Prayer Request

The past few days it has become increasingly more difficult for me to walk due to some significant pain in my left knee. I am trying to wait till Monday to call the doctor and not go to the emergency room. Please pray that I can do that, and more specifically that whatever is going on is nothing serious. Thanks so much! I have to admit I get a little paranoid when things go different from what I consider as "normal".

Freedom

One of my favorite singers is Michael Card. I subscribe to his devotional thought, which comes once a week. This is what he said today "Several years before the cross became a popular Christian symbol, it was the sign of the anchor that the first century Christians scratched on the walls of the catacombs. From antiquity, it had come to be regarded almost universally as a sign of hope; that somewhere there was something that could be trusted in the middle of the storms that characterized their lives then and ours today.
We forget in America that more Christians are dying for their faith in the world today than at any time in the history of the Church. Martyrdom is still a reality. The writer of Hebrews would have us stand with those brothers and sisters, pray for them, weep their tears. Those nameless believers two centuries ago who huddled amidst the corpses in the catacombs, who carved the sign of the anchor into the soft stone walls by the flickering light of candles seemed to know what we must remember, there is only one anchor for our souls; our hope in Christ Jesus. "

I must admit that although I know about persecution in other countries, I do not think to pray for them as often as I should, usually just when I get an email update from Open Door. I did get one from them today as well and was touched at how God used a tragedy in Smyrna to advance His kingdom. You can read about it here: www.opendoorsusa.org/content/view/147/1

I can't even imagine what it must be like to live in that kind of danger! So I am hopeful that I can be more thankful for my religious freedoms and be faithful to pray for those who are not as blessed.

Customer Service

Seems like Steve and I have just had several instances lately of really poor customer service.
I guess that there is so much business out there they don't have to worry about giving you good customer service. Yesterday I called a company to come and trim my bushes and trees and he told me he would come by today. I should have made him pinpoint a time because I got up at 8:00 to make sure I was up when they came. They never showed! I know it rained off and on all day but you would think if that was going to keep them from coming they could have called. So now I am being tacky...I hope they show up tomorrow and waste their time when they discover I am not home. I would call them back but yesterday the Spanish accent was so thick I could barely understand him anyway. I will just contact a different company. If you have a recommendation I would appreciate hearing it.

Blogging Blues

I haven't blogged in two days and it bothers me that I haven't had anything to say. Don't know that I really have much to say tonight either. I am amazed at how quickly the time can go by when you aren't doing anything. I hate to admit that I have become a T.V. junkie; I am usually doing something else while I am watching (i.e. suduko, tetris, etc) but still basically time wasters. I am thankful that currently T.V. is doing something besides the traditional summer reruns. I do have to admit I like the new game shows and talent shows. Tonight I was flipping back and forth between "So You Think You Can Dance" and "The Next Best Thing". I do enjoy the dancing and am amazed at what they can learn in such a short amount of time. One of the contestants on "The Next Best Thing" was a clone of Lucy Ball and did a take off of her "Vita-vegamin" show and I thought she was amazing. The good thing is Monday and Tuesday I didn't watch T.V. during the day because I stayed busy doing things around the house. But last night while making dinner my left knee popped and I have been in pain when walking, so today I have just sat. I should have started the Francine Rivers "Mark of the Lion" series (which I have had for three years), but instead I watched "Dreamgirls". I read where Rachel is enjoying the Mitford series and I have had the first two books of that series for about 5 years and still have not read them. Once I get into a book I enjoy them and do finish them, but it seems if it doesn't grab me in the first 2-3 chapters I just don't keep trying. Both of these series others have told me I will enjoy if I can just stay with them. Eventually I am sure I will try. Right now if I am reading I need to read materials to help me prepare for my workshop at ACU. So as Scarlett O'Hare would say "tomorrow is another day".

Revolutionary Parenting

I have been asked to speak at the ACU Summer Workshop at the end of July. My topic is setting Goals and Objectives for Spiritual Formation. One of the books I am reading to prepare is George Barna's "Revolutionary Parenting". His book “Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions” was a very eye opening book for me and helped me understand the importance of teaching children in a new light. Let me tell you some of the statistics he quotes in “Revolutionary Parenting”.
-Only 1/3 (36%) of adolescents believe the Bible is accurate
-Only one in every five adolescents (19%) believe it is important to share their faith with their peers
-Only 1/4th believe Satan is real, the rest believe he is symbolic
-8 out of 10 believe that being good will get you to heaven and 7 out 10 believe no matter what your faith we will all have the same eternal outcome and they don’t believe you can know for sure what your eternal outcome will be.
-46% believe that Jesus did not live a sinless life
-Only 58% of teens believe that God is real and that He is all knowing, all powerful
-Only 6 out of 10 believe that God created the world
-Only 1/3 believe that Jesus resurrected from the dead
-A national survey of 13 year olds revealed that most of them think they already know everything of significance in the Bible (hence they are no longer open or actively studying the scriptures) Also most of them state they have no intention of attending church when they are out on their own.

All these statistics are extremely sad to me and are a cause for concern. I am interested in reading the rest of the book to see what Barna recommends. He states that he studied children who grew up as spiritual champions and the parents that raised them to see what the process is that facilitates the emergence of young people who know what it means to love God with all their hearts, souls, minds and strength.

If you are interested, I will share later what Barna says after I have finished reading. You can find more information about his research at www.barna.org

Looking Up

I hope you won't stop reading my blog since I am inundating it with song lyrics, but like I have mentioned before it seems like music is where I hear God speaking to me the most. I love the verse in Zephaniah 3:17-“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you,he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Anyway…today I was out in the pool listening to KLTY when I was swimming and this song by Bebo Norman came on:

God, my God, I cry out

Your beloved needs You now

God, be near, calm my fear

And take my doubt

Your kindness is what pulls me up

Your love is all that draws me in

I will lift my eyes to the Maker

Of the mountains I can’t climb

I will lift my eyes to the Calmer

Of the oceans raging wild

I will lift my eyes to the Healer

Of the hurt I hold inside

I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You

God, my God, let Mercy sing

Her melody over me

God, right here all I bring

Is all of me

‘Cause You are and You were and You will be forever

The Lover I need to save me

‘Cause You fashioned the earth and You hold it together, God

So hold me now

As I listened to this song, I began looking up into the sky, then I just turned on my back and floated, looking to the sky. I know David had said in the Psalms 121:1 “I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from?” But it had not occurred to me until today that by lifting my eyes up it takes the focus off of me. It literally caused me to look to the heavens and worship God. Hopefully I will not forget that lesson and from this day forward will lift my eyes up more often.

Oh yes, and hopefully you will find my post to be cleaner of spelling errors. Since Blogger doesn't have a spell check, Steve suggested I write in Word and then copy it here as evidently I have quite a few typing or spelling errors. Thanks Steve for taking the time to read and let me know.

Silent Day

Wow! I only recieved one email today and it was a group email and no comments to my blog. Amazing how dependent I have become on my computer for communication? I did have a feeling of accomplishment as I got my closet organized today. I found clothes I forgot I had! That is a sad statement, means I have way too many things in my closet. But at least now they are once again organized. I was reading today in my devotional book by Don Piper and he was quoting from Philippians 4:4-5 "Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute! ". He went on to ask if we really believe that Jesus could show up any minute how would that change the way we are living right now? Gave me a new twist on the old "What Would Jesus Do?" While I live in hope that Jesus is returning at any time, why did Paul think His return was so imminent? It is not the only time that He said the Lord's return is soon, and here we are 2000 years later. Guess compared to eternity 2000 years is not that long? Anyway, if I am honest with myself I am sure I would live differently if I believed the Lord's return was imminent. I want to think about it more before I share with you what I would change. In the meantime....How about you? What would you do differently?

Continued Confession

One thing I find difficult about blogging is being transparent. I would much rather try to be uplifting or trivial than being confessional. I think part of the reason is I don't want anyone's pity or readers thinking they have to say something to cheer me up. But in an effort to keep this blog honest about the journey I am on, I will continue to have days like today where I need to post honest feelings. Today I went to the doctor for a check up because I was having some sharp pains in my right knee. The good news is nothing is majorily wrong, evidently I have pulled my HCL (most likely a couple of weeks ago when I stepped up into the church van). It should heal in a few weeks. But on the way home I heard a song that just made me start crying. I think it is because the lyrics were speaking my heart right now. I came home and looked it up so I could post it. It is by Nicole Sponberg and is called "Ressurection"

I'’m at a loss for words,

there’’s nothing to say

I sit in silence wondering

what led me to this place

How did my heart become

so lifeless and cold

Where did the passion go?

When all my efforts seem like chasing wind

I'’ve used up all my strength

and there’’s nothing left to give

I'’ve lost the feeling

and I'’m down to the core

Can'’t fake it anymore

Here I am at the end

I'’m in need of resurrection

Only you can take this empty shell

and raise it from the dead

What I'’ve lost to the world

what seems far beyond redemption

You can take the pieces in your hand

and make me whole again

However, while I was looking for that song, I found this one by Avalon that I don't remember hearing before and I felt like it was a prayer given to me by God to continue on this journey of healing. Thank you God.

Band: Avalon Album: Avalon Track: Renew Me ::

Why am I such a dusty window

For your light to shine through?

Why am I just a tiny star

In a sky already blue?

Why do I offer everything

With my heart closed like a fist?

I want to love You better than this

Why do I live like I'm in chains

When You have set me free?

And why do I have to break Your heart

Before I fall to my knees?

I know it's time to pray for change

Give all I have to give

I want to love You better than this

So renew me, Remake me

Undo me, Unbreak me

Come into the empty spaces

Of my broken places

And consume me, Complete me

Pursue me, Redeem me

Let Your Holy Spirit living through me

Renew me I need Your power to renew me,

Lord, yeahI need to know You're moving through me,

LordI need You as my refuge

My first and last resort

Be the river always running

Through my deepest thoughts

Keep me in Your arms'

Cause even when I drift

I want to love You better than this

So renew me, Remake me

Undo me, Unbreak me

Come into the empty spaces

Of my broken places

And consume me, Complete me

Pursue me, Redeem me

Let Your Holy Spirit living through me

Renew me

My life bending to Your will

Seeking You until I'm more and more like You

Wednesdays In The Park

Something I hate to admit about myself is that I can tend to be a pessimist. I really try to work on this but I don't have high expectations so as not to be disappointed. That being said I was not real optimistic that there would be a good turn out for Wednesdays in the Park. I am so glad that I was wrong. That is because God will always exceed my expectations if I just get myself out of the way. There was a great turnout tonight at Crowley Park. It looked to me like everyone was having a great time. There were lots and lots of visitors. I am anxious to see what God is going to do with this adventure this summer. I pray that our seeds will generate great fruit in His Kingdom in Richardson. If you missed it...at least you have 7 more weeks to come and join in the blessing of fellowship and outreach.

Poor Bunny

My brother Brad is a supervisor for Olympia Power and Light. He and his crew came across an owl the other day that had been electrocuted as it was flying with a rabbit in his claws. It fried both of them at 12,000 volts. I had no idea owls could be so large! Poor bunny.

Home

Seems like no matter how nice of a trip you have it is just always good to be home! We get so used to our own bed, own pillows that no matter what motel we stay in seems like it is never comfortable. Both beds on this trip were okay, but the pillows were aweful! We left Friday and stopped at the IHOP in Mesquite to eat breakfast. They have such good omeletes, unfortnately this particular IHOP is just dirty. I would have loved to eat at Cracker Barrell, but it is not Steve's favorite place. We had fun trying out the new GPS that STeve had bought me for a retirement present. We arrived at Copperas Cove about 4:00 and had a chance to take a short nap before meeting Chuck and Kelly for dinner. We went to Casa Ole and had a really good mexican dinner. They had a green sauce salsa that was very different but really good.

Steve and Chuck look alot alike. Steve is 8 years older. We weren't facing the sun so don't know why they are both squinting. I do know Chuck doesn't smile, because of all those years in army pictures.

Unfortunately, Kelly's glasses must turn dark in the sunlight.

Saturday morning Steve got up very early and went to a prayer breakfast with his brother. He said he really enjoyed it. Then we went to lunch and left about 2:00 for Austin. We checked into the Double Tree about 4:00 and they gave us a delicious warm chocolate chip cookie. The motel ended up being only about a block from the church. The wedding was beautiful and the ceremony was really sweet. It was fun watching Jordan radiate at his new bride. It was also fun watching Carolyn McBryde live one of her life long dreams of serving communion :)

The reception was lovely, the food delicious. They had a buffet and had some delicious coconut shrimp and some of the best salmon I have ever eaten. I really enjoyed getting to sit by Jennifer Kilgore because I had never really visited with her. We had a nice conversation. The band playing made it difficult to talk to anyone other than the person sitting right next to you. By the end of the evening I was exhausted and was almost not able to walk back to the car, but thanks to using the walker (instead of the cane) I made it. We decided to sleep in Sunday morning since two nights in a row we had not slept very well. We ate at Denny's on our way out of town. What a mistake. We decided to splurge and get t-bone steak and eggs and the steak was probably the worst I have ever eaten. I ordered it medium and there was not one bit of pink in it and it was so tough! Really dissappointing. We then headed home and I put the book on tape in for us to listen to and about 30 minutes later I was asleep!! I felt so bad. I was determined on this trip I would stay awake. Just couldn't do it.
After arriving home we went over to my parents to give my dad his father's day gift and to spend some time with him and then came home. I did manage to stay up till 11:00 p.m. but did not wake up until 11:30 a.m.!! Then my mom, dad and I went to Red Lobster as that is where he wanted to eat for Father's Day. I was so excited that he felt like eating out at all!! He had never had lobster in his life and wanted to have it, so he really enjoyed his meal and he ate every bit of it!


All in all it was really a good few days.

Weekend Away

I am really excited because Steve and I are getting away for the weekend. It will be the first time we have traveled since my accident. We are going to Austin for Jordan Swim's wedding. We will stop in Copperas Cove tomorrow to visit Steve's brother Chuck and his girlfriend Kelly. I was really excited because I went on Priceline and got us a $169.00 a night room at the Doubletree downtown for $75.00. The reception is at the Four Seasons downtown so I thought maybe we should stay there and save ourselves some steps. Right? The rooms began at $375.00!! I could not believe it! Needless to say, we are not staying there.

I bought us Francine Rivers audio book "Prophet" to listen to. Steve isn't a big talker when he is driving as he feels the need to concentrate. He will listen to me babel so I am hoping he will enjoy the book too. Although I probably won't put it in till we are coming home on Sunday to keep us both awake.

So anyway...just thought I would let Kristi and Stormy know that I won't be blogging till Monday (so they won't think I am a slacker :) ). Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Happy Weblogger's Day

Scrolled everyone elses blogs to see if anyone missed me to the punch. Today is Weblogger's Day. So here is to all my blog friends! This article came from Tech Republic's site.

"Blogito, ergo sum
Here's another entry for the "I Had No Idea There Was a Holiday For That" file: June 14 is International Weblogger's Day, set aside to commemorate and celebrate the democratization of Web publishing to allow any and every average schmoe to disseminate his most banal interests and accomplishments to the entire online world.
For the sake of first principle, let's take a look at Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary definition of the term blog: "A Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer."
So, contrary to what Blogger, LiveJournal, Xanga, WordPress, and a dozen or so other software programs would have you believe, the definition of a blog comes from its content, not its platform. And people have been posting personal journals, reflections, and comments to their Web sites since there have been Web sites -- and maybe even before then.
This is where we admit that almost nobody knows -- or at least can agree on -- when and where the first blog appeared. One candidate is Brian E Redman's personal Usenet newsgroup, mod.ber, which operated for a few months in 1983 and 1984. While its content and format were remarkably similar to a blog, it predated the World Wide Web. Call it an ancestor, if not an originator, of blogging.
When the Web finally showed up in all its hyperlinked glory, manually updated Web pages sporting personalized content started to appear as well. If you were willing to put forth the effort, you could publish an online diary to a Web page, though you'd be coding the page by hand. (And, for those of us who remember those days of the Web, often it showed.)
The birth of the term blog, however, came much later. Most folks were content to call online diaries just that, though some described themselves as escribitionists. Even Web sites that weren't exclusively journals often contained a What's New section that offered at least marginally blog-like content.
The beginnings of the term blog, however, come from the slightly older term weblog, which itself was a contraction of the phrase Web log. The word weblog, at least, has a generally accepted etymology, birth date, and credited originator."

By the way Blogito Ergo Sum means "I Blog Therefore I Am". So there you go.
I am thankful for all my blog friends. Hope you have had a great day!

Steve sent me this article on the presidential candidate Fred Thompson the other day and asked me what I thought. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56112 So now I am asking all of you what do you think? Personally, it grieves my heart that the churches of Christ are not known to the world. Seems like everytime something happens (i.e. Mary Winkler) we get painted in such a bad light. Since Jesus said that people will know us by our love, how come that is not what we are known by? The other thing that bothers me is that someone representing the churches of Christ is making negative comments about Mr. Thompson without any concrete information. Seems like the scriptures also tell us if we have something against our brother we are to talk with him. So if Mr. Elrod actually has concerns about Mr. Thompson's attendance at a church I wonder if he tried contacting him before talking to the press. I just found the entire article misrepresenting the church that I know, and yet I know that it probably does acurately represent some churches. What the world doesn't realize is unlike denominations each church of christ is autonomous. But perhaps because so many of us try to label each other (i.e. conservative, liberal, acapella, instrumental, etc.) they just assume we are all the same. Nevertheless, the bigger issue to me is that I have not been able to find anything where Fred Thompson's life speaks volumes about his life in Christ. Once again, I say what should he be known by; where he goes to church or how he represents Christ in the world? Don't get me wrong, this is more a comment about me than anyone, after all do people know Lynn Leaming by where she goes to church and what she did in ministry or do they know her by the life she lives in the world? I confess I am guilty of not being active enough in the Lord's work outside the church walls. I hope that I can change that. And I hope that the world will begin to know Christ church by their love.

Good Tuesday

Well, today we cleaned another area of my house. The sun room had become my walk in the door and drop things room (since it is the door I come in off the garage) But I wanted to get it where I can begin my days in the sunroom for my quiet time as it has a fountain that I love to listen to. So here is a picture of it afterwards.

Then it was on out to the pool. We put the new pool cushions on the chairs. Then we worked very hard to replace the umbrella. The old one had one bugar bear rusted bolt that we could not get to budge. We finally were able to get the pole out without taking out the bolt and the new one fit in okay, we just had to anchor it with wood around it instead of the bolt, but it is standing. Here you can see.

Thought I would also post a picture of the clock the Children's Ministry Team Gave Me and the Figurine "Here's the church, Here's the Steeple" that the staff gave me. The only thing that could of made this day go better is if I had won something at Bunco tonight. But...it is always a good time anyway.

This was a frustrating blog! After spending 45 minutes or so posting the pictures. I lost internet connection all together?? The cable on the TV went out too, so maybe Comcast was just having a problem. So fortunately it saved the draft and I could post it this morning. Not sure it was worth all that trouble, but nevertheless here it is.

Continuing Awe

Yeah! I actually got in the pool today for the first time this season. I was amazed at how warm the water was. It was good. Spent some time cleaning house and then transferred all my old addresses into a new address book someone gave me for Christmas. It was sad at how many people I have lost touch with from my past. Figured if I had not heard from them in three years or more that I would not enter their address in my new book. My mom came over and helped clean house and hung my new clock up today. It is lovely! It plays 12 different tunes (and 3 Christmas tunes). It has a light sensor where it will not play when it is dark. It is very nice and will be a great memory for many years to come.

I got this email from Mona today "I just thought the two of you would like to know, all the food for our celebration yesterday was furnished by the women at RE. I sent out a Sister to Sister (Lynn you were temporarily removed but are back on already) and all the places, 24 dozen of each of the 5 catagories plus 17 gallons of OJ, were taken well in advance of a week before the event. Approximately 69 women participated in the food alone..." So I say another "Wow"!!! It was a lovely spread, I only wish I had been able to taste some of the "goodies", but was just too busy consuming love instead of food. Hey! Maybe if I did that more everyday I would lose all that weight I am needing to lose? If you were one of the 69 women and are reading this...thank you from the bottom of my heart.

WOW!

I am so overwhelmed! Today the Richardson East church threw me a retirement reception. Tresia Eason and crew did such a nice job with the brunch. They had it decorated so nice.In a jungle theme with tiger and leopard balloons. Lots of delicious food. People were so gracious and complimentary. Then the celebration continued into the worship service where they showed a video filled with pictures from our time at RE. Then the children's ministry team presented me with a beautiful wall clock that plays 15 different tunes. It was engraved with "Our Timeless Treasure, Children's Ministry Team, 6/10/07". The church then gave us a certificate for a trip of our choice and instituted a scholarship in my name for kids going to camp. Then to top it all off numerous families put together pages for a memory book. So many were so creative. I have to admit I have not really gotten into the scrapbooking scene, but these pages were all very special. I had even recieved a call from the worship leader and he had asked for me to tell him some of my favorite hymns and they sang them today. There are no words to describe how very touched I was by this outpouring of love. It was amazing and so undeserving. It has been such a blessing to be in ministry with this amazing church, that has been reward enough. The children are so precious. I stand amazed at how so many of them have grown up and yet how many are still young. I am so thankful that I do not have to be concerned for them, that Richardson East will continue to be a church who values the spiritual transformation of children and will ensure that they get the best of the best in teaching and support for their parents in their teaching. As Bob Hope would say "Thanks for the Memories". Sorry, I am still learning how to post pictures.

Mike, Kate & Grant Schiller.................Courtney, Kyle and Ella

Brianna, Paige and Logan...........Hannah, Tatum and Jackie

Donna, Brenda and Andrea. For eight years of my ministry they were the hands that held mine. I am so thankful for the ministry God gave us together and their friendship.

Today's Revelation

Today I was listening to a Twila Paris CD that has been in my car for several months. I am not sure why I had not heard this before but there is a point where she just talks and she is talking about going through hard times. She says there comes a point where you have to decide whether you are going to lean upon your own understanding or that you will lean into Jesus. I thought about the truth of this statement. I thought it interesting that she did not say lean on Jesus, but lean into. It reminded me of one of my favorite pictures by Thomas Blackshear.

To me there is a difference in leaning on Jesus and leaning into Jesus. Leaning into implies there is nothing of my own power and He is holding me up. There is so much hope in Jesus statement "Come unto me all you who are weary laden and I will give you rest". I am so very thankful that I can count on that promise! I hope you find comfort in it too.

Eagle Lessons

My friend Andrea sent me an email with this link today. You may remember that my favorite Bible verse is Isaiah 40:30. This article has some very interesting facts about eagles and spiritual applications. Here is just a small quote, if you want the entire article you can go to: http://plantinghisseeds.com/articles/eagles.htm

May we all learn to soar!!

Eagles do not fly like other birds, they don't flap their wings but rather soar. Flapping their wings would use incredible amounts of their own strength and endurance and they would require so much more food as fuel if they didn't soar. Instead they sit on a high ledge and wait for the right wind currents to come. When the time is right, they take off and soar upward. Effortlessly, because they have waited for the right time. There is a special 'up going' wind, that they ride as it circles higher and higher toward the sky.
What a lesson for God's children to learn. How often do we waste strength by jumping out too soon and 'flapping our wings', instead of waiting for God's timing. Waiting is not a popular concept in these days of instant everything! But when we wait on the Lord - wait for His timing - wait for His answers - wait for His direction, then we can soar to new heights and fly to new places."Those who wait on 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 faint."

No Tears Here

Is anyone depressed or shedding tears today knowing that Paris Hilton is in prison? I am sorry, but other than feeling compassion for her soul, I am not the least bit interested in hearing how difficult she is going to have it in prison. That she will not get a good night's sleep or that she will have to eat terrible food? Yet...she does get special treatment in that she doesn't have to sleep with the general population. Why is it that some think they are above the same law everyone else has to follow? Then when they do get caught, they think they deserve special treatment. In the first place what is she famous for? Have I missed something or is it simply because she has money? And where has that got her? The best thing that could happen to Paris while she is in prison is perhaps there is a good prison ministry there and she will come to know the Lord and let Him redeem her life. Then my other soapbox is why the media beats these stories to death (Lindsay Lohan, Brittany Spears, David Hasselhoff, etc) What would it take for the media to start covering positive stories? They say they do it for ratings and money, are we really that hungry for that kind of news? I know I'm not. That is why I try to keep it off as much as possible, but unfortunately ran across it today and now you got to hear about it on my blog. Lucky you?

My First Retired Sunday

Well today was our first Sunday away from ministry at RE. Steve and I attended 2 worship services in Mesquite. The first was with our old congregation (where we went before RE). It was good to see alot of familiar faces, kids that had grown up, and old friends. The sad part was the church is obviously flailing. Why is it when a church has a front section and back section everyone wants to sit in the back section? From a visitor standpoint it is hard to find a seat, and it makes it even more obvious how few people there are. Anyway, this church finally hired a children's minister 2 weeks ago in hopes of once again reaching out to young families. I did notice while there were not very many elementary kids, there were lots of preschoolers. We met some friends there and had lunch but not before going to another worship service. This was a church plant that is being very missional about reaching out to a specific neighborhood in Mesquite. I found their passion refreshing and I really enjoyed being in a group of about 50. It was intimate and spontaneous. Several men spoke from their hearts (one specifically to children) and I thought to myself "there needs to be more of this, where people just share what is on their hearts and what the Lord means to them". The preacher actually is intentional about reaching out and moved into an apartment complex to evangelize that complex. He was able to find a restuarant owner that has a banquet hall and is willing to let him use it on Sunday afternoons free. Anyway...I pray that their efforts will be blessed and make a difference in the kingdom of God. Steve and I drove by our old house in Mesquite and it is for sale (the owners put in a pool). We stopped and picked up an information sheet and were surprised to find they house was selling for 50% more than we sold it for (of course that was 9 years ago). Overall it was a good day and I am confident that God will continue to show us how life will go on and hopefully will even have some surprises for us along the way. Hope you had a good day of worship as well.

Another Song Story

Today I was sitting in my shower chair doing my hair and had digital music on the TV with Contemporary Christian music. Guess what song came on 2nd? You got it Casting Crowns, "Praising God In The Storm", I had just told Steve this morning at breakfast about my post the other day and yelled "Steve, come here this is the song I was telling you about". I then said "Do you think this is just a coincidence that this same song is even on the T.V." Steve said "I will tell you something else, when you called me I was online with Amazon.com trying to order that CD for you for our June anniversary (remember Steve gives me something the 12th of every month-our anniversary is August 12th). Amazing?
Then the next song that came on was Pam Thum's "Life is Hard (God is Good)". Once again I felt like God was speaking to me through these lyrics. Hope you all don't get tired of me posting lyrics. Right now they are what is ministering to me.

But there's darkness deep inside
And you can't take it anymore'
Cause sometimes living takes the life out of you
And sometimes living is all you can do
Life is hard, the world is cold
We're barely young and then we're old
But every falling tear is always understood
Yes, life is hard, but God is good
You start to cry'
Cause you've been strong for so long
And that's not how you feel
You try to pray
But there's nothing left to say
So you just quietly kneel
In the silence of all that you face
God will give you His mercy and grace
Jesus never said
It was an easy road to travel
He only said that you would never be alone
So when your last thread of hope
Begins to come unraveled
Don't give up, He walks beside you
On this journey home and He knows
Life is hard, the world is cold
We're barely young and then we're old
But every falling tear is always understood
Yes, life is hard, but God is good

I am humbled

Well, today I finished cleaning out my office. At lunch the staff threw me a surprise luncheon. I thought that I was just going to lunch with Marcie and Stephanie, but the entire office took me to McAlister's Deli. I chose there because I have never been before. I ordered one of their baked potatoes (the chicken fajita) and it was delicious. Several of the staff had written a card sith such sweet words. They gave me a really sweet figurine of a little boy and girl doing the rhyme "here is the church, here is the steeple, open the door and see all the people" and a clock that says "to everthing there is a season,and a time to every purpose under the heaven." Perfect gifts for perfect memories. Needless to say I shed some tears. I have been so blessed to work with this staff. I can honestly say that in 9 years we have never had any times of dissension or strife. We support, encourage and pray for one another. We have a common goal and that is to glorify God and help lead His church in a way that reaches our community with the love of Jesus. I have all confidences that they will keep on keeping on and continue to be a blessing to the rest of us at RE. I feel so unworthy of such attention, but I have to admit it is good to know that everyone isn't glad to see me going.