Tearing the Roof Off!

During my quiet time today, God led me to the story of the paralytic that was lowered from the roof by his friends to Jesus for healing. This guy's friends were so determined to get him to Jesus that they ripped the roof off! They were so committed that they didn't quit until the job was done.  They didn't care about what others said while they were doing it.  They didn't listen to anybody's taunts or doubts.  I'm sure they had other things to do but they were willing to put themselves last so that their friend could have a moment with the Master.  


What an example of how to put yourself "out there" so that others can see God.  It challenges me to be more determined and committed to show Jesus to others.  It also reminded me of all the people that have prayed to the Father on my behalf through the years.  Some I knew about and others I didn't.  They didn't do it to get a pat on the back. They did it out of their love for me.  


I just hope my friends realize that when I say, "I'm praying for you", it means I'm tearing off the roof to get you to the Master.

Are my ears deceiving me?!

I was sitting at Cracker Barrel enjoying my supper when I heard the first few notes of a song.  I stop eating and raise my head.  Why in the world would Cracker Barrel be playing this song?  And what artist in their right mind would put a country/blue grass twist on this song?  What song you ask? "She Drives Me Crazy" by Fine Young Cannibals.  Who covered it with a country twist? Dolly Parton

I found both songs on YouTube so you could compare. Which do you think is better?

Fine Young Cannibals Version

Dolly Parton's Version

Another God story...

Here I am sitting at my computer needing to finish another paper but I have to stop and share how God takes care of the details.  So far I've been able to sell all my textbooks once I'm done with them.  Well all except one...Management of Information Security.  Sure sounds like an interesting read, doesn't it?  You're right...it's good for curing insomniacs.  Last night I was working on this paper and needed proper definitions for the types of backups there are.  I knew I had read about them somewhere, but where? Then I remembered that I had the powerpoint slides from my first CIS class two quarters ago.  I start searching and BINGO, I hit the jackpot.  I find the needed definitions but now I need to be able to cite them.  What book is it from? Oh yeah, the book that I haven't been able to sell.  Thank you God for looking out for me and helping me finish another one of these lovely gems.  Only two more and I'm done....FOR LIFE!

Sometimes it pays to be honest...

I knew that once I had my knee surgery that I'd need a little help getting around.  Mom wanted to do it but because of Matt's health scare last month her hands were already full.  So Mrs. Julie came to my rescue.  I wanted to do something nice for her so I went to find her some flowers.  Tate and I didn't get out til late Saturday afternoon and most florists are already closed. We stopped in at Kabloom on Youree Dr.  I went into their cooler and found the perfect arrangement.  It had Mrs. Julie's favorites, star gazer lilies.  So I hobbled to the counter and paid.  Then we dropped them off at Mrs. Julie's office. She liked them so my idea was a success.

Yesterday I was checking my credit card balance to make sure I hadn't forgotten to write any charges into my checkbook when I discovered that Kabloom had charged my credit card and then refunded my money on the same day.  At first I thought they had charged me twice and they were just fixing their mistake.  I never found a duplicate charge.  So I called Mr. Bill at Kabloom to notify him about the accounting error.    We verified all the information and he knew exactly what happened.  He appreciated my honesty and told me that it was my lucky day because he wasn't going to charge me for the flowers and asked that I use them again in the future. Sure thing, Mr. Bill!

Squirrel Hunt

Tate took me on my first squirrel hunt.  I swiped, I mean borrowed, my brother's gun and off we went.  Apparently someone had given the squirrels a memo that we were coming because we only saw two.  I got the first one and Tate got the second one.  I'm ready to go again.

The mighty hunters LOL

God is great...God is good....

Mom's new dog, Bud

Shooting them is more fun than cleaning them!

Rejoice in the Lord...always

What a whirlwind weekend it has been.  The Miller crew had company come late Thursday.  Revival services started Sunday. But before they could start, the devil was wrecking havoc.  Got a call Saturday morning during brunch that the music minister had some health issues going on and he was going to stay the night at the hospital.  The preacher had to find someone to cover his spot and asked me to find an upbeat song to sing in place of the choir special.  I don't have a lot of upbeat songs in my repertoire.  So Tate and I scour all my current soundtracks for about an hour. Feeling frustrated and stressed, we quit and head to Natchitoches to catch up with the rest of our crew.  Enjoyed walking Front Street and doing some window shopping.  Ate at TrailBoss for supper.  (Funny how when you are a broke college student, TrailBoss seemed like a real treat.  Oh and the stories it could tell on all my college gals!)  The trip down memory lane relaxed me a bit but I knew I had to stop by Lifeway in search of a song to sing the next morning...so off we went.  After spending an hour in Lifeway, I walk out with two songs. 

Within minutes of walking out the door, my phone rings.  On the other end is my mother talking frantically about rushing Matt to the ER because he was having chest pains.  My mind goes into overload.  Tate calls the preacher to update him on my status.  I wrestle with the decision to hightail it to Leesville or wait.  Aunt Lisa calms me down and tells me to wait because Matt may be transferred to Alexandria.  Sure enough he is and they don't get there til 2am.  Sunday morning is a blur.  I have two songs to choose from and I haven't practiced either one at all.  I just go with "Rejoice in the Lord ."  I know the song but don't have the words memorized.  My mind isn't on revival mode. It's more on survival mode.  I just give it all to God.  I make it through the song.  Afterwards the guest preacher tells me that he enjoyed my song and that it went right along with his sermon.  Many people came by complimenting me on my singing and telling me how they liked the song.  Only a few know all the drama behind the scenes. 

Later that afternoon Tate and I go to Alexandria to check on Matt and my mom.  When we get back that night, I'm exhausted.  As I lay in bed, I start thanking God for all His mercy and strength He gave me that day.  I was so thankful that God was in control and He was working out all the details before any drama came on the scene.  I laugh as I think of how the devil tried to destroy the revival and how God just stomped him like a bug.  Then I started to think how very appropriate it was for me to sing "Rejoice in the Lord Always."  I must remember this on a daily basis.

REJOICE IN THE LORD

By: JOHN DARIN ROWSEY


CHORUS:

REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS
AND AGAIN I SAY REJOICE
DAYTIME, NIGHTTIME, ANY TIME'S THE RIGHT TIME
TO MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE
THROUGH THE GOOD AND BAD, THE GLAD AND SAD
IT'S TIME TO LIFT YOUR VOICE
REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS
AND AGAIN I SAY REJOICE


VERSE 1:

THE MIDNIGHT HOUR MAY BE AT HAND
AND YOU CAN'T SEE THE LIGHT
BUT ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER
WHEN YOU WALK BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT
JOY'S GONNA COME IN THE MORNING
WE HAVE HOPE, BUT UNTIL THEN
LET GOD ARISE, OUR FAITH'S ALIVE
WE KNOW HOW THE STORY ENDS

VERSE 2:

THE ENEMY WILL TRY TO BRING YOU DOWN
HIS EVIL WORKS EMPLOY
BUT HE CAN'T PULL YOU UNDER
WHEN YOU LIFT YOUR HEAD AND COUNT IT JOY
NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST YOU
IS GONNA PROSPER ANYHOW
GIVE GOD THE PRAISE IT'S NOT TOO LATE
THE BEST TIME TO START IS RIGHT NOW

BRIDGE:

REJOICE - AGAIN I SAY REJOICE
REJOICE - MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE

THROUGH THE GOOD AND BAD, THE GLAD AND SAD
IT'S TIME TO LIFT YOUR VOICE
REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS AND
AGAIN I SAY REJOICE
REJOICE, REJOICE

Funny thing happened to me...

This weekend we're having a great big give-a-way at church from 8am til noon. Then a back 2 school block party from noon til 2pm where we'll have free food, free games and free school supplies. I'm in "charge" of the great big give-a-way. Some of the stuff people are donating blows my mind. Each night I go up to the youth building to see the progress. I went in one side room and before I could turn the light on I swear I saw something furry move. I stepped out real fast and then peeked my head around the corner to turn the light on. Somebody had donated about 15 wigs. I just laughed out loud.

"Lead Me"

I was getting ready for work this morning while listening to K-Love. Sanctus Real's latest song "Lead Me" played while I was ironing my shirt.  The words were so powerful that I had to stop what I was doing to absorb it all in.  It is an awesome challenge for men to answer but women also need to remember to pray for the men in their lives too.  Listen to it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAKBXBXz1fo

Sanctus Real - “Lead Me”
I look around and see my wonderful life
Almost perfect from the outside
In picture frames I see my beautiful wife
Always smiling
But on the inside, I can hear her saying...

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?
Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”

I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes
They're just children from the outside
I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine
They're in independent
But on the inside, I can hear them saying...

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, but what about us?
Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”

So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I'm called to be
Oh, Father, show me the way
To lead them
Won't You lead me?

To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can't
Don't want to leave them hungry for love,
Chasing things that I could give up
I'll show them I'm willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this our home
Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone
Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Training for the 5K

It seems that a lot of my facebook friends like to particpate in races.  Some will actually run while others just walk or ride their bikes.  Some will run to win while others just like to participate because the run supports a good cause.  All of their stories inspired me to try it...at least once.  So I signed up for the Firecracker 5K on July 3rd.

Now I wasn't going to kid myself and think I could finish this without training for it.  I also had concerns about a knee injury back in high school. So I contaced Kedgy at Fitness Lady and she was thrilled I asked for some pointers.  Her strong enthusiasm should have been my first clue that my body was going to be challenged.  The first thing that was challenged was my walking stride.  I'm 5'7" and since my surgery I have shortened my stride to someone that is much shorter.  Do you know how hard it is to relearn how to walk at 32?  I never knew that I would have to consciously remember to lengthen my stride as I walked.  I'm sure people are wondering what in the world is she doing because even I think I look very odd. (Josh, keep your comments to yourself.)  The next thing that was challenged was my time management.  I've gone from going to the gym when I felt like it to going 5 days a week.  This is hard to commit to because life gets in the way.  I can come up with sooo many other things that I would love to be doing instead of sweating and building muscles that have sat on the bench for the past 15 years.

The first night that Kedgy helped me I realized that I have LOTS of room for improvement.  I learned that if I don't make my goal, it's okay.  7 out of 10 isn't bad.  I haven't failed because I haven't given up.  I also learned to celebrate every victory no matter the size.  Kedgy has this wonderful ability to make you work harder just by encouraging you.  I've learned that words of encouragement from others really mean a lot to me.  And if those words make such an impact in my life, who can I encourage each day? 

Paul compares the Christian life as running a race.  I've read the passages several times and I got all the symbolism.  Or at least I thought I did.  I know I've only trained for a couple of days but these scriptures hold a different meaning to me now.  Don't give up.  Keep going even when you think you have nothing more to give.  Sometimes you have to go through pain so that you will become stronger.  God is always there beside you as you continue the race.  Sometimes He is walking with you. Sometimes He is running with you.  And sometimes He has to carry you.  But through each stage He is constantly encouraging you and loving you.

God is so awesome!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year!

I have a few goals for myself this year. One is that I would read the entire Bible in a year. The second would be to fit in a size 10 jean. I’m a 14 now so the goal is not that far out of reach. The third is to be joyful. The last half of 2009 was difficult mentally, emotionally and physically. This year I not only want to find the joy in each day but to stop and enjoy it. Another goal is to laugh more. Not just a chuckle or giggle but an out loud, laugh so hard you cry or your face hurts kind of laughter. The last goal will be the hardest for me. I want to have more of a “go with the flow” attitude. Anybody who knows me knows that I’m a planner…an extreme planner. Every day I have a “to do list” in my head that needs to be completed. Most of those items will be marked off by the end of the day. I get very cranky and out of sorts if someone or something stands in my way of completing this list. I hate waiting on people because it wastes my time. I realize that things beyond our control occur and plans may have to be changed. What I can’t handle is when people aren’t considerate of my time. What makes people think that their time is more valuable than others? I was not put on this planet to wait on people to finish something that they either procrastinated about or let distractions keep them from doing it. If someone says they will meet me at a certain time, then be ready or at least call so alternate plans can be made. I mean had I known I’d be waiting another hour I could have waited comfortably at home and/or started another project. (I’ll get off my soapbox now.) Instead this year I will try, and I stress try, to not let this planner mentality control my day and leave some room for “wasted time”. Plus I can use this “wasted time” to accomplish goal #3.

My progress so far…

Yesterday I committed to an annual membership to a gym. (What was I thinking?!) I want more energy and I know losing a few pounds would help that. So I went last night to be shown the circuit. Some machines were easier than others. My problem areas were pointed out by the crying sound they made when I made them work out. Those areas will just have to put their big girl panties on and get over it. Sometimes I have to envision a “skinnier me” to help keep me motivated. Plus think of all the money I’ll save by being able to wear clothes that haven’t seen the light of day in months/years!

There has been one incident this year that helped me put my last goal into practice. It took a lot of patience and breathing to keep calm. I have to admit I was near tears and didn’t think I was going to be able to succeed but I did. Did I mention that this “go with the flow” attitude is hard stuff? Life would be much easier if everybody was more organized and planned their day efficiently.

I have lots to work on but with God’s help I can conquer and win.