God is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! There is simply no other way in which to describe all He has shown me and done in our lives this past week....
Let me rewind to Monday. Joel had been out of town a week. It had been going smooth and we were settling in although missing Dad a whole lot. Monday night, Hannah and I sat down to watch a LONG awaited new episode of one of our favorite shows: Bones.
Half way through the show, the phone rang. Looking at my caller ID I was a little surprised to see a name pop up - Kathy Brush. Kathy is a WONDERFUL lady and a fellow minister's wife in Colorado. I truly love her and her husband Jerry so much! However, since moving to Texas a year ago I had sort of lost touch with her and hadn't spoken with her at all. So, my first assumption was "pocket dial" ha ha! Silly Ronnie - God doesn't do that!
Kathy was calling on behalf of another very good friend of mine Carolyn. Carolyn's mom had just passed away - and two of Carolyn's four daughters are attending Wayland Baptist University in Plainview Tx. (about two hours from Borger). In talking with Kathy about how to notify the girls, Carolyn mentioned my name...thus the reason for the call. Kathy was calling to see if I would be willing to go and tell the girls.
Now, all 4 of the girls are just like my own. They are VERY dear to my heart - so of course I said yes. There was no question - it was the way it needed to be. So at 7:30 Monday night I made the two hour drive to Plainview and was with Katy and Ariel as we told them about their Grandmother's passing...such a hard time but precious time.
On Tuesday, as I was following up with Kathy Brush about how it went for the girls, I told her God is awesome! You see, Katy and Ariel were two of the youth in our youth group in Colorado. We were so sad to leave the youth there - and at the time had NO idea that they would be coming to Wayland - God knew! God knew that we would be two hours away at a time when they would need someone from "home" who understood how hard this loss would be. God knew that Kathy would have my number in her phone. God knew that I would have a free evening to go and see the girls. In His perfect timing God moved us to where we needed to be!
Wednesday - typically a "hump" day and this week was no exception. I was tired, worn out and down. Yet, I still had to run Club XP, our children's program, as well as get kids to bed, etc. Club XP happened to be a high number of kiddos but went SO SMOOTH!!! Only through the work of the Lord.
Thursday (today) - I went to the church to teach my precious class of two year olds for Kids Day Out. We have 12 little ones in our class - although today there were only 9. Anyway, one little boy who I will refer to as K - has just had a really rough time. The previous two Thursdays he had LITERALLY cried or pouted the whole day with the exception of nap time and lunch...just wasn't liking it much! Today, as mom dropped him off he started crying right away and for the first two hours - it was the usual pouting and occasional crying. THEN, I was able to start engaging him with a ball...not quite a smile but participation (something we hadn't seen yet)...I continued...he cracked a smile...then a grin...then a bigger smile...finally a LAUGH!!!! By the time mom got him at noon - he shouted "Mom, I am HAPPY!" Totally the hand of the Lord showing me some joy in the midst of missing my hubby...in fact, I was REALLY struggling but he made my day!
After work, I went to get the kids at school. Tyler came right out and got in the car. He stated that he didn't feel good and could we please just hurry home? We got Kestra and we were off. I had no more walked in the door than I get a call from Tyler's special ed teacher. Tyler had forgotten to leave his FM system (what he uses to hear teachers) at the school to charge. Sighing, I said I would be right back. When I pulled up I saw Tyler's Social Studies teacher outside - she is also the daughter of my adult Sunday School class teachers. I waved and walked in with the system. As I came out, she stopped to talk to me....this part still brings tears to my eyes.
She proceeded to ask me if Tyler had told me what they did yesterday. I said, well he said something about looking at Africa on the map. She smiled and said, yes he asked if we could Google Earth Africa since his Dad was there - so they did. After that, she asked Tyler if he would like to share with the class what his Dad was doing in Africa. Tyler then got up in front of the class and told them that his Dad was in Africa telling the boys and girls about Jesus.. Tyler continued to share how Jesus died on the cross because he loves us and that is what his Dad was telling people in Africa. Tyler shared the Gospel with his whole fifth grade Social Studies class - all because his Dad was in Africa! Like Tyler's teacher stated - she isn't allowed to say anything but if it is student initiated and led, she doesn't have to stop them either!!!
Again - God's PERFECT timing of weaving events together. If Tyler hadn't brought home the FM system I wouldn't have gone back to the school and I wouldn't have spoken to his teacher. Not only that - just an hour or so prior I was really struggling with missing Joel and I was crying to God saying "Why? Why do they have to be there this long?"...Tyler's story was my WHY! So that my son - with the innocence and faith of a child could share Jesus with his class.
Later when talking with Tyler about it he stated very matter of factly, "Mom, some of those kids didn't think Jesus existed, but I told them and now they know He does." From the mouth of babes...we are simply to TELL people so they know!
I am just in awe of how perfectly God orchestrates events for HIS purpose and HIS plan! I do miss my hubby - however, I am so thankful for this opportunity for a classroom of fifth graders to hear about Jesus!!!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
The other side....
It is surreal in many ways to think that it has been two years since I took a giant leap of faith (for me anyway) and went on my first foreign mission trip to Africa.
A part of me says that seems like a lifetime ago; and yet another part says wasn't that just yesterday? In light of Joel's trip there, I have recently pulled out my journal and glanced through it. I thought it would be neat to read one day in my journal for every day that he is gone - in a weird way kind of "journey" with him! Anyway, I plan to do that starting tonight - he left this morning!
I always thought that the person going on the trip would experience the most and also face the most challenges...yet, here I am only about 12 hours into his trip and I am finding that perhaps the hardest part is staying on the home front...
Is this what it is like to be the spouse of one deployed in the armed services? I think it very may well be incredibly similar and just as a military soldier heads out to war...so does one on a mission trip.
This afternoon, after a very taxing time with my son I longed to call Joel and talk with him about it; however, at the same time I didn't. I didn't want to distract him from the mission, I wanted him to be able to focus on the task ahead...I bet military spouses can relate! As it turned out, Joel did call and he did ask about our son so I did talk with him about it - however, by the time he called a trusted friend had already shed some much needed light on the subject and I was able to tell him my plan...whew!
I am not naive enough to say "I got this, it's a breeze!". I am aware the enemy will attack both on the field and here at home...he will do what he can to cause distraction, discouragement, irritability, impatience, etc. Yet, I am determined to do what I often talk with my teen kids about - have the battle plan ready BEFORE the attack comes. I want to be prayed up and read up in the Word! I want to recognize the enemy for who he is and know that MY GOD IS STRONGER! So, the plan for the next 17...make that 16 days now...is to stay grounded in the Word, one with the King and of course be willing to call for reinforcements when needed!
It has dawned on me that when I went two years ago - we lived within an hour of both sets of grandparents and so they were able to help out some. This time, we do live an hour from one aunt but for the most part I will be relying on my church family here in Borger should anything major come up...isn't that AWESOME though that as the family of God we got one another's back?
With that...I am off to the races of getting four kids settled for the evening!!! Thank you in advance for all the encouragement and prayers...they are felt and appreciated!
Sidenote: Times like these are a GREAT reminder for me of why God created the family unit the way he did...we were never intended to raise children or walk life alone. I know MANY single parents and I know most of them have not chosen their path...I respect them so much but more than that I pray that they have a family, whether biological or spiritual, to walk along this road of life. May I be that for the single parents I know!!!
A part of me says that seems like a lifetime ago; and yet another part says wasn't that just yesterday? In light of Joel's trip there, I have recently pulled out my journal and glanced through it. I thought it would be neat to read one day in my journal for every day that he is gone - in a weird way kind of "journey" with him! Anyway, I plan to do that starting tonight - he left this morning!
I always thought that the person going on the trip would experience the most and also face the most challenges...yet, here I am only about 12 hours into his trip and I am finding that perhaps the hardest part is staying on the home front...
Is this what it is like to be the spouse of one deployed in the armed services? I think it very may well be incredibly similar and just as a military soldier heads out to war...so does one on a mission trip.
This afternoon, after a very taxing time with my son I longed to call Joel and talk with him about it; however, at the same time I didn't. I didn't want to distract him from the mission, I wanted him to be able to focus on the task ahead...I bet military spouses can relate! As it turned out, Joel did call and he did ask about our son so I did talk with him about it - however, by the time he called a trusted friend had already shed some much needed light on the subject and I was able to tell him my plan...whew!
I am not naive enough to say "I got this, it's a breeze!". I am aware the enemy will attack both on the field and here at home...he will do what he can to cause distraction, discouragement, irritability, impatience, etc. Yet, I am determined to do what I often talk with my teen kids about - have the battle plan ready BEFORE the attack comes. I want to be prayed up and read up in the Word! I want to recognize the enemy for who he is and know that MY GOD IS STRONGER! So, the plan for the next 17...make that 16 days now...is to stay grounded in the Word, one with the King and of course be willing to call for reinforcements when needed!
It has dawned on me that when I went two years ago - we lived within an hour of both sets of grandparents and so they were able to help out some. This time, we do live an hour from one aunt but for the most part I will be relying on my church family here in Borger should anything major come up...isn't that AWESOME though that as the family of God we got one another's back?
With that...I am off to the races of getting four kids settled for the evening!!! Thank you in advance for all the encouragement and prayers...they are felt and appreciated!
Sidenote: Times like these are a GREAT reminder for me of why God created the family unit the way he did...we were never intended to raise children or walk life alone. I know MANY single parents and I know most of them have not chosen their path...I respect them so much but more than that I pray that they have a family, whether biological or spiritual, to walk along this road of life. May I be that for the single parents I know!!!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Disney....
At the Amarillo Airport
On the Magical Express to our Cabins!
Day 1 was filled with travel. We flew from Amarillo to Houston and then had a 3 hour lay over. I had scheduled the longer lay over just because we hadn't all flown together, I knew we would need to eat, etc. As it turned out that was the perfect amount of time! We weren't rushed, we enjoyed our lunch and all was good. We arrived at our cabin at Fort Wilderness around 8;00. There was a little delay in getting our luggage - it didn't arrive until 10:30 but we enjoyed ourselves anyway!
Day 2 - we headed out to Epcot! Epcot is mostly educational but they have done a GREAT job of making it a fun educational experience! We all loved the ride Soarin which is a simulated hang glider ride over the state of California. I was especially proud of Kestra on this ride. She doesn't typically like thrill rides or rides that are high...she jumped in and did it anyway!!! Another highlight from Epcot was the laser light show that night - it was FANTASTIC!!! To sit by the lake with funnel cake and watch it was perfect!!!
My little man on our Safari!
Day 3 - off to Disney's Animal Kingdom. By far this was one of my favorites and of course my little animal lover Tyler loved it. The thing I liked the most was that it was so much slower paced and relaxing. We were able to just stroll through and enjoy it! Again, Kestra got out of her comfort zone and road Mt Everest which is a CRAZY roller coaster - she loved it too!!! We also went on a little African Safari - this really was fun especially in light of Joel's upcoming trip and my past trip to Zimbabwe.
Day 4 - Magic Kingdom...what else to say except - MAGICAL! That first view of Cinderella's castle really does capture your heart and put you in Disney mode! We just enjoyed everything there. Rides were great and we had a fun day. That night we went to the Electrical Parade and had a blast!
Day 5 - Return trips to Epcot and Magic Kingdom as well as shopping and eating in Downtown Disney. We had a few things we hadn't done at Epcot plus Tyler wanted to ride the Monorail so we did those. Then, we went to Downtown Disney for dinner at Planet Hollywood - kids had fun with that! Shopping was a hit - especially the GINORMOUS Disney store and Lego store!!! Finally we finished the day with fireworks back at the Magic Kingdom!!!
Day 6 - Disney's Hollywood Studios. This was our only semi-rough day. We were all getting tired and on top of that, it was raining, no pouring, no like REALLY RAINING hard the whole time. We enjoyed the Rock N Roller Coaster and the Toy Story Mania rides but after all being soaking wet - we made it an early day and went back to the cabin to rest and pack up for the return home.
Day 7 - traveled home!
We booked our vacation directly through Disney and that is the way I would do it if I were to do it again. They truly do an AMAZING job of taking care of everything! They shuttle you everywhere, check in your luggage and you for the return flight, they deliver luggage to your room, etc. We didn't use the meal plan because the one thing we wanted to save money on was food so I fixed a lot of our meals at our cabin and we took snack foods for most of our lunches. If we were to go again - we may include the meal plan if we had the money but then again it really was cost effective to have the cabin to fix our meals!
The VERY BEST part for me was simply enjoying some fun time with my kids! They did so well. There weren't too many arguments, they all had great attitudes and really enjoyed being together! It is a memory I will cherish! If you plan to go with your family - the Cabins at Fort Wilderness Campground are GREAT!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
The crazy summer in a quick post~
So, I promised I would post about our crazy busy summer! We have been so many places and done so many things that I am just going to do a quick summary here...some pictures were on my lap top which died (I did back them up on an external hard drive but it doesn't work great on the desk top) so I may not have pics of everything but that's okay - you will get the gist!
First up: Amazing Wonders Aviation Vacation Bible School!
This was our first VBS with First Borger and it was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! We averaged 130 kids a day and had so much fun! For me, the highlight was being able to teach the preschoolers. It has been a few years since I have been in the preschool VBS room and I loved being back!!!
First up: Amazing Wonders Aviation Vacation Bible School!
This was our first VBS with First Borger and it was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! We averaged 130 kids a day and had so much fun! For me, the highlight was being able to teach the preschoolers. It has been a few years since I have been in the preschool VBS room and I loved being back!!!
Friday that VBS ended, I loaded up with 7 of our Special Needs friends including my niece Bethany and headed out to Special Friends Camp. Special Friends Camp has held a special place in my heart for MANY years! I love people with special needs...I just think they are simply wonderful! It was particularly neat to take my sweet Bethany for her first time!!!
Bethany is the one with crutches - I love them all!!!
After Special Friends Camp, we had a week of down time before ALL four kids were off to camp. The three oldest went to youth camp and Tyler went to Sonlight Christian Camp in Colorado. Many people wondered what Joel and I would do with out our kids..we enjoyed some much needed time for US and celebrated our anniversary early with a night in Amarillo and going to downtown Amarillo! We did miss the kids but it was nice to just have some us time!
The three oldest got home and we had another week and then it was off to Colorado for family time and to get our sweet Tyler Bay! We enjoyed the fourth of July in beautiful Silverton Colorado and had fun with my Aunt, Uncle, cousins and other new friends!
This is at Andrews lake in the RAIN!!! Love mountain rains!
Upon returning from Colorado, we had all of two days before Kestra and I left for Student Life Camp in Sherman Tx. There were three girls and two adult sponsors. We had a really fun time!!!
Student Life Camp ended on Wednesday, the following Monday Joel and I loaded up with our three youngest and 7 other kids and went to Panfork Baptist Camp for Kids Camp. Once again I had a cabin of 3 girls while Joel with the help of Malachi had 6 boys! The kids ate it up and had a blast! They got to shoot, try archery, go down a waterslide, paddle boat, etc.
Joel doing his job well...relating and interacting with kids!
We returned from Panfork, had another week of down time before the three oldest and I headed out for Mission Arlington! Mission Arlington is a mission in downtown Arlington, Tx that reaches families in need through apartment ministry, food, medical, dental, clothing, etc. Our primary job was picking up and delivering furniture to families that had little to no furniture. It was an eye opening experience for us all to realize that there are those in need right here in the US!
Picking up donations from a home to deliver to the Mission
We got home from Mission Arlington on mine and Joel's 17th anniversary. The following week we celebrated Malachi's birthday with Joel's parents which was really fun! Then we had a family cookout with Joel's sister and her family later in the week to celebrate all the birthdays and anniversaries of the summer! Love getting the cousins together!
Such diverse personalities but so fun!!!
That pretty much brings us up to date. We have enjoyed the week at home and are now doing laundry and getting ready for our family vacation to DISNEY WORLD!!! Oh my!! We leave on Monday and all 6 of us are so super excited! For the younger three, it will be the first time on an airplane. They are excited and nervous about that. So, look for future posts about our trip - I am sure there will be plenty!
Monday, July 30, 2012
Off with the dried up bones...it's time to get some LIFE!!!
The summer has been a whirlwind of trips, camps, etc and we are not quite done with those...eventually I will blog about them and share some of the highlights; however the past few weeks God has been showing me something and I feel that now is the time to share, so here we go...
Now, it's not all to often that I get down to the nitty gritty dirty side of ministry here on this blog. I just don't because honestly I don't like to focus on that or even really acknowledge it at times to be honest. Yet, just like when our house is DIRTY (ummm...which it currently is!) we have to address it, we have to acknowledge that it is time to do some serious cleaning (volunteers to clean my house are welcome) so it is with life within the church or the family of God. We gotta acknowledge that there is some cleaning up that needs to be done...this is the direction of this post.
The past 6 months have honestly been pretty "dirty" in our current ministry. It seems that there has been one blow after another and people are well....to be completely honest....they are just plain NEGATIVE about a lot of things. We have had families moving (for legitimate reasons like job changes), we have had people leaving our church (various reasons), we have had staff resign and move on to different ministries (all God led), we have had criticism within our area of ministry (some legitimate, others not so much), we have had backbiting, accusing, gossiping, etc. I think you get the picture and if you are brutally honest - I bet your church has been there too. (we have yet to serve in a church that hasn't). In fact, last week I looked at Joel and said "I feel like we are these two cheerleaders standing on the side lines saying 'GO GO hang in there, you can do it' and meanwhile everyone else is hanging up their uniforms and walking away, the crowd is booing and hissing, and well there is a spirit of defeat. I have heard "it's just so sad", "well we shouldn't be surprised", etc. I even have found myself thinking "time to lay down the pom poms and give up"...gulp, I know!
However, in all of His wisdom and in His infinite timing my HERO, MY SAVIOR, MY KING OF KINGS has stepped in and shown a light in the darkness...He has opened my eyes to some spiritual truths that had faded in the midst of the darkness.
The first one comes from a passage that I have gone to frequently when I get tired and worn from doing ministry - Galatians 6:10 "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." As long as there is an opportunity - we are called to do good, to serve, to lift up ESPECIALLY those who are part of our family! We aren't supposed to hang our heads and walk away, we aren't supposed to live in the negative, we aren't supposed to say "oh well - we gave it a good run". We are to KEEP ON KEEPIN ON!
The second scripture that He showed me came from a sermon I heard yesterday while on our youth mission trip - Ezekiel 37:4-14
4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath[a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ’”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord. ’”
This was a two step process, first the bones came together and tendons and flesh appeared BUT there was no breath in them. They were a skeleton, a shell, a body - yet no life. It wasn't until the breath entered them that they were full of life. He then paints a picture of not only where our local church is but where I believe where many of our churches are. Verse 11 spoke so loud to me - 'our bones are dried up, our hope is gone, we are cut off'....but hang on because the LORD is coming like a knight in shining armor..."I am going to open your graves and BRING YOU UP from them; I WILL bring you back to the land...I WILL put my Spirit IN YOU and you WILL LIVE, and I WILL settle you in YOUR OWN LAND.."
God is not by any means done with First Borger and I don't believe that He is done with your church either. He HAS NOT left us for dead, He has NOT walked away...He IS doing something new, He IS raising up a church that will be a beacon of light in the dark, He has a plan and it WILL NOT return void. I believe that it is time to call upon Him, ask Him to raise up our dry and weary bones, shake the dust and decay and have the Spirit breathe LIFE into our bodies!
I hear it now, yes you, the one saying "but you just don't get it, you don't understand how long we have gone through this battle, we are tired and weary and we are done." YES I get it...17 years of ministry I have walked the battle scars, the wounds, the weariness, the defeat BUT when I am there is when HE IS BIGGER, HE IS STRONGER, and HE BREATHES life into my bones! I have looked and have yet to find a time where God instructs His people to give up and just walk away and remain dead - He may call us to a different town, or ministry but we are never told to hang our heads and walk away in defeat - HE IS THE VICTORY! We can keep in the game, keep fighting the battle because we know the end - we know that it is already won!
So - here is what I say to those who are members at First Borger and to those who are struggling either in your church or in life - Call upon the Lord and He will answer, ask Him to breathe life into you and your church, raise up your weary body and let HIM breathe new and fresh life into you!!!
Now, it's not all to often that I get down to the nitty gritty dirty side of ministry here on this blog. I just don't because honestly I don't like to focus on that or even really acknowledge it at times to be honest. Yet, just like when our house is DIRTY (ummm...which it currently is!) we have to address it, we have to acknowledge that it is time to do some serious cleaning (volunteers to clean my house are welcome) so it is with life within the church or the family of God. We gotta acknowledge that there is some cleaning up that needs to be done...this is the direction of this post.
The past 6 months have honestly been pretty "dirty" in our current ministry. It seems that there has been one blow after another and people are well....to be completely honest....they are just plain NEGATIVE about a lot of things. We have had families moving (for legitimate reasons like job changes), we have had people leaving our church (various reasons), we have had staff resign and move on to different ministries (all God led), we have had criticism within our area of ministry (some legitimate, others not so much), we have had backbiting, accusing, gossiping, etc. I think you get the picture and if you are brutally honest - I bet your church has been there too. (we have yet to serve in a church that hasn't). In fact, last week I looked at Joel and said "I feel like we are these two cheerleaders standing on the side lines saying 'GO GO hang in there, you can do it' and meanwhile everyone else is hanging up their uniforms and walking away, the crowd is booing and hissing, and well there is a spirit of defeat. I have heard "it's just so sad", "well we shouldn't be surprised", etc. I even have found myself thinking "time to lay down the pom poms and give up"...gulp, I know!
However, in all of His wisdom and in His infinite timing my HERO, MY SAVIOR, MY KING OF KINGS has stepped in and shown a light in the darkness...He has opened my eyes to some spiritual truths that had faded in the midst of the darkness.
The first one comes from a passage that I have gone to frequently when I get tired and worn from doing ministry - Galatians 6:10 "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." As long as there is an opportunity - we are called to do good, to serve, to lift up ESPECIALLY those who are part of our family! We aren't supposed to hang our heads and walk away, we aren't supposed to live in the negative, we aren't supposed to say "oh well - we gave it a good run". We are to KEEP ON KEEPIN ON!
The second scripture that He showed me came from a sermon I heard yesterday while on our youth mission trip - Ezekiel 37:4-14
4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath[a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ’”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord. ’”
This was a two step process, first the bones came together and tendons and flesh appeared BUT there was no breath in them. They were a skeleton, a shell, a body - yet no life. It wasn't until the breath entered them that they were full of life. He then paints a picture of not only where our local church is but where I believe where many of our churches are. Verse 11 spoke so loud to me - 'our bones are dried up, our hope is gone, we are cut off'....but hang on because the LORD is coming like a knight in shining armor..."I am going to open your graves and BRING YOU UP from them; I WILL bring you back to the land...I WILL put my Spirit IN YOU and you WILL LIVE, and I WILL settle you in YOUR OWN LAND.."
God is not by any means done with First Borger and I don't believe that He is done with your church either. He HAS NOT left us for dead, He has NOT walked away...He IS doing something new, He IS raising up a church that will be a beacon of light in the dark, He has a plan and it WILL NOT return void. I believe that it is time to call upon Him, ask Him to raise up our dry and weary bones, shake the dust and decay and have the Spirit breathe LIFE into our bodies!
I hear it now, yes you, the one saying "but you just don't get it, you don't understand how long we have gone through this battle, we are tired and weary and we are done." YES I get it...17 years of ministry I have walked the battle scars, the wounds, the weariness, the defeat BUT when I am there is when HE IS BIGGER, HE IS STRONGER, and HE BREATHES life into my bones! I have looked and have yet to find a time where God instructs His people to give up and just walk away and remain dead - He may call us to a different town, or ministry but we are never told to hang our heads and walk away in defeat - HE IS THE VICTORY! We can keep in the game, keep fighting the battle because we know the end - we know that it is already won!
So - here is what I say to those who are members at First Borger and to those who are struggling either in your church or in life - Call upon the Lord and He will answer, ask Him to breathe life into you and your church, raise up your weary body and let HIM breathe new and fresh life into you!!!
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Mighty Warrior!
The past few weeks have had Joel and I reflecting...Why? How come? What's next God? Where is this going? Who? When?
Yep, we have asked those and much more. It's been a time of wondering and reflecting and questioning and most of all...trusting! We are trusting in a BIG and MIGHTY God to do BIG and MIGHTY things in spite of the doom and gloom, in spite of negative circumstances, in spite of some fierce looking giants and most of all IN SPITE of our WEAKNESSES.
This past week one of the devotions I get through e-mail had this passage in it.
I have heard the story of Gideon many times; however typically when we pick up the story it is with Gideon laying out the fleece and in a sense testing God. This passage actually precedes that part. You see, here Gideon is told by the angel he is a MIGHTY WARRIOR!
Wait? Did you see that? Gideon who comes from the WEAKEST tribe and is the LEAST in his family is called a MIGHTY WARRIOR by the Lord!
Of course, I can SO relate to Gideon's response! Instead of going "Alright God, let's do this thing!" Gideon questions God and reminds Him of how little he is, and all that they have already been through! YEP...that would be me.
"God, how can you POSSIBLY ask ME to do THIS? Don't you know how weak I am? Don't you see all these obstacles in the way? HELLO???"
However, despite Gideon's doubts and fears I LOVE God's response... 16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you , and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”"
God says, go ahead, I am with you and you WILL be successful!!! Not maybe, not possibly but you WILL!!!
God says, Go in the strength you have; I am sending you!
This was a timely passage for me this week. I had began to focus on all that has gone wrong, all that wasn't happening, all the many "enemies" that we faced....I had lost sight of the ONE who has sent us and called us! The strength I have...is the the strength that comes from the ONE who lives within me!
"I can do ALL things through CHRIST who gives me STRENGTH!" Philippians 4:13.
I don't want to be like Gideon in the rest of the story...testing and questioning! I want to move ahead into the battle HE has called me to!!!
As I shared this with Joel, he shared another timely story that God had shown HIM... The story of Joshua and Caleb. Remember that one? All the other scouts saw the many giants and saw no way of overtaking the land...Joshua and Caleb saw the harvest, the wonderful things that they could do once they overtook the land! What a beautiful reminder - looking at the giants through the eyes of Joshua and Caleb!
In ministry, as in all areas of life, it is so easy to focus on all the negative. The families or members that we are losing, the financial obstacles, the giants that are hiding behind the corners, all that is not going on....Yet that is limiting Our Father!
We need to be like Gideon, Joshua and Caleb....we need to rely on the strength HE has given us, the calling HE has placed on our lives, and press forward knowing that because of Christ, each one of us are a
Yep, we have asked those and much more. It's been a time of wondering and reflecting and questioning and most of all...trusting! We are trusting in a BIG and MIGHTY God to do BIG and MIGHTY things in spite of the doom and gloom, in spite of negative circumstances, in spite of some fierce looking giants and most of all IN SPITE of our WEAKNESSES.
This past week one of the devotions I get through e-mail had this passage in it.
"When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior. ”
13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family. ”
16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you , and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”" Judges 6:12-16
I have heard the story of Gideon many times; however typically when we pick up the story it is with Gideon laying out the fleece and in a sense testing God. This passage actually precedes that part. You see, here Gideon is told by the angel he is a MIGHTY WARRIOR!
Wait? Did you see that? Gideon who comes from the WEAKEST tribe and is the LEAST in his family is called a MIGHTY WARRIOR by the Lord!
Of course, I can SO relate to Gideon's response! Instead of going "Alright God, let's do this thing!" Gideon questions God and reminds Him of how little he is, and all that they have already been through! YEP...that would be me.
"God, how can you POSSIBLY ask ME to do THIS? Don't you know how weak I am? Don't you see all these obstacles in the way? HELLO???"
However, despite Gideon's doubts and fears I LOVE God's response... 16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you , and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”"
God says, go ahead, I am with you and you WILL be successful!!! Not maybe, not possibly but you WILL!!!
God says, Go in the strength you have; I am sending you!
This was a timely passage for me this week. I had began to focus on all that has gone wrong, all that wasn't happening, all the many "enemies" that we faced....I had lost sight of the ONE who has sent us and called us! The strength I have...is the the strength that comes from the ONE who lives within me!
"I can do ALL things through CHRIST who gives me STRENGTH!" Philippians 4:13.
I don't want to be like Gideon in the rest of the story...testing and questioning! I want to move ahead into the battle HE has called me to!!!
As I shared this with Joel, he shared another timely story that God had shown HIM... The story of Joshua and Caleb. Remember that one? All the other scouts saw the many giants and saw no way of overtaking the land...Joshua and Caleb saw the harvest, the wonderful things that they could do once they overtook the land! What a beautiful reminder - looking at the giants through the eyes of Joshua and Caleb!
Not focusing on what IS but focusing on WHAT CAN BE!
In ministry, as in all areas of life, it is so easy to focus on all the negative. The families or members that we are losing, the financial obstacles, the giants that are hiding behind the corners, all that is not going on....Yet that is limiting Our Father!
We need to be like Gideon, Joshua and Caleb....we need to rely on the strength HE has given us, the calling HE has placed on our lives, and press forward knowing that because of Christ, each one of us are a
MIGHTY WARRIOR!
Don't let the giants and negative blur your vision...though none go with you, though you may be weak and not from a strong background - GOD IS WITH YOU AND YOU WILL WIN!!!!
Saturday, July 7, 2012
For such a time as this...
July 17 will be the one year mark - of us moving to Borger. Wow!
This past week I was asked if it seemed like it had been a year. To be honest, I really had to stop and think for a moment before I answered. There is a part of me that says I can't believe it has already been a year and yet at the same time, there is a part of me that says - ONLY A YEAR! Ha ha - just being honest here.
Let me expand a bit:
There is a definite part of me that has yet to truly "embrace" Borger and call it home; however, if you have been in ministry any length of time you know that there really isn't a "home" you just go where God leads when He leads. Home to me will always be Southwest Colorado - it is truly where my heart is. That being said, God has shown me through 17 years of ministry and marriage that He can make anywhere home if I am willing to allow Him to do so. In this sense, then yes Borger has become our home.
Yet, I still drive by the hotel we stayed in for interviews and our first two night here and think wasn't that just yesterday that the kids were playing in the pool? It couldn't be a whole year of LIFE has passed since then!
These are the parts that say has it already been a year...
The part that says ONLY A YEAR? That part is the one that looks back and ponders all that our family and church have gone through during that time. We have had multiple struggles with schooling (not expounding on those - read previous blogs for that!) We have had Joel's immediate supervisor move on to another place of ministry - let me just say being the one left behind is far harder in my opinion now that I have been on both sides! There have been multiple leadership changes within the church and we have seen families we got close to move or are preparing to move...When I consider all this, I have to say how in the WORLD could all that have taken place in a 12 month time?
In the same conversation I was asked if I felt settled here...Again, I had to ponder that. You see, I am going to give you an insight into ministry. Typically minister's can refer to their first year at any new position as the "Honeymoon Time". This means that during the first year you can coast, things are new and growing, it's a time of a lot of ups and very few if any downs. Borger has been different for us. Don't get me wrong we have seen some ups and things have grown but we have also seen a lot of downs both personally and in ministry. So - settled? I don't think so not by any stretch of the word; however, I CAN say that God has proved over and over that this is where He called us! Many times I have thought of Mordechi telling Esther "Perhaps God has placed you here for such a time as this." It is my belief that God placed Joel and I here in THIS church with THESE people FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS. If you recall the story of Esther, these words were NOT spoken during a time of rest, success, or when things were looking up - they were spoken in a time of crisis, a defining moment for Esther, a time when she would have to step out into a stormy situation and trust the Lord for guidance and direction. I can resonate with that!
It is MY belief that God has called Joel and I into a situation that is rocky and insecure at times to say the least. In fact, I would venture to guess that He is calling ALL CHRISTIANS to take a step and trust HIM during a time of uncertainty, a time of crisis, a time of uncertainty, a storm! Look at our Nation and our World...the situation is volatile...things could figuratively and literally explode at any given time. Yet God is calling us as believers "For such a time as this!"
Back to the question - do I feel "settled"? No, but then again I am not sure that any of us as Christians will feel settled until we reach the Kingdom of Heaven and I am not sure I want to! What I mean is this - I don't want to grow complacent with where I am at in any area of life - I don't want to settle and realize one day that I am so settled, I have become stuck! I want to live a life that is ever changing and ever growing and always seeking what the Lord has in store next.
So, although not at a settled point and although this isn't Colorado - I am certain that Borger is where God has our family now during THIS time. I am content with the mission and ministry that He has set before us. I am certain and sure that our work here is far from finished. With that in mind - I eagerly and enthusiastically say - THANK YOU LORD FOR CALLING US TO BORGER! I truly look forward to seeing God's purpose and plan in all that has transpired - I know that He has something BIG in mind because Satan has done his best to discourage and dissuade us from continuing on...FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS I will serve, I will obey and I will raise up my eyes and look ahead!
This past week I was asked if it seemed like it had been a year. To be honest, I really had to stop and think for a moment before I answered. There is a part of me that says I can't believe it has already been a year and yet at the same time, there is a part of me that says - ONLY A YEAR! Ha ha - just being honest here.
Let me expand a bit:
There is a definite part of me that has yet to truly "embrace" Borger and call it home; however, if you have been in ministry any length of time you know that there really isn't a "home" you just go where God leads when He leads. Home to me will always be Southwest Colorado - it is truly where my heart is. That being said, God has shown me through 17 years of ministry and marriage that He can make anywhere home if I am willing to allow Him to do so. In this sense, then yes Borger has become our home.
Yet, I still drive by the hotel we stayed in for interviews and our first two night here and think wasn't that just yesterday that the kids were playing in the pool? It couldn't be a whole year of LIFE has passed since then!
These are the parts that say has it already been a year...
The part that says ONLY A YEAR? That part is the one that looks back and ponders all that our family and church have gone through during that time. We have had multiple struggles with schooling (not expounding on those - read previous blogs for that!) We have had Joel's immediate supervisor move on to another place of ministry - let me just say being the one left behind is far harder in my opinion now that I have been on both sides! There have been multiple leadership changes within the church and we have seen families we got close to move or are preparing to move...When I consider all this, I have to say how in the WORLD could all that have taken place in a 12 month time?
In the same conversation I was asked if I felt settled here...Again, I had to ponder that. You see, I am going to give you an insight into ministry. Typically minister's can refer to their first year at any new position as the "Honeymoon Time". This means that during the first year you can coast, things are new and growing, it's a time of a lot of ups and very few if any downs. Borger has been different for us. Don't get me wrong we have seen some ups and things have grown but we have also seen a lot of downs both personally and in ministry. So - settled? I don't think so not by any stretch of the word; however, I CAN say that God has proved over and over that this is where He called us! Many times I have thought of Mordechi telling Esther "Perhaps God has placed you here for such a time as this." It is my belief that God placed Joel and I here in THIS church with THESE people FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS. If you recall the story of Esther, these words were NOT spoken during a time of rest, success, or when things were looking up - they were spoken in a time of crisis, a defining moment for Esther, a time when she would have to step out into a stormy situation and trust the Lord for guidance and direction. I can resonate with that!
It is MY belief that God has called Joel and I into a situation that is rocky and insecure at times to say the least. In fact, I would venture to guess that He is calling ALL CHRISTIANS to take a step and trust HIM during a time of uncertainty, a time of crisis, a time of uncertainty, a storm! Look at our Nation and our World...the situation is volatile...things could figuratively and literally explode at any given time. Yet God is calling us as believers "For such a time as this!"
Back to the question - do I feel "settled"? No, but then again I am not sure that any of us as Christians will feel settled until we reach the Kingdom of Heaven and I am not sure I want to! What I mean is this - I don't want to grow complacent with where I am at in any area of life - I don't want to settle and realize one day that I am so settled, I have become stuck! I want to live a life that is ever changing and ever growing and always seeking what the Lord has in store next.
So, although not at a settled point and although this isn't Colorado - I am certain that Borger is where God has our family now during THIS time. I am content with the mission and ministry that He has set before us. I am certain and sure that our work here is far from finished. With that in mind - I eagerly and enthusiastically say - THANK YOU LORD FOR CALLING US TO BORGER! I truly look forward to seeing God's purpose and plan in all that has transpired - I know that He has something BIG in mind because Satan has done his best to discourage and dissuade us from continuing on...FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS I will serve, I will obey and I will raise up my eyes and look ahead!
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