dear bill

Dear Bill,

Please go away and don’t impact Florida.  I very selfishly would like to close on our house on the intended date.  Thank you for your cooperation. 

To be perfectly honest… this scares me a little

little encourage”mint”

I have a busy week ahead.  There is a bunch going on personally including- packing for our move to our first home, planning the rest of the move details, bills due this week, Tim starts Mini-Band Camp at school, way behind on laundry, finding home owners insurance… you get the drift.

There is an enormous amount going on at work as well- weekly Sunday Morning planning, Mandisa, Denver and the Mile High Orchestra, Worship Expedition (Children’s Choir), our Music and Worship Fall Kick-Off, Casting Crowns, projects for Pastor… again, you have the general idea. 

In the midst of all this craziness, I got a small box of mints from one of our first grade Bible Fellowship Classes today-  it says, “Everyone needs a little encourage”mint”.”  (corny, but totally cute and colored with crayon)  I have no doubt my hectic schedule is no different than anyone else’s life right now, so my encourage”mint” is to find some time today to encourage someone else.  It just might make their day.

all I want for Christmas…

ok, so maybe not Christmas… but I’ve learned that just about everyone out there has something they want.  And not just “want,” but something that they have always wished to posses, but no amount of trying, working, or money can attain it.  On my drive home from work last night I was thinking about mine.  I’ve always wanted to take more dance lessons to better my dancing skills, but that’s not it… I can work at that and make myself better.  I’ve always wanted to use my acting and directing as more of a professional career, but if time and money were not a factor- I could achieve that.  For me, the thing I’ve always wanted… is the ability to sing.

Now before those who know me attempt to scoff- I’m not talking about singing in the choir and having a decent voice, I’m talking about really singing- broadway belting, pitch perfect, amazing timbre singing.  I’m not even completely convinced I’d use it for anything- I have no desire to be in the popular hollywood limelight, or record CD’s and tour… I just wish that when I hear a compelling piece of music that I could singing it with the same passion my heart does.  My Theatre Degree dictated that I take I take a whole mess of voice lessons, but with this kind of thing, you either got it or you don’t got it… and I guess I wish I had it.

Funny enough, I’ve seriously prayed that the Lord just flip the switch and make me a better singer.  I know its silly, but if I could change one thing about myself, that’s what it would be.

Inspire

To used a phrase from the popular musical Wicked: “I’ve heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason- Bringing something we must learn. And we are led to those who help us most to grow…”

One of those amazing peoples is the Setliffe Family.  Matt and Rachel Setliffe have a beautiful daughter named Ava, and Matt is the Young Singles Pastor at Bell Shoals, as well as running his own ministry of missions around the world.  His preaching is God-inspired… every time I have heard him speak I have been challenged and blessed, and for that matter everyone I know would agree that he is a very gifted presenter of the Word.  But the main reason I’m inspired by Matt, Rachel and their family is their battle to adopt a daughter from Ethiopia.  Her name is Jane, and bringing Jane home has been more than a challenge.  Yet through this difficult uphill adoption Matt and Rachel have continued to give the Lord all the glory.  Please take time today to read their journey on Matt’s blog- I have no doubt it will inspire you as well.  Send them your thoughts and prayers.  I am a better person for knowing them. 

Rachel’s Adoption Blog- Life {unabridged}

Matt’s Blog- MattSetlife

look who’s back

After many months away, I have felt the desire to write again.  If you’ve ever read my blog before (and if you haven’t you may have read in the title…)- I come up with a signifigant amount of random in this blog… sometimes funny, sometimes serious, and sometimes nothing but random!  I’m excited about being back.  Stay tuned

easter

I know, I know, it’s February.  But this whole Easter thing started in January actually.  All I can say is if you don’t have a church to be at on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday this year, may I suggest you visit Bell Shoals.  I am fulfilling a huge dream to do two Sundays full of drama, dance, sets, costumes- and we’re well underway.  The music we’re singing is gonna be incredible.  The solos are kickin.  The drama is on paper, and people are signing up.  The pictures we’re going to create through live drama should be powerful.  The dances are going to be compelling images of tangible worship.  And more than anything, if we keep ourselves in perspective, then I know the Lord is gonna be pleased- and even more than that… blessed.  I am excited.  That’s all I can say.  Thank you Jesus for my job. 

center self

Better yet, self centered.  I am so so so guilty of this.  I’ll get worked up over what work I need to get done, what tasks are on MY to-do list, what time I do or don’t have free, things I feel like I deserve, stuff I want or I need, when it’s MY desire or MY dream, or when I’ve been hurt or MY needs aren’t met … the list never ends.  When I take a moment to focus on that, I realize how much I’m centering my whole life on me. 

Instead, Jesus wants me to be all about Him.  Well, no offense, but that’s easy to say, it’s easy to “claim” I’m doing, and it’s easy to pretend I have any idea what that means whatsoever.  In a little study this morning, the thought occurred to me that to be all about Jesus, he’s gonna have to wean me from my other dependencies… the other things I’m all about… which often tends to be myself.  I never realized that being truly dependant on Jesus had anything to do with being or not being selfish, but now I think they are completely linked.  The more I’m focused on my needs, my wants, what I deserve- the farther away I am from being submitted to the Lord.  And when I’m not submitting an area of my life to the Lord, it’s outside His awesome protection- vunerable to attack. 

Without a doubt, giving up those self centered thoughts and allowing the Lord to reclaim some areas in my life can certainly come with some fears.  So I leave you with this verse, it seemed like the perfect encouragment to  destroy my “center self” without fear or regret, since the Lord’s got my back anyway:  Deuteronomy 33: 27 “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you  and said, Destroy.”

what wind?

The story of Peter walking on the water toward Jesus was always a fascinating one for me.  I would suppose that’s because I’ve always thought the coolest super hero skill would be the ability to fly, and essentially that’s what Peter was doing… hovering about the surface of the water, walking toward Jesus.  (see Matthew 14:22-36 if you’re not familiar with it).  I gathered a unique perspective on this story in some study time this morning…

Peter began to sink into the water because He took his eyes off Jesus.  That’s right there, plain as day in the text, but what isn’t plain is what his surroundings looked like.   I’ve always pictures this story with heavy rains, and violent waves- like something out of “The Deadliest Catch”.  The waves were indeed rough (v.24), but the scripture says that Peter was distracted by the “wind.”  It doesn’t even mention that they were in a storm- just high winds.  Interestingly enough… we can’t see the wind!  So what was Peter distracted by?  The wind blowing the waves?  The wind blowing the rain, if there even was rain?  Maybe he thought the wind was gonna blow him over?  Considering that it could have just been high winds, I almost want to scoff at Peter’s struggle and ask him, “what are you so worried about?!  It’s just wind!!”  I puzzled over this. 

As I stared at the page thinking about this, I noticed something interesting.  When I stare at something long enough, the surrounding area does that strange black fading thing.  You start to lose the details of everything around what you’re focusing on, and until you break your focus off the main thing, you get to the point that you literally can’t see anything else.  (I know you see where I’m going with this).  So often, especially lately, I’ve been getting distracted… watching and focusing on the “wind and waves” that are threatening my safety.  What good is it to worry and fret about the things I can’t control?  High winds are coming, I know that, but watching for it and waiting for it to hit me isn’t going to help.  Besides, by the time the wind reaches me- I have no idea how much it will have dwarfed in comparison to my great God.  Maybe I need to take a moment and view my current situations in the same vain as I did Peter, and ask myself, “what are you so worried about… it’s just wind!”  If I’d stop focusing on the threat of wind, and keep my focus locked on Jesus, I feel confident He’d allow those things to fade away- to the point that I could ask, “what wind?”  That’s my goal today.  Look past the hurt, the pain, the stress, the worry, and the fear of what future wind and waves may come, and stare so intently on my Savior that I can honestly ask, “what wind?”

support

“For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”
2 Chronicles 16:9a

That’s the kind of support I want, and desperately need. My awesome brother shared this verse with me this morning, reminding me that the Lord is actively looking for the people who are completely committed to Him, and when He finds them, he doles out His unconditional support. Wow. Thank you Lord.

Carry You To Jesus

Carry You To Jesus
Steven Curtis Chapman
Listen here for free

[Gal. 6:2; Luke 5:18-20]

I will not pretend to feel the pain you’re going through
I know I cannot comprehend the hurt you’ve known
And I used to think it mattered if I understood
But now I just don’t know

Well, I’ll admit sometimes I still wish I knew what to say
And I keep looking for a way to fix it all
But we know we’re at the mercy of God’s higher ways
And our ways are so small

But I will carry you to Jesus
He is everything you need
I will carry you to Jesus on my knees

It’s such a privilege for me to give this gift to you
All I’d ever hope you’d give me in return
Is to know that you’ll be there to do the same for me
When the tables turn

And if you need to cry go on and I, I will cry along with you, yeah
I’ve given you what I have but still I know the best thing I can do
Is just pray for you

I’ll carry you
I’ll take you to Jesus on my knees