Prayer of Blessing

Oh my Chaddaseh, beautiful flower of my fields of glory. Don't you see how much I love you. I see the writings on your heart and I see the love you have for me, and also the fear you have when it comes to the things I've set aside for you in order to show you my glory

It's ok to not understand, and it's ok to stand back and ask if it is really me speaking. That's why I gave you the free will that you have...so you can come to me, ask me and see the realization of why I love you

Trust me, my Chaddaseh...I am calling you to something so much beyond what you know...a Pastor's Wife is a calling that I've given you, but you know that my anointing goes much deeper

You know that my love for you and trust in what you see and hear and know are much deeper

You may not know it all yet, but that's the fun in it all...

I get to watch as you grow, and learn...like a baby who learns to walk...I am there to grab you as you fall

and to hold you as you cry

As you look in the mirror, you know you see something growing in you...a ministry that is waiting to be birthed

Yes, it's the 9th month of this birthing process and though you aren't quite sure how to take it, I am giving you this special thing to care for

This ministry that only you can understand...that's why I have given it to YOU

I pruned you, Chaddaseh, in the garden of my glory that you would be ready for this

and I know that I made the right choice, because I made all that is good, says the Lord.

When Godly People Do Ungodly Things - Week 2

Yesterday was one of those really special Sundays. First of all, there were 9 in our Young Adult Bible study group, we had our first communion service in our new worship center, we enjoyed a church-wide picnic at the Garrett’s and we had an Easter Egg hunt for the kids. It was a gorgeous day, not too hot outside, and no mosquitoes.  As you can tell, Jack and I had some fun showing off and taking a photo opp on Lonnie Smith's motorcycle!

After the picnic I went home and took my final for the Leadership course and was so happy for it to be over! This course has been an especially challenging one for me and I am ready to move on after a much needed break for the next 2 weeks. Then last night our ladies enjoyed another wonderful time together sharing about how the Lord is working in our lives through the When Godly People … Bible study.

The title of this week’s session was God’s Permissive Will and here are just a few of the things we learned taken from my notes.

Psalm 51

Generous in love - God, give grace! Huge in mercy - wipe out my bad record. Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry. I know how bad I've been; my sins are staring me down.
You're the One I've violated, and you've seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil. You have all the facts before you; whatever you decide about me is fair.

God's love letter

Twice in the last couple of weeks I have had people tell me that when they tried to read the Bible they just opened it randomly and started reading wherever their eyes landed. They both reported that what they read either did not make sense to them or they didn't like what it said. I have heard this type of Bible reading referred to as the "lucky dip" method and there was a great story behind it which illustrated why using this method is not always the best idea. So I began to research online to see if could find the illustration. The following text is quoted from a website from the Middletown Bible Church, Middletown, Connecticut.