Transition

Transition-a passage, a movement, an abrupt change. No where do you see a stop or pause in a transition...there is movement...forward changing movement. Thank you Lord that although we are in a transitional phase of our lives we are not at a stop. Thank you that YOU know the plans you have for us...plans of a future filled with hope! :)

Lift my Hands

I lift my hands up to you Lord. Despite all that is going on, despite what I think and feel I will continue to lift my hands up to you. My heart is broken and I don't understand but I will lift my hands to believe again. I know you have the best in store and I will trust You know what is best. Again my heart is broken and my mind is confused but I know that you are faithful and I will place my trust in you!

This Baby Changed the World

Merry Christmas

  Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.  And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”  And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.  Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”  Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.  Luke 1:30-38

Oh to have this kind of faith to answer the way Mary did!!!

Charlie in the Box

 "Halt who goes there?!"  said Charlie in the Box.    The conversation below is from none other than "Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer". 

Charlie-In-The-Box: I am the official sentry of the Isle of Misfit Toys.
Hermey: A jack-in-the-box for a sentry?
Charlie-In-The-Box: Yes. My name is...
Rudolph: Don't tell me: Jack.
Charlie-In-The-Box: No, Charlie. That's why I'm a misfit toy. My name is all wrong. No child wants to play with a Charlie-In-The-Box, so I had to come here.


Have you ever felt like a "Charlie in the Box"?  Feel like you don't fit in or belong.  Boy I sure have, more than once.  In fact sorta feeling like that right now in a few places in my life.  Just don't fit in, seem to be on the outside looking in.   Well Jesus was a "Charlie in the Box!"  He didn't fit in with what society expected of him.  He was an outcast and yet EVERYONE wanted to be friends with him.  They would journey hundreds of miles just to get a glimpse of him, crawl on their news just to touch the hem of his garment!  God uses the rich and poor, the beautiful and the ugly, the popular and the unpopular.  You may feel like a "Charlie" but know this...GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOU!!!!  And it will be fulfilled if you truly seek after HIM!!!

Patience...Waiting...not my favorite!

"Patience ~ an ability or willingness to suppress annoyance when confronted with delay. Waiting ~ a pause, interval, or delay." These two words and definitions go hand in hand and I for one do not like either of them....just being honest.

   Right now we are "waiting" to hear from the two churches that interviewed Sean for the lead pastor's position.  We are having to be "patient" while we "wait."   I know it's the holidays and I know that the boards/committees of these churches may put off making a decision until after Christmas...which means a whole month of waiting.

I do not like waiting or patience. Never have never will.  I am sure there is a reason why God likes to keep teaching me this lesson.  Sooner or later, probably later never , I will learn that it's ok to wait and be patient.  Right now is not that time!

I want to be able to say that I would be ok with the doors closing...honestly I won't be ok with it!  But I would rather have a closed door than be in this waiting game with these two churches. UGH!

Poor People

Saw this posted on Facebook and thought it was worth a repeat for the blogging world.

POOR PEOPLE ?

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, 'How was the trip?'

'It was great, Dad.'

'Did you see how poor people live?' the father asked.

'Oh yeah,' said the son.

'So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?' asked the father.

The son answered:

'I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.'

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, 'Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.'

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!

Pass this on to friends and acquaintances and help them refresh their perspective and appreciation.

'Life is too short and friends are too few.'

By: Author Tom Baker

Forks

Ever been on a hike or a river adventure and you come to a fork in the road so to speak?  Two paths that lead to the same destination, different characteristics, sights to see things to do and yet they lead to the same goal.  That is what we are looking at right now.  Two separate churches are interested in Sean as their pastor. Both from all that we know on the surface look the same a few differences but both appear to be great opportunities.  Sometimes when faced with a fork in the road it is hard to know which path to take.  Right now we are faced with this situation.  Naturally the outcome is yet to be seen.  For all we know both doors will close and we could be back at the starting point again. We only want what God wants for our family.
  We know no matter the outcome He knows what is best.  This is like a roller coaster for the emotions and thoughts...I really dislike roller coasters...specially this close to Christmas! UGH!

   Lord make the path clear and straight that we would know what to do if given an option and we would follow only what you have for us!  Amen 

SMILES

Yep I am smiling again.  Although I was sad the other day when we received some news that was disheartening now that we have the full story I am much happier.  This weekend Sean preached at Daysprings A/G in Frenchburg, KY.  It is a beautiful church and the congregation is so loving.  They took to our kids so quickly, it really doesn't surprise me though our children are wonderful.  Anyway, the church board is interested in Sean and after this weekend we believe that they may be calling and inviting us to come back for a church vote, a vote for pastor.
    We were so blessed by their worship and the anointing was so sweet.  The presence of God just filled that place and I know people were touched!  We loved it from the moment we walked into the sanctuary. We hope they call us!  We would be honored to serve these people and this community.
   During the worship time this 6 year old little girl sang, "Waiting Here for You   " and WOW!  That little one blew me away!  I love the song anyway but there is something about a little child raising her hands to the Lord and singing with all her might to the Lord.  Just such a blessing!

Frown

My heart hurts.   

Some very disappointing events have taken place that I am not going to expand on here.  

But if you read this blog please just pray for our family.  Thanks

Standing on this scripture verse today!

I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD. 

They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give 

you a future filled with hope. Jer 29:11

The Visitor

Once gain someone has posted this little story.  This time it's on Facebook.  No one to credit but would love to give credit where credit is do.  I hope this challenges you the next time you see a visitor in your church.

****************************************

A man went to visit a church, He got there early, parked his car and got out. Another car pulled up near the driver got out and said, "I always park there!

You took my place!"

The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat and sat down A young lady from the church approached him and stated, "That's my seat! You took my place!" The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude wel...come, but said nothing.

After Sunday School, the visitor went into the sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, " That's where I always sit! You took my place!" The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still He said nothing.

Later as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood up, and his appearance began to change. Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet. Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?" The visitor replied, as his hat became a crown of thorns, and a tear fell from his eye, "I took your place.."

The Storm

This morning a friend sent me the following story in an email.  It had been forwarded to her from another friend and that friend had received it as a forward as well.  I would LOVE to give credit to the original author of the story but am unable to but I wanted to take time to share it with you today.  All of us go through storms in life and this really touched my heart and made me think of His faithfulness during those times!


THE STORM

A pastor had been on a long flight between church conferences..

The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on: Fasten Your Seat-Belts. Then, after a while, a calm voice said, "We shall not be serving the beverages at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence.  Please be sure your seat belt is fastened."

As the pastor looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming apprehensive.  Later, the voice on the intercom said, "We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us."

And then the storm broke .

The ominous cracks of thunder could be heard even above the roar of the engines. Lightning lit up the darkening skies, and within moments that great plane was like a cork tossed around on a celestial ocean. One moment the airplane was lifted on terrific currents of air; the next, it dropped as if it were about to crash.

The pastor confessed that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him.  He said, "As I looked around the plane, I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed. Some were praying. The future seemed ominous and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm.

"Then, I suddenly saw a little girl. Apparently the storm meant nothing to her. She had tucked her feet beneath her as she sat on her seat; she was reading a book and everything within her small world was calm and orderly.  "Sometimes she closed her eyes, then she would read again; then she would straighten her legs, but worry and fear were not in her world.

When the plane was being buffeted by the terrible storm when it lurched this way and that, as it rose and fell with frightening severity, when all the adults were scared half to death, that marvelous child was completely composed and unafraid." The minister could hardly believe his eyes.

It was not surprising therefore, that when the plane finally reached its destination and all the passengers were hurrying to disembark, our pastor lingered to speak to the girl whom he had watched for such a long time.

Having commented about the storm and the behavior of the plane, he asked why she had not been afraid. The child replied, "Cause my Daddy's the pilot, and he's taking me home."

There are many kinds of storms that buffet us. Physical, mental, financial, domestic, and many other storms can easily and quickly darken our skies and throw our plane into apparently uncontrollable movement. We have all known such times, and let us be honest and confess, it is much easier to be at rest when our feet are on the ground than when we are being tossed about a darkened sky.

Let us remember: Our Father is the Pilot. He is in control and taking us home.
Don't worry!

Ever Faithful

Yesterday during our worship service we sang “Never Let Go.”  Here are a few of the chorus lyrics in case you are not sure what I am talking about…

“Ever faithful, Ever true, You I know You never let go, 

You never let go, You never let go, You never let go”

We have sung this song a few times before but this time was different.  You see during the weekend a brother in Christ lost his battle with cancer but won the victory over death as he entered through the pearly gates of heaven.  While we were singing the Lord was speaking to my heart.  In times of great strife, storms, illness, and the death of loved ones we often times question where is God?  Why has He left us?  Why has He allowed this to happen?  Sometimes it’s hard to remember that He is right there with us during those tough times.

   You see God NEVER lets us go.  Once we accept Him as our Savior He grabs a hold of us and refuses to let go.  What the Lord was showing me yesterday is that it is during those times of storms that He holds on to us even tighter. When we are questioning where He is, He is there holding onto us with all of his might.  In the case of this dear brother in Christ, the Lord showed me that God was there with him, holding on so tight that when the pain he was in was too much to bare Jesus said, “That’s enough, it’s time to come home,”  removing him from the pain and the disease, holding him tightly, never letting him go. 

  If you are hurting today, struggling with “where are you God” in the midst of your storm know this…

God is there! He hasn’t let your side! He will NEVER let you go, in fact in the midst of your storm He is there holding you tighter than ever before!  God’s word promises us, “For the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deut 31:6b

In His Grip,

Here in Your Presense

 Tonight I just want to sit in your presence Lord!  I want to feel your arms wrapped around me, knowing all things are in your control.  Feeling your touch, wiping all my fears away!  Lord just as the lyrics of this song state, all fear is suddenly wiped away.  Lord you know how I do not like not knowing how events will play out.  There are so many scenarios playing out in my mind and all I want is peace.  I trust You fully and know what ever door you open or even if you shut all of them that you know what you are doing.  Just need your reassurance tonight in a real way!  I long for more of your presence in my life Lord!  More of you and less of me!  


Found in Your hands, fullness of joy
Every fear suddenly wiped away here in Your presence
All of my gains now fade away
Every crown no longer on display, here in Your presence
Heaven is trembling in awe of Your wonders
The kings and their kingdom are standing amazed

Chorus:
Here in Your presence, we are undone
Here in Your presence, Heaven and Earth become one
Here in Your presence, all things are new
Here in Your presence, everything bows before You

Bridge:
Wonderful, beautiful, glorious, matchlessin every way
Wonderful, beautiful, glorious, matchlessin every way

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/n/new_life_worship/#share