Originally Unoriginal

I had to post tonight before I left for vacation. I doubt very seriously I'll have any access to the internet while I'm away, so it will be next Saturday or Sunday at the earliest that you'll hear from me. How will we ever make it?! I just spent the last hour packing! I despise packing! I love to travel, but I hate to prepare for a trip. I always over analyze everything I take. I bring things I don't need, and I usually forget at least one thing that I should have brought. At least this time I'm driving, so hopefully there won't be any lost luggage ! Another crazy thing about traveling is that I'm always a tad sad/worrisome about leaving. Of course, it's never enough to make me stay, but I do have a moment of hesitation in me. That feeling, whatever it may be, is my fear that I may miss something important or life changing while I'm away. It's not that I'm a control freak, but I do like the feeling of helping people out when in need. For a b...

The world is full of cliche's. The biggest one among Christians, especially A/ Ps ( Aposotlics /Pentecostals) is "pray for me." How many times has someone asked you to pray for someone. Or how many times have you heard some news to which you replied, "I'll pray for you." Sometimes our conversations are so cliche'. "Hey, how are you?" "Good. How are you?" "I'm ok , but my sister is back in the hospital ." "Oh dear, well I'll be sure to pray for her." "Thanks, she needs it. " "See ya later." I mean, there's nothing wrong with that conversation. But how much of it do we really mean? Do we really pray for people when we say we will or is it just another catch phrase in our daily conversations. Have we gotten so use to saying it that it just comes out without a real thought? I want my words to mean something. I especially want my promises to mean something. I've been guilty of saying...

It's amazing where one can get spiritual inspiration. Today, it came from the new movie, Evan Almighty . For those of you good people who refrain from movies, here's the 411 on the movie. Evan runs for Congress with a campaign promising to "change the world." Life seems to be going good. He wins the election, moves into a new house, and is getting royal treatment at the capitol. His family thought they would have more family time; his wife even prays that their family would draw closer. Yet, Evan is staying really busy. During all of this, Evan is visited by God, who tells him to build an Ark. The movie is basically Evan trying to avoid his calling, and everyone thinking Evan is crazy for hearing from God. Evan's wife and kids turn their back on him at one point. They also think he's crazy; going through a mid-life crisis. God (disguised as a random waiter) speaks to Evan's wife and offers this advice: When someone prays for patience, does God automatical...

I wish I could write tonight and say that everything is right with the world. I wish I could type out a glorious report of how all the bad has been wiped away and replaced with nothing but good. I can't do that. Trouble still lurks. Chaos still ensues. Offenses are still coming. I can write and tell you that God is still good. He is still on the throne; still in control. I can tell you that despite the drama, I still trust in God. I am able to say that even though a storm rages around me, it is not raging inside of me. Yes, there is peace in my heart. There is assurance in my soul that God is working it all out for our good. I know it seems I've been blogging in riddles lately. I keep referring to this almost war-like situation. Well yes, I am in the throws of a war, spiritually. The devil is violently attacking my Pastor and my church. It may very well come down to a church split, and it is weighing hard on many. I can honestly say that I'm not taking a man's side. I ...

I do apologize for the lack of communication. I took the girls in the youth group to stay at the lake house in Hot Springs, AR. We had a great time swimming, jet skiing, and riding around on the party barge. I got some sun and worked on my tan a little! We had a good time, but I'm glad to be home. Girls are girls, so of course we had our run-ins, but I think overall it was a success. I am glad to be home and in my own room again though! Not too much is happening right now. I turned a previous blog post "Music-less Revival" into an article for 90&9. If you want to check it out, do so here . My friend's mother is doing much better. The doctors say she has a good possibility of fully recovering from her stroke. I'm so glad God answers prayers. Every day I'm amazed at His greatness!

My friend's father got really sick last Friday night. He's 86 and has had a hard time breathing for years. The ambulance came and got him, and he was placed on life support. The doctors basically told them that he would die soon. The family had to make the decision to pull him off the life support, or to keep him on permanently . Her father answered the question for them. On Wednesday, he pulled out the tubes himself, sat up on the side of the bed, and asked for water! He lived for 3 more days; he passed away early Saturday morning. Even though they are mourning their loss, they feel blessed that they had the chance to say goodbye. Another friend's mother had a stroke Thursday. I talked to him today, and he was feeling down. He told me "I trust God, but what if God takes her away?" I instantly felt his pain. Just because you trust God, it doesn't stop it from hurting. Even though God's ways are better than ours, sometimes it takes years to understand and y...

Did you really think you would win? Did you think that this would destroy us? Did you think we would be knocked out so easily? Well if you did, let me fill you in. You've lost. We are victorious. We are not destroyed. No, we are unified. We may have been knocked down, but we are getting back up. This is not the end for us. Oh no, we are much stronger than you think. Cuz , see, the battle is not ours, but it's the Lord's. He is mighty to save us. You are not messing with us, but you are messing with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. His power is unmeasurable. He is undefeated, now and forever. So laugh all you want. Do your victory dance. We will soon be the ones laughing and dancing. What you meant for our bad, God is working out for our good. There may be some scars after the battle, but we will still be whole in spirit. When the smoke clears, we will be the ones arising. Your misery has only just begun. Micah 7:8 "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I f...

A friend sent me this article that states anger can fuel better decision making. It made me try and remember a time that I was angry and whether I was thinking more rationally or not? I'm sure most people would say you aren't thinking rationally when angry. You are more likely to make rash decisions, etc. However, sometimes a rash decision needs to be made. Sometimes flying off the handle is necessary. Sometimes it just takes drastic measures to remedy a situation. Think about it. Of course you've said something in the heat of the moment that probably hurt the other person, but 99% of the time, what you said was true. Of course it may hurt the other person's feelings, maybe even ruin a relationship/friendship, but I guess you have to decide if honesty is more important. Perhaps in some cases it is, and in others it isn't. I guess I'm feeling a bit ambivalent tonight. But to what extent do you mask the truth. I realize that people don't need to know every sin...

For whatever reasons that are not important, my pastor has decided to clear off the platform. In our main services, we have no live music. All our music is coming from CDs , and everyone is invited to have worship time in the altar. For typical APs , it sounds bizarre, and many would question the action. However, I can honestly say we had 2 of the greatest services this weekend as a result. We haven't gotten past worship service. He invited us down to the altar, we all started praying and the next thing you know people we've NEVER seen before are getting the Holy Ghost! It's been phenomenal. I saw people who haven't really prayed in years, fall to their knees in the presence of God. I know that a lot of people are apprehensive about the change, but honestly, I think it's for the best. It's nothing permanent of course, but it's given a chance for some who hide behind their instruments to be an active part in worship. Some people won't accept it, and refus...

I'm not a liar! I promise! 3 days later is more consistent than earlier this year! I'm going to do better...trust me! On to the post... God is really doing some super great things in my life right now. However, he's doing it in some extremely unorthodox ways. Actually, if you knew all the details of what's going on right now, you'd probably think "You say this is good ??" But the lesson that I'm learning through it all is so powerful. I wish I could lay it all out here for you all, but unfortunately, I can't. I can tell you a few things though. First, I did conquer the unconquerable boy. (See blog entries from "A Month in My Life") Not just because he ran back to his ex-girlfriend, but because I honestly know that God had something else in store. I felt that going into the whole thing, but sometimes I need reassurance, and I got that too! Sunday night I was in the altar praying and my Pastor came to pray for me. He told me that I had the ...

I am back after a month's stay at 90&9's "Month in My Life" blog. I've missed being at home, but I did enjoy my visit. Many people have asked if I'm going to continue blogging everyday now that I'm back here. I cannot promise a new post everyday, but I do promise to be more consistent in my blogging! I have a full day today, helping my mom get ready for a baby shower at church, so unfortunately, this is a short post. However, I do have some good things to share real soon!