Oh, the places we've been!
Join me on THURSDAY for a special GUEST! Can you guess who might be joining us for Thankful Thursday??? Well?? Any takers???
http://godtube.com/flvplayer.swf
BEFORE PLAYING THE VIDEO—PRESS PAUSE ON MY MUSIC ON THE SIDE BAR 🙂
This is the coolest video—KNOW that God is for you. FOR you! Imagine that. The God that cast the stars into the sky from the tips of His fingers—has a plan for your life. Watch the video. Thanks Guy Tatum for an awesome Sunday School lesson this morning…which took my mind back to this very video.
As I sat there this morning…watching the shots taken of space way beyond our finite minds, I instantly thought of Wanda’s life, leaving here—and venturing on a breath-taking journey past all the glories God created! How incredible that must have been! We too, shall one day take that journey. Whether by the calling of our name—or by the calling of the trumpet.
Enjoy the video—and girls….I plan to see you, whether on this side of heaven or that side—so be looking for me!
(Press play Grandbuddy)
Today you will find me at the `Cafe. The Internet `Cafe! Join me for some open-honest discussion on some hindrances….the belly button kind… Click on the words or the link to get there. Bring your coffee!
I am honored to be able to share some of my rambling thoughts with some absolutely awesome writers! Thank you Lori and Amy for keeping the coffee hot and the tables ready!
My Thankful Thursday is a bit out of the ordinary….but then…aren’t we all??? Visit Iris for more Thankful hearts…sharing all the incredible things we are thankful for!
Having books coming out of my ears (eyes) is a blessing. I should have bought stock in Barnes & Noble; Borders; Books-a-million; and for SURE LifeWay a long time ago. Reading is a wonderful way to have a quick “get-away” anytime you have a few minutes.
I remember when I was a young teen—I spent MANY hours stretched across the bed on Saturdays after all the chores were completed reading…visiting far away lands. Now, that is what I call fun!
With gas prices sky-rocketing even further…pay a visit to your local bookstore. You can find a plethora of adventure variety! Here’s a peek at what I am currently engrossed in….and when I finish…I will give you MY take on these awesome reads!
What I am reading: Lisa Whittle’s Behind Those Eyes takes you on a journey of an incredible investigation of “self”—or at least it has for me. Revealing to me–the “who-what-why’s of my personality. She has shown me (for I am continually trying to squash it) my insecurities, fears and lack of confidence among many other things..I haven’t yet discovered (because I am STILL reading) . She invites you to take a good look at who you are – and who God created you to be – she encourages a return to authenticity and biblical truth. To GET REAL!! She invites me to KNOW the real me–you know..the one without the “makeup”. (Kind of scary!)
“For Women ONLY.” This is one amazing book. Shaunti Feldhahn has absolutely shined a light in a “sometimes” dark corner of many of our lives….”the brain of our men”! I’m only into chapter three—-but I can already tell, this is one I encourage you to read if you’re married or plan to be married!
What’s going on in there? “Ever been totally confused by something your man has said or done? Want to understand his secret desires and fears, his daily battles that you know nothing about? Shaunti Feldhahn takes you beneath the surface into the inner lives of men. For Women Only is about the things we just don’t “get” about guys. With findings from a groundbreaking national survey and personal interviews of over one thousand men, Feldhahn presents eye-opening revelations you need not only to understand the man in your life, but to support and love him in the way he needs to be loved. Grounded in biblical hope, you’ll discover how to love your man for who he really is—not who you think he is.” (From Back Cover Copy.)
One of my all time favorite authors….Max. Max Lucado to be precise. Here’s the copy from the back of his book, “When Christ Comes.”
“Would you like to discuss the end of time and feel better because of it? Or to hear some truly comforting words regarding the return of Christ? Thoughts of the Second Coming are unsettling. Open graves and occupied clouds. Sins revealed and evil unveiled. Yet, for Max Lucado, the coming of Christ will be “the beginning of the very best.” In “When Christ Comes”, Max shares how Christians can live in hope, confident in His comfort and peaceful in our preparations for His return. Regarding that day, Jesus urged, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God and trust in me” (John 14:1).
Max Lucado believes the day Christ comes will be the “beginning of the very best.” Our primary task is to be prepared and peaceful as we wait. If you have some questions about the end of time…if you have concerns about what will happen to you…if you like to look to the end of times as a source of comfort and not chaos…this is the right book.”
AND last but definitely NOT least….my Bible. My sword. My weapon of warfare that seems to be a constant these days. And we were warned that it would be this way. So, do we sit about in our easy-chairs, listening to classical music and let the war rage on??? Not if you intend to win this battle.
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV (emphasis mine)
To win…we must fight well. To fight well we must be armed.
Ladies you know what to do. Suit-up!
Psalm 52:8, 9
“But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever. I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.”
Once you have been hurt in a particular area of you life, it is difficult to “trust” in that spot again. But I am reminded over and over—the LORD is always trustworthy. His mercy and love fails us not.
There is not a day that passes that I am not somehow reminded of what He did for me. I have failed Him—-yet He somehow trusts me still. How is that? How could He know—that I could be trusted again?
Even as our children were growing up—they had to learn lessons sometimes over and over. They would even sometimes be untruthful. I have even had a downright lie told directly to my face—yet—I love them still. And in time, I knew I could trust them to be truthful—obedient again. All part of the growing and maturing process. So it is with us.
As I am praying about certain things in my life—the Lord is leading me into new areas of trusting Him. Trusting without knowing or seeing what comes next. What indeed? “Just trust me child”.
Allow me to share an excert from my post on Laced with Grace last week. . . .
“After I arrived home and began opening my mail, my heart skips a beat when on the outside of one envelope I spot these words…
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart” Proverbs 3:5–on a cute little sticker with 3 red hearts.
Well, I open the envelope and read the sweet words from my dear friend Iris, and tears pool in my eyes. God is good.
I open the second envelope. Darlin’ little envelope with a little “hangy-down-thingy” that says, HUG. Sweet. From Lori. A crafty girl. When I opened the card she had written a sweet note and then, almost as an afterthought, placed a sticky-note at the top with these words …
“Keep on trustin’ “.
After I mopped up my tears…I knew the message for my heart—for this time of my life—for these needs of mine…TRUST ME CHILD. Hard as it is sometimes…especially when I LOVE KNOWING things…I just don’t have all the pieces to the puzzle yet….but I know as He is holding the next one—He has a little shine in His eyes as He is about to lay it down for me to see….and all He requires of me is….TRUST. I do. Do YOU?
Got TRUST?
Ya’ll go read some more “trusting”, thankful hearts at Iris’ place!
She knows how I feel about receiving awards, I appreciate them, but don’t post them on my blog. It is not about awards—it’s about sharing God. Sharing His love so great that He willingly gave His only Son for my wretched sinful life. Only HE deserves awards. So while I do appreciate your incredible heart and thoughtfulness, I know you understand why I don’t display them.
I was browsing blogs yesterday and noticed a blog (Christian themed) that seemed a bit down and out. She wanted to be an uplifter—an encourager, but she seemed lonely. She stated that she might discontinue blogging because she felt it didn’t matter. She thought she wasn’t having an affect on others. But you NEVER know who is reading…and what YOU say THAT day may alter a persons life for the better!
Ladies, let me encourage you, if you feel this way—don’t lose heart. Don’t stop your internet-mission field work because you feel you don’t have enough “readers”. If you are “counting the comments”—remember what I said a while back?—-What I felt in my spirit—“it’s not about the numbers, it’s about the message“.
If that is what we are looking for—we’ve missed the point. How many blogs do you read and never comment on? I read many. When something strikes a chord in my spirit, I comment. But I rarely comment on every one. Do you realize how much time that would take?
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: (Matthew 25:35 KJV)
I am listening Lord…
Just in case you don’t realize—there are 3 posts with slideshows….and it has been difficult getting them to ‘stick’ tonight…so if it doesn’t show up…go to this link:
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| Greasey Rese and Floppy Earred 3 |
http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf
I knew I shouldn’t have had that iced coffee this evening….3—count ’em 3 slide shows!!! Joanne of “BLESSED”….I thought of YOU a kazillion times this weekend….all the sweet tea you could drink…and pies and cakes….salads, soups, YUM! It was a feast! We were fed every meal by Carmel’s finest cooks —-actually, Carmel Assembly of God is home of the BEST cooks in Holmes County. ACTUALLY, the best cooks in the State of Florida….ACTUALLY…the best cooks in the United STATES!!!
This one was so much fun! Greasy Rese and the Flop-Eared Three made a special guest appearance on Friday Night after the service….Haven’t seen those gals in about 5 years….well, not dressed as they were! (They really have made a CD!)
Pictured are Greasy Rese; Else Corene; Trunie Mae; Flossie Belle; and Greasy Rese’s husband, Smiley Moore. He didn’t have a chance to “get dressed” —but he did “brang” his special “geetar”. Had it made special “fer” him.
Now for those of you that are privileged to know this fine group of women “sangers” they hail from somewhere called “HOGWALLER”. THEY HAVE REALLY CUT A CD—AND YOU CAN BUY ONE! Go to the Carmel Assembly of God link on my sidebar and contact the church. Be SURE and tell them you come by way of Angie’s blog (that would be me)—“the Knightly News”. You can also obtain the CD’s or DVD’s of the services (which were awesome—did I tell you that already??)
Joanne—you will bust a gut laughing at these songs—Rese –ahem, I mean Greasy Rese “writ” them all herself!
(For those of you that can’t believe what you are seeing—-in the group are 2 pastor’s wives, the wife of the Sheriff of Holmes County and the Deputy Clerk of Holmes County. (they may clobber me for telling that!)
See ya’ll—what you have missed? Call the church—or send them an e-mail. Get the services and the CD’s!
One more advertisement—-if you don’t have your PURPLE shirt (which is only $10) that goes to support children’s missions (Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge—BGMC), please contact me, or Aimee, or Carmel Assembly. If you remember, it is purple because that is Wanda’s favorite color. Sister’s of Faith is our “sister blog” and the verse is Wanda’s favorite verse! Did you see how pretty the Sneads ladies looked in purple! A color of royalty! You need one too!
http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf
Take a peek through the slide-show and you may even “feel” the Spirit of the Lord from the camp meeting style services at my home church, Carmel Assembly of God.
We had a wonderful time as the Lord moved in our midst. Rese Moore, wife of Pastor Tommy Moore brought a powerful message on Thursday night– “And the Walls Came Tumbling Down”. She shared with us the secret of the Process, Power, Praise, Presence, Perseverance, “Peep Less” (sometimes we need to not utter a “peep”—i.e., shut-our-mouth), the Proclamation —and then possessing our PROMISE from the LORD!
To obtain the promises of the Lord…we must allow the Holy Spirit to move in our lives, reveal to us the walls that we have erected —and TEAR them DOWN! I won’t re-preach Rese’s message—but I would like to share with you something I felt in my heart as she was preaching—
We all—-yes, ALL have walls of some sort in our lives. Whether they were built of our choosing, or by the actions of another, we have allowed them to remain. We have accustomed ourselves to looking at them so long until we feel they are “permanent”. We have even decorated them—causing them to feel like part of us. But it is time—if we want to go further than we’ve ever experienced with God, that we began to disassemble the walls. Whether you need a crow-bar; a sledge hammer; a crane; or one of the mighty “earth moving machines” from the Caterpillar company, it is high time we made ourselves busy with the “doing” of life renovation. Tear down the walls.
What are some of the walls? Rese mentioned many, I’ll share hers and a few more: Walls of Neglect; Walls of Abuse; Walls of Adultery; Walls of Shame; Walls of Fear; Walls of Self-Righteousness; Walls of Pride; Walls of Idolatry; Walls of Sexual Immorality; Walls of Rebellion; Walls of Unbelief; Walls of Hatred; Walls of Hypocrisy; Walls of Envy; Walls of Gossipping; Walls of Doubt; Walls of Carelessness; and Walls of Disobedience. The list can go on and on.
It prompted me to take a long look into my own heart and life. I found myself asking God to reveal ANY wall, ANY hindrance, ANY THING that might separate me from the LOVE of God the Father and life eternal.
I urge you to get your Bible and read Romans 1:18-32. Read it in the King James Version; then the New International Version; and the Amplified Version. Whatever version you choose (I encourage you to read it in all of them), ask the Lord to reveal any place in your heart of life that needs His divine attention.
I have been prompted to deal with some issues in the next few weeks online that I had skirted around before. But girls, I’m not in this for a popularity contest. If you want to read what might be popular—I confess you won’t find it here in the next several weeks. Time is past for neglecting the issues facing us today. I may get hard—maybe more than some are accustomed. But I have to empty my heart of what the Lord lays on it. Otherwise, I will find myself in disobedience. If you read my post with Laced With Grace this past week, you will know—I intend to obey.
“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;” Romans 8:5 & 6 NIV (emphasis mine)
Ladies, it may be time to “adjust” the setting of our minds. I know for me it is. I intend to use concrete.
I have been sssiiiccckkk…..yuk!
We will return to your regular programing momentarily….(well, maybe not momentarily, but for sure before the week is out!)
Jeff & Angie 