Change Is Good

I have a pair of pants that button on the wrong side.

This drives me batty to no end. They are new pants to me, I ordered them from a catalog that I usually do, but the button is on the wrong side. Since I didn't realize this before I washed them and hung them up, I can't return the pants. So I have two choices. One, I can get rid of them. The button is on the wrong side and is really presenting a challenge to me all day long. Or Two, I can get used to it and adjust, they are cute pants, I do like them, and they certainly weren't free, so getting rid of them would be wasteful- but then there's that darn button! Every time I use the bathroom I have to stop and think and really concentrate to get that button fastened.

"The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person." 1 Samuel 10:6

Change can be a good thing, according to the Bible. It may not be as simple as changing mindset about a pair of pants, but a change in mindset can be necessary to accomplish God's work.

"And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—" 1 Corinthians 15:51

I'm afraid it's not much of a secret that Andy and I have been a little "disgruntled" lately. We've really been conflicted as to whether or not we were at the church we should be. And this really bothered us. But we've realized that the things that we may want to see changed can't be changed overnight. And maybe they aren't meant to be changed, but in the meantime, we can pray and ask God to change our minds, and he has. Quite effectively, I might add. We have decided that we are where we should be, and while we may not agree with a lot of things, we can keep those disagreements to ourselves. Our role is not to spread discourse, but to prepare for something great. We've actually gotten a little more involved instead of backing away. And it's amazing how change can affect other change.

This week Zander went to Sunday School class. For some people, that may not be significant, but Zander has never been interested in class. Up to now, I have been perfectly content with him sitting with me at church. In fact, I welcome it, because it does teach him how to behave in a public setting. He knows that when at church sitting that he is to be as silent as possible, and it's been a good lesson for him. This summer though, they are doing a special fun program for the kids where they are all together, and Zander could go with his older sister to class. This past week he was at church with me helping decorate the classrooms for the kids, and I think he caught onto that excitement. I think that simply changing my attitude towards church has caught onto my kids, and he was very excited to go to class this week. Apparently he had a blast and wants to go again next week. That is huge!

Allowing God to change our kinds towards church has had a profound impact on our children, and for that we are certainly grateful. It's also had an impact on other ministries, and hopefully it will make a difference. Hopefully by us allowing change, we can show others that change is a great thing when it's done according to God's Will.

So what about those pants? I still don't know...but in the end, they're just pants.

The Lord Is My Strength

"The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights." Habbakuk 3:19

Some days you just need to read a verse in the Bible that helps you along. Something to remind you that your crazy busy day is not going to be accomplished alone. The Lord IS my strength and as today is probably the busiest day this week for me, I can rely on him to help keep me going. To help keep me on the path moving from one task to the next, and not giving up halfway through my day. I thank God for this crazy busy day because the end results are going to be wonderful.

Amazing God

"Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God." Psalm 90:2

Just think about that for a minute. Really. Before there was this earth, there was God. That's just one of those mind-boggling things to me.

"For a thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night." Psalm 90:4

And think about that one. A thousand years are to us are as one day to God. God is timeless. That is amazing to me. We live in a world today that runs by time. Even just thinking about my day ahead of me I wonder where I will find the time to fit everything in that needs to be fit in. Then again, how much of it really matters? Will it really matter if I don't get the laundry done today? Not really, but it will leave me more for tomorrow. Will it matter if I don't get to go grocery shopping? Not really, we have plenty of food in the house, we'll hardly starve if I don't go today. Some days it can be really easy to let time take over and control my day. I have to get this done, and this done, and then this too. And it's also very easy to let that take over and control everything- like my devotional time. It would be very easy to say that I don't have time for it, and I don't have time to blog about it. And I wholeheartedly confess that today was one of those days. But by golly, here I am blogging.

And with that, I do have a lot to do today, and I pray that God will help me use my time wisely. To his benefit, and to the benefit of my family, not for my benefit. May my time today be productive in his eyes.

A Different Sort Of Post

Sometimes in our desire to serve we end up serving in an area not meant for us. That is okay, of course, because it's still serving. But often you will find someone who doesn't enjoy teaching being a Sunday School teacher because they think they should. Or you find someone who doesn't enjoy babies in the role of nursery worker. Every single person has their own talents that can be used to serve God in their own way. For myself, my gifts are in the area of service and writing. Obviously the writing is going on here, and in something yet to be shared. And in the areas of service, I'm happily serving my church in the area of custodian, as well as whatever else is needed.

Where to serve? This is a big question for some, and for many people it can be years before they figure out where they can give most. Fortunately for us, in the age of technology, there are tools to assist us in our search. Doing a Spiritual Gifts Assessment can help someone determine at least what type of ministry they should be involved in. Someone who is creeped out by sick people should not be serving in a hospital ministry, so a test can help identify better for someone where they can serve. So here is a link to a spiritual gifts assessment which I found to be spot on for me. I also had Andy do it, and he said it was accurate for him as well, so I feel comfortable sharing it here. There are many others, and if you feel this one isn't right for you, or you're looking for something more in-depth, do a simple Google search for Spiritual Gifts and you'll find several to choose from.

Nothing Is In Vain

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58

I saw this verse today and it made me smile. Especially the second half. Always give yourself fully...it doesn't say give yourself sometimes, or give yourself halfway. It says always, and it says fully. I recently committed myself to the worship team at church. It was so hard for me to make this commitment! As a Mom, that means I'm not just committing myself, but my children as well. When I go to church for practice, they need to go to practice as well. They already accompany me when I do my cleaning, so to commit to worship practice time was a big deal for me. Part of the problem has always been the mid-week practice time. That's insanely hard for us to get to, as it's during the kids wind-down time at night, and it interferes with bedtime.

A few weeks ago though when I decided that the time was right for me to be a part of the worship team, it meant fully. It meant that I needed to commit to mid week practices and early Sunday morning- and not just when I feel like it. As hard as it's going to be some weeks, I will have to keep this verse in mind. It will be good to be reminded that my diligence is not in vain sometimes. "Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord." What a great verse to start off with today. I just love how God brings scripture to the forefront at the right time.

To God be the Glory

"Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all." 1 Chronicles 29:11

Everything we do is for God's Glory. Everything. Yesterday I stepped out of my comfort zone for the first time in a long time, and it was definitely for no other reason than to glorify God. When I return to thinking about the movie I shared last week, Facing The Giants, that was another important part of the movie. My husband was just talking about it yesterday, and one of the lines from the movie is "We win and we give God the glory. We lose and we give God the glory." Win or Lose. Succeed or Fail, we can praise God either way. And we should praise God either way, especially when we fail at something. We can thank God for the opportunity we had and also for the opportunity to share his love with our loss. Our God is such a great God, he deserves the glory no matter what the outcome is of our task at hand. He is our God, and we are his, and everything we do because of him can be used for his glory somehow. Sometimes it just takes a little reflection on our part to find the glory.

Romans 12:2- Again

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

It seems I keep running into this verse.

Way back before I started this blog, and during my 40 Days of Purpose blog, I posted about feeling a prompting to play the drums for church. I used to play the drums for church during my teen years, and really haven't thought much about it until recently. Last summer something very unusual prompted me to think on it, and I decided that I needed to offer to play the drums at church. It took a very long time for everything to work out so that I could get to church and practice with the group, but I've been going and playing. Last night though, there was something "different" about practice that I couldn't quite put my finger on while at practice.

See, drums are something that get played by feel and sound. You do what sounds right at the time for that spot in the music, and I would literally hear something that I thought should be going on for a particular song and no way for me to do it because we lack the equipment. It was so weird I tell you! I kind of limped through practice I think because this was a really surreal experience- think along the lines of you have a drum and a stick in front of you and that's all. But what you clearly hear the song needs is a set of maracas. You clearly hear the maracas in your head. It totally threw me off. Then at the end of practice, our Pastor took over for the last song so I could hear how he does it, and the whole weird night sort of clicked for me.

I wasn't at the set anymore, I was sitting in the audience listening and paying attention, and once again I clearly heard something that wasn't there. Except that my hands weren't busy with the drum set at the time so I had the opportunity to reflect on what I was hearing and attempt to figure it out. And I think I did. I do think I made the right decision to offer to play the drums. Our Pastor is the drummer, and I am sure there are some weeks where he would just like to focus on the sermon and what-not, and not the drums. And that's what I'm there for- to give him a break. But I really, really think that God put me in the position to be on the Worship Team to ADD to it, not just replace someone on occasion. And all those weird things I was hearing in my head last night? Yep. I think I'm being led to do auxiliary percussion- something we don't have at church yet. Things like maracas, casaba, bongos, conga, wood block, etc. Every once in a while a singer will pick up a tambourine, but nothing consistent. And as soon as I thought of that it dawned on me that while I can play the drums- and I can keep a darn good beat and am consistent, it is not my forte. But the auxiliary stuff... that is truly where I always excelled. I swear the second it occurred to me what I was thinking last night it was as if I had a choir of angels in my head singing "aha!" like a bizarre light bulb moment.

So the point of Romans 12:2 today is that when you follow what you think is God's Will for you, sometimes His Will ends up being not quite what you think. Sometimes it is right on, but sometimes he leads you down a particular path to show you a different path further up ahead. And for the first time since I offered to play the drums I'm excited! I couldn't sleep last night because I wanted to build my kit, and I wanted to tell everyone what I am thinking! And this is the first I've mentioned it to anyone because I did want to sleep on it.

And when I think on it, I feel like I'm starting to get a little overwhelmed. It's like all the sudden all of my ducks are falling in line and one after another I'm figuring out what I am supposed to be doing in different areas of my life. I am so thankful to God for his promptings and for showing me His Path for me, I just pray that I am ready for what has been placed before me.

Super Fast Post Today!

Today I just wanted to share how grateful I am for my change in mindset. I really had to pray about that, and the fact that I have allowed it to change is amazing to me. I feel like we are on the right track financially and spiritually and I just pray that we can stay the course. I am so appreciative of my desire to not spend and be more frugal. It's paying off in many ways, and it's setting a fantastic example for my children. Together we are all learning that more is less and to be appreciative of what the Lord has seen fit to bless us with. And we are truly blessed in every way.

In God I Trust

"In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" Psalm 56:4

"Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you." Psalm 9:10

"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song." Psalm 28:7

Trust: a : assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something b : one in which confidence is placed

Sometimes that trust is tested. This past winter we put all our trust in God to get us through, and there were certainly times where I found that trust wavering. But we did get through, and for me it was the perfect example of what that trust can do. Now I find myself in a point of trust again. Two weeks ago I was cleaning the church and randomly thinking about this and that. Mostly I was thinking about how I was serving by cleaning, and trying to think about how I could use my talent of writing more for God. I do this blog every day, but certainly there could be more. So right there, vacuum in hand, I prayed that God would show me how to use my writing talent to his benefit. Well, in a really bizarre turn of events, and just a few days after praying that prayer, I may have an opportunity to use my writing talent for God.

I won't get into the details just yet because it's not set in stone, but I really feel that this is something that God placed in my path for a reason. There's no other excuse for it actually, and just thinking about it makes me a little nervous. I don't know if I'm up to the challenge, and that's when I remember to pray. God placed this before me for a reason, he will give me the strength and the endurance to meet the challenge placed before me. And it will be beneficial and will be used for his purpose. It's just a little scary to me think about being a mouthpiece for God. I am trusting in God completely that he has given me this opportunity and I trust that he will help me. Trust can be scary in itself, like I'm putting all my eggs in one basket, and I very well might be. But I trust that it is His Will and he will see me to the goal line.

An Excellent Movie

"These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut." Revelation 3:7,8

Have you seen the movie Facing The Giants? Let me tell you, if you have not seen it, you need to. And then you need to show it to other people. People in your church, your community, your friends. It's really a powerful movie, and completely a lesson on faith. Finding faith for some, and keeping faith for others.

The passage above was used in the movie, and was my lesson from the movie. The time it was used, the football coach was at his end. Everything was going wrong, and he just felt like he was wasting his time. He'd spent seven years as coach at this school and didn't feel like he was making a difference in the lives of the kids he worked with. One man felt led by God to share the above verse with the coach and basically told him to stay the course, because God was about to do great things. It was a pivotal point in the movie, and the analogy used was that there were two farmers who were praying for rain. One farmer took the time to go out and prepare his fields for the rain that he was praying for, and the other did not. And of course, the one who got the rain from the Lord was the one who'd prepared his fields. The man left after that and the coach determined he was going to "prepare the fields for rain" and turned to God in prayer and scripture.

I won't spoil the movie, but that point really stuck with me, it was such an important message. How many times do we look around and feel like what we are doing is useless? How often do we serve at church week after week and think that we're not making a difference. I can tell you I feel like that a lot. I know I've mentioned here more than once that Andy and I have been struggling with whether we're in the right place for church, sometimes we just feel useless, like our hearts are not meshing with everyone else's. And this movie really spoke to me. Maybe we are meant to prepare the fields for rain. Maybe our church is on the verge of something, and it's our job to help get ready for it. I'm not saying that we're all that and change is dependant on us, but one thing is certain, we don't pray for our church near enough. I do think that as a church we are capable of so much more, and maybe Andy and I are capable of so much more as well. Maybe my frustration with some of the church things needs to be turned inward so I can see better what else I can be doing.

Definitely something to pray on and something to think on and seek God's Will on this. Regardless though, see the movie. Have a movie night, it's really good.

Lessons from Life

"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" James 1:19

I had an issue earlier this week. I won't go into details, but it really made me angry. In fact, I was quite livid to be honest, and I was ready to take action and take matters into my own hands. I was all set to take care of the situation myself when I felt a prompting to not deal with it. I was angry. Attempting to fix it myself would only result in words of anger, and while I wanted the situation resolved, I didn't want to come across as an angry and nasty person. So instead I tabled my anger and frustration and gave it to my husband when he came home from work. He was able to listen to my issue and orchestrate a resolution that was peaceful and fixed the problem completely without angering or offending anyone. Thank God for my husband.

I can be a hot-head at times. I always say that's because of my Irish heritage, that I am feisty. But feisty and anger are not the same thing, and every single time I see this verse it speaks to me and I do feel a bit chastised. It is a real struggle for me sometimes to not allow myself to be angry. Thankfully, God has seen fit to give me two wonderful children to help me with my anger issue. :-)

It would be so easy to be the angry mommy. It really would. It would be simple to raise my voice to get my point across and be angry and stern with my children. It takes a whole lot more work to be patient and resolve situations with love and kind words, but it sure is effective. Just last night, I was sitting at the dinner table with the kids and Zander carelessly plunked down his very full cup of milk and of course, spilled it. Without saying a word, I very quickly threw a handful of napkins onto the milk and ran to get a towel. Zander had such a look of horror on his face and I think was on the verge of tears with his "sorry Mommy." He so wants to please Mommy these days. I simply picked up his cup, filled it back up, and when I gave it back to him I showed him the best place to put his milk cup. And of course, before I sat back down he got a kiss to show him there were no hard feelings.

You know, honey is really much more effective. When my children follow directions and behave, I want them to do it out of love, not out of fear of punishment. I want them to be the best kids they can be because they want to, and because they're proud of themselves for being such good kids. It's very much the same relationship we have with God. I choose to follow God's Word out of love, not out of fear. (Although healthy fear is good, and a subject for another post someday.) If I made decisions based out of fear, we'd never get anywhere. If I was afraid to offend people and didn't share Jesus with them because of that fear, no one would get saved. Love is what drives me, love is what moves me to share my heart with complete strangers. God is love. Can I not show the same love and mercy to my children?

I don't think I've taken a break here since I've started this blog. Have no worries, we're taking a short holiday, and I'll be back on Tuesday.

Giving- the 200th post!

When I started this blog, I honestly thought it would only last a couple of weeks. I mean, how could I blog every day about the Bible and God and how those two affect my life. I guess I didn't realize just how accountable this blog would be for me. I really feel bad on the days that I miss for one reason or another. And it's amazing how many of my thought processes have changed, simply by digging deeper into God's Word and sharing what I find here. It's benefiting so many people. Every day, people from all over the globe are checking into this blog to see what it has to say. While the readership per day isn't very high, and hovers around 20 or so, the global points of origination are impressive. There are people checking in from time to time from Russia, Philippines, India, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Pakistan, Brazil, France, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, South Africa, Turkey, and Greece. I'm sure there are even more, but I wanted to share this list to say that we are making an impact.

So with that, something I wanted to talk about today for the 200th post is giving. Giving is near and dear to my heart- and it should be. Over the years I've taken a number of those tests that identify what some of your spiritual gifts are, and the two at the top have always been writing and giving. I am delighted that I've found blogging as a way to use my gift of writing. But giving is the one that really lights my fire, so to speak. I love giving to those in need, or even those not in need.

"He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing." Deuteronomy 10:18

"But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us —see that you also excel in this grace of giving." 2 Corinthians 8:7

There are so many people in need. I was just reading the other day about a congressman who tried to subsist on the food stamp allotment of 21 dollars a week and failed at it. He was hungry all the time, and proved in no time that 21 dollars does not go very far. There are people who live on that food stamp program, and would have nothing if it weren't for it, and to learn that they spend most of their time hungry is just awful. We have so much in this country, yet we have hunger. Why? I won't even get started on the poor nutrition that our nations poor have because this isn't the place for it. But I find myself so often adding extra food to my shopping cart to drop off in a bin somewhere. And several of our grocery stores here have mystery bags that you can buy and donate. So many times I want to do more though. I'm looking at my backyard garden, and my newly planted tomato plants, and one of my first thoughts was whether or not our local food pantry would take fresh produce. Why wouldn't they? So next week I'll likely be picking up a few more tomato plants because they take little effort to grow tomatoes, and imagine the family who usually comes home with boxed food from the food pantry, and gets to take home a bushel of fresh garden grown tomatoes!

We've slowly been reducing the amount of stuff we have in our house. I know I've posted before about reducing the clutter, but really more people should do it. Why on earth should we have a basement full of perfectly good children's clothes when we're not having any more children? Keeping it "just in case" is a horrible excuse, there are people who need clothing for their kids. Single moms who are just making ends meet and discover their child's shoes are too small would be thrilled with our basement. So we've been giving it all away. It's amazing how each time we hand over a box we hear "so you want something for it?" Crazy. There is such a thing as a free lunch, and I wish I could do more.

We do need to be careful with our giving though too.

1"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Matthew 6:1-5

We need to be careful to not be showy about what we are doing. It can be very easy to get caught up in the "look at me- I'm putting a big bag of groceries in this bin for the needy" attitude. This works for me in general because I like to do things behind the scenes anyway, but it is a good reminder for me to read that verse.

So happy almost-weekend everyone! I will have a quick post tomorrow and then I'll be off until next Tuesday, as we'll be out of town visiting family.

Time In The Garden

Yesterday we had a hot steamy day. I wanted to seize the opportunity to spend the day outside, so Zander and I went off and purchased my tomato plants and some annuals so I could spend the day gardening. It was wonderful. Zander helped for a little while, but mostly it was just me working the dirt. As I was planting the tomatoes I was thinking about how amazing tomatoes were. How wonderful it was that I was planting this four dollar plant, and later this summer it will be brimming with luscious vine-ripened tomatoes, given the right care. How wonderful is our God to create such things, and to allow me to take pleasure in them!

Every day I walk around our gardens and admire the life beginning to grow. I recall how just a few weeks ago, these plants were simply seeds, and how in a few short months, they will be fruits and vegetables. I cannot wait for the harvest, but I know that my patience will be rewarded. If I were to pull a radish now, there might be a bite there for me to try. But if I wait another couple of weeks, they will be plump and juicy and full of flavor. My patience will be well rewarded.

The flowers I planted in the front yard are already looking lovely this morning. They obviously enjoy being in the ground instead of in their confining pots. The view of our house from the street and driveway is important to me. I want it to be warm and inviting, so guests know they are welcome in our home. Our yard is simply that- an extension of our home.

"She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard." Proverbs 31:16

I may not be making a monetary profit off of my gardens, but I am making a profit all the same. The enjoyment I find from my gardens is a profit to me, and a true blessing.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5

Mommy, I'm Scared!

What an opportunity this can be! Lately we've been hearing this a lot from Zander. He's just at that age, every noise in his bedroom at night scares him if he's not sound asleep. For while it was monsters, and then it was just loud noises. The past few nights he's had a croupy cough, so he's got "scary coughs". It may sound simple, but I've been asking him "Zander, what do we say when we're scared?" And he starts singing the Veggie Tales song "God is bigger than the boogeyman." And then I confirm for him, that's right Zander, all you have to do is say "Go away scary thing, God is taking care of me." He always gives me a big hug then and says he feels better. Even better is when Abigail is part of the discussion, because Zander looks up to his big sister, and when she confirms what Mommy says, he feels even better.

"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4

When children are so young, sometimes teaching them about God can be tricky. We live in a world of fantasy- Zander's favorite movie is about talking cars, so to talk about God- someone he can't see, can be a little difficult. But we do what we can. By being an example for children we speak volumes to them. The other night I was snuggling my son in the bathroom waiting for the shower vapors to clear his lungs up and of course, I was praying for him like you wouldn't believe. We rocked and snuggled and I prayed, and at one point, he kind of whimpered a little bit and gripped me tighter. And I just kissed him on the head and told him it would be okay, Mommy and Daddy were praying for him, and he relaxed almost immediately. We snuggled most of the rest of the night, but he knew that it wasn't just Mommy and Daddy looking out for him and helping him to breather better.

My children are such a blessing to me, and every chance I get I'm thanking God for them, and along with that is an earnest prayer to help me raise them the right way. I want them to want that relationship with Jesus- not just do it because that's what they are supposed to do. I think that if they see Mommy and Daddy doing that, it will make an impression. Much more so than telling them they have to pray or they have to go to Sunday School. By simply telling them that we go to church because we want to speaks volumes, rather than , we have to go because we have things to do. I think it's important to remember that, because it's so easy to get caught up in all the things that need to be done for Sunday morning, that we forget we want to be there. May the Holy Spirit be a constant reminder that we want to be a part of God.

Avoid Division

I can't help but wonder if the verse of the day is different for everyone. Because more days than not, the verse is spot on with whatever I'm thinking, or whatever is going on with us right now.

"I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought." 1 Corinthians 1:10

Last night as part of our small group time, we got together with members from a different church in our town to pray for our community. It was quite the service let me tell you! It was great to come together with like minds to pray for some of the needs in our area, and I am certain something began last night that is only going to continue and get better. This verse is exactly what we are trying to overcome. We are both Bible-believing churches and it's time we started working together for our community- there is so much need... Anyway, it was a good night. And when we went to bed last night I was still buzzing a little bit from the wonderful experience we had.

On a non-Biblical note this morning, I just want to share that summer is on its way. I'm sure regular readers have noticed that on the weekends, my Saturday posting is getting sporadic. (Sunday is my day off from posting). And I apologize to anyone checking in needing a post. And with summer coming up, I expect there may be a day or two where I miss a few posts here and there. Have no worries, I will still be keeping up my personal devotional time, but I suspect there may be a few days where the kids and I have plans to be up and out the door for the day. So I will post as much as I can when I can. :-)

May God Bless you and your week ahead!