We are so very excited that Brother Rob will be returning home, in a few days, after being deployed for the past six months. We have missed him so very much, probably not nearly as much as his wife and daughters, but his absence has been felt in a big way with all of us. We are all looking forward to welcoming him home.
This past weekend was our regional Family Retreat. Brother Pate did an awesome job of putting it together, as usual. He does an excellent job of planning the menus and preparing the food too. Sister Autumn was such a blessing in allowing God to work in her and through her as she ministered or while she was just having fun. If you walked away from the retreat without being blessed, then maybe you should have moved up front where we were, because no one that was sitting any where near me was without a blessing. God's presence was felt strongly and we are so thankful for the opportunity to have attended. We had great classes too...Brother Jesse and Sister Vicky did an outstanding job! We rejoice over the 5 who received salvation and the one that was sanctified...God is good and and we thank Him for answering these prayers and look forward to the other prayers that He will be answering. Of course, the icing on all of this was the fellowship...it is always wonderful to get to see everyone and have so much fun.
We have changed locations. We are now meeting at the Cochran Music Preschool, just off south I-35 and Indian Hills Road behind Double Dave's Pizza (Hey Dey's). We meet there on Sunday mornings at 10:00 for Sunday School and 10:45 begins our worship service. We are still meeting in our home at 7:00 on Wednesday evenings. If you are in the area, please join us.
Till next time...Sister Tammi
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Winning Vs. Losing
This was my devotion this morning. How often do we become so convinced that we are right and destroy those we love or our brothers or sisters in Christ trying to prove that we are right, when we should back off and allow God to do the proving?
"One of the hardest things in life is allowing someone to "win" a disagreement — especially when we’re convinced that we’re right. The Word of God teaches, however, that "losing" in the eyes of the world can mean "winning" in the eyes of God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." (Matthew 5:9)
Did you get into a disagreement with a spouse, family member, friend, or colleague? Have you decided that you’re not going to "back down"?
As Matthew 5:9 instructs, who we really are has very little to do with who gets the "last word" or what we "accomplish." After all, even non-believers win a lot of debates, and accomplish impressive things! Instead, who we really are has everything to do with how we love, treat, and unify people. In 1 Corinthians chapter 13, the Bible warns that we can speak in tongues, have prophetic powers, and give everything we have to the poor, yet still be a "useless nobody" to God.
Being "someone" to God often means surrendering our right to be "right." It also means that, occasionally, we’ll have to "lose" with people in order to "win" with God.
The devil will do anything to escalate a disagreement. He will remind us of what someone said, and how they said it. He will feed a tiny offense until it progresses into an explosive fight. That’s what he does! The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy the unity in families, among believers, and in friendships. He recognizes the power of peace — and so should we." (Marsha DuCille)
James 3:18 promises:
"And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."
The fruit is sown of them that MAKE peace...in other words, those who work at bringing peace or making peace in situations will bear the fruit in peace. So...in the situations you are facing today, are you making peace, sowing seeds in peace or are you destroying others in the pursuit of proving that you are right?
Lord, help me to surrender my NEED or desire to be right into Your hands and help me to never destroy those that I come in contact with in my pursuit to prove how right I am!
"One of the hardest things in life is allowing someone to "win" a disagreement — especially when we’re convinced that we’re right. The Word of God teaches, however, that "losing" in the eyes of the world can mean "winning" in the eyes of God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." (Matthew 5:9)
Did you get into a disagreement with a spouse, family member, friend, or colleague? Have you decided that you’re not going to "back down"?
As Matthew 5:9 instructs, who we really are has very little to do with who gets the "last word" or what we "accomplish." After all, even non-believers win a lot of debates, and accomplish impressive things! Instead, who we really are has everything to do with how we love, treat, and unify people. In 1 Corinthians chapter 13, the Bible warns that we can speak in tongues, have prophetic powers, and give everything we have to the poor, yet still be a "useless nobody" to God.
Being "someone" to God often means surrendering our right to be "right." It also means that, occasionally, we’ll have to "lose" with people in order to "win" with God.
The devil will do anything to escalate a disagreement. He will remind us of what someone said, and how they said it. He will feed a tiny offense until it progresses into an explosive fight. That’s what he does! The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy the unity in families, among believers, and in friendships. He recognizes the power of peace — and so should we." (Marsha DuCille)
James 3:18 promises:
"And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."
The fruit is sown of them that MAKE peace...in other words, those who work at bringing peace or making peace in situations will bear the fruit in peace. So...in the situations you are facing today, are you making peace, sowing seeds in peace or are you destroying others in the pursuit of proving that you are right?
Lord, help me to surrender my NEED or desire to be right into Your hands and help me to never destroy those that I come in contact with in my pursuit to prove how right I am!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
One Year Anniversary
This past Sunday marked our the one year anniversary of The Church of God being established in Oklahoma City. Although several were out of town, we still had a good crowd. The only sad part was that some who were here on that wonderful day, were not here to celebrate the anniversary. But then...that is what happens when people move away.
The enemy isn't happy that we are here and it was very evident in the way he faught the service...technical difficulties, people running late...a few seemed distracted mentally...but in spite of that, I felt the presence of God in the worship and message. The enemy attacked our pastor following the service with a migraine unlike those he has had in the past. With prayer and rest, he was fully recovered by the next morning. Brother Ray reminded me that the devil is not happy that we are here and that we are doing our best to follow God's leading. He isn't happy about the training we are doing in this local church, so he is going to fight us all the way. When he fights that hard, we can expect God to do great things, so that is where our focus must be, on the expectations of what God is going to do.
The people here have a mind to work...we plant, we water and God gives the increase...all we can do is our best and follow God, one step at a time and He will provide all we need to accomplish the work and the fruits borne of our labors will be blessed and multiplied by Him.
Hope you are having a wonderful week. If you happen to be in OKC this evening at 7:00...please join us for our VLB (youth) service.
Till next time...Sister Tammi
The enemy isn't happy that we are here and it was very evident in the way he faught the service...technical difficulties, people running late...a few seemed distracted mentally...but in spite of that, I felt the presence of God in the worship and message. The enemy attacked our pastor following the service with a migraine unlike those he has had in the past. With prayer and rest, he was fully recovered by the next morning. Brother Ray reminded me that the devil is not happy that we are here and that we are doing our best to follow God's leading. He isn't happy about the training we are doing in this local church, so he is going to fight us all the way. When he fights that hard, we can expect God to do great things, so that is where our focus must be, on the expectations of what God is going to do.
The people here have a mind to work...we plant, we water and God gives the increase...all we can do is our best and follow God, one step at a time and He will provide all we need to accomplish the work and the fruits borne of our labors will be blessed and multiplied by Him.
Hope you are having a wonderful week. If you happen to be in OKC this evening at 7:00...please join us for our VLB (youth) service.
Till next time...Sister Tammi
Friday, August 6, 2010
Rylisms: Devotion for 6 August 10
When we don't know what else to do...focus on this verse of scripture...God's Word holds all the answers, we just have to seek and find.
What Does the Lord Want Me to Do? (Part 2)
"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8)
#2 — LOVE MERCY.
Solomon wrote, "Let not mercy and truth forsake thee" (Proverbs 3:3). Notice that mercy and truth must never be separated from one another. Truth without mercy is harsh; mercy without truth is irresponsible. Together they form the essence of godliness. Solomon went on to say that mercy and truth working together in our hearts and lives would bring us favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Justice calls for action against that which is wrong; mercy requires patience in dealing with those who have been wronged. Together they accomplish God's will in our sphere of influence. "God works powerfully," wrote John Newton, "but for the most part He works gently and gradually.”
You and I cannot change the world, but we can do something about what goes on where we live. And if we'll see to that, the Lord will take care of the rest. After all, the light that shines the farthest, shines brightest at home.
Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." Did you know that how you treat other people is a prayer you are praying, asking the Lord to treat you the same way? The one sure path you can walk is the Way of Mercy.
What does the Lord want you to do? He wants you to be a person who does justice, and who loves mercy.
What Does the Lord Want Me to Do? (Part 2)
"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8)
#2 — LOVE MERCY.
Solomon wrote, "Let not mercy and truth forsake thee" (Proverbs 3:3). Notice that mercy and truth must never be separated from one another. Truth without mercy is harsh; mercy without truth is irresponsible. Together they form the essence of godliness. Solomon went on to say that mercy and truth working together in our hearts and lives would bring us favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Justice calls for action against that which is wrong; mercy requires patience in dealing with those who have been wronged. Together they accomplish God's will in our sphere of influence. "God works powerfully," wrote John Newton, "but for the most part He works gently and gradually.”
You and I cannot change the world, but we can do something about what goes on where we live. And if we'll see to that, the Lord will take care of the rest. After all, the light that shines the farthest, shines brightest at home.
Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." Did you know that how you treat other people is a prayer you are praying, asking the Lord to treat you the same way? The one sure path you can walk is the Way of Mercy.
What does the Lord want you to do? He wants you to be a person who does justice, and who loves mercy.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Made a day of it...
This past Sunday, we just made a day of being together. We started with our normal Sunday School. Had great participation in the adult class and the little ones seem to enjoy their special VeggieTales lesson. Then we moved into the worship service. God's presence filled the place as each one worshipped Him during the singing. Our pastor got under the anointing as He preached which led to a time of praying around the altar...yes, we have an altar (it is really just the bench that I have in the entryway, but it is moved to the living room for service). It wasn't a shouting service, but one of those deep, pressing in a little deeper kind of services.
After the morning service was dismissed, we enjoyed a wonderful potluck lunch. This was the first potluck that we weren't over-run with desserts...matter of fact...we didn't have any dessert...but we had so much good food that we really didn't miss it. I truly appreciate all that helped in providing the food, as well as those who helped in getting it set out and arranged buffet style in my tiny kitchen.
Once our tummies were full, we headed back to the living room to have our communion and feet washing service. We started out with prayer and then I led "Do This In Remembrance Of Me" by Cheri Keaggy. God's presence hadn't left and begin to move on all present. Our pastor shared some scriptures and admonished those present to not take communion if their hearts were not right with God, but told them that now would be the perfect time to surrender their hearts to God and he gave us the opportunity to pray, search our hearts and make sure that we were ready to participate in remembering what Christ did for each of us. It was a very sacred time and I am so overwhelmed with gratefulness as I think of what Christ suffered and the love that caused Him to do so, just so that I could be reconciled to the Father. There was such a sweet spirit in this place as we did as Christ commanded and took part in the communion service.
Afterwards we separated, men staying in the living room, ladies taking up their chairs and moving to my office, to have the feet washing portion of the service. When I arrived, carrying the tub of warm water, the ladies had the chairs set up and every eye turned to look at me. Talk about self-concious...at that moment, all thoughts of what I should be doing, fled and I became a doofy teen who didn't know what was expected of her, all over again. I am such a pitiful pastor's wife some days. ;-p So very thankful for Sister Loree coming to my rescue. She took the tub and got the ball rolling. I was so blessed to see each lady, kneeling before one another and praying for one another as they washed the feet of the person sitting across from them. We had one young lady, who had never seen anything like this, who participated with her Mom...it was sweet watching them. While I was watching and waiting for the tub to get to my end, Kaylee, (Rob and Amy Montgomery's next to youngest) asked me to wash her feet. Kaylee is 2 or 3 (I have an awful memory when it comes to ages), but she wanted to participate. Train up a child...so I happily said that I would. When it was our turn, I knelt before her and realized that her little feet would never reach the tub with her sitting in the chair, so one of the ladies held her under the arms so that her feet could reach. Kaylee was very solemn, no playing, as I washed her feet and prayed for her, while her Mommy stood behind me and instructed her that she should be praying for me. When I had finished, she wanted to wash my feet. Once again, I am overwhelmed with emotion, just thinking about this precious little one wanting to serve God and observe His commands. Kaylee was so precious and with a little help accomplished the job. Afterwards, Emma realized that she and Madison had missed out and she was so distraught, so while everyone else was putting the chairs back in their places, I fixed a tub of water and grabbed a towel and took them to a quiet corner so that they too, might be able to have their own feet washing time. They didn't play, they took it all very seriously. Kaylee didn't want to be left out either, so Emma and Madison washed Kaylee's feet for a second time. It was very sweet.
We followed all of that up with quarterly business conference. A lot packed into one day, which makes for a very long day, but it was such a good day...a very blessed day.
On 9 August, The Church of God at Oklahoma City, will celebrate it's 1st anniversary of establishment. While some things haven't progressed as quickly, in some areas, as we had hoped, God has blessed this work. We have faced opposition, but God has made us stronger and more focused. Apathy has tried to take over, but God constantly brings us back to the vision that He has given to all of us for the work here. Discouragement has tried to get us down, but the Bible reminds us that with God ALL things are possible. I'm reminded of an old song that says, "He didn't bring us this far to leave us. He didn't teach us to swim to let us drown. He didn't build His home in us to move away. He didn't lift us up, to let us down." Jesus placed this vision in our hearts, He began this work and what He begins, He completes!
Our General Assembly will be taking place, beginning 17 August in North Carolina. We will be flying out on the 18th to attend the Assembly and from there we will be flying to Seattle to spend a week with our sons and their families. We will miss Sunday, 22 August, but there will be a service in our absence. Pastor Ray will make sure that the information is given to all who will not be attending the General Assembly.
God bless and keep you! Till next time...
After the morning service was dismissed, we enjoyed a wonderful potluck lunch. This was the first potluck that we weren't over-run with desserts...matter of fact...we didn't have any dessert...but we had so much good food that we really didn't miss it. I truly appreciate all that helped in providing the food, as well as those who helped in getting it set out and arranged buffet style in my tiny kitchen.
Once our tummies were full, we headed back to the living room to have our communion and feet washing service. We started out with prayer and then I led "Do This In Remembrance Of Me" by Cheri Keaggy. God's presence hadn't left and begin to move on all present. Our pastor shared some scriptures and admonished those present to not take communion if their hearts were not right with God, but told them that now would be the perfect time to surrender their hearts to God and he gave us the opportunity to pray, search our hearts and make sure that we were ready to participate in remembering what Christ did for each of us. It was a very sacred time and I am so overwhelmed with gratefulness as I think of what Christ suffered and the love that caused Him to do so, just so that I could be reconciled to the Father. There was such a sweet spirit in this place as we did as Christ commanded and took part in the communion service.
Afterwards we separated, men staying in the living room, ladies taking up their chairs and moving to my office, to have the feet washing portion of the service. When I arrived, carrying the tub of warm water, the ladies had the chairs set up and every eye turned to look at me. Talk about self-concious...at that moment, all thoughts of what I should be doing, fled and I became a doofy teen who didn't know what was expected of her, all over again. I am such a pitiful pastor's wife some days. ;-p So very thankful for Sister Loree coming to my rescue. She took the tub and got the ball rolling. I was so blessed to see each lady, kneeling before one another and praying for one another as they washed the feet of the person sitting across from them. We had one young lady, who had never seen anything like this, who participated with her Mom...it was sweet watching them. While I was watching and waiting for the tub to get to my end, Kaylee, (Rob and Amy Montgomery's next to youngest) asked me to wash her feet. Kaylee is 2 or 3 (I have an awful memory when it comes to ages), but she wanted to participate. Train up a child...so I happily said that I would. When it was our turn, I knelt before her and realized that her little feet would never reach the tub with her sitting in the chair, so one of the ladies held her under the arms so that her feet could reach. Kaylee was very solemn, no playing, as I washed her feet and prayed for her, while her Mommy stood behind me and instructed her that she should be praying for me. When I had finished, she wanted to wash my feet. Once again, I am overwhelmed with emotion, just thinking about this precious little one wanting to serve God and observe His commands. Kaylee was so precious and with a little help accomplished the job. Afterwards, Emma realized that she and Madison had missed out and she was so distraught, so while everyone else was putting the chairs back in their places, I fixed a tub of water and grabbed a towel and took them to a quiet corner so that they too, might be able to have their own feet washing time. They didn't play, they took it all very seriously. Kaylee didn't want to be left out either, so Emma and Madison washed Kaylee's feet for a second time. It was very sweet.
We followed all of that up with quarterly business conference. A lot packed into one day, which makes for a very long day, but it was such a good day...a very blessed day.
On 9 August, The Church of God at Oklahoma City, will celebrate it's 1st anniversary of establishment. While some things haven't progressed as quickly, in some areas, as we had hoped, God has blessed this work. We have faced opposition, but God has made us stronger and more focused. Apathy has tried to take over, but God constantly brings us back to the vision that He has given to all of us for the work here. Discouragement has tried to get us down, but the Bible reminds us that with God ALL things are possible. I'm reminded of an old song that says, "He didn't bring us this far to leave us. He didn't teach us to swim to let us drown. He didn't build His home in us to move away. He didn't lift us up, to let us down." Jesus placed this vision in our hearts, He began this work and what He begins, He completes!
Our General Assembly will be taking place, beginning 17 August in North Carolina. We will be flying out on the 18th to attend the Assembly and from there we will be flying to Seattle to spend a week with our sons and their families. We will miss Sunday, 22 August, but there will be a service in our absence. Pastor Ray will make sure that the information is given to all who will not be attending the General Assembly.
God bless and keep you! Till next time...
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
4th of July
Had a wonderful service yesterday morning. Our pastor preached a message on "Who Am I". He posed three questions to each of us.
1) Who is God in our families and are we serving Him?
2) Who is God in our churches and are we fulfilling His commands?
3) Who is God to me?
He challenged us to answer these questions honestly within ourselves. We need to know who God is to each one of us. Christ asked His disciples who others said that He was, then after they answered, He asked them, "who do you say that I am?" Is He some genie waiting to wave a magic wand over our situations and make everything okay so that we can continue to live any way that we want? Is He some meanie looking down from heaven just waiting for us to mess up so He can strike us down? What is HE to YOU?
We sang a song in worship yesterday, called "Made Me Glad" by Hillsong. As I sang that song, I reflected on the words and when I think of God, this is what He is to me.
1) Who is God in our families and are we serving Him?
2) Who is God in our churches and are we fulfilling His commands?
3) Who is God to me?
He challenged us to answer these questions honestly within ourselves. We need to know who God is to each one of us. Christ asked His disciples who others said that He was, then after they answered, He asked them, "who do you say that I am?" Is He some genie waiting to wave a magic wand over our situations and make everything okay so that we can continue to live any way that we want? Is He some meanie looking down from heaven just waiting for us to mess up so He can strike us down? What is HE to YOU?
We sang a song in worship yesterday, called "Made Me Glad" by Hillsong. As I sang that song, I reflected on the words and when I think of God, this is what He is to me.
Made Me Glad
I will bless the Lord forever
And I will trust Him at all times
He has delivered me from all fear
And he has set my feet upon a rock
And I will not be moved
And I'll say of the Lord....
You are my shield
My strength
My portion
Deliverer
My shelter
Strong tower
My very present help in time of need
Whom have I in Heaven but you?
There's none I desire beside you
You have made me glad
And I'll say of the Lord....
He is my Savior, my Redeemer, my Peace, my Comfort, my Healer and so many other things. We must know and have it settled in our heart, soul and mind what and who God is to us, because that dictates who He will be in our families and in our churches.
We are very thankful for the way God moved in the service. Sister Loree had been very sick during last week's service and started feeling sick again as they got to church yesterday. We anointed and prayed for her before the worship service began. During the altar service, the ladies gathered around Sister Loree and began praying for her again and God wonderfully touched her body and the sickness left and God blessed her as she worshipped Him for being her healer!
Following the morning service, we had a BBQ. Everyone stayed and even though it was raining and the little ones couldn't be outside playing much, we all had a good time. Lots of wonderful food. Garlic and herb grilled chicken, burgers, hot links and hot dogs. Baked beans, garden salad with fresh tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, pasta salad, a veggie platter, fruit, a berry trifle and brownies for dessert. We were all stuffed. We had great fellowship with one another. Wonderful day to celebrate the independence of our great nation, as well as enjoying the freedom to worship our God and Creator.
Next week we will be in our Regional Convention, so there will be no services held in OKC. Be in prayer for Brother Ray as he is on to preach first thing on Saturday morning and pray for me also, I will be teaching the 9-11 year olds about sanctification on Saturday morning as well. We both need the anointing of God, but I need inspiration to be able to explain and teach these little ones about sanctification so that they will understand it and be able to live a holy, sanctified life once they receive this second definite work of grace.
Hope to see you at convention! Until next time.
We are very thankful for the way God moved in the service. Sister Loree had been very sick during last week's service and started feeling sick again as they got to church yesterday. We anointed and prayed for her before the worship service began. During the altar service, the ladies gathered around Sister Loree and began praying for her again and God wonderfully touched her body and the sickness left and God blessed her as she worshipped Him for being her healer!
Following the morning service, we had a BBQ. Everyone stayed and even though it was raining and the little ones couldn't be outside playing much, we all had a good time. Lots of wonderful food. Garlic and herb grilled chicken, burgers, hot links and hot dogs. Baked beans, garden salad with fresh tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, pasta salad, a veggie platter, fruit, a berry trifle and brownies for dessert. We were all stuffed. We had great fellowship with one another. Wonderful day to celebrate the independence of our great nation, as well as enjoying the freedom to worship our God and Creator.
Next week we will be in our Regional Convention, so there will be no services held in OKC. Be in prayer for Brother Ray as he is on to preach first thing on Saturday morning and pray for me also, I will be teaching the 9-11 year olds about sanctification on Saturday morning as well. We both need the anointing of God, but I need inspiration to be able to explain and teach these little ones about sanctification so that they will understand it and be able to live a holy, sanctified life once they receive this second definite work of grace.
Hope to see you at convention! Until next time.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
All Your Promises Are True!
We had an awesome service yesterday morning...starting with a class on presumptuous self-will. As I studied for that lesson, I was amazed at the things that God was revealing to me. It was a very thought-provoking lesson and if you will allow it to, it will change your life and how you behave. The worship service was amazing. From the very first song to the last...everyone really began to worship from their heart...it wasn't a "going-through-the-motions" kind of song service. Everyone who was present, came prepared to worship God. The Sciptures tell us in Psalms that He inhabits the praises of His people and it was very apparent that He was indeed present to receive the worship that was being sent up. His presence was so strong that even the children were still and well behaved. The two songs that blessed me the most were "Because of Who You Are" and "All Your Promises Are True". The second was a song that I had learned the night before and the more I sang it, the more it blessed my soul. I thought that I would put the lyrics up for those who read this blog. If you want to actually hear it, go to youtube.com and type in the title. The artist is Shannon Wexelberg.
All Your Promises Are True
(Shannon Wexelberg)
VERSE:
When the new day begins,
Lord, Your mercies are new again.
How my heart overflows with thanks to my King.
When the night closes in,
I'm so grateful You are my Friend.
You said that You'd never leave,
And Lord, I believe. Lord I believe.
Chorus:
All Your promises are true. I will lift up my eyes to You,
For You're all that I need and by faith I can see
The wonderful things You will do.
All Your promises are true. I will lift up my eyes to You.
When my heart starts to fail, Lord, You're strength will prevail,
And all You have said, You will do. Your promises are true.
BRIDGE:
They are comfort and healing, strength for the journey,
Hope for the hopeless, gladness for mourning,
Life and salvation, power and victory.
Lord, I believe. Lord, I believe.
We had a new visitor last week. It was so good to see Cameron back with us...hoping that he'll make it a habit. We have so enjoyed having Brother and Sister Brock join us for services. I hope they have been as blessed in the services as we have been to have them worshipping with us.
We are praying for God to open the door for a property that we toured earlier this year. Our pastor has written a letter to the owners, offering them a couple of options that might allow us to either lease or possibly purchase. We want God's will, so we are praying that He'll either open the door or close it tight so that we might know plainly what His will is. If you would be praying with us, we would appreciate it. Also, please keep Brother Rob in your prayers while he is still deployed overseas...he is in a dangerous area and we need to cover him with prayers of protection, as well as praying for his family here.
Father's Day is coming up in 6 days, so don't forget to do something special for the Dads in your life. Happy Father's Day to all those dads who read this blog. May God bless each of you abundantly as you lead your family in the way of truth!
All Your Promises Are True
(Shannon Wexelberg)
VERSE:
When the new day begins,
Lord, Your mercies are new again.
How my heart overflows with thanks to my King.
When the night closes in,
I'm so grateful You are my Friend.
You said that You'd never leave,
And Lord, I believe. Lord I believe.
Chorus:
All Your promises are true. I will lift up my eyes to You,
For You're all that I need and by faith I can see
The wonderful things You will do.
All Your promises are true. I will lift up my eyes to You.
When my heart starts to fail, Lord, You're strength will prevail,
And all You have said, You will do. Your promises are true.
BRIDGE:
They are comfort and healing, strength for the journey,
Hope for the hopeless, gladness for mourning,
Life and salvation, power and victory.
Lord, I believe. Lord, I believe.
We had a new visitor last week. It was so good to see Cameron back with us...hoping that he'll make it a habit. We have so enjoyed having Brother and Sister Brock join us for services. I hope they have been as blessed in the services as we have been to have them worshipping with us.
We are praying for God to open the door for a property that we toured earlier this year. Our pastor has written a letter to the owners, offering them a couple of options that might allow us to either lease or possibly purchase. We want God's will, so we are praying that He'll either open the door or close it tight so that we might know plainly what His will is. If you would be praying with us, we would appreciate it. Also, please keep Brother Rob in your prayers while he is still deployed overseas...he is in a dangerous area and we need to cover him with prayers of protection, as well as praying for his family here.
Father's Day is coming up in 6 days, so don't forget to do something special for the Dads in your life. Happy Father's Day to all those dads who read this blog. May God bless each of you abundantly as you lead your family in the way of truth!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Not a whole lot going on...
There really hasn't been much in the way of terribly exciting news to blog about...rather than ramble...I was hoping that something would happen so I would have something to share. Since nothing earth-shattering has occurred...I'll ramble about the what has been going on, which means this will be a short post. ~hee hee~
The biggest and best news has been that for the past two Sundays, we've had the same 6 visitors attend services. That is exciting! We hope they will make worshipping with us a habit. We are already trying to figure out what to do once the living room completely fills up with people and the only solution on the horizon is opening the French doors to the office and setting up more chairs in there, but that also presents a problem...we've already run out of chairs. Truly, that is a great problem to have! The other exciting news is that our pastor found a pulpit for sale from a Christian campground...needs to be sanded and re-stained, but is in awesome condition and the price is oh so wonderful, $50 for the pulpit and $10 to be delivered! Can't beat that...couldn't buy the wood for that, so we are very happy...now our pastor can use a real pulpit rather than the three boxes taped together and covered with a table cloth to preach from. Delivery will be next week and he is getting very excited to use it.
This Saturday, we will be having a 3-church rally in Shawnee, starting at 5:00. If you are in the area, please join us for a time of worship and fellowship.
I do want to express our sincere condolences to Sis. Amy Montgomery's family in the passing of her uncle; to Bro. Jason Mullins' family in the passing of his father...our thoughts and prayers are with each of you in this time of sorrow.
God be with you...
The biggest and best news has been that for the past two Sundays, we've had the same 6 visitors attend services. That is exciting! We hope they will make worshipping with us a habit. We are already trying to figure out what to do once the living room completely fills up with people and the only solution on the horizon is opening the French doors to the office and setting up more chairs in there, but that also presents a problem...we've already run out of chairs. Truly, that is a great problem to have! The other exciting news is that our pastor found a pulpit for sale from a Christian campground...needs to be sanded and re-stained, but is in awesome condition and the price is oh so wonderful, $50 for the pulpit and $10 to be delivered! Can't beat that...couldn't buy the wood for that, so we are very happy...now our pastor can use a real pulpit rather than the three boxes taped together and covered with a table cloth to preach from. Delivery will be next week and he is getting very excited to use it.
This Saturday, we will be having a 3-church rally in Shawnee, starting at 5:00. If you are in the area, please join us for a time of worship and fellowship.
I do want to express our sincere condolences to Sis. Amy Montgomery's family in the passing of her uncle; to Bro. Jason Mullins' family in the passing of his father...our thoughts and prayers are with each of you in this time of sorrow.
God be with you...
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
It's been awhile...
Things have been quite busy around here since my last post. When I last posted we had taken in a new member, attended Couple's Retreat and were preparing to wish Brother Rob "bon voyage" as he deployed. Since then, we have indeed sent Brother Rob off and already miss him terribly. When you have a small congregation, you feel the absence of each of your members strongly.
The beginning of April, my father-in-law had a stroke which accelerated the Parkinson's disease that he had been battling for the past 4 years. My husband and his sister faced the heartbreaking decision of putting him into a nursing home since my mother-in-law was not physically able to care for him, nor was any of the rest of us. The day we took him to the home, he wanted to go down the hall to visit his aunt, but told us that "he wouldn't be staying long". At that moment, we figured he was talking about the length of his visit with his aunt, but now realize that he meant that he wouldn't be staying long in the home. Exactly one week after being admitted, my father-in-law entered into his rest and finally stood before the throne of God to meet his Savior. It was truly a bittersweet moment. We were thrilled that he was no longer in pain or having difficulty remembering...but at the same time knew that we were going to miss him terribly. God has been our strength and the grace of God truly is sufficient. God sent His Comforter and has been beside us as we have grieved our loss knowing that it was heaven's gain. God also sent extra special comfort for all of us in the form of our first grandchild, Lilli...she and her parents arrived two days after Papa's passing and she brightened everyone's heart.
The end of April found us in Washington state to perform a baby dedication. It was an honor to be asked to come back to the church we had formerly pastored and a privilege to dedicate the newest arrival, Mr. Noah Sweeney. You truly do not realize how much you miss someone until you've been separated by miles and time, then see one another...we miss the people in the northwest region terribly and especially those at The Church of God in Sedro Woolley! They each hold a piece of our hearts. While in Washington, we also got to spend some time with our youngest son and his wife. They are expecting their first child around the middle of November and this will be our second grandchild. We are looking forward to his/her arrival.
You may have noticed that our location and service times have changed. The building that we were renting, was lost to the parent organization of the group we were renting from, during a law suit. The new congregation that moved into the building decided that they didn't want to share their building any longer, so we are now meeting in our home until we are able to find a more suitable place for service. While most don't like to visit a church that is in a home, we are not down about this turn of events, as God's presence has blessed us in every service since we switched locations. We are thankful for the time that we had to use that particular place, but know that God has something better for us in the long run, so we will patiently wait upon Him and continue doing what we know that we are to do.
I want to take this moment to wish each mom a very Happy Mother's Day! May God grant you strength and wisdom as you raise your children and for those that have grown children, may He grant you the strength and wisdom to know how to help them when they need it and know when to keep silent. ;-)
God bless and keep you!
The beginning of April, my father-in-law had a stroke which accelerated the Parkinson's disease that he had been battling for the past 4 years. My husband and his sister faced the heartbreaking decision of putting him into a nursing home since my mother-in-law was not physically able to care for him, nor was any of the rest of us. The day we took him to the home, he wanted to go down the hall to visit his aunt, but told us that "he wouldn't be staying long". At that moment, we figured he was talking about the length of his visit with his aunt, but now realize that he meant that he wouldn't be staying long in the home. Exactly one week after being admitted, my father-in-law entered into his rest and finally stood before the throne of God to meet his Savior. It was truly a bittersweet moment. We were thrilled that he was no longer in pain or having difficulty remembering...but at the same time knew that we were going to miss him terribly. God has been our strength and the grace of God truly is sufficient. God sent His Comforter and has been beside us as we have grieved our loss knowing that it was heaven's gain. God also sent extra special comfort for all of us in the form of our first grandchild, Lilli...she and her parents arrived two days after Papa's passing and she brightened everyone's heart.
The end of April found us in Washington state to perform a baby dedication. It was an honor to be asked to come back to the church we had formerly pastored and a privilege to dedicate the newest arrival, Mr. Noah Sweeney. You truly do not realize how much you miss someone until you've been separated by miles and time, then see one another...we miss the people in the northwest region terribly and especially those at The Church of God in Sedro Woolley! They each hold a piece of our hearts. While in Washington, we also got to spend some time with our youngest son and his wife. They are expecting their first child around the middle of November and this will be our second grandchild. We are looking forward to his/her arrival.
You may have noticed that our location and service times have changed. The building that we were renting, was lost to the parent organization of the group we were renting from, during a law suit. The new congregation that moved into the building decided that they didn't want to share their building any longer, so we are now meeting in our home until we are able to find a more suitable place for service. While most don't like to visit a church that is in a home, we are not down about this turn of events, as God's presence has blessed us in every service since we switched locations. We are thankful for the time that we had to use that particular place, but know that God has something better for us in the long run, so we will patiently wait upon Him and continue doing what we know that we are to do.
I want to take this moment to wish each mom a very Happy Mother's Day! May God grant you strength and wisdom as you raise your children and for those that have grown children, may He grant you the strength and wisdom to know how to help them when they need it and know when to keep silent. ;-)
God bless and keep you!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Going for the corn....
In Sunday School, we are doing leadership training. We've been discussing personalities and their differences to determine which type of personality each of us are so that we can understand our strengths and weaknesses. Yesterday, we went a step farther to understand how others view our strengths and weaknesses. It was pretty revealing. We had a great time laughing at some of it, but some of it was pretty sobering. Brother Rob has done an awesome job teaching this leadership class. We have one more class then "Commitment Sunday" where we will be asked to commit to doing something above and beyond the normal commitments...still not certain of what it entails, but I'll be sure to let you know when I do. We were also privileged to have Brother Wayne Dixon and his children Emily and Dakota join us for Sunday School. Hated to see them head back to Arkansas, but since they didn't have the entire family with them, we sadly said "see ya later!"
Last night, Brother Ray preached a message, "Going for the Corn". He brought out how Jacob's family was getting hungry because of the famine in the land and that when they heard there was corn in Egypt, his sons looked around at one another...sounds like some of us some days...but Jacob asked them why they were looking at one another and told them to "GET UP and GO GET THE CORN". God wants to do so much for us, but there are times He wants us to put some effort into getting what we need. If we need to know more of His Word, WE have to study. If we are struggling in an area, then WE have to put the time in to prayer and study to achieve the victory. If we are in financial difficulty (especially if it is our own doing) He expectes US to cut corners, stop overspending and take on extra work to get ourselves out of the difficulties. If we want to see our communities reached...we cannot sit within our four walls and just expect them to walk into our sanctuaries...we have to get out there and let them know that we are here, we have to minister to needs, we have to visit, get to know people, invite people...in other words, we have to stop looking at each other and GO GET THE CORN! The message was concluded with a time of prayer...God's presence was sweet and heavy and everyone felt the solemness in that prayer time as God dealt with hearts. God is so very good to us and so worthy of praise, yet some days, our hearts are so full of praise that we cannot even figure out where to start because we are overwhelmed by Him. We are thankful for His blessings. We are thankful for each member and non-member that He has brought into our congregation. We are thankful for each financial miracle that He has performed since this adventure began and we are confident that whatever He begins, He completes because He counted the cost when He sent His Only Son to die for our sins...we won't come up short as long as we lean on Him and His wisdom/direction.
In other news...we welcomed a new member last night...Sister Jessica Stanley has joined us from Virginia. God has blessed her with a job, that she started last Tuesday and we are blessed to have her here to help Brother Rob work in the youth department. Brother Rob will also be leaving us for a short time while he is deployed. I know that he and Sister Amy would appreciate your prayers for his safety and the well-being of her and the girls while he is gone.
The Wingates and Adams were blessed to have attended Couple's Retreat in Branson, MO the weekend before last. We so enjoyed our time to get to know more brothers and sisters within the region, we made new friends and reconnected with precious friends...the messages, classes and worship times were absolutely wonderful and instructional.
We feel so very blessed here in OKC. If you are in the area, please join us for service...if not...please pray for us. We want God's will to be done here...this is His Church that we are building, not ours, therefore, we need His guidance so that we do it RIGHT!
God be with you and have a wonderful day!
Last night, Brother Ray preached a message, "Going for the Corn". He brought out how Jacob's family was getting hungry because of the famine in the land and that when they heard there was corn in Egypt, his sons looked around at one another...sounds like some of us some days...but Jacob asked them why they were looking at one another and told them to "GET UP and GO GET THE CORN". God wants to do so much for us, but there are times He wants us to put some effort into getting what we need. If we need to know more of His Word, WE have to study. If we are struggling in an area, then WE have to put the time in to prayer and study to achieve the victory. If we are in financial difficulty (especially if it is our own doing) He expectes US to cut corners, stop overspending and take on extra work to get ourselves out of the difficulties. If we want to see our communities reached...we cannot sit within our four walls and just expect them to walk into our sanctuaries...we have to get out there and let them know that we are here, we have to minister to needs, we have to visit, get to know people, invite people...in other words, we have to stop looking at each other and GO GET THE CORN! The message was concluded with a time of prayer...God's presence was sweet and heavy and everyone felt the solemness in that prayer time as God dealt with hearts. God is so very good to us and so worthy of praise, yet some days, our hearts are so full of praise that we cannot even figure out where to start because we are overwhelmed by Him. We are thankful for His blessings. We are thankful for each member and non-member that He has brought into our congregation. We are thankful for each financial miracle that He has performed since this adventure began and we are confident that whatever He begins, He completes because He counted the cost when He sent His Only Son to die for our sins...we won't come up short as long as we lean on Him and His wisdom/direction.
In other news...we welcomed a new member last night...Sister Jessica Stanley has joined us from Virginia. God has blessed her with a job, that she started last Tuesday and we are blessed to have her here to help Brother Rob work in the youth department. Brother Rob will also be leaving us for a short time while he is deployed. I know that he and Sister Amy would appreciate your prayers for his safety and the well-being of her and the girls while he is gone.
The Wingates and Adams were blessed to have attended Couple's Retreat in Branson, MO the weekend before last. We so enjoyed our time to get to know more brothers and sisters within the region, we made new friends and reconnected with precious friends...the messages, classes and worship times were absolutely wonderful and instructional.
We feel so very blessed here in OKC. If you are in the area, please join us for service...if not...please pray for us. We want God's will to be done here...this is His Church that we are building, not ours, therefore, we need His guidance so that we do it RIGHT!
God be with you and have a wonderful day!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Nehemiah
I love the book of Nehemiah...that is where my devotionals are right now and I almost don't want to stop reading once I get started. God laid it upon Nehemiah's heart to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls and gates of the city so that the city of David would not be a reproach. Once it became known what his business was there, some people mocked and scorned him and did everything they could to prevent him from doing what God had laid upon his heart to do. Nehemiah didn't let their actions or their words prevent him from being obedient to God. The Bible tells me that there is "nothing new under the sun" and as I read the book of Nehemiah, I am reminded of that fact. God will lay things upon our hearts to do for Him and when others find out what our business is, they mock and scorn us and fight against us, even to the point of telling us that we don't know what God's will is. Will we become discouraged by their words and actions or will we be like Nehemiah...obedient to what we KNOW God is asking of us? Words hurt, we second-guess ourselves, but if we truly recognize the voice of the Father...then we can, with confidence, be about His business and know that He will give us the strength and the grace to fulfill His will. That is exciting to me, how about you?
I do realize that I sort of left you hanging with the last post titled, "Day 1" of our 21-day fast. I had intended upon sharing what God was showing me each day...but...got side-tracked and never got back to it. I can report that God blessed each one of us that participated in the prayer and fasting. It seems that we have a clear focus, as well as direction. We are able to recognize when the enemy is coming against us quicker which makes it easier to combat his attacks. While we don't have all the answers to all the prayers that were prayed, we do have a peace that God is working all things out for our good and when all is said and done, He will receive all the glory and honor for the progression of the work here. We are all just vessels for His use and are willing to be used as He sees fit.
The first week of March, Sister Jessica Stanley will be moving here from Virginia. We are excited and looking forward to having her help with the work here. We have also found a building with an acre of property for $129K which is a steal in OKC. The building is in good shape, with old, but well kept carpet, beautiful pews, altars and pulpit and lots of potential for adding on as needed. It is less than a minute from I-35 with a neighborhood of houses to the west and apartment complexes to the east...a lot of outreach potential. We have sent letters out to all of our churches in our region asking each member/church to prayerfully consider donating to our building fund as God will lead them. Some are simply hoping for enough to come in to cover a good down payment of approximately $20K...but I serve a BIG GOD and $129K is nothing in comparison to how He blessed David and Solomon...I am trusting God to provide all of it and then some to cover all the minor improvements that need to be made and all the initial costs involved. Am I being presumptuous in expecting God to provide it all and then some? I don't think so. My God spoke the worlds into existence...He is THAT BIG! Why shouldn't my faith, in Him, be THAT BIG? It is in knowing that what I am asking is an impossibility in the eyes of man, that makes God's answer so great and causes Him to truly receive the glory and honor. With man, it is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible! If we can't believe God for BIG things, then what is the point of believing Him for the piddly things? That may seem a little warped, but let me share one of my biggest struggles...I've never had a problem trusting God for the BIG, impossible things...it has always been the piddly things that have tripped me up (mainly because I just didn't want to bother God with something I thought I could handle myself) until one day I realized that He IS faithful in the BIG things and He is even MORE faithful in the piddly things...most people struggle with that in the other direction, they trust God for the little bitty things but can't seem to trust Him with the huge things. So...I have come to the conclusion that regardless of the size of the need...I need to trust Him in a huge way...He will bless us over and above what we can imagine and I have a HUGE imagination...so I trust Him to do what He has promised.
Right after we arrived in OKC...an anonymous donor felt led to start out our building fund with a donation of $200.00. We also had donors, who are not affiliated with The Church of God, who committed to sending a set amount each month to help get the work going through December 2009. God has truly blessed us with people who are listening to His voice and are being obedient. We are thankful for them and we are praising God for His provision. While we were at District Convention this past weekend...the Churches from Broken Arrow and West Tulsa, provided lunch for all who attended, for a donation and all the money donated was given to us for our building fund. It was a very pleasant surprise for us and we are truly grateful for all those who so generously gave. With human eyes, it seems that it is all moving too slowly, but...we are determined to follow God and wait for His timing rather than trying to lead Him and move too quickly. We are also doing a candybar fundraiser. We expect the shipment to arrive on Monday, 15 February. We will be selling assorted candybars from World's Finest Chocolate, for $2 each.
God is also moving upon our hearts to be givers, not just receivers. We have a ministry within our Church called "Helping Hands" and it is to send funds to specific countries for specific needs. This is one of those areas that God has given us direction, letting us know of two specific areas and needs that He wants us, as a church, to give to. Our General Missions Coordinator decided to forego the annual missions calendar with requests for prayer for different countries each month and decided to ask specific regions within the U.S. to pray for specific countries for the entire year. A week after our church agreed upon the countries and needs to pray and support, I found out the countries that our region had been asked to pray for in 2010. I was so excited because the two countries our region had been assigned were the two countries that God had laid upon our hearts. I love confirmations like that! I know that we are a small, new work with limited funds, but we cannot expect God to bless us financially and to meet our needs if we tie up our purse strings and refuse to help others who are also in need. I am so grateful for the men of our local congregation, who take the business of the Church seriously enough to pray and get God's mind on the decisions that we have to make and aren't willing to lean on their own understanding or what "appears" to make sense" or what seems to be the easiest, least costly way. Too many decisions have been made because it "seems to be God laying the answer" at our feet, without any real effort on our part, only to have it backfire later on. I would much rather have our men pray about every jot and tittle than to lean on their own ideas, opinions and human understanding. This is God's work...once again...we are just vessels for Him to work through...we absolutely need His leading in all that we do.
Please be in prayer for us as we seek to raise the funds for purchasing a property, whether it is this one, or another. Also, pray for the work here...we had a young man (11 years old) attend our October Youth outreach and since December, his mom, sister and sister's boyfriend have been coming with him. God is bringing new faces into our midst and we want to be a blessing to them and see them grow in Him. I think that pretty much brings you up to speed on what is happening in OKC. God be with you and keep you...
Until next post...
I do realize that I sort of left you hanging with the last post titled, "Day 1" of our 21-day fast. I had intended upon sharing what God was showing me each day...but...got side-tracked and never got back to it. I can report that God blessed each one of us that participated in the prayer and fasting. It seems that we have a clear focus, as well as direction. We are able to recognize when the enemy is coming against us quicker which makes it easier to combat his attacks. While we don't have all the answers to all the prayers that were prayed, we do have a peace that God is working all things out for our good and when all is said and done, He will receive all the glory and honor for the progression of the work here. We are all just vessels for His use and are willing to be used as He sees fit.
The first week of March, Sister Jessica Stanley will be moving here from Virginia. We are excited and looking forward to having her help with the work here. We have also found a building with an acre of property for $129K which is a steal in OKC. The building is in good shape, with old, but well kept carpet, beautiful pews, altars and pulpit and lots of potential for adding on as needed. It is less than a minute from I-35 with a neighborhood of houses to the west and apartment complexes to the east...a lot of outreach potential. We have sent letters out to all of our churches in our region asking each member/church to prayerfully consider donating to our building fund as God will lead them. Some are simply hoping for enough to come in to cover a good down payment of approximately $20K...but I serve a BIG GOD and $129K is nothing in comparison to how He blessed David and Solomon...I am trusting God to provide all of it and then some to cover all the minor improvements that need to be made and all the initial costs involved. Am I being presumptuous in expecting God to provide it all and then some? I don't think so. My God spoke the worlds into existence...He is THAT BIG! Why shouldn't my faith, in Him, be THAT BIG? It is in knowing that what I am asking is an impossibility in the eyes of man, that makes God's answer so great and causes Him to truly receive the glory and honor. With man, it is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible! If we can't believe God for BIG things, then what is the point of believing Him for the piddly things? That may seem a little warped, but let me share one of my biggest struggles...I've never had a problem trusting God for the BIG, impossible things...it has always been the piddly things that have tripped me up (mainly because I just didn't want to bother God with something I thought I could handle myself) until one day I realized that He IS faithful in the BIG things and He is even MORE faithful in the piddly things...most people struggle with that in the other direction, they trust God for the little bitty things but can't seem to trust Him with the huge things. So...I have come to the conclusion that regardless of the size of the need...I need to trust Him in a huge way...He will bless us over and above what we can imagine and I have a HUGE imagination...so I trust Him to do what He has promised.
Right after we arrived in OKC...an anonymous donor felt led to start out our building fund with a donation of $200.00. We also had donors, who are not affiliated with The Church of God, who committed to sending a set amount each month to help get the work going through December 2009. God has truly blessed us with people who are listening to His voice and are being obedient. We are thankful for them and we are praising God for His provision. While we were at District Convention this past weekend...the Churches from Broken Arrow and West Tulsa, provided lunch for all who attended, for a donation and all the money donated was given to us for our building fund. It was a very pleasant surprise for us and we are truly grateful for all those who so generously gave. With human eyes, it seems that it is all moving too slowly, but...we are determined to follow God and wait for His timing rather than trying to lead Him and move too quickly. We are also doing a candybar fundraiser. We expect the shipment to arrive on Monday, 15 February. We will be selling assorted candybars from World's Finest Chocolate, for $2 each.
God is also moving upon our hearts to be givers, not just receivers. We have a ministry within our Church called "Helping Hands" and it is to send funds to specific countries for specific needs. This is one of those areas that God has given us direction, letting us know of two specific areas and needs that He wants us, as a church, to give to. Our General Missions Coordinator decided to forego the annual missions calendar with requests for prayer for different countries each month and decided to ask specific regions within the U.S. to pray for specific countries for the entire year. A week after our church agreed upon the countries and needs to pray and support, I found out the countries that our region had been asked to pray for in 2010. I was so excited because the two countries our region had been assigned were the two countries that God had laid upon our hearts. I love confirmations like that! I know that we are a small, new work with limited funds, but we cannot expect God to bless us financially and to meet our needs if we tie up our purse strings and refuse to help others who are also in need. I am so grateful for the men of our local congregation, who take the business of the Church seriously enough to pray and get God's mind on the decisions that we have to make and aren't willing to lean on their own understanding or what "appears" to make sense" or what seems to be the easiest, least costly way. Too many decisions have been made because it "seems to be God laying the answer" at our feet, without any real effort on our part, only to have it backfire later on. I would much rather have our men pray about every jot and tittle than to lean on their own ideas, opinions and human understanding. This is God's work...once again...we are just vessels for Him to work through...we absolutely need His leading in all that we do.
Please be in prayer for us as we seek to raise the funds for purchasing a property, whether it is this one, or another. Also, pray for the work here...we had a young man (11 years old) attend our October Youth outreach and since December, his mom, sister and sister's boyfriend have been coming with him. God is bringing new faces into our midst and we want to be a blessing to them and see them grow in Him. I think that pretty much brings you up to speed on what is happening in OKC. God be with you and keep you...
Until next post...
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Day 1
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing (forgiving) their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:17-19)
Like you, I've read these scriptures many times, but this morning it clicked...God has given us the ministry of reconciliation...what does it mean to reconcile? The 1935 Webster's dictionary says that it means to cause to be friendly again; restore harmony; reunite. Scripturally, it means to bring back into a right relationship with God. We were born as enemies to God because of the sin of Adam, but through the blood of Christ, we can be reconciled to a right relationship with God and once we have been reunited with Him, we become ambassadors of Christ, reaching out to others to see them reconciled and forgiven.
It is so exciting when God opens up my understanding to what His Word is saying and shows me how to apply it to my life. I trust He is doing the same for you.
Like you, I've read these scriptures many times, but this morning it clicked...God has given us the ministry of reconciliation...what does it mean to reconcile? The 1935 Webster's dictionary says that it means to cause to be friendly again; restore harmony; reunite. Scripturally, it means to bring back into a right relationship with God. We were born as enemies to God because of the sin of Adam, but through the blood of Christ, we can be reconciled to a right relationship with God and once we have been reunited with Him, we become ambassadors of Christ, reaching out to others to see them reconciled and forgiven.
It is so exciting when God opens up my understanding to what His Word is saying and shows me how to apply it to my life. I trust He is doing the same for you.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
New Year...
So...how do you start out your new year? Do you make resolutions that you may or 
may not keep? Do you set goals for yourself? Normally, I just go with the flow...whatever happens, happens. This year is a bit different for us...following a year of big changes and life threatening events and the first week of the new year starting out with serious problems and death...most all of our congregation is feeling the need to do some serious fasting and praying. Starting tomorrow, we will be embarking on a 21-day fast together as a church. If you read in Daniel, chapters 1 and 10, you will find that Daniel did a 21-day fast where he drank water and ate fruits, vegetables and nuts and refused meats and breads. There are a few of us, who will be starting the "Daniel fast" with a complete fast, meaning no food...and the rest of us will do just the "Daniel fast". The reason we are doing this is to find God's will for this congregation, for this year, to know what He would have us focus on; 
we need workers who are committed to reaching the lost for Christ; we need finances to do whatever He leads us to do; we need the health to keep going, we have some serious health issues among our congregation and we need healing for those issues; we also want to see souls saved this year and added to the Church as God leads them and then we have our own personal things that we need God's direction on. I prayed in the New Year, but don't feel that I have the direction that I need for this year...so this first month of the new year is a good time to find out what God wants of me and for me. I'm looking forward to seeing how God directs this congregation and the work here in the city. We've had others, from other parts of the country, choose to join us in fasting and if you want, please join as well.
The tunnel of lights... front row, Pastor Ray and angel baby, Lilli; back row, Nick, Sherry, Sheyanne, Samantha, Darren, Larissa, Jeremy and Heather.
may not keep? Do you set goals for yourself? Normally, I just go with the flow...whatever happens, happens. This year is a bit different for us...following a year of big changes and life threatening events and the first week of the new year starting out with serious problems and death...most all of our congregation is feeling the need to do some serious fasting and praying. Starting tomorrow, we will be embarking on a 21-day fast together as a church. If you read in Daniel, chapters 1 and 10, you will find that Daniel did a 21-day fast where he drank water and ate fruits, vegetables and nuts and refused meats and breads. There are a few of us, who will be starting the "Daniel fast" with a complete fast, meaning no food...and the rest of us will do just the "Daniel fast". The reason we are doing this is to find God's will for this congregation, for this year, to know what He would have us focus on; 
we need workers who are committed to reaching the lost for Christ; we need finances to do whatever He leads us to do; we need the health to keep going, we have some serious health issues among our congregation and we need healing for those issues; we also want to see souls saved this year and added to the Church as God leads them and then we have our own personal things that we need God's direction on. I prayed in the New Year, but don't feel that I have the direction that I need for this year...so this first month of the new year is a good time to find out what God wants of me and for me. I'm looking forward to seeing how God directs this congregation and the work here in the city. We've had others, from other parts of the country, choose to join us in fasting and if you want, please join as well. Now...some have asked that I post some pictures from Christmas, so I'll add some from the night the Church went to see the Christmas lights in Chickasha.
The tunnel of lights... front row, Pastor Ray and angel baby, Lilli; back row, Nick, Sherry, Sheyanne, Samantha, Darren, Larissa, Jeremy and Heather. We are missing Amy, Madison, Emma, Kaylee, Lydia, Kim and Ethan because they
didn't get the memo that we were walking through the park rather than driving, so they were somewhere in the nice, warm van while the rest of us were shivering and laughing at the craziness of being out in the cold.
I'll have to add more pictures later...blogger is uploading rather slowly and I have other things that must be done.
Sister Tammi
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