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Showing posts from February, 2007

Victory in Jesus!

This is a great prayer by Charles Stanley: Good morning, Lord! Thank you for assuring me victory today if I will but follow Your battle plan. So by faith, I claim victory over: ______________________________________. To prepare myself for the battle ahead, by faith I put on the Belt of Truth. The truth about You, Lord, that You are our Sovereign God who knows everything about me, both my strengths and weaknesses. Lord, You know my breaking point and have promised not to allow me to be tempted beyond what I am able to bear. The truth about me, Lord, is that I am a new creation in Christ and have been set free from the power of sin. I am indwelt with the Holy Spirit who will guide me and warn me when danger is near. I am Your child and nothing can separate me from Your love. The truth is that You have a purpose for me this day, someone to encourage, someone to share with, someone to love. Next, Lord, I want to, by faith, but on the Breastplate of Righteousness . Through this, I guard my

HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY, OLIVIA!!!

Happy Birthday to my sweet girly, Olivia! It's been so much fun watching you grow these past 7 years. I love you so much!!!

Even though.....

Hebrews 11 is the great hall of fame in faith. Noah built an ark, even though there had been no rain and it seemed absurd. Abraham obeyed went where God told him to, even though he didn't know where he was going. Joshua marched around the city, even though it seemed like an absurd way to take a city. The Israelites crossed the Red Sea, even though escape seemed impossible. God is the God of our "even though". Even though: I have a past......You have forgiven me. I have sinned......You have mercy. I can't...............You CAN! I am scared.........You have the plan. I am weak..........You are strong. I hurt................You heal. I feel alone.........You are with me. I am empty.........You fill me. I am hopeless.......You are my hope. What's your " even though "?

Toothless Wonder!

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I haven't been posting this week, as I have been sick, but I have a funny story from my daughter that I thought I'd share with you today. She had a loose tooth (just starting to be loose, I might add) and we were walking into school and she asked if we could pop into the office and talk to the secretary. So, we stopped in and she said "Mrs. Shaw, do you still have those tooth necklaces to put your teeth in when you loose them?" and Mrs. Shaw replied "Yes, Olivia, did you loose a tooth this morning?" and Olivia said "No, not yet, but I'm gonna pull it out today and wanted to make sure you had a necklace." We all kinda laughed, as I knew it wasn't that loose. About an hour later, Olivia had twisted that sucker right out of her mouth. She is tough and was very pleased to come home with her new necklace with a tooth in it! (let me add....her older brother waits until the tooth is hanging by a thread and ends up swallowing the tooth, because he

Happy President's Day!

Here is a great song and graphics by Diamond Rio, In God We Still Trust. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6argLLFvJ0

Modern conveniences aren't always so convenient!

I have a new phone, and for the most part have been very happy with it, but there is one feature that frustrates me. There is a button on the side of the phone that turns the ringer on and off and it very easily gets bumped and changes the ringer when you don't want it to. Today, was one of those days. During chuch today, I turned my phone on "SILENT" and threw it in my purse. Of course, the District Superintendent does his visit to the church every 18 months or so and today was that day. You can see this coming, can't you? Yep....he was finishing up his first point in the sermon when my phone rang that great salsa music. AHHHH!!!! He looked over at me and said "Joy, is that your phone?" Of course he knew, as I was the one scrambling to my purse with my face turning red. I said "yes, I'm very sorry!" He looked at the congregation and said "At one church I was at, we used to say 'If your phone goes off in service, that person

Ways to Maintain a Healthy Level of Insanity

These are great! Thanks to Mark Batterson for sharing them: 1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down. 2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice. 3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, Ask If They Want Fries with that. 4. Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk And Label It "In." 5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks . Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso. 6. Finish All Your sentences with "In Accordance With The Prophecy." 7. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather Than Walk. 8. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face. 9. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is "To Go." 10. Sing Along At The Opera. 11. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You're Not In The Mood. 12. Have Your Co-workers Address You By Your Wrestling Name, Rock Bottom.

Transformed and Real!

I read the following interview from Leadership Journal with Sarah Cunningham that addresses the issue of the 20-something age group. I believe that when it comes to formal worship, we worry much about music style and programs and how "the seeker" will like or dislike things. I think that as much as they may not initially understand all that is going on in the church, I believe what they are looking for is something real. They want to see transformation and heart change. They don't want to be a part of something where people are just going through the motions and having a fun time. Programs and music are important, but as Sarah said, "faith systems that don't compel transformation are empty."

The best gift of love....EVER!

Happy Valentine's Day!!! For God so lo V ed the world, That He g A ve His on L y Begott E n So N T hat whosoever Believeth I n Him Should N ot perish, But have E verlasting life." John 3:16

Beauty

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It may seem like a small thing to those of you who live in warmer climates, but in Traverse City, we don't see the sun much in the winter. Today, I just need to say "Thanks God! for the sunshine!" It glistens on the snow and lifts my spirits.

I like big Bibles and I cannot lie.....

This is a great clip from Monday Morning Insight......... http://www.whiteboydj.com/babygotbook.html

I can't think of anything worth saying.......

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I have been reading the book The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence again. This book is one of my favorite books. I am amazed at a man who lived his life washing dishes and was able to live a life of worship through it all. He prayed continually and was an incredible example to me on living a sanctified, holy life. He was as ordinary as they come in this life, and yet so extraordinary in his walk with God. I will probably be posting more from this book, but for today, here is the quote that got to me: "When he was troubled by something, he seldom consulted anyone about it. Knowing only that God was present, he walked in the light of faith and was content just to lose himself in God's love no matter what happened." I am a person who processes things by talking them out. Sometimes that gets me in trouble. God is really the only one that can do anything about my situations. In times of trouble, I need to "lose myself in God's love" and trust

IF

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by Rudyard Kipling If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or, being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise; If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with triumph and disaster And treat those two imposters just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to broken, And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools; If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breath a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew T

Home Again!

I am back after another incredible week at FLAME . Every time I go, I come back with heart changes that have taken place. It's a time of growth, not only academically, but spiritually, as well. FLAME was birthed out of a vision of one man, Wayne Richards. I often think, what if he had not answered God's call on his life? What if he decided that it was too big for him and didn't do it? What if he did something else for God and settled there? What if he stayed where it was "comfortable"? The answer to all those questions would be that men and women of God being called into full-time Christian ministry would be faced with doing academics only. Instead, we have spiritual challenge, accountability, encouragement, networking, and much more! My challenge to you today (and to myself, as well) is that we must press on to what God calls us to. We can do something good for God, but no matter how impossible it looks, and no matter how hard it is, PRESS ON!!!!! God w