Saturday, October 25, 2008

i'm blogging from home today. emmaus is at my side and israel is napping.
how cool is this?!
i'm blogging from home today. emmaus is at my side and israel is napping.

how cool is this?!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

y'all are invited to join us at choir practice tonight. 7:30 pm in the worship center.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

ups and downs

i've been experiencing a flood of ups and downs already this week. i won't go into all the details, but it's just been a whirlwind and rollercoaster (or maybe a rollercoaster IN a whirlwind). i know above all that God is faithful and true. i pray for an increased measure of self-discipline to get through that which depends on me. and i pray for a positive influence on those to whom i need to minister through the shared low times. http://www.lovelandstagecompany.org/SpecialEvents.htm

Sunday, October 19, 2008

listening to voices

i've found myself this this week listening to well-intentioned voices.
please understand that i do not fault these folks for i feel that i know their heart and motives. they did not say anything wrong--in fact, their words were meant to be complimentary to me. they don't know of my struggle nor how their words affected me.
but, where i found myself was buying into an incomplete package. like a commercial seen too many times, i believed the claims to be the whole truth and not just part of the truth. (yes, that new car gets great mileage, but it is about as safe as anthrax.)
again, this was not the fault of my friends. nor was it inappropriate in any way to listen to what they were saying.
the problem is me. i put too much weight in an area that i KNEW was incomplete. i should have taken their words as encouragement to finish the journey, not as indication that i had arrived.
i am forming an opinion that this lack of self-discipline will be the downfall of my self, my nation and God's church. it is a scheme of the deceiver.

Precious Lord, guide me to where You want me. let me be a gracious recipient of encouragement and good will, kind words and actions. but, let me also have a discipline that brings me closer to You and instills in me the values and destiny You have laid out for me. teach me to avoid the temptation to rest easy when i know there is still work to be done. i pray also for our nations, especially in this time of political choice. and, for Your church, i pray deeply and ernestly that You would light the fire under us to get us making God-directed choices and not self-induced choices. free will is a double-edged sword; help us to use it as You direct.