Monday, April 26, 2010

Monday Musings

Today I am reflecting on a few amazing Sundays......2 weeks ago we had "Old Fashioned Sunday" at church. We had a special speaker, decorated the church and foyer in old fashioned things, had lunch (a hog roast! :)) right after the service, and then an afternoon service instead of our usual evening service. (I'm pretty sure that the previous sentence isn't grammatically correct, but it IS Monday, so I am going to let it slide! :)) We had a married couple saved in the morning service! The church was so full! Praise the Lord. It was an exhausting, WONDERFUL day. I love my church!


Yesterday we had "Open House Sunday" with a strong emphasis on inviting visitors. It started with one of our adult Sunday School classes hosting a pancake breakfast before Sunday School......peach pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes, blueberry pancakes.... YUM! :) In our foyer we had tables set up with information about some of the ministries of our church. We had many, many visitors and it was such a blessing to see our church welcome each one. I have never seen our auditorium as full as it was yesterday. So exciting.

Jesus is coming soon. There is so much to be done and so many people to reach in the short time we have left.

I hope your weekend was blessed. Pray for your pastor today!!



Friday, April 23, 2010

Feeling Overwhelmed?

I have a devotional book that I enjoy reading from, "Streams in the Desert". I wanted to share with you a small part of today's entry:

This way of thine - this, it may be, a crooked, mysterious, tangled way - this way of trial and tears. "He knoweth it". The furnace seven times heated, He lighted it. There is an almighty Guide knowing and directing our footsteps, whether it be to the bitter Marah pool, or to the joy and refreshment of Elim.

That way, dark to the Egyptians, has its pillar of cloud and fire for His own Israel. The furnace is hot; but not only can we trust the hand that kindles it, but we have the assurance that the fires are lighted not to consume, but to refine, and that when the refining process is completed (no sooner - no later) He brings His people forth as gold.

When they think Him least near, He is often the nearest. "When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knowest my path....."


Isn't God so good to us? He knows exactly what we are going through today....and He is with us every step of the way!


Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Bad News

I have some bad news.

I do.

I have been putting off posting this for the simple fact that I don't want to make anyone reading this feel badly.

Okay - here it goes....

Jesus loves me the best. I am His favorite.

Ahhhhhhhhhh.....it is out. I feel so much better now. :)

I am sorry if I hurt any of you, but the truth must be spoken. Jesus loves me. He loves me the best. Do you know how I know this to be true? Let me just share 2 of the many, MANY proofs that Jesus loves DEBBIE the best... :)


Proof #1:
A few weeks ago, on my usual Thursday grocery day, I loaded the girls into the van, grabbed my bags and my Aldi quarter (:)) and off I went. After getting halfway to the store I realized that I had forgotten my coupon for the baby wipes that I needed. UGHHHHHHHHHHHH. Well, I was too far from home to turn around so I continued on - but I was frustrated with myself. After our Aldi stop we proceeded to Wal-Mart. For some reason that day I decided to get the baby wipes in the front of the store - at the health and beauty section - instead of in the baby section at the back of the store. As I walked out of the health and beauty area a man walked up to me. I had never seen this man before in my life. (and we live in a small-ish town, so you know almost everyone!)

"You have kids. I bet you can use these coupons!" He handed me a stack of coupons and walked away while I tried to get out a surprised 'thank you'.

I started to walk away and then I looked in my hand. The coupon on the top of the stack was for BABY WIPES!!!!!!!!!!

It might as well been on the speaker system at Wal-Mart, because I heard Jesus yell, "I LOVE YOU, DEBBIE!!!!!!!" and in my amazement I said, "I see you, Jesus. I love you, too!!"



Proof #2: (this one involves shopping again, but I assure you, I really do more than shop and eat. :))

The day before Easter I had to go to Wal-Mart because I had forgotten to get potatoes earlier in the week. We were having company on Monday and I HAD to have potatoes. I went to get them and WAL-MART WAS OUT OF POTATOES! How does that happen? Well, it happened. I was busy, a bit frazzled and now I was going to have to stop at another store for these potatoes that I SHOULD have bought on Thursday. I was getting ready check out with a purchase that my husband needed, and as I walked into the checkout lane I looked to my right. There, sitting on the water bottle display was ONE BAG OF POTATOES!!!!!!!!! Again, I heard, "I LOVE YOU, DEBBIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and again, I replied, "I see you Jesus, and I love you, too!"

So - there you have it. Two of many proofs that I am Jesus' favorite.

Jesus loves you so much. I pray you feel like His favorite, too!


Thursday, April 8, 2010

Notice ME!

Thursday is grocery day here in the Doll house. Perhaps I am odd, but I do enjoy going to get groceries. I enjoy the planning of meals for the week, making a list and crossing things off the list. I am a list maker. A chronic list maker.

As we travelled the aisles of Aldi today we kept passing a mom pushing a little boy in her cart. He kept saying, "Hello people!" to everyone that passed. If that 'people' didn't look at him, he would say it louder, and LOUDER, until they would acknowledge his happy little greeting. In the last aisle we passed again. He again greeted me, "Hello people!". His mom, obviously frustrated, said, "Would you just stop it! Not everyone wants to say hello to you!!" I have been hurried like this mom apparently was, but I stopped and looked at the little boy and said, "Hello there! How are you? Are you helping your mom shop today?" His only reply was the most gigantic smile.

He just wanted to be noticed.

Aren't we all like that?

We may not say it out loud, but we feel it. We want someone - ANYONE - to notice how hard we are working. We want to be noticed for our doing right. We want to be noticed for our new dress. We want to be noticed. Wrong or right, it is human nature. A need to feel appreciated and loved.

But.....

Isn't it also our nature to ignore those who are crying out to be noticed the most? We react with "OH BROTHER....they are so needy!!" or "What a high maintenance person! Won't they just leave me alone! Who cares what they do!" Again, we may not verbalize these thoughts, but the thoughts are there.

Today when I said a few kind words to the little boy it didn't cost me anything. It wasn't difficult. It didn't cause me stress or make me late and it certainly wasn't anything special.

But......

It made the little boy happy. He was noticed, and that was really all he needed.

Today, as you go about your tasks it will be so easy to get caught up in your 'to do list'. (preaching to me, right there!) It is so easy to ignore, or simply not notice, the many people around us who long to be noticed and appreciated. Won't you say a kind word today? Notice what others are doing around you - And then TELL them that you noticed.

I promise you will be blessed!





Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Molars......

So, Audrey is getting her molars. Can you hear the excitement in my voice??? :) Her upper molars came in without much fuss, but these lower molars.....my oh my.....if they don't come in soon I may just go in with a spoon and DIG them out.

On a happier note, after carrying around a 20 pound little person 18.95 hours every day my arms should be made of steel very soon! :)

While I am whining about Audrey's whining I will say that as she fusses and wants to be held all.the.time. I am reminded to be so very thankful that THIS is the biggest of her 'health issues'. I have a healthy baby. (or is 16 months old a toddler? :)) She will not want me to cuddle her always and I need to take advantage of, and even appreciate, the opportunity to be her mommy. To comfort and to cheer. To kiss and to cherish.







And I do. (besides that, who can resist that adorable dirty face??? :))