Melissa Milbourn

The Child He Embraces, He Also Corrects

2011-10-15T06:46:00.000-05:00

Often times when I think of "discipline", I think of punishment. When in fact, most often, discipline is "training". Whether we are disciplining our children, or God is disciplining us. It's teaching, instructing, training us up so we know how to live right and well and abundantly.

Hebrews 12:4-11 MSG

In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through-all that bloodshed! So don't feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children? My dear child, don't shrug off God's discipline, but don't be crushed by it either. It's the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects. God is educating you; that's why you must never drop out. He's treating you as dear children. This trouble you're in isn't punishment; it's training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God's training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God's holy best. At the time, discipline isn't much fun. It always feels like it's going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it's the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God.

In The Silence

2011-09-12T12:14:00.000-05:00

This morning, in my quiet time, I read a devotion that reminded me of what a jealous God our God is. How He wants us to put Him first above everyone and everything else. How He longs to spend time with us.

After reading it, and the Bible verse that came along with it, I closed my Bible, along with my eyes, and began to pray.

I prayed for a little while, and then my praying stopped. Eyes still closed, I listened to the silence.

Complete silence.

I sat in the stillness for what seemed to be a long time...and then this verse came to mind:

Silence is praise to you, Zion-dwelling God, And also obedience. You hear the prayer in it all. Psalm 65:1,2 The Message

Tears streamed down my face as I felt the nearness of God in that moment.

Under my tears I muttered to Him, "I understand why silence is praise to You."

That we would be willing to shut everyone, and everything else off, to find solitude with Jesus.

"Only in much solitude can ye begin to sift away the chaff and come at last to the golden grains of truth"

"Silence will speak more to thee in a day than a world of voices can teach thee in a life time" from Frances J. Roberts, Come Away My Beloved

I loved the silence this morning, and how God met me there. Can't wait for my next opportunity to find solitude.

How 'bout you? When is the last time you shut everything off to talk to God?

1 Silence is praise to you, Zion-dwelling God, And also obedience. 2 You hear the prayer in it all. We all arrive at your doorstep sooner or later, loaded with guilt, 3 Our sins too much for us - but you get rid of them once and for all. 4 Blessed are the chosen! Blessed the guest at home in your place! We expect our fill of good things in your house, your heavenly manse. 5 All your salvation wonders are on display in your trophy room. Earth-Tamer, Ocean-Pourer, 6 Mountain-Maker, Hill-Dresser, 7 Muzzler of sea storm and wave crash, of mobs in noisy riot - 8 Far and wide they'll come to a stop, they'll stare in awe, in wonder. Dawn and dusk take turns calling, "Come and worship."
Psalm 65 The Message

He WILL help you.

2011-09-05T08:18:00.001-05:00

Reading through the Word this morning and found so many good and comforting things in this passage of scripture. Sometimes I just like to let the Word speak for itself, knowing that it is alive and active and will not return void. So, here ya go:

Matthew 6:25-34

The Message (MSG)

^25-26"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

^27-29"Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

^30-33"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

³⁴"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

More. On. Mavis.

2011-06-29T21:01:00.004-05:00

I just had to do another post on Mavis due to her loving kindness.

As most of you know, my grandmother passed away this past weekend. We love her and will miss her dearly. I especially can't imagine holidays without her. Anyway, back to Mavis.

A group of us (family) were in with grandma her last evening of life on this earth. I want to be specific about that because I believe she's still alive in Heaven, in fact scripture says that "what is mortal was swallowed up by life". Did you hear that? not by death, but by life. "For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life." 1 Corinthians 5:4

Anyway, I say again. ha. While we were in the room that last evening with grandma, Mavis knocked on the door and came in. She didn't say a word. She just stepped inside the door, set her plastic container which was packed full of various kinds of candy, reese cups, almond joy, suckers, you name it, she had it in there, on the floor, took the lid off, picked it back up and took it around to each one of us in the room. Literally serving us.

About an hour later, she did it again. She served us a second round of candy, and then went back to her room.

Not long after that, Grandma took her last breath. The grandchildren that were there, myself included, stepped out into the hallway, to allow our parents time to be alone in the room. Grandma had JUST passed away. I don't know who told Mavis, or how she knew, but as we were standing in the hallway, Mavis came up, stood beside me, didn't say a thing, but spread her arms wide to hug me, still without saying anything. She then went to each of us, one by one, with open arms, sharing sorrow and showing love. Few words, but her actions said it all.

Interesting to me that it doesn't take much to show God's love. To express loving kindness. We often think, "well, I could never serve Jesus". "I don't know how to be Jesus to someone."

Sometimes just being there is all it takes. Amazing how much love you can feel through a little candy and a few hugs.

So, I learned from Mavis again.

Learning From Mavis

2011-05-08T17:18:00.000-05:00

She's never "preached" to me, but what she "does" says so much. I'm referring to Mavis Kile. We've seen a lot more of Mavis since my Grandmother has been in the nursing home. Mavis has a room right across the hallway.

She is always so happy to see us, and greets us each by name, and if one of us is missing she'll always ask about that member of the family. Particularly "the Pester". That's what she calls Josh. She will often sit behind our family in church and watch as our nine year old "pesters" his sister...hence the name. LOL

As I've come to know Mavis better, I have been so impressed by her witness for Christ. She amazes me. She had a white board put up outside her door so that she could leave messages for people. This was her message a couple of weeks ago. In case you can't read it, it says this,

"have you taken Jesus as your Savior? That is the most important decision we make in this life! Enjoy a whole new life in HIM!
Be saved today!! Let the beauty of our Lord God be upon us. Amen."

I love that at her age she is STILL witnessing for Christ!!

Just this morning, in worship, Jennifer was leading, the congregation was praising mightily, and you could feel the Spirit moving. As things got a little softer between chorus and verse, I could hear Mavis, who on this day was sitting all the way across the church from me, say, "thank you Jesus."

My heart was moved by hearing this senior saint praise the God of all creation. The God who has brought her through all the ups and downs and to this point in her life. The God that she can't stop singing about and talking about. The God that she walks with now, and will be with for all of eternity. And I so hope that, like Mavis, I never stop singing about Him, talking about Him, and loving Him.

Thanks to Mavis for loving on all of us by giving us gum and candy, ha, and being such a great witness of Christ's love to us.

Here's a picture from Easter of Mavis with "the pester." LOL

Sin Country - Grace Country

2011-04-30T06:56:00.000-05:00

I don't think I have ever read Romans 6 in The Message prior to today. I love how it explains baptism and living in the freedom of Christ instead of the freedom that we think sin brings. Here it is:

Romans 6

When Death Becomes Life

^1-3So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn't you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land!

^3-5That's what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we're going in our new grace-sovereign country.

^6-11Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did.

^12-14That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don't give it the time of day. Don't even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you've been raised from the dead!—into God's way of doing things. Sin can't tell you how to live. After all, you're not living under that old tyranny any longer. You're living in the freedom of God.

How Denny and I lost weight.

2011-04-24T20:35:00.000-05:00

Believe me when I say that I understand the frustration of being heavier than you want to be, but not really knowing what to do about it. I remember saying a couple of months ago, "if I just had a plan, I could be a more disciplined eater." I know you may say, "yeah right", but it's true for me. If I have a plan, I typically do a pretty good job of following it. Not always, but most the time.

I typically gain weight over the winter and this winter was no exception. Only difference was, I started gaining weight in October, when usually I don't gain 'til Jan/Feb. But my work schedule, plus our home schedule kept us hopping this year. I was ran crazy at work, and gone every night at home. The only time I could have exercised would have been FIRST thing in the morning, or LAST thing at night. To be honest, I spend time with Jesus first thing in the morning, and I did not want to give that up. And, to be honest, by the time the end of the night would roll around, I would be exhausted! To add to all of that, due to the craziness of our schedule, I found myself somewhat stressed out, and was finding comfort in food more than ever. That's not good.

That's one thing that God is teaching me on this diet (which I think of as more of a fast) is that I should not find my comfort in anything, ANYTHING, but Him!

Denny and I are both doing this diet. He has lost 20lbs in four weeks, and I've lost 14. If you too are looking for a plan, click here to see the diet we are following. We heard about this plan from our friend Linda Noel. If you're local, then you may know Linda, or at least remember that her husband Jeff used to be our preacher at FCC Marshall. They are also the couple responsible for leading me and Denny to FCC. If I remember correctly, Linda lost 30 lbs in 40 days on this diet, and has kept it off for nearly a year.

Our drummer on the FCC praise team, Jerry Vickery, also has done this diet and he lost 48 lbs in 40 days. So, if you're interested in trying it here is the link. I recommend that you read EVERYTHING that is on the site, including Dr. Simeon's manual. The diet is very strict, and you won't want to miss a thing.

Feel free to ask me questions.

All I Had To Do Was Show Up

2011-04-16T09:45:00.001-05:00

I have been so blessed this year by having the opportunity to lead worship at a variety of places. I love leading worship. I love Jesus. I love music, and I love gathering with people and singing praises to God, pouring out our hearts to God, and meeting with Him with my Christian brothers and sisters corporately.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25

The more I serve Him, the more He teaches me. One of my favorite lessons this year has been the awareness of this, "All I had to do was show up."

I was invited to lead worship in Jacksonville, IL. My friend Renee Swope had introduced me to them last year, and I led worship at their annual women's conference in 2010, and I was so excited when they asked me back to lead at this year's conference. Last year, I led with music tracks, but this year they asked if I would lead with some of their musicians. At first, I was a little apprehensive to commit to that. It's sometimes hard just to "walk in" and lead with other musicians that you've never worked with. But they assured me that their musicians could play anything, so I trusted them and agreed to lead in that manner.

I met, for practice, with their musicians the Friday night before the event. Practice went pretty well considering the fact that we'd never played together before. It wasn't what I would call excellent, but it certainly wasn't bad. When you merge like that, most of the time even great musicians will play conservatively because you're trying to get the feel of each other's style, so that then you can play more freely. And that's pretty much what happened at that practice, we got to know each other musically.

The next day was the event. During our second song of worship, I remember noticing that the music was excellent, and in that moment, I felt God's presence immensely, and had this overwhelming, incredible awareness of "I am merely a vessel." All I had to do was show up. Do you "get" that? Does that make sense?

Often times when God calls us to something we try to figure it all out. How are we going to make this work? How is it all gonna come together properly? And we stress out over the details of how to make things happen. I'm not saying we don't need to prepare well in order to serve Him with excellence because we do! However, we need to do our part of being responsible, and just let Him do was He does so well. He just needs someone who is willing to serve Him. Willing to be obedient to go where He calls you to go. And He'll do the rest. He'll enable you. Empower you. Equip you. Give you everything you need to fulfill His purposes. All I had to do was show up!!!

Fast forward from that event to the Unity Night Event. This is an event that I/we had prepared for months for. We form a team of women from various churches in the community to lead worship at this event, and God has given me the awesome responsibility/privilege of heading up that team. I love these girls and we have become great friends. Just prior to the Friday night Unity event, the Men's prayer team gathered around us to pray for us. Then they anointed each of our heads with oil and said a prayer over each of us. When Paul Boyer anointed my head with oil, he said these words, "Lord, Missy has the night off."

Tears began to flow from my eyes the moment Paul spoke those words. I was reminded of the event in Jacksonville and the thought of, "all I have to do is show up". It was the same here. I did have the night off. Yes, I was on stage, yes I had a responsibility, but I could be "Free" because God had complete control of every part of what was about to happen. All I had to do was be obedient to show up and do what He had called me to do.

What is God calling you to do? Oh there is SUCH huge blessings in serving Him. I have found that the greatest blessing and reward in being obedient to Him is that you get more of Him. More of His presence.

John 14:21 (Amplified Bible)

²¹The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]

Do you want to experience Jesus more? Then listen to Him carefully, and go where He tells you to go. Do what He encourages you to do. All you have to do is be faithful and show up. He'll do the rest.

So Much More Than an Event With a Great Speaker....

2011-03-24T19:55:00.001-05:00

It just occurred to me, that my life changed, took on a different direction, discovered a relationship like none I had ever known before or since, at an event much like I will be leading worship at this Friday and Saturday.

This weekend is the Wabash Valley Ladies Unity Night. I don't know why I'd never thought of this before, but tonight I was reminded that I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior at an event much like this one.

I was in junior high and my parents were going through a divorce. My mom and aunt took me to a Dallas Holm concert. Dallas sang and spoke to us. As he sang the song "Rise Again", my heart began to fall in love with Jesus. At a time when my family was shaken, Jesus got my attention and reached out for my hand. I'm so glad I grabbed hold.

My prayer for the women at this event is this:

"open their eyes to see what you do. To see your zealous love for your people." Isaiah 26:11 The Message

Oh that each woman would know the amazing, unconditional love that Jesus has for each of us. Regardless of where we've been, what we've done, how much of a mess we've gotten ourselves into...HE loves us. He loves you, and He's reaching out to you. Chasing after you.

Take it from one who's life was changed and at event much like this....This is so much more than an event with a great speaker. It's an event with a GREAT SAVIOR!!

Married to my High School Sweetheart

2011-03-18T16:04:00.001-05:00

Due to the fact that I've been called to a ministry that serves "in front" of people, I sometimes get asked for a "bio". Evidently, people want to know who that is standing up in front of them. :) It's a high honor to serve in the way that God has called me, but being in front of people didn't come naturally to me. That's another story for another time.

Anyway, recently I was asked for a short "bio" on myself, and as I typed these words, "...married to my highschool sweetheart..." I stopped and thought, "what do people think when they read that?"

Because God forbid it conjure up some idea in their minds that we live in some fairy tale land where we fell in love at 16, and have danced around with birds chirping love songs over our heads ever since. Because God and these walls of our home as witnessess, know that's not the case.

God has blessed me with a Godly man, who now more than ever, desires to live out the life that God has called him to live and in the way that God has called him to live it. And I do too. But it hasn't always been that way for him, or for me.

We've struggled with God, and we've struggled with each other. To paint the image that our life and relationship is perfect, would deny the truth of the times during intense arguments where I've muttered, "I hate you" under my breath. ouch. Of course I'm much more mature now, and no longer say I hate you, but something like, "I hate it when you act like that."

We are blessed in the fact that we don't argue much. We really don't. But oh when we do, it seems like the world is falling down around us.

We started dating when I was a junior in high school. We broke up for several months sometime after my graduation. (Denny's 18 mths older than me.) But when we got back together, we stayed together.

On the day of our wedding, I was 19, he was 21. So young. And yet, I am SOOOOOO thankful for God giving Him to me. I think my favorite thing about being married to my highschool sweetheart is that we literally grew up together. We've learned how to be grown ups, together. (hold the jokes friends) ha. We've learned to be responsible together. We've learned that credit cards can get us in trouble. We've wrestled through how to raise these kids of ours. We've learned to fight...and make up. But to give off any impression that we live in some fairytale land where we've done everything perfectly would be far from accurate. :)

I am so glad that God chose us for each other. I love my high school sweetheart more than words could ever express. I can't imagine a more perfect match for me than Denny, nor would I have wanted to do all these years with anyone but him...and sometimes the birds do chirp over our heads, but other times they drop a load. :)

Maren's Heart

2011-03-17T18:02:00.000-05:00

We took Maren to see a pediatric cardiologist at Riley today. Here's what we found out, she does have a heart. ha. (just kiddin' Maren)

She's now had three or four EKG'S, two chest x-rays and blood work testing several different things, and the doctor said from all the tests, the heart itself looks like it's in good shape. Yay. He wants her to come back in a couple of weeks for a stress test to make sure that there's not any "electrical shorts" happening outside her heart while she is exercising.

He also stated that if you look at a physicians manual for chest pains in a child Maren's age, typically the heart is the last cause, oddly enough. He said most often, chest pains in someone Maren's age is caused by an onset of asthma, or something gastro-intestinal.

So, still checking things out. Thank you SOOO much for your concern and for your prayers.

This is the Kind of Fast Day I'm After

2011-01-08T15:52:00.001-06:00

To be honest, sometimes I post things before my thoughts are even complete on what I'm posting. That's what I'm doing today, I'm sharing some thoughts that may not be tied up nicely by the end of what I'm writing here.

Going into the first of the year, I felt very strongly that I needed to fast. Denny and I have started the year like that a couple of times in the past. We would fast the first 21 days of the year. So, I started out doing that again this year. I actually started it on Monday, January 3rd. On that day, I did not eat, and I prayerfully considered what God wanted this fast to "look" like. You know, do I go without food for one day, three days, seven days, and then what do I do? Do I then go into the "Daniel fast"? Which you can google if you'd like to see what that is. After one day of fasting, to be honest, I felt God's presence more than I had in a long time, but I still could not settle on a direction of what this fast should "look" like. Because I couldn't "settle" on a direction, I went ahead and ate the 2nd day, but kept praying about the fast. THEN, I had this thought, "maybe this isn't supposed to be a food fast at all, maybe this is supposed to be a complaining fast." Meaning, for 21 days, I'm not going to complain. At all.

So, I told my co-worker, Cathy, about that. Later that day, I said something to her that one might consider a complaint and I quickly followed that up with "shoot!! I am not supposed to be complaining!!" Then a little later I said something again, that one might consider a complaint, and I said to her again, with disgust, "ahhhh....I am NOT suppose to be complaining!!!" Which she replied, "you suck at this fast!" Her words exactly. That TOTALLY cracked me up!!

So, all week I have been seeking God, and to be honest, I have been finding Him, just not regarding the fasting information...until this morning. I sat up and took notice as I began to read what God says in Isaiah 58 (The Message):

Do you think this is the kind of fast day I'm after; a day to show off humility? To put on a pious long face and parade around solemnly in black? Do you call THAT fasting, a fast day that I, God, would like?

This is the kind of fast day I'm after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts. What I'm interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families.

Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage. Then when you pray, God will answer. You'll call out for help and I'll say, Here I am.

If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people's sins, if you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down and out, your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go. I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places...

This is the kind of fasting he's after. How well am I doing these things? There are many that I'm not doing well. So I go without food, but my heart is corrupt? What good does that do? He is after life change. Do I have a heart like His, am I concerned about the things that concern Him? That's what I need to ponder.

When we fast what we should be after is more of Jesus in our life. More of Jesus in our circumstances. And when we "get" more of Jesus, we "become" more like Jesus. As He lays His heart over our heart, we become concerned over what concerns Him. We reach out to people that He wants us to reach out to. We lend a helping hand where He calls us to lend it. We give where He directs us to give, we begin to move as one with Him in the direction that He calls us to go, within every area of our life including our marriages, finances, and relationships.

Maybe as you read this you feel that you too want more of Jesus. That you want to be His hands and feet in this world. There are so many ways that the Lord might direct you to give. One way He has directed our family to help people in poverty is through Compassion International. We, just last week, sponsored our 2nd child. Her name is Patricia. And the Holy Spirit has already begun to entangle our heart with her.

Denny is a children's advocate for Compassion. So he gets information fairly frequently on children who need our help to be released from poverty. Children who need us to be Jesus to them. We recently received information on three children who need sponsors. Children who are waiting on someone just like you to reach out and help. Again, there are many ways you can help the poor, but if you feel like God is calling you to help one of these children, please leave a comment here with your contact information, or send me an email at melissa.milbourn@gmail.com. Would you please prayerfully consider these children:

Pogiri from India

Birthday July 5, 2003

Miriam from Peru

Birthday: April 12, 2004

Ocen from Uganda

Birthday November 26, 2001

You can change a child's life for just $38/mth. If you're interested we will give you more information on the child, and how the program works. And we would need to know by January 13th.

Or if you're the one who feels down and out right now email me and I will pray for you.

I Saved Two Lives Today

2011-01-06T17:28:00.000-06:00

Home alone, I heard a LOUD KUR-THUD come from upstairs. So loud that I seriously almost ran out of the house because I thought there had to be an intruder. And then, for some reason, this thought came to mind, "I bet the crazy dog was trying to drink the goldfish water and knocked them off their stand." So instead of fleeing the house, I ran upstairs, and that is exactly what had happened. I ran into Maren's room (they are Maren's fish) and the bowl was on the floor. Water and rock from the bowl were everywhere, and the dog was licking her chops.

I thought, "If she ate those fish, I'm going to hurt her badly." Ha, I totally forgot about the whole "don't repay evil for evil" concept in that moment. After I tossed the dog out of Maren's room, I began to look for Cosmo and Wanda, and I found them...totally lifeless. No flip flopping or nothing. I couldn't believe how much I cared for these fish all of a sudden, when up to that point I couldn't have given a flip flop about them. So I gave them mouth to mouth, and started yelling "stay with me!!" kidding. I hurried up and put them into the bowl, and RAN to the bathroom and began putting water back in, and as soon as the water hit them, they began to swim. YAY!!!! So far, so good. I hope they make it through the night and survive the stress of all that!

Right after that happened, and things calmed down, I was reminded of an analogy that I heard someone use just recently about how fish were made to swim, and when you take them out of the water they can't do anything. And they related that to our God given gifts. That's the way we are too. When we operate within the realms of how God has gifted us, we swim beautifully, just as the fish do in water. But when we operate outside the way God has gifted us, we tend to struggle within that, and often lose our joy. I looked like the fish out of water the time I tried to teach the three year old class. LOL. I was not really operating within the realm of what I'm good at, or how God has gifted me. And I'm pretty sure it wasn't good for the three year olds either!!

If you're struggling with knowing what your "gift" is, then send me a message. We have "gift tests" at the church that I can hook you up with.

Merry Christmas...

2010-12-23T20:57:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!

I'm looking SOOOO forward to just relaxing over the holidays. We, of course, will be having family gatherings. Denny's family will all be at our house Christmas Eve. We then will be leading worship at the Christmas Eve service at 9p. If you're close by and don't have a service that you normally attend on Christmas Eve then please join us at First Christian Church in Marshall! It's always a special time as we gather and celebrate Christ's birth. Christmas day we will celebrate at my Mom's house with my Grandmother and aunt's and uncle's and cousins. Thankful for family.

Then I have all of next week off. YAY!!!! I'm looking forward to enjoying time with Denny and the kids, and just taking time to soak up God's presence. So grateful for HIM, for who He is and for His presence in my life.

Hope you all soak Him up this holiday season!!

Memories and a Christmas Show

2010-11-17T20:40:00.001-06:00

Tonight Denny was flipping through old photos when he came across this one and it brought back some fun memories!

A couple of years ago, our family along with Tim and Jennifer Wood and their boys, made a trip down to Nashville to see our friends Matt and Christy in the Louise Mandrell Christmas show at the Opryland Hotel.

We had such a GREAT time hanging out together. The only downside is Ezra was not feeling well. For those of you who might not know Ezra, he's the little guy in the very back being held by Tim. As I recall Ezra had a touch of the flu which left him sick at both ends, if you know what I mean. But thankfully, by the time we arrived to the show, Ezra was feeling MUCH better.

When we arrived at the show, Matt, always being so friendly, said to us, "hey, hang around after the show and we will introduce you to Aunt Lou."

So hang we did. We waited for about an hour after the show while Louise signed autographs. While we waited, our little guy, Josh, along with the Wood boys ran around the hotel like maniacs. JUST as we were walking up to meet Louise, Josh, because he had ran around and got overheated, ran out the front door of the hotel yelling, "I'm gonna puke!" Though at the time we didn't know if he was sick because he was overheated or because he had what Ezra had.

What makes me laugh is that I recall watching Josh head toward the outside door of the hotel, and Denny following quickly after him, and I remember thinking, "He can puke with Denny, I'M going to meet Louise Mandrell". Ha. What a GOOD Mom I am.

Just prior to Louise's assistant snapping the picture, Josh ran back in the door, and Louise called him over to stand by her. So sweet. The snapshot memory was made, and he didn't puke on her shoes or nothin'.

Louise's Christmas show is WONDERFUL!! If you are looking for something special to do this Holiday Season, and Nashville's not too far from you, you might consider seeing it. I highly recommend it. And to anyone from our church who might be reading this, I know that Matt and Christy would LOVE to see friends from FCC Marshall. You can find more info on the show by clicking on this link.

Distress: Do Prayers Matter?

2010-11-10T05:42:00.001-06:00

Recently, while going through a season of distress, a friend reached out to me. This friend is not in my day to day life, so she really had no way of knowing what I was dealing with, or going through each day...but God.

She reached out saying that God had put me on her heart and that she was praying for me, and is praying for me. This happened about a month or two ago, and God has not changed my circumstances. But what has changed is ME. Through her prayers, God has changed me, and because of that, I am able to handle the situation I'm in much better. I can see and feel the difference, because of her prayers.

In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul is talking about a season of distress and what helped him through, and here is what he says:

"8-11We don't want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn't think we were going to make it. We felt like we'd been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he's the God who raises the dead! And he did it, rescued us from certain doom. And he'll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing. YOU AND YOUR PRAYERS ARE PART OF THE RESCUE OPERATION—I don't want you in the dark about that either. I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise for God's deliverance of us, a rescue in which your prayers played such a crucial part."

Maybe you've been praying for yourself, or someone else, and you feel as if your prayers don't matter. Be reminded today, that God hears your prayers, and your prayers make difference. Your prayers are part of the rescue operation. Keep praying!!

Distress: Painful but Good?

2010-11-06T08:33:00.000-05:00

Here are some definitions of distress:

1. Great pain, anxiety, or sorrow; acute physical or mental suffering; affliction; trouble.
2. That which causes pain, suffering, trouble, danger
3. A state of extreme necessity or misfortune

Who likes being in distress? Yuk. It is uncomfortable, unpleasant, and generally never a fun place to be. But as ugly as distress feels, can it be a good thing? Yeah, it can. It is good when it turns our hearts back to God.

In 2 Corinthians 7, Paul says this:

"I know I distressed you greatly with my letter. Although I felt awful at the time, I don't feel at all bad now that I see how it turned out. The letter upset you, but only for a while. Now I'm glad...not that you were upset, but that you were jarred into turning things around. You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss".

"Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets."

"And now, isn't it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has goaded you closer to God? You're more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible. Looked at from any angle, you've come out of this with purity of heart. And that is what I was hoping for in the first place when I wrote the letter." (2 Corinthians 7:8-13 MSG)

Are you in a tough place? Do you feel that distressed feeling? Allow that to drive you to God, not away. I'm remembering this for myself today, and also encouraging you. Sometimes it takes seasons of distress for us to really stop and sink deep with God. And out of that distress a deeper relationship with God is created, and in addition to that deeper relationship, we are changed from the inside out. As the scripture states we become more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible, and have more purity of heart. This is good.

In your distress, draw near to the Lord Jesus, and even if He doesn't change our circumstances, He changes us, and this is good! When we turn to Him it is all gain, no loss.

Joshua's Birthday/Joshua's Baptism

2010-11-04T18:57:00.000-05:00

Joshua's Baptism-YAY!!!! So proud of our boy!!

Joshua's Birthday!!! He wanted strawberry icing. I said, "you realize, then, that you will have a pink cake right?" He's comfortable with his manhood.

All About Josh

2010-10-29T20:45:00.003-05:00

This weekend, for us, is all about Josh. His birthday is Monday, so this is his birthday weekend. We started something a long time ago that has now become a tradition. The family member who is having the birthday, gets to choose most of what we do for the weekend. We will typically eat out a couple of times, and they get to choose the location. So Josh has planned his weekend.

Tonight we ate at Subway, which is one of his favorites. Tomorrow he is having a friend over, and then later in the day he wants his family (grandparents) to come over and help celebrate his day. Sunday, he's getting baptized. He thinks it will be neat getting baptized this close to his birthday, and I agree. I'm thrilled to both hear, and witness how excited he is about being baptized. His teacher said that he has been talking about it at school. And I've also heard him mention it to several people. As I wrote in a previous post, it is so much fun walking this walk with him. We are so thankful that God blessed us with his life, and thankful that the Lord has invited us to walk through life with HIM.

Miss Anything Else, but Don't Miss My Voice

2010-10-15T05:49:00.000-05:00

Our eight year old son, Joshua, wants to be baptized. He initiated it. He has set the date. He is telling people about it, and he's been talking about it a lot.

What I love most about Him talking about it, is that when he refers to it, He does it mostly from a "relational" stand point.

Last night, before bed, He was talking about hearing God's voice. He brought that up, not me. He said from His little eight year old heart and mind something to the effect of "I think I'll have more conversations with God once I get baptized." He then said, "I think that sometimes during the day, I'll just stop to listen." Then He followed that up with, "How will I know if I'm hearing His voice in my head, or if it's just my thoughts?"

I thought to myself, "Great thoughts, and great question." I told him that the more He gets to know Jesus, the easier it will be to recognize His voice. I also told Him that God would never say anything that would go against the Bible, like He probably would never tell you to go hit your friend as hard as you can, and hurt them just for the fun of it.

But the truth is, and I will talk to Josh more about this too, don't most of us struggle sometimes with knowing whether something is our own thoughts, and knowing if it's Jesus? And I do think it has become easier to discern the more I've walked with him, but there are still those times that I have to say, "Lord, is this me, or is this you." Quite frankly, that's one of the determining factors for me. If I have to stop and ask that question, then most often it's God.

There's a lot more thoughts I have on this, and a lot more I'd like to share, but I have to prepare for a mtg this morning, I just wanted to throw this out there because it was on my heart this morning, AND because I'm reading a book called "Come Away My Beloved" by Francis J. Roberts, and what I read this morning went right along with my conversation with Josh, and I loved it, so I wanted to share. I read this:

"Miss anything else, but don't miss my voice. Other voices may introduce disharmony, but My voice will always bring peace to thy heart and clarity to thy thinking. For ye shall hear My voice behind thee saying: This is the way, walk ye in it, when thou turnest to the left hand or to the right."

May we stop and listen today.

A Few Things I Would Miss If I Left Our Church

2010-09-26T15:54:00.000-05:00

I'm not planning on leaving our church, but if I did, it would be things like this that I would remember about our church, and things like this that I would miss:

1. Travis Beltz and Mike England standing in the congregation and calling praise team member's cell phones right after we start worship. They think that's funny. :-) We have had to LEARN to make sure our cell phone are OFF!

2. People, on more than one occasion, not letting me out of the sanctuary. (Travis) The praise team leads during 2nd and 3rd services. In the 3rd service the praise team is dismissed prior to offering. I stay and play the keyboard through offering, and then leave during the sermon to fellowship with the rest of the band. That is, if someone is not standing on the outside of the door, holding it so I can't get out. :)

3. Getting stuck in our bathroom behind the stage. enter at your own risk. You might not come out. ha. (the door sticks)

4. I miss Karen Keim's Sunday School class.

5. And even now, though I am there every Sunday, I miss having the chance to sink deep, ONE ON ONE, with people in our church. Those conversations would typically happen in Sunday School or on Wednesday nights at Bible study, neither of which I have been able to attend in recent years due to scheduling conflicts of ministry duties.

I love the church family. Which in all seriousness doesn't look much different than a regular family. There are good times, hard times, happy times, sad times, goofy times, annoying times....but doing life with my FCC Family is a special gift to me.

You Are Never One of Many to Me...

2010-09-18T07:37:00.003-05:00

"You are never one of many to Me. You are precious and dear to My heart, yes, even as a very special treasure. For I love you more than you can ever comprehend, and I long to gather you in My embrace and hold you close to My heart. Do not hold Me at arm's length because you have a sense of unworthiness. Have you not read that the redeemed are brought near by the blood of Christ? Your sins are not covered: they are washed away!! They are not only forgiven: they are forgotten!!"

Adapted from "Come Away My Beloved" by Frances J. Roberts

I read this today and loved the way the writer reveals the heart of God.

"You are never one of many to me."

A Quick Trip...

2010-09-03T14:09:00.009-05:00

As I type this I am driving, okay not driving, riding in the van on our way home from Nashville.

Denny and I had a GREAT time last night in Nashville at a fundraiser for S.E.E.K. a ministry that helps people in Kenya. We had been talking about wanting to get away for an evening, just the two of us, when we received the invite to this event. It was an excellent benefit put on by Barbara Mandrell's daughter Jaime.

We got to see our friends Matt and Christy again. We always love hearing Christy sing, and Matt was tearing up the mandolin (impressive).

We also loved hearing Mike Farris and The McCrary Sisters. Oh my. SOOOO incredibly talented. I had never heard of them prior to this, but obviously others have, because Mike has won a Dove Award. Which is probably the most prestigious award given to Gospel Artists.

And I also THOROUGHLY enjoyed watching my musical hero, Barbara Mandrell, enjoying the evening. If there was a "congregational worship leader" present, she was it!

I haven't heard any totals, but I know that there was a lot of money raised. Glad we traveled, and got to be a small part of God's plan for this ministry.

Here's some pics from the evening.

Mike Farris and The McCrary Sisters

The Mandrell Sisters...still lookin' GOOD!

Matt and Christy

In Need of Something Real

2010-08-21T09:20:00.007-05:00

I have found myself in a bit of a funk lately. I would love to tell you all about it, but I haven't quite figured it out myself. I can't "label" it. I'm not sure why I find myself at this place. I'm not sure how to describe it. But in the midst of the "funk" I've yearned for something real, and I CAN describe what I mean by that.

I've yearned for "real". Real stories of God, not in Bible days, but in modern day, and how He's moving in the lives of His people here and NOW. I haven't just yearned for it, I've been desperate for it. I'm not sure why that desire manifested itself, I just know that it has burrowed it's way into my heart.

What I love about God and the way He works is that HE knows what we need, when we need it. I hadn't told anyone about how I was feeling. To be honest, I hadn't even had any long discussions with God about it. But one day this week I was sitting at home watching TV, when I felt a stir in my heart and I said to God, "I need something real Lord."

About that time Denny said, "I want to read you a story from the book I'm reading. I think you'll like it."

To be honest, my first thought was a sarcastic "Great. Denny's gonna read me a story."

Denny came into the family room and sat down and started reading. He hadn't spoken three words before my tears began to flow. I felt God's presence immensely. I got up from my chair, trying to hide my tears, and turned off the TV so I could give HIS story my full attention.

Denny began reading a story to me about a man named Richard Stearns. He was the CEO of Lenox a company that sells China and dinnerware. One day a friend who worked for World Vision was speaking with Richard, and he said something to this effect, "Richard, World Vision is in need of a President, and every time I pray about who it should be, you come to mind." Richard, basically said, "I'm not interested. I'm not the man for that job."

I'm not going to tell you all the details, but in short, the rest of the story was about the incredible way God revealed himself, in the next six months or so of Richard's life, through people and circumstances, until Richard knew that he WAS the man God wanted to lead World Vision.

I was teary eyed through the whole story as Denny read to me the MANY ways God revealed himself in the here and now. A modern day man. A modern day God. And as Denny read, my faith increased.

But it didn't stop there, God continued to give me more stories throughout the week of how HE is showing off in the lives of modern day people....and in doing so He showed Himself greatly in my life by fulfilling my desire for something "real".

I'm so thankful for Jesus. Thankful for the personal relationship that He has invited us to have with Him. Thankful that the relationship is REAL. That He answers when we call to Him. That He met me in the middle of my "funk".

How is it that you need Him today? What "real" thing do you need? May you call on the One who has proven himself faithful for generations.

"Call to me, and I will answer you...." Jeremiah 33:3

(the book Denny read to me from was "The Hole in Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns)

BTW, in case you're wondering, yes, Denny is still a Children's Advocate for Compassion International, but we obviously support all who help those in poverty.

25 New Questions

2010-07-31T18:01:00.005-05:00

My friend, Mary, tagged me on Facebook with these 25 questions, so I thought I'd play along and answer them too!

1.1.21. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT? Uh, shaving my legs? Maybe? Not sure. Can’t really think of any scars. Just emotional ones. Ha.

2. DO YOU SNORE, GRIND YOUR TEETH, OR TALK IN YOUR SLEEP? I don’t know, I’m asleep. "Denny?" Denny says “no”.

3. WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO? Primarily Worship Music. My favorite recordings are live worship services. Though I love a variety of styles of music. If I’m not listening to worship music, I’m typically listening to country music. But I'm havin' a hankerin' for some Gladys Knight right now.

4. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW? “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not be in want” ha.

5. WHAT DO YOU MISS? Knots Landing. Ha. I don’t know, what do I miss? Hmmm…missed stopping at that red light today. Tee hee

6. DO YOU GET CLAUSTROPHOBIC? Yes, actually, I do. And then I go into a panic attack and it’s all downhill after that.

7. THE LAST THING TO MAKE YOU CRY? An e-mail I typed to some friends this week

8. IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE? McDonalds Fish Fillet

9. FAVORITE COLOR OF ALL TIME? pink

10. SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED: 55

11. FAVORITE QUOTE? Can I put a scripture? “call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things, things that you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

12. FAVORITE PLACE? Home

13. MET ANYONE FAMOUS? Yep. Spent a couple weekends hangin' out with Jeanne Cooper (Katherine Chancellor from the Young and Restless) I’ve met Barbara, Louise and Irlene Mandrell. Rupert from Survivor. Had a brief conversation with Beth Moore (Bible teacher) one time. Travis Cottrell. Lisa Whelchel (facts of life)…

14. FIRST JOB? First real job? Was a teller at a bank.

15. DO YOU THINK EVERYONE OUT THERE HAS A SOULMATE? Hmmm…don’t know.

16. HAVE YOU EVER HAD SURGERY? no

17. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST? Hmmm…don’t know.

18. ARE YOU A JEALOUS PERSON? Not typically, but it sneaks up on me every once in a while, and I have to nip it.

19. WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMES? Well since my given name is Melissa, I’d have to say my most popular nickname is Missy. Quite a few relatives call me Missy Jo, My Grandma nicknamed me Greta , friends at work call me “donk” and others call me “Miss-I”.

20. IF YOU HAD A SUPER POWER WHAT WOULD IT BE? I had to ask my 8 year old what he thought. We decided it would be to fly.

21. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW? Since I work at a CBS Affiliate I should name all CBS Shows. Ha. I do like the amazing race (and many other CBS shows). But to be honest, I’m in a season of life that is busy enough that I don’t do “appointment” TV. The only TV show that I ever really watch fairly routinely is Anderson Cooper 360.

22. WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH YOUR ENEMIES? Love them

23. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Don’t really have a favorite ice cream flavor. I do like butterscotch Sundaes.

24. FAVORITE SEASON? Let me just name my least favorite - winter

25. WHAT’S ONE THING YOU’RE WORKING ON? A new CD

Let me know if you play along and answer the questions too. I'd like to read your answers!

Nice to be "Off"

2010-07-11T15:41:00.004-05:00

Vacation. I love it.

We've been on vacation since July 2nd, and I have SOOOO enjoyed it. We actually did a "staycation" this year. In January, we made a commitment to ourselves to pay off some debt, so when it came time to plan a vacation, we went back and forth on what to do, and decided to stick with our commitment, and we stayed home. That was just one of the reasons.

Another reason that I looked forward to a "staycation" was I didn't want to think. I didn't want to think about where we were going, how to get there, what we had to take with us etc, etc. Our family has had a really busy life the past 9 months and I felt that we simply needed "down" time.

I started feeling myself slip into the "off" mode about a week or two prior to vacation. For instance, e-mails that I would normally answer, didn't get answered unless they demanded a response. Sorry.

The only thing that I was not looking forward to about staying home was, I didn't want to cook. But God took care of that. On Friday, July 2nd, we had a check in our mail for $400. We figured since the timing of the money came exactly at the timing of the vacation, God was wanting us to have a little extra cash to enjoy extra "vacation" things. So we ate $400 worth of food and gained 300 pounds. ha.

We cleared our schedules of all responsibilities, including worship leading. We commited ourselves to nothing, and only did things we wanted to do. We joked about our house being a condo and our pool being the beach, and we did what we would do if we were at the beach. We swam every day, read books, soaked up some sun, ate out, went to the movies, ate out, went to a theme park, ate out, went shopping, ate out....you get the drift. Now that I think about it, I haven't done my hair since July 3rd. Poor Denny.

Anyway, all that to say, I have thoroughly enjoyed my family. I have thoroughly enjoyed turning "off". Escaping. Resting. Playing. Only doing what we wanted, when we wanted. I pray that if you need rest, that God will grant you rest as well.

Tomorrow....back to real life.

A Lesson From the Ants???

2010-05-22T07:34:00.003-05:00

As I arrived home from work yesterday, I was on my cell phone, so instead of going immediately into the house, I stood out in my driveway in order to finish my phone conversation in peace, avoiding the excited barking dog inside my home.

It wasn't long before my eight year old was running up to me freaking out because there were ants in our dining room. A lot of ants in the dining room.

I walked in the house to find an almost perfect line of ants scurrying back and forth from our front door through our dining room and into our kitchen. Yuk. We had bad storms here yesterday, so my guess is that they were taking cover in our home. As gross as it was, it was truly a site to see, so I called each child into look at them!

I looked for some bug spray to get rid of them, but I couldn't find any. Thankfully, not long after, Denny came home and finished up ridding our house of ants.

Leave it to our God to make a "lesson" out of this.

I woke up this morning, opened up my Bible and chuckled as I read this passage of scripture:

"Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and be wise! Even though they have no prince, governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? I want you to learn this lesson: A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest...and poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber." Proverbs 6:6-11 NLT

This doesn't mean that we can't take time for rest. Rest is GOOD. But it is a reminder that hard work is also GOOD. And we shouldn't have to have someone standing over our shoulder telling us to work hard. Take a lesson from the ants. They know that there is work to be done in order to live well.

I enjoyed sharing this passage with each family member as they woke up this morning. And simply because of the timing of it, they all took it well too. :)

This Boy...

2010-05-14T23:21:00.007-05:00

This boy wants to write songs with his Mama.

He has been BEGGING me.

We wrote a song together this past summer when Josh was just seven. He had been asking me to write with him, so one evening we finally did it. He was so cute. He wanted to write about God. So I said, "okay, write down what you want to say about God, or to God."

After thinking for a minute, he looked up at me with a somewhat defeated look and said, "I don't know what to say."

I said, "Well, how 'bout that be your first line...'Lord I don't know what to say.'"

He got a big grin on his face and said, "okay!"

And we were off to writing our first song. I was totally AMAZED at how into it he was. He wasn't just concerned about the lyrics, but also about the structure of the song. He would say things like, "I think we need to sing the chorus twice here." I didn't even know he knew what a "verse" or a "chorus" was...but he did.

First we wrote the words, and then we put it to music. Even musically he had an idea of where he wanted the song to go, and I tried my best to honor where he was taking it.

We ended up recording the song, and I was really pleased with how it turned out. The style, to me, sounded very high school musical-ish. Which is quite fitting for his age. If you'd like to hear it I'd be happy to e-mail it to you. Just drop me a line at melissa.milbourn@gmail.com

I tried getting him to sing the whole thing, but he was too shy. So I sang the verses by myself and he joins me on the chorus. I pray that he overcomes his fear because he is an awesome singer. Would you join me in that prayer?

My spring has been really busy, but life should be settling down a little bit over the summer. And I'm really looking forward to writing with Josh and further discovering just how God has gifted him. The only thing I dread is he is very bossy. Ha.

Matters of the Heart

2010-05-11T17:26:00.003-05:00

I've been out of the office and on the road the past two days, which has given me much time to "think". That can be a dangerous thing. :-)

I have had something on my heart for a little while now, and I can't shake it. That's how the Lord seems to work with me. It's not a new thing for Him to do. In fact, yesterday, as I was driving, I was recalling that He has dealt with me this way since I was in high school. He has called me to intercessory prayer, and He will call some "thing" or some "one" to my mind, and I pray for them until He says we're done.

You would think I'd be use to it by now, but every time He does it I tend to go into a mode of trying to understand what He's doing. Trying to reason it out. And when I can't reason it out, I either have to process it or I can repress it. So today as I was driving I was thinking, "I'm just going to repress this." Ha. "I'm going to make it go away." But, as soon as I thought that I knew it wasn't the right choice.

When I got home tonight I read my friend Mollie's status on Facebook, and I understood it completely because it was exactly where my brain had parked itself today as I pondered my current matter of the heart. Mollie's status said this,

"Matters of the heart cannot be reasoned away. They can only be repressed or processed."

Thanks for the confirmation Jesus.

We can choose to repress it. Would that ever be the best choice?

I'm sure every situation is different, but I know for me, God doesn't lay something on my heart for me to say, "uh, I'd rather not take the time and deal with that."

And typically, to be honest, I'm never able to "reason" it away.

My only healthy choice is to go before the Lord and ask Him to help me "process" it. One step at a time. Not trying to get ahead of Him, not falling behind, but attempting to stay stride for stride with Him.

"don't be afraid, and don't worry: Haven't I always kept you informed, told you what was going on?" Isaiah 44:8 The Message

Where I've Been, What I'm Doing, How God is Speaking To Me

2010-04-04T20:22:00.003-05:00

Holy Cow I haven't blogged since March 17th?!?! That seems like a long time.

Last weekend I had the privilege of leading worship at a women's conference in Buckhannon, West Virginia. I met some of the nicest ladies there. I felt very much like I was with family. Funny how the Holy Spirit does that...binds us together. I'm thankful for how God showed up in our midst.

This weekend we have had four days off. I'm thankful for that as well :-) It has been good to have an opportunity to catch my breath, and spend time with the family.

Yesterday, I was reading the Word when a scripture in John 18 caught my attention. Let me set the stage...the soldiers were coming to arrest Jesus. While doing so, Peter decided to fight for him, and he swung his sword and cut off the ear of one of the soldiers. Jesus tells Peter, "Put your sword away, shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"

Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me? Sometimes God places us in situations that are difficult, and He does so for a reason. Often times our reaction is to fight our way out, when we should be trusting God to WORK THINGS OUT. When we try to bring things to closure prematurely most often it ends up in us sinning. Kinda like when Abraham wasn't getting his son in the time he thought he should so he had one with his maidservant.

Do we trust God enough to let Him work our our situations? Do I?

Lord whatever it is you're working out in my current situation or situations, I want you to complete it. I don't want to try to force my hand, or defend myself, or fight my way out. I want YOU to finish the work so that I may be mature and complete not lacking in anything. (James 1:4)

How do they do that?

2010-03-17T20:29:00.003-05:00

okay, so there's this Chinese restaurant that I eat at every once in a while in Terre Haute. I'm probably there once a month. But not consistently. I might go once a month for three months, and then not go back for three months. That's why what I'm about to tell you impresses me so much.

Typically I eat at this restaurant by myself. And it's always the same waitress. As she escorts me to a table she says, "would you like to see a menu?"

I say "no".

She says, "would you like chicken and broccoli?"

"yes" I reply

waitress: "egg drop soup?"

me: "yep"

waitress: "egg roll?"

me: "yep"

she amazes me because she ALWAYS remembers what I order even when I haven't been in there for a while! That's impressive!

Which leads me to my next story, today I went to a different Chinese restaurant. I went there a couple of weeks ago with my friend Cathy, but today, I walked in by myself. I ordered, paid, and then grabbed a table. Then, Denny came in and did the same. So I was sitting at the table with Denny when the Chinese woman who took my order at the counter hollers out, "Missy..."

I looked at Denny and said, "Did she just call my name?"

Denny: "yep"

"Amazing". I replied

At this Chinese restaurant, you order at a counter and they take your name to call you when your food is ready. I had given her my name two weeks ago. And that's the ONLY time I had given her my name. She did not ask me today. I paid with cash, so she didn't see my name anywhere. How on Earth did she remember my name when she had only heard it one other time. Bizarre.

I wondered for a moment if maybe she just calls every female Missy. Ha. But when I picked up my food she had my name written on the ticket.

How do they do that?? I want to do that. I'm horrible at remembering names. And I know it's not just me they remember, 'cause I've dined with other people at the first Chinese restaurant that I mentioned and she knew what they like to eat too.

I think I'm going to have to ask them how they do that.

How To Put Groceries Away

2010-03-12T21:39:00.003-06:00

by Missy Milbourn (ha)

I used to HATE putting groceries away. Abhor it. Detest it.

I didn't mind so much shopping for them, just putting them away drove me crazy.

Until...

I came up with this great idea. Picture a light bulb going off beside my head.

Now, the kids are involved. Every child has a "post". Will typically takes that pantry. Maren, the refrigerator, and Josh the snack cabinet.

I stand on one side of the kitchen next to all the groceries, and after I pull the item out of the bag, I then THROW it to the person at their post.

We've put groceries away this way for probably two years now, and so far I can only recall having one accident where someone dropped something and it broke. oops. (We all got in trouble by Dad).

So now, I throw everything except for what might break like eggs, or spaghetti sauce and such. (at least when Denny is looking I don't throw it.) ha.

And that, my friends, is how we put groceries away. You should try it. It makes it much more fun.

Stay tuned for more deep conversations right here.

Good Times

2010-03-02T21:49:00.003-06:00

I had lunch today with my friend Cathy. I, seriously, wish we would have kept count of how many times we’ve had lunch together through the years. As we were standing in line at the Chinese restaurant I told her that I think I’ve had lunch with her more times than I’ve had lunch with my husband. She agreed.
We’ve worked together for 17 years at WTHI, and for three or four years prior to that at WTWO. We’ve probably had lunch a minimum of twice a week, darn near every week.

She went to Florida with me, several years ago, when I sang at a Garth Brooks Fan Club meeting. At least that’s what I thought I was singing at. Come to find out, Garth Brooks doesn’t have an “official” fan club. So, I’m not sure what it was that I sang at…but Cathy was there, and so were a hundred or so other people. And hey, we had a fun trip to Florida.

She also went with me to California when I felt God calling me to witness to our boss at the corporate offices. That was an interesting trip. I don’t think I’ve ever told that story here on the blog. That might be one for a later date. I was referring to my boss in California when I wrote this devotion.

Let’s see, what else have we done together? Together we wound up in the Hillary Clinton motorcade when Hilary came to Terre Haute. Cathy and I were right there with her, first face to face, and then in the motorcade. We thoroughly enjoyed waving to the people as we passed by. I’m so thankful that Cathy taught me how to give a parade wave.

She went with me on the strangest sales call I’ve ever made. Some lady who owns a business asked me to meet with her at her house. I wasn’t going to go alone, so I took Cathy for protection. What was I thinking? She only stands 5’3”. And she doesn’t carry a gun. The sales call that I felt was going to be strange, got even more strange as the lady asked us to listen to a radio ad that she had made. She wanted us to listen to see if we could use the same audio for her TV ad. That’s not the strange part. The strange part was the only place she had a player to play it on was in her bedroom. So, we went to her bedroom. Now, in hindsight I realize just how ridiculous that was. I don’t think I’d make that same decision again, but for whatever reason we said, “okay”.

We walked into her bedroom and her bed was up on a platform with 1970’s shag carpet all around it. She played the radio ad for us, and it was THE WORST AD I’VE EVER HEARD. The lady, who was my potential client, was standing face to face with me, talking to me, and my dear friend Cathy was standing behind her busting a gut laughing, but obviously she couldn’t make any noise or the client would know she was laughing at her. You know like those times when you’re in church and the person sitting next to you does something funny, and you’re trying not to laugh because church is quiet and to laugh would be very distracting, but it’s taking every muscle in your body to hold it back? That’s what Cathy was doing behind this gal’s back.

So, I’m looking face to face at my client, with Cathy standing in the background about to burst at the seams with laughter, and I HAD TO KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE. I thought, “if we make it out of this place without getting hurt, I’m gonna hurt her.”

When we finally made it back out to my car, we sat down, backed out of the driveway, and then exploded with laughter. I’ll never forget Cathy saying, “it is calls like that that KEEP me in this business.”

One time, before she got married, she had a boyfriend and they came over for New Year’s Eve. She hadn’t been dating him for very long, so I didn’t know much about him. After eating, we were traveling back to our house. As we passed the cemetery, I decided to tell them about the legend of the Gypsy. Those of you who live in this area know the legend that I’m talking about. How they say that because this one particular gypsy was buried in this cemetery, Marshall will never have a destructive tornado. (don’t worry Christian friends, I put my hope in God, not the gypsy). So anyway, I shared the “legend”, and afterward I guess I thought that the story needed a theme song, so I started singing “Gypsies, tramps and thieves” over and over again. When we got to our house Cathy pulled me aside and said, “would you STOP! HE IS A GYPSY.” That was his heritage. LOLOLOLOL. He never came back.

Picture me laughing.

Sorry Cathy, he wasn’t right for you anyway.

Ahhh…I’m not sure what made me take this trip down memory lane. Oh yeah, it was thinking about how many times we’ve had lunch together.

Good times.

How I Feel

2010-02-26T13:21:00.000-06:00

This is EXACTLY how I feel.

Miscellaneous Missyisms

2010-02-17T18:25:00.004-06:00

Random thought: I wonder how people handled the bright sun shining on snow prior to sunglassess. I think I would have had to stay inside.

Something you don't know about me: My socks very seldom ever match. They're always the same color, but never the same sock.

What I'm doing right now: Sitting on Joshua's bed watching him play Lord of the Rings, waiting for Denny and Maren to get home from her volleyball game, and keeping an eye on our dog who has been sick.

Current Favorite Worship CD: Free Chapel, The Power of the Cross

Getting ready to: go downstairs, get a bowl of Cheerios, and play Uno.

That was deep wasn't it?

Strange Alignment???

2010-02-05T21:27:00.003-06:00

The planets must be in some sort of strange alignment, I'm just being goofy, but I say that because I've nearly read three books already this year and it's only February 5th. Typically I MIGHT read three books in 6 months.

When I read books that I like, I like to tell others about them. So, here is what I've read:

"Learning to Live Financially Free" by Marybeth and Curt Whalen

"Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey

"Forgotten God" by Francis Chan

Yes, you see a financial theme with the first two. Denny and I KNOW that we need to be better stewards of our money. These books have helped immensely. I would have never expected it, in a financial book, but "Learning to Live Financially Free" really tugged at my heart strings as I read it. I found myself in tears on more than one occassion. I think it's partly because of the transparency in Curt and Marybeth as they tell their story. I think it's partly because of how they tell real life stories about God showing up in the midst of their "Financial" lives. God showing himself as Jehovah Jireh, our Provider. I felt God's presence strongly as I read this.

The other day I asked Denny if he had finished reading it, and his reply was this, "I'm almost finished reading it, but it's funny because nearly every time I read it I find myself teary eyed." So it's not just me, it has affected him the same way.

Total Money Makeover...I cannot say enough good things about this book. My only complaint is I wish we would have read it when we were twenty. We've told our kids that they will be required to read it before they leave home. It is so good in teaching such a smart, practical way to handle your finances. And I have to tell you, I'm not into studying the subject of "finances", but I could not put this book down.

Forgotten God...This book is on a favorite topic of mine...the Holy Spirit. The subtitle is actually"reversing our tragic neglect of the Holy Spirit". I love the way Francis Chan writes and teaches about the Holy Spirit. As we read through the Bible we see story after story of how the Holy Spirit spoke to people. He is still speaking. I love this book. From the same author of "Crazy Love" which is also an AWESOME read!

H.O.M.E.

2010-01-29T20:11:00.002-06:00

Ah. Home. Sweet. Home.

You know, when I was younger, I used to look for stuff to do to stay busy. I don't seem to have that problem any more. Don't get me wrong, I love my life, but when I have an evening to stay home, I thoroughly enjoy it.

I can't tell you how long it's been since I sat and just chilled out on Facebook, or typed on my blog. Or read other blogs. While I'm chillin' there's stuff being neglected like toilets that need cleaned. Dressers that need dusted. Mirrors that need wiped down. But it feels so good to do nothing that all the other stuff will have to wait 'til tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the day after that. Ha.

If you're a Colts fan be sure and check your local listings for Colts Specials on TV next week. We've been busy at the television station preparing for all the hoopla. There will be special Colts programming on WTHI next Friday night, Saturday night, and of course all Super Bowl Sunday afternoon. I, for one, can't wait for the big game!!!

Thought I'd Share

2010-01-18T12:04:00.003-06:00

In March I have the privilege of ministering through music at an event in West Virginia where Wendy Blight will be speaking. I happened to visit Wendy's blog this morning and saw that today through Wednesday she is on "Family Life Today" with Dennis Rainey.

I'm not sure if that airs in our market, but here is a link to a transcript of the interview. You can read along as Wendy shares her story.

Here also is a link to Wendy's blog.

In The Hard Places

2010-01-06T11:29:00.003-06:00

As I type this I'm on my lunch hour, so I don't have much time to share my thoughts. But I wanted to pop in here and share this quote that I read by Dave Ramsey. He says this:

"Most people won't change until the pain of where they are exceeds the pain of change."

I read that and immediately thought "Wow". That is SO true.

It doesn't matter if you are referring to finances. Or weight loss. Or addictions. Or the way we "do" relationships. Or a number of any other varying issues.

I am convinced that this is partly why we go through "hard times". Because there is something in our life that God wants us to change. More often than not it's a behavior pattern, or maybe an "attitude" that we have, but it's something about the way we "do" life that needs changed. And so we come to this "hard" place.

Often times we first want to blame God for being there, but if we step back and look at things with "spiritual" eyes, we'll see that the very thing that we need to change is the thing that has been keeping us in some sort of bondage (relational, spiritual, financial, name your pain) and only in this "hard" place will we see it, and will we feel the pain enough to even consider enduring the pain that "change" takes.

I know that there are some who are going to read this that will think, "what on God's green earth is she talking about."

But there are others who will "get" it.

Listen, you are not in a painful situation without purpose. I promise you that. I promise you that God is not being unloving to you (or me). Oh my gosh no...it's just the opposite, God IN HIS MERCY has allowed it for a reason.

It may be to break free from what has been holding you back from having victories in relationships, finances, weight loss, health....

Or it may simply be that you have forgotten Him for a time, and He's trying to bring you back to Him.

Maybe He wants to prove us faithful, after all it's easy to have faith when all is going well.
Maybe it's to prove Himself faithful.

All I'm trying to say is we need to be open to Him in the hard places. Praise Him in the hard places. Trust Him in the hard places. Change for the better in the hard places. Grow spiritually in the hard places. Follow Him through the hard places.

How Do You Feel Knowing that the Lord Might Thwart Your Plans?

2009-12-23T07:59:00.003-06:00

Our praise team is currently doing a Bible Study called "Pure Praise" by Dwayne Moore, and I am LOVING it. It is a heart focused Bible study on Worship.

Today the writer had us read Psalm 33:6-11

"By the Word of the Lord the Heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars, he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations."

Then he asked this question:

"how do you feel knowing the Lord might thwart your plans? Does this frustrate you or frighten you, or does it bring you comfort?

I'm sure that we would all probably have different reactions to this, and I can only speak of my own. For me, when I read it, it brought me GREAT comfort. Because what I know is this;

I don't know what I'm doing.

I don't mean to sound ignorant. Ha. But you know, I always thought that the longer I lived the "smarter" I would become, but instead it's been just the opposite, the longer I live, the more I realize how much I do not know. What I DO KNOW is I CANNOT do life without Jesus. I can't.

I've had people ask me, "how do you get up at 5:30 in the morning and spend time with God...how do you do that?" and my answer is, "how do you NOT do that?" How do you do life WITHOUT having quiet time. I can't. What I have learned is this. I NEED THEE O I NEED THEE, EVERY HOUR I NEED THEE.

I'm not saying that God changing my plans would never frustrates me or frighten me. I have had Him rearrange the plans of my day, and quickly take me out of my comfort zone, and/or frustrate my plans. However, typically when He does that I feel His presence right there with me helping to make the transition easier.

It brings me great comfort to know that God might thwart my plans. Father, may the purpose of your heart prevail in my life.

So, how does it make you feel knowing that the Lord might thwart your plans? Does it frustrate you or frighten you, or does it bring you comfort?

Bible Study...Already

2009-12-21T08:29:00.002-06:00

Monday morning, 9:29 a. m. EST, and we've already had our first Bible Study. I'm just sayin'.

referencing this post.

Today's study was Psalm 73. One of my favorites.

In a nutshell…here is what psalm 73 means:

Asaph was struggling because he was a man of God, and yet it seemed as if the wicked men were more successful in life than him.

Asaph continued to struggle with that issue UNTIL he went into the sanctuary of God. Or until he turned to God.

When he went to God, God made it all clear to him. God told him, don’t envy the wicked, it might seem like they are successful but they are not. In the end, they will get what they have coming to them…and it won’t be pretty. But in the end, God will stand by the man who worships him…(meaning Asaph)

Below is an easy to read translation.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2073&version=MSG

Here's To Digging Ditches

2009-12-19T16:25:00.002-06:00

Denny and I just returned from Nashville. I had an appointment with an advertising client of mine Friday afternoon, and then Friday night we went to the Louise Mandrell Christmas Show at the Opryland Hotel. The show is AWESOME! Our friends, Matt and Christy are in it. Matt emcees it, and Christy is the “featured” performer.

After the show we went out with Matt and Christy and had such a good visit with them. While there Christy was talking about a new song that she has written that is based on 2 Kings 3.
I didn’t remember that particular passage of scripture so Christy gave me a Bible lesson right there in McDonalds. I LOVED IT! And I want to share it with you.

The King of Israel, The King of Judah, and the King of Edom set out to fight the King of Moab. After seven days they had ran out of water for both them and their animals. So, Jehoshaphat, King of Judah says, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord somewhere around here who can consult God for us?” And the three kings end up going and talking with Elisha the Prophet, who has this to say:

2 Kings 3 16-19 “He then said, "God's word: Dig ditches all over this valley. Here's what will happen—you won't hear the wind, you won't see the rain, but this valley is going to fill up with water and your army and your animals will drink their fill. This is easy for God to do; he will also hand over Moab to you. . .”

Will you allow me to go refer back to my previous post where I stated this:

“here’s to doing what I don’t understand.”

These three kings had already been out for seven days. They (and their animals) were out of water. I’m sure they were exhausted, and God tells them to dig ditches?

To provide water is an easy thing for God to do. He tells them so. He could provide it anyway he chooses. But the way he chooses is to have these guys dig ditches. Here’s to doing what I don’t understand.

His ways don’t always make sense to me. But I do trust Him, and I know that His way is the best way because He is ALWAYS FAITHFUL.

They dug the ditches, and God kept His promise. They got water. And the Lord gave them victory over the Moabites.

I know what the Lord is calling me to do. . .is He calling you to do something?

Here’s to digging ditches.

Here's to Doing What I Don't Understand

2009-12-17T19:08:00.002-06:00

This month I had an article in the "P31 Woman" magazine. The article was called "Be Alert For Signs of His Presence", and basically talked about listening to and obeying God's promptings.

What I have found time and time again, is that often times when God calls me to do something, I don't "get" it. Often times, on the front end, I really don't understand why I have to do what He's asked me to do. A lot of times after it's all over, it will then make sense. But not always.

I'm writing about this right now because He's doing it again. At least if I'm hearing Him right, He's doing it again. Asking me to do something and I don't really understand why I have to. But because I love Him, and because He's asked me to do it, I'll do it.

"Lord, I don't even know if I'm hearing you right, but I know what I feel like I'm being led to do, and it's not something that I would want to do on my own, so why is the desire still there if not from you?"

Have you ever felt like that before? I have. Like the time HE told me to tell a complete stranger that I loved her. You can read about that here.

I'm encouraged to know that others can relate to this as well. This week another blogger left me a comment, so I hopped over to her blog to read her post, and in it she talked about how the Holy Spirit prompted her to give some towels away...and she thought "how strange". But she did it, and in the end she found out why.

I liked our Preacher's sermon this past week, when he was talking about being obedient to God's call on our lives. John mentioned that as we reflect back on a life of following God, that one might say, "well Lord, it wasn't what I had planned, but it certainly wasn't boring." Amen to that. Following God is anything BUT boring!

Thinking of that reminds me of an analogy that my friend Jill wrote about this week on her blog. I encourage you to hop over there and read it.

And in the meantime, here's to doing what I don't understand.

"Obedience is easy when you know you're being guided by a God who never makes mistakes." Corrie Ten Boom

Acts 8:29 The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."

Acts 11:12 The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them.

The Office Bible

2009-12-16T08:15:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, someone brought a Bible into work. There’s a little pathway that we use to cut across from one side of the building to the other. It’s a high traffic area, with a desk in it, and the Bible was placed on that desk.

It has been very interesting to me how much that Bible has stirred up. I found it quite entertaining that the first week it was here, every morning I came into work, the Bible was placed on MY desk. I have no idea who kept doing that, or why. But it made me chuckle to come in each morning and have “THE Bible” on my desk. Each time I would take it back and put it on the desk in the walk through area. And each time I would randomly open it to a certain page.

Because it’s a high traffic area, people just can’t seem to leave it alone. I cannot tell you how many times I’ll be sitting at my desk, and then all of a sudden hear someone reading from this Bible. Due to the fact that it’s the King James Version…it sounds quite funny to hear my co-workers speaking in that “language”. You know, imagine sitting at your desk doing your work and then all of a sudden hearing, “Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest and the flame of devouring fire” Isaiah 29:6

The other day one of my bosses picked it up and brought it over to my office, sat in a chair, and started reading to me from Acts 20. I stopped him and said “do you care if I update my Facebook status to say, “listening to my boss read me the Bible…”? Funny.

But what he read to me actually caused us to dive into the scripture. He was trying to figure out what it meant, so we looked it up in some easier to understand translations, and others from the office got involved in the conversation as well, and it was GOOD.

Today, I walked into my office and the Bible was on my desk with a note attached that said, “translate this for me”…and a particular passage was highlighted. Though the note wasn’t signed, I recognized the writing. So I went to the one asking the question and said, “I’ll get back to you on that.” I then asked, “is this a scripture you’ve always wanted to know about, or were you just walking by the Bible, and pick it up at random to that scripture.”

He said, “yes, I just picked it up and read it at random”.

So, I write this just because I’m amazed at all that this Office Bible has stirred up, and the random Bible study that it is causing. And I’m witnessing that the “Word of God is alive and active”. Hebrews 4:12

What a Great Prayer

2009-12-08T05:40:00.003-06:00

God, I've heard what our ancestors say about you, and I'm stopped in my tracks, down on my knees.

Do among us what you did among them.

Work among us as you worked among them.

And as you bring judgment, as you surely must, remember mercy.

Habakkuk 3:2 (The Message)

Bite my tongue...honor God

2009-12-03T20:47:00.004-06:00

Here Here to the 7th Grade Girls Basketball team who had an awesome year. They ended their season 23 and 2 (or somewhere close to that). Here's what I know. They had a ton of games and only lost two. Their last one being in the Sectionals.

I have never really watched basketball until this year. Growing up, our family was a football family. I have two older brothers who played football, so I've been to A LOT of football games. And every Sunday afternoon, during football season, you could find us glued to the TV watching games.

So really, this was the first time ever that I watched much basketball, and I really enjoyed it. However, one thing that I noticed about basketball that I don't like is this...it seems like the calls that the refs make, makes more of a difference in basketball than it does in other sports.

Like for instance, we could have played the exact same game last night, and had three or four calls gone our way, the outcome might have been different. I'm not making excuses. I'm just saying I never realized how much the refs can affect a game. You know that they definitely missed some "traveling" calls when our whole crowd roared at once when the unchecked fouls happened. Seriously. It wasn't like just one person saw the missed call. You would actually hear a unified roar from the crowd because everyone saw it. And if everyone saw it, how could we, the fans, be wrong? Answer: we probably weren't. It was probably indeed a missed call.

So, how should we respond to that? Well, I can tell you that emotionally I never like it. The missed call does not make me happy. But what I know is, to respond with an overly rebellious verbal response cursing the refs would not be God honoring. Does God care? I think He does.

One of the hardest spiritual pills that I've ever had to swallow, is the spiritual truth where God says that I have to submit to authority. It's hard because, as you know, sometimes those who are in authority make mistakes. Sometimes they make bad decisions. Sometimes they do or say things that we think are seemingly wrong, or stupid. At my job, I have to submit to my boss. He is the one in authority. Whether I like his "calls" or not doesn't really matter, he's the boss and I'm not. I don't think that means we can't have a voice...but we need to make sure that when we voice our opinion that we do so in a respectful manner. Why? Because God said this:

"Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men" 1 Peter 2:13

So why does it not honor God for us to "cuss" the refs? Because guess who the authority is on the court. The referees are. They have been put there, on the court, to maintain order.

So what do I do? Well, if I see a missed call, I sometimes can't help but have that immediate initial reaction. That immediate gasp that cries out, even non verbally, "c'mon ref!"
But I try my best to refrain from draggin' it out, hanging on to it or bad mouthing them (EVEN if they deserve it, I do my best to refrain.)

Why do I chose that? well, to be honest it's for two very real reasons. One is, I video taped a game early on in the season, and as I watched the video I could hear myself yelling at the refs, (ha) and quite honestly it hit me like a ton of bricks. I did not like the way I sounded.

The second reason is because I believe with all my heart that God stands up for the man (woman) that honors Him. And for me to "honor" the refs, honors God.

Now having said that, let me say this, I am not perfect in this. And it is something that I have to keep in check at all times. And I know that even after saying this, there will probably be times at games when I slip up and get mouthy. But as the words begin to roll off my tongue may I be reminded to do the right thing...bite my tongue, honor God.

Psalm 39:1 I said, "I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin;

Proverbs 10:19When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.

Being Intentional about Being Thankful

2009-11-21T19:30:00.003-06:00

It seems like this past year I have continually found myself "overwhelmed" by the busyness of life. Can anyone else relate to that? When I get like that, I typically want to quit everything, and curl up into a fetal postion and chant, "find a happy place, find a happy place." Ha.

Anyway, due to the "overwhelmed" feeling, often times when I go to the Lord in my quiet time, I tell Him how overwhelmed I am, and whine about that a little, and then I tell Him how much I have to do, and whine about that a little. Not that there's anything wrong with sharing your heart with God....we should do that. But I've done that a lot, all the while expressing very little gratitude to Him for other things.

So, on Wednesday, I read this post by my friend Marybeth, and I could totally relate to it. I left her a comment telling her that it "spoke" to me. That, in turn, started a conversation between us. I was having a bad day. So was she. Because of that, she issued a challenge for both of us. That we would be accountable to each other. That at the end of every day we would send an e-mail to each other telling the other one what we were thankful for that particular day. And we have to do it every day until Thanksgiving.

That was on Wednesday. Thursday morning I got up to spend time with God. As I sat there, I began to think about Marybeth's challenge, and I began thanking God for things in my life. I said, "I come to you today Lord, not asking for anything, but instead, just offering thanks to you."

One by one I mentioned, to Him, things that I am thankful for. And as I did that, something that I wasn't expecting to happen, happened. God showed up in a BIG way. I felt His presence. I felt His love. I stayed there in His presence for a while just soaking HIM up. And as a result, without even asking for it, I was refreshed. I was renewed. My overwhelmed feeling was completely gone, and one of peace completely replaced it.

Since then, Marybeth and I have kept our commitment to share each day what we are thankful for. We are being intentional about being thankful.

When is the last time you went before the Lord, and didn't ask Him for anything, but just expressed gratitude to Him?

Take it from me, don't wait any longer. Make it a point to give Him thanks. You'll be so glad you did.

Psalm 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

Life Without Internet (and other funny sayings)

2009-11-11T07:48:00.004-06:00

We've been without internet for nearly a week... (long story)

Anyway, the adjustment has been quite hilarious. Sad, but hilarious.

For instance, Here are a couple of things that were said this week:

Our first night without internet.....Will said, "I feel like a part of me has died."

Last night, after not having internet for nearly a week, Denny said, "It's just almost not worth it to come home."

Oh my. I think we needed this forced internet "fast".

On a different note, last night we visited the funeral home. As we were leaving, the gentleman who was tending the door said, "hurry back." As soon as he shut the door Denny and I busted out laughing. Ahhh Funny.

Amazing God-Living Proof Live

2009-11-10T12:27:00.003-06:00

This past weekend I had the awesome pleasure of experiencing God at a Beth Moore Living Proof Live Conference. The Girls from the Baptist Church actually planned this outing, and I'm so glad they "let" us come along!

This was my 3rd time to hear Beth speak "live". It was AMAZING. I got SOOOO much out of the weekend, and am still soaking it all up. To get a glimpse of what we experienced, click here.

As a side note, our internet has not worked right since last Thursday...we've been reduced to dial up so, needless to say, I'm not on line very much :-) AND my cell phone has not been working right, so often times, in recent days, I've been without a cell phone. At first I was frustrated by this...now, however, I'm starting to like it. Ha. I'm sure I wouldn't enjoy it long term though. Hopefully things will be back to normal soon. whatever normal is... :-)

A Cry For Pardon

2009-10-26T04:53:00.004-05:00

This devotion goes along with a discussion we had in small group last night...so I thought I'd post it. It was written by Erwin Lutzer

And when they came to the place that is call the Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!' The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews save yourself!" There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews." Luke 23:33-38

When man had done his worst Jesus prayed - not for justice, but for mercy; He pleaded that His enemies would be exempt from the just consequences of their evil deeds. And He prayed not after His wounds had healed, but while they were yet open. Words of forgiveness came from His lips when the nails were being driven into His body, when the pain was the fiercest, when the jolts of anguish were the sharpest; He prayed as the cross was lowered into the hole with a thud. It was then - when His nerves were yet the most tender, when the pain was the most unfathomable - that He who was the victim of history's greatest crime prayed for the criminals.

He could forgive becase He was about His Father's business. In Gethsemane He prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will" (Matthew 26:39 NIV).

The cup was not a satanic attack, though Satan no doubt tried to add his own ingredients into the potion. No, the cup was given to Christ by His Father. It was the task of "purchasing men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Rev. 5:9) This meant that the Son would be cruelly crucified and would become sin itself for the sake of all humanity. He would drink the cup of suffering to the dregs. This cup would purchase the forgiveness for which He now prayed.

Can we say, "Father, forgive them" when we are being crucified? Can we pray for the forgiveness of those who are trying to destroy us? Do we have enough faith to leave justice in the hands of our heavenly Father? "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'it is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord (Romans 12:19). On the Cross we see the restraint of a Man who had the power to destroy but chose instead to forgive. In Christ's words is the hope of our own deliverane. So let us come near to listen more intently to what is being said. Perhaps we shall hear our own name in the petition.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that no injustice has gone unnoticed by You. Help me to forgive when I am wronged and to trust in You alone for justice. Amen.

A Word From Joshua: Problems

2009-10-24T06:36:00.003-05:00

Nearly every night Joshua reads a devotion. I love hearing his "little" voice read these, and it always amazes me how these "simple" devotions speak to me.

So, I thought I'd share with you this word from Josh...

Excited. Amazed. Thankful. Proud.

2009-10-16T20:51:00.003-05:00

It was so much fun watching the 7th grade Lady Cubs play basketball tonight. It was the first "tough" game that they've had. I found myself getting "strangely" emotional as I was watching them. There was something about seeing them playing as a "team", all working together toward the same goal, that just touched me.

But I was touched even more when they sat down at a table after the game to eat pizza. They had just came off of a great win, and they had much that they could have talked about in regards to the game, but they sat down by us, and they DIDN'T start talking about the game. Instead, what they talked about was the BIBLE STUDY that took place at school today. Amazing.

With as much enthusiasm and passion that you would expect a team to talk about a great game with, they were using to talk about the Bible Study. As each girl seem to excitedly take turns shouting out what took place at the study.

Maren, our 12 year old, said that there were more people present at the Bible study today, than were in the crowd at their BB game tonight. (and there were quite a few in the crowd at the game).

So, as I type this I'm thankful for our school. Thankful for the adults and kids who help with this study. Thankful that so many are attending. And amazed by God and His goodness.

Might as well face it...God Loves you a lot.

2009-10-13T04:38:00.002-05:00

This morning, I woke up from a dream where I was having a very "caring" conversation with someone, and in it I remember saying to her "Isaiah 40". I didn't recite the chapter, I'm not intelligent enough for that. :-) I just simply said to her "Isaiah 40".

So, I got up early, 4am Illinois time. I took the dog out, and as I stood outside the sky was dark and clear. That is my very favorite thing about taking out the dog in the early morning hours. I love looking at the sky, for the Heavens declare His glory.

So I came back in and quickly grabbed my Bible, I wanted to soak up all of what Isaiah 40 talked about.

"So, who is like me? Who holds a candle to me? says the Holy One. Look at the night skies. Who do you think made all of this? Who marches this army of stars out each night, counts them off, calls each by name, so magnificent! So powerful! And never overlooks a single one?

Why would you ever complain or whine saying 'God has lost track of me. He doesn't care what happens to me'? Haven't you been listening? God doesn't come and go. God lasts. He's Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath.

And He knows everything, inside and out. He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, they run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind." Isaiah 40:25-31

God has not "overlooked" you...or me. He has not "lost track" of you....or me.

One thing that I'm continually amazed at as I read through the Bible, is God's love for us. In this same chapter it speaks of how God tends to us like a shepherd tends to his flock. That He picks us up in His arms, and carries us close to His heart. Or one translation says that He is hugging us as He carries us. (Isaiah 40:11)

You're not overlooked. He's thinking about you right now. About me right now. His Word says that His thoughts of you out number the grains of sand.

So, how do I respond to that? I turn to Him again. I trust Him again. I thank Him for His loving kindness again. I surrender again. I am renewed again.

Did I Tell You that Barbara Mandrell Called?

2009-10-06T20:57:00.003-05:00

Might As Well Face it, I love Barbara Mandrell.

Okay, I am not “got” very often. Nor, typically, am I one who reacts to anything with extreme excitement. For instance, if you threw me a surprise party, my reaction would not be to squeal and jump up and down. I just don’t react that way. I don’t. Ever. I’m much too cool for that. Ha. But all that “coolness” went out the door the other day when I answered my cell phone.

Let me set the stage. It was Saturday, August 29th, the day after my birthday. Our family was fighting over what to eat for breakfast. We were seriously in a fairly heated argument over that, I’m ashamed to say. So when my phone rang, I walked over, looked at it, didn’t recognize the number, and thought, “I don’t know who this is, and I’m not in a ‘happy’ place right now, so I’m not gonna pick it up.”

About that time, I heard this still small voice say, “pick it up.” And I’m so glad I did, as I heard the voice on the other end say, “Melissa?”

“yes” I answered

“This is Barbara Mandrell…”

My first words to her, “OH MY GOSH!!”

I quickly ran outside so she wouldn’t hear my family yelling in the background :-)

She sang me happy birthday. I screamed in her ear.

She was speaking to me, and I was so stinkin’ excited, my mind was reeling, and all I could think of was a random mix of this:

“I cannot wait to tell my friends that Barbara Mandrell called”

“they are never going to believe this”

“Holy cow, this is Barbara Mandrell on the phone”

I was thinking all those thoughts and a thousand others, when that same still small voice said, “control your thoughts, Barbara Mandrell is speaking to you, listen to what she is saying.”

Thank you Jesus for that reminder.

So I listened to her sweet voice as she began telling me why she was calling me. And we actually entered into a conversation. My mind was still so shocked, and wound up that I know that some of my words were less than intelligent. Seriously. I remember everything she said, but I don’t remember some things that I said, or didn’t say.

For instance, I recall toward the end of the conversation she said, “I hope I get to meet you in person some time”.

I have no idea what I said to that. I don’t know if I said anything. Here’s what I could have said:

“well it’s about time you got on board, I’ve been wanting to meet you for 30 years.”

Or

“well, we’re free next weekend”

Or

“I can hop in the car and be down there in approximately 4 hours.”

Ha.

So, one might say that I was “undignified” in my conversation with Ms. Mandrell. And that would be true. I did not react in a cool professional manner that I would have liked to have reacted in. I did not speak with eloquence. I’m not sure of what I spoke at all. But my “undignification” was justified because it wasn’t just the fact that Barbara Mandrell called that had me so “got”. It was more the fact of where God has brought me, and trying to soak that up “in the moment”. Seriously.

Because, you see, when I was in junior high, my parents were going through a divorce. I was in a tough place, and I needed a role model, and God gave me Barbara Mandrell. I know, you may not initially view a “Country Music Star” as a great role model. But I can tell you that she was just what I needed:

At that time (middle school) I had a real complex about being short…she was my height.

I loved music and had already begun to play the piano, write songs, and sing…she was a musician/singer too.

And most importantly in nearly every interview that I saw her do on television or read about in a magazine, she would give glory to God, and talk about the priority that she placed on her family.

It’s funny, because literally on my birthday, the day before Barbara called, I had taken some time to ponder my life. And as I began that journey, I actually started it out in a little of a pity party, as I said to God, “God, what about my dreams? What about the things that I believe that you have spoken to me? As I said that to Him I thought back to what my dream was when I was a kid…which was to be a country music singer. And then just as quickly as I remembered that I, seriously, chuckled out loud as I said to God, “You know God as I look back and think about that, I’m not sure whether I really wanted to be a country music singer, or whether I just really wanted to get to know Barbara Mandrell."

So, the next day when Barbara called me, it was as if God was saying, “here ya go Missy, here’s Barbara Mandrell.” To me, Barbara’s call was a birthday gift straight from God. There’s no way possible to tell you all the details here on a blog post of all the events the led up to why this phone call meant so much. Let me just say in summary that in 1991 I renewed my commitment to the Lord, and I laid down my dreams in exchange for His. When Ms. Barbara called, I felt the truth of this scripture:

“delight yourself in the Lord, and He will GIVE you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 34:7

How about you? What place do you find yourself in? Have you let go of the dreams YOU have for your life in exchange for the dreams Your Creator has for your life. I don’t know about you but I want to surrender again…I want to let go again. For I love the way HE loves me, and I love serving Him in the manner that he has called me. Surrendering to the One who can do exceedingly and abundantly more than all we ask or imagine.

“O Taste and See that the Lord is good…” Psalm 34:8

The Way Of Holiness

2009-10-03T10:28:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail from Proverbs 31 Ministries asking if I would be available to lead worship at a women's conference in West Virginia next March. I obviously feel that God has called me to lead worship, and for the past few years I have felt called to serve alongside Proverbs 31 Ministries, and so my answer was an easy "yes, I'm available and interested".

The name of the church is "The Way of Holiness Church". When I saw that I thought "that's an interesting name." You know, it's not your typical name like "First Methodist Church" or "First Christian Church". "The way of holiness"...I like that.

Today I was reading in Isaiah 35 and found the scripture passage that (I'm guessing) inspired their name.

God is talking about what it will be like for His people who are redeemed.

He says:

Blind eyes will be opened.
Lame men and women will leap like deer.
The voiceless break into song
springs of water will burst out in the wilderness, streams flow in the desert,
hot sands will become a cool oasis, thirsty ground a splashing fountain,
even lowly jackals will have water to drink, and barren grasslands flourish richly.

AND a highway will be there, it will be called the WAY OF HOLINESS.
the unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk IN THAT WAY....
only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the LORD will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. (portions of Isaiah 35:1-10)

"The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that way". That doesn't mean that if you're not perfect you can't walk on it. It simply means that we recognize our imperfections, our sinfulness, and we call on the One who can save us. The One who died for our sins. The One who can restore us to a right relationship with God. We come to Jesus, broken. Weak. Crippled. Messed up. But in that we recognize our need for Him. We surrender to Him. And he takes us and sets us on this "highway of holiness". A highway that He's designed for His people. Complete with His road signs. His Word. His guidance. Through every curve. Hill. Valley. He travels, in the driver's seat, and leads us on this highway. This beautiful Way of Holiness, 'til we make it to the place of Holiness.

Might As Well Face It Monday (on the proper day)

2009-09-28T00:01:00.002-05:00

The other day, while I was at Target, there was a woman on her cell phone. I heard her talking when I first walked in, and her conversation didn't sound very pleasant. She was griping...A LOT!

So anyway, I just took notice of that, and thought, "Hmmm...she doesn't sound like she's having a very good day."

Then about 15 minutes later, while I was rejoicing in the hair product aisle (see previous post) she came walking by, STILL on her cell phone, and STILL griping.

For a moment, I started to get sad because her griping was disturbing my exciting time that I was having shopping for hair products. And just as I started to think badly of her for her incessant compaining, I thought, "you know, I don't know what she has on her plate. I don't know what's going on in her life, and besides that, I've sounded like that on many occassions."

Then I thought, "might as well face it, I'm not going to be happy as long as I'm griping."

Have you ever thought about that? Often times it's our griping over situations that makes us almost more unhappy than the situation itself.

I don't think it's always healthy to just hold frustrations in. But there are certain situations that we've voiced our opinion about again, and again, and again. And we simply need to stop. Look for the positive, or in other words, count our blessings.

"Do everything without complaining or arguing" Philippians 2:14

Why?

"So that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe." Philippians 2:15

The Message says that when we do things readily and cheerfully without bickering it is like a breath of fresh air in this polluted society.

Lord, help me not to pollute the air with negativity, but to be a breath of fresh air.

Might As Well Face It Mondays

2009-09-23T16:59:00.002-05:00

I'm starting a new thing on my blog called, "Might As Well Face It Mondays." Where I post something about myself or maybe others (in general) that starts out with "might as well face it" and I post it on Mondays.

Like today for instance, it's this:

I might as well face it I'm addicted to hair products. Seriously. I am. I get really excited over new shampoo. Or hairspray. Or various other hair products. I've noticed my extreme love for hair products before, but noticed it again today as I stood all excited in the hair product aisle at Target.

They were selling shampoo and conditioner buy one get one!! YAY!!

So, if you ever have to buy me a gift...hair products would be great! Ha.

Okay, so I realize I'm posting this on Wednesday, and I've titled it "might as well face it Mondays". But you might as well face it, that's just the way I am. And you might as well face it that you may never ever see this might as well face it topic again, even though I said I'm starting it. 'Cause I DID start it, but might as well face it, I might not continue it. Ever.

I didn't expect this to happen while getting the oil changed in my car

2009-09-17T19:46:00.002-05:00

The last couple of days my car hasn't been running quite right, so I flipped up the visor to read the sticker that tells me when my car is due for an oil change. I was overdue. So I took it in today to have everything checked out.

I took my laptop with me, and was looking forward to doing some writing while waiting. I just recently had a REALLY neat God thing happen, and I was wanting to put it on paper. However, just shortly after I got my computer fired up, I noticed a friend walking toward me. He sells cars at this particular dealership. Years ago I would see him frequently because I used to help with their television advertising. But anymore, I only see him when I get my oil changed...which is just a couple times a year. (synthetic oil...it lasts longer :-)

Anyway, he sat down to talk to me. He asked me how things were going in the television business. He asked about my family. He asked about my Mom. He reminded me of a time that he had come over and listened to our band play music...back when we were still playing in the bars...and then he asked me what was going on now.

So instead of typing my God story, I spoke it, and shared it with him. He was touched by it, and in turn, shared a God story with me...and now I want to share it with you.

He said, a few years back, he had this friend who was a preacher. He called to check on him one day, and his wife answered. The wife said that the preacher wasn't doing very well because his dog had just died.

My friend knew how much the dog meant to the preacher, and his heart ached for him. The wife said that he would like to have another dog just like the one that passed but it would cost $300 and they couldn't afford it. She had tried to talk her husband into getting one from the pound, but he wouldn't go for it. If he was going to get another dog, he wanted it to be like his last one.

So, my friend decided to make it his mission to find and buy this preacher the kind of dog that he wanted.

He said that he searched all over the Indianapolis area and could not find any pups of that particular breed that were ready to leave their Mama. So he looked and looked, and finally found some about an hour south of here.

The breeder had two dogs, so my friend got in his car and drove down to see the pups. By the time he got there, she had already sold one of them, and all she had left was the runt.

He picked the runt up and looked at him. He wasn't sure whether or not to buy him because typically the runt is not the "best" dog. And this particular dog, even though it was the same breed as the preacher's dog, had brindle markings on it's side, and my friend couldn't remember his dog looking quite like that. However, he had looked all over and not had any luck, so he decided to go ahead and get the runt.

On the way home he had to stop and let the dog out to do it's "duty", and he didn't have a collar or leash, so he quickly ran into a store to buy one so that he could manage the dog easier. He said all he could find was, in his words, an ugly, sissyfied, orange and purple collar...he didn't like it, but he bought it anyway.

When he got home, he called the preacher's wife and said, "don't tell your husband, but I've bought him a dog. How 'bout I come over Sunday for dinner, and I'll surprise him with it?!"

So when Sunday came, my friend went to the preacher's house, and left the pup in the car. He went inside, sat down, and started talking to the preacher. About 10 minutes into the conversation, the preacher said, "you brought me a puppy."

My friend looked to the wife and said, "Ah man, I asked you not to tell him!"

she said, "I didn't tell him."

The preacher said, "she did not tell me about the puppy. The Lord just told me that you brought me a puppy."

My friend was taken back, and he took the preacher out to the car to show him his new puppy. He said to the preacher, "I hope he is okay with you. He's got this brindle marking his sides, and I'm sorry, but all I could find was this silly looking collar."

The preacher said, "come here, I want to show you something."

He took my friend inside and showed him a picture of his dog that had passed away. Same exact markings, and same exact collar.

Now that is a GREAT story, but what made it even greater was God's presence while my friend was sharing it. Because about half way through the story, my friend started crying. He said, "I can't even tell this story without crying."

So he and I sat in the waiting room at the car dealership and cried together.

I ended up crying most of the way back to the station as I pondered both of our lives. When I first me him I was playing music in the bars, and he was frequenting them. But God intervened, and changed us to the point that today we sat and glorified God together by exchanging God stories...and crying.

I did not expect to experience God while waiting for my oil to be changed, but I'm so glad I did.

Compassion/Travis

2009-09-01T18:59:00.006-05:00

Hey, I finally got back on line! Our internet has been rather moody lately. About the only thing it has let me access is Facebook. Weird.

Anyway, Friday, August 21st (I think that's the right date) Denny and I went to O'Fallon, Illinois over near St. Louis. Denny was working a table for Compassion International at a Travis Cottrell concert. And I was able to go too!!! Yay!

Travis and his team were AWESOME!! I was so impressed. It really wasn't a concert, but a worship service. And an awesome one at that! I had seen Travis lead worship before at a Beth Moore event, but this evening it was a straight two hours of worship...oh so good!!

And at the Compassion table they were busy!! Over 50 children were sponsored that evening. That's 50 kids released from poverty in Jesus' name!!!

It was fun for Denny too...working the Compassion table was fun, AND he had a special surprise of getting to work the table with Brian Seay. If you've heard Denny's story, then you know that he was initially drawn to Compassion by a group of bloggers that had taken a trip to Uganda and blogged about it while there. Well, one of those original bloggers that God used to draw Denny into this ministry was Brian, so it was a thrill for Denny and I to get to meet him. Brian is the one with the shaved head in the picture below. Just as a side note, if you follow Contemporary Christian music, Brian is a brother-n-law to Shaun Groves, and a brother to Robbie from the "Robbie Seay Band".

We also had a chance to visit briefly with Travis after the service...that photo is below too.

If you're interested in finding out more about Compassion International be sure and catch Denny or I at church, or leave a comment, and we'd love to talk to you about it!

Update

2009-08-28T15:51:00.002-05:00

Well, gee, I have a lot that I'd like to say to you all, but we've been without internet at home for the past week!!!!

For some reason it's not wanting to work, so I'm trying to just enjoy the time without it, but at the same time it's been frustrating because there are some things that I've wanted to share about. Like our trip to St. Louis last Friday where Denny worked a table for Compassion International at a Travis Cottrell concert.

Anyway, I'm wrapping up my week at work right now, but hopefully our internet will decide to cooperate soon 'cause I want to show you some pics. We'll see how that goes...

Peace in the Midst of Chaos

2009-08-17T20:46:00.007-05:00

Here lately, I've been trying to maintain a peaceful attitude even in the midst of chaos. This is a little exercise that God has been working on with me for about the past two months, 'cause just because life gets crazy, doesn't mean I have to. Can you relate? Amen.

It started in my personal worship time.

Often times in my personal worship time, I'll just sit at a piano and play, and sing whatever is on my heart. (sorry, if you were at church yesterday, you've already heard this part of the story).

Anyway, as I would worship, I just kept singing the same words over and over, "I want to slow down, cease striving, and soak up your love." That was my prayer.

Understand, I realize that sometimes regardless of how hard we try, life just doesn't slow down. It doesn't always cooperate in that manner.

Take last Thursday for instance. I had already been swamped all day. On top of a million other things that happened that day, we had produced a commercial for a client, and did so in accordance with the client's specifications.

The commercial was scheduled to air the next day. At 4:30 I got a call from the client letting me know that there was an error in the spot. Admittedly her fault, but nevertheless, it could not air the way it was.

It was too late to pull the scheduled commercial off of the log for the next day, though we could send a corrected version if we could get it done by 5. However, another problem was that the guy who always cuts this client's audio was already off for the day, and the audio needed re cut.

Panic. Or not?

I chose the latter. Mentally I chose to not panic, and prayed instead.

Fortunately, our Houdini commercial director, Ron, was able to edit pieces of the audio together to make it work...and it sounded completely natural. The problem was solved and I passed the test by maintaining peace in the midst of a chaotic situation. And can I tell you? That was so much more joyful that allowing my mind, body and emotions get tangled up in the chaos.

Do you struggle with this too? Maintaining a peaceful attitude in the midst of chaos?

As I type that I'm reminded of Paul and Silas. Thrown in jail for doing nothing wrong. I would consider that shake up in my life chaotic. And yet, Paul and Silas were found praying and singing hymns. They chose God instead of chaos. As a result, they went from being held captive by the jailer to being cared for by the jailer. Acts 16:25-34

Remember that when life gets chaotic, we dont' have to go there with it. We can trust Jesus to bring us peacefully through it.

Devotion

2009-08-15T10:08:00.003-05:00

The closer I get to Christ, the more I'm amazed by His love.

I wrote a devotion that's up over at the FCC Women's Ministry Blog. Click here if you'd like to read that.

She Speaks "Moments"

2009-08-06T18:08:00.009-05:00

Kathy and I returned from the Proverbs 31 She Speaks Conference Sunday evening. Since then it seems that my feet have kept going at the same speed that the plane hit the ground at....FAST.
When I've been in God's presence, and/or have finished doing something that He has asked me to do, I don't like to move on without talking to Him about the experience that we've just had together. So, I thought I'd share some of my She Speaks ponderings here.

For me, going to "She Speaks" has never been about going to a speaker and writer's conference. It has always simply been about obedience. "Lord, I'm a worship leader, so why don't you send me to a worship leader conference?"

Now, obviously being a worship leader means some speaking, and I do some writing as well so I'm certainly not saying that I can't glean a ton of information from the conference, because I can, and I have. Nor am I closed minded to the fact that God may want me to speak and write more, because I KNOW that He has given me a personal story that He wants me to communicate in whatever manner He chooses.

But for me, right now, what She Speaks is mostly about in my heart of hearts is relationships.

God, for whatever reason, has knit my heart to some of the gals on the P31 team, and I feel His love for them. One of my biggest reasons for going to the conference was to hopefully, in some sort of manner, express His love to them in person, because I care about them.

However, instead of simply being "care-full", I found myself being "cared for". Or in other words, I felt the truth of this scripture:

"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full', you find yourselves cared for". Matthew 5:7 (The Message)

So, here are a few of the She Speaks moments where I was "care-full", and felt "cared for"...

Wendy Pope running to meet us. Hugging her. Having time with her apart from the crowd to just catch up. Her grabbing my hand as she left that conversation. And the humor in her referring to me the rest of the weekend as the director the their new track, "She Hangs Out".

Marybeth calling me over to sit at her table for dinner Friday night. Laughing with her both at dinner and various times thoughout the weekend. Holding onto her when we said goodbye...and then holding her tighter.

Holly, Lysa's assistant, standing and talking to Kathy and I while we were waiting for the rain to stop so we could walk back to our hotel. She said goodnight and went on up to her room. Just speaking with her was blessing enough, BUT then she came back down with the keys to Lysa's vehicle, waving them in the air she said, "look what I have! Would you like a ride back to your hotel?!" That simple act of kindness touched our hearts so deeply. Thank you Holly.

Rachel passing by me and waving while I was sitting in a session. I would have thought nothing of it had she kept on walking, but she didn't, she came up behind me, squeezed my shoulders, and said, "it is SO good to see you." Oh my heart.

Having the opportunity to thank Lysa personally (though quickly) for showing me encouragement in my writing. To be able to chit chat with her briefly in the hallway, and to sit under her wise counsel as she shared both Biblical and practical wisdom with us.

Getting to meet Glynnis, the editor of the P31 Magazine. She too stopped while passing by Kathy and I, and showed much love to us by simply visiting with us for about 20 minutes.

Dinner with Renee on Saturday night. I, truly, find it hard to even find words to express what this meant to me. To sit across from Renee and visit with her face to face. Face to face. Face to face. Did I say face to face? Loved it. Thank you Jesus.

Hanging out with Kathy all weekend. The great conversation that took place in the hotel room Friday morning before the conference started. Our prayer time Friday night...so good. Kathy reading the Bible to me while laying in our beds. I LOVED that! (though it makes me laugh)

Oh so many more moments that I care about, but would take forever to mention...

When I got home, I was met by this "grate" note from my boy Josh...

Marybeth...

Renee...

All I need is Jesus and B-12

2009-08-04T07:37:00.002-05:00

Seriously. That's what I think every morning as I take my vitamin B-12. "All I need is Jesus and B-12". I chuckle every morning as I think that. See, Jesus and B-12 bring me joy just thinking about them.

Jesus to save my soul, and B-12 to save my family from my radical PMS. Ha.

Okay, I know that I really only need Jesus. I'm not sure why I have to take B-12 instead of Jesus just fixing me. I figure there's some Christian who is on the B-12 assembly line and God is keeping him/her employed. :-)

I get the same chuckle everytime I walk into Wal-mart, because I have the same thought there too. "All I need is Jesus and Wal-mart".

Oh my...all I really need is Jesus. Amen and amen.

Where I've Been

2009-07-27T20:19:00.004-05:00

I was noticing that it's been a while since I've blogged. Holy cow, where does the time go?

Looks like the last time I blogged was July 8th. On July 11th we took Denny to the Indianapolis airport and sent him off for his nearly two week trip to Uganda. Then we (my Mom and my kids) drove on to Panama City Beach, Florida where we spent a week. I would love to show you some pictures from our trip, but I put my camera card into what I thought was a slot for it on my computer (wrong) and now I can't get it out. Looks like I'm gonna have to take my computer on a field trip to my workplace to visit our engineers to see if one of them can fix it. Of course I'll have to endure the ridicule that will come along with that. :-)

So, I had one week away from home, and then I had one week at home without Denny, and I didn't get on the computer much that week. I simply tried to stay busy doing stuff so I wouldn't miss him. Pathetic huh? But true.

And on top of all that, God has given me some new songs. I've been doing a lot writing lately. It seems to work that way with me. I'll go forever without writing any songs, and then all of a sudden I'll write a whole CD's worth of songs. So, I'm currently working on about four new songs....writing and arranging, and recording them. I can't wait to share them with you. One I'm really excited about because I wrote it with Joshua Mibourn, our seven year old. He had a great amount of input in both the lyrics and the melody line of the song, and I am loving the way it has turned out. He also sings on it, and he does a GREAT job!! It has been so much fun seeing his little creative mind at work. More on that later!

This week I will fly out Thursday night with my friend Kathy Lay. We are traveling to North Carolina to attend the Proverbs 31 Ministry "She Speaks" Conference. I cannot tell you how excited I am to be going this year. I have made some friends within the P31 organization who are very near and dear to my heart, and I cannot wait to see them!! Not to mention how much fun Kathy and I have together!! Needless to say, I am REALLY excited! Please pray for safe travel for us.

Jesus...

2009-07-08T05:46:00.002-05:00

We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.

He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he's there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.

You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. You don't walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message—just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message.

Colossians 1:15-23 (The Message)

How Do You Do Life?

2009-07-05T05:53:00.005-05:00

I must admit that it does not take much for me to get sucked in to the Michael Jackson media coverage. As I flip through channels, I find myself stopping on the ones that are doing stories about him.

I was never a HUGE fan, but I always found him fascinating. On stage he was incredible, his showmanship. But off stage he always seemed to be quite mysterious, somewhat bizarre, and hard to figure out.

In watching all of the media coverage, my favorite interview has been one that Harry Smith did with Gladys Knight. I'm partial to Gladys anyway just because I LOVE her singing, and her style. But what I loved most about this interview is that Gladys, to me, humanized Michael. She made him "real". The part that touched me is she said that there were times when she and her husband were alone with Michael and he would ask, "How do you do this? How do you handle life with all the pressures?" Or in other words, my interpretation, how do you do life?

That makes my heart go out to him. Have you ever asked that question? How do you do life? I can relate to that, and I can tell you that if not for my Heavenly Daddy, and His Word, and His Holy Spirit to guide me, I'm not sure I'd know how to do life either...and I don't have any of the pressures that Michael Jackson had. Although living with Denny, who always has a camera in his hand, is almost like living with the paparrazi. :-)

There is a song that has resonated with me ALLLLL of this past week. We're worshipping with it this morning. It's called "breathe", and I can tell you that He, Jesus, is the air I breathe, and I would be lost without Him. I would have a HARD time doing life without Him.

This is the air I breathe....this is the air I breathe
Your Holy Presence...living in me

This is my daily bread...this is my daily bread
Your very Word...spoken to me

and I'm desperate for You, and I'm lost without You

Here's a link to the interview with Gladys if you'd like to see it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vebiqt8rSNM

Good Day - Good Hugs

2009-07-02T16:27:00.003-05:00

"He fills my life with good things." Psalm 103:5 NLT

When I was younger I never liked to hug people. I'm not sure why, but it was out of my comfort zone. Though I still slip into that mode from time to time, I can tell you that MOST of the time I appreciate a good hug. You know the kind of hug I'm talkin' about? Not the kind where you're just huggin' 'cause it seems like that's what you're supposed to do, but a genuine, heart felt, full fledged hug. I typically get those from my husband and my kids, but today I was pleasantly surprised and blessed by three other good hugs.

First, I met my friend Christa for lunch. I haven't seen her in a while, and it was genuinely good to see her...hug #1. A good hug.

Then after lunch, I had broken my sunglasses (I don't think that happened during the hug. ha.) Anyway, I needed to buy a new pair, so I made what I thought was going to be a quick trip into Walgreens. I picked out my sunglasses and went to pay for them. As I was paying, the cashier said, "these are buy one get one free today." A good day. So, I quickly ran back to get another pair. As I was looking, I heard a voice say, "Hey, what are you doing?" I looked up to find my friend Priscilla. I used to work with her at TV-2 (NBC). We were good friends, but I have not seen her for probably three or four years. I was so glad to see her. Hug #2. A good hug.

THEN, as Priscilla and I were talking, she glanced away for a moment to say Hello to someone, I looked at who she was talking to, and was so pleasantly surprised to see another gal that I used to work with at TV-2! Her name is Phyllis. She was the Program Director at TV-2, when I was a new/young salesperson there. She looked at me, and said "oh my gosh!" enter in hug #3. A good hug. It was wonderful to see her. I think it's been ten years since the last time I saw Phyllis.

So what started out as a quick trip to buy sunglasses, ended up being 30 minutes talking with good friends. A good day.

THEN, to top off my already good day, when I got back to the station, my boss said, "since it's a holiday weekend, you can go ahead and go home now."

Good hugs. Good day.

Just Sharing

2009-06-28T07:11:00.002-05:00

I'm preparing this morning to lead worship at North Side Christian Church in Terre Haute, and as I was reading scripture, I came across this one, and felt God's love so strongly in it, so I thought I'd share:

"as for me, I am poor and needy...but, the Lord is thinking about me right now." Psalm 40:17a

Wow. So true. Me in my nothingness. But God.

May you too be encouraged by being reminded that the Lord is thinking about you right now.

Building Altars

2009-06-26T05:22:00.003-05:00

"Build altars in the places where I remind you who I am, and I will come and bless you there." Exodus 20:24

Building altars...do you ever build altars?

Several years ago, I was at a Karen Wheaton concert. I love to hear Karen both sing AND speak. I've seen her a few times, and every time I've been greatly blessed by her words and music. Anyway, at this one particular concert, she was speaking of building altars. One thing she said was that when God meets her in a special way through His Word, she marks it, dates it, and writes out to the side of the scripture what it was that God spoke to her about there.

It's been several years since I heard Karen say that, and ever since then, I too have "built altars" in that way. If you look at my Bible, you'll see many places highlighted with a "name" or a "word" out to the side that indicates/reminds me of how God met me in that place. Not just that place in the Bible, but at that place in my life.

Sometimes it's not just the Bible that God speaks to me through, sometimes it's people, or circumstances. When those times happen, I journal what God has said to me.

"write down for the record everything I have said to you..." Jeremiah 30:2

"build altars in the places where I remind you who I am and I will come and bless you there"

I have found the last part of that verse to be SO true, for I can tell you that as I read thru my Bible, and run across one of my "altars", I am reminded of how God met me at that point in my life, and in being reminded, my faith is refreshed, and He does indeed come and bless me there.

Be Alert For Signs of His Presence

2009-06-13T07:59:00.003-05:00

The other day I had been out to see a client, and when I left there, I headed back to the television station. My plan was to go back into the station, and heat up some lunch. However, as I pulled back up to the station this thought passed through my mind, “go see Godfrey (another client) NOW because he’s only going to be in the store for about another hour.”

The “thought” happened just as I was pulling up to park, so I quickly analyzed the thought, and pulled back out of the parking lot and headed to see my client.

So, I walked into the client’s place of business, and sure enough, he was there. After sitting and talking with him for about ten minutes he said to me. “Did you get my voicemail?” I said, “No”. He cocked his head and said, “Really? You didn’t get my voicemail?” “No, I did not get your voicemail.” I said. “Where did you leave it at?” “Your office” He replied. “So what did it say?” I asked. He said, “I left a message on your office voicemail telling you that if you wanted to see me you’d better get your butt down here in the next hour because I was going to be leaving.”

Hmmm… :-)

"Well", I said, "My phone did not give me your message, but God did.” And I proceeded to tell him what had happened. We were both amazed by it.

How many times do we have thoughts that we think are just “fleeting” thoughts, but instead are the Holy Spirit trying to communicate with us? Maybe, just maybe, we should think about what we are thinking about.

Psalm 105:4 says, “keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works; be alert for signs of his presence.” (The Message)

Father, help me to recognize your voice, help me to be obedient to what it is that you tell me to do. And when things like the above story happen, help me not to chalk it up as a coincidence, but as a definite sign of YOUR presence. You are amazing.

Great Performance

2009-06-10T20:35:00.003-05:00

I'm in Greenville, Illinois right now where my daughter is attending a basketball camp. I went to dinner tonight with a couple of friends that I went to high school with. Our daughters are all the same age. We had a really good time visiting over dinner.

One of our dinner conversations was about Jamie Foxx. In May, I watched as he was on a country music special that was honoring George Strait as the country music "artist of the decade". I, being totally out of the loop, didn't even realize that Jamie Foxx could sing. So, when he took the mic and did his rendition of George Strait's hit, "You Look So Good In Love", I was CAPTIVATED. It was absolutely incredible. After it was over, I rewound it, and called my whole family in to watch it, I was so impressed with how he took the song and made it his own....

My friend Lisa, whom I dined with tonight was equally impressed by his performance.

If you haven't seen it, it's worth watching...thought I'd share it here...

In the Prayer Room

2009-06-07T14:00:00.002-05:00

Many times prior to church on Sunday's I go into the "prayer room". I can't tell you how many times God meets me there. I can't tell you how many times I literally walk in the door, and feel His presence. Like, what's that all about? "Lord, were you just hangin' out here waiting on me to show up?!" Or is it that because it's the "prayer room" and people are continually talking to God in there, that His presence just kind of hovers there?

Anyway, I'm not sure what that's all about, I can only tell you that OFTEN times, it happens.

So, today, I went into the prayer room and, as usual, felt His presence as soon as I walked in. Paul Boyer was also in there, so we chit chatted just a little bit about some people that God has recently brought into Paul's life. Then, Mariann Schaefer came in, and added to our conversation. Paul and Mariann both are, very much, people whom I consider to be "prayer warriors". And for whatever reason, God has seemingly assigned me to Mariann. Meaning, I don't even have to tell Mariann what's going on in my life because God does. Sometimes at the height of when I'm going thru something, Mariann will e-mail and say, "what's going on?" It always cracks me up 'cause she always knows that somethings up without me ever saying anything.

Anyway, back to my story. What I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED about our time in the prayer room was that we were sitting there talking, and then just as quickly, we all started to pray. We didn't pray together this particular time, we just prayed individually. What I loved about it was the comfort level that was present. We didn't say, "okay, I'm done talking and I'm gonna pray now." Though there would have been nothing wrong had any of us said that. But we didn't have to.

As my quiet time in the prayer room began, I started by thanking God for that. For the family that He has given me at FCC. That we can be sitting in the same room and have conversation, and then not have conversation, and feel comfortable doing so. It is so good to have Christian brothers and sisters who "get it". Who know me, and I know them. Who love me, and I love them. Who pray for me, and I pray for them. This is how God's church operates, and in keeping in theme with Marybeth...it is such a "good" thing.

A Good Thing

2009-06-04T16:57:00.004-05:00

You know how sometimes people refer to the person who brought them to the Lord as their "Spiritual Father", or "Spiritual Mother"?

Well I'd like to refer to the person who got me started in this whole bloggy thing as my "Blog Mama". And my blog mama, Marybeth, is currently posting "good things" on her blog. Making it a point to see and mention those good things that happen in every day life. I thought that was a great idea, so I decided to join her on that journey.

So, for me, today's good thing is that I got to go to lunch and play miniature golf ALL AFTERNOON with my boss, a couple of other sales reps, and one of my very favorite clients, Jill, who by the way, in reference to my last post, pays her bills on time.

Work has been seriously overwhelming in recent days, and to take an afternoon off and actually SCHEDULE some fun was SOOOO refreshing!! and the other good thing is it was my BOSS'S idea! What a great boss!

We had SO MUCH FUN, and fun is GOOD!

Faithful Always

2009-05-29T22:33:00.004-05:00

God is so much more faithful to me than I am to Him.

I'm a 100% commission salesperson. If our clients don't pay their bills in 90 days, I lose my commission. Which means I sold the advertising, and handled everything that takes place from the point of sale to getting the client on the air, and making sure their spots air correctly, then if they don't pay in 90 days, I've basically done all the work for FREE.

Yesterday as I looked at my accounts receivables I had close to $30,000 from one particular client of mine that had not been paid. It was Thursday, May 28th, if the money was not in the house by the end of the day Friday, I would lose approximately $3,000. My first thought was, "there is no way this money is going to be in the house by tomorrow." I mean, if I were to call them immediately, they would have to overnight the check to make that happen, and I couldn't see them doing that.

I was mad at myself for the oversight. I was mad at my job for the seemingly stupid rule. And I wasn't very happy with God for He, more than anyone, knew how hard I had worked at my job, and how could He let this happen?

So, I prayed what has been my favorite prayer all year. Seriously. I prayed this prayer while auditioning girls for the all female praise band. I prayed this prayer while sorting thru some tough issues with the praise band. I have prayed this prayer MULTIPLE times as I have lived through 2009. It's a simple prayer. Let me share it with you, here are the words:

"Father...help." "help."

And then I called the client. The check had been mailed on the 20th of May. That was my first Hallelujah. But why didn't we have it? So, I called my boss...he checked again. The money was there. It was already there before I freaked out about it. While I was in the "Freak out" stage, the money was there all along, my report that had been printed out for me was incorrect. Why am I so quick to doubt His provision, and His faithfulness.

He is so much more faithful to me than I am to Him.

What is your current concern? Try my prayer, "Father...help."

Lord, You are faithful always.

Here's a song we've been singing in church for the last few months. I don't think it's out on CD yet, but due out anytime. I did, however, finally find it on Youtube.

She Never Called Me By My Name...

2009-05-22T22:39:00.003-05:00

This week we lost a beloved member of our church and our community, as Margaret Thornsburg passed away. She had prayed for Jesus to take her home to be with Him, and He answered that prayer.

As I think of Mrs. Thornsburg, there are some memories that come to mind. One is that her daughters used to babysit me. Another is, of course, a memory that many others have of her as well, she was my English teacher in high school. But the memory that stands out the most to me about Mrs. Thornsburg, is that she NEVER called me by my name. Ever.

From the time she taught my English class when I was a Freshman in high school, 'til the time she passed away, she always called me "Barbara". She knew that my very favorite singer/entertainer was (and still remains to be) Barbara Mandrell. So that's what she called me. Not Missy. Not Melissa. Barbara.

So, when John (our preacher) called to tell me that her daughters had asked me to sing at the funeral, they had also told him that she always referred to me as Barbara.

Today, as we honored her life, I was honored to sing at her funeral. It seemed such an appropriate ending to our relationship here on this Earth...that I, Missy/Barbara would have the chance to sing for her one more time....'til I see her again.

Psalm 119:89-96

2009-05-22T22:38:00.001-05:00

89-96 What you say goes, God, and stays, as permanent as the heavens. Your truth never goes out of fashion; it's as up-to-date as the earth when the sun comes up. Your Word and truth are dependable as ever; that's what you ordered—you set the earth going. If your revelation hadn't delighted me so, I would have given up when the hard times came. But I'll never forget the advice you gave me; you saved my life with those wise words. Save me! I'm all yours. I look high and low for your words of wisdom. The wicked lie in ambush to destroy me, but I'm only concerned with your plans for me. I see the limits to everything human, but the horizons can't contain your commands!

Lil' Joshy made the news!

2009-05-19T15:30:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I bought flowers, and Josh begged me to let him help plant them last night. While begging me, he informed me that we needed to call "811" before we started digging.

I said, "where did you hear that at?" He proceeded to tell me that they had planted some stuff at school today, and had talked about it.

Today when I got to work, I found him on our website. (must have been a slow news day) :-)

Here's a link to the video, when the box first comes up, Josh is the boy closest to the building.

http://www.wthitv.com/dpp/news/news_wthi_marshall_students_dig_for_important_lesson_200905181802

Unity Night

2009-05-16T08:53:00.003-05:00

What an honor it was to get to lead worship again at this year's Wabash Valley Ladies Unity Night. And what an honor to get to serve with Lysa TerKeurst. I thoroughly enjoy listening to Lysa speak, and am moved each time I hear her!

It was also fun leading worship with my new friends in Christ, Dawn, Christa, Jacki, Aimee, Tonya, Roxie, Ashley, and Cathy! They are sold out for Jesus, and were so much fun spending time with!

I'm also thankful for Jona, the event coordinator. God has given us a special friendship, and I count her as one of my dearest friends...

The WVLUN planning committee works so hard, and many months, to put on this event, so that we women, of various denominations, can come together, and celebrate Christ!

If you go to FCC, be sure and thank Lisa Lashbrook for all her efforts...she has served on this planning committee for the past few years.

Here's a link to a news story about the evening...

http://www.wthitv.com/dpp/news/news_wthi_TerreHaute_LadiesUnityNight_2009_05152220

Talkin' Like an Angel

2009-05-15T23:50:00.002-05:00

This morning, I read Acts 12...and chuckled as I read it.

Peter is in prison (that's not the funny part). Smile. But anyway, Peter is in prison and an Angel of the Lord comes to him, while he is sleeping, wakes him up, and says this:

“Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. 8 Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered.

When I read that, it reminded of the conversation that typically takes place at our house every morning when I'm waking the kids up to go to school. I usually say pretty similar things:

Quick. Get up!
Get dressed!
Put your shoes on!
Get your coat!

All this time I thought I was being a domineering Mama...I never realized that I was just talkin' like an angel. :-)

So Grateful

2009-05-09T08:31:00.004-05:00

Today Denny and I celebrate our 22nd wedding anniversary. Typically, I'm very happy when we celebrate an anniversary, but I don't get real mushy about it. This morning, however, I find myself in a very different place.

For this year's anniversary, God has decided to take me down memory lane, and he has reminded me, very clearly, of where we've been and how far we've come...or should I say, how far He has brought us. And to be honest, that simply leaves me being SOOOO grateful.

2 Samuel 7:18 [ David's Prayer ] Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: "Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?

This song has been a staple for me, this year, in my personal worship time.

Exceeding Joy

2009-05-07T11:28:00.003-05:00

No other song captures my heart quite like this one. Every time I hear it, I am immediately ushered into HIS presence. I can't really explain why it touches me like it does, I just know it does. Thought I'd share it with you...

I have found exceeding joy,
Jesus answered when I called
this Name that has saved me,
pure love that embraced me.

Mercy, grace, eternal life.
Bought from darkness to His light.
While lost in my sin, He
raised me and made me live.

Chorus:
My soul magnifies the Lord,
my heart joys in God my Saviour,
for He lifts the lowly,
He's done great things for me.
I will sing, praising evermore,
He is mighty and Holy is His Name.

I will lift my head up high,
praising Jesus through each trial.
Though I have not seen Him,
I love Him completely.

Chorus:
My soul magnifies the Lord,
my heart joys in God my Saviour,
for He lifts the lowly,
He's done great things for me.
I will sing, praising evermore,
He is mighty and Holy is His Name.

Homeless Story

2009-05-05T21:11:00.003-05:00

In case you haven't heard, this week, WTHI-TV news anchor Mark Allen is homeless. He's doing a news story to experience, as best as he can, what it's like to be a homeless person. You can follow that story here. Today, for instance, he went dumpster diving and found a banana...and ate it. Yuk.

Tune in to WTHI-TV and WTHI-TV.com for more info on Mark's experience as a homeless person.

Where Has April Gone

2009-04-30T20:29:00.005-05:00

I cannot believe it is already the 30th of April. I believe this month has flown by faster than any other month in the history of my life.

I think it's because we had a couple of "special" church services which took some extra prep time during the weeks, plus I was extremely busy at work, and I was also gone two weekends in April. All of that combined made the month go by quickly...too quickly.

Though it was sometimes overwhelming, I wouldn't change it, 'cause the church services were special, and the weekends away were AWESOME!

We spent Thursday thru Saturday of Easter weekend with the Wood family in Nashville. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed getting out of town, and spending the weekend with them. And, while there, we were able to meet our friends Matt and Christy for breakfast. It was good seeing them as well.

Then I spent the 17th thru the 19th with my friend Marybeth in Chicago. Marybeth is from North Carolina, but was speaking in Chicago. I met Marybeth three years ago at the Proverbs 31 She Speaks Conference. She was my "speaker evaluator". As soon as I met her, I felt a bond with her, and we have stayed in touch over the years, so it was extra special to get to spend some time with her.

I'll conclude with some pics from Nashville:

Here's Tim trying to be a mannequin

Tim apologizing to the mannequin for knocking his hand off

our families outside of the Hard Rock Cafe

A Great Follow up to Compassion Sunday

2009-04-27T15:18:00.002-05:00

Beth Moore's daughter is currently on a Compassion International trip in India. I encourage you to read about it here. It will bring much encouragement to those of you who are child sponsors.

Compassion Sunday

2009-04-26T20:28:00.002-05:00

It was very cool today for me to watch our church get on board with something that God had laid on my husband's heart several months ago...releasing children from poverty in Jesus name.
That is Compassion International's mission. Poverty is much more than lack of finances...it's lack of opportunity. Opportunity for a better life.

Today, many felt God calling them to get involved to help, and as a result many children were sponsored. This problem of poverty, which at times can seem so overwhelming, can be changed one child at a time.

I know there are some who are still praying about getting involved. We had a few child packets left. Denny will have those at church again next Sunday if you feel God leading you to sponsor a child.

Getting the Word Out

2009-04-24T05:47:00.004-05:00

After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.” John 21:15, 16

Over the past year I have watched as God has poured His love and compassion for suffering children into the heart of my husband, specifically speaking of children in poverty. I have watched Denny shed many tears as he has read factual stories, and seen videos of these children who are in desperate need. To be honest, what God has done in the heart of Denny, and now is doing in my life too, has changed the way I view Christianity. It has expanded the way I view Christianity, and in many ways there has been a paradigm shift.

We live in an era of “prosperity preaching”. “Obey God and he will give you the home of your dreams, he will give you the car of your dreams, He will provide everything you ever wanted…”

Understand I believe that God wants to prosper you. I believe that when we obey Him, He does prosper us. But I’m not sure the above scenario is what he had in mind.

In Luke 3:7-9, we see a sample of John the Baptist’s preaching, and what he talks about is that when we follow God, our life should change, our life should look different. Part of what he says is this:

“Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God.”
At the end of his sermon, the crowd asked, “What should we do?” Good question. John replied, “If you have two coats, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”

In Luke 12:33, Jesus says, “sell what you have and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven have no holes in them. Your treasure will be safe…no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it.”

We dream of news cars, and new homes, while others dream that someone will come along to provide them clean water, a bite to eat, and clothing to cover their bodies.

This Sunday, at First Christian Church, you’ll have a chance to fulfill someone else’s dream. The dream of having a bite to eat…clothes to wear, as we join with Compassion International, and churches all over the nation for “Compassion Sunday”. May you prayerfully consider your role as we make an effort to “release children from poverty in Jesus name”.

Father, you have called us not to acquire more, but to give more. Help us to understand the specific call that you have on our individual lives, so that we might fulfill your will and your purpose for our lives. So that your Kingdom can come through us to others….

Application: Prayerfully consider how God would like you to respond to His kingdom call.

Luke 16:9 “I tell you, use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. In this way, your generosity stores up a reward for you in heaven.”

Acts 4:32-35 “all the believers were of one heart and mind, and they felt that what they owned was not their own; they shared everything they had. And the apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great favor was upon them all. There was no poverty among them, because people who owned land or houses sold them and brought the money to the apostles to give to others in need.”

Spiritual Chaos

2009-04-04T20:14:00.002-05:00

I feel normal today for the first time in about two weeks. Monday morning, March 23rd, I woke up at 3am, and I woke up at 3am darn near every day after that until today. Last night I finally slept all night.

During that time, I had a couple of people tell me that God was waking me up. I know that God does that sometimes, but to be honest, I had a hard time believing that God would disturb my sleep at 3am, when He knew that I would wake up at 5am and meet with Him anyway.

So, finally, after about a week of this chaos, I got up one morning, angry. And I said to God, "God, I refuse to believe that it's you waking me up, and the only way I'll believe it, is if you make it clear to me. Lord, if it's you, then in my scripture reading this morning, may you mention, in scripture, that you 'wake us up'."

My scripture reading that morning was Zechariah 4. The first verse I read said, "Then the angel of the Lord awakened me." Praise God, now I at least knew that it was indeed Him waking me up, and not the enemy, and not insomnia...but what does He want??

So the next mornings He continued to awaken me, but instead of me getting frustrated by being awakened, I would simply wake up and say, "yes Lord". Sometimes I got out of bed, sometimes I didn't. Sometimes I grabbed my Bible, sometimes I didn't. Sometimes I could feel His presence, sometimes I couldn't. But the one thing that was consistent every night is that God would bring up various people that He has involved in my life right now, and various circumstances that He has me in involving those people...and as He would bring them up, we would pray for them. To be honest, sometimes, no, a lot of the time, it seemed like chaos. The people and circumstances would flash through my mind so quickly, that it just seemed like chaos. Almost like God was saying, "I'm doing this and this and this and this and this" all the while quickly flashing the mental images through my brain while He was saying it.

By yesterday, Friday, I could hardly keep my eyes opened, I was so tired. In fact, I nodded off once at my desk yesterday. Later in the afternoon, I was driving to see a client of mine, and as I was driving, I was thinking of the events of the past two weeks. I was thinking, "it just seems chaotic. I can't really make sense out of why You have me awake God. It seems like You're doing something bigger than I can understand." About the time I got that thought out of my brain, this song came on the radio. The song summed up my feelings perfectly. And the timing of it was such confirmation from God, as if to say, "yeah, you're right, my ways are higher than your ways, you can't quite fully grasp it, but I'm doing something bigger than you..."

Thanks God for whatever it is you're doing. Thank you for calling me to pray. Thank you for once again answering my thoughts with such sweet confirmation through this song...."

As the chorus said...

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This is something bigger than me
Larger than life
something Heavenly
Something Heavenly

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06AgY5Xoavw

Let Him Help

2009-03-27T05:21:00.002-05:00

"Come now, let us argue this out," says the Lord. "No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool. If you will only obey me and let me help you..."

Isaiah 1:18,19

Far From Perfect

2009-03-24T20:40:00.002-05:00

Just today I was talking to a friend of mine, and I told her, "I hope no one looks at me and/or our family and thinks that we're perfect, that we have it all together, 'cause we don't." That's the truth. We have our struggles. Daily. I think that's why I loved this post SO much tonight when I read it. Please know that you are not alone in your struggles, chances are there are many others who deal with the same things...

A Captive Set Free

2009-03-19T17:36:00.003-05:00

So, I had to go to Paris this afternoon to see a client who also just happens to be an Elder in our church. While there, one of his customers came in with the cutest little puppy dog named “Jack“. The customer left the store, and then came back into say, “I can’t see it, but there is something alive in your drain pipe. Jack is going crazy over it”.

So one of the employees went out and took the drain pipe apart, while we all watched from the window to see just what kind of varmint was going to come out! After a short time the employee got the pipe apart, and out flew a bird. I shouted, in a humorous way, “HE SAVED THAT BIRDS LIFE!!” Which they all chimed in, “yes…he did!”

So, I followed that up with, “HIS eye is on the sparrow!” “Yes, it is!” they replied. Me, still being a bit goofy, said to Keith, the owner/elder, “God used a DOG to SAVE the bird!” We chuckled a little bit more, but both agreed, “yes He did”.

As I walked out of the store, I was reminded of the Communion meditation that Keith gave at our church a couple of weeks ago. He spoke to us about worry, and I believe he used this scripture:

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 6:24-26

So, I peeked my head back in the door and reminded Keith of his communion meditation. He said, “yep, maybe all of this was just for me”.

You can laugh if you want. I even laughed as it was happening, but it doesn’t change the beauty of what happened. God used the dog to set the bird free. Are you not much more valuable than the bird? He knows your needs too, turn to Him, trust in Him for your help. Let Him set you free.

Here’s what God says about it:

Psalm 84:3Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

Matthew 10:31So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows

Luke 12:7Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Ministered to by my Seven Year Old

2009-03-18T05:38:00.001-05:00

I have this box of scripture cards that was given to me several years ago by my Sunday School class when my Father passed away. To this day, they sit on my dresser. Every once in a while, Josh likes to read a few of those before he goes to bed, and now that he can read, he reads them to me.

So, last night he began to read this prayer to me…

“Giver of All, forgive me when I settle for the world’s definition of success instead of the abundant life You offer. Help me to discover Your joy in every hour.”

The world’s definition of success, it is so opposite of what God teaches.

The world says, “look out for number one. Strive to get to the top”

God says, “In order to get ahead, you need to take a back seat.”

"Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you'll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.” Matthew 23:11

Jesus pulling a child over to him says, “anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:4

The world says, “go where you want to go, do what you want to do, plan your own life, set your goals and go for it.”

Jesus says, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am.” Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? Mark 8:34..

Final thought, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.” Romans 12:2

So thanks, child of mine, for reminding me that what success looks like in this world often isn’t what success looks like to God. And the only way to truly have an abundant life, is to live it God’s way. “Father help.”

God's Words that I've Connected With Today

2009-03-17T16:13:00.004-05:00

Here are two scriptures that have spoken to me today. Just thought I'd share...

"O Lord, listen to my cry; give me the discerning mind you promised." Psalm 120:169 NLT

"Many people, including some of the Jewish leaders, believed in him. But they wouldn't admit it to anyone because of their fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise of God." John 12:42-43

Father, give me a discerning mind. I can't do life well without you. And Father, may I NEVER love or desire the praise of humans more than the praise of God. Help me to guard my heart.

How He Loves Us

2009-03-13T20:34:00.001-05:00

Exchanging Dreams

2009-03-11T20:22:00.002-05:00

Galations 6:14, “…Because of the cross, my interest in this world died long ago…”

I can relate to the above scripture. The closer I’ve become to Christ, the less interested I’ve become in the things of this world, primarily speaking of my former passions regarding this world.

I used to have a direction that I felt I wanted to go, a visual picture of what I thought success would look like for me. However the struggle and striving to get there often left me exhausted, discouraged, and not knowing what to do.

I still remember the moment when I surrendered my dreams to Christ. The moment when I said, “this is not going well, Lord. Help.” In the next days and months after that, He began to show me His vision for my life, His direction—which, interesting enough, still lined up with the desires of my heart. There now is a direction for my life which has been established by Him, and revealed to me by Him, through prayer and the reading of His Word.

One of the benefits of obeying His direction is that we no longer have to strive and struggle trying to “get” there. Whenever we begin to strive and struggle, we have to recognize that and immediately surrender the “strive and struggle” to “trust and obey”, walking step by step with God, trusting that “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.” (Philippians 1:6, NIV)

Are you currently striving and struggling to obtain something, or to “arrive” somewhere? Surrender to the One who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than all you ask or imagine!

Father God, I will cry to out to You, for You are God Most High! You perform on my behalf and reward me. You bring to pass Your purposes for me and surely complete them! (Prayed from Psalm 57:2, Amp.)

Philippians 1:6, “…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (NIV)

Psalm 37:4, “ Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. (NIV)

Psalm 37:23-24, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. (NLT)

What Love Is...(from my seven year old's perspective)

2009-03-04T15:03:00.005-06:00

I'm home this afternoon, I've not felt very well this week. I've spent most of the afternoon in bed, but just got up and was going through a stack of mail that was sitting on our counter.

Hidden within the stack of mail, was a valentine that our son Joshua made. How had I missed that? Or had I read it, and in the busyness of life just not soaked up what it said?

This time, when I read it, I immediately chuckled, 'cause what it says, on a nicely cut out red heart and in his handwriting, is this:

"Love is when Mom plays a game with me. She almost always beats me."

The chuckle came from the "she almost always beats me" part. I had to laugh as I thought, "ya know, love would probably be expressed better if Mama would let him win :-)"

But it was also eye opening to me, that he feels loved when I play a game with him...and we're over due. So tonight, barring any additional unforeseen health issues...it's "GAME ON"...

Mostly What God Does is Love You

2009-02-28T07:38:00.003-06:00

Ephesians 5

Wake Up from Your Sleep

1-2Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

I want to always "love like that" Father, and I know I'm incapable of it, unless I camp out with you. Keep company with you. Learning from you. Allowing you to change my heart and love through me. I want to love not holding anything back. Not being cautious. Never trying to attain something for myself...but just the opposite, willing to give everything of myself. May "thy kingdom come" into my heart, and my mind, teaching me to always love like you love.

A few places I’ve Seen God Work This Week…

2009-02-25T11:01:00.002-06:00

In my relationship with my friend Jona, and the abundance of love that God has poured out on us

In the life of my friend Jill, and how God is directing her path so clearly

That God has encouraged my friend Christa to pray for me and express His love to me

That on Monday, an overwhelmingly busy day, when I was thinking, “I don’t want to go out to eat, but I don’t want to cook.” My friend Jennifer called and invited herself and her family to our house for dinner, and said that she was bringing homemade pizzas. Thank you Jesus.

That same night our boy Josh, who is 7, was having trouble sharing…just so happened that his bedtime devotion was on the topic of “sharing”…

That God led Kathy Lay (from our church) to write an article and submit it to Today’s Christian Woman Magazine, that He led TCW to publish it, that he led a sweet girl in Minnesota who was facing some possibly serious health issues to read it, that she began corresponding with Kathy and they developed a relationship that eventually brought Bethany and Stephanie (also from our church) in to minister to her, that Stephanie sent one of my songs that also touched her, and that she got a good report from the doctor yesterday…Tammy, I’ve never spoken to you, but I’m astounded by how God orchestrated all of those details, and I know I’ve not even scratched the surface of everything that actually happened…oh my how He loves you…He is so amazing…

These are just a few places I’ve seen God this week…but there’s more…so much more

I Needed Something Funny :-)

2009-02-24T19:35:00.002-06:00

Oh my....every once in a while Contemporary Christian Artist Shaun Groves will write a hilarious blog post. This one made me laugh until I cried. :-)

However, I should say that I AM concerned about Shaun's eye...so please say a prayer for him...

Crazy Days...

2009-02-23T21:43:00.002-06:00

At one point today, I was talking on my land line, had someone texting me on my cell phone, had someone instant messaging me, and was receiving and responding to e-mails all at once. Seriously. I think I could now work a McDonalds drive thru.