Friday, December 30, 2011

much needed reading

I cannot even remember a night when I sat in front of my fireplace reading (yes, iBooks count).  Tonight was that night!  This fills my heart with praise and renews my deep desire to learn everything I can!!

I read many, many free samples of books trying to decide exactly what to purchase.

One sample of a book I was considering said this, An environment devoid of sin also meant an environment devoid of human names.  Since the original man and woman knew who God was, they also knew who they were.  Names were unnecessary until sin entered the Garden of Eden.  A fractured relationship with God meant a fractured understanding of who God was now existed.  And immediately after they sinned, Adam named Eve.  Interesting.

It made me think about our names.  In most countries names describe a person.  Such as 'guy with a limp' or 'tall monster man' ...ok probably not real but you get the idea!  America gives her children 'pretty or popular' names, often at great cost to the child being named.  Names go out of style quickly, even some last names I have heard are somewhat inappropriate!  

Then there are the names people give us - now these usually are based on a characteristic or behavior or physical feature we wish we didn't have!  'Big foot' or 'red' or 'blabber mouth', just to name a couple possible taunting names.  These are the names we spend a lot of time running away from.  Slowly over time the possibility exists that we will never escape allowing these to become a permanent part of us.

So...did God's perfect plan include us being so intimately connected to Him that no name was needed?  He certainly knows those He creates!  Just thought I'd throw a question at you.  Food for thought.




Thursday, December 29, 2011

how did you behave

Today a friend was telling me about his horrible day.  He described all the crazy projects he was working on and also told me that he had gotten into an altercation with two maintenance guys.  Made my day look boring!

We laughed and said life would be easy if it wasn't for people!

It made me review my own day and wonder how I had behaved toward my friends, family and co-workers.  The words that describe how I behaved today are as follows:

  • adamant
  • up and down (worked on the lift in the auditorium) 
  • bossy
  • hurrying
  • friendly
  • supportive
  • determined
  • uncertain
  • disappointed
  • thankful
  • hungry
  • full
  • determined
  • excited
  • dancing
  • goofing off
  • determined
  • apologetic
  • encouraging
  • tired
Today's decisions, words and behavior are now a part of eternity, they can't be re-done or taken back.  That makes tomorrow even more important, another chance Lord willing - to be an example of Christ's love to those around me.  I long for those I come in contact with to want to know Him by watching how I behave!

need to create

I really need to create a lot of different things this week.  But, I underestimated the toll that Christmas would take on me this year.

I still cannot figure out why the details of the services themselves felt so overwhelming this year.  I plan to really evaluate to see what I should have done from a preparation standpoint to eliminate the stress.

I guess it was largely due to only having about 5 hours sleep each night.  I felt rather panicked, like we had to hurry and cram as much as possible into each day.

We had a lot of extra people in our home through the last week or so.  Maybe I was more used to empty nest then I realized, having a house full of people was a blast yet caused me to feel tired.  Tonight boxes are gone, floors are swept and most of the Christmas decorations are packed away.  So I'm feeling more organized again!

But, still not feeling creative.

I will create anyway.  Most of the time if I just start the process God opens the idea doors and it comes flooding to me and our creative team.   So I say goodnight, and it's off to get 6 or so hours and begin again in the morning.

PS if you get particularly creative tomorrow and your idea would be a good support for a 'family' teaching series - send me a link!  Good night.


Wednesday, December 28, 2011

new normal

What do you consider a normal day?  I officially declare, there is no such thing!

Normal : conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.


What standard?  Who creates the standard that determines if it's normal or regular or natural?


I am not referring to Biblical standards  - those are non-negotable.  I am simply asking who decides what normal, or standard or regular is?  


Our normal changed again over the holidays as our daughter and husband and entire band moved to Mansfield, at least through the end of the summer!  My house is full of all they accumulated whole in Boston and today all of their things began to be moved to their new home here in town.


So my normal changed for the good with both of our kids within an hour of us.  Blessing indeed!


This change means:

  • Turbo kick classes begin at Crossroads again next week (hopefully tuning up this tired body)
  • Tuesday coffee meetings at Panera begin next week - she is working on her plans for Cambodia and I am writing
  • Regular drives to Columbus to be with Eric and Alyssa...and to shop of course!
  • Endless talking with all four of our kids and spouses about the future, the Lord and what could be
So our normal has changed again, which I guess means it isn't normal because normal requires that there are no changes...whatever, you get the idea.






Tuesday, December 27, 2011

I will write tonight...

Stand by you faithful readers!

 I am still just tied up in the details of tearing down Christmas at home and at Crossroads - and setting up a new set design and household for those Boston relatives who have returned.

I will write tonight - thanks for reading it means a lot to me!  Love you all!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

reflections on tonight

Tonight was the first night of our Christmas services.  As I prepare to sleep - I am mulling over all that we experienced.

I was standing on the stage when the doors opened and people came pouring in.  Every seat was soon full..  This took my breath away...well, actually filled my breath with praise!

Just after doors opened to being - fire alarm went off.  Ok, so maybe we got just a little bit excited with the haze... We evidentially have an alarm activated by smoke versus heat.  Probably a great idea in detecting fire earlier than waiting for the heat to reach a certain degree.  But, on this night not so great.

After shutting the alarm off and calling the alarm company to ask them not to respond, we realized that the air conditioner unit over the stage automatically shut off because it was the unit that detected smoke within it's  ducts.  This caused us all to scramble to reset the breaker kicking the unit back on.  Without this unit it is almost intolerable on stage under all the lights.

Next, I got a call from the green room asking me if I had removed the bassoon players 'reed' which she had left soaking in a cup of water.  Of course the answer was yes, I always do a last minute sweep of the stage removing glasses, paper, jackets or instrument cases.  The problem was, when I picked up the glass I couldn't tell there was a reed floating in it due to the lights on the stage being down.  I ran down the back hallway, entering backstage frantically waving a singer to take the cup to it's owner just in time for the bassoon to be featured.

Finally back in the auditorium I began my usual pace back and forth across the rear of the auditorium listening, listening, listening considering sound suggestions, watching, always watching for changes that should be made to ensure a smoother, distraction-free delivery of the music or transitions between.  I realized that I was wearing a scowl on my face as I scrutinized each note.  I tried to relax.

As the last song picked up tempo - the audience joined in spontaneously and 'drove' the tempo faster and faster and then it was time for people to stream back out.  It was over.  The hours of preparation behind us. I watched as people hurryied off to their homes where Christmas preparations were in their final hours.

We had them, for just this hour.  Did we take advantage of this precious time?  Did our work make a difference?  This is not for us to know.  It makes no difference if we ever know - all I do know is this is a privilege and tonight for one hour - we offered the Christmas child, our King, our very best.




Wednesday, December 21, 2011

making it last

Usually by this time in the Christmas holidays I am finished with things and almost ready to be done with all of it.  This year it has been very different.

This year I feel such excited anticipation for our services at Crossroads and for family time,  that I want it to last longer.  So how to make it last?

I'm not telling you this to make you think I'm some wonderful Christian that has all these perfect moments, I tell you this only to encourage you to look for opportunities to 'invest in minutes' this Christmas.  I was alone in the auditorium of Crossroads today for a few moments and I got to walk up and down the aisle imagining who may come on Christmas Eve and what might be going on in their lives.  I  prayed for them, whoever they are.

I know many of our staff spend time praying in our auditorium, but I rarely have alone time in there.  It was awesome and it made me realize THIS is how you slow things down.  You find moments when busyness is absent and you hang on to them and abide in them.  You don't talk, you don't hurry, you walk around with hands hovering just above chair tops and pray and wait.  You ask God to fill this place and change lives for eternity.

As I heard that familiar bar on the entrance doors to the auditorium push open, I returned to my work on stage and remained in quiet preparation for just a little while longer before music, and talking and work related questions began to come once again.

I am now finishing details for our New Years Service and then going to wrap some gifts and it will soon be over for another year, but at least for a little while today it felt slower and special...




Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Christmas perspective

My hubby and I were enjoying breakfast before heading in to work this morning when we noticed a couple that we hadn't talked to for a while.  They stopped by our table on their way out.

When you ask someone "how are you?" you may mean many different things.

  • you can mean - I'm being polite right now but please move on quickly so I can eat
  • you can mean - I used to know you and back then I cared, but now I've lost touch with you and don't have enough time to REALLY go through your life details
  • you can mean - I'm only asking you, so that you ask me
  • you can mean - I really care - please tell me
Our intention was somewhere in the middle.  This couple had always been a part of our school life at Mansfield Christian School so we knew their entire family and were curious how they were.  What we didn't realize is how moving their story would be.

They started out bravely and dissolved into tears before their story ended.  Their adult daughter was suffering with spine cancer.  She had gotten to the place where she could no longer care for her 11 year old daughter and had been trying during her suffering to decide what would be best for her.

Finally she asked her parents if they would take her daughter home to live with them.  They did.

I cannot imagine for a moment how excruciating it would be to realize you could no longer care for your own child.

They talked about the struggle to drive back and forth out of town to be at the hospital with their daughter while trying to help their very scared and confused granddaughter adjust to a knew town and school.  As they ended they kept saying, "but our God is faithful and loving..."

As they walked away we were silent for quite a while and when we finally spoke I wiped tears from my eyes as I looked at my Christmas to-do list laying beside us on the table. Talk about perspective. I felt almost ashamed at how trivial my day looked in comparison to the way they would be spending their next few days. 

Their Christmas would be somewhere between trying to create a Christmas for their grand-daughter and trying to figure out how to celebrate Christmas with a dying daughter...

Many people will be in difficult places of suffering or loneliness during the fast approaching holiday weekends..ask them "how they are", and really hear what they tell you and perhaps more importantly, what they don't.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

weekend report

Christmas came to Crossroads this weekend.  I thought the set design would never be ready - but, we made it!



Such excellent music and a powerful message called "Giftmas"!  The ministry was just filled with joy and excitement filled the entire ministry!

Our Setlist:

Instrumental:  Jingle Bells - Culbertson
Praise:  Go Tell It On The Mountain - Barlow Girls
Praise:  Joy To The World - Tomlin
Worship:  Glory In The Highest - Tomlin
Praise:  Oh Come Let Us Adore Him - Passion
Message:  Giftmas - Senior Pastor Tim Armstrong
Exit Song:  Jingle Bells - Culbertson

To watch our service live on line or watch our archived service go to www.crossroadswired.com

To see what other ministries used in their worship services go to www.theworshipcommunity.com




mistakes

I make a lot of mistakes.  The harder I try not to the more it seems I make.

Tonight at Crossroads, I swear I about passed out worrying about all the details.

It is VERY personal to me.  It should be personal, that's my job, and I am ultimately responsible for anything that goes wrong in the auditorium during our services.

I do ok planning and organizing the details, but when something DOESN'T go as planned - I obsess over it and make myself half sick in the process. Tonight I overlooked some details I should have caught during rehearsal which really frustrates me. In the middle of fussing and holding on to the mistakes, I lose my focus on the message and some times the opportunity to fellowship and hang out with the team.  The enemy has got to love that!

My hubby talks me down reminding me that the congregation didn't even notice things weren't perfect, and that they never will be perfect.  He goes on to site examples about major mistakes that happen even with professionals.  (He's sweet!)  For example, the recent lighting of the White House Christmas tree did not go well.  When they completed the countdown and lit the tree it only stayed on a few second and shut back off.  Is it wrong that I took pleasure in that mistake?  All I could think about is the fact that someone probably just got fired!  Poor tech guy with all the world watching.

All that to say, I must learn to own the mistake, correct whatever I can and let them go.

You can pray for me to be able to do that if you would please!  Good night.



Friday, December 16, 2011

CR = Celebrate Recovery

Tonight I had the blessing of attending our Crossroads CR service.

Right before it started I was on the lift on the stage in the auditorium and heard a recording of Kari Jobe echo from Town Square...Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, I was immediately moved.  I cannot hear Revelation Song without it tearing me up... I finished my work in the auditorium made my way to Town square, found a seat and listened.


Worship began and they sang.  And I was gone.  The honesty in their singing was overwhelming.

I couldn't see the worship leader from where I was - I didn't recognize the voice but I could tell from his passion in leading he had been transformed by the God of which he sang.  He knew Him personally or he couldn't have lead like that.  ...you can move mountains they sang.  I wondered what mountains each of these recovering brothers and sisters had to climb.

And then the Holy Spirit reminded me I needed to do some climbing myself.  I confessed any mountains I could think of and turned toward Him asking Him to forgive me...again.

All are equal in God's eyes.  All are equally sinners, equally needy of a Savior, equally recovering or choosing to remain in addiction.  We are all addicted to many things.

Next a man stood up and said 'Hi, I am _______, I am a recovering drug addict.

Although I have been to CR before I had never heard anyone declare that they had been and are still recovering from being a drug addict.  I was moved again.  He went on to speak of forgiveness and just as God forgives us we must forgive others in order to recover.

He said, "your sin is not special, it is not that different than everyone else's sin."  He went on to ask "have you forgiven yourself, what about those who have abused or neglected you?  This is what God wants you to do - forgive yourself and move on in Him. I am forgiven", he declared and he believed it.

Romans 8:1 - he read "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."


______________________________________________________________________________


I would encourage anyone who has struggled with addiction, been the victim of abuse or anything in your life that requires recovery to attend the Celebrate Recovery service every Friday night at Crossroads!





Thursday, December 15, 2011

I went away

I went to Chicago yesterday with girlfriend Jackie,  to watch the Willow Creek Church's Christmas dress rehearsal and made it back today for programming at Crossroads.

whew!  Fast trip, but worth it in so many ways!

Due to the nature of working in ministry every weekend, it is very seldom that any of the staff get to attend another ministry's event.  So, this was a privilege indeed!

I found it inspiring as I felt the room fill with the best sound I've possibly every heard.
I was swept away by the magnificent voices and orchestra declaring that "my deliverer is coming"...
The lighting lead your eyes toward everything you should notice.
The short film told the story, clearly, cleverly and carefully.  A true accomplishment.

And finally the opportunity to encourage other leaders and volunteers serving in this huge ministry was worth the drive itself.  Although the staff we talked with are FAR more accomplished then I will ever be, they were very interested in our opinion of their service.  It was an honor to discuss this beautiful service with them.

I has been 2 days to remember, and I am very thankful for this opportunity!


Tuesday, December 13, 2011

what I learned today

Layers.

There are layers in everything.  For instance, our church services - lots of layers.

The original pastor topic decision - then layers...
Thematic music chosen
Sometimes thematic drama
Thematic/current information gathered to create announcements
Thematic music chosen/ scored or written/ given to singer and musicians to practice and learn
Thursday night rehearsal
Tech details written out so directors know every camera angle to take & every solo to feature
I could go on and on and on with the layers of our services.

But, today I realized layers exist in each and every event, not just the ones I work on.

No where in our ministry is this played out more intensely than our Adopt A Child event!  Today I get the privilege of witnessing this event come to its completion.

Adopt A Child begins with the need of a child about to experience NO Christmas, these children are identified by various agencies around town that serve our most needy.

  • our people choose a child to buy for
  • gifts are retuned to church
  • gifts are meticulously numbered, recorded...to the point that if ONE gift is missing the team knows exactly who to contact
  • gifts are all set out - put into huge Christmas bags - and waiting for the care takers of the children to come today!
I could go on and on about the faithful people that put in 'full-time weeks' to make this happen but I want to focus on an even deeper layer.

Call me clueless but as I left the auditorium on Sunday I happened to look down and see one of the AMAZING - HANDMADE - GORGEOUS name tags placed on each bag. . I say clueless because it has been on the packages in previous years too - just that I had not paid attention.

These are not just bags of gifts given to faceless children -  each child has a name and the name is written on every tag.

We have a dear lady in our congregation that first of all drives from very far away to attend Crossroads and secondly HAND MAKES all the name tags.  This requires her to begin in JUNE of every year!  

One story associated with these precious tags of love occurred last year.

Darlene, our fearless leader was sitting with a grandmother who came to pick up her child's gift and she mentioned the beautiful name tags.  She said they collect them each year and the name tags have been their ONLY decoration in their house.  They save them and hang them across their mantel!




Events like Adopt A Child provide serving opportunities that are such deep layers even those very close to the event don't always see.  I write this to encourage each of you to serve in some way.  It doesn't matter if your acts of service are a very buried layer that we don't see - God does!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

weekend report

Pastor away and tech coordinator off this weekend...Our teams hit it out of the park - ok, maybe auditorium!  So proud of our amazing volunteers I am SO honored to serve along side of them!




Our setlist:

Opening Sermonspice video
Announcement/Welcome video: Stephanie McAuley
Opening song:  Tell The World - Hillsong United
Praise: O Come, O Come Emmanuel - Big Daddy Weave
Worship: Hark the Herald Angles Sing - Matt Maher
Worship: God of This City - (Flip camera footage of our city ran as full screen video behind words) Tomlin
I have seldom seen as intense of a response from our congregation as the combination of hometown footage and the dynamic 'build' of this song brought!  SOOO exciting - the congregation owned it!
Message:  iGo Pt 4 - Jesse Rider (Senior High Pastor)
Closing:  Invite video

As soon as Dan finished leading worship he prepared to work with 40 elementary aged 'carolers'.  We will get to enjoy them next weekend at Crossroads!

To watch our services LIVE or from our archives go to www.crossroadswired.com

To see what other ministries included in their service this weekend go to www.theworshipcommunity.com



Saturday, December 10, 2011

born to die


Today as I baked 15 dozen cut-out cookies I listened to Christmas music.  As one song after another played, words from a Jars of Clay song made me stop and listen.

In the middle of all the mess, all the flour and all that was yet to be done I was overcome with the realization of what Mary and Joseph may have known the night Jesus was born.

They had been taught about Messiah and the fulfillment of prophesy.  And holding this child created by immaculate conception, did they know who their baby was?  The lyrics below are what made me listen.

oh, mary, joseph, rest your eyes
try not to think of the ending
world full of empty, He will die
but tonight He is still just a child



you gave birth to the death that would bring us to life
and did the mystery keep you awake...


I wondered if they understood that this was the promised Christ Child -  I guess I had never really focused on that before.  Holding the little baby, did they know his life would be given as the sacrifice for us all?  

His life was required, even for his own parents sin.

... the weight of this knowledge would be almost unbearable.

Christmas ...many layers of sacrifice.  She gave birth to the death that would bring us to life. 




Wednesday, December 7, 2011

another privilege

I feel honored time and time again with all the many opportunities I get by being at Crossroads. Tonight I had a huge privilege, I got to pick up a precious, recently widowed lady from our congregation and take her to "How to survive the Holidays" after losing a loved one.

She baked me brownies for driving her.

I was humbled.

Over dinner tonight my hubby and I identified several people in our lives that need help and determined to be much more intentional in serving those that God brings to us.

I am not writing this tonight to make myself look good, that would take far more than driving someone around.  Instead, I hope to encourage you to take a look at your life before year's end, and see if there are some people less fortunate or hurting that you can help.  A single mom, a widow or widower, a person in the middle of divorce or separation, someone who has lost a job or that is suffering with health issues.

You don't have to have a ton of money - just a deliberate awareness of need.

If you are willing to serve, He will bring them to you!


Tuesday, December 6, 2011

what I learned today

I was reminded today that our best laid plans can suddenly change.

I worked all day Monday to finish decorating,  set the table and prepare everything to host the young womens' small group at our home.  And then the floods came and washed our driveway away.  So I cooked today, loaded everything in the car, drove through the neighbors yard and used his driveway to exit and took everything to the church this evening.  We had our Christmas dinner there.  It was great to see the girls again and welcome two new girls to the group.  I miss them when we aren't together.

As I loaded back up to return home, still disappointed that we didn't get to be together at my house, I thought again about how quickly life changes.  And how thankful I am to know the one that knows ALL plans and the WHY.

It put into perspective just how trivial my disappointments are.


Monday, December 5, 2011

weekend report

Fun- practical teaching - excellent - passionate worship...so good!

That all describes our weekend at Crossroads!

We all joined in for an amazing time of worship followed by excellent - practical teaching... the equipping of the saints.  We were taught everything we need to know to 'go out' and share our faith!  Then for a little bonus of fun - we inserted a short drama to demonstrate the 'wrong' way to witness.   So fun and it all will definitely help our congregation to be able to share!

Out in our 'Town Square' we worked on finishing our Adopt A Child project - and it was successful!  We will provide Christmas for 500 of our communities' most needy children - very cool!



Our worship guy Dan's granddaughters helped gather the Adopt A Child gifts that came in.
Our setlist:

Send Me Out - Fee
Announcements on video
Go Tell It On The Mountain - 10 Ave. North
God Be Praised/ God of This City
Great I Am - New Life
Message:  iGo Pt. 3 - Pastor Tim Armstrong
Drama:  Skit Guys - The Skinny on Evangelism (shortened)
Jesus Friend of Sinners - Casting Crowns

To watch our services go to www.crossroadswired.com

To see what other ministries used in their worship services go to www.theworshipcommunity.com

Have an amazing week!

Saturday, December 3, 2011

no alarm

I cannot remember the last time I did not set an alarm clock.  Today we slept until 9:30.  Such freedom - such rest!

It made me wake up thankful and thinking about all the things that I allow to control me - time, busyness, responsibilities....self-inflicted rules.

Pastor Tim has been teaching in the iGo ( www.crossroadswired.com ) series about evangelism, so I know the how, but why are there not more opportunities to share?  Why aren't people drawn away from worrying about America's future, buying more stuff, the rat race?  Why aren't lost people flocking to the Lord giving us opportunity to share?

I think it's because they don't recognize us as Children of God.

Look closely...

  • We watch the same movies and tv shows
  • We worry about the future just as much as they do
  • We talk the same way
  • We are too busy in many cases to invest personal time in our families
  • We gossip and complain just as much as the lost do
They don't think we have 'the answer' by watching our lives.  

Now sometimes the opposite is true - we drive them away by being TOO set apart.
  • No mercy toward others who may not have the exact same theological view we do
  • Openly criticize other believers and leaders
  • No acceptance of people that don't 'keep the Christian rules'
We all know how Jesus felt about the Pharisees' rules!  The reason God put guidelines and commandments in the Bible wasn't so we would live this perfect life far removed from society, it was to help us survive and keep sin out of our lives for our own good!  It was to bring glory to Him.  Not so we could check off a list of do's and don'ts!  And NOT so we could throw our 'goodness' in other peoples' faces!

Why would God ask us not to gossip?
-because it hurts others and our own reputation making us look jealous and unkind. 

Why would God ask us not to participate in pre-marital sex?
-because the most precious thing you can give to your future spouse is a pure you.  By not sharing yourself with others you present yourself untarnished to your spouse with no regrets, no memories of others, no disease, no comparisons.  No baggage.  This honors God.

Why should we live honestly?  
-So we glorify Him by not being caught in lies looking just like the world.  Even 'small lies' (if there is such a thing) discredit what we claim and ruin our testimony.  On an extreme level, we obviously should not lie so we  don't go to jail for being dishonest with others or taking advantage of others.   The so-called Christian leaders that have lied that are now out of the ministry or sitting in jail have to grieve the heart of God.  Again, the world sees no difference between those of us who lie and the lost.

I could of course list every commandment and teaching, but I won't.  You get it, his commandments protect us and allow us to live in freedom not bondage!  We are free in our obedience and the lost LONG for what we have when they see this in our lives.


 All of that from simply waking up without an alarm clock today...I need a vacation.



Friday, December 2, 2011

a very scary night

Seriously...I thought Ron and I were about to die tonight!  I am still shaken.

We went to Columbus to retrieve our son's poor old Honda and get it back to Mansfield to sell or junk or something...we got as far as Polaris and found ourselves in the middle lane of 5 or 6 lanes of traffic- right before the 2 lanes exit to Polaris, when the transmission went bonkers!  We could not accelerate and quickly slowed to 20 mph in the center lane.

I faced backward waiting for any break in traffic in which we could switch to the two outside lanes.  A break never happened with everyone passing on both sides of us, so we had to aim the car at the side and just coast across ...it was TERRIFYING!  We made it to the side of the road and kept creeping up the exit ramp and somehow made it up.

Now, I'm not saying my life passed before my eyes, but I cannot remember when I was so scared!

After sitting for a while, and having a milkshake to calm ourselves, we decided to head back out to Rt. 71 and continue.  Ron felt that as long as we kept a steady pace and didn't try to accelerate into the passing lane we would probably...PROBABLY make it home.  We did, and I am still thanking the Lord!

Now, sitting safely in my living room next to a beautiful fire in the fireplace - I am also praising the Lord that he protected Eric.  He called yesterday saying that his car wasn't running well at all and he wasn't exaggerating!  In the busy Columbus traffic today I shudder to think what God protected our son from as well!

The Lord is good, and He of course knows exactly when we will be called home to be with Him.  But, an hour ago I seriously thought for a few minutes there, that it might be tonight ...

Thursday, December 1, 2011

missing coffee

My son and my son-in-law BOTH work at Starbucks where the employees receive a free bag of coffee every week.  Do I have coffee to wake up to this morning?  NO!!!!  And that isn't a good thing!

It made me consider all the things I depend on outside of the obvious spiritual dependence on the Lord... hmmm

COFFEE
COFFEE
COFFEE
(notice coffee was capitalized)
my husband
my parents
my sister
my friends
health - the ability to work
communication from the outside (tv/radio)
computers/devices
a car with gas in it
all the food I could possibly eat
fresh water
doctors
batteries
light
blankets
a clock
phone
heat or cooling
a comfortable bed

Obviously I could go on and on.  I like to think I am independent, but I am not.

Fully dependent first of all on what God has planned for me, secondly everything I listed is temporary and yet these are the things I depend on - so, I am not independent.  Could I survive without them?  I don't want to know the answer to that question because I like being comfortable very much.  I like being surrounded by blessings.

What do you depend on?  Turn your what I depend on  list into your praise list.  I think the Lord likes to know that we don't take these things for granted and that we realize they are temporary blessings straight from Him!

Now, please excuse me as I drive myself to Starbucks...