Wednesday, September 30, 2009

New Fav

This has nothing to do with anything but last night as I was watching The.Biggest.Loser I saw this commercial that almost made me cry. AT&T doesn't have good service in my area but just for a moment it made me want a phone that helped find lost puppies!


Is there something that you have been sucked into before because of the advertising?

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Quiet Moments

The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 2 Kings 19:11 & 12

This has to be one of my favorite stories. I remember one fall morning praying pleading before God for one of my friends who had been trying to get pregnant and was facing her 3rd pregnancy with no baby to bring home. It was the weekend and she was bleeding and "knew" it was a miscarriage. I opened my Bible directly to this story and started reading. Tears welling up inside as God pointed out the similarities between Elijah's story & my friends. So clearly I remember God impressing upon my heart..."in the quietness of her pain is when I will show her how big I (God)really am." He did just that Monday morning when she finally went in to the Dr. to find out if she was going to have to have a D&C instead of seeing an empty ultrasound screen she saw the flickering heartbeat of her baby girl.

This is the devotional today I received from Sarah's Laughter that I wanted to share with you.

One of the heartbreaking aspects of infertility is the deafening silence of our homes. Others may complain of being awakened in the night by the sounds of a baby’s crying, but you could imagine no more beautiful symphony. You long for the day when a child’s laughter peals through the halls of your home and you have to remind playing children to use “inside voices”. The quietness of a childless home is so very loud.

What do you do in those quiet times? Those times when your spouse is not home, the television is not on, and the phone doesn’t ring? You have fought your infertility as hard as you can for so many months and it seems that nothing is working. You’ve tried every remedy you’ve heard about, but it’s not getting you anywhere. You’re still not pregnant. You’ve watched your diet, you’ve taken vitamins and eaten the right foods, you’ve tried every treatment that every doctor has suggested. You’ve followed every suggestion you’ve been given and now you’re just tired. Sometimes you just want to run away and quit. You just wish God would speak to you in this big, booming voice and reveal to you all that you need to know, but the big, booming voice hasn’t appeared. May I suggest to you that you may feel much like the prophet Elijah may have felt one day at Horeb?

Elijah has been through quite an adrenaline filled battle of his own! He has faced down hundreds of prophets of Baal, and challenged them and their false god to a stand-off. Elijah mocked them, scorned them, even accused their god of being asleep or on vacation before praying to our one true and living God and showcasing the glory of God before hundreds of people! After calling fire down from heaven and proving that God was God and Baal was not, Elijah seized and killed all the false prophets right then and there! There was nothing half-way about Elijah! He loved God with amazing zeal, and proved it with his life. But now he was tired. He had given his all in trying to show people that God really was who He said He was, and now there were those who wanted to take his life. Elijah was afraid and hiding. The same guy who just days before was mocking hundreds of false prophets to their faces was now in hiding, asking God to end his life before someone else killed him. The very same God he had so adamantly represented only days before was about to intervene in his life in a powerful-but unexpected way.

God told Elijah to stand on the mountain and what a sight he must have seen! Scripture says “a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord;” The power and presence of the Lord was so mighty that the mountains were literally breaking in pieces before Him! But notice this...but the Lord was not in the wind. I probably would have thought God was in the wind, but no! He wasn’t in the power of the wind!

What happened next? An earthquake shook the very ground Elijah stood on! If you’re from California, perhaps you understand the power it takes to shake the earth itself, but look what Scripture tells us: “but the Lord was not in the earthquake”. Wind strong enough to tear apart mountains, earthquakes? What’s next? Fire! Elijah must have thought he was having a really bad day, especially since Scripture tells us the Lord was not in the fire! Where was God in the midst of all this chaos?

We finally see where God was in 1 Kings 19:12: and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. Elijah finally heard the voice of God in a gentle breeze. Not in a powerful wind or a huge earthquake, but a quiet breeze. In the stillness of the easy breeze that blew across his face, the voice of God came to Elijah and changed him. God talked to Elijah and told him what to do. Elijah’s life was changed because he heard God in the stillness of a quiet moment.

In those still, quiet moments, when it’s just you and God, listen for His voice. You’ve gone through a difficult round of treatment or a hard month when you thought you had finally conceived, only to get another negative test. Now you’re sitting in the silence in your living room and it’s down to you and God. Listen for His voice in this silence. Listen for His voice in the silent moments of your life. Step away from the chaos of infertility, even if only for a few hours, and focus on God. Listen for His voice in the stillness, in the quietness. Take advantage of the silence, even if the silence hurts right now. Tell Him how it hurts and listen for His voice. Perhaps like Elijah, you’ll find Him in the stillness of a gentle blowing.


It's always exciting to see how BIG our God can be if we are just still in His presence.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Last Days

Today is the LAST day of Summer! Can not believe that this summer is already over. It's crazy how fast the time flies by around here. Not sure if it is the fact that I am in the ministry or if it is because we live in Ohio and winter seems to last AT LEAST 6 months around here.

Going into this summer I knew that God was going to be moving me and shaping me...asking me to step outside of what I was use to and into more of what He has called me to. As if I haven't enough already. I wanted to be a mom & a teacher growing up. Some may look at my life and say I have accomplished anything of what I wanted to do. That would be me some days. There was no desire to me FULL time in the ministry. But God's plans always seem to be so much bigger than mine. Not sure why that fact still amazes me.

Around here summer always starts off with camps. What that meant for me personally was that I was going off of fertility meds. For the safety of the children there was no need to have emotional mood swings if I had no chance of seeing my husband. Shawn was so ready for a break as well.

Anyways back to camps...Jr/Sr High camps were AWESOME! Our Youth Pastor is phenomenal at ushering in God's presence in such a real and tangible way. The kids GOT IT! It was awesome to see God moving and changing their hearts each day during each service. Incredible to watch God's hand at work healing hurts of this fatherless generation. Elementary camp was equally as cool! How amazing it is to be part of a leadership team that is part of teaching these babies in Christ how to worship. To just soak in God's presence. How refreshing...Not to mention it was so much fun to watch several of our youth get their faces made in to pudding pies!

Came home from camp on a Wednesday night prior to the annual 4th of July party at my house and went right back in to finalizing VBS for 150 kids. We actually met our goal this year. We had 180 registered with an average of 145 each evening. My FAVORITE part about VBS is the fact that not only did we preach the gospel to 180 kids but we involved over 80 volunteers each evening! WOW! I LOVE IT WHEN THE CHURCH FAMILY allows God to show up and show off in them!

The rest of July & August was full of regrouping, recouping, restructuring, Revolve Tour with our preteen & teen girls. But also wondering where the summer went. Life is slowly getting back to normal...routine...I feel as if so much has happened on the spiritual front of things by personally and for our church body as a whole. Feeling things shifting and moving. Wondering what God has in store for us next.

Every event this summer was an extraordinary event. God showed up and showed off countless times. As tiring as the summer was at times it was twice as rewarding and I believe that we will be reaping the benefits as we continue to sow into what God has called us to do as long as we allow God to heal our wounds of past hurts and past pains of un met expectations.

All I know is as I step foot into fall I do not want another ordinary season. I come expecting for God to immeasurably more than I can hope for or even imagine...

I woke up singing this song and as I read the words again it is my hearts cry & will be my daily prayer.


Our beloved Father, please come down and meet us
We are waiting for Your touch
Open up the heavens, shower down your presence
We respond to Your great love

We won’t be satisfied with anything ordinary,
We won’t be satisfied at all

Open up the sky, fall down like rain
We don’t want blessings, We want You
Open up the sky, fall down like fire
We don’t want anything but You

Our beloved Jesus, we just wanna see You
In the glory of Your light.
Earthly things don’t matter, They just fade and shatter
When we’re touched by love divine.

We won’t be satisfied with anything ordinary
We won’t be satisfied at all

Open up the sky, fall down like rain
We don’t want blessings, we want You
Open up the sky, fall down like fire
We don’t want anything but You

Here we go, let’s go to the throne
The place that we belong, right into His arms

We won’t be satisfied with anything ordinary,
We won’t be satisfied at all.

Friday, September 11, 2009

BTCS

Did you know that it takes an average of 13 times of asking someone to come to church with you before they will?

This Sunday is BACK TO CHURCH SUNDAY!!! Don't forget to GO to church and take someone who hasn't been in a while with you!

I am believing that this Sunday will be a life changing Sunday for millions of people around our country. And Praying your church's seat are filled and running over as I am believeing for MY CHURCH!!

Found this video that describes my church!


DON'T STOP ASKING!!!
You never know which time will change their mind.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

The Stool

As I start my morning I was just reminded of a video that our pastor showed a few months ago that I wanted to share with you.



At times I wonder why it is so hard to stay off the stool when you know that is where you are suppose to be?

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

THE Day...

Just can't believe that today is already September 1st!!! WOW!! Where has this year gone??

September 1st holds a lot of value around our house.

Not only is it 114 days till Christmas but it is also

THE day that Shawn & I met.

Hard to believe 14 years ago one night change my life...

Together for 14 years has changed both of us tremendously but

There is no one else I'd rather live this journey with!

Shawn...I love you!