Black Friday

'Black Friday': a day where people typically begin their frantic rushing to buy instead of sitting to reflect - I'm choosing worship. I want to begin posting songs that move me, and hopefully speak some sort of truth, hope, peace, or joy to you. Now, I'm not bashing those frantic people out there in the masses, trying to get a gift for those they care about at a reasonable price. No way, the times are tough and sometimes just the challenge and adventure can make the trip fun. I just thought a little music for the soul would carry us a bit better. Let's remember the Reason - Jesus. The season - Joy. The gift - Hope.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day - Casting Crowns


Strange Way to Save the World - 4Him


Adoration - Newsboys

I pray your day is full of sweet memories in the making, remembrances of laughter and joy,
honor for the deserving,
blessing for the cook(s)

and praise unto our Creator, for whom all thanks is due.


Happy Thanksgiving!

Dynamite

Pastor Steven Gachenko from Harvesters Christian Church in Kenya visited us today. My, how I love that man! He is so different from the style of preaching I am used to - and much to my dismay I didn't want to hear him the first time he came. I'm an old Catholic - southern-baptist style preaching was never my gig. (I must admit, we all did our best to yell Hallelujah and Amen at the appropriate times, just so he felt more at home. ) Yet I find in this man something that draws me. At first, I couldn't figure it out. Too loud. Too...something. THEN, I got it. It was the dynamic presence of the Holy Spirit. As I listened to him last year, I was reminded of the base word in the Bible for the Holy Spirit - dynamo. The Spirit is dynamite! One of His purposes is to expose those places in us that need to be opened up to the Word, in order to be conformed. Steven is filled with the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit. You can hear it when he lays a hand on a person he's never spoken to, and prays. He pours out the love and correction and healing of God. He listens, and speaks what the Lord would say could we hear Him audibly. It's just plain powerful and compelling.

Today, he came again. To share his love with us. To tell us that he hears and feels when we pray for them. He feels us to be his dear family, though we are thousands of miles away. That, too, is powerful. Prayer should be powerful - it connects us to the very heart of God.

His message today: time to get ready! Our Savior is coming for His church, His bride. Every day should be a day of preparation. Made me wonder what I was wasting my time doing. I was certainly convicted of time wasting - TV is limited from now on. It doesn't really help me get my work done.

Time to be about daily preparation. His question - one we need to ask every morning: Are you being changed by the Word daily? Conformed into the image of Jesus - loving more, helping more, being more like Him? Jer: 6:16, 17. He is calling those who have fallen away to come back to the right path.

Matt 7:13, 14 God is calling us back to the power of the Word. Flesh and blood will not reap everlasting life - only the spirit. Are we feeding the spirit?! He reminded me, in a most engaging way, that it is a narrow road we are called to walk down. Our flesh is to be squeezed out, to remove those things that keep us from walking this path. The more we feed the flesh, the fatter we become, the harder to find and keep walking down that road.

And then, the final point that pierced my heart: knowledge without faith won't help. We still sin when there is no faith in the area we are being tempted. I have always considered myself a person of strong faith. Until I looked in the mirror of the Word this morning and realized I haven't been applying it lately. I speak faith, but don't hold the mirror up before my own sin.

I am thankful for that man from Kenya. While I don't think I would care for his style on a weekly basis (I love my pastor's heart for the Word and the way his face glows when he shares with us), I do appreciate the message he brought for my heart today. I pray to be found faithful at Jesus' appearing, and I believe I will be found more so since hearing this particular message.

Come. Lord Jesus. Come.

Beauty and Light

Melissa Ross Photography



This is my current project - doesn't it look elegant?! No worries, I take no credit for this beautiful display of light and beauty. Melissa did the hard stuff. I only take credit for asking Melissa, and buying the candles.

This has been quite the journey. While I love doing what the Lord has called me to, there was quite the struggle to define if I was called to this particular task. I was told during Retreat to be faithful to the things He has called me to. Loved that part. What I wasn't sure of, was whether this year we were to have an event. No matter the amount of prayer, I just wasn't sure.

The Lord has found a way to speak, though I know there were times He despaired of my hearing. He used a confident "YES" from our guest speaker when she was asked. He used a frantic shopping trip - trips to be exact- to create a centerpiece. He used a "what's the date so I can put it on my calendar?" from our worship saint - which I loved because, again, there was no hesitation. And, as always, the encouragement of those who know me so well, and love me anyway. They just seem to anticipate something lovely and moving, which always surprises me. I just don't see such things coming from my reserves. Which is the true delight. They don't really come from me, they come from the One who created all things and wants to bless His kids. So, here we have the beauty and light created by Melissa. Soon, we will have cake, or some such dessert. And hopefully, we will be reminded of joy.

It is a joyful thing to celebrate the wonder of the Lord.