A Year Ago Today...

...was Superbowl Sunday. Jasmine was still tiny. We were hanging out at our friends' house and the kids were playing. I baked a cherry pie and there was way too much food, as there is at all good Superbowl parties. It was a great day.
Today was a great day too. I was super busy all day long. Then tonight we had our women's meeting at church. On the first Monday of every month, we have a meeting called First Love. We start with fellowship and snacks, then move to the sanctuary for worship and the word. Tonight I led worship. My first time to ever lead a whole set. There was a fantastic band and four other fantastic vocalists to help lead the congregation, but I was so nervous before it started. I prayed and claimed that I am anointed to lead worship, but I couldn't help feeling a little intimidated about having to cue the band where to go. I decided that sometimes you just have to do things scared and hope that someday they'll become more comfortable. It was awesome. I think God likes it when I have to get over myself to do something. Then He can really take us somewhere. My voice was not the best its ever been. I still have to learn how to give good cues and lead the congregation. But we met with God and got to worship Him. It was wonderful and liberating. Until I opened my eyes and realized that it was 7 minutes past my allotted time. That little voice in my head started chanting, "wrap it up, wrap it up, wrap it up,..." No one ever told me how hard it is to stop and go on to something else. I mean what do you say: "Okay, that's all folks, open up those eyes. Put those hands down that you have raised. Time's up." Hopefully I handled it more gracefully than that but I think I have a lot to learn about transitions. Yikes!
On the other hand, I could just decide to stay up there forever and let the speaker take the lead on when to take over. :-)

Psalm 86:15

I'm trying to do better about blogging every day. I just realized that I didn't get on at all yesterday and I'm about to head to church tonight.
So, here's my thought for today - short and sweet:
Pastor Hal used Psalm 86:15 in his sermon on Sunday and what he had to say was really good. I was reading it again this week and something totally different stood out to me.
"But you, o Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth."
Pastor Hal talked about knowing God's amazing grace and mercy. I was thinking that we are supposed to be reflections of God's character to the world. I don't know about you, but I am not always slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth. I took it as a challenge from the Holy Spirit and put the verse on our refridgerator.
I am intentionally choosing to be slow to anger in the face of five-year-old rebellion and two-year-old potty training and independence issues. I am stepping forward in speaking the truth with abundant lovingkindness. I'm no there yet, but God's working on me through His amazing word. It is living and active.

Reflections on this moment in my life...

"Planted in the house of the Lord; They will flourish in the courts of our God."
--Psalm 92:13

I was reading in the Psalms today and I vaguely remembered this scripture. Something about it was teasing the edge of my mind, and I couldn't settle down until I found the verse and read it. God is so good. His word is living and active. Recently, positions at our church had to be cut because of budget reasons. My husband's job was one of those. We were totally surprised.
For half a day we sat stunned and in a daze, staring at our bibles. Again and again, we felt a phrase in our hearts, "Your paycheck is not your income. God is the provision for your life." (not original to me, I think it was from a Phil Stern message way back) Amazingly, supernaturally really, we have peace. Not just an uneasy calm and pretended contentment. True peace. Even excitement about what God wants to do next.
It's like when you are a kid about to go on a trip. Too excited to sleep.
Two words from the scripture above jumped out at me. Planted. Flourish.
God has a place to plant us. He was not surprised by this. He knew and was smiling because He could see the awesome blessing that would come in the future. He envisioned the growth in us in the time of waiting. He pictured the stories we will tell our children and theirs about the faithfulness of our God. He was thinking about the best gift He could give us as our Daddy God. The gift of a life FLOURISHING in His house.

So grateful...

I am so grateful to be involved at a church where pastors are not afraid to say the tough stuff. I was so blessed. convicted. challenged. shaken awake by Jim's sermon this weekend. I have never truly understood what being the bride of Christ was all about. Now I have an inkling.
I am studying in 1 John right now and I am amazed at how God is speaking the same things to me through so many different mouthpieces. "Prepare yourself. Purify yourself. Be ready. Get your kids ready." Serious stuff. Not always fun to face our faults and shortcomings. But coming to God as a husband and not a master -- so worth it!
I love you, Jesus! Help me to love you more and to pass that on to Judah and Jazz.

BTW, if you have missed the "Made For God" series at Destiny, click here to listen online.

Healer God

So, I'm really late getting this story up here, but I have to share it. Saturday before last, I dropped a glass jar of baby food from the top shelf of my pantry onto my little toe. My poor little piggy immediately turned purple, bent to the side and swelled up to twice its size. I hobbled into the living room and told that I thought I had just broken my toe; he took one look and agreed with me. We decided that if I went to the hospital, all they would do is tape it and give me Ibuprofen. Oh, and let's not forget an enormous bill for that service. So I bit my lip, taped my toe and downed a couple of pain pills. At church that night, we sang a song called "Healer" (see www.jimstern.com for info about this amazing song!) and prayed for people to get healed. Thick-headed me completely forgot that I had a broken toe. I was busy singing and praying for other people. But I guess God doesn't need for us to remember we are sick to heal us. I realized Sunday that my toe had not hurt since that worship time even though it was still purple, bent to the side and swollen. I changed the tape and went on with my day. By Sunday night when I went to change the tape again, my toe was perfectly normal. Praise God, when we are thick-headed, He's still amazing!