I Have Decided...

I had a bad day at school yesterday...I mean the worst in my teaching career. After much aggravation, upset and finally prayer...as the hymn goes "I have decided...to follow Jesus...no turning back, no turning back..." I am going to follow Jesus and what has been laid on my heart for some time now. I beleive that God has something better for me, and so I am finally willing to lay it all down and leave it in His hands.
I have to admit that I am scaired. I am not quite sure where this will lead...but I know that God will take care of me.
So Devil, you might as well give up!! God's got you beat and I'm KICKIN' YA' TEETH OUT!!! WOOO!!
PEACE!!

Facing the Giant

It has been a while since I have posted. I have been very busy - busy fighting Goliath. Our Sunday school class is reading Facing Your Giants by Max Lucado and the first week of class Barry asked us to write down our giant on an index card. I believe that Barry's hope is that we would, with God's help, hopefully be able to defeat our giant by the time we got to then end of the book.
I have taken this challenge very seriously and I thought that I was doing good in the battle against my giant until this week. The giant has reared its ugly head again and once agian is making an attempt to squash me under its feet. I don't want to let this giant get the best of me, but it seems that every time I turn around, there it is.
I listened to Clayton King on the way to school Friday morning and he said that God has created an abundant life for us...all we have to do is live it. I know that what he is saying is true and I want to, but I am afraid because my giant makes me doubt myself. I know that God does not want me to be unhappy and I have been praying for some clarity on the issues in my life that keep resurrecting my giant.
To anyone who reads this blog...I need your prayer. Pray that I will be able to slay my Goliath once and for all and that God will open my eyes to what He wants me to do...

He Knows My Name

As Easter Sunday approaches, I am filled with hope and anticipation. I pray that many people will attend Sunday morning's services and that many who don't know Christ will come into a saving relationship with Him. I am praying specifically for two people who I love dearly...one of them does know Christ, but has not had the relationship with Him that she so desparately needs due to questions and anger over the past - I pray that she would recommit to nurturing her relationship with God and allow Him to begin a mighty work in her life.
The other one does not have a relationship with Christ, though I know that the Lord has had His healing hand upon this man and allowed him to continue to live. I pray that this man would come to church on Sunday and that God would speak so strongly and so loudly that this man would not be able to ignore the voice of God calling him to give his life to Christ.
I am so glad that the Father knows my name, but there are so many who don't know Him. Does He know you? If He does, please invite someone to church on Sunday to receive the Father's word. If He doesn't, please come to church on Sunday morning and receive the love and salvation that can only be found in Christ.

Something is in the air...

I just got in from praise team rehearsal and I can hardly wait for Sunday. I feel like a little kid on Christmas Eve anxiously awaiting Christmas morning to see what Santa had brought. Except this time, I'm waiting on someone much bigger and better than Santa and I know for sure He will show up.
Our new children's ministry Elevate will begin at the 8:30 service and it is going to be awesome!! I can not wait for Reese to experience worship that is created just for her and children her age!! Invite as many kids as you can - they will not want to miss this!
It is hard to believe that God's love is free...free to all who seek salvation openly and honestly. What a heavy price Jesus paid so that I could go free...so that I would be free from condemnation...free to worship and adore a living God!!
Sunday is going to be exciting...Pray like never before for those you love and want Christ to draw unto himself...Invite people to church...God will be there with open arms, make sure you are too!
Peace Out!

Why?

Last night Barry and I went to an Easter drama at Forestville Baptist Church in TR with Willie and Kim. I could tell that many months of planning and promotion had gone into this production before any actors even took the stage.
Willie and I drooled over the award-winning sound system and audio visual equipment that the church had installed in the brand new state of the art facility. The pastor even referenced how much technology was used in the production when he said that "there are more microphones in this thing than fried chicken legs at a baptist pastor's conference" - wow, must have been a lot!
Anyway, as the story of Christ's life unfolded and the truth behind the crucifixion emerged, I prayed intently that those who were lost would come to know Christ. Sure enough, at the end of the production, about 50 people gave their lives to Christ. It was a miraculous thing to watch how God had used the people in that church to draw the lost to himself.
After pondering this production, I understood that God doesn't need for us to have state-of-the-art facilities or expensive productions to bring people to him. The only thing we need to have is a willing and open heart! God wants us to be empty so that He can fill us with His love and so that we will go out and share what He has done for us with those who don't know Him. God isn't a secret that we should keep to ourselves - His love is abundant and we should want as many people to share a relationship with Him as possible. We must never forget the reason that Jesus came to earth and endured what He knew we could not.
Invite someone to church this Sunday so they can know the reason why....

Trading My Sorrows

I have sort of been down in the dumps over the last week. This morning my heaviness was lifetd when I attended the FCA meeting at Byrnes High. The kids discussed the message that they had heard Andre Duprey deliver at the workshop they attended.
My heart swelled with joy as I heard two of those kids proclaim that they had rededicated their lives to Christ!! It reminded me of that the real focus in life must be Christ, not work, or all of the other things we get busy doing.
Thanks FCA for bringing my life back in focus!
Peace Out...

He Ain't Heavy...

I just want to say that I am so inspired by what God has done in my brother's life. A year ago, my brother was struggling through life trying to find his place and this morning when he sang "Nothing But the Blood" I could tell that the Holy Spirit was with him.
It amazes me how much he has matured and grown in Christ. He has never been a shy person, but I am just thrilled at how God is using him in our church and in our family. I feel like this is just the beginning of what God has in store for him.
I love you little brother and I am so proud to be not only your biological sister, but your sister in Christ! YOU ROCK!