New Project

I purchased a new project yesterday. I can't wait to get started on it. I am going to try some stitches that are new for me, and this is the first time I have tried working with circular knitting needles. This project is for a gift and I can't go into any details because the recipient might be a blog reader. But I know that I will enjoy creating it. But first I need to finish baking cookies and wrapping presents.

Details

I have not blogged in quite a while. I have been busy with the bathroom remodel. I am down to the details now. Each day I have tried to finish some small detail up. Yesterday it was the towel bars. Today I finished grouting the baseboard. I still have a new door to stain and the tile above the tub to grout, then its on to decorating. I am still not sure that this bathroom will ever really be completely finished. Why get in a hurry now, its only been 10 months since this all started.

Yesterday I have the tremendous privilege of experiencing chicken tacos made by James Pinkerton. They were wonderful, I fully enjoyed them and even went back for one more. But I am not sure that they are good enough to eat out of the trash.

I am not ready for Christmas yet. I still have gifts to wrap and need to pick up one more. On the note of gifts I did a lot of my shopping by purchasing Scrip gift cards (check out the retailers here and order your cards before weekend services at FFC.) which help our youth earn money. I know there is differing opionions about giving and receiving gifts cards, but I am not one of those people who are able to purchase just the right gift for each person. I am also the kind of person who loves to get gift cards. I am picky and hard to buy for. I can't tell you how many gifts I have received that ended up benefiting Good Will.

I am looking forward to Worship services this weekend. We will have a new sermon on Saturday night but for those who did not attend last Saturday you will get to experience the service this Sunday. It was one of those moments where my eyes filled with tears and my heart with gratitude for all the lives that have experienced Christ's presence. Can't wait to experience His presence with you this weekend.

Construction

This morning the trustees had a meeting with Culy Construction who is our general contractor for our new gym, outreach center and remodel for our children's ministries. I was able to join them for part of the meeting to talk about flooring choices. It is fun to be planning for the new ministry areas. I am excited about the new look they will have and how the new spaces will effect our ministries. I have watched how "The Teshuva" our youth group has grown just by sharing space with the kidzone and believe that the new youth space will help Pastor Pink reach even more youth.
Here is a picture from this morning of the foundation progress.

Right now there is not much visible change from day to day. They are doing a lot of what appears to me to be measuring and planning. The steal for the structure is on schedule to be delivered the week before Christmas. I hope that the weather permits the pouring of the slab soon, and that we will begin to see visible change.
I truly believe that this project will make a significant difference in the kingdom of God and I am looking forward to seeing lives changed due to our Building to Bless another generation.

SURPRISE Oh Crap!!

My bathroom now looks something like the Vickery's. However my surprise was not planned and was not for someone else. This morning my father came over and we started in on completing the demolition that was started O' let's say about a year ago. This bathroom remodeling project started due to a busted pipe in the wall behind the shower. I was really happy about this because for a couple of years I had wanted to rip out the shower stall and put in a tub shower combo. So all went well - and for the last year I have had a wonderful shower and tub with a couple of walls of unfinished dry wall. No problem - I was saving up to tear the rest out and put in a new sink, new medicine cabinet, new paint, new flooring, etc. So today was the big day - demo and it was going along real well. We had the two remaining walls stripped down to the studs and went to the attic to work on removing one of two light fixtures. Well... while we were in the attic half of the bathroom ceiling relocated itself to the bathroom floor. This was due to nothing we had done other than freeing it from the support of dry wall on two walls. So now my ceiling looks like this. (nice blue tarp. it matches the tile)


Looks like this little surprise will cost me a few more days of remodel and a new plan for heat in the bathroom since it had electric ceiling heat.

Building to Bless

Here is a picture of the footing that was dug yesterday in front of the Family Life Center. It is great to see the construction crew at work making our dream of blessing our youth, kids and community a reality. They are saying that we will have the new building up in no time. The steel should be here the second week in December. We are now in the process of looking at paint colors, flooring and such for the interior of the new areas we are creating in the new building as well as the remodel of the existing Family Life Center. I will try to take pictures daily so that you can keep up on the progress.

So Clean

I had my car, a 1999 Honda Accord, detailed last weekend. It is so clean it feels like new. I made a covenant with this car - it is until death do us part. I am counting in it going first but I plan on driving it as long as it will run. This is part of the reason I had it detailed. I want to do all I can to keep it in good condition as long as possible. The other reason is that I get great pleasure in having things I own well taken care of, clean and neat. (This is also the reason I like to mow the lawn and garden. It keeps my house looking well taken care of, clean and neat.)
It felt like an extravagance to spend the money to have every inch of my car cleaned but it was well worth it to me. I am thankful that I am able to do things like this.

Do we have leaf raking muscles?

I had a great time this morning as several of us from FFC joined together during our Second Saturday Serve and raked up the leaves from several yards. It was good to just be together with part of my church family. I really feel that serving along side others is one of the best ways to get to know people. It is easier for me to talk when I am busy doing something and others just open up and share parts of their lives. You get to see members of immediate families interact and begin to understand more of who they are. So it was a really good day. The kids, both big and small had fun jumping and playing in the leaves. Tonight I am wondering if I have special leaf raking muscles because I am feeling muscles in places that I did not know I had them. But any slight discomfort I may have tonight just reminds me of the beautiful morning that I shared with part of my church family. I am looking forward to the Second Saturday in December (the 8th) when we get to serve side by side again.

Burrrrrr....

The weather man says that there is a chance of snow tomorrow. I say Burrrr..... I like the change of seasons but I am not ready for snow yet! The leaves are not even off of the trees. I did spend part of today getting ready for the colder weather. I put the lawn chairs into the attic and brought in the garden hose and closed all the vents around the house. I also got out the flannel jammies so I guess that I am prepared even though I am not mentally ready for snow.

Ahhh ... vacation

Vacation feels so good. It is nice to interrupt the daily routine and do something different.
I know that most people go somewhere on vacation, so I though I would share.
Here are some of the reasons I like to stay home on vacation.
1. It is cheaper.
2. I'm single and it is hard to find others to travel with.
3. I get to sleep in.
4. I know where the fridge is, so I don't have to find places to eat.
5. I can get some of the time consuming tasks done that I don't make time for regularly.
6. I don't have to fly. (Not my favorite thing to do... motion sickness)
7. I don't have to ride in a vehicle for long distances. (The motion sickness thing again.)
8. I don't have to pack and unpack suitcases.
9. I never have to do without something I forgot to pack.
10. It is cheaper, much cheaper.

Positive or Negative

Do you ever have those times in your life when everything just feels negative? This has been a hard week for me. I have constanly struggled with keeping by thoughts positive. I know what The Word says and I try to do as Phillippians 4:8 says "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." but sometimes it is harder than others. Today has been a better day and I have been more successful at keeping my thoughts positive. So say a prayer for me when you read this, I would cherish your prayer.
Thanks to all my brothers and sisters in Christ.

No more guilt

I used to feel guilty when I would go for several days without blogging. I felt like I was letting others down who would stop by the blog and not find anything new. Well after following other FFC folk's blogs and finding that others go for weeks without posting I have determined not to feel guilty when I just don't want to blog. I think that the quilt came from a since being overly self important. I have let the quilt go with the understanding that I am not all that important. Not to say that my life does not have value. I know how vaulable I am to God and how much he loves me and counts on me to make Him known. Afterall there is not anything that Christ was not willing to suffer just to have me and you with Him. So no more guilt. I will blog when I feel I have something that I want to share. Thanks for stopping by even when you don't find a new post for days or more.

Shhhh.... I have a secret

I know something you don't know and I can't wait until Pastor Kris shares it with all of you.
I added up the Building to Bless pledges today.
It's great to be part of a church who looks beyond themselves and is willing to bless another generation. We have a great number of pledges to date and we will be building on soon. See you all next weekend ... we will celebrate the generosity of God's people together.

Storms

Tonight I am grateful for the rain. I spent my day off yesterday, mowing and sowing grass seed and fertilizer. But without the rain all of my efforts would have been for nothing. This makes me think how we as Christians can do everything we can and it can all be for nothing unless God moves and does his part. I am thankful for God's faithfulness to do His part. We have certainly experienced this through FFC's Building to Bless campaign. We did all we could do to let everyone in on the vision of blessing our children, youth and our community and we watched as God moved in the hearts of His people and they completed the circle by being obedient and pledging an amazing sum of money. I can't wait to see how God and His people finish this adventure. I am looking forward to the entire congregation making their pledges. I am sure it will be amazing.

Administrative Stuff

Here is some stuff I have been thinking about and doing at Farmland Friends Church:

• Personal Performance Reviews which is a great way to do a job evaluation. The conversations with the staff have been really good. It has allowed me to know them and their goals, dreams and ambitions better. Thanks North Point for the info.
• Building to Bless meetings. The testimonies and stories of changed lives has been the best part of the campaign and this is just the beginning, many more lives will be changed through your faith.
• Budget planning for 2008. I have an idea to make the process much easier on all the clerks and I am looking forward to our meeting in October.
• I need an entire day off - so i am looking forward to October 1st with great anticipation. (I know I am whining too PK)
• Our telephone system at the church has not worked properly since the lightning strike. I hope we can get the phones replaced or a new system in place sometime soon or you might find cups and string all over the sanctuary running from office to office. This is my new plan for a really cheap intercom system.

The vision is becoming visiable

Pastor Kris and I are at the half way mark of our Building to Bless meetings for the month of September. I have heard many times about how the new structure will be layed out and how the current building will be remodeled. How the new kitchen will be really big. How we will be set for the future blessings of God and so on. I have heard it so many times that I can now visualize the building and the spaces and how big they will be and how it will all fit together. But the best part is I can now see how the real vision of reaching the lost and helping them find Jesus can happen. The building is a tool that we can use to reach the lost and minister to them and we are the tools that God uses in this world to reach the lost. The building and the lost people in our communtiy is all one in the same vision. I am glad to be able to see it with my eyes of faith.

Digital Fun

I have been having fun with my digital camera, taking pictures of my gardens.
It always amazes me how God made such variety and put such detail into all that He made. The depth and tone of all the colors wows me! I see God in all the beauty and variety around me. If I were creating the world I would have made one kind of flower in my favorite color and stopped there... but God made so many flowers, in unending colors that everyone finds one that they can admire. I see God in all the different types of plants, flowers, and bugs that He made. So here is my question for you. In what or where do you see God?

Company is coming

There is nothing like having company come to you house to motivate you to get things done. The furniture is polished. The floors are swept and mopped. The mirrors are shined. The best hand towels are out. The lawn is mowed, the gardens are weeded and tended and the patio is cleared of all the cobwebs. It sure feels good to have everything sparkling clean and in order but it is a lot of work getting the house ready for company. My family is coming over tomorrow for Labor Day and to celebrate family birthdays. We plan on having a big meal and plenty of birthday cake and other deserts. It will be fun having everyone over. Happy Labor Day to all!

Revolving Door

I am thinking about having one of these installed at my house. I was in and out so much today that I thought this would be useful. I was at the church three times today and at the funeral home once. I went to the church to practice with Debi Howell who is singing at Don Shockney's funeral tomorrow. We had problems with the tape player so I called Dennis and when he could get to the church I met him and as usual he had things up and running in no time. Then Dennis showed me how to turn the stage lights on. Sounds silly that I did not know how to turn the lights on but it is not that easy, they are now controlled through a computer. Don was such an amazing man of God and I am privledged to have known him. I pray that I will do a good job at the sound and lighting tomorrow so that the funeral will honor this wonderful man who is now at home in Heaven.

Sunset

Just for your enjoyment. Tonights sunset. Taken from behind Farmland Friends Church.

"Want er" Button included with checking account?

What do you think? Does Old National Bank have one of those "want er" buttons that cut your "want er" in half?. Or how are they going to help you spend less so that you can live better?
At least the sign is true. Spend less. Save more and you will live better. Especially if you learn that you don't own anything. You are just the manager of what God has entrusted you with.

On the right track

Reassurance is always good. I love to know when I am on the right track. Yesterday as I was reading my "Building to Bless" devotional (day four -August 24Th) I was reassured that we are on the right track with building a larger facility for our kids and for community outreach. The portion that describes what a God-given dream looks like said that The enemy of your soul will attack a God-give dream. The church has recently suffered through a lighting strike, finances, and many individuals have had various accidents and health issues so we much be on the right track.
The four other items listed also line up so keep praying and we will see our dream happen.
Make sure you are reading daily the devotional. It is wonderful. Thank you JR, Rita and the prayer team for putting them together for us.

Lottery

When I filled my car with gas the other day I saw a notice like this one on the screen .

Powerball - $245 Million Next Drawing: 8/22/2007

My mind went wow! What the church could do with $200 million. I would only keep the 45 mil for myself and give the 200 mil to the church. Pretty self sacrificing - right? Then I thought God would you really give that kind of money to the church? We could do so much with it. We could build a great big sanctuary, it could hold alot of people who would hear about you! We could build a parking garage. We could buy a jet plane and send people all over the world to minister and spread your word. We could have the very best children's areas and I know you love kids. Right God? Wow we could really make a difference in our community with that kind of money. We would not have to work so hard at all of this Building to Bless stuff. So God if I buy a ticket would you let me win so that your church could do all kinds of fantastic things?? Oh please God. Well I drove away and did not buy a ticket ...and then
God answered my questions with some of His own. If I gave you that kind of money would you know me better? Would it make the lives of those in your church more like me? Would having 200 million dollars build anyones faith in me? I think the better plan is for your church to work as a team. Work hard on the Building to Bless campaign. Spend time in prayer and make plans to sacrifice for my Kingdom. Then your life and the lives of those in your church will be changed. They will know me better and trust me more. I am the Lord your provider.
Ok God I see that your plan is better.

Computer Problems

I dislike it when anything breaks and has to be fixed. It always makes me question what the best solution is. Get it repaired or use it until it no longer functions and buy a new one? I always question if I am making the right decision or if I have just fallen into a trap and been taken.
Well this time it paid off to get my computer fixed. The hard drive was still under warranty and was replaced for free. Yippee!! I love free. So it's wonderful to have my computer back and working well. It just took about 3 hours to reload everything but worth the time to have it up and running.

I'm on board

As I was reading some of the blogs I follow regularly I came across this one from LifeChurch.TV.
I don't know who Scott Williams is (fill me in if you know) but I love the idea of having partners in ministry instead of church members. Just wanted to link to this post so that some of the FFC blog readers would not miss it. Give me your thoughts!

Difference

Today I have been thinking about why I do what I do. Why did I make the decision 10 months ago to take a position at FFC and become the Pastor of Administration. The conclusion I have come to is I made the choice to work at FFC because I believe that I can make a difference.
I think that this is often the motivation for doing what we do. We believe we can make a difference.
We work to earn money because we believe that the money will make a difference in our lives.
We enter into marriages because we believe that the relationship will make a difference in our lives. I minister at FFC because I know that my relationship with Jesus Christ has made a difference in my life and I want to help others enter into a relationship with Jesus that will make a difference in their lives.
We at FFC are about to enter into a spiritual journey of stewardship where we will be Building to Bless... Another Generation. The difference that this campaign is going to make is one that we may not see all the results of, however I am anticipating that we will see a big difference in each person in our church as a result.

Baggage

This weekend will be one to remember at Farmland Friends Church. Pastor Kris begins a three part series titled Baggage. One of the advantages of being a pastor on staff at FCC is that you get to read the messages before they are preached. The message for this weekend is going to be awesome. It covers one of my favorite topics - freedom from the baggage that life on this fallen earth causes. I am anticipating many lives changed by the power of Christ when we ask God to renew our minds and restore what was lost. Say a prayer for our church. This message is going to make satan mad. He hates it when The Truth set us free.

Sparkling Gems

I wanted to share with you a devotional that I often use. It is titled Sparkling Gems from the Greek by Rick Renner. Here is sample of this devotional. You can also sign up for the daily Sparkling Gems here. You will have to enter your mailing address which will put you on his mailing list. Or you may want to purchase the book. This is by far the best devotional I have ever used. It constantly opens my mind to deeper truths in the word of God and knowing the truth and applying it to my life continues to set me free. At least take the time to read the devotional linked to this blog. It is well worth your time. I pray that this knowledge will give you an exceedingly abundant life.

Stuff I did not blog about

I did not blog for several weeks. Do to a dry spell and computer problems. I still have computer problems but it is working right now. We will see about the dry spell.

I did not blog about Pastors Short Course. The setting was beautiful, the food delicious and abundant, but it was hard for me. I did not know the other pastors and was not willing to open up to anyone because I did not trust them. I probably missed out on many good opportunities to know others and hear about their ministry. I will try to be more trusting and open next year.

I did not blog about our Baptism and picnic. It was truly a blessed day. I enjoyed it very much. It still amazes me how God gets a hold of someones heart and begins to change their entire life... as long as they stay willing.

I have not blogged about James and Tonya Pinkerton's arrival next week. I know that God is up to something great and intends to use these wonderful people for powerful purposes. I can hardly contain my excitement about getting to minister along side the Pinkerton's.

Spider Solitaire

Have you ever played spider solitaire? You know that card game that you have to put the cards in order and then they clear off the screen. You win when all the cards are in order and the screen is cleared. Well I have been thinking about (and playing way too much of) this game. It is a very easy game and most of the time you win. When I occasionally lose I just restart the same game and play a couple of cards differently then before and I win the game.
Isn't life somewhat like this - a choice leads us to win or lose. You make good choices and you usually win, bad choices and you lose. Wouldn't it be interesting if we could just go back and play the last choice we made differently and the results would change the outcome of our lives.
I am grateful that I have a God that is willing to change the choices of my life into a new outcome.

Thoughts and Feelings

The Saturday Nights service was so powerful tonight. I can't wait until tomorrow. There is nothing better than being in God's presence, feeling Him near you and seeing Him work in lives. I know that there were lives changed tonight. I am so thankful that I get to be a small part of what God is doing at FFC.
I have long wanted to experience God in new and powerful ways and sometimes pray that God would do as He did in the old testament and fill the temple with His glory. What would it be like to be completely undone? To fall on your face before God? To completely leave everything behind and follow Him? I pray that someday I will know God this way, in all of His glory. I want this on earth but know that I will someday have it in Heaven.
Several of us spent some time in the Higher Ground coffee shop after service. Paul Thompson, Eric Brown and Dave Rees blessed us with music. (Thank you guys!) We enjoyed an extended worship service by singing praises to our God and being in His presence.
What an amazing God we have!

Beauty for Ashes

Isaiah 61: 3
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

It is so amazing when you see God begin to work in someones life and give them beauty for the ashes they have made of their life. I am praying that I will witness the gladness and praise that is sure to follow. A life restored truly displays His splendor.

My Dad

Meet my dad. He is a wonderful provider, great handy man and a good fisherman also. It fascinates me how we learn who our heavenly father is through our earthly fathers. It is easy for me to trust God to provide for my needs because my dad is so good at providing for his family. I can trust God to fix the things in my life that need fixing because my dad can fix anything. I can also enjoy creation because my dad enjoys nature. I thank God for being the perfect heavenly Father and for giving me a wonderful earthly father. (I know I am late for Fathers Day.)

Fun Stuff

There are times when life is just plain fun. The staff at FFC celebrated my birthday a day early. We had good stuff to eat at staff meeting. Thanks Jenny and Jill! Dad loaned me his camera and I took this picture of a couple of my plants.

It was fun learning how to work the camera and then move the pictures to the computer. I know this is old technology but it is new to me and I am having fun with it. I also enjoyed my trip to Lowes for a gift card for a wedding - it was fun just to look around. All in all this has been a fun day!

.

Worship

Worship - loving God for who he is.

Isaiah 55:12
You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands

.

Praise & Worship

Psalm 103

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-

3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

6 The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

Praise - Thanking God for what He has done.

Time goes so fast

It is hard to believe that it has been almost a week since I last blogged. Time can slip by so fast and all of a sudden you look back and wonder where the time went. It can be this way in our spiritual life also. A day goes by and we don't read the bible. We skip praying then the weekend comes around and we just don't feel like going to church and before we know it our faith is cold and we wonder where God is and why he isn't talking to us.
I need to be more disciplined about blogging. I could give you several excuses why I haven't blogged but that is all they are just excuses. I can also give you several excuses why I don't read the bible or pray every day but that is all they are just excuses. I do read and pray almost every day but some days I just get in a this day is all about me mood and then the time has slipped by and it has been useless. In the future I am going to pay more attention to where my time is going and make sure that I use it wisely.

Full Day

This has been a full day. One that I have enjoyed. I had some tough things to deal with this morning. Then many small tasks to accomplish. Followed by lawn mowing, supper and back for two meetings tonight; Christian Education and the Business Meeting. James and Tonya Pinkerton were both approved for the positions of Youth Pastor and Children's Pastor at the business meeting. I had the privilege of calling James and making it official with them. (Pastor Kris thought that he was going to be the first to tell them but I think that I beat him to it.) I am looking forward to ministering along side these two individuals and expect that they will help me grow spiritually as well as helping our kids to grow. After talking with James I spent a couple of hours with the A/V team. We discussed a couple of issues and went over the media portion of our "Building to Bless" campaign. I had fun as we did sound checks and set up for the filming of a video for our campaign. It has been a full fun day. But I am beginning to think that I am an adrenalin junkie. I love having busy full days where I have to stay focused and on track to accomplish everything.

Downs and Ups

I always feel honored and privileged when others share their needs and struggles with me. It it is hard to see people hurting, but I am always honored when someone trusts me to help them take their needs to God. I have seen the difference that prayer makes this weekend. Someone who was struggling emotionally is now seeking God. Another person is staying steadfast in their prayer for a loved one and is leaning on the word of God to get them through a tough situation. I am praising God for allowing me to be a small part of all the wonderful things He is doing.

Forgiveness

I have been pondering forgiveness today.
Here are some of my thoughts:

• We are to forgive as God has forgiven us
• When God forgives us he casts our sins into the sea of forgetfulness
  
• The Palmist says that He (God) has removed our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west
• How far does our responsibility go when someone asks us for forgiveness?
  
• The forgiveness of Christ also heals us and delivers us
• God's forgiveness through Christ gives us eternal life
  
• We are to forgive our brothers before we offer our sacrifices
• Not forgiving hinders our worship of God
• We must forgive others or God will not forgive our sins
• We should make every attempt to help the one who needs forgiveness to receive not only our forgiveness but to lead them to God's forgiveness
  
• Our sins effect others more than we can imagine
• This subject is too large for me to grasp
  

Feel free to share any of your thoughts on forgiveness.

Robins

The baby robins are out of the nest and this one spent the day on my patio. I have enjoyed watching it hop around and chirp loudly until it's parent found it and brought it something to eat. It was quite after it was fed and allowed me to get this picture.

Solitude

I was leafing through Max Lucado's book "Just Like Jesus" looking for the quote I blogged about several days ago and this question jumped off the page at me. HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE YOU LET GOD HAVE YOU? I mean really have you? How long since you gave him a portion of undiluted, uninterrupted time listening for his voice? I guess for me it has been too long. I have been feeling like there is something missing. Tonight James Pinkerton taught our youth 5 exercises for staying in spiritual shape. Prayer, worship, study, solitude and journaling. Thanks for the reminder James. I think it is time for me to go spend some time in solitude, and let God have me.

Killdeer

The Killdeer that I have been watching out the church office window were gone this morning. There were no signs of the parents and no signs of the eggs. Since Killdeer babies remain with there parents for 20 to 31 day until they learn to fly I am guessing that the eggs became a meal for a opossum or a raccoon. It was interesting watching them and I have learned more about them. I also found out that they may lay 2 to 3 broods a year and only raise one successfully. So this is probably more than anyone wanted to know about Killdeer but I find looking into things and learning about them exciting.

Can you feel it?

It's seems as though there is excitement in the air. I love new things. Spring, new clothes, new ideas, new knowledge, visiting new places, babies. I am enjoying the new robins growing in the nest on my down spout. I am waiting for the new kill dear to be hatched outside the church office window. I am excited about the new babies born to members of our church and am excited about meeting them. I am also looking forward to the new pastors we are going to hire and of course the new building we are going to build. I also love new attitudes! Anyway can you feel it?

M & M's

Here is something that I found to be fun. Besides I love M&M's. Check out the web site, you may want to become an M & M too.

Love

Love has been on my mind a lot lately.
This is one of my favorite quotes.
Max Lucado wrote it.

God's love never ceases.
Never.
Though we spurn him.
Ignore him.
Reject him.
Despise him.
Disobey him.
He will not change.
Our evil cannot diminish his love.
Our goodness cannot increase it.
Our faith does not earn it
anymore than our stupidity jeopardizes it.
God doesn't love us less if we fail or more if we succeed.
God's Love Never Ceases.

I pray that today you will feel loved by the Father as you never have before.

Longings

Sometimes I long for His presence. This expresses my heart tonight.
Psalm 63:1 -7
O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.

Nice or not so nice

There are times when I just don't have anything worth saying. So as my mother says, if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all. I often think of sayings like this and wonder what would God say about this. He often had his prophets say things that weren't "nice" but were for the good of a group of people. He also sent John the Baptist out to say repent and be baptized not a nice thing to hear. Sometimes we need to hear things that aren't nice because in the end they make us better. If when we hear things about ourselves that are not so nice maybe we should consider if they are for our good or the good of a group of people and allow them to make us better.

Plans Change

There are times when you plan, prepare, pray and look forward to something just to find that life changes and your plans must also. I will not be working the Emmaus Walk this weekend. Instead I will be making plans to celebrate the life of my Aunt Judy. After a long battle with cancer she is now with our Lord. I look forward to the time I will be spending with my family and all the stories of how Judy touched our lives with her humor and her tremendous love for Jesus. I am grateful to know that the battle is over and that she is now in heaven. This reassurance is great and I am thankful to know that my precious Aunt Judy is enjoying the streets of gold. I am sure she is singing harmony with the angels.

These are a few of my favorite things...

The ocean

Spring time

Flowers any time

Deep talks with friends

Good leather purses

Dirt (soil)

Pottery

Art work by people I know

Fishing

Flying kites

Dinner at a really nice restaurant

Pretty stationary

Notes from friends in the mail

Time Away

There is nothing like planning on being away for a few days to motivate you to get things done. This has been a very productive day and it feels so good to get the to do list crossed off. It also makes you realize just what you do when you have to get others to cover your tasks. This makes for a good time to evaluate what you spend your time doing. I think that maybe I should plan more time away just to boost my productivity. I am not really taking a vacation but I will be working an Emmaus Walk. The Emmaus movement is about creating church leaders and every time I get the privilege to work one I come away amazed at the way God changes people (and me) through this experience.

Tears, songs, hugs and words.

I am sure that I am not alone in this. You know the times in your life when you are facing something, a project, a new direction or a big change and you become totally overwhelmed with life? Well this is where I have been this week. So I have shed tears. I have been comforted by a song. The words to the chorus are " I am here , I 'm with you always, even to the end of the age. I am here, I'm with always. There's no need to fear I am here" followed by a big hug from the friend who sang the song for me. I then came across this quote in an e-mail. "It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time."-Winston Churchill. So now I am not quite so overwhelmed. I know that God is with me. I have friends to comfort me and the quote reminds me that I do not have to worry about tomorrow, I only have to thank God for His provision of all I need today.

Enough and More than Enough

This week has been a long week with many meetings and many very long days. When I face a week like this one. Which has contained facing many tough subjects and looking at changes that I don't have a concrete grasp on. It helps me to remember that God is more than enough.
During the passover the Jews would sing a song that recounts the Exodus from Egypt and all that God took them through during that time and it speaks of Him being more than enough.
My thought are these:
It would have been more than Enough if you had just kept me from death by the blood of the lamb. But you have done so much more you have given me everlasting, abundant life.
It would have been more than Enough if you had just delivered me from the bondage of slavery. But you have done so much more, you have healed my emotions from the effects of the bondage.
It would have been more than Enough if you had only provided for me manna and water. But you have done so much more. You have given me life in a country where I can purchase any food I want at any time.
It would have been more than Enough if you had only lead me by the cloud during the day and the pillar of fire at night. But you have done so much more, you came to live inside of me and guide me continually.

Feel free to add to the more than enough list. Tell me how God is more than enough in your life.

Cleaning out the Gunk

I often check out blogs as I eat lunch. Several days ago I read Tony Morgans blog titled Stop Gunky build up. It always interests me how our Reticular Activating Systems work. In case your don't know a reticular activating system is what gets our attention. It works something like this. You start thinking about purchasing a new vehicle and you are leaning toward a lime green SUV. Because you are thinking about purchasing a lime green SUV you begin to notice every lime green SUV on the road. So because I am reading the book titled Simple Church I am noticing every sentence about programs and keeping the church simple. Hope you enjoy Tony's blog post and if you get the chance read Simple Church. It might help you to clean out some gunky build up in your life or church.

What if?

What if life could be simple?
What if we only attended worship services and growth groups, nothing else?
What if we concentrated all our energy on making these two areas of our church the very best they can be?
What if?
Would be grow closer to Jesus Christ?
Would we draw the lost to the church?
Would more people come to know Jesus Christ and His salvation?
What if?

Mowing the Grass

As I was mowing the grass on my day off yesterday I was thinking. Mowing is always a good time to do some alone uninterrupted thinking. I am a perfectionist. Not the type of perfectionist that gets all worked up when something is not perfect but the type that truly enjoys when things look really good. I simply enjoy a fresh cut lawn. If I take this and apply it to the church this is the way I want the church to look to those who don't go to church. I want our building to always look fresh cut. I want our services to always come off as perfect as imperfect people can make them. I thank God that it is up to Him to take our imperfection and make it a reflection of His perfection.

Ponderings

As I was reading Pastor Kris's message for this weekend my mind rested on the "consequences of sin". How sad I feel when I think about the fact that my acts of disobedience keep me and others from the blessings that God intended for us. I don't feel guilty, but just very sad that God has things for us that are beyond our thoughts or imaginations (Eph 3:19-21) and that we by our disobedience can keep these blessings from entering our lives and the life of our church. My prayer is that I will be ever mindful of how my actions effect others and how we as a corporate body are responsible for those who do not know Jesus Christ. My prayer for our church today is that God will help us keep our hearts soft by obeying His word.

Joining In

Well after much hesitation I am joining the blogging pastors of Farmland Friends Church. I am not sure that I will find my voice in this format but I enjoy getting to know others from their blogs so I will do my best to open up and share my simple self.