting in your arms I am secure.
Restore me

I lift my prayer to a God who waits to hear
Each groan that I call out in His Name.
I'm standing here in silence
I wait for You to speak
For Your whisper heals me with one word

Restore me, I would have no way
But your's my Lord,
Restore me, like the eagle
Spreads it's wings and soars,
I will lift my faithless heart
To a God who's love is pure.
Resting in your arms I am secure.
Restore me

I lift my prayer to a God who waits to hear
Each groan that I call out in His Name.
I'm standing here in silence
I wait for You to speak
For Your whisper heals me with one word

Restore me, I would have no way
But your's my Lord,
Restore me, like the eagle
Spreads it's wings and soars,
I will lift my faithless heart
To a God who's love is pure.
Resting in your arms I am secure.
Restore me

Edge:
You bring me love, You bring me peace
You lift me high on eagles wings

Worship is the ONLY thing...

I tuned into the church service of Lift Church (formerly known as Venice A/G in Florida where we were on staff for 3 1/2 years) tonight due to Eli being really sick with a high temp. Anyway, something that Pastor Gary stated tonight really made a lot of since to me ~ "in a church service the only part of the service that is TOTALLY FOR GOD is the WORSHIP!! The sermon or teaching is for us Christ's disciples but the worship is ALL FOR HIM!"

If we can get that message across to those that don't "get" worship can you imagine how the Spirit would fall in our services? I love worship! Always have! In fact it's so important to me that I keep the kids in service for worship before taking them to Children's church. I can't live without singing His praise even when I am at my lowest if I start singing praises to my Father something always happens and I end up being the one that is blessed.

So for those of you that don't like the worship part of going to church...GET OVER IT! What do you think we will be doing in heaven? Even the angels cry Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty! You better believe that is what we will be doing when we are standing and I believe we will probably be on our knees and face before Him crying out the same thing! Give Him praise here on earth is our practice time!

We fall down
We lay our crowns
At the feet of Jesus
The greatness of
Your Mercy and love
At the feet of Jesus
And we cry holy, holy, holy
And we cry holy, holy, holy
And we cry holy, holy, holy
Is the lamb
We fall down
We lay our crowns
At the feet of Jesus
The greatness of
Mercy and love
At the feet of Jesus
And we cry holy, holy, holy
And we cry holy, holy, holy
And we cry holy, holy, holy
Is the lamb
And we cry holy, holy, holy
And we cry holy, holy, holy
And we cry holy, holy, holy
Is the lamb

I believe...

You hold my every moment

Calm my raging sea

Walk with me through fire

Healed all of my disease

I trust in You

I trust in You

I believe, You’re my Healer

I believe, You are all I need

I believe, You’re my portion

I believe, You are more than enough for me

Jesus You all I need

You’re my Healer.

Nothing is impossible for You

Nothing is impossible for You

Nothing is impossible for You

You hold my world in Your hands

More than enough for me

Jesus You all I need

More than enough for me

All we need is found in You

For I know...

Found this song tonight. Was exactly the encouragement I needed! Hope it encourages you too!


Jeremiah 17:7-8
I will bless those who trust me. They will be like trees growing beside a stream-- trees with roots that reach down to the water, and with leaves that are always green. They bear fruit every year and are never worried by a lack of rain.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the purposes which I am purposing for you, says Jehovah; purposes of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Ten Way You can Prepare Now to be a Pastor by Guest Speaker Deanna Shrodes

From time to time I repost articles or posts from other bloggers. Today I have the priviledge of sharing this post from my dear friend Pastor Deanna Shrodes from Lifetime Intimate Portrait.
Enjoy as you read and learn:

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Most people will tell you to listen for the voice of God, spend time praying, fasting and reading your Bible. That's definitely top priority, but here are some other things you can do to prepare.

1) Set your cell phone alarm to go off at all times of the day and night and interrupt you. When it starts beeping, don't just turn it off. Stop what you are doing for at least an hour, and do something totally different that you didn't plan on at all. Come back later to the project you were working on before. Finish it even if you have to stay up until 2 am.

2) If you are just starting out, make sure to stock up on ramen noodles, easy mac, and peanut butter and jelly.

3) Ask a few people to follow you around all the time, and find out what you're doing, who you're doing it with, where your family is eating, and where you shop.

4) Install cameras everywhere to keep a watchful eye on everything your kids are doing 24/7 to report back to you.

5) Plan something that will take a tremendous amount of help to pull off. Delegate jobs to all your friends and but instruct them that what they are really going to do is call you at the last minute with a bunch of excuses and tell you they can't follow through. Somehow pull off the huge event with just you and your spouse doing everything. Do this repeatedly throughout the year as you prepare.

6) If you are a man and your goal is to pastor a traditional church make sure your wife knows how to play the piano, and fry chicken.

7) If your goal is to pastor a contemporary church be sure to update your look to be as effective as possible on church advertisements. If you're a man, shave your head and get a pair of trendy glasses, jeans, and a crisp cotton long sleeved button down shirt. If you're a woman, get an outfit from somewhere like New York and Company and make over your hair in a style that requires a flat iron.

8) Invite your friends to call you up and email you at inopportune times, to criticize you for random things that are ridiculous "share things in love." Ask them to make those things as unexpected as possible - things totally in left field that you don't expect. Make sure that when they do this, you thank them, and keep a smile on your face. In fact, right after they do it invite them to go out for coffee and underscore to them how much you love them and don't hold anything they just said against them.

9) Start stopping by the local hospitals on your way home, and eat in the cafeteria just for fun.

10) Have your family members throw a bunch of bulletins, Sunday School papers, empty water bottles, an umbrella or two, and a bunch of other people's Bibles around your house. Schedule an event that evening at your house that requires it to be in perfect order. Make sure you will be the only one available to get it ready before that time. Clean it all up yourself and talk God while you're doing it.

These are just a few little starter exercises you can do to prepare yourself -- there are many more and perhaps I'll share them in days to come so stay tuned.




**ME again...unfortunately as insane as this may sound it is ALL true! You can read more from Deanna at Lifetime Intimate Portrait

Happy New Year! Well our church has started a 30 day fast. Sean and I have decide to fast everything except veggies & fruit. Which means Sean is only eating veggies cause he barely eats any fruit. You would think it would be easier than doing a true fast but it's NOT! I have really struggled the last couple of days craving meat. Giving up the pasta and breads isn't as hard as the meat. Anyway, so we started Monday and I decided that this year I plan to read through the whole Bible. Did it once about 18 years ago or so and decided it would be a great challenge for me.
So I have started with the book of Jeremiah. Which the first few chapters have been very interesting. In fact I almost decided I might want to read something more uplifting but once I really started reading and digesting what it is saying I am more ready to read it now than before. I think digesting what you read is important. Let it sink in and really think about what you are reading. Not just read through and say ok that;s done.
The Word of God is manna. Well when we eat we have to difest the food to get the nurishment our bodies need. It's the same as reading the Word of God. In order for your spirit man to get the nurishment it needs you have to think about what you have read and let the Holy Spirit speak to you.
Well that is what I have been doing this week. Let me tell you something the things that are revealed are amazing! I read through the first chaper and didn't catch it at first. But then I stopped and reread it. Guess what, when I stopped and took the time to let it sink in, I was WOWed.

The LORD showed me something in a vision. Then he asked, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" I answered, "A branch of almonds that ripen early." "That's right," the LORD replied, "and I always rise early to keep a promise." Jer 1:11-12 (CEV)

Do you see it? " I rise early to keep a promise!" NOT only does God keep His promises but He rises early to keep them! Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus! When it's time for Him to fulfill the His promises to us He rises early to do so! How can we even doubt that He will fulfill them when he reassures us that He will not only keep the promise but rise early to keep it.
That encourages me SO MUCH! You see I stand on His promises of healing, provision, guidance and protection. In Jer 29:11 He promises us that He has a plan for our lives one of hope and a future not evil. What we must realize that He has thought about our future and we can trust that He will rise early to keep that promise and will see us through what ever it is we are going through.
Thank you Jesus that not only do You keep your promises but You rise early to keep them. I am trusting you today for many things and know you will do as your has pormised us! Thank you Jesus!

Not Here...

but HERE today! I know I haven't posted here in a while. Sorry if you are one of my readers. I have sorta taken a mini break from both of my blogs as well as PPN. I am believing that in the new year God is going to speak more to me or maybe I will take more time to listen is more like it. Either way, if I feel impressed to share I will. Anyway, lately He has been speaking to me...and today I wrote about it over on the Pastoring Partners Network. An awesome network of women in the ministry as Pastors, PWs, Sunday school teachers, ect...Go check it out!

Silent Monks

Still Looking...

for the song! Yes if you have even come across this blog for the last few posts you have read I am seraching for a song I heard on the radio. Still can't find it but I am finding some very POWERFUL songs out there. This next one I found...well heard on the radio today hit me so hard I just sat in the car bawling for a good 30 mins. It just hit me squared in the heart strings. Has such a POWERFUL message. Read the words here and then listen. Let the Lord minister to you as He did me today.


You Deliver Me ~ Selah

Deep as the ocean, Bright as rain
This powerful emotion lifts me up above the planes
It's taken me to places I never thought I'd go
Showing me a grace I never thought I'd know

When I feel like I can't go on
You deliver me
When the road is winding and way too long
You deliver me
You deliver me

I feel like a sinner, my sins have been washed clean
I'm absolutely given, this heart has never seen
I must be forgiven sometimes asking why
I was chosen to be given you in this life

When I feel like I can't go on
You deliver me
When the road is winding and way too long
You deliver me
You deliver me

When there's a distance
Between what I am and who I want to be
You deliver me

When I feel like I can't go on
You deliver me
When the road is winding and way too long
You deliver me
You deliver me

When I feel like I can't go on
You deliver me
When the road is winding and way too long
You deliver me
You deliver me

Still Searching

Well I am still searching for the song. I heard it twice today. I love it and wish I could remember it more. I never have a pen handy or paper when I hear it. Next time I am gonna call the radio station and ask them for the name and artist! I did find this song that the lyrics are similiar to the song I am searching for but it's still not the one. Enjoy!

Hiding Place

Today as I was going to to the store to pick up a few things I heard a beautiful worship song. I wish I had had a pen and paper to write it down but I didn't. So tonight I went seeking it on youtube.com with no luck. Sorta hard to find something without a title or artist. Anyway I came upon this video and the song is exactly what my heart is wanting right now. I pray it ministers to you.

Just Say It Series

I was planning to post every part of the series that Deanna is doing about what Pastors want to say and think but I have decided I am just going to post links to it. I may post the entire blog a few times like I did yesterday but if you are really interested in what she has to say as I am go check her out over here.

Just Say It!! ~ Guest Speaker Deanna Shrodes

Ok here goes - My dear friend Deanna Shrodes is starting a new series and it's great! I wanted to share it with you and so each posting on this series she will be doing I will be posting on my blog. She is a wonderful minister and friend. I hope you enjoy, are challenged and that your eyes are open and have ears to hear on this subject!

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"Just Say It!!"

Writing a series of posts on this topic has been on my heart for a while but I was just pushed over the proverbial edge last week to do something about it, so here goes. Recently we ministered at a wonderful church and the service went great and afterwards the pastors said to us, "Thank you so much for coming in and saying what we can't say." I hear that all the time when I preach at places. I hear it from America, to Africa, from small towns to large ones. Now, let me say I totally understand. This is how I lived for all of our years in ministry until we came to Florida. And I don't look down on people nor blame them for feeling that way or running the church that way. Pastors who wait for a guest speaker to come in and say what they evidently can't say are in abundance and are also in a very tough situation. Let me tell you, church people have NO IDEA what pastors go through. Did you know a survey was done of the most stressful jobs in America and pastor came in at #2. [The number one spot went to dentists. Evidently a lot of them even commit suicide or have breakdowns. The reason given was because most people hate going to the dentist and so they are used to people dreading coming to see them. Also, they are doing tedious work in a small space - people's mouths - all day long.] Over the coming weeks, I am going to do some posts about what your pastor wishes they could just bring out in the open and tell you, but some fear to. I want to share with you the ins and outs of what makes some of them very stressed out and what you can do to help them. In our previous pastorate, we would go through difficult situations of various kinds, just as all pastors do. A few times a year we would have a guest speaker and although we wouldn't tell them the problems beforehand or ask them to address certain things, Larry and I would pray out hearts out that the visiting minister would come in and "say what we couldn't say." (Translation: say what we would say if we didn't have the threat of World War III breaking out in the church, or being forced to resign because we simply laid the issues honestly on the table.) I remember at a previous pastorate how we prayed and fasted for a season, believing for God to speak to a guest evangelist to deal with some things that were current problems in the church. One lady had been giving us serious issues for some time. There were even times she would inappropriately interrupt the service. One time she had the gall to approach the pulpit when my husband was ministering and said, "The Lord has told me to take this service in a different direction." Of course he didn't put up with that and told her to sit down. She did but she would push the envelope constantly and it was so draining to deal with. We prayed that the evangelist would get a Word from God and deal with this lady. Lo and behold he called her out right there in the service and dealt with her! He gave her a word of knowledge and said, "you are out from under the authority of the pastors and have a critical spirit and need to submit to the pastors and he leadership of this church." We hadn't told the evangelist anything. This was a total God thing. And, the service where this happened the lady said NOTHING to show her true colors-- she was just quietly sitting in her seat. When all this was happening I was playing the keyboard in the background as he ministered and it was everything I could do to not show emotions as all this happened. I kept a poker face, and just stood there and played when the evangelist corrected her but afterwards when we went home, I jumped up and down and was leaping and praising God. So, why didn't I just deal with her? We were in a political hornet's nest. We feared for our ministry, our family, our livelihood. It's the place where way too many pastors find themselves. So, when I moved to Florida I said, "never again." I am NOT going go all year long with unaddressed situations, afraid to say it like it is, just praying that a guest comes in and "says something I can't." I thought, "I'll say it like it is plain and simple, and if they don't like it, I'll resign and go be a greeter at Walmart and hand out smiley stickers." Seriously. I am NOT kidding. And that's how I've lived for the last 7+ years! Occasionally we have speakers come in who will say things in our church here like, "Now, I'm telling you folks this...your pastor would probably like to tell you this but he/she can't do that..." and our people look puzzled as if to say, "what are you talking about? There's really not much if anything that our pastors would not dare to say." I do realize that many pastors are understandably afraid.. They aren't ready to pack their U-Haul and start passing out the smiley stickers and go on government assistance and then explain to their kids that they have no money for school clothes or supplies simply because Daddy or Mommy had to speak the truth about something in church. I get it...really I do. But I'm not afraid anymore and haven't been for a long time. So here's what's up. I'm writing a series of posts coming up..."what your pastor wants to say but can't." This is going to be so fun. Because a lot of people who are church folks across the nation and beyond read this blog and hopefully it will open some eyes as to what your pastor really thinks but might not ever dare to tell you. For those who wonder what my church people are going to think reading these posts, not to worry...they've heard all this already -- and more. And, they seem to want to keep me around for a really long time despite it. Or maybe even because of it...