Psalm 90:17

"And may the Lord our God show us his approval
and make our efforts successful.
Yes, make our efforts successful!"
--Psalm 90:17 (NLT)

So many things have been going on in my life...

I never know which way God is going to lead me but the above is my prayer...
that God would approve...and that what I work for, would be to HIS glory and that He would make it successful. If not, then it is not worth striving for.

Be Strong and Courageous

So...what a week!!!

I endured a time change...with a positive attitude! I said it was an extra hour of daylight...which it was and I am grateful...but boy am I tired!

I started a new job! Went from 0 hours to over 40 on my feet all day...I am feeling it!

I endured hearing heartbreaking news from family and friends. Including arrests, deaths, and more than one marriage may be breaking up...

All of that plus personal issues and day to day life to deal with.

ABOVE ALL ELSE THOUGH...GOD IS SOOOO GOOD! And FAITHFUL!

He has given me strength and endurance to keep going and I am SO thankful!

One story, a Scripture, and then I am on my way again...

I went to a concert last night...Skillet (hard core man!), and Toby Mac...Such a PHENOMENAL show put on by some of the best Jesus Freaks out there!!!

Well, I went with two other gals...and we went hoping to buy tickets at the door. As we approached the ticket counter a man approached us and showed us 3 tickets. Before we could say anything he said, "You don't have to buy them." He threw them in my friend's hands and ran off...

All I had time to think was I need to THANK HIM!!!

So I chased him down to make sure I could, looked him in the eye and thanked him...later I thought...WHY DIDN'T I GET A PIC? I knew I would blog about it later! LOL...

So...we proceeded to our seats...and they were all of 50 feet from the stage!

And...of course it was the concert that I didn't bring my camera to! But...I got to enjoy the show and rock out for Jesus!

It doesn't require many words to tell you this was a GREAT encouragement to my soul this week!

The Scripture has been on my heart for a couple of weeks now and has come up in a sermon and a Bible study...it has gotten me through a LOT! The entire book of Joshua was a great read for me this week, but I will leave you with the following...

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go."
--Joshua 1:9, 16

Fab days...

I spent some fabulous days at home visiting many people last week...one day in particular, while at Starbucks...one of our favorite places to meet, I took some pics of my friend Kelli and her daughter...here are a few faves!

Purge!

Today, I went to lunch with a certain fabulous friend. And just for the record...I love conversations with her...and her smiling face!

Anyways...

I was telling her about how I got a new job (I start Monday) and how I needed a bunch of new clothes for the job because I haven't had to dress to the standards they set in my previous position. So...to figure out what I needed, I purged! I got rid of so many things, actually truth be told they are all still in garbage bags ready to be taken to Goodwill, but they are OUT of my closet! Once these things were gone, I was able to see more clearly what kind of clothing I would actually need, and which things I could put off buying until I get a paycheck or two in the bank!

She was telling me how in her life, she has had to reevaluate and change things up. She needed to stop being involved in certain areas so that she can have more time. She isn't sure what she needs the time for yet, but one thing is for sure...she is seeking to please God, and followed His lead in doing this. So, by being faithful to His will she will surely be able to evaluate what it is He wants!

Several times in Scripture we see where God has cities or individuals purge to make room for what it is He wants. The examples I found were mainly in the Old Testament.

Therefore the Lord, the LORD Almighty,
the Mighty One of Israel, declares:
"Ah, I will get relief from my foes
and avenge myself on my enemies.

I will turn my hand against you;
I will thoroughly purge away your dross
and remove all your impurities.

I will restore your judges as in days of old,
your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward you will be called
the City of Righteousness,
the Faithful City.

--Isaiah 1:24-26

In this passage, it says, " I will thoroughly purge away your dross
and remove all your impurities."

This shows that before God could make them into the city worthy of His calling, He had to rid them of everything that was holding them back.

What can you purge in your life, to become more of who God has called you to be?

Contrary to Popular Belief...

Contrary to popular belief in America these days...It is NOT about YOU!

Now, I can say this because it is a struggle for me to overcome as much as anyone else.

Daily, in this country we are made to believe that it IS indeed about us. We are bombarded with media and imagery and radio and literature that all points to one thing...satisfying ourselves.

I often take notice of these things easily in what you could call the "secular world". I notice magazines such as Cosmo, Vogue, Sports Illustrated, etc. all vying for our attention and wanting to make us believe that if we could obtain all the things they say are important, then we will be happy. The same thing with TV. Shows showing the houses of the stars, The Biggest Loser, The Bachelor, and many others, lead us to believe that the things to obtain are physical perfection, a big house, the perfect companion...they want us to believe these things will make us happy.

Now, I can handle the "secular world" putting these ideas out there. What I despise seeing is those who claim to be Christian telling us that self fulfillment is the answer...or that by improving ourselves, we will be happy. It is simply NOT true. Take a look at the following picture that I took on my cell phone in a certain Christian bookstore...



I don't know if you can see the titles to all of these books but the majority of them have the words You, Your, and ME...

My point in writing this is that we need to be intentional about guarding our hearts and minds.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." --Philippians 4:6-7

In reading this I have another thought. In verse 6...the things we are generally anxious about are the things we are seeking to obtain. Are you seeking to obtain a richer life in Christ? Or something that you think will fulfill yourself?

Let God's peace guard your heart and mind...There is nothing more fulfilling!

Passing the Staff

I am 31 years old and have never been a member of a church other than 1st Church of Christ in my hometown. I have never known another Spiritual leader for our church than LD Campbell. I have grown to know this place as my home, the hustle and bustle of the people that attend there, the ins and outs of how that building runs, and one thing I LOVE...is LD's laugh! I love to be sitting in the cafe area, reading, talking to someone, whatever, and to hear LD laughing it up with someone!

LD loves his family, the his flock (the family at 1st church), the Wildcats, and most of all Jesus Christ...and when I think of him I think of the things that HE SAID are important to him...

He is a man of integrity and a man who follows through and FINISHES WELL.

I am so thankful for the Godly man that has led the church I have been a part of for 30 years! I don't have many words to describe the feelings I had on Saturday night as he passed the staff onto our new Shepard, Greg Marksberry...so...I will post pictures...and expand here and there!LD preaching...Love his face here! Typical LD!


The shepard preparing to pass the staff onto the new shepard...I LOVE this shot...the depth of emotion in his face makes me tear up!

I LOVE the look of respect and understanding that Greg is giving LD...enough said!



Now...I will say that even tough I am so sad to see LD moving forward in a different direction...I am SOOO EXCITED to see how Greg is going to strengthen and mold 1st Church in the coming years! My favorite things about him during this service were the respect and emotion that he wore on his sleeve. That was important for me to see because I know that he takes this change so seriously and will do his best to honor God with the future of 1st church. My 2nd favorite... was the following...




I LOVE that he loves his wife and displayed that so openly!!!

I LOVE that he told LD, "The shepard loves his flock, but the flock also loves their shepard!" WAAAH!!!

I love that LD said he isn't leaving his shoes for Greg to fill...Greg has to bring his own!!! HA!

I love that they are both God fearing, God following men!

May God bless the adventure both of their families are on right now! They are entering new territory and I can't wait to see how God uses each of them!





Welcome Greg!