Psalm 89:15-18 (NLT)

Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship,
for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord.

They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation.
They exult in your righteousness.

You are their glorious strength.
It pleases you to make us strong.

Yes, our protection comes from the Lord,
and he, the Holy One of Israel, has given us our king.

Blessings!

SingSong 08

I had the pleasure of heading to Texas last weekend for the annual Sing Song event at ACU. I had never seen the production before and must say, WOW!

The clubs all competed with amazing talent and coordination. If you don't know anything about SingSong, ask someone who has been and they'll gush for a long time about the amazing production this little school puts on.

It was exciting to be there as my daughter's club, the Kojies, WON! They (all 100 of them!) were the cutest Honey Bees you've every seen singing things like "Taking Care of Beezness", and "Don't Stop Beelievin", among other things. Our friend, Blaine Martin, from Fresno, also won. His club, Galaxy, happens to be the "brother" club of the Kojies. What a fun time it was!

I've been waiting to post about it because I wanted to give you a link to the Kojie performance. So far, no link, but when I get it, I'll post it. As a side note, our friends Clifford and Mary Reeves were there also because their grandson, Ben, was a "Sing Song Host". He sang and performed beautifully. I'm sure they were very proud!

Now that this time consuming event is over, maybe those kids can get back to studying!

Blessings!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

I hope these love notes have blessed you...made you feel special...given you confidence in the great love the Father has for you. And for today:

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Thank you, God.

My Prayer for You

So, for today's love note, enjoy the following...

Ephesians 3:16-19
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Have a blessed day thinking on his love for you!

Love Notes

So for our second day of love notes, I give you this:

Romans 5:6-8
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Have a happy day confident in the knowledge that you are loved.

You Are Loved

It's Valentines Week. So, for this week, until Thursday, I will send you all "love notes".

Dear child,

John 14:1-3
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
Love,
Jesus

Blessings.

Tight Schedule

Have you ever noticed that the busier you are, the more you get done?

Let's see if I can phrase that a different way. The less I have to do, the less time it seems I have to do things.

Hmmm...still not clear.

The more I have to do, the more time I find to do more.

Are you getting me at all?

I've noticed that when I have much to do, I tend to be very scheduled and organized. However, my natural self isn't scheduled and organized, so when I have an abundance of free time, or time to myself, I tend to get less done. Isn't that silly? Is there any body else like that?

Just wondering.
Blessings!

Tag?

So, my brother "tagged" me, which means I'm supposed to pick up the nearest book with at least 123 pages, go to page 123, find the first 5 sentences, post the next 3 sentences.

O.K. There are many books that surround me. Lots of Bibles in different translations, many old books in my office that I cherish because this particular office used to belong to my friend, Wes Schmidt. Analytical Concordance to the Bible, Word Studies in the Greek New Testament, The New English Bible with the Apocrypha...seriously folks, remember this office used to belong to someone else and I cherish his books. I have not, I must admit, read them all!

But the things that really surround me at the moment are music books. New music, Old hymns, and my wonderful Praise and Worship Bible that is falling apart.

So, from the Bible, here it is: "Finally, they made the sacred medallion of pure gold to be worn on the front of the turban. Using the techniques of an engraver, they inscribed it with these words: SET APART AS HOLY TO THE LORD. This medallion was tied to the turban with a blue cord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses."

From my current book of music I am listening to: "Refiner's fire, my heart's one desire is to be holy, set apart for You, Lord. I choose to be holy, set apart for You, my Master, ready to do Your will. Holy Spirit, rain down, rain down."

And from our beloved hymn book: "Give me thy heart, says the Father above. No gift so precious to Him as our love. Softly He whispers wherever thou art, Gratefully trust me, and give me thy heart."

O.K. There you go. That was cool. Thanks, Steve.
Blessings!

ZOE Weekend

It was such a good weekend here in Fresno with the ZOE Group. They are beautiful folks with Godly hearts. Not perfect, but always seeking to be more like Jesus...

There were so many great moments throughout the weekend. You would hear a different thing with each person you talked to. I think the beauty of a Spirit filled time is that we don't have to manipulate the thing to please everybody or make every person attending happy and fulfilled. That's the job of the Spirit. You provide your heart and the Spirit provides the healing, or the learning, or the loving, or the reconciliation, or the desire to come closer to the Creator. Whatever it was/is that we needed, it was available. It was truly living water.

I had the opportunity to spend concentrated amounts of time with individuals I loved and respected, but hadn't spent much time with. Stephen Bailey, you are a treasure! What a precious soul. And, if you ever get the chance to see Kent Mereness paint...oh my goodness! Go see it!

And, then there are the old friends that feel like you've just wrapped a beautiful quilt around your shoulders. Safe, warm, steadfast. Sally, Jack and Jill, Brandon, Sheryl, Karin, Jason, Eno, and many others! What a blessing to be with you.

I am always proud of our folks for the way they treat the ZOE group as well as those coming to take in the conference. College Church is a place of grace and hospitality. Lee Smith and Bill Barksdale head up a crew of folks that put on the most amazing dinners for the ZOE group. You couldn't get the kind of meal they provide here at any restaurant in the world. It is absolutely the best thing I've ever seen! And, they do it with such love...mmmmm...makes the food taste even better!

And, this year we had over 30 churches represented from 6 different states. That's really cool.

So, if you're not busy next year, start planning now to come be with us on the 4Th weekend of January. You won't be sorry...You will be blessed!

ZOE

I have been thinking about the ZOE Conference coming in just a couple of days to Fresno...

It strikes me that they have consistently given me opportunity to learn new things to apply as I take this journey from earth to heaven. I have often thought about how much I've learned because of their love and constant support and teaching.

But, if I were to be totally honest, it really hasn't been the actual class times that have meant the most. It's the relationships. When you travel together, whether from the same town, the same church, or thousands of miles apart, the load is easier. When there is sadness, you share in that together. When there is enormous confusion or pain, you have friends to lighten the load. When there is joy, it is multiplied because your friends feel that joy with you.

I'm so grateful for this group of people God has delivered to me. They have made my walk so beautiful and sweet because they not only teach it or sing it...they live it. They show themselves to be genuine and Godly...not perfect, never acting as if they have all the answers...they simply say..."Come, walk with us and we'll walk with you...and together, we'll discover Christ crucified, Forgiveness multiplied, and God glorified."

If you aren't busy, stop by and join in the walk this weekend as they share their hearts with us for the 5th Annual ZOE West Coast Conference.

Blessings...

Early Sunday

It is about 6:40 on Sunday morning and the church is very quiet. In fact, it's even still dark outside.

This is one of my favorite times in the whole week. I get to church early, make coffee, make sure things are in order and then go to my office and spend a few minutes with God. It's so quiet. No phones. Nobody in the halls. No noise. Just me and God.

Colossians 3:12
Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Beautiful. He chose us. Beautiful.

ZOE Conference this week in Fresno. Hope to see you all here.

Blessings.

It is hard for me to believe that this beautiful girl is 20 years old today!


I have said this often, but one of the things I will want to say to my God face to face one day, will be that I am so grateful He allowed me to be the mother of these two sweet children. Truly one of my greatest blessings here on earth.


So, Happy Birthday, sweet Ashley. With each year you become more beautiful inside, more passionate about a lost world, and more amazing in gifts and talents. I am so very proud of you!


Have a beautiful day!

Watching...

Isn't it fun just to sit back and see what God is doing?



Isn't it amazing to look down a road you've recently traveled and see a portion of what He was and is doing?



Isn't it delightful to see Him work amazing things in someone specific?



I think God is so awesome. Really, truly awesome.



Let me take a quick minute to say that the Youth Minister He brought us is obviously something Spirit led and divinely handled. Why do we doubt so often? He always comes through...always!



That's just a tiny blip on the radar of the movement He's showing in our church. I'm so grateful for his faithfulness...I'm so thankful for his patience and understanding as He continues to do mighty things in us in spite of our weaknesses.



God, you are so good.

Proverbs 16:3

Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.

Don't you just love that!?
Now, that's a good resolution.

Blessings.

2008

Happy New Year...



I've had the same resolution for most of my adult life. Obviously, I need to pick a new resolution. One I can feel successful and accomplished about at the end of the year!



What about you? Do you all make resolutions?



Blessings for a healthy 2008 filled with evidence of God working in and around you!

Question

I know all the things a minister should know.

I know what I would tell someone else who asked me this question...

But, listen, all you in blogland...all you teachers and preachers of the word...all you wonderfully faithful Christian people I admire and love so much...

Tell me, do you ever feel like your ears are going to explode? I mean, is there ever so much junk going on that you just feel in over your head? Really, don't tell me it's just me...and here's the big question...

Do you ever feel like God just stepped out for a minute? Not that He won't be back, not that he's forsaken you...I know all the scripture regarding that. I am just wondering, do you ever feel like a kid in a huge store and you look around and Mom and/or Dad has just disappeared from your sight? Double take, Look around, Quick glances...can't be seen?

Just wondering.

Blessings.

New Things

I was thinking this morning about how exciting this time of year is for me...

Not because of presents, although I LOVE giving things to people.

Not because of the decorations, however, I do appreciate a precisely strung bunch of lights on a house or the perfectly spaced spiral around a tree or two.

Not even because of the abundance of very fun food, which you all know is a great joy to me...

Nope. I love this time because it's close to a time of starting over.

I love January.

I love the starting over phase of the year. It's fresh and clean and without blemish!

It's just another opportunity to do things you gave up on in March, or June, or October. It's a time to refocus and recommit. It's a time to see things clearly and continue doing the good you're doing while at the same time, deciding to do better in other areas.

I realize it doesn't have to be January to start fresh. I know God has given us that opportunity every minute. We have the chance to begin again with slates wiped clean...but, there's something about the New Year that gives you fuel for the fire within you.

Take just a minute to read these scriptures....and may you be filled and blessed today as you scurry around with last minute details for the holiday time.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2Corinthians 5:17-21

and...I love love love this one...

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning, or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children..." Revelation 21:1-7

Have a blessed Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Good Smells

Some of you will understand what I'm about to say, and some, may just think I'm a little nuts...or, possibly you will understand, but still think I'm nuts. That's o.k.

When my kids both left for ACU, there was, of course an emptiness that was felt. Although you know they are doing exactly what they are supposed to do, you have this void, I think especially for the mother, because the object of your attention for so long is no longer there.

I'm a big "smell" person. I can walk in a room and often tell you who has been there according to the different smell that is left behind. Good smells are particularly good for me, and bad ones are just as amplified!

I discovered that the lack of the smell of my children was bothersome. It felt particularly empty.

2 Corinthians 2:14-15: "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."

I really love this verse because I do believe that we are a sweet smell to our Father when we are following His plan for our lives. When we are displaying the fragrance of Christ to those in a lost world, it just leaves a noticable, lingering, smell that they may not be able to explain, but they know it's good. It's comforting. It's salvation and grace.

My children to me are a sweet aroma of life and goodness to me. And, although I know they are not going to live in my house forever, I'm going to enjoy this month and soak it up while it's here.

Blessings!

TOMORROW!

"Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I love ya, Tomorrow! You're only a day

away!"

I cry every time that little Annie sings that song. Love that movie!

Blessings for a wonderful Friday!

Happy Happy Happy!

Only two days. That's close enough to say "day after tomorrow!"

In other news, working very hard this week and next on a special service for the 23rd. Lots of participants, many singers, beautiful music. It is my prayer that in the "hard work" we don't forget to just simply honor and glorify our Lord. Just simply give Him everything!

Blessings!