Memorial Day Parade


Many, many, many have lost there lives
for our country.  For that I am grateful!

Every year I go to the parade in our city.
It is so much fun.  But this years parade
was awesome because it moved and there
was not huge space in between the different
groups of marchers.

I actually had so much fun.  But the best
of my day was to see my 15 year old
son march with his High School Band.
I am so proud of him that he was a part of
this remembrance of our fallen hero!

Kudos My Dearest Son!

To all that has been, THANKS!

To all that will be, YES!

Women's Ministry

To all that has been, THANKS!

Well, where do I begin.  Somewhere in this month I wanted to address the fact that I have with much trepidation and prayer felt that God has been moving me out of Women's Ministry.  So on May 10th at the Hope Business meeting I gave my last report and introduced the new Women's Ministry Director.  The last five years I have ate, slept and lived Women's Ministry.  I am so passionate about the need for Women's ministry but for me it was an end of a season in my life.  God has led me through a wonderful season in my life.  And I am most thankful and grateful for this season.

So for the last few weeks now, cards have been trickling in from different women that I have shared my life and passion for God with.  And the words that I keep hearing over and over again, "Many, many women have been touched by you."  These words have been the most encouraging because I really never knew the effects of my ministry while doing it.  I just kept on leaning on the Lord to help me with a ministry that was so hard, painful sometimes and I was so clueless sometimes.  But He in unfailing love continued to grow me to really feeling like this ministry was so me.  I SAY THANKS!

Mostly I have to admit.  That being a part of Gods ministry and investing time in many many women has changed me more.  I see the big picture now and how the Lord wants me to continue the many things I was doing but just not in the context of being the Women's Ministry Director.  The lessons I learned along the way were life changing.  I SAY THANKS!

To All that will be, I SAY YES!

Right now I'm saying yes to rest and focusing more on HIM and my family.  I'm saying no to things now that I usually don't.  These things that I am saying no to are all good things but maybe not the thing He wants for me.  I am seeking Him for the things that will be next in my life!  I want His total leading in the things that will be.   I'm headed for surgery in a couple of weeks,  I don't know what the results will bring but I do know one thing, it will be more rest and a time for me to do a lot of reading in which I love to do.  Also it will be a time of journaling, blogging and fun stuff.  

To This I say Yes!

And again To all that will be, I SAY YES!

I'm in this leadership group at my church and this was required reading.  I kind of rebel sometimes against required reading, but I obeyed.   We actually had 2 times where we openly discussed this book.  This is a book that talked about the spiritual disciplines and that we should discover them in our lives or maybe continue to practice them in our lives.  John Ortberg did it in a unique way.  One quote that stuck out for me was, "Now, with God's help, I shall become myself. "~ Soren Kierkgaard  As I pondered this quote I realized that I need more than God's help, I need his daily presence.  I don't want to be doing anything with out Gods guidance, without His Spirits promptings.  I am amazed at how anybody could live without his help.  I know I don't want to.  


Another quote was a paraphrase of what Jesus said.  "Love God, Love People."  Thats what we should be doing.   I want this to be a part of my life, so much so that when people talk about me long after I'm dead they will say I loved God and I loved people.  That is a challenge everyday because I act like I don't love God at times because I'm so selfish.  And loving people is hard, especially the people who are hard to love or a pain in the neck, or just plain unlovely.   Yet God commands us to to do just that.  You know in my 47 years of life I have met so many Christians who make themselves to be so spiritually superior to others that they forget to humble themselves like Jesus did.  Including myself on this one.  I struggle sometimes to put others needs before my own.  Wow what would my life truly look like if I loved God and loved others everyday.  


I could ramble on about this book and it had so many good points in it.  But the goal is to live a transformed life by abiding in Him.  And if we try to do it in our own strength we blow it.  In fact we blow it every time.


So let me leave you with this thought and this is not from the book but maybe a concept I deducted from the book.  The spiritual disciplines come in many forms.  We can pray and read His word, we can journal, we can even stand on our heads, but if we are doing it out of duty rather than love WE BLOW IT!  You see I love God and I want to spend time with Him.  I want the HS that lives inside of me to change me the way that He wants me to change.  And when Jesus was here on earth, He loved the Father and He loved people.  So much that He gave up being in the constant presence of the Lord in the heavens.  So much that he took on a human form and became a man.  So how much does it take for us to die to ourselves to become closer to Him.  All I know is I want to pursue that.  I want to love Him with all my heart, mind and soul.  But ME, MYSELF and I get in the way of that!!!!!