You, YOU will go out with JOY!

One of God's great blessings: meeting with people that are of one mind...seeking God's hand in what they are doing...I was able to get a glimpse of that yesterday at a meeting I attended.

As you may recall, I worked with a team of area women to plan a large women's event/retreat back in April. We have just started to plan the 2010 event. We renamed it: Oil Belt Ladies' Day. The word retreat in the title was a little mis-leading...it suggested the event was 'over night', which was not the case.

I'm very happy that most of our team members are returning. A couple of ladies needed to step off because of other commitments. We've been able to add a couple of new ladies. Funny how we didn't really set a number of people for our team, but we seem to hover around 12...what a great number!

With these 12 ladies, there are 8 are churches represented--four churches have two women each, and then there are four churches that only have one woman come from them. It just worked out that way, but it seems to 'work', which is key! The churches are spread out over a 70 mile radius. These ladies have truly bonded as a team...in spite of the fact that their only face to face meeting time is when we get together every 6-8 weeks.

We have an on-going prayer effort where the retreat is concerned. We keep up through e-mail, for 'big' stuff going on in our individual lives, and 'small details' and 'large concerns' about this event. One of the ladies is having a baby very soon, and we're all very excited about getting to 'hold' him when we meet again! Three other team members have family members with serious health concerns, that we're all praying about.

Our first official meeting to plan the 2010 day was yesterday morning. Even before we 'started' the actual meeting, the conversation found its way to color scheme and theme for the day! I could tell just by the way these women were talking, they'd all prayed about this meeting because we were all on the same page!

One word and one color seemed to be threaded through the pre-meeting conversation.
THE Color: lime green (of course, I was very pleased with this, because I love it--not the 'neon lime green' but the pretty feminine one!)
THE Word: Joy!!!

We decided that Isaiah 55:12 will be our theme scripture...take a listen...look it up!

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Don't you just love that? To honor Our Great God!-- JOY!

What a fun and blessed team I get to work with! I went out with great joy just from our meeting!

And, how much fun we're already having to plan for 300+ women from our area for April 17, 2010!

Women of all backgrounds, ages and stages!

I can't wait to see what God does with this effort!

Teeth and Enjoying Life!

What a day...I'm home now! Waiting for the appropriate time to leave again.

The twins have a softball game tonight at 8pm. This will be the second of the three they will play this week. The girls love being around other kids and the excitement of the ball park. They try hard, and have a great time with everyone...so, I guess it's worth it!

They had orthodontist appointments early this morning (7am, IL time), so their mouths are a little sore. My great, wonderful, very patient husband had to take them because I had to make last minute plans to be in Evansville by 8:40am this morning. (I'll explain that one in a minute!)

The girls and their dad had a good time together, they drove my car, which is a treat for them-- all of us really...it goes fast, handles great and is just fun! :) So, we were all 'up' early today! A 'late' game tonight will have us in bed as soon as we get home, I imagine!

The reason for my early morning trip: our precious grandson.

Earlier this spring, it was discovered that Will had a few cavities. Because he's only 3, he was referred to a pediatric dentist. (Side-Note: I didn't even know there was such a thing...but as I think about it, if there are 'pet psychiatrists, then why not!???!')

This consultation was scheduled for yesterday afternoon. I drove Alayna, Will and Ally to Evansville, so that Alayna could could sit in the back and entertain children for the 1-1/2 hour drive. It worked great, actually.

In the end, Alayna was told they could do all 7 (yes, seven) fillings this morning, OR wait til late July. After a quick call to my husband ( you know HOW great he is!to make sure he could do the orthodontist trip in my place), we set the time to be back on the road by 7am today--so, it's been a LONG day!!

They put Will sort of 'under' for the procedure this morning. Before we got there, he had medicine to drink so it would make him sleepy. He was a little loopy when we got him back. Bless his heart, he was such a trooper...and he got an orange balloon out of the deal!

I think that's another reason we're supposed to 'become like little children' before Our God: Go through tons of pain, and then, be completely delighted with something as small and temporary as a brightly colored balloon! What a concept! Even baby Ally loved the it, squealing with such enthusiasm as it danced around her head...and her little arms reaching for it! --Precious, indeed!

Enjoying the little things...how uncomplicated our lives would be if we'd just practice that a little bit more! With squeals and laughter and joy!--Great joy!--Also, Precious, indeed!

Now, we get to all meet at the ball park to cheer on our younger girls...enjoying these little moments just being together, as we've seen these past few weeks, life is unpredictable, and sometimes, too short!--Make every moment count!

Introducing you to a new friend of mine...

The first official day of summer vacation and I'm up at 4:40am! I love it, don't want to miss a minute, apparently! Basketball camp starts this week for one of my girls, volleyball camp will be next week for the other, then the following week, all three of my 'younger' girls will be away at church camp, and leave their mother here to work VBS at our church! Whew, I'm already ready for school to start...just kidding!

The younger girls already have a great start for their summer 'tan' from hanging out at the city pool for a couple of days this Memorial Day week end. Great times!

On the other side of the world from me, India, in fact, I have a new friend. Life for him is not so care free today as mine. Please, if you are reading this blog, stop and just say a prayer for him.

Salman, my friend, started e-mailing me this spring, because of this blog, and the fact that I do ministry to women. He has a gospel ministry there, in southeast India, where he ministers to women and children...some of which have leprosy and some are HIV positive. (think: the leaset of these) I received a sad e-mail just this morning--one of the women in his church died a few hours ago, leaving a husband and two small children. Please, pray for her family, as well.

The Internet is a funny thing. It can keep us in touch with those we love that are hundreds, even thousands of miles away. Apparently, it can become a means to connect people with common interests. In this case would be to further God's kingdom on this earth.

Do I trust this man and his e-mail to be true? At this point, yes. --Because I serve a Mighty and Powerful and All-knowing God! Praise His Name.

'for such a time as this'...keeps coming to my mind.

And, I'm also reminded of Gamaliel's words in the book of Acts that loosely say this: ...If their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail...but if it is from God, you will not be able to stop it--you will find yourselves fighting against God.

I'm trusting God to put on my heart the thing I need to do to help further the gospel in that part of the world. I don't know what that looks like yet, but I think I'm supposed to blog about it, because that's the origin of our 'meeting'. God can use anything we give Him! He able!

To my friends, my blog spot 'followers', my partners in ministry: Please join me in lifting up this man, his family, and the ministry he's accomplishing there. And, what we should do to help him out, if that's possible!

In May they held a children's Bible camp meeting for three days.

They had around 100 children attend. Last week, they held another meeting in three villages and life changing decisions were made to follow Jesus! In June they will be offering a small conference for women in their region. They are excited to do this, to further God's kingdom here, and further the message of Christ's redeeming grace!

I wanted to share a few ministry pictures that he has forwarded to me from different meetings that he's held in these past few weeks. My hope is that you will lift them up, and pray that God's purposes in all this would come about, but above all: His Name be High and Lifted Up!

Though there's pain in the offering...

Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

Life is short. No surprise in that. We all know it. We just don't like to admit it. Keep short accounts of things that need to be said to those we love. Enjoy each and every moment.

I'm sitting here thinking that since Easter Sunday, April 12, seven Sundays ago...five of those Sundays have been clouded with tragic news of death...either the death of people I know directly or someone I know has lost a person they love very much. This is life, this is a roller coaster! This is a great way to see the hand of Our Great God!!!

This week is almost the worst yet, because the tragedy involved three people from the same family. The parents and aunt of a dear friend of our family's. In past weeks, death has taken just one person at a time. This tragic loss is going to change a lot of people's perspectives. And, the ripple affects of this great loss are amazing, far reaching, and probably unending.

Mostly, in moments like these, I'm reminded of the stinging pain that accompanies unexpected loss. There's shock...there's tears...there's prayers...there's comfort...there's sadness.
It was a long time after our loss, before I could sing the song 'Blessed Be the Name' with out tears running down my face...I've shared this before in these writings. But, it is true, none the less, offering our pain and grief to our God as a sacrifice of praise is the best thing we can do with it. There is nothing we can do with it by hanging on to it...and by offering it to Him to do with, as He would please, to bring honor and glory to Himself seems healthy, even though there is truly 'pain in the offering'...BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD!

O, for the love of Edward Cullen...

It just came to me ... why the Twilight series is so popular. And, what I must write in regards to that realization!

A movie of the first book came out a few months ago, the next book, New Moon, is expected out in November and Eclipse in 2010. Many of my friends, young and not so young are fans. My older girls are fans. My younger girls are fans. My husband even enjoyed the movie very much. I wasn't with the rest of the family when they saw the movie, I didn't figure I missed too much in my life by not attending.

But, because curiosity got the best of me, and because of the commitment of time one of our daughters has spent reading every word of each of the four books, (plus the Internet download offerings) I've started reading the series, as well. I've been told by more than one person, this was not a book they would ever expect to see on my 'books read' list! I read a lot, just not a lot of fiction.

This is not a book review. I'm just trying to apply some ideas from what I've read so far, to real life! I've read the first two books in their entirety, the third, I've just started. They have been entertaining, to a point.

As you probably know, Edward and Jacob are main characters, and loved by Bella, each for different reasons. Their love for Bella appears to be real. Bella has a constant need for someone to watch over her and protect her (which most of us can relate to!). These two are willing and equipped for that role in her life.

Edward, though is the one she is truly in love with. He is rich, watches over her as she sleeps and as a bonus, has the ability to read minds. His close friend can see the future, so any question Bella may have, he can answer it, if he chooses!--It's always up to him, though, he's very mysterious, which is also intriguing to her! As the two of them interact with what is perceived to be her enemy, Edward's stance is always one of protector, and deliverer. He sits in her room at night to watch over her. He isn't human so he has no need for sleep. He relates to her out of his love for her in her human-ness. He sits and watches her, listens to her as she talks in her sleep, and he's there when she wakes up, always protecting her. Without him, she awakens with screams. --She's lost without him. (I can also relate to this!)

Because you know me, (or maybe you don't know me), this Edward and the role he has in Bella's life, does remind me of someone else!

I found this in a love letter recently: Remember, I will not let your foot slip--I'm watching over you--YOU, the one I love the most and I will neither slumber nor sleep...I will keep you from harm--I will watch over your life; I watch as you come in and go out...now and forever.

A little later in the letter, he wrote this: Don't be afraid...keep on speaking, don't be silent. I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I am fully capable and I have friends close by you to help you, as well!

What we find in Edward Cullen, who is a fictional vampire, (yep, I really read a book about vampires--surprises even me!)...

we can truly find in the One who has loved us since He set the foundations of the earth. The One who is the Lover of My Soul. He's the one who is watching over me as I sleep, because He doesn't need sleep. He watches over my life, He keeps me from being afraid, I know He's always with me, and I do not fear attack from others. Even though, the enemy is all around me, waiting to seek, kill and destroy! It's also good that I don't have to worry about saving Him because of his love for me (think New Moon here), He's already conquered death and saved ME!!!

I have nothing to fear, especially not death!

This One is King Jesus. His love letter to me, to mankind, the Bible, is loosely quoted above in italics from Psalm 121 and Acts 18.

Edward Cullen isn't coming back for you or me. Remember: he isn't human. Some may need to be reminded that he isn't even real...he's fiction. Don't believe lies like 'how happy you could be, if you could just find a vampire like Edward'...that isn't even realistic. Edward Cullen, along with Bella Swan, and Jacob Black and the others are great characters in the mind of Stephanie Meyer. She made them up, and she did a great job writing about them...I applaud her effort. But, it's entertainment!

--I know you know this, but, I'm a mom of daughters, romantically inclined daughters--and I want them to embrace truth for their lives and for their future!

As you search for someone like Edward, my hope would be that you would look, instead, for and find the Voice of Truth! The ONE who truly Loves you! His Name is Jesus. He has everything YOU could ever need, want or imagine...nothing but truth!--Real Truth!

What a blur of a Day!

What a day! I spent almost 4 hours in meetings this morning, then another hour with my little mentor child, then two hours in the e-room with Madison, another hour fixing supper and another 45 minutes going back to the pharmacy to get meds and to the store to get 'sore throat-appropriate things' for Madison...whew! I'm tired!

Madison does have strep throat, she will not be attending the last full day of school...she'll miss movies, and a walking trip to McDonald's woo hoo! Mallory will gloat all evening about that one! They are so cute! (teeth gritting here) But, the magic antibiotics are in her now, so in a little less than 24 hours, Madi will be able to be around people again!

The coolest part of the day was seeing my little mentoring girl. Tammy.

We've been a BB/BS match for three school years. I've written about her before. But today, was the end of the year for us. She's possibly moving away next school year, so, this may have been good bye for now. We've said we'll always be friends, though!

As you may recall, she & I wrote a book together this year. She wanted it to look 'like a real book'... Her teacher is quite a gem. Tammy had told her what we were doing, and she volunteered to bind it for us with equipment the school has on hand! So, I took the pages out to her first thing this morning, and she bound it for us. She even laminated the pages for Tammy! It was adorable, she was so excited to have it...and so proud of it! What a gift!--and, it didn't cost a thing!

Meetings...meetings...they are OK, and there was a purpose for them, but they were back to back...BUT, a lot of that time was spent in prayer, never a waste of time, any time! And, another part of that time was spent discussing the current 5 chapters of our Journey! Also, part of the time we got to swap stories about how God is moving and changing people's lives!!! So, that was a really cool part of the day, as well!

Like I said, I'm tired...I know this isn't a very 'deep post'...but it's all I got today!--Hang with me, it'll get better!!
Bless YOU!

Ready to Launch...almost!

Computers are amazing tools to me. There are so many things you can do with them...things that my brain cannot even imagine. While talking to our children's minister last week, he suggested that I put together a web-site for the women's ministry at our church. Sounded great to me!

So, I followed his instructions. They were easy to follow, the web-site he directed me to was easy to follow, and so far, the site I'm constructing looks OK to me. There are a few things I still want to include, and build on. I would also like to add some 'sign up' capabilities on different pages of the site. But, overall, I'd say I'm about 85% finished with it! Which means that soon, I'll be hitting the 'publish' button, and presto, it will be on the world wide web! How cool is technology?

I know, I know, my sister will comment on this, because she thrives on technology! (...for which I'm very thankful, she's really good at her job) I prefer the smell of ink and pages and real book marks and book-binding glue--turning real paper pages, etc. But, because we live on this planet in 2009, technology is a must! And so, with all I can muster, I'm leaning in to this experience, and actually enjoying it!

So, watch for the launch! http://www.esccwomensministry.org/ (not yet, I haven't hit publish yet!) They tell me I can link this blog to the site, as well! How fun is that?

I can hear you all rolling your eyes, I know this, for you, is like a 'duh?' moment...I'm just really s l o w!!!

Happy Monday night...I'm off to read some more in a real book!--gotta love 'em!