A summer journey

Summer break has officially begun so maybe now I’ll have time to blog again! I’m currently reading, The Cross Examination of Jesus Christ. This book has challenged me in so many areas. Right off the bat, in the introduction, the challenge began! The author, Randy Singer, makes this statement.

“A strange and uncomfortable thing happened as I began writing this book. The more I studied Christ’s confrontations with the Pharisees, the more I recognized myself in some of these questions. I discovered that some of the folks really loved God but tried to show it with activity rather than relationship. A holy busyness – that felt familiar… I found religious leaders who didn’t spend much time with those outside their own circle of friends, who never dined with tax collectors and sinners. … That’s when I discovered this mind-bending truth: if I want to be like Jesus, I must first realize how much I am already like the Pharisees. In God’s paradoxical way, that humbling realization is the first step toward becoming less like the Pharisees we loathe and more like the Savior we love. All of our mental gymnastics and convoluted questions can’t make it any other way.”

Well, that was a lot to think about! I have spent much of my spiritual walk trying to put as much distance between me and the Pharisees as possible, and here this author is suggesting that in order to become like Jesus, I must first come to terms with how much I am like them! It was more than I could comprehend so I put the book down for several weeks. Well, I’ve picked it up again and it continues to challenge me around every corner! I’ve come to recognize some of my Pharisaical ways and it’s really shaking up my world. I have come to grips with requirements I had attached to the teachings of Jesus. The “right (and only) ways” I had decided or accepted from my heritage of how to relate, worship, and commune with God that Jesus never said anything about in all his teaching about God. It’s going to be a summer of discovery. I’ll share as I go, but please be patient. I can only digest this book in small meals. It’s that kind of life-changing, mind-challenging, heart-reviving book.

Not a happy kitty!

There should be a rule in life that if you can't tell the difference between a happy and an unhappy kitty, you aren't allowed to hold them! This is hilarious!

A Good Friday to remember

Yesterday was a special day with my 5th grade class in Bible. We spent the whole part of our academic time on Bible. We have been studying the Old Testament this year and have really studied what sacrifice means. In the last few weeks we have been studying the captivity of the Israelites in Egypt and had just finished the plagues. The last and final plague was the death of the firstborn son of the Egyptians, slaves, and cattle. (Exodus 11:5) However; the difference would be in the homes of the Israelites which would be passed over. (Exodus 11:27) We then studied the Passover sacrifice and its meaning and symbolism. I helped them see that as long as they were inside and covered by the blood of the lamb they were safe from the final punishment of death. I drew a sketch on the board for them of the doorpost with the blood and how the sting of death would pass over those homes and the people that were in them would be led away from this scene of death and suffering into the Promised Land. Their captivity would be ended. We then went to Matthew 28. I showed them this chapter of the Matthew video series as they intently followed along in their Bibles soaking up word for word what was happening. When the video ended, I drew the cross on the board and drew the blood covering the wood. I then drew the tomb with the stone rolled away and bright light coming from the tomb. I explained to them that now we celebrate Passover because God’s people needed to be set free from sin and death once and for all. Because Jesus took the place of the sacrificial lamb, no other sacrifice would ever physically have to die again to make up for our sins. I explained that as long as we are in Christ, His blood covers us so that the sting of death passes over us and we are raised in Spirit from the dead and led away from death and suffering into the Promised Land of Heaven to be with Him for eternity. The expressions on their faces were priceless as they began to connect the dots of the wonderful mystery of God in their minds and in their hearts. My amazement of the wonder of God was renewed again as I watched their understanding become complete in what Passover, Good Friday, and Easter is all about.

We ended our day in the home of some precious friends with about 30 people for a time of fellowship, Praise & Worship, and communion. It was a Good Friday I’ll never forget!

A Battle Won

My heart is so torn today! I’m celebrating for a friend who got to go home today, but I’m also grieving for her family and friends who now have a huge hole in our lives that she filled. Around 4 AM this morning Cindy Ezell won her battle with cancer. She got to leave her physical body behind and soar straight to the arms of Jesus. Cindy was one of those people that loved life, family, and her God passionately. She was a master teacher who taught us faith, hope, love, and confidence in God right up to the end. I learned the news early this morning and later went into the kitchen to do some things. As I was standing at my kitchen sink I flipped to today’s page of my devotional calendar and here is today’s message:

The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Isaiah 51:11 A

Our joys are made better if there be sorrow in the midst of them. And our
sorrows are made bright by the joys that God has planted around about them.

I thought that was a very fitting tribute to a wonderful lady who did so much to bring joy to everyone around her. Her joy is now complete in the presence of the LORD.

ISWW 2007

Wasn't workshop wonderful this year? Of course, I think we say that every year! This year was somehow even more wonderful than ever before. It's so hard to pick a favorite moment but every class, every keynote, every worship, okay, everything was just running over with God's Spirit. Thursday morning while I was getting ready I read my daily devotional from a book I have. The following is an excerpt from that day's thought:

"He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle for less."
2 Corinthians 5:5 (The Message)

"... There's no confusing the present world with the eternal home that awaits you. But, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a taste right now. Close your eyes.
Think about meeting Jesus face-to-face."

The theme this year was Jesus: The Model, the Messenger, The Mission. That's why it was so wonderful and more. It was all about Jesus and if you were there you did get to see a glimpse of Him face-to-face. I've decided that 2 Corinthians 5:5 is my new definition of the ISWW - "...a little of Heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle for less."

Standing Empty Handed at the Cross

In John 20:20 the account is given of when Jesus appears to His disciples after His resurrection. The passage says that He showed them His scars. Not His wounds, but His scars. That’s how it works. Life gives us wounds, God gives us healing, and while we will have scars especially if the wound was a deep one, we are not left with a festering open wound unless we won’t leave it alone. Yes, your mother was right when she told you “Don’t pick at that!” If we accept God’s healing, the wound will heal, but by allowing other people to see our scars they are able to see
God glorified through the wound we suffered. Just as Jesus showed His scars to His disciples, we owe it to each other to not hide behind our “church faces”, but to show each other our scars so that God may be glorified! I love the book, The Scarlet Letter. Wow! That's a powerful book once you get past all of the Old English and vocabulary. Hester and Dimmesdale are perfect examples of what happens when we try to handle our sin ourselves. We are destroyed in the process. Why do we find it so hard to let go of the past and allow it to be what it is - the past. Jesus calls us to daily pick up our cross and follow Him, but how can I if my hands are so full of my own baggage? Imagine packing every suitcase you own, carrying them all at once and then trying to pick up my cross and carry it too!?! In order to carry my cross I have to first lay down all my own baggage. Sometimes we have trouble doing that because our baggage is so comfortable. Don't get me wrong, we usually don't like what it contains - the pain, the tears - but at least we are use to it. It's not part of the great unknown out there. We know what to expect from it and we've grown accustomed to it. It provides us with all our excuses for why we can't be all He has called us to be. Isn't it strange how we pray to God to take away our pain, but then reach out and grab it back from Him. The challenge is to lay it all down at the cross and walk away empty handed so we can pick up our cross. It's not a one time decision, it's a daily choice. Every day we must go to the cross and begin there by laying down our burdens and picking up our cross. That's why the scripture says to deny ourselves and pick up our cross daily (Luke 9:23). Jesus promises in Matt. 11:28-30 that if we will come to Him and lay our burdens down, He will give us rest. He calls us to take His yoke upon us and learn from Him for He is gentle and humble in heart and there our souls will find rest. He promises that His yoke is easy and His burden is light, not because He demands less of us, but because He carries the load with us!

Taking up my cross

Then He said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23) I've pondered this verse for a long time. It streams through my mind, makes my heart race, and my soul long for Him. Every time I think I get it the Spirit reveals more and more to me. I grew up hearing the saying "It's just my cross to bear" when someone was talking about a burden or struggle in their life. They were usually referring to some physical condition or pain, emotional pain, etc... that they had to endure. I don't believe Jesus was talking about our physical life when He "said to them all: Take up your cross." Paul referred to having a "thorn in his flesh", but he never called it his "cross to bear." Fix the mental picture in your mind. A thorn compared to a cross. It really helped me put my fleshly struggles in perspective. So what does it mean????? I'm discovering day by day more and more what it means to me. I have discovered that first I must have the desire to follow Him, "If anyone would come after me..." The desire's not usually the hard part for me (I'm such a Peter!). It's the follow thru that gets me. It's that next part that took me a long time to understand, "... he must deny himself ...". There it is; the step that I so often stub my toe on and stumble. How do I deny myself? Sometimes I get so focused on trying not to sin that the sin becomes bigger than the Savior. In order to deny myself it means I want what He wants for me. It means I long for life in Him not the life I create for myself. Jesus says just a few verses later that to find our life we have to lose our life for Him. That means letting go of things that come between me and my Lord.

It's hard to believe that one year has come and gone and our sweet Ethne is already a year old. The day she was born time seemed to stand still. The first time I saw her was in her Daddy's arms as he walked her into the nursery barely a few minutes old. That sight took my breath away!

When I actually saw my child holding his child, it was such an amazing feeling. It was just a little glimpse of what the Father must feel as He looks down on His children learning to give life through Him to others. Such a powerful image that it still takes my breath away!

As the days have gone by I am still amazed by that sweet baby girl. There is no greater thrill than when I get to see her and reach out to her and those precious little hands reach for me! I love to "read" to her. Of course, at this point it is speed reading because we mainly just look at the pictures;however when she sits on my lap and we "read", the rest of the world just fades away.

When she comes to our house, she goes straight to her toys and playtime begins. It's funny that sometimes I avoid going upstairs if I'm tired, but if Ethne is there I don't mind at all. We might as well be climbing Mount Everest because we have such a great adventure! I had forgotten how much fun tupperware can be! Boy, have I been missing out! I love our conversations! I'm not sure exactly what she says except Mum Mum and Dada and some assorted animal sounds, but we talk about a lot of things! I tell her how lucky she is to have such a wonderful Mommy and Daddy who love her more than she can imagine. I tell her that Nana and Papa love her so very much. I tell her that God loves her even more than all of us and that He will always watch over her.

Happy Birthday sweet Ethne! May all your wishes come true!

The Reason the Savior is on Board

This is the thought of the day on my devotional calender today. It was such an appropriate day for it to appear.

The waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.
Matthew 8:24B

It is much easier to trust when the sun is shining than when the storm is raging. We never know how much real faith we have until it is put to the test in some fierce storm; and that is the reason why the Savior is on board.

We all have our personal storms. Some are very private while others are very public. I’ve endured both kinds more than once. I think there is strength in sharing our storm stories (one of my favorite programs on the Weather Channel – yes, I’m a Weather Channel junkie!) It is the shelter during the storm, and the rainbow after the storm that helps others draw strength from our story. We don’t share them often enough. Today my thoughts are with some precious friends who are enduring a raging storm in their life right now. They have sought shelter in the only safe place – God. Their faith is very real and strong and they are tethered to an awesome God so they will come through the storm okay. They may be a little battered, but they won’t be broken. Pray for someone you know, maybe even yourself, to seek shelter from the storm in their God and then share their rainbow after the storm as their testimony to His power living in them.

The Dilemma of Obedience

This is today's quote of the day -

[Samuel] was afraid to tell Eli the vision. 1 Samuel 3:15

Get into the habit of saying, "Speak, Lord," and life will become a romance (1Samuel 3:9). Every time circumstances press in on you, say, "Speak, Lord," and make time to listen. As we listen, our ears become more sensitive, and like Jesus, we will hear God all the time.

"My Utmost for His Highest" - Oswald Chambers - An Updated Edition in Today's Language

(Yes, that sort of Oswald Chambers for Dummies!)

What language does God speak?

Life is moving very quickly for me these days! Some days I can’t even keep up with my own shadow so this is going to be short!! (Okay, quit rolling your eyes, yes, I can be brief sometimes!) I read this quote today and it just really struck me so I wanted to share it. I have often wished I could hear from God only to realize He was speaking loud and clear if I would just pay attention! Be blessed by this thought:

God speaks in the language we know best – not through our ears, but through our circumstances.

I've been tagged!

Heather tagged me, how fun! Hopefully educators and legislators won’t get involved and decide it is too dangerous and that someone might get hurt and outlaw tag in blogland! Okay, enough stalling. Really, I didn’t know how to play blog tag so I did what I always do when I need technical advice – I phoned my daughter, Vanessa, for help! She scolded me today because I hadn’t gotten it done yet! Have our roles reversed here or what!!

Here is how it works:
1) Grab the book closest to you
2) Open to page 123, go down to the fourth sentence
3) Post the text of the following three sentences
4) Name the author and book title
5) Tag three people to do the same

Here’s my quote:

“I think Satan sends our demons whose job it is to do nothing but repeat that phrase [questions from Matt. 6:31 – What are we going to drink, eat, & wear? Joyce Meyer – What are we going to do?] in the believer’s ear all day long. They fire off difficult questions, and the believer wastes his precious time attempting to come up with an answer. The devil is constantly waging war on the battlefield of the mind, hoping to engage the Christian in long, drawn-out, costly combat.”
Battlefield of the mind by Joyce Meyer

This is a great study! I highly recommend it!

Now for the fun part:

Danna (there’s more than one way to get you to blog!)
Shane (I know you are currently reading a book so enlighten us!)
Vanessa (I’ll be checking to see how quickly you get this done young lady!)

TAG YOU’RE IT!

A thrilling thought!

As I turned over the page for one of my "thought for the day" calanders, I was greeted with this thrilling thought, (actually it's tomorrow's thought but I peeked!) -

"If we could see as our Father sees, I'm convinced we would be amazed at the size of His family. If the spiritual iceberg were suddenly turned upside down and exposed for all to view, the magnitude of the Church He is building would literally take our breath away."

"I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne." Revelation 7:9
The Grace of Encouragement Charles Swindoll

I am so thankful that God removed the religious scales from my eyes and that now I see the HIS family more completely! Why did I ever think we were in this all by ourselves?!? Praise God, there really is safety and strength in numbers! Praise God, HIS church doesn't have just one brand name! Praise God, HE is in charge of building HIS church! May we see HIS church for what it is - truly awesome!

The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney

Well, … WOW, AMAZING, COMPELLING, THOUGHT PROVOKING …
Okay, so I’ll never be a professional book reviewer, but really, WOW! This is an incredible read! The author, Randy Singer, is a fiction writer and former trial lawyer. Singer does a masterful job of portraying a believable character, Oliver Finney, who is trying, just like us, to live out his faith so that others might see Christ. He’s not perfect; he has his own struggles, failures, and vices perhaps that why I liked him so much. The author weaves intrigue, mystery, humor, and a whole bunch of faith into a must read for everyone! It’s a lengthy but easy read, and so compelling you’ll have trouble putting it down. Thanks to snow days I did approx. 50 chapters in one day! Now that’s a good book! It will leave you reflecting on the kind of impact your life makes in His Kingdom.

I’m anxious to read his other book, The Cross Examination of Jesus Christ. Here’s what Singer has to say about his book –
“The purpose of this book, like the purpose of any effective cross-examination, is to reveal the truth – not just what Jesus taught but who Jesus is. His character. His intellect. His mission. The astounding depth of His love. Our verdict will be a lifestyle more like His.

Cross-examination, my professors stressed, is the most dangerous part of any trial. … That’s why you never ask a question if you don’t already know the answer.
The classic illustration goes something like this:
LAWYER (defending someone accused of assault): You didn’t actually see my client bite the nose of the alleged victim. Isn’t that true?
WITNESS: That’s true.
LAWYER: In fact, at the time of the alleged incident, there were several people engaged in a fight and your view of the victim was blocked. Isn’t that true?
WITNESS: Yes.
LAWYER: Then how can you be so sure that it was my client who bit the victim’s nose as opposed to one of the other men in the fight?
WITNESS: Because I saw him spit it out.

Tricky business, and dangerous, this road toward the mind of Christ. The devil is still a crafty cross-examiner, twisting the truth and distorting the testimony. Like Mike Tyson after his prime, Satan couldn’t land many direct punches on Christ, but he still had a nasty bite. At the cross, hell bit off more than it could chew.

“How do you know?” you ask (violating the cardinal rule of cross-examination).

“Because three days later they saw hell spit Him out.”

What do you long for?

There are many things in life that I want, few that I really need, but only one that I have discovered that I long for. Only one thing that I truly and genuinely feel myself so drawn towards that at the thought of it my heart pounds with excited anticipation while at the same time a soothing, calming peace fills my excited heart. This “thing” that I have discovered is a sincere and intense desire to see Jesus face to face. I do believe that when we look at our brothers and sisters in Christ with our spirit eyes, we do indeed see a representation of Him. I have seen Him in many I know and love. However, lately I have been drawn to a different type of seeing Him. It began to come together for me recently when I believe He allowed it through worship to slowly and gently settle into my conscious awareness. I love so many songs that it is always hard for me to name any one song as my favorite; however, lately a beautiful spirit "eye opening" moment came all together. Not all in one day, but over a period of three days. It began on a Wednesday night when we sang one of my favorites – Jesus Let Us Come to Know You – it goes like this:

Jesus let us come to know you
Let us see you face to face
Touch us, hold us, use us, mold us
Only let us live in you

Jesus, draw us ever nearer
Hold us in your loving arms
Wrap us in your gentle presence
When the end comes, bring us home

It continued on Thursday night with this song – Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

The awareness became complete Friday morning on my way to work when yet another song came across my heart from off the radio. This song is so much a favorite of mine that it was my ring tone on my cell phone until I had to change brands of phones and it wasn’t available for my new phone! Everytime I hear the song "I Can Only Imagine" I am swept into His presence!

I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk By your side
I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face Is before me, I can only imagine
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all I can only imagine
I can only imagine When that day comes
And I find myself Standing in the Son
I can only imagine When all I will do Is forever
Forever worship You I can only imagine
I can only imagine ,I can only imagine
When all I will do Is forever,
forever worship you


My question for you is this, what has the Spirit brought into focus lately for you? What do you long for in the Kingdom?

Christmas with Ethne!

The shirt may say "Bah Humbug", but the smile says "I want more presents!"

A Christmas surprise!

As many of you know, we have a new home. When we decided to build this house, we were blessed with an opportunity to purchase an unusual lot and build a new floor plan that had never been built before. Our neighborhood is built around a golf course so some of the lots have unusual shapes to them, ours included. Our builder did not have a floor plan that would fit on our lot (until the one we built) so this lot had remained vacant for a couple of years. Because of the irregular shape to the lots, some of the houses are tucked back in and beside other houses. This is where our neighbor’s story begins. When she built her home on one of those lots that is tucked in behind and to the side of our house, it was explained to her that since they did not have a floor plan that would fit on our lot, they had no current plans to build on this lot. When they began breaking ground for our house, she was quite concerned and upset since it was her understanding that they were not going to build a house on this lot. She now has a view of nothing more than the side of our house and our bathroom window! I can understand why she was upset that now they were building on this lot!! Anyway, she has always been very nice to us, but I have hoped and prayed for an opportunity to get to know her better, something to break the ice. We don’t see much of her with our work schedule and the fact that we live in our car on the go more than we seem to live here! Anyway, on Christmas day as my parents were leaving our house, I walked them out and helped them get everything in the car and waved goodbye and came back to the house. The next thing I knew, my dad was back at the door and asked if I had a minute to come outside. I came rushing out afraid something had happened to Mom, only to find our neighbor and her mom at the pick up talking and hugging on my parents! As I approached, she reached out to me and gave me a big bear hug and excitedly said, “I didn’t know they were your parents!” Her mom proceeded to give me a big hug and say, “We just love your parents!” By this time I was up to speed and asked them if they attended Crosstown where my parents go and our neighbor replied, “Oh yes, and your Daddy will always be my elder!” Come to find out our neighbor use to attend Garnett where her husband was an elder until his death a few years ago and she now attends Crosstown where I grew up and my dad served as an elder for 30+ years. Needless to say the ice is now broken and the spring thaw has begun in our relationship! Isn’t God good!

Mrs. Hinky-Dink has arrived!

As you may have noticed, I have a new hairdo. I have also been experimenting with contacts and decided I would wear them too when I went to school the next day with my "new look." I knew I was in shock over the new me, but I hadn’t really anticipated how my 4th graders would react when they saw me the following day. There were various comments and shocked looks and suddenly one of them exclaimed, “Who are you and what have you done with Mrs. Priest?!?” Well, me being somene who is always up for a little fun and secretly always wanted to be an actress (or a preacher) responded, “Didn’t she tell you I would be subbing for her today? I’m her identical twin sister, Mrs. Hinky-Dink!” That kicked off what would be a two hour long practical joke that ended with an awesome God moment. They quizzed me intensely and I was very impressed with the thoroughness of their questioning, but for every question from “How did I know their names already” to “How come my jewelry matched hers identically”, I came back each time with quick and easy logical answers. I created a complete new identity for myself being careful to take notes on where I said I lived, taught school, etc… so I wouldn’t get myself confused! By the time I took them to their computer class and dropped them off, I had several of them so confused they were almost convinced I was my own identical twin sister! They simply could not find a reason to doubt my story even though they knew deep down in their hearts that something just didn’t add up. When I picked them up from the computer class, I had put my glasses back on and said, “Oh, I’m so glad to see you guys! Did you enjoy meeting my twin sister?!?” They were so confused and thinking I was really quite crazy by now! We went back to class and started our Bible lesson. We have been studying Abraham and what it means to have faith. I confessed that I was indeed me and had been the whole morning. We talked about that even though they knew deep down in their hearts that it had to be me, I was able to cause them to doubt when I could answer every question they posed to me with a deceitful answer and be quite convincing too! I told them that sometimes the world will try to convince you that there really isn’t a God. That no one could possibly love you enough to die for you. That heaven and eternity don’t really exist, it’s just something adults make up to try and make kids mind and be good. I told them faith is knowing deep down in your heart that God does really exist, that He does love you so much He died for you so that you can spend all of “happily ever after” with Him in heaven, and believing it no matter what the world says. I told them to never doubt what they know deep down in their hearts to be true and they too would have the faith of Abraham! Thank you God for teachable moments!

Daughters!!!!!

This is what happens when your daughter knows your password! Well at least she used a picture of me from when I had hair! I'm afriad to think who my look alikes would be with my new hairdo!!!