Winter Blues

Ecclesiastes 7:13Take a good look at God's work. Who could simplify and reduce Creation's curves and angles To a plain straight line?

As much as I dislike winter...it is coming. I am looking out my window and seeing blue-gray skies and swirly (is that a word?) snow. And it is cold!!!!!!! I've come to realize that God gives us the cold dark seasons so we can really appreciate the warm lighthearted ones. He has shown me that time and time again in my life yet each winter I complain once again. When will I learn that God has a purpose for all seasons. He is good...ALL the time!!!!!

Our Church Family

"Love your brothers and sisters in God's family" I Peter 2:17b

We are a family forged in the fires of God’s love, and we are to “be devoted to each other like a loving family” (Romans 12:10a GW). We are to love one another like brothers and sisters. This sense of family togetherness allows us to create authentic Christian community – where we are accepted, supported, and challenged to fully live out the purposes of our lives. We belong, and we help others believe they belong.
Family is synonymous with a deep, unwavering commitment to support one another, no matter how rough it may get. You do things for family that you wouldn’t do for anyone else – and you make allowances for family members that you might not make for anyone else.

Thanks, GCC!!!

Thanksgiving Blessings

My husband & I have devotions each morning. This morning we examined what it means to be blessed. Kinda appropriate being that Thanksgiving is almost upon us and even though the "world" sees the day as an excuse to stuff yourself and watch football, most of us will contemplate our many blessings. I found it interesting when I realized that being blessed does not mean I am "untroubled, healthy, admired, or prosperous". It means that all is well between me and my God. That I am content in God while I weep over a body that is sick, a mind that isn't as sharp as it used to be, a spirit that is crushed, or a relationship that causes hurt. I learned today that "the blessing is not that he gives us what we want but that he gives us himself, especially in our painful places". In that....I am truly blessed!!

Pre-Christmas Jitters

" Look, Charlie, let's face it. We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. It's run by a big eastern syndicate, you know"...Lucy Van Pelt (PEANUTS)

The holiday season is fast approaching and I must admit I am dragging my feet....

It is not that I don't like Christmas but I do find myself longing for a simpler version of the holiday season. Less focus on "to do" lists. More focus on reflection. If Christmas really does start in the heart...I guess it will be what I make it. If I really believe that the day belongs to Jesus, then, well, I'll give it back to Him. So I've purposed in my spirit to de-stress my holiday season. I'm hoping my flesh agrees.

Just a random thought......

Have you ever wondered about the person(s) who wrote this song??? Curious.


Lyrics for: Bohemian Rhapsody

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, No escape from reality. Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see, I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy, Because I'm easy come, easy go, little high, little low, Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to me. Mama, just killed a man, Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he's dead. Mama, life had just begun, But now I've gone and thrown it all away. Mama, ooh, didn't mean to make you cry, If I'm not back again this time tomorrow, Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters. Too late, my time has come, Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all the time. Goodbye, ev'rybody, I've got to go, Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth. Mama, ooh, I don't want to die, I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all. I see a little silhouetto of a man, Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango. Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very fright'ning me. (Galileo.) Galileo. (Galileo.) Galileo, Galileo figaro Magnifico. I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me. He's just a poor boy from a poor family, Spare him his life from this monstrosity. Easy come, easy go, will you let me go. Bismillah! No, we will not let you go. (Let him go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go. (Let him go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go. (Let me go.) Will not let you go. (Let me go.) Will not let you go. (Let me go.) Ah. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. (Oh mama mia, mama mia.) Mama mia, let me go. Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me. So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye. So you think you can love me and leave me to die. Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby, Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here. Nothing really matters, anyone can see, Nothing really matters, Nothing really matters to me. Any way the wind blows.

What exactly IS a Bismillah????

halloween

B O O !!!!!!!

".....I WILL FEAR NO EVIL, FOR YOU ARE WITH ME....." PS 23:4b

MEATHEADS

"One always looks neat, in a hat made from meat."
-Mark Twain

"Charmer"

I just spent the weekend with my grandbaby, Alex. We had a lot of fun reading books, playing, and exploring the Nashville sites. He seemed to be the center of attention wherever we went. Whether it was breakfast at the Loveless Cafe or the local Harley Davidson dealership, he seemed to be able to turn on the southern charm!!!

THE MOVIES

Ahhh...who doesn't love the movies!!?? A time to get lost in another time or place and forget the day to day grind. Sometimes I enjoy a comedy and sometimes I prefer action/adventure. And yes, I even love to cry over a chick-flick every now and then! I found this list of movie cliches that made me chuckle...enjoy!!

HOW COME IN THE MOVIES.....

Glasses never collect moisture when you come in from the cold outside.

People never cough, sneeze, blow their noses, or show any other symptoms of being in less than perfect health.

You can eat as much as you want in a film and you'll never EVER have to go to the bathroom

Bombs always have big, blinking, beeping timer displays. Evil geniuses who devise bombs to destroy things/people are always thoughtful enough to include a visible display (usually LED) of how much time remains before the bomb detonates, giving the hero accurate feedback on exactly how much time remains.

A car will always explode when shot at, unless the hero is driving it.

No one ever runs out of gas (even in long car chases). Corollary: every stolen car has a full gas tank and gets great gas mileage.

All movie women try to run in heels, never stopping to kick them off.

Whenever anyone knocks out anyone else and takes their clothes, it's always a flawless fit. When you go to rob a bank in a film, you will always choose the teller who has just started his or her first day on the job.

All movie mothers will prepare a breakfast, usually consisting of scrambled eggs, bacon, etc. Dad and the kids will invariably arrive at the table 30 seconds before Dad has to leave for the office and the kids have to catch the school bus. Each will have time only for a sip of coffee/juice and/or one bite of toast. There must be enough food left over in these homes to feed an emerging nation!

People never get out of the house when there is obvious danger there (ghosts, murderers). The hero will always get shot in the shoulder, yet will be able to use his arm.

A kid can fend for himself even if his parents have gone to Paris, leaving him with no food, electricity, heat, money, etc.

Any person waking from a nightmare will sit bolt upright ("boing!") in bed. Instead of just lying there going "eeewww!" as most of us do. .

Whenever a woman announces to her husband/boyfriend that she's pregnant, it comes as a complete surprise to him, whether pleasantly or otherwise.
No one is in labor for hours and hours... they pop out babies in a matter of minutes.

Whenever anyone in a movie goes shopping, they always come back with stuff sticking out of the top of the shopping bag, usually carrot tops and French bread.

In any type of sport movie, a player on the field can look up into a crowd of 1 billion and immediately spot their loved one.

cancer

I just spent the last hour in a hospital room visiting an old friend who is dying of cancer. What a dreadful disease. Cancer strips you. Not only of hair and body mass but of dignity. You eat from a bag. You eliminate waste into a bag. There are tubes every place there is room to place a tube. But as I sat there talking with my friend and reminiscing about old times there was a sense of joy. Cancer can not take a person's soul. It can not strip you of the joy of knowing that there is a better place being prepared for you. It can not take the fact that you matter to God away. My friend feels like she is in a "win-win" situation....either way she will go home from that hospital room. In this war--cancer will lose.

PROPHECY

Cool video from Matchbox Twenty...what are they trying to tell us?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlqfpPf_EO0&feature=dir

REASSURANCE

But this uniqueness goes beyond giftedness; it reaches as well into the depth of each of our experiences in life. No one else has your life. No one else has your pain, your hardship, your joys and sorrows. Everything in life shapes us and we are shaped by everything for a reason – so that we can touch others in a unique way based upon who we are and what we’ve been through. God doesn’t waste anything in our lives.
Every piece of our lives and experiences can be used of Christ to touch someone else. We were made for each other; we live for each other; we even die for each other. We die with hope so that others who live might see the reality of Christ in even the darkest of hours. God uses everything.
Are you just getting by, or are you living for a reason? Think about your unique gifts and ask yourself how those gifts are benefiting others. What specific way is God using you to touch others in the Body of Christ? Do you seem to have an extra measure of wisdom, or mercy, or discernment, or knowledge, or administration, or desire to serve? These will help determine how you can look for opportunities to help others.
And then think about the things you have gone through so far in your life – especially the difficult or challenging things where God has met you with his presence and power. That information is not just for you, it’s for you to empathize with and encourage others who have encountered similar struggles.
God isn’t messing around here. There are no accidents with our lives. Whatever we have received and experienced has shaped who we are, and because of that, we are qualified servants. There is truly no one else like you … for a reason. --John Fischer

Right on!!!

The Test

God has such a sense of humor. Like when He has me read Psalm 139 at New Community---you know, the verse where it says "cross examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about..."yeah, that one. Then He puts people/situations in my life where I have to struggle to respond/react in a way that will be, shall I say, God Honoring?? He brought some dirt to the surface. Ways in me that are NOT His ways. I have some work to do. *sigh*

FRIDAY

Have I mentioned how much I enjoy Fridays?? No, not the restaurant, although it is a great eating establishment...I mean Friday. My day to myself. I do not go to my job on Fridays. I get up when I want, drink an extra cup of coffee, watch the Today show and spend a little extra time in the Word on Friday. I usually talk to my son on Friday morning while he is stuck in Nashville traffic. Sometimes, I shop. Sometimes I meet a friend for lunch. Sometimes I simply enjoy being at home. I might finish that great book on Friday. I may take a long walk. I may download some songs on the IPOD. No agenda. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy Fridays??

RENEWAL

"I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint"

Jeremiah 31:25

Thank you, Lord, for this time of relaxation and renewal...Let me go forth now with more energy and purpose in my steps and a new determination to do whatever it is you have for me to do.

Thank you for the beauty you showed me this week...and the calmness that is within my reach if I just seek it.

A Reminder

Jeremiah 17:8 (New Living Translation)
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.

We lost our pretty Bradford Pear tree in a storm this past week. We had purchased it over 4 years ago as a sappling and had nurtured it and protected it through many a drought and storm. At this point in time we felt it was strong and secure.

Reminds me that I can never get too confident in my own security and strength. I, too, am fragile. A sudden storm can blow up at any time and topple me if my roots are not grounded and prepared.

"the office"

"E-mail is not to be used to pass on information or data. It should be used only for company business."

"This project is so important we can't let things that are more important interfere with it."

"No one will believe you solved this problem in one day! We've been working on it for months. "

"Now go act busy for a few weeks and I'll let you know when it's time to tell them!"

Quote from a Boss: "Teamwork is a lot of people doing what I say."

After a "tough week at the office"...I'm looking forward to this next series at GCC. Hoping to gleen some valuable insight....

NASHVILLE HEAT

It's HOT in Nashville, Tennessee!!!! Temps are hovering around 100 degrees with heat indexes around 107!!! Alex doesn't seem to mind though...as momma says he's enjoying splish splashin' at a nearby pool!! Grandma's envious, Alex!!!!

What a Relief !!

"Whatever I do...I do because I love you"-God Evan Almighty

Romans 8:38 (The Message)
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
31-39So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture: They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

I had a conversation the other day with a guy that feels that the things that happen to us is directly related to how much God is loving us at the time...wow. Even though I do think that circumstances and situations may occur in our life in response to our own spiritual walk (or lack of) - I am reassurred over and over in scripture of God's continuing love for me. Thank you.

The Door

My husband hung a new front door on my house last year... Not only is it more inviting but I receive so much more cheery sunlight through the windows. Such a simple thing but it made such a difference! I think of the many who walked through the door at GCC this weekend...what a difference they have made with such a simple step!
John 10:6-10 (The Message)
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
6-10Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. "I'll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn't listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.