Excited!

Brandon and Casey have been at Pine Creek Camp this week located in the mountains of VA. This is the second week of youth camp in the Potomac District and Brandon was the speaker this week. Casey worked with the youth in the sports events. They are leaving this afternoon to for an 18 hour trip back to Evangel University in Springfield, MO.


I have been hearing bits and pieces all week about the tremendous services and powerful move of God this week at camp. Bobby and I are meeting Brandon and Casey and Adam (Casey's brother who is also ministering with them) in Winchester this afternoon for lunch before they begin their trip home. I am so excited to hear more about what God was up to this week. They will be returning to Northern Virginia mid July. Brandon will be speaking in a 3 day revival at one of the local AG churches. He has a few other services booked as well while they are in the area. http://www.brandonshank.com/


Family Camp is just around the corner in the Potomac District. Bobby and Brandon will be speaking Monday, July 21st. Our superintendent is attempting something different and very unique this year using Father's and Son's, mentors and mentee's, who are currently in ministry. The theme is Empowering Future Generations. I will direct our choir, Voices of Inspiration, and we will also lead praise and worship that evening. It is going to be an awesome time in the Lord! Good ole' camp meeting services!! Bring down the rain Lord!


Have an incredible weekend!


Blessings and love.........

Fault Lines

I meet with my Life Coaching Mentoring Group this evening. We are working through two incredible books, Hand Me Another Brick by Charles R. Swindoll and Having a Mary Spirit by Joanna Weaver. I want to share part of my lesson from the book Having a Mary Spirit. Incredible!

Sin crouches at our doors, looking for fault lines, searching for a point of entry into our hearts and souls. Which is why it's so important to allow God to expose and confront the cracks in our characters.

Jesus often did this kind of work in the New Testament. When He pointed out flaws in people He met. He wasn't trying to humiliate them. He wanted to alert them to danger and point the way toward their healing.

To the Pharisees intent on appearing religious, Jesus pointed out the fault line of hypocrisy.

To the rich young ruler requesting the way to heaven, Jesus exposed the dangerous tendency of loving money more than God.

And that day in Bethany when Martha came whining to Jesus demanding assistance, it wasn't insensitivity that caused Jesus to rebuke her (Luke 10:38-42). He knew the last thing Martha needed at that moment was more help in the kitchen. What she really needed was to recognize the fault line in her soul.

"Martha, Martha," He told her gently, "You are worried and upset about many things" (verse 41). With those words, Jesus pointed to a weak spot in her psyche - her anxiety, her need to succeed, and the fear of failure which fed a demanding spirit.

Whether it is resentful anger like Cain's, a Pharisee's need to appear successful, a young ruler's passion for possessions, or a Marthalike pursuit of perfection - we all have fault lines, core issues that fuel our desires and shape our actions. And when we give in to our natural impulses and go against God's ways, we may get what we want but lose what we need most.

An awareness of God's presence.

His blessing on our lives.

Wow! What a powerful word! I could elaborate so much more on this topic but for lack of time I will keep my comments brief.

God has such an awesome plan for our lives. As long as we remain humble and not prideful He can and will reveal our "fault lines". The problem arises when we begin to think "we" are doing awesome things for the Kingdom and fail to see that God is merely using this vessel to accomplish His work. God completely equips when He calls. "Fault lines" are certainly a part of the process as we press forward for Christ but I am thankful today that He can repair the cracks in my wall.

Blessings to you!

The Value of True Friendship

Last evening I met with one of my mentorship groups. These are a great group of ladies who I sincerely appreciate. It was a very late evening but extremely valuable. Friendships are absolutely priceless and can add so much into our lives if we are willing to invest time into the relationships.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (New International Version) Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

The writer of Ecclesiastes wants us to understand that friendship is a good investment. When the author says in verse nine, "Two are better than one, because they have good reward for their labor" the words "good reward" can also be translated "good return" for it means - dividends paid on a wise investment. The very best investment you will ever make in life will not be a financial one, but rather the investment made in relationships. We will get the best return on that investment over any other investment that we will ever make. As we go through life there are two kinds of things we can give our lives to. Some people try to accumulate possessions. They are constantly trying to get more or better stuff. It is attributed to the late Malcolm Forbes to have said, "He who dies with most toys wins." However, since he has died, he knows that not to be true. If we spend all our lives trying to accumulate more and more possessions, we will never truly be happy and fulfilled. On the other hand we can decide to focus on building relationships, trying to make friends and BE A FRIEND.

Let's look at a few characteristics of a true friendship:

1. ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17 (NIV) Each of us has experienced times in our lives when life throws obstacles in our paths. It is during these times that we need true friends. True friends will encourage and support each other in the midst of storms. True friends offer emotional strength. True friends will encourage and help us do what we have to do by supporting us in the midst of it all.

A young boy was sent to the corner store by his mother to buy a loaf of bread. He was gone much longer than it should have taken him. When he finally returned, his mother asked, "Where have you been? I have been worried sick about you."

"Well," he answered, "there was a little boy by the side of the road with a broken bicycle who was crying so I stopped to help him."

"I didn't know you knew anything about fixing bikes," his mother said. "I don't," he replied. "I just stayed there and cried with him."

Encouragement means coming alongside to impart courage to another. This is what a true friend does for us when we find ourselves facing things that we have to go through. They come alongside us to lend support. A true friend encourages you. A true friend exhorts you. A true friend will help you do what you ought to do. A true friend seeks to bring your strength.

2. PICK YOUR FRIENDS UP WHEN THEY FALL. Verse 10 - "If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no none to help him up!" "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." (Proverbs 17:17)

We're the only outfit I know that shoots its wounded. We can become the most severe, condemning, judgmental, guilt-giving people on the face of the planet Earth, and we claim it's in the name of Jesus Christ. And all the while, we don't even know we're doing it. That's the pathetic part of it all." (Leadership, Vol. 4, no. 1)

Let your friends know loud and clear that you are there for them! The next time it may be you in that situation. A true friend does not act like a judge when another friend makes very poor choices. Although we should never support their bad choices, we also need to express God's love to them and encourage them as they pull their life back together. Many people will criticize them and most likely condemn your decision to support this individual. Don't be intimidated by those who refuse to forgive.

3. A TRUE FRIEND EMPOWERS YOU. A true friend will help you do what you need to do. They will seek to bring success to you.

We all have things in our lives that need to be addressed in order that we might be the success that God has in mind for us to be. Often, it will involve life change or character development. A true friend will help us. A true friend expresses honesty and constructive criticism to help refine us.

Jesus spent leisure and ministry time with the disciples so they could have a transparent relationship. Jesus impressed even Simon the Pharisee when He was willing to go to his house and dine with him. Christ's willingness to meet people on their home court proved to be a most effective teaching lab.

Jesus refused to give up on His friends. He asked Peter three times if he loved Him. Each time Peter meekly said, "Lord, you know that I have a brotherly affection for you (he could not bring himself to say that he loved Jesus in the sense that Jesus loved him)." John 21:15-17 Jesus' relationship with His disciples was based on an intimate knowledge of each person's strengths and weaknesses.

To have true friends in our lives we need to be a true friend. Dear Lord, I pray today that you will help me to be transparent, loving and forgiving. Help me Lord to be the true friend I need to be to those around me. Help me God to search my heart daily and get rid of any criticism or bitterness I might have for anyone in my life. Help me God to be the true friend I want from others. Help me to be patient as these friendships are cultivated in my life.

Blessings friends!

Critical Spirit or Constructive Criticism

Guilty as sin! We as a society tend to judge, analyze, and evaluate various things. We can give a movie two thumbs up or two thumbs down. We can evaluate a person's attractiveness on a scale of one to ten. We also tend to make judgments about people. Is this being done with a critical spirit or a merciful spirit?


As much as 77% of everything we think is negative and counterproductive and works against us. People who grow up in an average household hear "No" or are told what they can't do more than 148,000 times by the time they reach age 18. Result: Unintentional negative programming. Shad Helmstetter in Homemade, Jan. , 1987.


A "critical spirit" is an obsessive attitude of criticism and fault-finding, which seeks to tear others down - not the same thing as what is sometimes called "constructive criticism". The only criticism that is ever constructive is that which is expressed in love to "build up", not to tear down. Constructive criticism is always expressed face-to-face, never behind a person's back. The person who demonstrates a critical spirit usually dwells on the negative, seeks for flaws, rather than good.


A critical spirit is destructive and harmful to our walk, witness, and our world. An unforgiving, unloving, and critical attitude toward another person will hinder our relationship with Christ. When we exercise a critical spirit, it is extremely harmful to our witness because the world is watching and listening to us. They will never be convinced that we serve a God of love, mercy, kindness and forgiveness. We must exhibit those traits in our lives if we are trying to reflect godliness in our character. A critical tongue causes damage and dissension within marriages, churches and workplaces and families. We ought to examine ourselves first before criticizing others.


As Christians, we must avoid the sin of being critical. We tend to speak destructive criticism in very subtle ways. We grumble, we complain, we become sarcastic. We talk about what we should have all the time. We talk about what someone else has that we don't have. When we talk in such negative ways, we run the risk of becoming more destructive in our relationships. We hurt and offend people that we love. When we talk critically all the time, we will hurt someone else. In the New Testament, it is called "judging one another". Friends, don't complain about each other. A far greater complaint could be lodged against you, you know. The Judge is standing just around the corner. James 5:9 (The Message)


Four ways to overcome a critical spirit are:
1. Stop walking through life like a whiner.
2. Work to see the positive in each situation and each person.
3. Trust that God wants to help you to overcome your critical behavior.
4. Teach others to be encouraging.


Make an effort to stop criticizing. Actually count how often you criticize your spouse, your children, your friends, your church, your leaders. You may be surprised to see how often you complain and grumble. Stop it for a week. See how much better your relationships will improve because you made a concerted effort to hold your tongue. Then for each time you wanted to say something negative or critical, speak something encouraging. Edify others. Don't tear them down.


Matthew 7, A Simple Guide for Behavior 1-5 "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor (The Message).


Is there anyone in your life that you have judged wrongly? Ask God to forgive you today for the negative thoughts you have toward this individual. Even if this person has sinned we are not their judge. That is between them and God. We must concentrate on our relationship with the Lord. If you have ill feelings toward this person seek God today and ask Him to fill your heart with forgiveness and mercy for this person. Pray for the Holy Spirit to saturate your heart and mind today with love and understanding.


Blessings!

Thorns

What is a thorn? The American Heritage Dictionary says that a thorn is a modified branch in the form of a sharp, woody spine. It can cause sharp pain, irritation, or discomfort.


How many of you have ever been struck by a thorn? We have an arbor at the end of our patio as you step out into our lawn. I had this magnificent idea to plant climbing rose bushes around this arbor so we would have beautiful flowers blooming all summer. The first summer they were absolutely beautiful. Brandon was married that summer and the rose bush was in full bloom that weekend. It was lovely for our outdoor parties prior to his wedding. That seemed to be a short lived experience. Since then we were lucky to have six blooms all summer. Last week I decided to dig up the rose bushes and try something else. Even equipped with garden gloves that thing got me again, again and again!!!! Prickly thorns in the flesh are very painful!


Did you know that people can also be a thorn? Have you ever said that so and so is a "thorn" (or maybe the entire rose bush!) in my side or somewhere else? Why do we say this about people? We say this about some people because they simply irritate us. These people may criticize us, talk about us, make life difficult for us, cause problems for us and our families, or even try to disgrace us in some manner. In other words, they make our lives miserable, exasperating, infuriating, maddening, annoying and we don't like it.


We all have thorns in our lives. Many people have faced the thorns and made them roses. Thorns can also be the form of sickness, such as cancer, leukemia, diabetes, heart attack, or stroke. We can have thorns that incapacitate us: loss of a limb (hand, foot, leg, arm, finger(s), or toe(s). We can have the thorn of blindness or deafness. The thorn of paralysis, paraplegia or quadriplegia. Some thorns in life are easier to cope with than others. Thorns can bring about positive or negative changes in our lives.


"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me" (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).


The thorn Paul spoke of was not a rose thorn but a stake capable of impaling flesh. We are given no specifics about this physical thorn. Its purpose was to humble, not humiliate him. A thorn is something we cannot pull out on our own. It is painful and invasive. It may involve the body, emotions, will, or intellect - any harmful invasion of life. Such thorns are messengers from Satan. They have the power to destroy our trust in God and render our service ineffective. They have power to embitter, to cause us to be unforgiving, resentful, and ungrateful. Thorns torment and buffet believers. This is a strong word that means being boxed around or beaten with fists.


Paul prayed three times that God would take away this painful thorn. He received two answers, First, "My grace is sufficient," Paul's suffering was neither over, nor would it be short. Second, "My power is made perfect in weakness." In My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers wrote, "If we are ever going to be made into wine, we will have to be crushed - you cannot drink grapes. Grapes become wine only when they have been squeezed" (Chambers 1992, Sept. 30).


Paul told the Ephesian elders: "In every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me: (Acts 20:23). Have we rejected the idea that the perfect will of God for our lives may involve hardship?


The thorns of life are many, but the grace of God is sufficient in our weakness.


Blessings friends!

A Hardened Heart

Thank you for your prayers for Victoria. She is doing much better today!

What do you think of when someone says to you that so and so has a hardened heart? Instantly I think of someone who is hardened to the Word of God. We had this discussion today in devotions at the office and it was very thought provoking.


Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood9d about the loaves, their hearts were hardened Mark 6:50-52.


Now the disciples had just experienced a miracle when Jesus fed five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish. They not only experienced the miracle but were actually participants because they served the food that God had multiplied to this massive crowd of people. Afterwards the Bible says that the disciples picked up twelve basketful's of broken pieces of bread and fish. WOW! The scripture says that immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida while he dismissed the crowd.


As the disciples are in the boat in the middle of the lake Jesus approaches them and scares them to death! They were terrified because they thought he was a ghost. These are the twelve men who were with Jesus all the time. The men who were the closest to him experiencing miracle after miracle but it appears they just didn't get it.


The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. "Be careful," Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod." They discussed this with one another and said, "It is because we have no bread." Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketful's of pieces did you pick up?" Mark 8: 19.


These men walked with Jesus and apparently there were times when they seemed to forget what he had done. Aren't we like that as well? God performs incredible miracles in our lives but many times we tend to forget what he has done when another storm comes pounding at our door. Does having a hardened heart in these scriptures mean lack of faith? Do we only exhibit a tremendous amount of faith when God performs the miracle? Do we have eyes but cannot see? Do we have ears but cannot hear?


The disciples had not only seen one recent miracle when Jesus fed the five thousand but now he had just fed another four thousand and these men appeared to have a lack of faith.


Many times I believe in my own life that I am distracted by the problem in my own life at that particular moment and I fail to remember all the times God has taken care of me. God is able in any situation but often we tend to act just like the disciples. We tend to demonstrate hardened hearts of unbelief or exhibit a lack of faith when miracles do occur around us.


Blessings!

The Three Little Pigs

I have really missed blogging. Life seems to be a little hectic and it has been very difficult finding the time to do what I love so much.


Victoria is still sick. Luke is doing much better but Brooke took Victoria to the doctor again yesterday. She has been sick since Wednesday with throwing up and diarrhea. They continue to say that she has a virus and she should improve by Thursday or Friday. She has lost 1.5 pounds since Thursday. This is so traumatic for a little girl who isn't even two years old. We are very concerned about her. Thank you for your prayers and please continue to cover her in your prayers.


I have been reading a book, Hand Me Another Brick by Charles Swindoll for my Life Coaching Mentorship Group. It is an awesome book about effective leadership using Nehemiah's legendary leadership as a model. One of the illustrations from the book uses the story, The Three Little Pigs. The wolf blew down the homes of the first two little pigs, but the third little pig had prepared well. His planning and perseverance was profitable. He not only was able to save himself, but he also provided protection for his brothers who lost their homes due to poor construction. They had used weak materials when constructing their homes.


The book uses this illustration to ask questions about an individuals leadership qualities. If you are building your leadership qualities with hay and twigs of worldly strategies you are most likely experiencing leadership principles that continue to collapse with the slightest wind change. I would like to compare this to the depth of our relationship with Christ.


If our relationship with Christ has been built with hay and stubble, microwave prayers and skimpy reading schedules from God's Word, we can certainly expect our relationship with the Lord to come crashing down when the storms blow. We need to build a solid rock foundation of Jesus Christ to withstand the garbage that rolls into our lives.


I pray your house is solid today. The toughness of the circumstances creates new "stretch" in our experience. Houses built on a strong foundation of Christ will definitely withstand the storms no matter how hard the big bad wolf blows!



Blessings and love to you.

Comfort

The weather in Virginia has been horrible this week.

Bobby and I attended a viewing Tuesday in the dark! Because of storms the funeral home had lost their power. When we arrived the place was crowded and very warm. Someone was standing at the guest book with a flashlight to navigate those who chose to sign the book. The casket had been located close to a window so the body could be viewed. Candles were lit and placed throughout the room. In all the years of our ministry we had never encountered such an experience.

Storms were reported all over Virginia today from mid-afternoon into the evening. There were some reported tornadoes and excessive storm damage. When we arrived at our church for the evening service we discovered there was no electricity. Many families in our church are without power. Obviously we had no choice but to cancel services and choir practice last night due to the lack of lights and potty!


Brooke, our daughter, called as we were heading home and asked me to come to her house and help her with our grandson who was sick with a stomach bug. Shortly after I arrived my grand-daughter also became ill. Grammy spent the night. My prayer today is that Brooke and I do not also become ill. I left her home this morning at 5:00 to go home and get ready for work. Please pray for Luke and Victoria today that God will touch them. Luke was doing better this morning but Victoria is still dealing with issues from this virus.


When we are sick we seek comfort. My grandchildren needed comfort last night and reassurance that everything was going to be OK. Brooke needed comfort and encouragement from Mom as she dealt with two very sick children. How many times should you and I seek God for comfort when life is a little bumpy but instead we choose to ride out the storm on our own?


If you are in the midst of a storm this week, seek the One who will bring you peace. Comfort is immediately available to us if we simply ask. Our Heavenly Father is waiting with outstretched arms.


Blessings to you today!

Awesome Sunday

We were so blessed to have Alicia Britt Chole as our guest Sunday morning at church. She was incredible and truly touched our hearts. What a powerful woman of God. It was obvious that God's sweet anointing and presence permeates her life. What a service!

My hubby continued his study on the teaching of The Holy Spirit last night. We had awesome connecting time with God at the altar. No matter how close you walk with the Lord there is something very special about being at an altar surrounded by the congregation seeking God's face in one accord. It feels so refreshing and so vibrant. It is like a breath of fresh air.

In order for God to do great things in our churches it must start in each of our hearts. Bobby spoke these words last night and it is so true. I think many times we become comfortable and somewhat lazy and simply "hang out" in the pews waiting for God to do this spectacular thing. But if we are not seeking and anticipating something awesome, how will we even know if something incredible is happening? If we allow ourselves to be so taken in by all the distractions of this world, we could miss the awesomeness of His presence when it does happen. The excitement and stirring must first start in us. If we are too busy and too preoccupied to allow room for His existence how can we expect the church to experience His power and presence?

I am looking forward to our monthly prayer time this evening at church. I am excited about what God is doing in the lives of those who have made this time a priority in their lives.

Blessings as you seek His face!

Great Weekend

It has been a great weekend! Very relaxing which is truly a rare experience in our home.

We are privileged to have Alicia Britt Chole as our speaker this morning at church. I am excited! I definitely am going to request a signed copy of her book, Anonymous.

Have a blessed day!