I used to despise Mondays. I don't anymore. They are days for reflection and quiet prayer... reviewing yesterday and thanking God for how He does what He does and for who He is.... and thanking Him for the people He allows me to serve with.
Hope your Monday is going well!!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Blogback-
Is that a word? If it isn't, I just coined it. Back in the blogging business...
It is interesting to me that the first blog I posted here in 2007 was on 2 Peter. The devotion is from the next book, 1 John. Crazy coincidence? Nahhh....
SO, here is the first part of the new old blog..
On living deeply-
I have been neck-deep in some awesome things lately. Do you ever go through phases like that? It seems that in my own life , I go through dry, thirsty phases where it’s the same routine…. I know God is working things out but it either vaguely makes me aware of Him, or I have to purposely step myself into something where I see Him moving, in order to get near Him. Other times, God just seems to plop down right in the middle of all my “stuff” ( yeah, none of it is actually MY stuff anyway, right?) and says “Hey, come on go with ME!” It is in these times that I usually find myself “neck-deep” in the things of the Lord, and nothing makes me feel more complete.
I don’t ever propose to understand the way God works, but I do sometimes notice “cyclic” sorts of patterns in my own faith walk. BIG highs with Him, rest times…that sometimes end up headed toward distraction and being sucked up into the “world” and its stress and worries…. and if I let myself stay in that place too long, He gets things stirring again. Dry phase. Shallow prayer time, confusion, shallow preparation and worship time. …. But then… seeking God phase, crying out to Him for help, direction, and once He is pleased with the development of my heart- WHAMMO!!! We are off on some “adventure” that I never could have conjured up myself. I LOVE this about my Father!!!! In fact, each time it happens, I fall even more deeply head over heels in love with Him, and completely amazed at how He loves His children!
OK so, right now in this moment, I have been through a recent dry, painful pruning time, but a God- seeking, soul searching and growing phase is in progress, and now I find myself deeply involved with following His lead and holding His hand..and hearing His heart speak to mine very clearly through His word. Scripture is very “alive” to me right now… it seems every passage I spend any time with all has such clarity for me, and insight and wisdom. ( I can be a little dense at times in my understanding, so this is HUGE for me!) I am so grateful for how He teaches me, and moves my heart to sync it up with His own.
I John 2:28 says “And now, children, stay with Christ. Live deeply in Christ. Then we'll be ready for him when he appears, ready to receive him with open arms, with no cause for red-faced guilt or lame excuses when he arrives.” As I was reading this passage over and over, it occurred to me ( again, but with new insight) that , as His children, we each have a choice. 1- Do we continually allow the world to be what consumes us? Do we let stress swallow us whole, and get our hearts so focused on everything that will weight us down and eventually turn us away from Christ? OR… do we choose to live “deeply” in Him? Do we quickly get on our knees, confess sin, soak up His word and abide in His peace? Do we settle for living deeply in the world, with all its shallow promises , frustrations and disappointment- or do we want to strive to live deeply in the things of Jesus, and really LIVE? Why does it take me so long each time I re-learn this, to get “there”??
Webster’s dictionary gives this as a definition for “deep”: “extending far downward from a surface area- as to even penetrate.” As I was thinking about this … I realized that the world’s offerings, and its stresses and distractions are not only temporary, but they are also superficial. They are not only consuming if we allow them to be that, but they are also only meant for the surface of our lives. Not the deep, insides of us… and certainly not meant to affect (or penetrate) our hearts. That’s why, when we live for the world, when we become overwhelmed by stress, worries, or desires for worldly things, it gets harder and harder for our hearts to turn back to Jesus- we have let something affect those deep places within us that are only meant for Him.
The last thing I want to do is have to give “lame excuses” to my Father for why I was so distracted from His plans and His heart during my short time on earth. I want to be ready… joyfully ready.
Father, it’s hard to be consistent in our walks. Life does stress us out sometimes. It’s full of craziness, pain, and responsibilities that we are afraid we cannot live up to. There are people who are depending on us for everything from emotional support, to keeping a roof over their heads- and sometimes it is just overwhelming. But, Lord, Your word promises us that if we will put you first, You will meet our needs. If we depend on You, You will supply everything for us. If we turn our hearts toward You, and stay diligent and tender toward You, You will lead, guide and direct us along the path You have chosen for us. Help us to live deeply in You, Lord. Help us to seek You, to learn Your word, and to thank You for how You love and care for us. Protect us from the distractions of the world, and lead us into Your will.
In Christ’s precious and Holy name-
Amen.
It is interesting to me that the first blog I posted here in 2007 was on 2 Peter. The devotion is from the next book, 1 John. Crazy coincidence? Nahhh....
SO, here is the first part of the new old blog..
On living deeply-
I have been neck-deep in some awesome things lately. Do you ever go through phases like that? It seems that in my own life , I go through dry, thirsty phases where it’s the same routine…. I know God is working things out but it either vaguely makes me aware of Him, or I have to purposely step myself into something where I see Him moving, in order to get near Him. Other times, God just seems to plop down right in the middle of all my “stuff” ( yeah, none of it is actually MY stuff anyway, right?) and says “Hey, come on go with ME!” It is in these times that I usually find myself “neck-deep” in the things of the Lord, and nothing makes me feel more complete.
I don’t ever propose to understand the way God works, but I do sometimes notice “cyclic” sorts of patterns in my own faith walk. BIG highs with Him, rest times…that sometimes end up headed toward distraction and being sucked up into the “world” and its stress and worries…. and if I let myself stay in that place too long, He gets things stirring again. Dry phase. Shallow prayer time, confusion, shallow preparation and worship time. …. But then… seeking God phase, crying out to Him for help, direction, and once He is pleased with the development of my heart- WHAMMO!!! We are off on some “adventure” that I never could have conjured up myself. I LOVE this about my Father!!!! In fact, each time it happens, I fall even more deeply head over heels in love with Him, and completely amazed at how He loves His children!
OK so, right now in this moment, I have been through a recent dry, painful pruning time, but a God- seeking, soul searching and growing phase is in progress, and now I find myself deeply involved with following His lead and holding His hand..and hearing His heart speak to mine very clearly through His word. Scripture is very “alive” to me right now… it seems every passage I spend any time with all has such clarity for me, and insight and wisdom. ( I can be a little dense at times in my understanding, so this is HUGE for me!) I am so grateful for how He teaches me, and moves my heart to sync it up with His own.
I John 2:28 says “And now, children, stay with Christ. Live deeply in Christ. Then we'll be ready for him when he appears, ready to receive him with open arms, with no cause for red-faced guilt or lame excuses when he arrives.” As I was reading this passage over and over, it occurred to me ( again, but with new insight) that , as His children, we each have a choice. 1- Do we continually allow the world to be what consumes us? Do we let stress swallow us whole, and get our hearts so focused on everything that will weight us down and eventually turn us away from Christ? OR… do we choose to live “deeply” in Him? Do we quickly get on our knees, confess sin, soak up His word and abide in His peace? Do we settle for living deeply in the world, with all its shallow promises , frustrations and disappointment- or do we want to strive to live deeply in the things of Jesus, and really LIVE? Why does it take me so long each time I re-learn this, to get “there”??
Webster’s dictionary gives this as a definition for “deep”: “extending far downward from a surface area- as to even penetrate.” As I was thinking about this … I realized that the world’s offerings, and its stresses and distractions are not only temporary, but they are also superficial. They are not only consuming if we allow them to be that, but they are also only meant for the surface of our lives. Not the deep, insides of us… and certainly not meant to affect (or penetrate) our hearts. That’s why, when we live for the world, when we become overwhelmed by stress, worries, or desires for worldly things, it gets harder and harder for our hearts to turn back to Jesus- we have let something affect those deep places within us that are only meant for Him.
The last thing I want to do is have to give “lame excuses” to my Father for why I was so distracted from His plans and His heart during my short time on earth. I want to be ready… joyfully ready.
Father, it’s hard to be consistent in our walks. Life does stress us out sometimes. It’s full of craziness, pain, and responsibilities that we are afraid we cannot live up to. There are people who are depending on us for everything from emotional support, to keeping a roof over their heads- and sometimes it is just overwhelming. But, Lord, Your word promises us that if we will put you first, You will meet our needs. If we depend on You, You will supply everything for us. If we turn our hearts toward You, and stay diligent and tender toward You, You will lead, guide and direct us along the path You have chosen for us. Help us to live deeply in You, Lord. Help us to seek You, to learn Your word, and to thank You for how You love and care for us. Protect us from the distractions of the world, and lead us into Your will.
In Christ’s precious and Holy name-
Amen.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
2 Peter 1:2 and 3...
This is a devotion I wrote for the worship team this week. For some reason, I think God wants me to put it here, as well.
2 Peter 1:2-3 (New Living Translation):
2 May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.
3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.
I have come to associate the term “growing in my faith” with “ challenge”. I used to think that I would grow in my faith when I really began studying the Bible. This was a great first step.. followed by a bunch more baby first steps.
I learned that in service I grew a great deal more.. and that actually applying God’s word encouraged real development of my heart. I learned to expect the feeling of being stretched and pulled as I learned about serving God instead of man, and learning that God calls us to joyful service, not “ Oh, Ok I guess I’ll do it”. God changed my attitude from one who looks for reasons or excuses not to serve, to one who said “ Whatever it takes, God.. whatever it takes.” For reasons unknown to myself, but known , I imagine, to my Father, I ended up being “in ministry”. My real growth had begun. And so had my challenges. Yay!
This brings me to why this verse is special to me. I learned recently that even" good southern women" who earnestly love Jesus and want to serve with all their hearts, can run out of manners. I am a person who is usually quick in the “giving grace” department. By nature. It is something I didn't have to try all that hard to do, mostly. This also means it was an area I tended to slack in when I prayed. Why bother asking God for one more thing when it was already sort of easy? ( Now, this makes me laugh at how obnoxious I really can be sometimes! Time to get really REAL here..)
Long story short, God will bring us to the end of ourselves just to teach us how much we need Him. He used some huge challenges, back to back, layered one on top of the other, with no break.. like waves- to bring me to a point where I was out of gas.. and out of grace. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that while I have limits ( OH boy do I have limits) , God does not. When I feel all used up, He is just getting started!! The more I learn, the less I know.. and He likes it that way because it keeps me seeking Him. As I know Him more, however, I learn to ask for what I need. He promises us grace. He promises us everything we need to live a godly life. He promises MORE and MORE grace and peace, usually as we end up having NONE of that on our own power.
I am thankful tonight for a divine God who knows just what we need , how to give it to us, and how to teach us through challenges - how to call on Him. That is how much He loves us.
2 Peter 1:2-3 (New Living Translation):
2 May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.
3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.
I have come to associate the term “growing in my faith” with “ challenge”. I used to think that I would grow in my faith when I really began studying the Bible. This was a great first step.. followed by a bunch more baby first steps.
I learned that in service I grew a great deal more.. and that actually applying God’s word encouraged real development of my heart. I learned to expect the feeling of being stretched and pulled as I learned about serving God instead of man, and learning that God calls us to joyful service, not “ Oh, Ok I guess I’ll do it”. God changed my attitude from one who looks for reasons or excuses not to serve, to one who said “ Whatever it takes, God.. whatever it takes.” For reasons unknown to myself, but known , I imagine, to my Father, I ended up being “in ministry”. My real growth had begun. And so had my challenges. Yay!
This brings me to why this verse is special to me. I learned recently that even" good southern women" who earnestly love Jesus and want to serve with all their hearts, can run out of manners. I am a person who is usually quick in the “giving grace” department. By nature. It is something I didn't have to try all that hard to do, mostly. This also means it was an area I tended to slack in when I prayed. Why bother asking God for one more thing when it was already sort of easy? ( Now, this makes me laugh at how obnoxious I really can be sometimes! Time to get really REAL here..)
Long story short, God will bring us to the end of ourselves just to teach us how much we need Him. He used some huge challenges, back to back, layered one on top of the other, with no break.. like waves- to bring me to a point where I was out of gas.. and out of grace. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that while I have limits ( OH boy do I have limits) , God does not. When I feel all used up, He is just getting started!! The more I learn, the less I know.. and He likes it that way because it keeps me seeking Him. As I know Him more, however, I learn to ask for what I need. He promises us grace. He promises us everything we need to live a godly life. He promises MORE and MORE grace and peace, usually as we end up having NONE of that on our own power.
I am thankful tonight for a divine God who knows just what we need , how to give it to us, and how to teach us through challenges - how to call on Him. That is how much He loves us.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
The opposite game, God-style..
I just finished reading " Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell. If you have not read this book yet.. please please go get it and read it. He is a "deep thinking kinda guy".. and he refuses the idea of a small powerless "boxed up god" that is only a part of our lives when we are doing church stuff- and the way he looks at the things of God will change your perspective for the better. Just get the book and read it!
For some reason, reading his book has set off a cycle of thoughts in my own mind and heart about my God. People ask all the time " why does this happen, or that happen, if God is all that goodness that you talk about".. you know that line of questioning. I never have a good answer for it. I don't understand it myself. I probably never will understand why some things happen here.. especially when bad things happen to babies or children. That doesn't make any sense to me at all.. and I never know what to say when anyone asks me that stuff. Which brings me to thinking of God in terms of opposites, for some reason. I don't know why, it just did. So, what follows are just some random things that have been brewing in my brain for the past few days. My desire is to think on these things and seek answers from His word, and if it spurs you on to something similar, then , that's great ..
1- When I think of and focus on the cross, Christ, and the work He did - when I keep my mind on things "above", why do I feel more grounded and secure ?
2- The more I learn about God, and His ways and His character, the more questions I have and the less I know.
3- When I am weakest, He is strongest.
4- When I come to the end of myself, that is where I seem to always find Him. Why does it have to be like that??
5- The more of "me" there is in something, the less "Him" there is. I have learned to pray " All of You, and none of me" to remind myself that everything IS about Him.
6-Some of the most sorrowful times in my life I look back on with the most joy, because I see how close the situations brought me to Him.
7- The closer I am with Him, and the more I surrender to His will, the free-er I feel.
8- The more I die to myself, the more alive I am in Christ.
This list goes on and on.. but you get the idea.
One of the things that has come to my mind as I sit here typing, is that this list illustrates how God is "ALL THINGS". He came up with the whole thing, the universe, all that is in it, each of us, our minds, how our logic ( as simple as it is) works, the whole thing is His. He is everything, He is both ends ( and all sides) of every spectrum, which is why these things make sense- even when they don't.
I love thinking of God like this.. so many facets and very colorful and all "lit up" .. I love that we serve a non-boring God!
Blessings,
Cheryl
For some reason, reading his book has set off a cycle of thoughts in my own mind and heart about my God. People ask all the time " why does this happen, or that happen, if God is all that goodness that you talk about".. you know that line of questioning. I never have a good answer for it. I don't understand it myself. I probably never will understand why some things happen here.. especially when bad things happen to babies or children. That doesn't make any sense to me at all.. and I never know what to say when anyone asks me that stuff. Which brings me to thinking of God in terms of opposites, for some reason. I don't know why, it just did. So, what follows are just some random things that have been brewing in my brain for the past few days. My desire is to think on these things and seek answers from His word, and if it spurs you on to something similar, then , that's great ..
1- When I think of and focus on the cross, Christ, and the work He did - when I keep my mind on things "above", why do I feel more grounded and secure ?
2- The more I learn about God, and His ways and His character, the more questions I have and the less I know.
3- When I am weakest, He is strongest.
4- When I come to the end of myself, that is where I seem to always find Him. Why does it have to be like that??
5- The more of "me" there is in something, the less "Him" there is. I have learned to pray " All of You, and none of me" to remind myself that everything IS about Him.
6-Some of the most sorrowful times in my life I look back on with the most joy, because I see how close the situations brought me to Him.
7- The closer I am with Him, and the more I surrender to His will, the free-er I feel.
8- The more I die to myself, the more alive I am in Christ.
This list goes on and on.. but you get the idea.
One of the things that has come to my mind as I sit here typing, is that this list illustrates how God is "ALL THINGS". He came up with the whole thing, the universe, all that is in it, each of us, our minds, how our logic ( as simple as it is) works, the whole thing is His. He is everything, He is both ends ( and all sides) of every spectrum, which is why these things make sense- even when they don't.
I love thinking of God like this.. so many facets and very colorful and all "lit up" .. I love that we serve a non-boring God!
Blessings,
Cheryl
Friday, June 22, 2007
Hi again..
Sorry it's been so long! I was doing so well with this for a while then life got sort of "big" -
I am posting a devotion that I wrote for our worship team. God and I have been in serious discussion about our relationship this week- turns out my focus has not been properly directed even though I have been heavily counseling others to be aware of this very thing. Through some rough patches in ministry and some internal battling- as well as words of truth through a friend that I love and trust yesterday, hopefully we are back on track...
_____________________________________________________
King Solomon, one of the wealthiest men who ever lived, had everything he wanted. Yet he went on a binge, trying to satisfy his appetites with the wrong things. He went after passion. He went after possessions. He went after things of beauty and buildings and land. Here was his conclusion: “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:11).
"Everything else in life is secondary to knowing and loving God—your career, your family, and even your ministry. Those things are all important. But the first and foremost purpose you have in life is to know the God who made you." ( Chris Jarrell)
I have been thinking about the fact that every one of us is created with a void in our hearts that can only be filled with God, and how we spend so much time and energy trying to fill it with other people and things. Relationships, work, material things.. even ministry- sometimes I am guilty of allowing my busyness consume me. My family needs things that can’t be delayed, especially my kids.. so I minister to those needs. There are many people God has placed in my life that need nurturing and caring for, so that takes priority. I "get to" my devotion and quiet time the same way- as if checking things off a to do list… even when I caution others not to do that. At the end of the day… I am left feeling alone, depleted and starved because although I have done the work, taken care of others, ministered , and even read His word that morning and prayed--something is missing. Was I facedown? Did I hunger enough for God to pay any real attention to Him that day?? The question I must ask myself at the end of every day is this: Is my relationship with God stronger this evening for having spent enough time facedown with my Savior, my Creator, the love of my life and the lover of my soul? If I cannot answer this question with a resounding YES, then I need to re-evaluate my priorities.
I began this devotion this morning after my quiet time, knowing that there had been a few things He was laying on my heart without knowing where He was going with them. In the middle of my writing time, I had a visit from a precious friend.. someone who’s insight I value and esteem greatly. During her visit, one of the things she spoke into my life was this truth: "In the end, it’s all about you and Him.. and that’s IT. Nothing else in this world matters as much as that matters."
While I have “known” this, my heart had not been aching enough to LEARN it- until the past couple of months. God has caused that void in my heart to ache so hard, and so far down, that for me to even begin to allow God in, I have had to give up so much control of myself-- and found myself decreased to the point of total surrender and worship- and that I willingly fall to my face before God and beg Him to begin to fill the hole in my heart.. and I understand that longing in my soul can only be met by Him increasing in my life. I must make that time with Him count. I must be on my face before the Lord. Otherwise I am not growing, I am not learning and my heart is sore, depleted and empty before I know it.
That is my prayer for each of us- that we would ache desperately enough to seek Him on our knees, even on our faces – and model that for the people we lead into His presence. I pray that this is what His people see in worship at Lifecoast Church. I pray that we each can find time to allow God to get in there deeply enough so that when we lead others in worship, we lead, then move out of the way so that their time with God can "count"... and eventually that will seep into their lives Monday through Saturday as well. I believe He wants it to count every single day- and He will bring us to our knees repeatedly for this to sink in.
I am so thankful we have a God who loves like that..
Blessings,
Cheryl
I am posting a devotion that I wrote for our worship team. God and I have been in serious discussion about our relationship this week- turns out my focus has not been properly directed even though I have been heavily counseling others to be aware of this very thing. Through some rough patches in ministry and some internal battling- as well as words of truth through a friend that I love and trust yesterday, hopefully we are back on track...
_____________________________________________________
King Solomon, one of the wealthiest men who ever lived, had everything he wanted. Yet he went on a binge, trying to satisfy his appetites with the wrong things. He went after passion. He went after possessions. He went after things of beauty and buildings and land. Here was his conclusion: “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:11).
"Everything else in life is secondary to knowing and loving God—your career, your family, and even your ministry. Those things are all important. But the first and foremost purpose you have in life is to know the God who made you." ( Chris Jarrell)
I have been thinking about the fact that every one of us is created with a void in our hearts that can only be filled with God, and how we spend so much time and energy trying to fill it with other people and things. Relationships, work, material things.. even ministry- sometimes I am guilty of allowing my busyness consume me. My family needs things that can’t be delayed, especially my kids.. so I minister to those needs. There are many people God has placed in my life that need nurturing and caring for, so that takes priority. I "get to" my devotion and quiet time the same way- as if checking things off a to do list… even when I caution others not to do that. At the end of the day… I am left feeling alone, depleted and starved because although I have done the work, taken care of others, ministered , and even read His word that morning and prayed--something is missing. Was I facedown? Did I hunger enough for God to pay any real attention to Him that day?? The question I must ask myself at the end of every day is this: Is my relationship with God stronger this evening for having spent enough time facedown with my Savior, my Creator, the love of my life and the lover of my soul? If I cannot answer this question with a resounding YES, then I need to re-evaluate my priorities.
I began this devotion this morning after my quiet time, knowing that there had been a few things He was laying on my heart without knowing where He was going with them. In the middle of my writing time, I had a visit from a precious friend.. someone who’s insight I value and esteem greatly. During her visit, one of the things she spoke into my life was this truth: "In the end, it’s all about you and Him.. and that’s IT. Nothing else in this world matters as much as that matters."
While I have “known” this, my heart had not been aching enough to LEARN it- until the past couple of months. God has caused that void in my heart to ache so hard, and so far down, that for me to even begin to allow God in, I have had to give up so much control of myself-- and found myself decreased to the point of total surrender and worship- and that I willingly fall to my face before God and beg Him to begin to fill the hole in my heart.. and I understand that longing in my soul can only be met by Him increasing in my life. I must make that time with Him count. I must be on my face before the Lord. Otherwise I am not growing, I am not learning and my heart is sore, depleted and empty before I know it.
That is my prayer for each of us- that we would ache desperately enough to seek Him on our knees, even on our faces – and model that for the people we lead into His presence. I pray that this is what His people see in worship at Lifecoast Church. I pray that we each can find time to allow God to get in there deeply enough so that when we lead others in worship, we lead, then move out of the way so that their time with God can "count"... and eventually that will seep into their lives Monday through Saturday as well. I believe He wants it to count every single day- and He will bring us to our knees repeatedly for this to sink in.
I am so thankful we have a God who loves like that..
Blessings,
Cheryl
Saturday, June 2, 2007
A different kind of post..reflections on three year old ballerinas
Good morning.
I am taking a break from normal programming today to talk about something I did yesterday that may have changed me forever.
I volunteered to be a backstage "Helper Mom" for Savannah's dance class, and also help out with the other two preschool age classes. There are 8 of us in something called the "Black Box Theater Room" with these children.
Yesterday was the dress rehearsal. Tonight is the actual recital.
I taught kindergarten for several years, and taught other ages from 4 year olds through 9 year olds for ten years. I have also been teaching my own at home since Watson was 7. He is now 13. There are 7 little girls in this dance class who are participating in the recital. "How bad could it be?? I get three free tickets!" FREE!! I love free !!
Oh. My. Goodness.
Let me ask you a question. Have you ever been sequestered in a room with 25 or so 3, 4 and 5 year old little girls for say, three or four hours? Only having one little girl at home, I like the way she approaches the world. She has a dancer's heart.. and she twirls , hops, flips and dances her way through the main part of her day. This is cute to me, especially after having two boys who did nothing like that. She is also much quieter than the boys were. I really like that about her. I could go on and on about the things I like about my daughter... and yesterday she was one of about 5 who actually behaved. God smiled on me where she was concerned.
Fast forward to yesterday afternoon..
25 little girls in makeup and full costume for the dress rehearsal. Hair in buns, lipstick applied.. anxious Moms backstage who were fussing with this or that on their girls, not wanting to leave them in the care of the capable helper moms- and 8 helper moms , armed and ready to entertain, fix, and care for these little ballerinas. ( I will say this.. they WERE ALL PRECIOUS.)
I am going to spare you the gritty details of what happened next, but I will say this: Nothing has ever stopped my heart like a little girl named Tori did yesterday when she refused to come off the little mini stage in the holding room, in her costume, then announced "Miss Cheryl, Imma FWIP!" and before I could get to her, she FWIPPED off the end of the platform. It was at the end of a long afternoon with Tori.. Tori led the ballerina rebellion during Savannah's class performance and had three other wayward dancers following her lead as she ran circles around the girls who were trying to dance. Tori was the one who announced the need to "GO DO POO" as we were lined up JUST about to go on for the finale..and there was more.. much much more- but the "fwip" was the end of the rope for Miss Cheryl.
Tori's mother did not come to get her until 6 o clock. All the other girls were gone by 5:30.. but bless Tori's heart, she was tired, firsty and "all wored out" and finally sitting and quietly watching a movie when her Mommie got there at 6. I had been with Tori since 3 o clock, and Miss Cheryl was also "all wored out".
After bath time , cuddle time ( I think I forgot to eat last night), Miss Cheryl went to bed at 9 o clock. I feel much better for tonight.. round 2- the recital.
Pray that Tori does not feel like fwipping. Pray also that her potty needs are met before she is lined up to go onstage. Pray for God to give me enough grace to be sweet no matter what happens..
By the way, next year I will be paying for my tickets.
:)
Love to all,
Cheryl
I am taking a break from normal programming today to talk about something I did yesterday that may have changed me forever.
I volunteered to be a backstage "Helper Mom" for Savannah's dance class, and also help out with the other two preschool age classes. There are 8 of us in something called the "Black Box Theater Room" with these children.
Yesterday was the dress rehearsal. Tonight is the actual recital.
I taught kindergarten for several years, and taught other ages from 4 year olds through 9 year olds for ten years. I have also been teaching my own at home since Watson was 7. He is now 13. There are 7 little girls in this dance class who are participating in the recital. "How bad could it be?? I get three free tickets!" FREE!! I love free !!
Oh. My. Goodness.
Let me ask you a question. Have you ever been sequestered in a room with 25 or so 3, 4 and 5 year old little girls for say, three or four hours? Only having one little girl at home, I like the way she approaches the world. She has a dancer's heart.. and she twirls , hops, flips and dances her way through the main part of her day. This is cute to me, especially after having two boys who did nothing like that. She is also much quieter than the boys were. I really like that about her. I could go on and on about the things I like about my daughter... and yesterday she was one of about 5 who actually behaved. God smiled on me where she was concerned.
Fast forward to yesterday afternoon..
25 little girls in makeup and full costume for the dress rehearsal. Hair in buns, lipstick applied.. anxious Moms backstage who were fussing with this or that on their girls, not wanting to leave them in the care of the capable helper moms- and 8 helper moms , armed and ready to entertain, fix, and care for these little ballerinas. ( I will say this.. they WERE ALL PRECIOUS.)
I am going to spare you the gritty details of what happened next, but I will say this: Nothing has ever stopped my heart like a little girl named Tori did yesterday when she refused to come off the little mini stage in the holding room, in her costume, then announced "Miss Cheryl, Imma FWIP!" and before I could get to her, she FWIPPED off the end of the platform. It was at the end of a long afternoon with Tori.. Tori led the ballerina rebellion during Savannah's class performance and had three other wayward dancers following her lead as she ran circles around the girls who were trying to dance. Tori was the one who announced the need to "GO DO POO" as we were lined up JUST about to go on for the finale..and there was more.. much much more- but the "fwip" was the end of the rope for Miss Cheryl.
Tori's mother did not come to get her until 6 o clock. All the other girls were gone by 5:30.. but bless Tori's heart, she was tired, firsty and "all wored out" and finally sitting and quietly watching a movie when her Mommie got there at 6. I had been with Tori since 3 o clock, and Miss Cheryl was also "all wored out".
After bath time , cuddle time ( I think I forgot to eat last night), Miss Cheryl went to bed at 9 o clock. I feel much better for tonight.. round 2- the recital.
Pray that Tori does not feel like fwipping. Pray also that her potty needs are met before she is lined up to go onstage. Pray for God to give me enough grace to be sweet no matter what happens..
By the way, next year I will be paying for my tickets.
:)
Love to all,
Cheryl
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Isn't there a manual for this?
One of the ways God has really been stretching me over the past year is in learning how to "minister"to people. In my early and mid 30's, I was really really focused on my home and my babies - we were not really involved in a church, and my life centered around the 4 other people in my home. There is nothing wrong with this.. my babies were young and we were living in a new place... and my family is a high priority for me anyway. I guess I was ministering to them .. it felt more like just trying to survive some days, though. Always tired, always needing to clean someone or something up, someone always needing food that they could not get for themselves, you all with very little ones know what I mean here. When your babies are tiny, this is what you do- and I did. I was not always gracious, I was sometimes really grumpy because I needed a nap, and most of the time I totally forgot to thank God for these little people who needed me so much. Fast-forward a few years.... and some things changed. My kids are a little bit older and a little more independent.. and God tossed me out of the boat.
I remember right before Lifecoast launched in March of last year, I went through a period of time where I felt sort of useless. I don't have marketing experience, I am not that great with administrative stuff, I was only so-so at talking to people I didn't know that well.. and scared to death to go door to door to invite people to church. I did what I could, prayed and helped plan music and worship, and most of the time I wondered why in the world God was asking me to help do this. During my quiet time with Him one morning He touched my heart , and revealed something to me. The message I got was something like " Just wait til I bring some people in the doors.. then you will understand." What I didn't realize was just how much He would have to stretch and mold me as I learned that "church" is about all of us glorifying God as we learn to reach out to each other in love- and to give grace at every turn. I had been so sequestered in my home with just my family that I had not had to practice much grace. My children were little and very easy to love on.. and my husband is such an easy person to get along with that the one in the house needing the grace from everyone was ME!!
I have learned over the past year that there are some things I love doing , that I didn't know I loved doing.
I love helping other people.. I LOVE learning about their lives, and how they got here and learning everything I can about their journeys. This is something I have always enjoyed, and God is now using that whenever I lead a bible study , or talk to a group of people in His name. I love praying for others.. and with them, but this is something that has taken time for me to feel confident about. I adore worshipping God, and leading others in worship.. and teaching others ways to worship Him in every area of their lives. 5 years ago I had no idea I liked doing that. It was something that *I* enjoyed, but because God wants to use me ( and all of us) to bring glory to His name, He took that and turned it into something that I had NO idea was possible.
My point in this, if there is one.. let God define your place in His kingdom. Just because your life has always been this way, or that way, does not mean it can't or won't be different in a year. God can and will come in with a boatload of grace and lessons and bendy rubber band experiences and turn you into a whole new creation, all for His pleasure and glory. Let your heart be His, and give Him a chance to show off in your world. You will never look back and say " I am sorry I did this". More likely, you will look back and say " Wow.. look at what GOD did!"
Praising and thanking Him this morning ,
Cheryl
I remember right before Lifecoast launched in March of last year, I went through a period of time where I felt sort of useless. I don't have marketing experience, I am not that great with administrative stuff, I was only so-so at talking to people I didn't know that well.. and scared to death to go door to door to invite people to church. I did what I could, prayed and helped plan music and worship, and most of the time I wondered why in the world God was asking me to help do this. During my quiet time with Him one morning He touched my heart , and revealed something to me. The message I got was something like " Just wait til I bring some people in the doors.. then you will understand." What I didn't realize was just how much He would have to stretch and mold me as I learned that "church" is about all of us glorifying God as we learn to reach out to each other in love- and to give grace at every turn. I had been so sequestered in my home with just my family that I had not had to practice much grace. My children were little and very easy to love on.. and my husband is such an easy person to get along with that the one in the house needing the grace from everyone was ME!!
I have learned over the past year that there are some things I love doing , that I didn't know I loved doing.
I love helping other people.. I LOVE learning about their lives, and how they got here and learning everything I can about their journeys. This is something I have always enjoyed, and God is now using that whenever I lead a bible study , or talk to a group of people in His name. I love praying for others.. and with them, but this is something that has taken time for me to feel confident about. I adore worshipping God, and leading others in worship.. and teaching others ways to worship Him in every area of their lives. 5 years ago I had no idea I liked doing that. It was something that *I* enjoyed, but because God wants to use me ( and all of us) to bring glory to His name, He took that and turned it into something that I had NO idea was possible.
My point in this, if there is one.. let God define your place in His kingdom. Just because your life has always been this way, or that way, does not mean it can't or won't be different in a year. God can and will come in with a boatload of grace and lessons and bendy rubber band experiences and turn you into a whole new creation, all for His pleasure and glory. Let your heart be His, and give Him a chance to show off in your world. You will never look back and say " I am sorry I did this". More likely, you will look back and say " Wow.. look at what GOD did!"
Praising and thanking Him this morning ,
Cheryl
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