Go Tell It On the Mountain....

I can not remember the last time I shared my faith in Jesus Christ with someone.  Sure, I teach Sunday school on Sunday mornings, volunteer with the youth group on Wednesday nights, and have had long conversations about faith with co-workers.  But that's not what I am talking about.  Those conversations are safe, comfortable, shared between fellow believers.

I am referring to sharing the gospel with a person who has never heard of or does not believe in Jesus Christ.  I am participating in the She Reads Truth study of Philippians.  Today's reading comes from Chapter 1 verses 12-30.  Paul writes to the church telling him that there are those who preach for selfish reasons and those who sincerely desire to share their faith.  Paul does not care of the motives - sure he is not happy about selfish ones - but he sees the bigger picture that the message of God's grace reaches as many lives as possible.

The author of today's reading challenged me to think about what is keeping me from sharing the gospel. Paul was so in love with Jesus that he shared his faith even from behind prison walls.  So why don't I share my faith?

The answer is two-fold.  First, I am not walking with the Lord as I should.  If I am not in fellowship with my Savior, how can I share Him with others.  Secondly, I am scared.  Scared of being called names, judged, or rejected.  But I am CALLED to share the gospel, so I must but fears aside and boldly go forward with the truth.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I am ashamed that I have remained silent for so long. Forgive me for not following your command to share the "Good News" with all the ends of the Earth.  Instill in me a spirit of boldness, not of fear.  Reveal to me, Lord, someone around me who desperately needs to hear the message of salvation.  Empower me to reach out to them and share the message of Christ's death for them.

In Jesus Holy Name,

Amen



Busy Summer Winding Down

 

We have had a busy summer as a family. It began with blueberry season, where we spent most afternoons, evenings, and Saturdays picking blueberries. While the work was hot and dirty, the rewards were worth it - as our farm reached a new production high! Once blueberry season was over, we threw ourselves into preparing for our church's Vacation Bible School.

Once VBS was over, we spent a few weekends at the beach. Joycie is absolutely in love with the water! She spent nearly of her time wanting to play in the waves, which meant her Daddy and I spent all of our time keeping her safe. She is quite fearless!

Now we are preparing for the start of college football season!  As season ticket holders, we will spend many weekends in Atlanta cheering on our beloved Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Joycie is already practicing her “Go Tech!” cheer. But before that happens, we have a few more fun trips planned – including a day at the lake!

How was your summer? What fun things do you have planned for the last days of summer?

Bigger Picture Moments: The Storm

The lightening flashed outside my window, as the rain pelted again the roof, and the thunder bellowed so loudly that the house seemed to shake. The lights flickered..once...twice..three times and our home was plunged into darkness.

"MAMA!" my daughter screamed as her tiny feet scampered across the wood floor, fleeing from her room into the living room where her father and I were resting.

Snuggling into my lap, she whimpered "I scared, Mama."

"I know baby. But remember who makes the lightening?"

"Jesus."

"And who makes the thunder?"

"Jesus"

"And who makes the rain?"

"Jesus. Mama, I not scared now." With that pronouncement, she left lap and went to play in the glow of the candles on the mantle.

Later that night, as I lay in bed, listening to the storm. I marveled at how a simple reminder of who created the storm calmed my daughter's fears. Why then, do I her mother, get so fearful when I face a storm of life? Can't I remember who is in control - that the Creator of all things is with me when the black clouds roll in, the ligthing streaks across the sky, and the thunder rumbles loudly.

"Father," I prayed " Help me not to fear. But rather to rest and trust in the simple truth, that You know the storm I'm facing. And that You are with me in the midst of it, and will walk with me until the sun shines once more."

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Live Remember that as I am facing the storms of life, my Heavenly Father is in control and with me. Therefore, I have no need to fear...that's my moment this week. What moment do you learn to live in this week?

Capture Write, take a picture, just capture the moment.


Share Link up yours at Sarah's this week


Encourage Try to visit the other participants and comment on their post.

Five Minute Friday: Dance

On Fridays, the lovely Lisa-Jo at The Gypsy Mama, host a blog carnival called Five Minute Fridays. Each Friday, Lisa-Jo gives us a prompt, then we write about that prompt for 5 minutes - that's i. I have particpated in the past, but then life got in the way and I stopped. But I want to join in the fun again. So here is my humble offering for this week's prompt of DANCE.


My feet ache from being incased in high heeled shoes for 8 hours. My legs are tight and sore from my most recent 3 mile run. I long to sit on the couch, blanket draped across my lap, resting.

“Mama, Mama, MAMA.”

The shouts of my daughter interrupt my daydreams and I scurry to her room, wondering what crisis I will need to deal with now.

As I enter her room, the sounds of her favorite song are drifting thru the CD player’s speakers.

“Did you need me baby?” I ask

“Dance with me, Mama”. Her chubby hands reach for mind and she begins to walk in circles.

I smile as she awkwardly moves to the music. She spins, then stops changes directions, and spins again. Laughter bubbles up from my throat, as I watch this miracle I birthed, dance with abandon.

Suddenly thoughts of aching feet and tired legs drift away, as I shake my own hips and spin in my own circles. My movements garner laughter from my daughter. We dance, dance, dance, until we fall into an exhausted heap in the middle of her bedroom floor.

“Tanks for dancing, Mama” she says as she hurries off to another adventure.

As I watch her gangly legs carry her away, I think “ No, baby, thank you.”

Bigger Picture Moments: Redeemed

This week Bigger Picture blogs is turning two. To celebrate this joyous occasion, the members of the Bigger Picture community were asked to accept a challenge. Create a collobration with another member of the group using a song as a prompt.

I was paired with the lovely Alita . And our prompt was Hold the Light by Caedmon's Call.

Here is our birthday gift to Bigger Picture Blogs.

I wander thru my day...so focused on what I want, what I hope to achieve. Pushing forward to my goals, at the expense of all else.



But as the sun lowers in the sky and darkness closes in on my spirit...I realize how I have faltered and failed once again.




Yet, the sorrow of failure is chased away as light fills my heart. For faults and all I am redeemed. And the Creator of the world holds the light to lead back onto His path and toward home.

A Girl’s Night In….

Yesterday, Mikey had to work a job at the Swisher Cigar Plant in Jax…which meant he went in at 3:00 p.m. and came home at 11:00 p.m.  Since “Daddy” was going to be gone for the night, I thought it would be fun to play a special Girl’s night for Joycie and I. When I picked her up from daycare, I took her to our local grocery store – but not to buy groceries. The store has a mini carousel located outside. Joycie begs to ride this each time we go – so last night she got to ride.

 

 

She LOVED it!  She kept shouting “Yee-hah” as she spun around.  I had to smile at the amount of pleasure she got out of something so simple.  Once her riding was over, I let her pick supper.  She chose “'icken nuggets and French fries”. Granted, it was not the healthiest of choices, but as a special treat it ranked high on her list.  But even better was how we ate our supper…..

The weather was beautiful last night, so Joycie insisted we have a tea party on her porch. I obliged by moving her table, chairs, tea seat and 2 stuffed animals to the porch. We dined while the birds chirped, watched bunnies hop across our yard, and laughed.  It was a glorious time.

After filling our tummies with food, we each got baths, then snuggled in my bed while watching Joycie’s favorite cartoons.  We fell asleep with Joycie snuggled in my arms – which was how Mikey found us when he got home. Yesterday did not cost me a lot other than my time, and it was well worth the price so that I could create special memories with Joycie.

Happy Father’s Day

 

Today I get to celebrate the 3 most important men in my lives – my daddy, my husband, and my father-in-law. Since two of the three read this blog, I thought I would post a tribute to them here.

Daddy- You are one of the most dynamic, determined, and loving people that I know.  From the time I was small, you were always telling me that I could do anything, be anyone, reach any goal. And you always stood in support of my goals and dreams, even if they did not always match your dreams for me. I remember when I was 10 that I asked you if you ever wished for a son, your reply was simple “No, I have the two best daughters in the world….I don’t need anything.”  Your unconditional love for me has always been my source of strength.  Thank you for teaching me to work hard, be honest, to not take the easy way out, and to do everything that I do with 100%.  I love the memories I have of going on football scouting trips with you, ride dirt roads in the summer while eating ice cream, and the millions more that I have.  One of the greatest things you ever did was to show your love for Mama – you set the example of how a man should be, and gave me guidance in what I wanted in a future husband.

 

Mikey: You are my very best friend. You are the safe place that I turn to when life gets hard, I am stressed out, or I just need to cry for no good reason. You love me even when I am being moody and mean.  I love you for so many reasons. I love how you work so hard to provide for our family – even if that means early days, late nights, and long hours. You do whatever it takes without complaint.  I love the sound of your laughter, and how you will find the humor in even the darkest of situation.  My heart falls in love all over again when I watch you with Joycie. There is no doubt that you adore her. Every day, you show us how much we mean to you.   Thank you for supporting me when I decided to run a 5k, when I changed jobs, when I started teaching aerobics…. you believe that I can achieve anything that I want….and your belief in me allows me to believe in myself. I love you so much!

Mr. Mike -  The man that Mikey has become is due in large part to the man that you are.  You taught him how to work hard, love deeply, and to place his faith in the Lord. Even though you never had a daughter of your own, you have been a wonderful Daddy to me. Much like my own father, you have lent me your shoulder to cry own, offered fatherly wisdom when needed, and pushed me when I needed to be pushed.  Thank you for loving me and accepting me into your family long before I became your daughter-in-law.

 

Daddy, Mikey, Mr. Mike – You are all LOVED very much. I hope that your Father’s Day is the best yet.