What will you choose to do?

I love the words of this song. It asks questions I have asked myself. I choose to fall down in worship to the great I Am -- the one and only true God.

Enjoy,

Got a spot?

I'm sure you have seen this commercial. I think its funny! But, each time I see it, something speaks loudly to me. The man TRYING to impress the interviewer with information about his accomplishments, is completely out talked by the stain on his shirt. It's a hoot! This is a perfect example of the phrase "actions speak louder than words".

I wonder if this is how others see us when we talk one way and live another, perhaps without integrity and good character Are we always honest? Do we strive to do what is right? Do we witness with our mouths only or are we being a witness by our actions and deeds? There is a difference. We need to be witnesses.

I ask God daily to help me keep the "spots" from my life. He loves a repentant heart and will lovingly help us remove the things in our lives that could "out talk" witness. We just need to sincerely ask. How about you, are you willing let God do a little "laundering" on your heart?

Confessions

Today I was reading Sarah's blog about the plethora of toothbrushes that her family has and the smorgasbord of toothpaste as well. This made me think of areas I have around here. The toothbrush/toothpaste department at our house is fine only because there are only two adults living here.

BUT......I have stuff! A garage full of it! I must confess that I love decor accessories and kitchen gadgets and I have toys for my grandchildren all stuffed in a small parsonage -- in the garage actually because the house will not neatly store them. My husband has often asked me "why did you buy that". To be honest, I have done my share of excessive purchasing but I am a pastor's wife I also have a lot of dear friends who give me gifts -- wonderful gifts. I keep the gifts (most of them).

When we were first married, money was really tight and I learned to recycle and redo, therefore, I did not throw something away if I thought I might be able to use it later. The "if you haven't used it in a year throw it away" philosophy did not fit my budget.

Now that my nest is empty I have started downsizing. It is a work in progress. Not only am I downsizing physically but I have been taking spiritual inventory for any excess in my heart that God has not placed there. This, too, is a work in progress.

How about you. Do you have excess in your life physically and/or spiritually? Has God already brought you through this? If so, please share your victory.

Love,

Sherry

Blog Hopping

I have been blog hopping today. I've been checking out the sites of those who attended the Siesta Fiesta, looking at the pictures and reading about their experiences. One thing for sure, everyone enjoyed it.

I am very happy for all of you who were able to attend. Me, I had schedule conflicts but maybe next time.

Til later,

I want it all.....and I want it now!

Have you seen the Chase credit card commercial where a wife has had it with their family television? She says to her husband, "You're right, we need a new TV. He brightens up and goes shopping for a new HD TV. Then the music starts ,"I Want It All, and I Want It Now!" The commercial ends with the tag line "Chase what matters."

Every time I see this commercial it reminds me that this is the mentality of most Americans. We have so much to be thankful for. We are free to make choices for ourselves, blessed with abundance of all kinds and still have our freedom to worship God. Yet, we are a nation that consumes more anti-depressants that any other nation. We have so much to be happy about but there seems to be a big void. So....we look elsewhere to fill it.

Many do not necessarily delve into illicit sex, drugs and other "deep" sins" (sin is sin) but instead, over consume food and the purchasing of stuff. We are a nation who spends money on the rental of storage units just to house our over abundance of stuff. (The leasing of storage units is a real money maker for the owners - no joke.)

Just like the song on the commercial, "We want it all and we want it now!", kind of sounds like a small child throwing a temper tantrum doesn't it? I must be honest and admit I, too, have found myself doing the same -- getting caught up in excessiveness, wanting more and wanting it now only to find that the anticipation was more satisfying that the "getting". God is working on this area of my life and I am very thankful for His loving ways that include no condemnation.

The last part of that commercial says "Chase what matters." What matters to me? What matters to you? Relationships: God, family and friends are what matters to me the most. Stuff is so temporary and if it ever brings satisfaction, it's usually very short-lived. So let's chase what matters - the heart of God and all the other relationships and things (stuff) will fall into their proper place. God truly fills the void and brings satisfaction like nothing else and it lasts in spite of the circumstances around us.

Love to you,

Sherry

In all things give thanks

I Thessalonians 5:18 is one passage of scripture that I chose to exercise last Wednesday. It says:

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (NIV)

I keep my two little grandchildren (ages 4 & 2 months) on Wednesdays. Our day started as usual. A little after 6:00 a.m. we were sitting on the patio drinking our first cup of coffee when the telephone rang. It was our son. He needed to bring the 2 month old to us to watch while our daughter-in-law took the 4 year to the doctor for an ear infection and so that he could get ready and leave for work. (We have a clinic that opens very early for working parents and their doctor does an early morning shift there before going to her private practice.) So before 7:00 a.m. our grandson came for an early morning visit.

Everything went well, our granddaughter only had infection in one ear. On the previous Monday, the baby had a round of his baby shots. So now both kids were on Tylenol. Our daughter-in-law picked them up, went home and got them and herself ready for the day and brought them back to me around 10:30 a.m.

Just a typical day until.........the kids and I were sitting in the living room and suddenly I hear a very LOUD hissing sound. No.. it wasn't a snake. It took us a few seconds to realize that it was coming from the hot water heater that is in the utility room. It scared the soup out of me. I wasn't sure about the hissing sound but I was sure about the WATER running all over my floor!

So, here I am with two sick kids, well...... one sick and the other recovery from immunizations and my utility room and garage flooding! I had the baby in my arms (who was cranky at the time) and quickly grabbed the telephone and called my husband while keeping the curious 4 year old with me .....at the other end of the house! Our conversation went something like this:

Him: "Hello"

Me: "Honey, the hot water heater is making a noise like 'hiissssss' (I tried to immitate the sound), water is running all over the place and I need you to come home NOW! I've got two little ones here and am not sure if this thing is safe to be around."

Him: "Okay, I'll be right there." (Mister calm).

After a while I realized it was steam I was hearing ... and I did not smell natural gas but it was quite loud .

My poor husband cleaned up the mess (really thankful for this) then went to town to buy a new heater. I caught him before he left and reminded him to buy a garbage disposal as well. Ours went out two days before the hot water heater!

So now the the above scripture comes to my mind and I realize I have a choice in how I am going to respond to all of this mess! I chose to start thanking the Lord for all the good things that happened in this circumstance.

Thankful because:
1. We were not away on vacation when this happened! (I don't want to even go there!)
2. That my husband was close by to handle it.
3. Brea only had one ear infected -- not two.
4. The baby was actually better than on Monday.
5. Hubby cleaned the mess :)
6. A new heater was installed within a matter of hours.
7. The water was off for a very short amount of time (hubby found the emergency shut off after the heater was removed).
8. I didn't have to take Brea to school today. (It all happened about the time I would
have normally needed to take her.)
9. We were not in danger.
AND
10. That God reminded me to be thankful.

When I started listing all that I had to be thankful for in this circumstance, I was surprised how many there were and how easy it was to list them.

Remind me Lord to always follow Your Word and Your Ways for they are always best.

Love,

Sherry

Keeping Up With Emmie

This is baby Emmie and her big brother who just turned 1!
She is growing and filling out her preemie clothes. She is still very tiny and so beautiful!

Thank you for praying for her. She is a miracle!

Love,

Sherry

Amazing!!

This is amazing and inspiring.

Sherry

A Day of Dedication

The Dedication of

Baby Bryce
August 17, 2008

Bryce's little feet.

Handing him to PaPa for the dedication prayer.

One proud Grandpa!

After church, the family had lunch together. This is Bryce's cake.


Sleep little one. It's been a BIG day!

" Every good and perfect gift comes from above...." James 1:17

Love,

Sherry

What a friend He is

Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in life and its busyness that we can momentarily forget what a wonderful friend God is. We hustle about with the cares of life and try to handle it all ourselves, and by doing so we forfeit God's wonderful peace. Let's not forget to always share every part of our lives with our blessed Redeemer. He IS the great I Am, the one true God and...... our best friend.

Love,

Sherry

Sunday's Sermon in Song

Useful Disobedience

I've been preparing for my Sunday school class and what I am working on are some life applications from the book of Esther. Last week the class began watching "One Night With the King". The week before I gave a historical background setting the story up.

As a child I always had the idea that Esther was a very beautiful and godly woman who was used of God to save the Jews from genocide. She was beautiful and she was used to save the Jews, but as far as being a godly person, I believe she was lacking -- at least in the beginning. Actually, Esther wasn't a very good Jew. Compare her to Daniel and the three Hebrew children.

Daniel and the guys had their names changed by the Babylonians. They did not object because they needed the Babylonian names in order to work for the government (it gave them citizenship) and it did not compromise their spiritual standing. However, Esther was told by her Jewish uncle Mordecai to not reveal her Jewish heritage and to aid this, she changed her name from Hadasaah to Esther. She changed her name to hide.

The Hebrew fellas refused to eat the King's rich diet. The King (Nebbacannezar - a pagan) did not eat Kosher food like the Jews and more than likely, the food had been sacrificed to the pagan gods. Esther ate what she was served, no objection as to whether it was Kosher or not.

The Hebrew guys openly prayed and let it be know who their great God was. Jehovah was the God of the Jews. Esther had to hide the fact that she was a Jew, therefore, she could not openly worship Jehovah.

Esther married a pagan -- a BIG no, no for the Jews!

Esther was a disobedient Jew. But. here's something that stood out to me in this story. Even though Esther did not adhere to the Jewish teachings and in a sense, denied Jehovah, God used her disobedience for His good. She was in the right place at the right time; she won the beauty contest, became the wife of the pagan king, and when the time was right, became bold enough and put her life on the line, she revealed who she really was, revealed the villain's (Haman) evil plan and asked that the lives of the Jews be spared.

God can even use our disobedience. There were others who disobeyed yet were used by God. For example, Jonah, the rebellious missionary; Sampson, the guy with a sexual addiction; Rahab, a call girl in Jericho. Take a look at the Hebrews 11 - faith's hall of fame. There are several heroes NOT mentioned in this chapter; Enoch, Mary, Daniel & and his three friends. Those that are mentioned there were disobedient, yet are recorded to have lived by faith. For instance, Abraham and Sarah: Abraham lied and Sarah laughed; Jacob was a deceiver; Jephthah sacrificed his own daughter. They were far from perfect but God still used them!

This all goes to show how limitless our God is. The fact that He can use our disobedience does not give us a "free ticket" to continue in disobedience -- that's not what I am saying. We must earnestly continue to follow God's Plan and Will for our lives, but if we stumble, we can get back up and keep on walking. He'll be right there with hands and arms outstretched to pick us up.

If you are feeling defeated by imperfection on your journey of faith, be of good cheer! God is patient and sees your heart. He desires to perfect all of us but.... until the day of perfection comes we will continue working and pressing toward it. Once we have achieved perfection, then we will have a new address -- heaven. :)

Love,

Sherry

First Day

This week came with "first days" for several of our family members. Wednesday was Breanna's first day of Pre-school. It was her mommy's first day back to work since being on maternity leave. I was so honored to be able to take Brea on her first big day and pick her up after class.

Here's our big girl all ready to go to school.

At school.
Brea and her teacher who just happens to be her Nana also. (Her mommy's mother)

All set and off she goes!

In the meantime, her new baby brother, Bryce, was having his first day at Grammie's, the official Wednesday day care. :)

He is such a sweet baby boy. He laughs and interacts with us which makes my heart leap. He is very strong and so interested in things around him. And.....he loves his Grammie!

As for me, it was my first day back to being a caregiver to not just one grandchild, but TWO!
Ah... God is good. His blessings are far beyond what I deserve!

Love,

Sherry

Our Anniversary

Happy 38th Anniversary to us!

Women of Substance

This past weekend at the Living Proof Simulcast we were challenged to be women of substance. This is a phrase I have used so many times in describing my desire for myself -- a woman of substance -- spiritually.

God and I are taking my Sunday School class through the book of Esther. Now this was a woman of substance! God used her to preserve the Jews from annihilation. She most certainly stepped out of -- no, was pushed -- out of her comfort zone. She was equipped the supernatural courage and allowed God to use her "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14) Orphan girl to a Queen. God does things like that!

If Saul would have obeyed God's instructions and destroyed the Amalekites and King Agag (descendants of Esau) and not have taken the plunder (I Samuel 15), Esther may not have needed to be Queen and risk her life in order to preserve the Jews. But his sin and disobedience had a chain effect that we see some 500 years later in the book of Esther. (Esther 3:1)

Saul's disobedience cost him his anointing as King. God regretted ever making Saul king. It not only cost Saul, but the Jews as well. Some people think that they can do whatever they like as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. Every thing we do affects others whether we want to believe it or not. Our lives have a way of making an impact. How and what kind of impact is up to us.

There is a difference between witnessing for Christ and being a witness. I want to BE a witness. I can say all the right things but if my actions and life do not live up to my "words", then I need to ask God help me shut up and just live it!

A woman of spiritual substance: that's my desire. How about you?

Love,

Sherry

Sunday's Sermon in Song

Love,

Sherry

Simulcast

I just got home from the Living Proof Simulcast broadcast from Louisville, Kentucky. I was at one of 70,000 at one of the 715 remote locations which included 50 states and 4 countries. What a wonderful time we had. The theme was "Women of Substance: 100 Fold Harvest". Spending time with sisters in Christ and in the presence of the Almighty is the best way I know to spend a weekend.

I had a very special surprise. I came face-to-face with a friend I haven't seen in YEARS. We attended school together from 4th grade through 12th. In fact, she sang at my wedding. It was a special time of rekindling a friendship and worshiping our precious Lord.

Well... now it's time for me to go dig in the Word to finish my Sunday School lesson. I will be going out of town next week so there will not be much activity on this blog. Hope the rest of your weekend is blessed!

Sherry

Personality Test

I took the Personality Test. Here are my results:

You Are 18% Borderline

Your personality isn't borderline anything. You're happy, stable, content, together... ever consider being a therapist?

Do You Have a Borderline Personality?

Well, how about that? I'm not so sure we can rely on these games but they are such fun!

Sherry

Interpersonal Intelligence Rate Quiz

I took this test:

Your Interpersonal Intelligence Score: 73%

Your Interpersonal Intelligence is High You are definitely a "people person." You enjoy spending time with others. You instinctively understand people, and you are both a good counsellor and mediator. However, there are definitely times when you've had enough. And that's when you cherish being alone.

How Does Your Interpersonal Intelligence Rate?

:)
Sherry