To Be Still and Know...

I hit the ground running today. Literally. Had business emails from all different directions. Busy day. Knocked three hours off of my planned schedule. Three hours that I couldn't afford.
No time for Jesus, frustrated. Finally, at 3 pm, I realized I had barely written anything on my fast-approaching deadline. The kids would be home in thirty minutes and then the real busyness of the day would begin.

I felt drawn. What a sweet Holy Spirit. He loves me enough to draw me away in the midst of my busy day, when I don't have time to share my heart with him, don't have time to vent my frustration. For fifteen minutes I lay in stillness. Alone with the lover of my soul. The one who knows me. Knows I'm not capable of leading ACFW. Knows I'm not capable of writing a good book. Or mending broken relationships, or assuring friends that they are valuable and doing a good job. I'm not capable of giving my children equal attention and responding to their individual needs. He knows I must have His strength, his guidance. I'm nothing without Him.
Fifteen minutes beside still waters and I'm renewed.
Try it. :)

Legacy

Hello again on this Easter Eve. :)

we're doing a Human video called Legacy tomorrow. Do you think Peter and John and the rest of the disciples knew they were going to be Legends? I wonder if they knew that they were leaving a legacy that would reach 2000 years into the future.
I don't think they had any real idea. I mean, sure, prophecy fulfilled before their eyes, but they were probably much like us..living in the moment...existing day to day loving, living, laughing, crying.

The music to our video says, "I want to leave a legacy, of a servant who believes that the world can still be changed by just one life. I want to leave a legacy, that years from now they'll see that I lived only for the cause of Christ."

What will my legacy be? that I wrote a hundred books? Oh man, I want to touch lives. I do want to leave a legacy.

Go read Rachel Hauck's blog for today. So awesome.
www.rachelhauck.com

Weekend in a Fog

Went to a precious wedding on Saturday. The daughter of friends I've known forever. Beautiful, sweet, innocent girl. The groom cried (as did his brother and her brother, who both stood up with the groom. LOL--the bridesmaids held it together). My pastor and his wife BOTH did the ceremony. It was awesome. He read some, she read some. I hope when my daughter gets married that it's done that way. Very cool. They put "obey" in the ceremony. My flesh wasn't crazy about it, but my husband informed me later that I've always obeyed him, even when I gripe about it. It's just a word. I suppose he's right. I'm a closet submitter. Ha! Anyway, I'm sure she will do great. It's awesome to see God bring two people together. And the whole church was able to watch as these two fell in love. Both parents attend the church. We are such a close knit family. Awesome. (Have I mentioned that I attend Lebanon Family Church and you should really come try us out???? You'd love it! Money back guarantee--not really. But you wouldn't want a refund. :))

I don't know. I left home at 7:15 to get to church for music practice (I'm HEALED PTL!), Rusty was out of town, so I had to lug all the kids. Have a lot of reasons to complain. Not feeling well, had a major fight with one of my kids right before bedtime, so while said kid, slept like a baby, I stayed awake and bemoaned my parental failings. One good thing about adrenaline induced insomnia, though is that God can deal, deal, deal with you. He dealt with me about a lady who consistently hurts my feelings. Man! I don't know why I want her to like me. She's not that nice, but I really really like her anyway! Weird, huh? She came to me Sunday and apologized. Said God had shown her that she blew me off. I pretended I hadn't thought anything of it. If she knew that a good hour of that insomnia was spent sobbing because she didn't like me, it would have really made her feel bad. She tries. I guess I am not that easy to like.

Anyway, I spent the night wrestling with God. Wanted to stay home, get someone else to sing for me, not practice for the Easter program afterwards (two of the kids are also in it). God began dealing wiht me about sacrifice. It's easy to serve God when the kids are sweet, when the husband's home to help, when my course is laid out before me straight and smooth. I sail on by. But give me PMS, crabby kids, cranky ladies who hurt me, two hours of sleep spread out in 15 minute increments over the night, and BOY do I want to hide my head and start over next week.
Can't happen. Other people are involved. I got up, spent a few minutes with the Lord before the kids woke up. He promised His strength to get through the day. Promised his pleasure for staying the course. Keeping my word and not bailing on the awesome guy in charge of the drama for next week (I'm a fill-in because others have dropped out).

So last night, Rusty sat with me on the couch, rubbed my feet, his actions and tenderness assured me that he loves me. We watched a show about the Bible Code, then one about Dragons. :) It was nice. The kid I fought with acted like nothing happened, laughed, talked, played wiht us and the dog. My course smoothed out, I felt God's pleasure in my calm sweet evening with my family. And I felt myself rest in the center of His will.
PTL

From thief to Prayer Warrior

Last year about this time, my seven-year-old (then six) son sat at my kitchen table listening while my older son read off a list of the ten commandments.
A few minutes later he came to me with remorse and and disgust and informed me that his career goals had pretty much bitten the dust and what he planned on doing, he could no longer do. Supportive mother I am, I told him, "honey, you can be anything you want when you grow up."
He shakes his head and says, "no I can't. It's against the rules"
Rules? What rules?
He gives me a DUH MOM look. "God's rules" (the Big Ten of course).
"Well, sheesh,Bud, what were you planning on being when you grow up?"
With a great sigh of regret he informs me, "I figured I just steal money so I didn't have to work."

Okay, then. So much for being the great woman of God raising my children in the nuture and admonition of the Lord.

One year later...
School Day
The kid will NOT get out of bed.
Finally, in a fit I holler. "Get your butt out of that bed before you miss the bus!"
His reply, "I won't let my feet touch the floor until I talk to God."

Oh MY!
Thank God for wonderful children's workers (who incidentally was surprised and grateful that at least one of the kids was ACTUALLY listening)

Turns out, his children's church teachers are teaching on being a prayer Warrior. And my son has committed himself to being just that. In his heart and mind he is a prayer warrior. And guess what? He is just that in his actions as well.

The thing about this special kid is that he is so sensitive to God. When he learned that God didn't want him to be a thief he changed his plans for the future (now he plans to be a Nintendo tester and an artist and if those don't work out...a christian rock star--although I told him if he was a lawyer or an IRS agent, he could pretty well keep the same plans and be on the right side of the law )
Moving right along....when the kid heard how important it is for him not to get out of bed without connecting with His heavenly Father, he made that a priority

A lesson we can learn. God is not looking at perfection from us, guys, He is looking for a sensitive, willing heart who will just take Him at His Word. Quick to hear and obey.
So my challenge (and I'm taking it too) don't let your feet hit the floor in the morning without first saying Good morning to the Lord and committing the day to Him.

God bless you!
PS I'm STILL healed.

NO PITY PARTIES

My pastor spoke on self-pity today. it was so good.

The devils agenda to make everything we are doing for the kingdom completely useless. It's a five step process.

1. Making us feel sorry for ourselves
2. We resent people
3. We isolate ourselves
4. We get bitter
5. We become offended.

It's easy to give in to self pity. The following are situations where we have to guard against it.

1. When we are persectuted
2. When we are afflicted
3. When we are worn out
4. When others are promoted or experience increase (writers especially have to guard against this one!)
5. When you isolate yourself from others
6. When standing for a major breakthrough
7. When we start something new
8. When you lose a battle

Yesterday I wrote six thousand words. Very good day for me. A double day basically. Very good. Was going to work today, but decided not to. Gearing up for a busy week.
Tonight is a lazy sunday evening, family time. Relaxing. I love Sunday nights. Our church doesn't meet like a lot of churches do. It was weird for me when I first started attending this church about 5 years ago. Now i've grown to cherish my time with the family. It's the only night that is totally ours. :)

Nothing real profound in this blog. I wish you all could attend our church. It's truly amazing. Music, preaching, youth ministry, kids church, nursery.
Awesome.

Love to you all.

Healing

I've been so busy lately I haven't taken time to blog. But I HAD to share this with you all!

A few years ago I developed a tumor on my thyroid. Benign, but growing to the point that singing was pretty much impossible. This was a tragedy for me because if you know me, I have been a worshipper either as a back up or leader for 20 years. And I was pretty vain about my voice (blush). I liked it to sound good. And it did. To God be all the Glory, but he had gifted me. But once my voice completely went bad, I pretty much stopped singing, except when I had to for the conferences or a couple of times a month as back up where I sang quietly and low (alto) so that my voice didn't crack. It gets better when I sing more often, but my range has been so limited that I could barely sing any song all the way through.
After the ACFW conference, I felt like God was leading me to lead worship at the next conference. I DREADED the thought, knowing how my voice has been. OH I should mention that I had surgery to remove the tumor and half my thyroid, but to my disappointment, the tightness never went away. It was like I couldn't really get enough air through me to get the notes out. ANYWAY. As it turned out I talked to Rachel about leading worship and she felt like it was my turn, since I've helped out but not led. So the work began. Every day I sit at my piano working on the songs I feel God has put on my heart for the conference and every day I cry and tell God, "I trust you. I know you will either heal me or cover me as you have every year when I sang" (trust me, he miraculously has touched my voice each year for the past three years and then it goes back to tight and bad again).
I just felt him telling me to keep working, be faithful and yes, He would cover me.
I was watching 700 club as I often do and always when they're calling out healings I'd say, "God please let it be me today," then I'd pray for the others. And it was never me. But I knew I could be healed without being called out. :)
So Thursday I was watching 700 club and it felt different. And suddenly, Pat Robertson said, God has just loosened a tightness in someone's throat, you'll be able to get more air, now." (or something like that)
I said out loud. "That's me!" And immediately I went to my piano to sing. As I sang a particularly challenging song, it got better,...the next day, better....Now I was getting excited because I was seeing evidence of healing, singing with a quality I haven't experienced in years except at the conference. Every day since Thursday has been like this....but I haven't said anything to my family. Tonight, my daughter had brought her guitar into the living room and wanted me to sing the song "You are my strength when I am weak" for her so she could get the tune. So I started singing while she played her guitar and my voice was as clear and quality as it was before my throat started tightening. !!!!!! My husband was lookign at me, my daughter was grinning. So I came clean and confessed that God had healed me. Then I sat at the piano and my daughter and I did a couple of songs, then I just started playing and I can say that God has totally healed my throat.
For those of you who will be at the ACFW conference. Come expecting if you need healing. I believe God is going to show himself in the miraculous in people's lives.

That's all I have to say. I want to end today's blog with honor and glory to Jesus. I'll never take my singing ministry for granted again. I'll never think it's not from God, never discount the gifting and talent that He's placed in me.
Thank You Jesus, for healing me. For giving me back my ability to do what I love most.