Thursday, February 28, 2019

Thankful Thursday

So much to be thankful for this week...

1. Safe travels in the pouring rain to and from Dallas.

2. Dinner with friends we hadn't seen in 6 months.

3. Encouragement from the conference we attended.

4. Broken people coming to Jesus.

5. A day at home to get caught up on all things home related!

What are you thankful for today?

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Empower Evangelism Conference

The last few days Bruce and the kids and I have been in Dallas at the Southern Baptist of Texas Empower Evangelism Conference. What a memorable event! We had not planned to attend but last week Bruce received an email stating our church would be recognized for leading baptisms in a church our size. What an honor....but more importantly what a beautiful time celebrating all that God is doing all over the state of Texas. It was invigorating and encouraging.

I took notes like a stenographer! Here are a few quotes from the conference.

- The darker our culture the more exited we should be to share the gospel.

- The greatest tragedy in life is to be saved and never see the spirit moving.

- Most uninvited and unwelcome in the church is the Holy Spirit.

- Maybe instead of trying to impress, we instead press in to the Holy Spirit.

- I'd rather offend someone into heaven with the gospel than ignore them into hell.

- If our belief in the gospel equates to our effort in sharing the gospel, how much do I believe in the gospel?

-As a church (pastor) can we really expect a movement of the Holy Spirit if we only share the gospel at the end of the service?

- If it was based on my passion for the gospel, would there be a gospel movement?

- Put your evangelism in the Holy spirit's hands...put that in your circle...then pray.

- The applause of man does not fulfill a life.

- What you hunger for you get....(think about a pregnant woman)!

- You will miss what you do not choose.

- God's not in heaven calling a staff meeting to discuss your cool worship sets, your mission's budget or your latest sermon series. He is looking for men and women who fully depend on the Holy Spirit, to do the work He has called and equipped them to do.

- The gospel does not rest in what I can do...only in the power of the Holy Spirit in my life.

- You can be culturally relevant and spiritual dead.

*These are the notes from Greg Matte's session.

Friday, February 22, 2019

Sorting and Organizing

12 years ago when I posted my first blog post, I never thought about writing a book, a devotional or anything else. I just thought about documenting my kids and all the funny things they did when they were little.

Fast forward a couple of years ago and someone said something I wrote would be a good submission for a book with a similar theme. I had no idea what she was talking about. But more and more as I posted on my blog and then facebook, people were telling me I needed to write a book. And I just thanked them for their kindness and went my merry way. It was flattering and encouraging but mostly I was just writing about everyday life with eternity sprinkled in here and there. I had no idea what I was doing, but slowly God was preparing my heart to do something more.

So now...2019 and God has prompted, pushed and pursued me to begin the process of writing to publish. I have a writing coach. I am attending online conferences, learning from other experts and doing what I can on my end of this journey to hone in on the writing craft.

Today I began sorting through over 1,000 blog posts I have written over the years. Trying to categorize them to topical themes. I got nearly 100 done, so my work will continue throughout the next few days. As I sorted through the oldest posts today, I had the blessing of seeing how far God has brought Bruce and me, how much our kids have grown, some of their funny stories and how much favor God has poured out on our lives. He truly writes the best stories. What was meant to be a chore, was a beautiful offering of praise to the Lord.

So thankful for where He has brought me from and where He has me headed!


Thursday, February 21, 2019

Thankful Thursday

Thanking God for these blessings this week:

1. Fun day out with a friend.

2. Extra hands on deck for a project at church.

3. That God restores what Satan robs.

4. Energy I haven't had for months.

5. Inspiration.

What are you thankful for today?

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

One Hour Cleanup

I'm not gonna lie...

Last week I just about hit my breaking point.

Life seemed disorderly. I was being pulled in all sorts of directions. Clean clothes were a well sought out commodity and I couldn't find my keys.

Now before you go thinking I am usually a neat freak....let me assure you that is not the case. I usually have a stack of something to go through on my kitchen counter, there's usually a pile of dog hair that I missed somewhere when sweeping, I keep my bedroom door closed for a reason and there is always a load of laundry to be washed and a toilet to be swished. But usually, at first glance things can look pretty tidy.

But not last week. And I was turning into the Incredible Mrs. Hulk because it looked like the four little pigs had taken up residence in my home. It was beyond the norm.

Bruce realized I was near "hulk green" on Saturday morning after he was already at church working. It had been a crazy week with the install of a new sound system and other ministry related things going on and I knew he was tired too. I had tried to hold back, but I was at the breaking point that no man ever wants to see their wife reach...the hide under the covers for days with peanut butter cups and ruffles potato chips breaking point.

When Bruce realized I was about to lose it, he came home. But first he stopped at Whataburger, and picked up food. I guess he realized it would be better if I wasn't hangry too! We sat around the kitchen table and divided up the household chores with the kids and we got busy. In one hour the house was picked up and smelling clean and all that was left was the kids rooms (which they are responsible for). I felt so much better. Order had returned to our home.

Spiritually speaking we can find ourselves in the same scenario. Life can get crazy and we miss spending time with the Lord on a personal level, then we miss a church service or two, we start scheduling things around life instead of around what God has for us and we lose fellowship with other believers. It can happen quickly because that is how the enemy operates...quick, stress-filled, hurried decisions that he makes us feel are life and death, when in reality, we just need to slow down, do a one hour clean up of life and carefully evaluate what has us stressed out or too busy.

One hour in the scheme of things is nothing. It is such a small investment in your sanity. And just like with my house, one hour can be the difference between the Incredible Hulk and Mrs. Incredible! Take the time to nourish yourself...take the time to clean up spiritually on a regular basis. If we don't we become burdened by the filth we live in and consumed by our own circumstances. God made a better way. Daily communion, cleanup with Him. Imagine that. He is always making a way of escape for us. What a good God!

Monday, February 18, 2019

Meal Prep Monday


This week....


Monday: Roast, Potatoes, Carrots and Onions with Rice and Gravy (Carried over from last week)

Tuesday: Soup and Sandwiches

Wednesday: Dinner at Church

Thursday: Pizza

Friday: Breakfast for Dinner

Saturday: Lasagna, Salad and Bread

Sunday: Out

What's cooking at your house this week?

Friday, February 15, 2019

Complaint VS Concern

Ever wonder why you don't make progress with your good ideas when you share them with others?

It's all in presentation....

I love a good idea. A solution. A better way.

I hate complaining. Gossip. Pot Stirring.

A complainer comes and presents all the negatives but no solutions.

Someone who is concerned comes with solutions and ideas for making things better, and they are willing to help.

There's always room for improvement. There's usually more than one way to do something. If you have a better way, find a way to share that idea in a way that doesn't knock the wind out of the people listening to you. You might have to think about it for a bit; it's likely if you react quickly you'll be complaining.

If you're in the habit if complaining. Stop. It does NOTHING to build up the kingdom of God and only stirs up trouble. If you find yourself isolated, check your complaining. It's burdensome to be around those who are constantly complaining. People will start avoiding you...except for the gossips...they will still be there. Lucky you.

James 1:26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.


Thursday, February 14, 2019

What Love Looks Like...

What love looks like at our house... 
11 pm run to Whataburger, because a lemon pie sure sounds good.
An “I love you” at the end of every phone conversation.
Switching the laundry over for someone who forgot they left a load in the washer.
A back rub.
Playing a favorite song on the piano.
Watching a mystery movie together.
Laughing at a lame joke.
Dancing together.. even tho Tucker is the only one with moves.
Praying together.
Crying together.
Cleaning up dog puke when you could pass the job off to someone else.
Making dinner on Saturday nig

hts.
Talking to each other.
Celebrating successes.
Learning from failures.
Cheering each other on after a bad day or week. 
See love isn’t always wrapped up in the ways the world would chose you to believe today. Sometimes it’s in a 5 inch Whataburger lemon pie and sometimes it’s when your spouse takes your car to be washed and vacuumed without you asking. It’s not wrapped up in sex. It’s not what you see on tv. It’s not Hallmark movies or porn or soap operas or The Bachelor or even This is Us. 
Real love loves when the hair turns grey, the weight changes, the money is thin, the health fades, the mind slips, the arguments fly. Real love keeps loving... it doesn’t runaway because things just aren’t working out, or because someone has fallen out of love.
Real love loves like Jesus. Unconditionally, wholeheartedly, infinitely. Real love endures, sacrifices and is generous. 
We only know how to love well if we know Jesus... we love because he loved us first. He set the example...he lived, he loved, he sacrificed, he kept his promises, he’s coming back... what an example to love and live like He did...
Not just on Valentine’s Day ... but everyday! 

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for...

1. A new sound system at church

2. Bruce and Savannah's trip to A&M, the clarity it brought and the plans for the future

3. Prayer partners

4. Sunshine after what seems like weeks of rain

5. God's strength for stressful days

What are you thankful for this week?

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Teaching Tuesday- We Buy Ugly Houses


You've probably seen those commercials on TV that say, "We buy ugly houses!" Sometimes the house will look worn down on the outside or the inside might need updating. Sometimes the bones might be infested with termites or the plumbing might not be up to date. Investors come in, offer a certain amount of money for the property and the owners decide to take the deal or no deal.

Just yesterday as I was driving down the road I saw one of the local signs for "We buy ugly houses". Having bought and restored two, one hundred year old homes in my lifetime the thought immediately struck me in rebellion...."Ugly is relative." I remember walking through the "awesome house" (nickname my daughter gave our first remodel) for the first time. Shag carpet, musty smells, outdated wallpaper, appliances that needed to be replaced, painting that needed to be done, weak flooring, electrical that would scare even the bravest electrician... and yet, the beauty of the house...the character, the shiplap, the space, the layout, the vision....it was all there...just waiting to be uncovered.

Our journey with Christ is filled with similarities. When He finds us, he finds the weak, the bitter, the sin infested, the unkept. When we begin our relationship and He begins working in our "ugly house", things begin to change. Oh, it may take some time to clean up the cobwebs and to rewire our thinking, but He does the constructive work and we are made beautiful and restored in His time.

I needed to be reminded of this yesterday. Sometimes the enemy reminds you of all the repairs needing to be done in your life and there can be a sense of unwelcomed urgency to bandaid fix all our sins, issues, struggles and shortcomings. Jesus isn't a bandaid fix. He makes all things beautiful in His time. We don't have to rush His work, we just have to be willing to be worked on and cleaned up as He does the remodel.


Monday, February 11, 2019

Monday Prep Menu


Well, it's a foggy Monday morning here in Southeast Texas. I had planned to be at Hobby Lobby when the doors opened, but this fog has delayed my plans a bit. So, my thoughts have turned toward the menu at our house this week and to be quite honest...I'm not sure if one bit of this will happen. 

We are installing a new sound system at church this week and some of our meals will be provided by our precious kitchen crew at church. These men and women are some of the most dedicated people I know! They take feeding us very seriously! So rest assured my family will not go hungry....Tucker and Bruce most likely will be helping with pulling wires and cords so I anticipate they may eat at church all week long!

But in the event that we are home...this week's plan will look something like this:

Monday: Sandwiches, Chips

Tuesday: Homemade Pizzas

Wednesday: Church supper

Thursday: BLT's and Coleslaw

Friday: Chili and Rice

Saturday: Roast, potatoes, carrots, salad, rolls

Sunday: Out to Eat

So, what's cooking at your house this week?

Friday, February 8, 2019

Mic Drop Moments

The State of the Union Address was on television Tuesday night. The president was applauded by some and hated by others. That fact is nothing new. But where we are as a country is new...or at least new to me.

We are in a place of constant uproar. Things never settle down. For someone like me who needs some quiet each day, this is difficult. It's affecting our families and relationships. I have family members who I don't even have a relationship with because they can't talk about anything but the government and I refuse to talk about it, because I know it will only cause a deeper wedge between us. It really is heartbreaking.

It's the enemy again...stealing, killing and destroying. I hate him. I hate the power he has in the world. I hate his forces of evil that do his work and will and I hate the damage he has done all around me. And sometimes if I am not careful I can think he has the upper hand and then I am reminded...
And just like that, like a mic drop, I am reminded that though I am walking around in this sinful world, what I have because I have Jesus is greater. Greater than the things that anger me, greater than the things that feel like they are overwhelming, greater than this world's views on the things that I hold dear and precious to me. He is greater. He will get the last word. 

So if you're like me, and the things that cross your news feed are just too much to bear sometimes, take courage and hope from the Word of God....He is greater. He will win. He will get the victory. 

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for....

1. A sweet time of fellowship and learning at the Restore My Joy Ladies Conference

2. Fun times with our church family at our Super Bowl Party

3. Better health

4. Rejoicing together with friends over spiritual victories

5. New faces at church

6. A financial error that was corrected and made right in our favor

What are you thankful for this week?

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Teaching Tuesday- Finding Joy


This past weekend I was the student. I attended a ladies conference at my church and sat in the audience as a student instead of instructor. Here's a taste of what I learned:


Hebrews 12:1-2 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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

It’s no surprise that Jesus perfectly handled the journey to the cross. After all, He was Jesus. But how does that translate into our everyday reality? How does that look during our hard times, our temptations, our tribulations and cross bearing situations? 

Let’s look at Jesus example…Hebrews 12:2 says, “for the JOY set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”Jesus kept his eyes on the future…the joy that was beyond the hard times, the joy that was beyond death, the joy that was bigger than his current situation. His perspective of eternity weighed more than the trials of this earth. His joy was bigger than his circumstances. His joy was completely wrapped up in fulfilling His Father’s purpose for Him. 

So what does that look like for us today…

When the diagnosis doesn’t come back the way we hoped….
When the kids are wayward and rebellious….
When the marriage is falling apart…
When the job situation is sticky…
When finances don’t make it to the end of the month…
When our schedules overwhelm us…

Real Jesus joy looks past the current situations and walks with purpose, fulfilling the plans God has for us. We don’t excuse or ignore the current situations but we are focusing our thoughts and our hearts on eternity. 

Easy? No. The cross was not an easy place for Jesus. There was pain, sadness, mourning and death. But the cross was not the end. And your cross you are called to bear is not the end. There is joy because we know that eternity will be sweet. We know that walking through life with Jesus is far better than walking without him. We know that the shame the enemy wants us to walk in is a trap and distraction from keeping our eyes on the Father. 

So, as Mrs. Rita said on Saturday, “Chin up, buttercup!” Eternity is ahead. Our joy may be hard fought for here on earth, but it will be worth it if we have a relationship with Jesus Christ!



Monday, February 4, 2019

Meal Prep Monday


Before going to the grocery store at the end of the week, I am trying to clean out the fridge and get ride of leftovers and extra food I have on hand. Here's what I am planning..

Monday: Chicken and Stove Top Stuffing with veggie steam packs

Tuesday: Sausage, pan fried potatoes, cornbread, green beans

Wednesday: Dinner at church

Thursday: Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup

Friday: Pizza

Saturday: Chili and Rice

Sunday: Out to eat

What's cooking at your house this week?

Friday, February 1, 2019

Stepping Out....Being Brave....

So, it's been years coming.
You know...that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach or in the back of your throat when you know you need to commit to something but the timing seems off?
Well, the time has come.

So I applied and was accepted to a writing group...one that will help me grow, teach me better writing techniques, help me find my voice, guide me through the next stages of whatever God wants.

I've been pushed into this direction for years by the encouragement of others but over the last year have felt God prodding me towards a start date. During a recent move, God allowed my path to cross with someone who I've worked with before, but in a different capacity. This time she will help coach me, cheer me on and guide me to reach a few goals...maybe even towards having something published.

This step has been hard for me. For the last few years I allowed the enemy to rob me of so much because of circumstances. Over the last year I have had many "fall on Jesus", moments and have confessed my fears and my doubts, my hurts and disappointments and my lack of faith. One of the greatest doubts I faced was writing something meaningful again in the face of such a life devastated. 

There is nothing new under the sun. I don't expect my writing to be revolutionary or reveal anything new. But I do know there is someone who might need to hear of the goodness of God in my life, of His redemption, of His amazing plans, of His working in the everyday messes and miracles and ordinary, mundane Thursday Nights or Tuesday afternoons. May it all be to His glory.