Blackberry Seeds

I have had a great bear hug from God. He gives us hugs and encouragement when we don't even see it coming. He sends people to love on us and lead us when we need it the most. I have needed it. But I am not the only one.

I stood in the Amway Arena this past weekend with I don't even know how many other women worshiping the Lord at a Deeper Still Event. We sat on the edge of our seats as we heard that God goes beyond our expectations and then he will go beyond, beyond. We heard that we can rest in our faith even in a bad season. We rallied as we learned how to discern what was from God so that we would not get PUNKED! We laughed until we cried as we heard the banter between the ladies that led us deeper still into the word with God. We left with a challenge to go deeper still in our relationship with Jesus and expect him to go beyond, beyond and way past, way past as we rested in our faith of the one true God!

I was exhausted when I got home. I had the chance before driving home to have one of the best conversations and discussions with my new friends. I thank God for my sisters in Christ.

I had to go to work yesterday, on the Sabbath. I have to work every third weekend and this was my weekend to work. God blessed me when someone switched a day with me so that I could attend the conference on Saturday. I still had to work Sunday, so the blast of the conference was over and off to work I go, tired!

I momentarily forgot that I was expecting God to go beyond, beyond. I mean, I was going to be stuck at work(which has been really hard for me this year.)

I ended up meeting someone that was experiencing grief of a loved one. Hmmmm. I sure can relate to that.

He brought up his grief and we talked about grief and how hard it is. I shared that I was struggling with my own grief currently and I found myself offering to call a minister.

"No."

"Would you like a Bible?" (the limit of my expectation at the time)

"Yes. I have been seeing John 3:16 all over the place today, and I can't remember what it says."

" I can get you a Bible, but I can tell you what John 3:16 says. `For God so loved the world, that he sent his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.' " (okay, God just got me way past the limit of my expectation, I realized later that this is the first person that has ever asked me what John 3:16 says that didn't already know it or was in the process of memorizing it!)

I brought this person a Bible and told him it was a New Testament, but it did have the Psalms in it. Somehow, during this encounter, I got to share the plan of salvation with him. He was asking~ I was telling. Since he was anxious I asked him what story he like in the Bible. He wasn't really sure, so I told him when I am anxious, I like to read about Jesus calming the storm. He didn't know this story, but he wanted to read it. So I went to look it up, and I couldn't remember the book. I can always go right to it in my Bible, but I was having a moment of panic and it dawned on me...use your Blackberry.

Into my pocket as fast as could be, I used my new nifty Blackberry and googled `Jesus calms the storm.' I had flipped to the reference quick as could be and left him reading about the Prince of Peace.
(Now, by this time God took me beyond, beyond! Way past, way past! Did I see it coming? No, but I liked it. Thank you Jesus!)

He liked the story. He was smiling, yet he was still anxious. He struggles you see. He was taught as a child, that only 144,000 get into heaven.

Strange... he could remember that number of 144,000 and that learning heaven wasn't for him, but he couldn't recall John 3:16 at all.

A few seeds dropped, and one was even a Blackberry seed. Isn't God Awesome??????

This is what standing on good soil is all about:)

Now glory be to God who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of- infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts or hopes. May He be given glory forever and ever through endless ages because of his master plan of salvation for the church through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 3: 20-21.

Heavenly Music

Music in church has always meant a great deal to me over the years. I have very fond memories of being a member of the children's and youth choir at church. I still remember songs and even scripture from the songs that we sang. I have very warm and fuzzy memories of friends and teachers from my music experience at church.

I was never a soloist, nor, was I good at music at any individual level. The most humiliating moment in my life happened at a piano recital when I attempted to play "Open Arms" by Journey. If you were there, you know the horror. If you missed it, count your self spared from the piano horror of a lifetime! I took for six years, and I am terrible. I just wasn't talented. It came so easy to so many of my friends, but not for me. I really was able to play "Open Arms" because I had practiced it for so long. I had to play something a hundred times when my friends could sit down and do it probably ten times. Some of them could just do it right the first time they read the music. Not me. Imagine how my parents felt when I had to practice "Chariots of Fire." It started off with about a hundred d's.

I steer clear of most musical endeavors now. I can download my iPod and sing and dance in private or in front of BubbaLou. She just tells me to be quiet! The only place I sing with other people, is at church, in the congregation, as I worship my God. This is still where I have warm fuzzies, singing to God at church. I am just grateful that I can just show up and let those who are actually talented lead the way.

It is in church, where so many wonderfully talented musicians have touched my life. Ministers of music and choir teachers have always held a special place in my heart. They taught me songs about my Jesus, they showed me how to sing with the body of Christ, they carried me through times when I was very sad or very glad. What an awesome place they have in the body of Christ. They touch people who they know and who they have never met. They bring everyone who is present before the throne of God in worship. They instill hope and passion into our faith through song.

It is because they touch us in such ways, they probably don't even realize the impact they have on our lives. The impact that God purposed them to have. We don't ever realize what we really mean to people we don't even know. It boggles my mind when I think about it, the way our lives touch others, however briefly, seeds are planted, and impressions are made.

Our church's minister of music, Simeon Nix, just followed a new call to heaven. This coming just three months after our pastor and his son followed their call to heaven. We have heavy hearts, but they are still uplifted and full of hope and purpose, because we know, that someday, we will see them again and hear them all sing again, but for now, they want us to keep singing.

When we loose one of these wonderful people on Earth, we can at least look forward to their music in heaven. Their earthly music lifted to God is only a foreshadowing of that music they will make in heaven. I can only imagine how wonderful it will be.

Lifesong

by Casting Crowns

Empty Hands held high

Such Small sacrifice

If not joined with my life

I sing in vain tonight

May the words I say

And the things I do

Make my lifesong sing

Bring a smile to you

Let my lifesong sing to You

Let my lifesong sing to You

I want to sign your nameto the end of this day

Knowing that my heart was true

Let my lifesong sing to You

LORD, I give my life

A Living sacrifice

To reach a world in need

To be your hands and feet

So may the words I say

And the things I do

Make my lifesong sing

Bring a smile to You

Hallelujah, Hallelujah,

Let my lifesong sing to You

Life is like soy sauce

Our family has been going through some stressful times the last month. It has been overwhelming with the abnormal-literally. I haven't known quite what to make of it,nor, how to put my normal positive spin on it, so I have been abnormally quiet.

It all came together this morning as I was making yummy blueberry pancakes since the second day of school was cancelled for a "Storm Day." I had my last two blueberry pancakes cooking and had put the finishing touches on my own plate of hot blueberry pancakes when I grabbed something out of the cabinet and realized it was covered with black liquid. Then in that same hundredth of a second that won Michael Phlelps a gold medal, I realized the entire cabinet was covered in black liquid that came from an overturned bottle of soy sauce.

It had covered my box of Stevia. That stuff cost too much to be infused with the taste of soy sauce. I immediately set to work cleaning. It dripped on the coffee pot, it dripped on the counter, it dripped on the floor, and then down the front of my gown. I am not sure how many paper towels I used to clean this mess, but I sure was glad I wasn't out. I cleaned and cleaned as my pancakes sat there getting cold.

It was during this massive clean up, I realized, this is how my life has been lately. I have been up to my knees in soy sauce! But not just me, everyone in the family is standing on soy sauce. Our friends have even been standing in soy sauce. So what to do, what to do?

While I was cleaning out my cabinets, I was able to save what was inside most of the time, but the boxes had to go. Very few things had to be completely tossed out. My cabinet is now clean and is less cluttered-at least that one shelf. Maybe, just maybe, that is what God needs us to let him do.

So I will let God clean this mess up! I will let him go through, and box by box, either wipe off the bottom or throw the box away. He will have the shelves in our souls cleansed and straightened, clear of even the lingering smell of soy sauce. He can find all the drips and stains of our hurts and fears and wash them away completely. He will take the abnormal and make it normal again, giving us ways to cope and overcome. He will put the top on tight so now new spills of soy sauce don't occur and he will always have plenty of paper towels.

You better check the bottoms of your shoes, you might just be standing in soy sauce!

Dan 3:24-27

Suddenly Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement.

He asked his officials,

"Didn't we tie up three men and throw them into the blazing furnace?"

They answered, "Yes, we did, Your Majesty."
"Then why do I see four men walking around in the fire?" he asked.

"They are not tied up, and they show no sign of being hurt

-and the fourth one looks like an angel."
So Nebuchadnezzar went up to the door

of the blazing furnace and called out,

"Shadrach! Meshach! Abednego!

Servants of the Supreme God! Come out!"

And they came out at once.

All the princes, governors, lieutenant governors,

and other officials of the king gathered to look at the three men,

who had not been harmed by the fire.

Their hair was not singed, their clothes were not burned,

and there was no smell of smoke on them.

Imprints

God puts people in this world baby by baby. He gives each one a personality with talents and charms. He makes each one special because He has a plan for each one. We can't see people the same way God sees them. We see stereotypes, colors, wealth or poverty, and actions. God sees each person's heart. He sees the way we act and knows the thoughts that go along with it. He sees the potential that each of us have because of the gifts and talents he set us up with at birth. He knows from the beginning. He knows...everything about us. He knows when we are to be born and when we are to die. He knows the imprint on the world that each of us are to have for Him.

People come in and out of our life and they make imprints on us, and we make imprints on them. God chooses who and why.

God allowed me to sit under a wonderful preacher for several years and allowed the preacher's daughters to sit in my GA class. I am the better for it, but my heart is broken today. For today, we have lost a wonderful and caring preacher and his son, and those girls and their family have lost their father/husband and brother/son. Pastor Forrest Pollock and his son Preston will be missed greatly by his family, the Bell Shoals Baptist Church congregation, and all the people, all over the world that they touched with their lives. We will carry on knowing that they are in our Father's arms, and we will be forever changed-for the better. We will see them again.

Php 3:20

For our citizenship is in heaven.

A little afternoon escape!

I survived a mommy-daughter afternoon at the Hannah-Miley Concert Movie! My eardrums are intact and I actually enjoyed myself. I was a little unsure of what we were getting into. It had been reported that many movies were loud of screaming girls. The shows over the weekend were sold out so, Popsaroo, who tried so very hard to get her tickets to the real concert was at least able to get her tickets to the movie. We went right after school today and it was wonderful! No crowds, only about 35-50 people in the theatre! BubblaLou doesn't do loud and was a little nervous. She was very pleased with the low-key activity that was present in the theatre.

BubbaLou thoroughly enjoyed herself.

She did complain. She leaned over to me, whispering loudly in my ear, "Somebody needs to call the Fashion Police! Look at the Jonas Brother's hair, it looks terrible. Their jeans are too tight and that gold jacket is UGLY!" One of them was wearing a checked black and white vest over an olive green shirt which gave us flashbacks to laughing over the link we found over at BigMama's Fashion Friday. We did have a good laugh.

BubbaLou's kind heart started to show concern, "I hope that Miley doesn't turn out like Brittany," she said.

Guess who just went in our prayer closet!?

A SuperDylan SHOUTOUT

Dylan has started his last and 6th round of chemo today. This one is more tricky and will involve a stem-cell transfer that may take 4-7 weeks. In isolation. People, he is 5 years old.

Let's send him some LOVE Internet style!

This is no time to lurk, so join with me in sending Dylan good tidings!

You can send comments to him via his SuperDylan site-just hit the contact tab in the top right hand corner. There is also an address for his hospital room on the home page.

If you have no idea what I am talking about, go to the SuperDylan site and educate yourself on this wonderful little boy and his family. I grew up laughin' with his mama! So get to readin' and prayin' and sendin' some love!

Psalms 66:19 But God has indeed heard me; he has listened to my prayer.

Elvis

I got an iPod nano for Christmas. I am really enjoying it and I think I have a little bit of everything on it. I even have some Elvis! My husband had brought me home an Elvis gospel collection CD about a year ago. I did a little rip/synch and now I can listen to Elvis on my very own iPod. I wonder what Elvis would have thought of the iPod?

Elvis' birthday was yesterday, I got to thinking about how his life was so changed by fame and fortune. I saw an interview on TV last night that was done right before he got famous, he was just getting his feet wet and about to blow the top off. He said that he didn't smoke, he didn't drink, and although he wasn't in love and did not have a girlfriend he was looking forward to finding someone, that no matter where he was, he wouldn't feel lonely. He wanted a home, a family-that he would never leave.

Then he got famous, and not just any famous, he was ELVIS. He was placed on such a throne of popularity that many women and probably men too, worshipped him. He recorded several gospel albums, and was supposedly saved. I hope so, I think that he must of gotten so mixed up in the fame and fortune that Satan had a really good time with him. Rolling Stone wrote: "Gospel pervaded Elvis' character and was a defining and enduring influence all of his days."[22] During breaks at recording sessions or after concerts, Presley often joined in private with others for informal gospel music sessions.[23]

I wonder how much of a witness he really was. He made an impression with Rolling Stone, he must have made an impression with the guys he was playing with in those informal gospel music sessions. I bet that was a way God kept calling to Elvis, the draw to play in those impromptu sessions. It was Elvis' little grasp of Jesus in the midst of the madness of fame that he could not stop.

He certainly ruined his life with a list that is too long to name, and fell short of the plans that God must have had for him.Yet we still remember that with all the sin, we think he loved God. At least I do. I kinda hope God just took him home early since he made such a mess out of his life.

It makes me really think we should be careful, be accountable, and pray for those in the celebrity positions. When I asked my daughter who she wanted to pray for she said, "Brittany Spears and Lindsay Lohan" -Out of the mouths of babes! I am going to try to do that this year. Instead of passing judgement or shaking my head, I will pray. Those people are in a crazy mixed up world; some are adults, some are children.

Join with me this year to pray for those who you know need it in Hollywood -God sees them just as people, not movie or music stars. He knew them before He formed them in their mother's womb.

Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Psalm 146:3-4

The Smell of Snow

Can you smell it? Can you smell the clean, soft, crisp smell of snow? Do you feel the bite of cold on your nose as you enjoy the cold air filling your senses with winter? I can't! All I have are my memories. I love the smell of snow. There is just nothing else like it in the world! I would always look forward to the first snow of the season. I was always glancing towards the sky and sniffing the air every time I stepped outside, I probably looked like a dog sniffing after a hidden bone at times. I didn't care. As soon as the first hint of snow smell was in the air, I was announcing it like I was some weather expert that everyone needed to hear from. Then I would look for the first snowflake. The clouds would tease me as I paced in front of the window waiting. Then finally, it would fall and more would join that first snowflake. Soon there was a blanket. It seems as if snow is just so quiet. It calms the soul. So peaceful, so quiet, so beautiful, so white, and the smell. Ahhhhhh.

I can't imagine what God must have been thinking when he created snow. Each flake, alone is absolutely gorgeous, and different. The way the ice crystals glimmer if the light hits them just a certain way. The way they feel on your cheeks and tongue when they hit. No wonder it has been said that snowflakes are like kisses from angels. But he had made so many snowflakes over the years, no wonder he has storehouses. (Proverbs 38:22) He has purpose for snow. He says he will even use it in time of battle and war. To think, he has a purpose for snow. Snow that he knew would be beautiful, has a bigger purpose than for our enjoyment of looking at or playing in by flying down a huge hill on a piece of wood or plastic. What joy !!!We can obtain exercise by shoveling it or making a snowman. We can also be foolish with it and get ourselves hurt.

God has purpose for us too. First, through his son Jesus' sacrifice for our sins, He has washed us and we are whiter than snow. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Psalms 51:7 He has purpose for us just like he did each snowflake, and we cover more territory together! May our lives for Christ, blanket the world together like a blanket of snow. May we be the snow that is spreading joy!!!!

Want to cut out some snowflakes. Click on the word Snowflake. We cut out a bunch and Haley wants to write prayers on one, and then our blessings we are thankful for on the others. Her Idea!!!!!