The Faith Dare: Day 1

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Today's focus, Day 1's focus is on a new heart...and this one is close to my heart, for this reminds me so much of where we have been to allow God the use of doctors to correct my daughter's heart/lung defect.  She is a miracle, a miracle performed by The Miracle Worker.  He gave her a new heart by correcting her defect via four surgeries.  Praise God!

"As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man." - Proverbs 27:19

Have you ever noticed, though, that the best reflections are the ones in the cleanest of waters?  Muddy water reflects, but that image just does not contain the pristine sharpness, the sparkle of life that comes from clear water.  This, then, has to be true of our hearts as well.  A heart that is pure reflects just that, a life that is lived for Him, a life that reflects His love.

My heart is not pure and will not be so until our days are ended here, but that does not mean that do not daily attempt to live for him.  I can strive to stay out of the muddy, stagnant waters, thereby better reflecting a Christian walk.  Two years ago this past May, I experienced a revival in my soul, and while I may not always reflect this minute to minute, from day to day, from week to week, from month to month...and now year to year, my life does reflect that stirring of revival.  As a matter of fact, I just shared with my Sunday evening discipleship class this past weekend, that this is my prayer for our church...that we experience a revival.  First, though, that revival has to come to each individual, for that is what makes up the church.  Lord, send your people a revival!

Debbie Alsdorf, author of The Faith Dare, encourages the following prayer found in Psalm 86:11:  "Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name."  To obtain this, I must not allow myself to be distracted, to be have division; I must remain focused on Him.  These distractions can be so simple, so sly, so seemingly insignificant, yet so harmful, for they are usually the things that steal our time away from such book studies such as these.  Social media is one such distraction for me...Facebook, Twitter.  If not careful, I can spend several hours perusing posts on each of these.  Precious time that I might have spent reading His Word.

All this adds up to that desire for a continued new heart, to a continued revival of my soul.  Yes, Lord, give me a new heart, one that is not divided, one that reflects Jesus Christ.

Tonight, for the first time, I experienced an online chat hosted by a facilitator for Bible Cafe for Women (please click on the link to learn all about it!).  What a blessing!  Truly! 

How's your heart?  Need a new one?  God can do that.  

Blessings!

The Faith Dare: I Dare You!

Women's Bible Cafe's next book study is  Debbie Alsdorf's The Faith Dare, which is a 30-day study, 30 days to new habits.

Please follow this link to become involved in Women's Bible Cafe Chat Room on Facebook.

Alsdorf encourages participants to find quiet time for each day's reading...preferably in the mornings.  I am going to try that, but I am not a morning person, and with school beginning mid-August, I may have to modify my reading pattern:  read/study at night and spend the next day marinating on that day's focus.

I am soooo good at beginning studies and not completing them in a timely manner (still working on Breaking Free!).  This one, I truly intend to adhere to daily.  As I read the introduction, I found my self re-reading paragraphs, thinking that sounded like myself.

I want this study for myself, a gift to me as I get ready to return to school and to a busy schedule. 

As Alsdorf encourages blogging, I am sure you will hear more about this 30-Day Faith Dare as I "power down from self -- come to Christ daily."

Blessings! 

VBS = Revival

I love VBS!  We started ours on Saturday in our local park and then continued at church last night (Sunday) through Tuesday, with Family Night on Wednesday.  After skipping VBS for a year, our church was ready for this event to return.

While our numbers have been low (total numbers about 40...we have had a 150+), I am not discouraged.  I have felt such a sense of anticipation for this event.  I am not sure if the event is for the children, for the workers, or just for our church in general...but the Lord is going to bless someone(s) mightily because of our endeavors.

Currently, I am enjoying reading Teri Lynne Underwood's Prayers from the Pews.  She notes, "Revival, in the Greek, is the word anazao, meaning 'to recover life."  VBS does this for me, for our church, and hopefully, for our visitors.  We had as more church members working our VBS this time than we had VBS enrollees:  total enrollment of 48, of which 25 were workers.  In the many years, that I have either worked or directed our VBS, I have always enjoyed most the excitement, the renewal that this event brings to our church.  The building so alive during those days.  Alive!  Praise God!  See...I get excited just writing about what revival has come to me!

More good news!  We have a family of four attending!  They are just the sweetest people!  I just hope we are blessing them as much as they are blessing us.

More good news!  The VBS workers are already excited about next year's VBS!  Yay!

Happy VBS!

What a Woman!

As I sit here contemplating my day, I am already amazed at what will be accomplished today, for, you see, our church is so blessed to have our current interim pastor and his wife.  Together, they are a whirlwind of energy, never tiring in their work for the Lord.  They are both 86 and 84 years old.  Yes!

I am meeting with them at 9:00 this morning to discuss our kickoff today for our VBS 2013, beginning July 20-24.  Then, Sunday School, worship (with the VBS emphasis), and preaching.  Following morning service, we are taking two young couples to lunch in hopes of further encouraging and praising their example in our community.

This afternoon, Mrs. Lavelle is going to assist me in finishing my part of the canvassing of our church neighborhood in hopes of ensuring that all have a home church, then inviting those who do not have a home church to ours should they not.  Yes, we are looking for that one last lost soul.

After this hot excursion (will have water with us on this hot day!), back to church to begin working on a database of everyone's canvassing of our neighborhood.  We initially mailed out about 500 brochures! Our initial goal is to type in all the families that have children so we can mail out our first initial VBS mailing.  Again, looking for just one more for Christ!

Then final set-up happens for a fellowship after our evening Fifth Sunday Singing.  This fellowship will honor our son Nathan who leaves next Sunday for the Army.  That date quickly approaches.  Hummm. We are so proud of his decision and are already in prayer for his time there.

Admit it!  You would be tired also!  Not Mrs. Lavelle!  She will go ninety-to-nothing (as the saying goes) all day long.  Me?  I will be looking for some caffeine!

Am I dreading the day?  Of course not!  This woman is an inspiration, one I aspire to be, one with whom I truly want to spend time, soaking up her Christian essence.  She is such an inspiration, such a mentor.

Truly, I am blessed.

Echoing Themes...Yes, Lord, I Am Listening

I have noticed over the last few months that one of ways the Lord speaks to me is through repeated themes. I posted on here earlier about how the story of Joseph became a focus in several aspects of my life:  book club, personal book study, youth trip...that's when I began to slow down and wait on Him.  Or could it be that I have to hear something several times, be totally immersed within a topic before I clearly learn what He's teaching me?  Or am I just continually being taught to wait...and listen...and pray...and read...and wait.

My Newest Theme

It's happening again...this time with the word story.  I noticed it at last month's WMU meeting when I opened our periodical and read The Story Lives On, WMU's theme for this year. In BIG letters.  As if a voice said, "Tammy, I need your attention."  Now, that may not be that grand within itself...although I sure felt the effect of the words, except...please read on...this wording echoes so closely the theme in my English 11 classes that we had had begun the week before...Everyone Has a Story:  What's Yours?  I actually did a double-take, for I had just been absorbed in the echo of the story of Joseph and the pit and becoming familiar with the echo of His voice, teaching me more about Him, teaching me more about myself.  Was a new emphasis starting?  Hummm....

Then, at the WMU breakfast hosted by our church's association group, I listened as Kaye Miller, a former president of WMU and a resident of our state, discuss this theme, stating again that everyone has a story, everyone has a testimony.  I so enjoyed listening to her story, of her being raised in Thailand and the loss and regaining of her friend there.  (Yes, I later bought her book Called to Love:  Stories of Compassion, Faith, and God's Amazing Grace, just waiting on Amazon to deliver it to my door!)

This "story" continued last week, as I was perusing the books at Wal-Mart, there, just released, was Jodi Picoult's new novel The Storyteller.  I read the back cover and decided to buy it...full price...brand new.  (This is something I rarely do...always looking for a bargain on half.com...or I choose to wait until book's price drops.)  I have not had a chance to read this novel, but I am bumping to my next read.  That's right...should our Lord want to speak to me via this book, I want to hear/read what he has to say! (Click here to read, in the author's voice, why she wrote The Storyteller.)

Tonight, we had our monthly WMU meeting and were blessed to hear the story of an 83-year-old Christian lady share her testimony and her love for our Lord and Savior, concluding her time by reading a poem that she had written just for tonight's event.  (By the way, she is participating in the MyOneWord Challenge...her word is joyous, and I do believe that the Lord is honoring her word!)

Just as the meeting concluded, I recommended another person to tell her story next month.  These testimonies...or stories....are such a blessing.  The Lord did bless us with vocal cords, a tongue, lips...yes, he meant for us to use them for Him!

Am I Crazy?

Maybe.  Crazy for Him!  While He chooses to speak to me this manner, I will listen, learn, and grow.  Should He choose to never to speak to me again in quite this way, I am blessed for these two experiences, and, therefore, I encourage you to pause and become more in tune with topics you hear and see being repeated within your life. A reason may exist, a Heavenly reason, for this repetition occurring.  You will know, for that still, small voice still speaks to you...and to me.

Blessings!

THE Lawn Mower...Tractor!

Here's just another example of how God works...but, first, a bit of background info...

Late last summer our John Deer lawn mower quit.  Just like that.  No more.  One could hardly blame it, as we thanked it for the fourteen years of service in mowing our ten acre yard (at least) and for the many steps it saved The Hubby as his personal ride up and down the shooting range and such.

As spring began to spring, we chatted about options, for the grass...and weeds, especially...did not cease to grow nor mourn the loss of that previous family member.  Thus, we thanked Mother Nature via the Good Lord for those extra cold days, as we determined what next mower might join our Gillmore Farm Family.

John Deere?  Bad Boy?  Kubota?  A new model?  A used model?

Finally, I reminded the hubby, "You just pray.  Every time you have made a big purchase, God has given you a great deal that you knew was the right one for you."

Yesterday, a used Kubota tractor...not just a lawn mower...but a tractor!...joined our family...and the Lord blessed us tremendously with an awesome deal that only He could have arranged.  The Hubby has been playing...ooppps, I mean mowing!  :)  Proud he is of the new big boy toy.  Proud I am of the nicely mown lawn.  A win-win for everyone!

This week,we were reminded that God's Time is simply that:  His Timing is perfect.  Sometimes...okay, nearly always...we have to wait, as He teaches us lessons and then blesses us for that wait time.  Yes, "they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength."  I invite you to enjoy His Strength.  He will be there for you...just wait.

A "Fit"ing Update

I just read a post by Rachel Olsen (co-author of MyOneWord), who reported she did not choose her MyOneWord until the end of January, a word that does not seem to have "sizzle."  Yes, I feel that way about my word fit, also.

Unlike Ms. Rachel, I knew my word back in December, yet it was a word that I wanted to keep quiet, for becoming fit means admitting that I am not...fit, which I am not.  No wonder God gave me this word!

When I chose the word, I knew I wanted to become more than physically fit (without having too many fits along the way!); I needed to be more mentally, emotionally, and, most importantly, physically fit.  Here's how  we (God and myself) have begun...

• Physically:  With a push from friends and family, I made an appointment with our family doctor for a much-needed physical and with my OBGYN for that female visit.  The first one I have accomplished with interesting results.  All my numbers are normal, except calcium.  Really?  ADMISSION OF GUILT:  I do not take vitamins.  I know...I should.  Except for calcium because one of the calcium numbers were high.  Not good.  This could mean that I have a tumor on a thyroid gland.  Back to the doctor I will go in two weeks for this number to be reassessed. MORE NEWS.  I finally lost two pounds.  That felt so good.  I want to loose two more.  Then two more!  Now, to get those hormone levels checked...have not had any since my hysterectomy several years ago.  
• Mentally:  My brain.  What I learned when researching the above additional calcium is that too much can affect concentration.  OR that just might be an excuse!  Seriously, though, here I see myself reading more of the books I purchase.  I have written elsewhere about my book addiction (sorry, can admit it; just not ready to give it up...)  Reading more...professional books, fun books...exploring new genres.
• Emotionally:  Very mixed is what they are.  Too much!  I also learned that this can be a side effect of the above excess calcium.  Thinking I may have found the excuse for all things negative in my life!  Maybe the key here to access my previous two MyOneWords:  peace and quiet.  And breathing.  And praying more. I am beginning to think that all four aspects of MyOneWord "fit" together...yes, pun intended.
• Spiritually:  I really like from where my spiritual life has journeyed and to where it is headed.  I enjoy leading our Sunday evening class, for this focus insists that I remain centered, if not on a daily basis, then, at least, on this weekly basis.  Also,we are so blessed to have our current interim pastor and his wife.  True blessings to our church family, my family, and me.  Both are so knowledgeable, so full of energy, such true leaders.  Around them, I am a sponge, soaking up all I can.  A sponge that does not want to rung out, either!

Does my word sizzle?  No.  My word is a life-style change.  A very good thing.