I love surprises! I love the feeling of knowing that something good is coming! Things like a vacation you are anticipating, surprising someone else, getting together with friends or one of my favorites, Christmas! Things like that are just exciting to me.
Something else that has begun to excite me is God working among us. I know that may sound a little odd, because God is something that should excite us all the time. And while God does excite me all the time, lately it's different. There is something different in the air, there is a new anticipation and excitement lingering. The excitement of... I don't know what's coming, but I can't wait!
When our kids were growing up one of the most fun things for us to do as parents was to plan vacations and not tell our kids where we were going. They loved waking up in the car to discover where we were headed or not finding out until we boarded a plane where we were actually going. We did that several times and even did that when our kids were pretty much grown for the last vacation we took with just the 4 of us before my daughter got married. They were just as excited about it then as they were when they were younger. The anticipation of them not knowing where we were going but knowing it was going to be good, was almost as much fun as the trip itself... Almost! There was nothing quite like the ultimate destination!
That type of anticipation and excitement is what I'm feeling from God right now! At Highland Oaks Church of Christ where we go to church, God is up to something! There is something different in the air... good things are coming, you can just feel it! The spirit among us is changing, growing, evolving into what I believe God has called us to be. God is calling us out of our comfort zones, out of church, out of the box we've put Him in (as Pat so wonderfully put it this morning) and into our community like never before. The people are excited, the people are ready... the people are ready to let go and let God!
It reminds me of those surprise vacations we took with our kids.... except now, we are the kids waiting in anticipation of where God is leading us! We have no idea where we are headed, but we know that God is in control; so wherever it is... it's going to be amazing! God is challenging us to stretch beyond ourselves, beyond what may be comfortable, beyond anything we could ask or imagine. God is challenging us to have faith in Him and just follow His lead. He's telling us to trust in Him completely. While the anticipation of where we are going is exciting, it's nothing compared to the destination! I can't wait to see where God takes us... I know it's going to be an amazing journey! I'm ready for the ride... I hope you'll join me!
With God's power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine. To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever. Amen.
During the past several years, we have really felt that through many prayers and tears God has been silent. We decided a while back that the only thing we could do, was to completely put our trust in God. To trust that God could see the big picture. To trust that God is there, even when we don't think that He is. To trust that God will work all things out for good. I'm not saying that at times we don't still struggle, but the thing we do differently is, we don't worry, we don't stress, we simple TRUST God.
This morning as I prepared for worship, I felt so strongly the whispers of Satan. Do you really trust God? Do you really trust Him? We'll see... he kept saying. I kept telling myself, that yes, even through the whispers of Satan... I still and will trust. Even in the darkest of times, when I think God isn't listening, when I think he doesn't hear me cry out... I trust.
We got in the car and headed to church. Something we do every week and something I do almost every day of the week since I work for the church we attend. I travel the same way every week to church and almost every day to work. This morning I noticed something, that I have never noticed in 4 years of driving this path, and yet it has always been there. At the last stop light before turning onto the street where our church is, right dead in the center of the median, was a tall, full, large tree. Actually, the tree wasn't tall as in towering but it was definitely a full sized tree. I travel that way almost everyday and have never noticed this tree before.
But this morning, I noticed it... it was if God was saying to me in that moment, I am here. What I noticed even more that they size and fullness of the tree was the trunk. The trunk of that tree almost seemed larger than that particular tree needed. It was a very round, very strong, very thick trunk. I sat through that light and stared a that trunk and all I could think about was God. Is was if God was saying to me in that moment, look at the trunk of this tree, and remember that I am here. I am stronger than Satan. I can withstand anything he throws at you. Do not forget that the victory is mine!
It was at that moment, that I knew... I really knew, I really DO completely trust in God. No matter what happens, I know that He is in charge. That no matter what Satan may throw my way, I will TRUST in God. God will ALWAYS be my dwelling place, He will be my refuge!
May the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ fill your lives today and always! Because... He is RISEN INDEED!!!
The LORD is my Rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my Rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields it's fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Psalm 1:3
This will not be a typical post. For the past almost 3 weeks, our dear friend, Jenny Ross Bizaillion was fighting for her life. In the words of her husband on Monday, February 22nd "Jenny Bizaillion. The most beautiful, wonderful friend, perfect mom, best wife a man could ever have. She loved more than I could comprehend. Jenny decided heaven was a better place than earth. Thank u for ur love, support, cries and memories."
Jenny was 31 years old. She went to the doctor a little over 2 weeks ago. She had been diagnosed with the flu and after several days of not getting any better and getting worse she was rushed to the ICU. Jenny's body fought hard and God gave us several miracles, but God decided Jenny had had enough.
But this isn't about Jenny's illness, this about who Jenny was and is. Jenny is a daughter of the King. Jenny's entire life was devoted to her loving husband David, her precious daughter Malaya, her parents Rick & Beverly and her brothers Josh & Jonathan and their families. But even more than that, Jenny was devoted to God. And if you knew Jenny's family, you would know that each one of them are devoted to each other, but even more completely devoted to God. This is about a family's trust in God. A family who refused to blame God for anything happening. A family whose example during a crisis showed there complete faith & trust in God.
Throughout the last 2+ weeks, not one of them ever blamed God for anything happening to Jenny. In fact, just the opposite. Of course there were questions of why and questions of not understanding, but through it all, through every victory and more importantly through every obstacle and heartache, God was praised! This is who the Ross's and the Bizaillion's are... faithful believers that God is always there. That no matter what, God is victorious, and through Jesus Christ we too are victorious. Death cannot take us!
We watched as a husband read lovingly to his sweet Jenny every day, every post on her facebook page and every post on her care page as he cried out to God for Jenny's life. We watched as a mother literally tried to breathe for her precious daughter as she cried out to God, we watched as a father stood over his family protecting them as he cried out to God; we watched as 2 brothers prayed over their sister while crying out to God. As Jenny's brother Josh says, not only were they crying out to God, God was crying with them. And through it all, through every circumstance, they praised God almighty!
We have known the Ross's for over 15 years. We watched their kids grow up. Their son Josh even performed our daughter Ashley's wedding ceremony. We have prayed over each others children for years. We love them dearly.
Jenny was what I would call an angel here on earth. She literally had the voice of an angel. I had the privilege of singing at a wedding with her many years ago. I still think about it to this day. Jenny's smile brightened a room as soon as she entered it. She just radiated God's love. Anyone who met Jenny, got to experience a little piece of God's love and compassion. She was Jesus with skin on to many people. Jenny loved her husband David and her daughter Malaya more than anything in this world. Her family was everything to her.
Jenny loved children. In fact when my daughter was in 6th grade Jenny led her and a group of kids from church at a church convention in chorus. She loved them so much that when she got married she had all of those kids sing a song together at her wedding. I know that Jenny has already gathered all the little children together have gone on to be with God. She has them gathered around her telling them stories and singing over them. And I can guarantee you she is telling them, "Look, do you see Him, do you see Jesus! Come on, let's go sit at His feet!"
Jenny wrote on her blog a couple of years ago that she longed for the day when Christians of all religious walks would unite together. Here is a quote from her blog...
"God began developing a passion in me the past 15 years about the unifying of Christians. I know it seems an impossible thing to happen especially when I read blogs and sorts that do nothing but divide Christians and throw hateful words back and forth to ANYONE that doesn't agree exactly the way one does. I pray we can become a body that can work in "the streets" together, that can do outreaches together, that can do mission trips together, that can do youth rallies together, that can truly be the hands and feet of Jesus TOGETHER. So there goes my naive, dreaming rant:) God is faithful and graceful! Festivals allow people to come together as a FULL body of Christ and not under a specific church name. I LOVE it!!"
While this would not be the way we would choose, Jenny, through her illness, united people of different faiths and walks all over the world. I, along with many others, were posting updates about Jenny on our facebook pages and people everywhere, people who didn't even know Jenny were touched by her story. People who didn't know Jenny got to know the loving person she was, the child of God she was and people were united. Over 10,000 people united over Jenny's care page. I know thousands more were checking facebook pages. Jenny's story touched the hearts of thousands. And many people who didn't know Jenny got to know her and in turn know God & experience God through her story. Jenny's dream became a reality. It is my prayer that Jenny's dream will continue and Christians all over the world will continue to unite and that we will continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus. After all, that is what God has called us to be.
Tomorrow there will not be a funeral; there will be a celebration of Jenny's life. Even though Jenny is gone and we will all miss her, there is much to celebrate. She has gone home to be with God! I am so thankful for the blood of Jesus. I am so thankful that He died, so that we could live! While Jenny is no longer here on this earth, she is alive and whole! And I am thankful for the promise that we will one day meet again.
We love you Jenny, but this is not goodbye... we will see you again! I pray that we all learn from you and your family and ALWAYS remember to give God the Glory in ALL things! Lord come quickly!
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil,
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4
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. Revelation 21:4
....Even though it sometimes feels like He is. Do you ever feel that way? Do you ever ask the question....God where are you? I know that sometimes I do. There are times in my life, when things just keep happening that I don't understand. I find myself asking, "God, where are you?"
You pray and you pray, sometimes for days, sometimes for weeks and sometimes even years and nothing seems to change. You go to church and sit in Bible classes where people talk about prayer and relying on God and they respond with all of the pat church responses and inside you want to scream and say "live my life, and then tell me how much all those pat answers mean to you." Have you ever been there? I have...sometimes I still am....
It's during those times that I think I sometimes forget that God never leaves us. I don't believe I ever lose faith, but I struggle sometimes with how strong my faith may be. I find solace during those times mostly in my worship to God, in singing praises to Him. I have prayed scriptures before and one of my most favorite things to do now is to pray songs during worship. I insert names or circumstances into songs during worship and those songs take on a whole new meaning. They comfort me in ways that nothing else can. But even though I feel God's comfort through my worship sometimes I still find myself asking, "God, where are you?"
I've been realizing lately that God has been trying to get through to me, that I'm not alone. Pat has preached several sermons lately that have brought that to my attention again, but still I seem to push it aside. I know He's there, but sometimes I just need to feel it in a more profound way.
While getting one of our bedrooms ready for our kids to stay in while they were here for Christmas, I ran across a note-card that I didn't even know I still had. It was a comment I had written down from Rob Bell when we saw him a few months ago. It says "God came into the world and screamed along side of us. The cross is God's way of saying, I know how you feel."
When I read that, I thought wow... all those times I am crying out or even screaming out to God where are you, He's right there screaming along side of me, saying to me I know how you feel. I know that in my darkest times, I am really not alone, that God is always there, but there is a different kind of comfort in thinking about God being there screaming out with you.
As we celebrated Christmas with our kids, family and friends, I thought about the love we all share. I am so thankful for the special times when all of our kids are here and we are together and it reminds me that God is always here. Even when we feel alone, even when it seems like He's not there or He's not listening, He's always there, crying with us and telling us He knows how we feel.
I'm sure there will still be times when I'm screaming out, and maybe even still asking the question "God, where are you?" But I pray that I will remember that I am not alone... that God is there... and that's He's screaming along with me reminding me that He knows how I feel.
I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief Mark 19:24
Breath is one of those things we typically take for granted. We wake up every morning breathing and sometimes even taking a deep breath before we get out of bed and we start our day. We never really think for a minute that another breath won't come. Breath is just one of those things we go through our day using, but never really thinking about. At least I didn't... until recently.
I recently watched a Rob Bell video on breath and I've been thinking about breath more often ever since. I love the scripture in Genesis 2 that says "then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." Rob Bell talks about how every breath we take is God's breath. I know that God breathed life into us, but I had never thought about God literally being there in my every breath; or every breath I take being the breath of God.
Wow! To think about breath in those terms puts a whole new perspective on taking a breath. With every breath I take, God is there. Every breath I take is a breath from God.....is God's breath. With every deep breath I take in frustration or exhaustion, God is there, breathing new life into me. It has made me think about those everyday breaths in such a different way.
It also makes you think about what you are doing with every breath you take. Because with every breath you take you are breathing God's breath. How are we using the breath God is filling us with? Are we using it to speak kind words of love or are we using it to speak words of anger and condemnation? Are we using God's breath to build someone up or to tear someone down? Are we using God's breath to serve others or are we hoarding God's breath and keeping it only to ourselves.
Yesterday we were able to be a part of a trunk or treat event at local school. We were there helping faculty and parents of that school host a trunk or treat in their local neighborhood. We didn't do it in the name of our church, we did it in the name of God. What a blessing it was not only to those who were there for the candy, but what an even greater blessing it was to those of us who served. It's always such a great blessing to give to others. I would like to think that while we were being blessed by an opportunity to serve others, we were able to breathe at least a little bit of God's breath into the lives of the children and families we were able to serve.
There are many definitions of the word breath, but there were 2 that stood out to me. One is life; vitality. Another one is a trivial circumstance. It is interesting to me that one word can mean to completely different things. One means everything, the other is as if it doesn't matter. Breath matters, without breath there is no life. God is life! There is nothing trivial about it!
God created us to be living, breathing beings. If we aren't living and breathing for Him and being aware of His every breath in us, are we living life the way we were created to live it? My prayer is that I will look for more opportunities to use God's breath for others and not hold on to it for myself.
Praise the LORD Praise God in his sanctuary praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute,
praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with the resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
Desire...it's one of those words that when you hear it, you're not quite sure where it's going. It can be something simple, something innocent or even something provocative. There are even numerous scriptures telling us to be careful of our desires.
But this weekend, something brought to mind an old youth group song. I hadn't thought about that song in a long time, but the words of that song I can still recite.
Lord my desireIs to be like youSay the things you sayDo you things you doLet me hear your still voiceThrough all the other noiseSo I can beJust what you want me to be
When we think of the word desire, how often do we think of the word desire in this context? I admit, for me probably not often. When we think of desire, we generally think of wants. What we want or desire, what appeals to us. The world we live in is constantly telling us to go after whatever we desire, whatever we want. But how often are those desires and wants the same as the desires and wants that God has for us? How often do we even think about what God desires, or about what God's desire is for us?
Our desire should be the same as God's desire for our life. But if we aren't listening to God, how can we know what those desires are. Most of the time God's voice or desires are not going to hit us over the head. Most of the time His voice is a still, quiet voice. Which makes me think of a faint voice, something that's there, but you yourself have to be still and quiet to hear. Just because the voice isn't loud doesn't mean it's not powerful. The wind is generally pretty quiet, relatively speaking of course. But the wind is also one of the most powerful forces on this earth.
If we're not careful we can let ourselves get comfortable. And to me, comfortable is not a place to be with God. Comfortable may mean we've lost our fire. Comfortable may mean we are no longer searching. Comfortable may mean we don't want anything to change. We are happy just the way things are. For me, you cannot let your relationship with God get comfortable. You can take comfort in that relationship, but that relationship is always changing and growing and becoming more and more exciting. And to me that just doesn't sound like comfortable; it sounds like a wonderful adventure!
If our desire is to truly be like God, to say the things He says and do the things He does; and if we want to hear His voice through all the other noise, we have to spend time with God. We have to spend time in prayer, we have to spend time in the word, and we have to spend time in worship. We sometimes have to just be still and let the overwhelming presence of God surround us. Take comfort in the presence of God, but don't get so comfortable that you miss out on all the excitement, adventure and blessings God has in store for you if you just listen and become a part of what God desires for your life.
Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Isaiah 26:8
This weekend was a great weekend. Chris and I put about 550 miles on our bikes and the weather was perfect. Never a drop of rain, cool wind blowing, perfect riding weather.
I love the rides we take. While we have headsets so we can communicate with each other, there are also many times when we will ride for miles and never say a word. It's such a great time for reflection, a great time for enjoying the wonders of God and a great time for not only talking to God but for listening to God.
Today on the way home was no different. We were riding along just enjoying the quiet time with God and a thought struck me. We were riding on a 2 lane road and had several diesel trucks pass by us. That happens all the time but what struck me this time was what happened after they drove by. You would think that as they passed you would feel blown around. But today I noticed, it wasn't when they were driving by that I felt the rush of wind, it was actually after they passed by. It may always happen that way but I've never noticed it before. I asked Chris if he felt the same thing and he did.
As I thought about how weird that was, I began to think that sometimes God passes through my life in the same way. While there are times that He is obviously there, there are other times when I think he just blows right by; or at least seems too. I've learned that what I don't always realize is, it's not the moment God rushes by that he's trying to get my attention; sometimes, that initial rush is just a prelude to let me know that something else is coming. I wonder how many times I miss what God is really trying to show me. I wonder how many times God does something that seems to come out of nowhere and I'm so busy saying what was that, that I miss what comes after the initial rush.
I believe that sometimes God sends us those "what was that" type of moments to warn us that something greater is coming. We may not have any clue what it is, but God is trying to get our attention so we don't miss what comes after the rush. God is always working in our lives. And while we may not always understand what or why things happen, God is always working and I believe that sometimes what comes after the rush is the best part of what God has to offer. And I for one don't want to miss it!!
But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; They will run and not grow weary, They will walk on not be faint.
New beginnings can be one of those times when we are all excited or scared to death; maybe even some of both. At this time of year there are lots of new beginnings going on. For some it's new teachers, for some maybe new schools like going into middle school, high school or even college. For others it may be new jobs, new homes. If you're a parent it may be beginning a new relationship with a child who is approaching adulthood and heading off to college for the first time.
Whatever your new beginnings, I believe they are what we make of them. You may be scared to death, but I believe the excitement and joy of a new beginning should be greater than the fear you may initially feel. While new beginnings are sometimes hard and the fear of the unknown may be great, there is so much excitement in knowing that God is getting ready to do something great. The anticipation of what is to come and how great it can be may sometimes be overwhelming, yet at the same time it can make you as giddy as a child anticipating Christmas morning.
We have dear friends who are sending kids off to college for the first time. And while it is initially a very hard thing to do, the excitement of new things to come, deeper friendships and adult relationships with those kids will soon abound. My daughter is also beginning her first year of teaching. She will be teaching 5th grade language arts at an intermediate school. She is nervous but so excited as well. She has such a love for children. Those children and their parents will be blessed to have her as a teacher. I told her she will be one of those teachers that all the kids want to have. :-)
At Highland Oaks we are also starting a New Beginning. Today was the first Sunday for our new preaching minister, Pat Bills & his wife Deborah. We have been praying for God to send just the right man (and family) to HOCC and as usual God knew just who to send. What a blessing it was today to witness the love Highland Oaks already has for Pat & Deborah and their boys. And what an even greater blessing it was to witness an elder from Pat's former church in Tennessse who was also here today, offer a blessing to Pat and his family and to Highland Oaks as they begin God's work here with us. What a wonderful display of Godly love and compassion in making their transition to Highland Oaks.
God was ever present in that auditorium today! The love for God and His people was overflowing. So while some beginnings may make you apprehensive, this beginning makes me eager with anticipation! Anticipation to see how God will use Pat in our community, to see how God uses Highland Oaks in our community and to see what wonderful doors God opens as we begin to follow His calling with renewed vigor and excitement.
Pat and Deborah are wonderful, loving and caring people. I look forward to working with them in God's kingdom and personally working with Pat at Highland Oaks. It's a new day, with renewed energy and hope in Jesus Christ and a day of new anticipation of where God is leading us. It going to be exciting and it's going to be awesome as only God can do it! And I can't wait!!
Some trust in chariots and some in horses.But we trust in the name of the Lord our God.Psalm 20:7
A while back, I was reading in Exodus. I was reading about how Joshua defeated the Amalekites. The scripture talks about how Moses told to Joshua to fight while Moses stood on top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands to God, they were winning, but when he was tired and started lowing his hands, they started losing the battle. It goes on to stay that when he became too tired to continue holding up his hands, they sat a stone under him and then Aaron & Hur held up his hands, each on one side so that his hands remained steady until sunset and the battle was won.
As I read that sometime back, it reminded me of close friendships. And how when we think we can't stand any longer, or endure any more, good friends are there to support you and fight for you when you have no fight left in you.
I was reminded of that again today as our staff spoke words of encouragement and blessing upon a great leader and even greater friend Jon Mullican. Highland Oaks has gone through a battle over the last almost 14 months. We have faced many trials and challenges and I am thankful to say we are now on the upside of those battles and God is blessing our church family tremendously with a new student minister, Mark Hadley and a wonderful new preaching minister Pat Bills.
While blessings are flowing freely at this point in our church family, great trials have been endured to get us to this point. I was reminded today of Moses and the strength & suffering he had to endure during the battle with the Amalekites. During that time Moses continually looked up to God and continually raised his hands to God for the sake of those around him; for the sake of the battle.
I feel Jon Mullican has done the same thing for the Highland Oaks church family. Jon has stood in the line of fire for this family, Jon has endured much pain and personal sacrifice for the sake of this family. He has done it all willingly and with his hands raised high to God above. And when he couldn't hold his hands up any longer God sent those who love Jon to be there to help him. He has been a rock. Jon has been there every step of the way through the attacks that have been hurled at God's church and God's people. He has stood between us and the enemy and has continued to keep his hands lifted up to the one who could help him endure.
Some will never know the sacrifices that Jon & his family have endured for the sake of Christ. He would never tell you about them. But, Jon has shown us that the Lord truly is our banner. And that God will overcome when our hands are lifted to Him.
I am very grateful & blessed to be able to work with a man named Jon Mullican. I am even more blessed to call him friend. And I am grateful to have someone like Jon who is willing to stand up on the hill and lift his hands to the Lord to protect us and help us win the battle.
Blessings!
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Today was an awesome day of worship! Not that every worship isn't awesome, but this one was even more special. We were finishing up our "One Another" series and we had a combined service with our Latino church Highland Oaks Iglesia de Cristo. It was absolutely wonderful!
We sang in both English and Spanish and even had the sermon in English and translated into Spanish. It really was a little taste of heaven. It was great to hear brothers and sisters from different backgrounds and different languages all praising the Lord as one. It really reminds us of how we are all one when we stand before the Lord.
We heard an amazing story about Sixto Rivera, our Latino minister and and his conversion to Christ in El Salvador. His father was converted 40 years ago by a man who was once a counselor in a kids camp in Louisiana. Long story short, the counselor left that camp and an impressionable young man behind to follow a calling to El Salvador 40 years ago. This man talked to Sixto's father about God and Sixto's father became a Christian. This father in turn taught his son Sixto to follow God. Now, 40 years later, Sixto has been reunited with the boy the counselor left behind in Louisiana when he went to El Salvador. And now they are going to be working together with Genesis Alliance in planting Latino churches all over America! As Sixto said, "God is Good!" To hear the entire amazing story, go to www.hocc.org . It should be available Monday or Tuesday.
Everything that happened today just reminds you, you never know where God is going to lead you. You never know how someone you touch, may in turn touch someone else, even in another country. And you surely never know what great and amazing things God can accomplish. God is everywhere and working in every situation.
Always be alert, you never know when God may you use to ultimately touch someone from another country. But don't think God has to only use you to connect with missions far away. Your mission field may be right outside your front door, it may be at the grocery store, it may be within your own family. Your life is a mission field...everywhere you go, everything you do, everything you say shows the world how God is (or may not be) working in your life. Use your life to live for God and show God to others. Be Jesus with skin on to the world around you and be amazed at how God will use even you!
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
This past Monday Chris and I were meeting for lunch, as we do pretty much every day. Monday was a little different though because I had driven a different car to work. Since I didn't drive my car I had forgotten my regular keys at home which also had the keys to my desk on them. At any rate, I needed to go home at lunch so I could get my keys so I decided to just pick Chris up at work rather than meet him. We went to a Barbeque place which is right by the High School.
I know all of that sounds rather pointless, but it's because of all of those things that something happened at lunch that day. You see, if I had not forgotten my keys at home, we would not have decided to eat at this Barbeque place, we would not have lost track of time and we would not have been there at the precise moment in which we needed to be.
When we are on the way to our truck someone approached us who had already approached someone else. We of course figured they were asking for money which of course they were to some extent. A woman came up and said she and her brother had a flat and had no money to their name. We were of course skeptical but then saw her brother rolling a tire towards us from across the street. They were not from this area so had no idea where anything was. When we saw the tire, Chris told them that all he could was to take them to a place to get their tire fixed, he didn't have any cash on him. We found out then that their car was parked at the high school across the street in the parking lot and had another flat tire on it. Two tires had blown on their car on the same side. So we took them back to their car to get the other flat tire and then took her to a local tire place while he stayed with their car. Did I mention that the tire place just "happened" to be a half a block down the street from the barbeque place we had lunch at?!?!
Once we got to the tire place Chris took their tires in while I sat in the truck with the lady and visited with her. She told me about the hard times they had been having and how thankful they were for us helping them. She said that a man earlier that day had stopped to pray with her, and now we had stopped to help them. She was really touched by his prayer and he told her afterwards "Get ready, you're going to have a miracle today!" She said they got back in their car and not 5 minutes later the tires blew out! She thought, "wow, that's not the miracle I was expecting".
About that time Chris came back with the tires, put them in the back of the truck and gave her the receipt in case they had any problems with the tires. At that point she realized that he had bought her 2 used tires because the old ones were too bad to use. She looked at the receipt and said, "The man that prayed with me today told me I was going to have a miracle today. You were my miracle!" She was so gracious and felt so bad that they had know money to help pay for them. We told them we were just paying forward. Someone 2 weeks ago had stopped to help us when our truck broke down while we were pulling our trailer home from a camping trip. It was truck drive who stopped and unhooked his load so he could pull us off the road. He told us we were his blessing that day, because someone had helped him a few weeks before when his truck broke down. We told this woman, that she was our blessings today.
I say all of that not to say what we did, but to say be aware of what's happening around you. Sometimes the weirdest things will get set in motion during your day that would normally never happen. Be aware when that happens. It just might be happening for a specific reason. It might be happening so you can be someone's miracle!
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
I have always been very involved in church work or church ministry. I love being a part of a vibrant church. We came to Highland Oaks a little over 3 years and I've been working full time at Highland Oaks for a little over a year and a half. I love my job without a doubt. I have worked at other churches but this is the first time I've done it full time. Full time work for a church is a little different. You get very busy and you can get caught up in feeling like your job is your ministry. Which I guess to a degree, it is. But if that is your only ministry, you are missing out.
Highland Oaks has begun to go out into the community lately. It's something a little new to Highland Oaks and I'm sure something a little scary for some. Highland Oaks hosted Hoops in the Highlands a few weeks ago and we were able to serve that group. My family was out of town, but I heard it was a tremendous blessing.
This past Saturday, Highland Oaks hosted an Easter Egg Hunt at a Mesquite school including a "cookie" walk, egg tosses, egg decorating, popcorn etc. I was blessed to be able to be a part of that event. It was Saturday afternoon, Chris had to work and couldn't go, so I was really kind of dreading going by myself. I even tried to talk myself out of it a couple of times, (ok, more than a couple!) but I kept feeling this nudging from God to go, even if I had to go by myself.
Well, I went...and it was amazing! It was so much fun getting to interact with the kids from that neighborhood. They were all so excited to see all of those eggs out there. We let them hunt eggs every 10 minutes and let 30 kids go at a time. After everyone had gone through once, we put out the rest of the eggs and let them go to town! We had over 8,000 eggs, yes eight thousand eggs, and we had about 300 kids! So you can imagine the excitement at the grocery bags full of eggs they all left with.
On my way home, I sat in the car and thanked God for giving me that nudge to go alone. I was truly blessed by that one hour, more than I have been in a long time. It reminded me what we as Christians are supposed to be all about. Yes, I love my job, and I wouldn't trade it for anything! But that Egg Hunt was what ministry and serving are all about! I can do all the great work for God possible inside that church building that needs to be done; and don't misunderstand me, it's work that needs and has to be done. But the work outside the church walls are what it's all about!
I had more fun Saturday than I've had in a long time serving God. That's what it means to be "The Hands and Feet of Jesus"! I pray that as a church, Highland Oaks is ready to do more of that kind of work. Not only will it bless those around us, but it will bless us more than we can possibly imagine! As the old Acappella song says, "You can't go to church cause the church is you"! So let's get that church outside more often!
This past Friday I was trying to get my oil changed. I went to a Walmart fairly close to our house. There were about 7 or 8 cars already in line so I decided to go to a different Walmart. I dropped my car off at the automotive center and went into Walmart. Within 5 minutes they were calling me to the automotive center. I went over there knowing there was no way they could have already finished. She told me that they don't have the oil change bays that you drive over and where they walk under the car. They have to drive your car up onto a ramp and my car sits too low to the ground to get it on the ramp. She said I could take it to another Walmart which happened to be the one I had already left!
I left and headed yet again to the other Walmart and passed a Kwiq Kar which is right by our house. I thought for a moment about stopping there, but they had a ton of cars in their parking lot so I drove on passed and went to the Walmart. When I got there, there were only 2 cars in line so I thought "this is great, in and out!" Wrong.......after he took all of my information, he said it will be at least an hour and a half! By this time, I was supposed to be leaving my house in an hour and a half. I told him never mind, I can't wait that long. I drove by the Kwik Kar one last time as I headed home and they had no one in line so I was able to stop and finally get my oil changed!
During this whole process, I felt kept feeling like I was continually being blocked at every path. After all, I was in a hurry and didn't have time to just stop and take care of it. That night as I sat thinking about my day, I thought of all the time I really ended up wasting driving around because I didn't want to just stop and the take the time to get it done. If I had just stayed at the first Walmart, the first time, I would have already been finished by the time I drove all over town and ended up back where I started. And I might add I was still no further along with the oil change that I was before this whole trek started.
How many times do we do that with God? We sense Him urging us to take a break, to spend a moment or two with Him, but we keep pressing on toward something else. We sense the need to pray, but we occupy our mind in some other way. We walk passed our Bible and catch a glimpse of it out of the corner of our eye and feel a soft prompting to stop and rest in God's word for a while, but in our busyness on to some where else we let that feeling pass. After all, we do have important things to do. How many times do we let other things block our path to God? Do we really think those things are more important than time spent with our Creator?
I know I am sometimes guilty of those very things. How sad must God be when he gives us every opportunity to stop and rest in Him, but we keep passing it up thinking a better time will come along. A more opportune time. How much time do we really waste while waiting on a more convenient time, a better place, etc? How much closer could I be to God if instead of waiting for or looking for the perfect place and time to spend with God, I just stopped and spent that time with Him every time He prompted me?
My guess is, (in fact I know!) my relationship with God and my life in general, would be dramatically changed for the better. It's always so easy to say I'll do that in just a little while, but then in a little while something else happens, or you become exhausted, or fill in the blank.....
For me, I think it's time I realize that the time is now. When God speaks I need to listen. When He gives me that gentle nudge, I need to be aware and act upon it. No more letting things block my path to God. When you stop and obey at the moment you sense God's presence and calling, you are extremely blessed. It's time to rest in God and be blessed.
Terry Rush, where do I begin. We had the privilege of meeting Terry over 10 years ago at our first Tulsa Soul Winning Workshop. (That continues to be a highlight of my year. I always get great hugs!) We had the privilege of getting to know Terry when we scheduled him to speak in Mesquite a few years later.
Terry was very instrumental in changing the way I thought about God and my walk with Him. He speaks from the heart and with great passion. God has greatly equipped Terry for ministry and not just in preaching. While Terry is one of the most dynamic preachers I know (I think he's much better than some other well known guys he thinks are better than him and I've told him so!) he is also one of the most encouraging people I have ever met. He does not say anything that is not of encouragement to someone. If you read his blog you know what I mean. God has gifted him with great encouragement and continues to put Terry into people's lives who need encouraging and who need God. He can tell you countless stories of things that have happened to him in random ways and random places and how God has used him to encourage those who are thirsty for God.
I don't say that to brag on Terry although I would, I say that to say that Terry is someone who allows God to use him every second of every day to bless others. Terry is truly God's vessel and God continues to give him more because Terry so faithfully uses what God has already given him.
Terry will be speaking at Highland Oaks Church of Christ in Dallas and Plano this coming Sunday, January 11th. Plano's service is at 9:00 a.m. Dallas' worship service is at 10:00 a.m. If you are in the area, I encourage you to come and be blessed by the word of God through His faithful servant Terry Rush. You will leave uplifted, encouraged beyond belief, blessed and forever changed by God's word as He speaks through Terry. And you will have a true friend for life. If you have never heard Terry, you won't want to miss this opportunity; and if you have heard Terry, well, you will for sure want to be here! Come and be blessed!
I don't know about you, but I really struggle with faith. Not "my faith", but wondering if I really have enough faith and trust in God when things gets tough.
I really do have faith in God and faith in His promises, but when you are in the middle of a major struggle or crisis in your life, sometimes faith is hard. I have complete faith that God will answer prayers, but then I wonder, "Am I praying enough, am I praying the right things, when I wonder why things aren't happening does it mean my faith is not strong enough, when I think about the worst case scenario and what could happen, does that erase all the prayers I've prayed because I'm doubting the outcome, does it make me have to start over with my prayers, does it hinder the prayers I've already prayed?"
For me those are all really hard questions I struggle with in crisis. I know God is there and I know He has a plan, but is my faith or sometimes lack thereof a hindrance to what He is trying to accomplish or change? What if the outcome is different than what I am praying for, does that mean my faith wasn't strong enough?
Matthew 17 says, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed...nothing will be impossible for you." When you think of a mustard seed you think of something so small. I think surely my faith is at least as large as mustard seed. But how do we measure faith, is my faith as large as a mustard seed?
I know I have to trust that the God I serve is bigger than any crisis. I have to believe that my faith is strong enough. I know I have to have faith in God's promises. I do have complete faith in God. I do know that God is bigger than any crisis in my life. I do know that my God can accomplish anything. So why is it that those little shreds of doubt are always creeping in?
I will continue to pray the prayer of the boy's father in Luke 9, "I do believe; help me overcome my disbelief".
I love Christmas time!! I love the hustle and bustle, hearing Christmas music, the excitement of it all. I love that this is the one time of year when it generally seems to be "ok" to talk about Jesus. I'm going to try and be more aware of what's going on around me and of opportunities I might not otherwise have because of this season.
But this year is going to be different for us. For the last 15+ years (ever since both the kids could walk) every Christmas morning has been a wake up of Ashley in Jeremy climbing in bed with us all excited to get started with Christmas presents. This happened all the way up to last Christmas when they were 21 and 17!! I love it!! It's the one time of the year that I can get wrapped up with my kids and remember all the years of them growing up in that one moment.
This year will be a little different. Ashley is married so she won't be here when we all wake up Christmas morning. She will be spending Christmas morning with Warren, her new family, as it should be. Jeremy is now in college and although he will still be here, it won't be the same for him either without having Ashley here. We will still all be together on Christmas Day it will just be different.
Our family has always been big on traditions especially at Christmas, but last year was the end of one of those traditions. While it has sort of put me in a funk this year knowing Christmas is going to be different, I am really looking forward to starting some new traditions. I think one of them is going to be having Mexican food for our family Christmas meal on Christmas Day. Homemade enchiladas and homemade hot sauce... my mouth is watering already. One tradition we will continue is going to see one of the movies that comes out on Christmas Day. That's always fun! I look forward to having Warren become a part of our traditions and I look forward to seeing where God will lead us as we begin new chapters in our families lives.
On a different note, I am looking very forward to having Randy Harris as our guest preacher at Highland Oaks for the next four weeks. I love listening to Randy. He always challenges me. Our topic is going to be "Hope for the World". I know I will come out of the next 4 weeks challenged and in a different frame of mind. If you are in the area, I invite you to come and hear Randy the next 4 weeks. I know you will be blessed.
When you have an extra 5 minutes, check out this video on "The Evolution of Wedding Dance". It's a little long but worth watching til' the end! It's great!!
During the month of November we having been talking about Thanksgiving in All Things at Highland Oaks. Each week what we study in Bible class and what is brought to us from the pulpit challenges me. I am very thankful to God. But am I thankful in everything?
It's really easy to be thankful when things are going well; but what about when things aren't going well. What about when you pray and pray about a situation, but you don't "see" God working. Not that he's not working, but you can't see it. You continue to pray day after day, month after month, year after year and yet you don't see any answers. Do I thank God in those times?
It's easy to be thankful when things are going well. But when things aren't going so well and in fact are going down right horrible, it's a lot harder to be thankful. In those times it's a lot easier to be angry at God, it's easy to feel hurt and feel like God isn't listening. But it's really hard to be thankful. It's sometimes hard to find things in the midst of turmoil, trials and struggles to be thankful for.
We talked Sunday in class about how people have been thankful when they were in a situation in which there was nothing to be thankful for. People who were on their way to bury a stillborn child and wondering how in the world they were going to get through it. And then they looked outside to see the most beautiful sunset they had ever seen and knowing it was God telling them that He was with them. And later getting pictures in the mail from someone who had been looking at the exact same sunset and took pictures of it knowing that God had sent that sunset for the person who had lost their child. Lynn Anderson talked in the sermon about a man who as a child had lived on the streets with no parents, who was always in trouble. One day while he was getting ready to throw some type of fireworks into some people's houses just to see if they could catch them on fire he had one blow up in his hand and it made him permanently blind. He now thanks God everyday for his blindness because a Christian family took him in and showed him what God was all about. They loved and cared for him and put him through preaching school. He now preaches God word. So he says he thanks God everyday for his blindness. It was a powerful day.
We talked also about taking every situation and asking ourselves "How will God be glorified through this situation? How will God use this situation for good? How is He going to reveal Himself? " Let me tell you, when you are in the middle of a situation, it's not easy to ask yourself how God is going to be glorified through it, how will He use it for good or how is he going to reveal Himself. It's not easy when you are in the middle of a situation to find the ways you need to thank God. But I'm going to try. I'm going to try to look for and be aware of the things I need to be thankful for no matter how dark the moment may seem. I'm going to try and be aware of the sunset, or the leaves falling, or the cool breeze that God may send my way to remind me that He is right there; that He hasn't left me.
God tells us he will never leave us and he will never forsake us. Sometimes in the middle of turmoil we forget that. I'm going to try and remember He's always there... and Be Thankful.
When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
Psalm 73:21-24
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Ive been sitting out on my front porch today reading. The weather is great! Sunny with a breeze blowing occasionally. It could be cooler for my taste but beautiful none the less. As I was sitting here reading in the quiet I heard some scratching noise from across the street. I looked over to see 2 squirrels chasing each other around the very large trunk of a tree. It was amazing to watch God's creatures just scampering around without a care in the world. I began to look around at all the beauty of God; just thinking about how amazing He and His creation are.
Then all of sudden our air conditioner kicked on behind me. It drowned out anything about God going on around me. I tried to look around and see the things of God around me, while I could still see everything, without being able to hear it, it just wasn't the same. All the noise seemed to somehow work really hard at covering up God. Then Chris came around with the weed eater and it was just one more noise added to the mix. I could still feel the breeze, but I couldn't hear anything from God any more.
I started typing this blog and after a little while the air conditioner kicked back off and I could once again hear a little better, but the weed eater was still in the background.
If I sit here a little longer the weed eater will eventually go back off too. Then I will once again be able to hear the sounds of God on this glorious day. But then after a while, there will be some other noise interrupting the beauty of God.
Isn't that so much how life is. There is always something to interrupt what God has put here for us to enjoy. Always something to interrupt our time with Him. There is always noise in our lives. How do we handle that noise is the question. Do we sit patiently and wait for the noise to die down, so that we can once again hear God and enjoy what He has planned for us? Do we let the noise distract us as we move on to something else missing what God has in store for us. Or do we let the noise completely drown out everything Godly around us instead of waiting for the noise to die down and waiting on God to reveal Himself to us.
I pray that in this world of noise, I can remember to not let the noise overtake me, but to continue to listen carefully for the sounds and voice of God to become more clear again.
A great friend sent me this link to an incredible video today. As you watch the story unfold, notice how the people are so oblivious to the sacrifice that has been made for them. They of course don't realize the sacrifice that was made.
Are we that oblivious to the sacrifice God made for us? Do we walk around unchanged? Or do we honor that sacrifice and make noticeable changes in our lives that honor Him. These people may not realize the gift they've received, but we know the gift that was given to us. How do we choose to honor that gift. Thoughts to ponder...
I am a wife, the mom of 2 beautiful children, a son-in-law and the Nonna of a beautiful grand daughter; I am the assistant to the lead minister at Highland Oaks Church of Christ as well as the office manager; I am an avid motorcycle rider, a huge DALLAS MAVERICKS, TEXAS RANGERS, DALLAS COWBOYS and DALLAS STARS FAN; a friend and first and foremost I am a daughter of the King!
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.Isaiah 40:31
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