Harried and Hurried

Special thanks to Sarah this week at Motherhood and Beyond for hosting In "other" Words.

“One reason we are so harried and hurried is that we make yesterday and tomorrow our business, when all that legitimately concerns us is today. If we really have too much to do, there are some items on the agenda which God did not put there. Let us submit the list to Him and ask Him to indicate which items we must delete. There is always time to do the will of God. If we are too busy to do that, we are too busy.”
~Elisabeth Elliott~

This quote really hit home with me this week. I love Christmas and the holidays. My house is decorated by Thanksgiving and it has become a tradition to turn the outside Christmas lights on Thanksgiving evening. I love the hustle and bustle of shopping, the crispness of the morning air, the decorations and all the activities that take place throughout the month of December.

The hectic schedule has already began to unfold in my life. Unfortunately I don't have a free evening this week! We met at the church last night with a host of volunteers and decorated the church. It looked so lovely when we finished. Friday evening is our annual Christmas social. Throughout this month there will be an open house at our home, a ladies Christmas tea, choir program, children's program and other holiday parties. In the midst of all those activities Christmas shopping must be finished, cookies must be baked, cards addressed and mailed and any additional holiday activities must somehow be squeezed into the already full schedule. Of course we still must juggle the routine household chores, work and church responsibilities into the days. Wow! That makes me tired just talking about all that must be done.

This is a season to be thankful for all of God's blessings and to also be reminded of the gift God gave to each of us. This is a time of year to give and to bless others as God has blessed us. It is so easy to be overwhelmed by all the demands of the holiday. Let's remember why we celebrate Christmas. Stress is certainly a large part of our lives as we struggle to cram everything into a short period of time. I refuse to focus on all that needs to be done each week which will only complicate my life more. My hubby is most likely facing surgery on his back in the next several weeks and I am not sure where that will put me regarding the activities of the church. My focus will be one day at a time. God knows what tomorrow holds for each of us. Worrying about tomorrow only brings more stress to our lives. Stress robs us spiritually and diverts our attention away from the things of God.

Many of us wear numerous hats and multi-task is a normal part of our vocabulary. This is a good month to take a step back, breath deep and seriously take inventory of our lives. Are there things which can be delegated to someone else? Can someone else help with the shopping or the baking or maybe even help clean our home for the holidays? We don't have to do everything and if we ask for help it certainly doesn't indicate we are less of a woman or have relinquished our super-woman title for the month. I certainly will not complain if someone offers to bake cookies for my family or help with other activities in the church.

Focus on today and prioritize your schedule. Make time for daily devotions and prayer. Even in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the holidays nothing is more important than our relationship with the Lord.

Blessings to you today!

What an amazing day!

Yesterday was absolutely awesome at Belvoir AG! I chauffeured my hubby to the church and unloaded him at the door. He stood the entire morning since sitting is totally out of the question, led worship from the keyboard standing and preached an incredible message. God was all over that place! I am still on a high today. We don't know what God is doing and don't understand why Bobby is going through all this pain and suffering with his back but we believe that God is preparing to do something great in our ministry.

Even in the midst of trials and suffering God expects us to step up to the plate and be all we can be for His kingdom. People are dying and going to hell all around us and there is no time to wimp out on God. If there was ever a time to be serious about the things of God it is definitely NOW.

My husband has been pacing the floor for hours each night for three weeks suffering with tremendous pain in his back. The only good thing about all of this is the fact that he is praying and talking to God FREQUENTLY. Although we don't always understand circumstances and situations in our lives we must trust in a God who has our best interest in mind. A God who loves us and cares deeply about us and our future.

Bobby has an appointment Wednesday with the spine surgeon. He has been taking steroids since last Monday. Honestly we have not seen any improvement in his condition. Unless God touches him in the next several days an operation is inevitable. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.

I could easily become very stressed about all of this. We are entering into one of the most busiest seasons of the year in our ministry. Our home is open throughout the holidays and entertaining is a priority. I love hosting parties and a holiday open house each December. At this point I am not certain if any of this is going to transpire this year. Our home is completely decorated both inside and out. My daughter and son-in-law were so gracious to help me finish this project. Tonight begins a very hectic schedule as we decorate the church. Friday evening is our church Christmas social. Oh 'tis the season to be jolly....................................

Thanks so much for your continued prayers. God is so good.

Blessings to you!

Visit with surgeon

Just a quick post to let everyone know that my husband had an appointment with the spine surgeon Monday. They have placed him on a steroid for one week. He has an appointment next Wednesday and if he has not shown any improvement they will schedule back surgery. I know my God is bigger than all this and He can heal. Please pray with me that God's will be done in this situation. My hubby needs relief from the pain in his back and leg. He has only been sleeping two hours at night and spends the rest of the night walking the floor due to the intense pain and praying. Praying isn't a bad thing but he truly is exhausted.

Thank you so much for your prayers and continued support. I love you guys more than you know.

Blessings to you!

Update

Just wanted to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who has been praying for my hubby. The doctor finally contacted him late Friday afternoon. The MRI showed a herniated disc which is pushing on two nerves in his back. The surgeon is concerned about the nerve closest to his spine. We have an early morning appointment with the surgeon Monday and surgery will most likely be next week. The doctor told him Friday that they feel this is "urgent surgery".

Please continue to lift him up in your prayers. We know God is still in control and feel confident that everything is going to be fine. We need to practice what we preach so many times to others. :-)

Blessings to each of you. You are absolutely incredible women and you will never know how encouraging your words have been to me throughout the past several weeks. I will keep you posted.

Thankful Thursday

The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!

Psalm 18:46

This past week has been extremely stressful and it would be easy to become a major cry baby due to the situation with my hubby. He injured his back several weeks ago and has been in extreme pain since last Tuesday evening. He cannot sit and can only lie down for short periods of time. He has been miserable and basically can do nothing. We have three little people with fur, a beta and two parakeets. Yes I guess you could say a mini petting zoo! Anyone who has animals knows that it requires much work and attention. My husband helps tremendously in our home or I would not be able to do everything that I do working 40+ hours weekly in addition to all my church responsibilities. Unfortunately this past week has stretched me just a little! But I am praising God this morning for He is magnificent and always encourages us even when our days are a bit challenging.

I am thankful today for my health. I believe we sometimes take that for granted when everything seems to be going well. I have seen my hubby suffer so much this week and I know how uncomfortable he is. When you are sick or in pain you are restricted. Praise God for His healing power.

I am thankful today for Thanksgiving. This is truly a month to recognize all that God has provided for us. We should be thankful daily for all that we have and for everything that God continues to do for us. So many folks are less fortunate.

I am thankful for my job. There are millions of people living in Northern Virginia and God gave me the opportunity to serve in this position. I have been working in the Potomac District Superintendent's office for 9 years. My former boss is also an Executive Presbyter of the AG. I am thankful for the opportunity that God afforded me to work for these two incredible leaders. I have grown tremendously professionally and spiritually from the knowledge of these great men.

I am thankful for Jericho. Jericho is our newly adopted 11 month old, 70 pound puppy, that now lives with us since our son Brandon and his wife Casey moved to MO. He is a wonderful dog. He loves us unconditionally and has brought so much life to our home.

I am thankful for God's incredible plan that continues to unfold in my life. He is so awesome and I love Him with every fiber of my being.

Blessings to each of you today. You are so special to God!

Thankful Thursday

My life dissolves and weeps itself away for heaviness; raise me up and strengthen me according to Your word. Remove from me the way of falsehood and unfaithfulness, and graciously impart Your law to me.

Psalm 119:28-29

Our body needs food and water in order to survive. Christians need to be strengthened from God on a daily basis. We need to saturate our minds with God's Word each day so that we can remain strong when we are faced with challenging situations we had not planned on.

Jesus expects us to develop stability in our lives by cultivating a deep relationship with Him through reading His Word and spending quality time in prayer. We will be strengthened and renewed when we exercise our faith in Christ and obediently respond to His will and not our own selfish agenda.

I am thankful for God's grace and mercy. He is such a forgiving God and I am a life transformed because of His love and forgiveness.

I am thankful for the seasons and God's paint brush. The fall colors are breathtaking as the trees transform in front of our eyes.

I am thankful for a church family who embraces my DH and I with love, prayer and respect.

I am thankful for a son and daughter who have committed their lives to Jesus Christ.

I am thankful for an incredible husband who loves God with his entire being, loves his family and treats me like a queen. We met in high school and celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary this summer. He is such a blessing to me and I thank God for him daily.

I am thankful for heat in our home! It was in the low 30's when I woke this morning.

I am thankful for what God is doing in my life and ministry. I have no idea what the future holds but I am confident in who holds my future.

Visit Crystal for more TT.

Blessings to each of you today!

Busy, busy, busy.........................

Busy week! My DH and I attended our second Church Life Cohort this week with Dr. Lee in Lutherville, MD. Instead of spending the night because of obligations at home, we traveled back and forth each day. Long days and challenging traffic on the beltway through rush hour. The training time was amazing! We are so excited to be part of this cohort and are looking forward to great things happening in our ministry.

I have not had an opportunity to blog since last week but plan to return Thursday. My DH injured his back four weeks ago and has been suffering terribly. We scheduled an appointment with his doctor today because the pain was unbearable. The past two days of sitting and traveling probably made matters worse. The doctor ordered an urgent MRI and prescribed a strong pain med. He will not be able to attend church this evening so I am going to teach for him. Life continues to be so busy.................................................

Please keep my husband in your prayers. God is the healer and I know He certainly can heal Bobby's back. He had back surgery 14 years ago and we are praying that this problem is not related to that same injury.

Blessings to each of you!