SWEEP

Our very close friend, Diane Roark, felt God leading her to develop Bible games to Sweep the Word in Every Earthly Place (SWEEP)! www.sweeptheword.com Please spread the word about this website and be praying that God can do some amazing things through her humble efforts and obedience to God.

Diane has lived through many extremely difficult situations. When her son, Caleb, was so sick and his shunt was failing, I witnessed her calm spirit and enormous amount of faith. Despite all the obstacles that the enemy has thrown towards her, she continues to love her God and serve Him mightily!

You can read about some of these in the Resources section on the website. We pray God will continue to use her life stories to bring Him All the glory!

Is it hard for you to wait on God?

Lately, I have been struggling with being patient with God in my requests. I find myself not wanting to keep asking God for certain requests because it "seems" like nothing is happening. I have been praying for several people in my life for many years and I have been growing weary in trusting God for these precious souls. Is He not in control? Am I disobeying by not trusting Him? Was it an accident that I found these words from E. Elliot today? I don't think so!


"Be persuaded, timid soul, that He has loved you too much to cease loving you..." (Keep A Quiet Heart by E. Elliot)

"To want what we don't have is impatience, for one thing, and it is to mistrust God. Is He not in complete control of all circumstances, events and conditions? If some are beyond His control, He is not God...

A spirit of resistance cannot wait on God. I believe it is this spirit which is the reason for some of our greatest sufferings. Opposing the workings of the Lord in and through our "problems" only exacerbates them...

It is here and now that we must win our victories or suffer defeats. Spiritual victories are won in the quiet acceptance of ordinary events. Restlessness and impatience change nothing except our peace and joy..."


I pray that you also will be encouraged by these words and keep waiting with a patient spirit.

Do you believe in the power of prayer?

If you care about our Nation, please take the time to watch this message given by Dr. Charles Stanley.


http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/this-week-on-tv

Noisy Worship?

I listened to a song that my husband told me about and got chills. Is my worship to God noisy sometimes? How about you? If more Christians would give up the show, would more people see Christ?

Just some powerful thoughts for me and you to ponder!


Jon Foreman is lead singer in the band, Switchfoot. I believe it is based from Amos 5:21-24 and also Isaiah 1:11-17.

Click on the title to listen to it: Instead of a Show performed by Jon Foreman, Switchfoot

Lyrics: Instead of a Show

I hate all your show and pretense
The hypocrisy of your praise
The hypocrisy of your festivals
I hate all your show

Away with your noisy worship
Away with your noisy hymns
I stop up my ears when you're singin' 'em
I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show

Your eyes are closed when you're prayin'
You sing out aloud with the band
You shine up your shoes for services
There's blood on your hands

You turned your back on the homeless
And the ones that don't fit in your plan
Quit playin' religion games
There's blood on your hands

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
I hate all your show

Let's argue this out
If your sins are blood red
Let's argue this out
You be one of the clouds
Let's argue this out
Quit fooling around

Give love to the ones who can't love at all
Give hope to the ones who've got no hope at all
Stand up for the ones who can't stand at all

I hate all your show
I hate all your show
I hate all your show
I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
I hate all your show

Live Web Cam of Wild Barn Owl

This is a really cool site that lets you look into a wild barn owl as she sits on her eggs that will hatch any time now.


Click here to see Molly

Enjoy!

Rough Day and God's timing

Yesterday was a pretty rough day for my sister. Of course that makes it a rough day for me and my other sister. We three sisters (I am the youngest) hurt when one of us is hurting. We lost our Dad to cancer when I was 21 and newly married (2 wks) and our mom 10 years later to cancer. We have seen a tremendous amount of pain and suffering. We three girls are all that is left to continue the Christian legacy that our parents left to us (thanks Mom and Dad!) and it has not been an easy road for us. The enemy continues to try and steal, kill and destroy but we know that Christ has won the battle and we have victory in Him! Hallelujah!

Now, back to the story. Melinda (the middle sister) logged on to read her emails yesterday and a close friend had forwarded her an email from New Way Ministries with Dr. Larry Crabb. She immediately felt God speaking directly to her. The words came at just the right time! Could this be from God? She wanted me to see God working and be encouraged and forwarded the email to me. The words spoke powerfully to me, as well.

Yes, God provided words of comfort! Sometimes when life just gets so hard, it is difficult to see God at work. I know I am not alone. When life gets tough, are you able to recognize God at work in your life? I am thankful that God continues to open our eyes to see Him at work even when the storm is raging and there seems to be little hope.

Click here to read the email from (from 66 Love Letters: A Conversation with God that Invites You into His Story by Dr. Larry Crabb, ©2009.) You have to click on Day 19


I pray that this book will encourage you as much as it is encouraging me!

May all of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior struggle well as we wait in hope!

A Poem

My sister told me about a poem that her friend wrote and I wanted to share it with you. Barbara and Ed Bice started a ministry to help people overcome addictions and they have touched so many lives. I thank God for this precious couple and how He has used them over the years. I hope that her words will bless you as much as they blessed me today!


Listen (below) to Barbara read her poem about her path through life.



I pray that we will all live our lives with no regrets!

Live Like We're Dying _ Are you?

I was listening to the radio the other day and heard a new song by Kris Allen. Kris won American Idol last year. Below is the link where you can listen to the song.



Live Like We're Dying Lyrics - Kris Allen

Sometimes we fall down and can't get back up
We're hiding behind skin that's too tough
How come we don't say I love you enough
Till it's too late, it's not too late
Our hearts are hungry for a food that won't come
We could make a feast from these crumbs
And we're all staring down the barrel of a gun
So if your life flashed before you, what would you wish you would've done

[Chorus]
Yeah, gotta start
Looking at the hands of the time we've been given here
This is all we got and we gotta start thinkin' it
Every second counts on a clock that's tickin'
Gotta live like we're dying
We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
To turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell 'em that we love 'em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we're dying

And if your plane fell out of the skies
Who would you call with your last goodbyes
Should be so careful who we left out of our lives
So when we long for absolution, there'll be no one on the line

Yeah, gotta start
Looking at the hands of the time we've been given here
This is all we got and we gotta start thinkin' it
Every second counts on a clock that's tickin'
Gotta live like we're dying
We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
To turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell 'em that we love 'em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we're dying

Like we're dying
Oh, like we're dying
Like we're dying
Oh, ike we're dying

We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
To turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell 'em that we love 'em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we're dying

You never know a good thing until it's gone
You never see a crash until it's head on
All these people right when we're dead wrong,
You never know a good thing till it's gone

Yeah, gotta start
Looking at the hands of the time we've been given here
This is all we got and we gotta start thinkin' it
Every second counts on a clock that's tickin'
Gotta live like we're dying
We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
To turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell 'em that we love 'em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we're dying

Like we're dying
Oh, like we're dying
Like we're dying
Oh, like we're dying

We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
To turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell 'em that we love 'em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we're dying

Monday

Well, it is Monday and for the life of me I can't think of anything to post! I took a little break last week just trying to get back into a more normal week. My wonderful husband helped prepare a menu and got the older kids helping out more with meals so the week went pretty smooth.

Monty and I are studying the Precept Upon Precept Colossians course with another couple and a friend on Wednesday nights and I am enjoying it so much. I took it about 10 years ago in Portland Oregon and it was so good. It is amazing how much you forget.



Last week we talked about who Christ is and that He is all we need. It was a great reminder to me because we live in such a world that tells us we need more time, more money, more stuff, etc.

We made a list of who Christ is:

Col. 1:15 The image of the invisible God
Col. 1:15 Firstborn over all creation
Col. 1:16 All things created by Him and for Him
Col. 1:17 He is before all things
Col. 1:17 He holds all things together
Col. 1:18 He is head of the body, the church
Col. 1:18 He is the beginning
Col. 1:18 He is the firstborn from the dead
Col. 2:9 All the fulness of the Diety dwells in Him in bodily form
Phil. 2:6 Existed in the form of God

The list could go on and on but I like making lists because it really helps me slow down and see who Christ is. We also listed what He claimed and what He accomplished. I learned so much about who my Lord and Savior is and what He has done for me. This week the lesson is on the church which is a great lesson and one that many do not understand. I am anxious to discuss this lesson with the others.

Have a great week!

Pizza

We have been trying to make homemade pizza for over a year now and finally we are beginning to really like it. My wonderful hubby bought me a large round pizza stone and a huge pizza peel for Christmas. I love it! He also bought me a huge dough mat for the counter and I was also thrilled to get it.


It seems that the key to making good pizza is heating the stone in the oven on 500 degrees for an hour. The peel helps be able to get the pizza onto the hot stone quickly and the stone doesn't lose heat. When the dough hits the stone it will start cooking immediately. I think next time I am going to try and cook the dough for a few minutes and then add the toppings. It is definitely a process and we are always learning on how to improve.





The pizza above has sausage, onions and bell peppers.


Our favorite is bbq chicken pizza using Sweet Baby Ray's Bbq sauce, purple onions, cliantro, chicken and mozzerella cheese.