My Life's Song

(This is the view from my desk last week!)
Good afternoon, dear ones. I know it's been a long time since I wrote, and I do apologize. There's just SO much churning in my head, and in my LIFE!!! I will try to post more often; I want you to KNOW I'm here, and want to walk alongside you. My heart's cry is to let you know you are LOVED by the Most High God, that you are NOT alone, that you have Someone who hears your heart's tears in the middle of the night.

SO. :D With that said, let's talk a bit about praise today!

I'm pretty sure I've talked to you about praising no matter where I am, no matter what I THINK my circumstances are. But have I told you I have PROOF that that's my life's song, my life lesson in this journey with God?

A few weeks ago, I was moving books from one bookcase to another in our den. (OK, it was a few MONTHS ago. :D) One of the books that I needed to move was a Master's Life workbook I did in college at the Baptist Student Union, and I used to keep a journal in there with it.

The journal pages came out of the binder and fluttered all over the floor. Muttering to myself, I picked them up - and happened to glance at one. Can you imagine my surprise when I saw there words I've been saying again and again in the last two years???

"God, teach me to PRAISE you, no matter what I'm going through."

Dear friend, that was TWENTY years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!! These days, I KNOW I have to praise Him, no matter what. And I've also found that, when I praise Him, and worship Him, and put Him in my full focus, all the other worries, conflicts, confusions, and troubles fall into their true perspective - SO small compared to my God!

When we first started Beth Moore's Bible study at church, I quoted a passage to you from it. We're just over half-way through it now, and last night's video was all about praising Him. And the first point she covered? Praise requires that we FOCUS on Him. That we put all other things aside, and allow Him to be the focus of our minds and hearts.

I've felt pretty scattered lately. There's lots going on, as usual. Lots of possibilities to think about, lots of responsibilities and planning. That word, "focus", hit me pretty hard. I need to focus in so many aspects of my life! And I seriously need to consider: am I too scattered in everything I do? I feel like I've already cut out a lot of things, but do I need to become even less busy?

What about you? Does that word strike a chord in you? How are YOU doing? Are you learning to praise the God of the Universe who loves and cares about YOU?

I'm so glad you're here with me. :) Let's walk this walk together. Tomorrow, I'll post some things that are going on in my life, just so you can come alongside me and lift me up, too. That's what we're here for - to be His hands, His arms and legs!

YOU ARE LOVED!

More prayer requests!

But God's angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn't treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand. -- Romans 1:18-23

Wow, ladies. We've got some hurts going on in our families! Here come two more people we need to uplift! Again, please pray the following for them: strength, peace, and joy that can only come from God; wisdom and discernment to deal with anything that they face; someone to PHYSICALLY walk through this with them, whether it be a spouse whose eyes need to be opened to their needs or a friend who cares; and clear direction from God about what to do and how to do it. Pray for them to be blessed in unexpected ways, that God would show each one that He's intimately concerned about her/him. PRAY FOR VICTORY!!!!

From Terri, who just had surgery on her back:

Sorry I have been so long in sending out an update.. Things have been very stressful.. My health is not very good today.. I woke up with my right arm swollen and terrible pain in my right shoulder.. I am hoping the weather has something to do with it. I am waiting to hear back from the doctor as he in surgery the whole day.. I can bearly move my right arm... I had to make a trip to my family doctor this week as my blood pressure drop really low.

Also this week I had a gas leak and found out I need a new AC unit for the house... So I am trying to deal with that along with my health issues... Of course Joe and I are not agreeing on the AC he thinks it should be fixed and I believe we should get a new one. There is along about 1200 difference between the new and repair bill..

Thank you for all your cards and prayers. I am starting to feel depressed and trying to the best to keep myself from going stir crazy...

And from Deana: Please pray that my husband, Scott, will find a job. Also, a girl in my mops group has a 5 yr old, 2 yr old and is about 7 months pregnant and found out today that her 2 year old has a brain tumor. Deana also has an unspoken personal prayer request.

Please, please lift them up!

Another request, and more encouragement for each of us!!!!

God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
to the woman who diligently seeks.
It's a good thing to quietly hope,
quietly hope for help from God.
It's a good thing when you're young
to stick it out through the hard times.
When life is heavy and hard to take,
go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions:
Wait for hope to appear.
Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face.
The "worst" is never the worst.
Lamentations 3:25-30, The Message

Oh, dear friends! Thank you for praying for each other, and for continuing to be vulnerable in asking for petitions!!! I want to encourage you: if you need prayer, PLEASE let me know. There are people you don't even know about praying for you!!!! And when you get an answer, or feel like submitting a praise report, GO FOR IT!!!!! It's by your testimony that we will ALL be encouraged, uplifted, and spurred to keep praying!

Here's a new request, sent by dear Ginny:
Lori, may I add to that list of prayer requests? First for my daughter, Grace's, boyfriend. His job, his true calling, problems with his parents. I can't be more specific, but God knows! Also, my arthritic right knee is causing me tremendous pain. It's difficult to get comfortable. I made an appointment with the orthopedist for next Thursday; I will probably get another cortisone injection, which is painful. But I'm concerned that the deterioration is worse than a year ago; I've been offered a partial knee replacement, but I feel I'm too young, and I can't care for Phil if I'm laid up. I need wisdom, and freedom from the pain.

DEFINITELY, dear one. I know Becky has already prayed for you! We won't stop lifting you up until you get answers.

Now, then. Some things don't need captions at all. BE ENCOURAGED, and take a moment to COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (If it's too small to really see well, click on the image.)

WOW! MORE prayer requests, and a report from Kathy!

I think we need to stay focused on praying for each other for a while, dear ones. There's SO MUCH hurt going on - and it's not been easy for me today in real life - so I KNOW we're doing what God wants here. :D

Please pray for my dear, sweet friend, Claudia. Claudia is the dance ministry director at our church; for about six months now, she's had a problem with her sinuses and ears being blocked. She's had some hearing return, but she can't sleep for long periods, so she's very tired. When I asked how her week has been, for the first time I can think of she told me, "HARD." Please pray the things I asked you to for everyone for both her and the next request, but also that God would release that pressure, and allow her to rest, and that this whole problem would be healed.

This one is from Becky - who prayed beautiful prayers for everyone in the comments sections!!!

I need to ask for prayer for my friend. Please pray for Michelle, whom in the past 6 months has been transformed from a hardworking leader and active mom/wife/teacher/church worker and friend to a weak and scared individual. Michelle went to the doctor because she simply didnt feel well and thought she might have a sinus infection. The next few weeks were a rocking whirlwind. She was diagnosed with Graves Disease and was rushed to surgery to remove her thyroid completely. She has lost more than 70% of her vision and her eyes are protruding so far now that the lids cant even cover the entire eye. She was also diagnosed with seveirely compacted sinus cavities and once again went in for emergency surgery. So now she is on the emotional hormoneal roller coaster that comes with Thyroid issues. She is nearly blind and is having extreme issues with phobias and and anxiety. She rarely leaves her home any more. Is having a hard time with her faith. Her marriage has become just a matter of business as her husband is purplexed with the stress of money issues that seem to keep piling on. Her children are struggling as though they have already lost their mom because she is no where near the person she once was. Pray for the entire family.

Oh, sweet friends, please pray. Such difficult things we're ALL facing!!! You know, I find it SO true that our burden seems heavy until we see the next person's. God is SO good! His mercies are new EVERY morning. I don't care WHAT you're facing; God is bigger than it is! I love the "bumper sticker saying" that says DON'T TELL GOD HOW BIG YOUR PROBLEM IS. TELL YOUR PROBLEM HOW BIG YOUR GOD IS! Claim that for these requested people, dear friend; maybe they're not able to claim it for themselves right now. Pray for FAITH.

And now for a wonderful report from Kathy! :D

Mom had her surgery today. She did well. The doctor said it was not as difficult as he thought it might be. He removed a small portion of the stomach where the tumor was attached. We did not know he would be doing this but he said she wouldn't miss it. :) He also said that he would be suprised if there was any cancer as it did not look like it would be there. Praise God!!!!! She was in quite a lot of pain at first because the pump was not working correctly. They finally got the doctor up and he got it working. Mom was getting a little testy and was just about to tell them off. We knew she must be feeling pretty bad as she usally is so quiet. She's much better now!!!!! Continue your prayers. She will be in the hospital 3-5 days. The doctor says she will feel pretty lousy for a few weeks.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!!!!!

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!! Keep praying! Keep sending me your requests! AND how God is answering!!!! He is FAITHFUL - let's not hesitate to remind one another!!!

I love you all. Thank you so much for lifting each other up!!!

My Epiphany

Yes, it HAS been a long time. God gave me this post to share with you about two weeks ago, and making myself sit down to do it has not worked. :) So, I'm going to attempt it now. I really have a feeling that someone besides ME needs(needed) this post!

Please go click on the picture above, and read the verse. Let it soak in. Then come back.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::waiting::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Welcome back! Did you HEAR what the verse said?

Well, let me tell you what I heard from God concerning this verse! :)

Haman was doing just fine, having come from the FIRST banquet with the King and Queen of Persia. That is, until he OBSERVED Mordecai.

Now, let's take a look at that word. Here you go, straight from Webster's Online:
1: to conform one's action or practice to (as a law, rite, or condition) : comply with
2: to inspect or take note of as an augury, omen, or presage
3: to celebrate or solemnize (as a ceremony or festival) in a customary or accepted way
4 a: to watch carefully especially with attention to details or behavior for the purpose of arriving at a judgment
b: to make a scientific observation on or of
5: to come to realize or know especially through consideration of noted facts
6: to utter as a remark
intransitive verb
1 a: to take notice
b: to make observations : watch

That 4a is the one that applies here. Haman HATED Mordecai with a PASSION. As most of you reading this know, that hatred fuels the whole book of ESTHER.

Haman had to look with this INTENT at Mordecai, to be ABLE to observe. He took his focus from the joy of being Haman, and started to look at the places he lacked - namely, Mordecai's lack of acknowledgement, in this case. Haman wasn't complete when he looked at Mordecai's contempt for his power.

Dear one, when we take our eyes from where they're supposed to be - fixed on the finish line, on our Lord and Savior - and start to observe our circumstances, not only do we not see the whole picture, we start to judge ourselves, others, and our situation in our own sight. If I start looking at what is - or ISN'T! - going on in my life right now, start taking a look at what seem to be insurmountable obstacles.... Well, let's just say that I would cover MY head, too, and run up, crawl into bed, and NEVER come out.

In MY sight, if I observe the circumstances, I can't go on.

If I keep my sight fixed on God, I cannot observe anything but Him. I can't get distracted and distraught by things beyond my control, that are actually there to help me grow in Him. Good or bad, circumstances are there. They change constantly. GOD DOESN'T. He's bigger than ANY circumstance I am under - or IMAGINE myself to be under. God is sufficient for ALL my needs. He is my Rock, my Strength, my Strong Tower. There is NO OTHER. Period.

Dear one, please let these Scriptures encourage you!

2 Corinthians 4:17 - 18:
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Hebrews 12:1 - 3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Be blessed, my dear friend. Let us determine together to fix our eyes on Him. All things will pass away, but the Lord endures forever! PRAISE HIM!!! Lift your song to Him, PRAISE HIM, REJOICE ALWAYS. Not only will you lift your song, but your HEART will be lifted. Sometimes praise is a sacrifice, but it is one that God will acknowledge and honor - and you'll be lifted up, too!

I love you. I care about you! I want to share your struggles. I know I've been a bit absent lately; February and March have been super-busy with Stampin' Up!, and I've been doing an AWESOME Bible study on Esther - it's Beth Moore's new one. If you get a chance to take it, DO SO. You WILL NOT be sorry. I knew the story backward and forward, up and down, inside and out. But the life application stuff that's there I never saw for myself. Such good MEAT.

Oh, sweet sister, I want to encourage you SO much. God is so good. His mercies are new, EVERY morning. He is faithful! Let Him love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Giveaway to share!

Besides MY BLOG CANDY, I have a new giveaway from another blogger to share with you. Her blog is AWESOME, so spend some time over there!

And here's another giveaway - Lori's been seeking the truth about God. :) I receive her blogs daily - she's a LOT of fun!

BE BLESSED!!! :)

It's FINALLY fall!

Good evening, dear ones! It's FINALLY beginning to cool down here - today was such a beautiful day here. Kenn and I went to the orchard, and took a wonderful drive in the country. It was cool, and clear, and just beautiful. :) I love days like today!

God is SO good. He gives us days like this to enjoy. Have you taken the time to look around and see what He's blessed you with out your window?

You MUST go see FIREPROOF. Seriously. Even if you're not in a relationship, it's SO worth your support and worth SEEING. I can't tell you enough - GO. Check out the link! And take a tissue with you..... :D

Many of you are facing trials again right now; I've heard from several of you. Please remember to lift each other up in prayer, dear ones. You NEVER know when God will bring someone to mind, and how important it is you say a prayer right then!

I'm going to run; Kenn's on his way home from an assignment right now, and he has to leave quite early in the morning.

Be blessed, dear one. Open your eyes to the blessings God has poured out on you already - it will AMAZE you when you start looking. He LOVES you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good Monday Morning!

How are you today? I hope you can read the picture beside this text; it's from Psalm 16, verses 5-6. God is GOOD, my dear friend. We've been singing a new song at church based on this Scripture - the boundaries of my life have fallen in pleasant places. My heart is FULL of that content feeling today - Praise God. :) He won the victory this weekend in our banking trial; my banking contact is going to close out the account today, and we move on. God is GOOD. What a relief!

So! What have you been hearing from God lately??? Did you get a chance to go to church yesterday??? Or perhaps listen to a sermon? What is God saying to YOU? (Blogger's not cooperating right now, so no cute little icon for sharing today! :D)

Our new sermon series at church is on servanthood. The pastor wasn't there - we're pretty sure this is his week to be in NYC, seeing some Broadway shows with his lovely wife :D - so one of the others, Bruce, spoke. Basically, his theme was that servanthood isn't about US. We do it because of the character of our Master. It's not a slave-owner relationship. And God WANTS us to get to the point where he no longer calls us servant - to the point where we KNOW what He wants done, and we do it without being told - and He calls us His friend. We're adopted into His family - our servanthood is our way of saying THANK YOU.

Pastor Bruce used the following Scripture to close out his sermon:

Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.' "

--Luke 17:7-10

Now, seriously. How often have you heard this passage mentioned ANY TIME in a sermon??? We like to feel ENTITLED - in fact, we've got a couple of generations coming along that feel entitled to anything they want, just because they want it, seems to me! But this passage certainly NEGATES that!!!! There's certainly a reward COMING, but our time here on Earth is to be spent SERVING. Not BEING SERVED.

Woah. Some serious re-thinking is going on in MY head, and I bet maybe yours, too. If you'd like to hear the whole sermon, please CLICK HERE - and keep checking until they post the sermon for JULY 27. :D

OK, dear ones. I'm going to fly now - I have a class to get ready for. :) I hope and pray you've been counting your blessings, and using them to encourage yourself in your walk. God LOVES you, SOOOOOOOOOOO much. He is just waiting for you to look out your window and see that butterfly, or savor your delicious lunch, or enjoy touching your loved ones. Each and every thing you enjoy has been put there by the Father for you to be able to enjoy. He just wants YOU.

LEAVE ME A COMMENT!! :D I'm lonely! :D

Find the delights!

I don't know about you, but this has been a TOUGH week - and the struggle isn't done yet. I'm still dealing with banking issues, and it's NOT a pretty fight. :( I have to get ready to go fight AGAIN. But I KNOW Who has the ultimate victory - it's the only thing I can cling to when I feel like giving up. God is GOOD. His love endures FOREVER!!! This battle has grown from a speed bump to a small mountain, steep at the summit, but He's there. :)

I'm looking for the abundance He has given us - and one thing around HERE, is produce. :) We've got CUCUMBERS like you wouldn't believe, and tomatoes! It's been an incredible growing year - we've pickled like crazy, eaten fresh foods, and blessed others. Isn't that what we're called to do with the abundance God gives us?? :)

Count your blessings, dear friends!!!! It does help - He has NEVER left you alone. He's ALWAYS there!

Good Wednesday Morning!

Quick post today - I'm SO FRIGGIN' BUSY!!! - but I wanted to poke my head in and ask you:

HOW IS YOUR WEEK GOING???????????????????

:)

God is GOOD, all the time!

Good afternoon, dear friend. I'm so glad you checked in! :D

My sister and brother-in-law are arriving this afternoon. We're going to be busy for the next few days - I'm even going to manage to fit in some work Sunday afternoon! :D

So, please forgive me if posting is a little sporadic. Not like I've been ALWAYS punctual or anything, but still! :D I hope you'll leave me a comment or two; tell me how God's blessed YOUR life this week!

What, the salad? :D It's an Applebee's oriental chicken salad, done at home. Check out this website to get the copycat recipe! You'll LOVE it - and be able to change it up as YOU want!!!

BE BLESSED, dear one! You ARE already, you know - try counting your blessings!! They add up quickly; you'll be humbled by how much God has done in your life. Don't forget to THANK HIM!!!!!

Capture That Thought!

Hello, dear friend. How are you doing today? Are you feeling blessed? Because you ARE. AND highly favored!

This isn't the message that I thought was going to be first to you, but it's the one God's been dealing with ME about, and I feel that He is asking me to share my struggle and my understanding on it.

Last night, I was REALLY tired. We'd been up a long time, today was going to be a busy, long day, and I was ready to rest. But God wasn't ready to let me end my day. :)

I lay in bed for a long time, trying to be still so Kenn could get some sleep. I finally crept into the bathroom and took a bath, hoping that would be relaxing enough to push me into sweet slumber.

Nope.

I went back into the bedroom and lay back down. (My glasses were in there, so I couldn't really go anywhere else!) I decided to try some other tricks that usually work.

Nope.

Finally - why is it ALWAYS the last resort???? - I asked God what He wanted to tell me.

"Capture every thought."

Huh? What did THAT mean??

And then I began to follow the "thread" in my life lately. Holiness. I'm sure you've either heard or sung the song "Holiness is what I long for". And that's been the sermon topic for four weeks at our new church. It's becoming more and more important to me; I want to seek holiness, to "be holy as I (God) am holy" - and I know I CANNOT be, except to let Him take me and fill me.

"Capture every thought."

OK, Father. I will. I know there's a Scripture that relates those very words, so I'll look it up.

Still no sleep. :::sigh:::

OK, God. I hear you. You want me to capture every thought. Practicing self-control in deed is not enough; each THOUGHT needs to be held up to Your light. No dwelling on past hurts, no thinking about temptations that I know I'll not succomb to (but thinking is fun!).

Yes, Lord. With You, I'll do it. You'll have to do it through me, though. I'm not strong enough.

The next thing I knew, it was morning. :D

Here is the Scripture, dear one:

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (New International Version)

4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

That is my pledge this week. To capture EVERY thought. Every "pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God".

It's so easy to get caught up in Satan's lies and ambushes for us! To get caught in the daily grind, and - even though we know we don't "believe" it, our actions tell a different story! - to live as though the problems of our lives are all-consuming.

If you can grasp this ONE point that I have to share with you, dear friend, it's this: this life is so fleeting. We don't know from one moment to the next if we'll be ALIVE for that next moment. But worrying about the future consumes us! BE FREED FROM THAT. Yes, it's important - and we have to live with the repercussions of our responsibilities. But God is bigger than EVERYTHING. He's BEFORE everything, He's AFTER everything. He SO loves you. He's trying to get our attention. He wants us to know Him. Face-to-face. Intimately. And so many times in our lives, we have to chase down the kids, or talk to the doctor about a life-threatening illness, or deal with a butthead of a boss. And that clamor drowns out His voice, His pleading for a little time with you.

My prayer for you is that you can put all the noise, the clamor, the busyness, the hectic schedule, to one side. There's no checklist! There's no "Do this to get closer to God" instruction manual. Do you know, He's waiting to just BE with you? Tell Him you want to know Him, and then just be still in His presence. You might not hear His voice, but you will be so awed by His presence, His peace, His MERCY - His HOLINESS.

Just be STILL, and know.

It's MONDAY! :D

Hello, dear friend! HOW ARE YOU??????????? Have you had a good LONG weekend??? What did you get to do?

Our Sunday was absolutely WONDERFUL again. :)

I had a hard time getting up, so it's a good thing that we go to the late service normally. :D But I'm looking forward to going to church every week! Believe it or not, I'm actually enjoying the long drives; it gives us a chance to catch up, and to be together. To hash things out, to laugh or to set things straight.

Church was WONDERFUL. We're on week 4 of the holiness series - I think servanthood is next, and that's a subject I really enjoy, so I can't wait! :D

ANYWAY. Pastor Ronnie spoke again this week. His text was Isaiah 6:1-8. "I saw the LORD...high and exalted." His reaction wasn't YIPPEE, aren't I special! :D It was "WOE UNTO ME!!!!!!!!! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips!!" In His presence, you don't look around and boast about how much better than someone else you are. You look at yourself - His perfectness and His light expose how DIRTY you are. I don't know about you - but I've felt that way during worship. I am SO unworthy to be in His presence - but HE MAKES ME CLEAN!!!!!!

All it took for Isaiah? An angel to touch his lips with a hot coal from the altar. It doesn't say it hurt, have you noticed? You know what I think (at this moment, anyway:D)? I think it DID, but NOTHING can overcome the overwhelming presence of the KING. There was so much more in the sermon, too - I can't even begin to fit it all in!!!!!! My heart overflows when I think of how much He loves me - so much that He sacrificed His Son so I could be in His presence!!!!

And you know what? The angel told him, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's what JESUS did!!!!!!!!

The next thing that happened?? God looks for someone who will go for "Us" to His people. Isaiah doesn't say, "I'm unworthy." Oh, NO. He's been ATONED! He says, "Here I am!!!! SEND ME!!!"

When God's love and redemption illuminates your heart, you don't spend precious time feeling unworthy. Oh, NO, dear one. You are equipped, THROUGH HIM, to go. GO!!!

And that is an INCREDIBLE segue to something I wanted to tell you about - thanks, God! :D

My dear friend, Kellsi, is in South Africa. She's a nursing student at Bellmont, and is an INCREDIBLE young person. They have a blog going for their trip; I'd really appreciate it if you'd visit, read, and encourage them with a comment! Most importantly, PRAY FOR THEM. They're in the middle of a dangerous area. So, GO HERE to read and thank God for these willing young people!!!

OK, so I'm still not caught up with everything I wanted to talk about, but I'm praying HARD about a subject I really feel the need to talk about. So, I'll be working on that the next couple of days.

Thank you for not giving up on me! :D I AM here, but this summer's been MUCH busier than I thought it was going to be - this week is SLAMMED, and my sweet baby sister is going to be here for a few days, too! :) HI, KELLI!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I'm going to run now - I have to go update my other blog, teach a class tonight, and have dinner with my wonderful husband. OH! So, anyway, after church, we went to a Japanese restaurant and had California rolls and some yakitori for me, veggie tempura for him. :) Then, we stopped at Providence Marketplace on our way home, and used a coupon at Marble Slab Creamery (buy one, get one 1/2 off!) and had ice cream together. It was a WONDERFUL day! :D

Anyway. LOL!!!! YOU ARE BLESSED, dear one!! Oh, gosh, I just thought of another topic to blog about. I type about 75 wpm, but I just don't have the time in my days to tell you everything I wanna!:D

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!!!! They re all around you! Did your little one give you a kiss this morning? Did your husband say thank-you? Did you see a beautiful flower, or get a laugh from something you read? God is a God of the little things, too, dear one. Little things are the moments you'll remember tomorrow. LOOK.

It's MONDAY! :)

How are you? Have you had a good five days since I talked to you last? :) It's been SUPER-BUSY around here lately!!!!!! Wow, and I still need to talk about the Saturday after my birthday, and Father's Day, and what else I've been up to! Phew.

Well, it's going to have to wait - we shot a wedding out of town this weekend, and I actually RESTED last night, so I need to work on a class for tonight. :D When I get it done, I'll start catching up, I promise.

I LOVE OUR NEW CHURCH!!!! It is SO refreshing!! Kenn and I were talking on the way home yesterday about how things have worked out. You know, God moves sovereignly. Even in situations where things aren't done His way, He works. Like our old church situation. He gives us ways to get along with each other, to work out conflicts, etc - and I will be talking about some of that in the future :) - but in our case, it wasn't done His way.

How awesomely He's worked for us!!! We went to the Smyrna Assembly the first time, kind of as a way for Kenn to placate me. :D On a whim, let's say. But God has blessed us there immensely! And it's only been three weeks. Kenn's talked to the pastor; where they're not "on the same page", as one person asked me, they're FINE with not being there! As Kenn says, we're going to thrive there. It's going to be a little difficult to get to know people, since it's 45 minutes one way, but we're getting to "know" the people sitting around us, and the pastor came up yesterday and introduced himself to me.

The music is good, but it's the PEOPLE who truly touch me. Every person who's shared has had a humility, a transparency, and an obvious desire for God's presence. Every single person has shared from the Holy Word, and it's been like it's SUPPOSED to be - living, and active, and sharper than ANY 2-edged sword. Truth and purity can pierce, my friend, and I haven't felt that spoken into my own heart in a long time - longer than I realized.

GOD IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please pray for my friend, Lisa; she's due any MOMENT, and her mother-in-law died this weekend. They're in North Carolina for the funeral. Please pray for travelling mercies, birth mercies, and that she'll feel God's presence as she helps her husband deal with everything.

I'll be back when I get a chance - I have SO much to share with you! LOL!!!!!

God is good, ALL THE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you forgotten??? ENTER NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't forget! I'm doing a giveaway for my 100th post, drawing tomorrow! You have to go HERE to read what's going on, and to enter!!!!



It's canning season again!!! Guess what we were making today - that's right, strawberry jam! We made SIX batches of regular, and a batch of no sugar added. It smells like strawberries in here, and sugar, and hot water - the last batch is in the hot water bath right now. Phew!



An update on Mom: She went to her regular doctor today, and is officially off work until Tuesday. Of course, she's hard at work HERE - but I'm being a harpy, so HOPEFULLY she's not working as hard as she would...! THANK YOU SO MUCH for praying for her!



I'm sorry I haven't been around a lot this week; trying to get caught up, teaching a class, and still dealing with church fallout has been REALLY stressful. But I really want you to enter the giveaway!!!! I need the strokes. ROFL!!!!! GO ENTER NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is a balm in - SMYRNA, TN?!?!??!

Yes, it's true!!!!

Sunday morning (You already know Kenn's side of the story, if you've read his blog today. :D) we had decided to go to the Smyrna Assembly of God. Yes, it's the real Assembly. :D Kenn & I had attended one in Florence, Oregon, and really enjoyed our time there. Also, the Smyrna Assembly's mission is to reclaim the arts to God's glory - something that is near and dear to our hearts. We've been there to a couple of great shows, and I have to admit to being quite envious that their church actually did the shows, not tolerated having some acting going on.... :D (Go check out their theater's site - they're REALLY active!!!!!)

So, we'd decided not to go to their early service - it's about 40 minutes or so from our house. We left here just before 10 a.m., and stopped for Kenn to get a couple of shots of horses. We got there early, and said hello to Kenn's contact from work - and I got to meet someone else from the office. Then, we went and found some seats and settled in.

Some very nice people greeted us - but didn't pressure us at all. :) That's important - especially because I'm REALLY shy in person, and have a hard time for the first few times I meet someone. The senior adult coordinator introduced himself to Kenn; he was a VERY nice man!! His wife introduced herself after the service as "his better half". ;)

The worship service was really good; as Kenn wrote in his blog, it wasn't nearly as much a spectator event as it was a "participate as you wish". It was very free, and really wonderful. I don't think we knew any of those songs, but we caught on pretty quickly. It was really great.

Can I just say it's been a LONG time since anything SPOKEN has touched my heart MORE than the music?!?!?!??! Well, not only did it happen ONCE, but TWICE - and neither were in the sermon - which was good, anyway. :D

The first time was during the offering. The young man who spoke was in the praise band; he played sax and trumpet, and maybe the trumbone.... ANYWAY. You've got to understand that the church we WERE attending was very much about tithing to receive God's blessing - and the way it was done HONESTLY made it hard to be a cheerful giver. But not this. From the bottom of his heart, he explained why we tithe. It's not because it's expected of us, or you gotta give to get. It's because we're saying to God, "You have ALREADY blessed me SO MUCH, I don't NEED everything you've given me!!! You're SO GOOD!!!"

Woah. Not out of expectation, but out of THANKSGIVING???? I've NEVER heard it put that way!!!!! But BOY, did it touch my heart!!!!!

He went on to say there are four things to do with your money: tithe, sow (to further the kingdom, feed the poor, etc.), save - if you spend everything you make, you'll NEVER make enough money; you'll just spend everything - and spend. It's OK to spend, and make wise choices with your money.

I was crying by now. I told Kenn, "We can leave now; I've heard the sermon already." :) But WAIT! There's MORE!!!

It was Communion Sunday. Another gentleman came to present it, and what he said - WOW.

I'm going to paraphrase:

I've been suffering through some physical stuff lately, and you know how hard it is to concentrate when you're in pain? You tend to do things that don't demand a lot of concentration - or ANY concentration! - while you're feeling pain. The worse the pain, the harder it is to focus on anything else.

The pain that Jeus went through? We'll probably never be able to understand how excruciating it was - the movie THE PASSION OF CHRIST did a pretty good job, but even so..... Yet through it ALL, Jesus was able to keep in mind what He was doing, what His final goal was. He could have stopped it ALL at any moment. That tearing of His flesh, the beatings, the blood loss - He suffered HORRIBLY. Yet THROUGH IT ALL, He kept us in mind. He kept His purpose - paying for the redemption of man, putting death behind Him and triumphing!!!! - He kept it all in mind in the middle of that torture.

Can you see why it touched me??? It's so easy to get blase' about things we do on a regular basis. He made it FRESH to me again.

Well, this is already a book, so I'm going to stop elaborating. The sermon was great - the preacher can really belt a song!! :D - and it was WONDERFUL to be renewed and exhorted and bathed in His presence. God is SO GOOD, my dear friend. He loves us SO MUCH!!!!

Kenn and I continue to hash through what happened, and it will take us a while. But God is showing His mercy and grace to us, and I think THROUGH us. :) It's been a rough week, but it's been a DEEP week.

Oh, and MOM CAME HOME YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you all SO VERY MUCH for praying for her!!!!!! She got a steroid shot Saturday evening, and it worked wonders for her. She's been going quite hard today - and I've been a bit of a harpy, trying to get through to her to SLOW DOWN. But that's Mom. :) She's not happy unless the house is SPOTLESS and she's rearranged some furniture. :D

SO. Please leave me a comment!!!!!! :D I'd love to hear from you!! :D

KNOW THAT YOU ARE BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVORED, ANNOINTED OF GOD!!!!!

Wow, what a weekend!!! This post is SATURDAY....

Ever been so busy, you wonder what you've been doing?? :D That's the way Saturday felt to me. I SO missed having Mom home to do things with - Saturdays, we USUALLY go either thrift shopping or garage saling. I still went to a couple of sales within a mile of the house - believe it or not, anyone who REALLY knows me, I was made up, dressed, class all ready, and at a garage sale by 8:15!!! :D

I found a couple of good deals - a hardcover book for a buck, and a brand-new lavender bath "stuff" kit for a buck. I LOVE lavender, and LOVE bubble baths, and LOVE to read while I'm taking them, so it was a GOOD day. :D LOL!!

Then, I taught a class from 9:30 - 11. Cleaned up a bit, puttered around, and left a little while later to grab some lunch and go to Goodwill - after getting the news Mom was NOT coming home Saturday. She'd had a rough night.

Goodwill had their half-price Saturday, and since I had class to teach, I couldn't get out and going and hit as many as I'd have liked to. :) I did find a few things, including a really pretty blouse for Mom. I hope it fits, and that she'll wear it - she seemed to like it....

So, I called on my way to the hospital, and Mom wanted chocolate. WELL, she definitely knew who to ask! ROFL!! I took her quite a variety, and you should have seen her eyes light up! Dad stayed for a little bit, but left to "let us visit". So we chit-chatted, etc. (After the first time I answered her phone at the hospital, I had to answer, 'Becky's room, Lori speaking' because EVERYONE gets us confused!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) She received two phone calls while I was there, and I left while she was talking to my sister, Debbi.

I headed home to fix Dad dinner, so he could get back to the hospital. Kenn helped out by making a salad while I got the other components of dinner ready, so Dad ate and left. Kenn & I did our own things for a while, then decided to head to Dairy Queen for some ice cream. :)

While there, we ran into a young lady from our former church, who is one of my favorite people and is doing some babysitting for a bunch of my friends this Saturday to raise money to go on a missions trip to South Africa - be watching for me to link you to her blog while they're there! She hadn't heard about what had happened, but was very supportive and loving. It was great to catch up with her - she's a very BUSY young woman, attending Belmont for her nursing degree.

ANYWAY. We then came home and just spent the last couple of hours of the day together, watching TV and chatting. And THEN I fell into a deep, deep sleep.... :D

Update on Mom

This is the email my dad sent out to explain everything. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PRAYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks to everybody who prayed, visited, called wrote and prayed!

We have a diagnosis:
--pneumonia in the left lung
--This caused inflammation of the pericardial sack where the lung rubbed on the sack, causing the intense pain.
--kidney infection
--The antibiotic they gave last night after the pick line was inserted will be repeated tonight. They believe that will be effective in knocking out the infection.

--They have continued the morphine every 6 hours. This morning's dose did not take the pain away totally, so they added another medication (some level of an ibuprophen) which helped.

--Becky's doctor indicated he expects to release her to come home tomorrow. It will be interesting to see what prescriptions he gives her for the trip home.

Did I remember to thank everybody for praying?

Thanks again!

Taste!

Goodness! It's been quite a week. Just talking to Kenn about what happened, and what we think church should be, and where to go from here - and all the time, trying to check everything I say and do against Scripture, to be sure I don't sin.

Thanks be to GOD that he's given us His Word to go by! Even if it does cause trouble in interpretation, those parts I understand, I can use. That's what He's wanting of me. So, I walk in the understanding He's given me - and His Word is sweet, and comforting, and sustains me.

I'm not going to lie and say everything's all better; I'm still glad it happened quickly, but the relationships are fractured, and that grieves me. Please pray for that, too, dear friends. I SO appreciate your thoughts and prayers!!!

God's working in our hearts, too. I think we're both much more sensitive to what He's trying to tell us. I've seen Kenn seek reconciliation in a relationship with a dear online friend, and my heart rejoices! :)

Please share with me what God is doing in YOUR life right now. If you need prayer, please let me know. I FIRMLY believe that the church Christ started is about caring for each other, lifting each other up, encouraging each other - praising God together, and seeking His face about decisions and hardships we each go through. HE CARES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Praise His name, He is GOOD, all the time! He loves each one of us, my friends. What an AWESOME thing that is!!!!

It's MONDAY!

And it's time to share about what you learned in Sunday school, church, or watching/listening to your program yesterday!

Yesterday was Graduation Sunday at our church; we had three high school graduates, and three college - I THINK. :) There were some sweet photos of some of the grads when they were little. Oh, the memories. I'm feeling a bit OLD today!!! :)

Our youth minister preached, and it was a good sermon! He talked about operating from the platform God has us on - using as his reference Nehemiah 8:4-6. He also tied it in to the sermon his preacher preached two weeks ago - giving what little you have to God, and allowing Him to use it. It was an encouraging, exhorting sermon - and Jerry should preach more often!!! :)

We arrived at Sunday School late; I'm fighting a sinus infection, and Kenn's allergies are really acting up, too. But we got there, and the lesson was on Life Changes - specifically, Jacob's relocation to Egypt where Joseph was.

I can't wait to hear from you! What did you learn yesterday? What is God saying to you TODAY????