Where did 2011 go?

How is it that ALL and I mean just about all of 2011 has gone and I have not blogged? This is a great question and one that I have been pondering this week. I don't really blog for any other reason that to journal what the Lord has been doing in my life, what is on my mind, and just to have a creative outlet...so why, WHY did I not blog in 2011?

I have no clear, defined or quick answer. But I'm going to change that in 2012...

And speaking of change, there is a lot that is about to change in my life. The Lord has me on a new adventure. And the word that I believe that the Lord has given me for 2012 is REMEMBER...and to do that, I'll be writing about many of the things the Lord did in my life in 2011. That should suffice for now.

"Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.” Deuteronomy 8:2 (NIV)

"Remember the wonders he has done… He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations…" Chronicles 16:12a, 15

"Because you have these blessings, do all you can to add to your life these things: to your faith add goodness; to your goodness add knowledge; to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add patience; to your patience add devotion to God." 2 Peter 1:5-6 (ERV)

This will serve as a reminder for what's to come...the path is the Lord's and I'm on this journey with Him...Lord give me joy for this new journey.

And hey...at least I can say I blogged in 2011. ;)

Catching Up and Catching My Breath

Can you believe it has been so long since I've sat down to blog? Boy I can! A lot has happened since March. I'm going to give you a quick overview to catch you up. Let me start by referring to this picture. If you remember our word for the year challenge, then you remember my talking about ordering our word bracelets. We were all very proud of them when they came in. Bradley's word is "FINISH", my word is "REFRESHED", Bailey's word is "RESPONSE" and Brody's word is "THINK". And we've been working on all of these things in our home and our personal lives. But the one I am most proud of is Bradley's, because he did! He FINISHED seminary and graduated on May 6, 2010. It was a very proud and emotional day for us. I can't tell you how excited I was to watch him walk across that stage and receive his degree. Philippians 1:6, "Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on until completion until the day of Jesus Christ." The degree is done, but we both know that God's work in Bradley will carry on until the day He calls us home. We are forever grateful for His calling upon Bradley's life, and we seek to serve Him fully. Way to go, baby!
And then summer hit. Our kids have been so busy, growing up...it is hard to believe, but that is just how it happens. Brody recovered from a broken thumb to finish baseball season. Bailey attended cheerleader camp and her squad won the Jr. High Division camp championship! If you know me, you know I am a very proud momma of this. Brody went to kids camp and was a blessing to his sweet friends. Bailey is still leading the KidStuff worship team, but she "crossed over" to the youth group in June. This meant that she would be attending Flight 360 Student camp. What an exciting time for all of us! I was in charge of making the camp set...and since we are a ministry family, we did this together. Yes...child labor is wonderful when you have creative kids who love to help their mom! Together with Bailey's friend Alice, we painted the entire camp set. And we were so proud of our hard work. There is nothing like seeing your ideas come to fruition and it blessing others. But my plans for attending Flight 360 camp to produce quickly changed as we got some of the most exciting news of the summer. A new worship pastor had been chosen and was on his way to Texas to serve alongside us at First Euless.
Now if you remember how the beginning of the year started out, it was with the move of our best friends here, The Elkins. God called Robert (my boss) to First Orlando to be a worship pastor there. It is always wonderful watching God begin a new thing in your life and we celebrated with them in this move. But we also grieved our personal loss as a family. Two BFF's moving 1200 miles away does not make for a great New Year's celebration. And then we were in an interim period at church. God has been so good through that. Our team leader, and friend, Aaron Wade, has done an amazing job! And God blessed us with a fantastic interim choir director and he became our new friend as well. But the waiting was hard. The journey was long and filled with a lot of questions about just what God wanted to accomplish at our church. And "Who But God" can give you beyond your own expectations? What a faithful God we serve. And so we happily welcome Jeff Brockelman and his amazing family to our church. He's been serving at Grace Baptist Church in Knoxville, TN for the last 8 years. His view of a call Sunday was an amazing worship experience for all of us. So, our anticipation of this family moving to be our new friends and co-workers is filled with excitement for all God is preparing to do here at our church.
Personally this interim time and now the getting ready time has been filled with challenge. I want to take some time to write about all that God has taught me through this faith journey. Putting those lessons in this overview blog post just doesn't seem right. I can tell you that I have been so lovingly reminded of how personal God is with me. He has been patient and tender. He has been faithful to meet me right where I am. He has been loving to not allow me to remain where I might have wanted to be selfishly. He has been forgiving for when I just plain got in the way. So, if you can wait, I will share more...soon.

Shhh..."He gives quietness." Job 34:29

This was the verse attached to my devotional on January 31st. Little did I know that this was the theme of my entire month of February.

January was a month of unrest for me. I found tears in my eyes so many times, in so many places and in so many situations. If you follow my blog at all, you know that my favorite place to cry is in my shower, but in January tears seemed to spill out in all other areas of my life. It was a little unnerving to those who didn't know me well. So, I took my tears to the Lord. I began to call out - cry out - for an answer to the unrest. My quiet tears really did grow strong in some of those showers. The word for the year had been chosen and it was REFRESHED...so what was going on? On January 23rd, this was my verse, "Why, O LORD, do you stand so far off?" (Psalm 10:1) Have you ever had these times in your life where you cry out to the Lord and the louder you get, the quieter He seems? Well, let me just give you a peek at what I found the Lord saying to me in the month that would follow Job 34:29, "He gives quietness", which translated to me, "Shhh...listen girl."

February 1: "This is my doing." I Kings 12:24
February 2: "In the shadow of His hand He hid me..." Isaiah 49:2
February 7: "Why are you downcast, O my soul?" Psalm 43:5
February 8: "Surely I am with you always." Matthew 28:20
February 9: "He will quiet you with His love." Zephaniah 3:17
February 12: "Your Heavenly Father knows." Matthew 6:32
February 14: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Phil. 4:4
February 16: "Although I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more." Nahum 1:12
February 18: "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24
February 20: "Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20
February 21: "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him." Psalm 37:7
February 22: "If you can?...Everything is possible for him who believes." Mark 9:23
February 26: "My grace is sufficient for you." 2 Corinthians 12:9

I did find rest. I realized while being quiet before the Lord, that all His promises are true and available to me. Isaiah 30:15 says, "...in quietness and trust is your strength..." I wish I could completely fill you in on all that God is doing in my life. I can't right now, but I found a peace that passes my understanding during this last month. I needed that more than I needed answers to all the questions I put before the Lord in January. My Lord is faithful and I know He heard all of those questions. And they didn't go away, but to rest in His sovereignty - to take the journey of faith, this is peace. I found a new favorite quote during February that says, "Faith is the 'Amen' to God's 'Yes', then takes its hands off it and allows God to finish His work." Can you walk in faith without peace? I don't know. Unrest seemed to equal worry and anxiety for me. But I found that when quiet enough, I can hear the Lord speaking to my soul, "God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns." (Psalm 46:5)

March 1: "Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what He has made crooked?" (Ecclesiastes 7:13) I wonder what the Lord has in store for this month? Here we go...

My Heart Song for A Season

Bradley and I just marked a new anniversary in our journey together in our marriage and ministry. In January of 2005, our former pastor, Dr. Doug Sager preached the "Dream" series that was THE catalyst to Bradley's accepting his call into full time ministry. That series changed the face of First Baptist Concord for sure. And this January 2010, we took some time to recall and celebrate how our lives had changed since that month five years ago. I'm not about to try and blog about all that happened, but I recall the books that we were reading right before we moved to Texas and how those titles seemed to say a ton about how different our journeys were or felt at the time. Bradley was reading "Life Wide Open" by Dr. David Jeremiah and I was reading "Shattered Dreams" by Larry Crabb. That's funny, don't you think? And it was true. God had asked Bradley to dare to trust Him with all that he could dream about His calling on his life, while at the same time God clearly told me that He's be asking for all of my dreams. Yes, this is a long story and would fill many blogs. And this month we mark the "Dream" series anniversary and how these five years now have changed so many things. And with the whole word journey that we have going on in our family and extended family, it brought me to a song. I think that this song is my heart song for this season. I simply just share the words with you as an encouragement that with God, life is abundant and beyond compare no matter where you find yourself along the journey.

"The Desert Song" (Hillsongs United)
This is my prayer in the desert, when all that is in me feels dry.
This is my prayer in my hunger and need. My God is the God who provides.
This is my prayer in the fire, in weakness, in trial or pain.
There is a faith proved of more worth than gold,
So refine me Lord through the flame.

I will bring praise. I will bring praise.
No weapon formed against me shall remain.
I will rejoice. I will declare,
God is my victory and He is here.

This is my prayer in the battle, when triumph is still on its way.
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ, so firm on His promise I'll stand.

I will bring praise. I will bring praise.
No weapon formed against me shall remain.
I will rejoice. I will declare,
God is my victory and He is here.

All of my life, in every season
You are still God, I have a reason to sing.
I have a reason to worship.

This is my prayer in the harvest, when favor and providence flow.
I know I'm filled to be emptied again.
The seed I've received I will sow.

Every Soul Has A Song

I recently listened to a preacher online that inspires me. He was sharing about the fact that every soul has a song. He was talking about the martyrs in scripture, saints who were persecuted, even put to death. When you study these passages, so many of them account that the saint was singing, even while in jail or in chains. Singing and praising is found so many times in scripture; we do have an entire book of songs (Psalms). Of course, everything he was saying ministered directly to my soul, especially since the last ten years of my life have been spent in full time worship ministry. I can certainly attest that my soul has a heart song.

I noodled on this message for the rest of the night and woke up the next morning with it still on my mind. I happened to also be praying for my Mammaw. She's 86 years old and living in a nursing home in Harrisburg, Arkansas. Let me just tell you right now, that this woman is so precious to me and there are WAY TOO MANY miles between here and there. She has been our steady rock for so long. She raised all of us at some point in our lives. And now, she's the last of her siblings left. Not only that, but she has buried her husband of 44 years and 2 of her children, one being my mother. In the last 4 years, she has broken her hip and her neck. She has a pacemaker/defibrillator that makes her heart work correctly, along with macular degeneration, which means she is basically blind. But sit next to her and she'll pour out of her very being directly into you. She is a tremendous servant and friend. I could go on and on. She has a heart appointment tomorrow at the Heart Failure Clinic in Arkansas. She has a leaking valve and this is the next step for what has been about a two year journey with complications. We were just talking about all of this the other day on the phone, and she just simply expressed to me that she is tired. Her body is worn out. And while I silently cried, she just wanted to tell me that when God calls, she is ready. And she needed to hear me say that we'd be fine. I can't tell you just how much I adore this woman.

I write all of this to say that I heard a song that to me would be my Mamms heart song. I'm sure she has never even heard it, but if I could listen inside her failing heart, I believe that I would strongly hear this song being sung.

"I Will Rise"
Chris Tomlin
There's a peace I've come to know, though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul, I can say, "It is well"
Jesus has overcome, and the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won, He is risen from the dead
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
I will rise

There's a day that's drawing near when this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear and my faith shall be my eyes
Jesus has overcome, and the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won, He is risen from the dead
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
I will rise

And I hear the voice of many angels sing, "Worthy is the Lamb"
And I hear the cry of every longing heart, "Worthy is the Lamb"
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
I will rise

My heart is singing along....

The Details

If you know me, you know I love the "little things" in life. I love to pay attention to details. In fact, I get paid to do just that. Work, accomplish, produce the details of our worship services at First Baptist Church Euless. And I enjoy it. Recently, I was copied in on an email where my Pastor was describing me to a new co-worker. He said, " Lainie Thomas is our producer, and she is an incredibly detailed servant who doesn’t miss much at all."

Wow, what a very nice compliment from my Pastor. I was honored that he would give me such a great review to help my first impression with this new team member. But, I have to be honest, it got me thinking... My job is to succeed at taking care of multiple details for quite a large number of people. They depend on me. And those details change every seven days, so there is much time and preparation spent on getting up to speed and comfortable with what each week's new set of details entails. So, this is how I'm described at work, but can I say the same about my personal life?

I started thinking about the details of my life. I started surface in my assessment of how "incredibly detailed" I am at the little things in my private life, when no one may be looking. For example, I don't often think about accessories when it comes to my attire. To some people, that is a must, but I often just don't take the time to think about what purse I should carry, or a nice scarf to accent, an outfit, the proper earrings with this neckline, etc. I know, this is small, but it is true about me. And my skincare...I have very dry skin and while I take good care of my face, I often neglect lotion for my parched hands, elbows and feet. I don't often sit down for a good pedicure unless a friend invites me to go hang out for one. Some of this is due to have a husband in seminary, but much is just my neglecting the small stuff.

And then there is my spiritual life. I recently read a quote that I had to "noodle" on for a long time. I came upon it in a small book called "The Audience of One" that our choir was reading together. The Holy Spirit just seemed to stop me in my tracks on this one, "Above all make sure that your public worship is mirroring of what you do in private." Yes, take time to read that again. It is a profound statement to me, especially since Worship is my profession. I think about it, talk about it, help plan it, practice it, participate in it, produce it, but all of that is my public worship. What about my private worship? The truth is, I often struggle with the small stuff...THE DETAILS! My honest critique of myself is that I don't stop, but neglect. In my own power, I convince myself that I can run, do and do and do on my own; but it is just not true. And this honest assessment is one of the reasons why my journey with the Lord for 2010 is captured in my word choice, "REFRESHED". When you let yourself be blind to the fact that you've unplugged from the true power source, you find yourself worn and weary. But as this new year is already moving along, I'm finding myself stopping to put lotion on more often, think about accessories, and daily tap into the Living Water that does not run dry. We've got a long way to go on this journey, but every step counts.

Imaginations Run Wild

We've had a great day at home. Relaxing some...watching t.v. some...cleaning some...cooking some - you get the picture. I have thoroughly enjoyed this day. One thing that this day did not have in it was my husband, Bradley. We put him on a plane(s) to India yesterday and he will be gone until January 17th. When you count the days, it's really not that long, but to me, it seems that way. I think it's because he left on a single digit day and will return on a day that has the word "teen" in it. That's just how it works for me. But also, because I am all things to all the little people in my house until he returns. Yes, "Mom's" the word.

Now I am a very blessed woman for sure. I have a very wonderful and helpful husband and great kids. But when you aren't used to be a single mom for any amount of time, AND your love language is acts of service, this time can turn out to be interesting. No matter, it is all in service to Him for sure.

I got into the "cleaning some" part of my day, which involved cleaning dishes, laundry and putting away Christmas...all at the same time. For a while, I felt like I had developed ADHD. I kept bouncing from one of these chores to the other. My kids had been upstairs for quite a while and my son came down to announce that he'd be going in and out for a while. Now, it's cold! Plain and simple, so I told him to put his coat on. He obeyed and I went back to my ADHD chores. Right about then, I heard him yell up to his sister, "I'm rich, right?" And she happily answered, "Yes, of course!" And he went out the front door. Well, this intrigued me. I began to continue the appearance of my cleaning so as not to interrupt their whatever it was they were doing. And boy did I soon discover.

They had a full-fledged Veterinarian's office upstairs. All of the WebKinz animals were in little cages. The Wii remotes controllers had been re-purposed to Defibrillator paddles in the operating room (the bathroom). The toilet paper from under the bathroom sink was now bandages awaiting the wounds of the animals that Brody was out rescuing. Bailey ran the office, but Brody was the doctor. He was riding his Porsche (new bike) to and from work. Too bad it made his cheeks so red. He obviously had the sun roof up on this cold, brisk day. Yes, the imaginations were out in full force up those stairs.

I love it when my kids, who have just about every toy they could possibly want at their fingertips decide that their imaginations are more fun than the anything else. And as a creative type, it certainly helps to know that this kind of playing cultivates more in them than watching hours of the Disney Channel or playing hours of video games. And it certainly helped when I finally walked up the stairs to behold the huge mess that the Vet Office was in 3 of the 4 rooms up there. But oh well...no reason to crush one of God's greatest gifts. Messes clean up and moments like these are fleeting. I'm just going to enjoy this part of the journey.

Out of The Mouths of Babes

The "word" for the year is going well. After I made my choice on Sunday, I decided to share this little adventure with my kids. We were driving on the way home from church and I decided to backtrack and told them the whole story. I asked them if they wanted to think/pray about having a word that would capture what they hoped their journey with the Lord would be this year. As I was saying one more time, "You can think about it", they both chimed in that they had their word choice.

Bailey is 11 and in middle school. I asked her to go first. She's been growing and learning so much lately, and if you remember the time between leaving elementary and going into middle school, there are so many choices to make. I hate to say it out loud, but choices to leave behind childish things. It is a part of maturity as a young woman and a young believer. Bailey confidently declared her word to be "RESPONSE". She explained it to me that she wanted to respond the right way anytime that her parents or the Lord asks her to do anything. Those are her words not mine. I was beaming, I'm sure. This was a big day for Bailey. We talked so many more times this day about her word choice. We talked about her relationship with her brother, with God, with us. It was good and hard. Being stretched is just that, isn't it? By the time she went to bed last Sunday, all on her own, she had a new commitment to begin memorizing God's word and doing daily devotions by reading through Psalms this year. I just couldn't have asked for anything more. We talked together about how she would be tested, even when she wasn't expecting it; but as her mom and her sister in Christ, I am so proud of her. She is truly becoming a beautiful young woman, inside and out.

Brody told me his word choice right after his sister did. He chose "THINK". Of course, I had to ask the reasons behind his choice, and he confidently declared that he needed to slow down and think about everything. He went on to give examples about spelling words correctly, remembering to capitalize the first word of every sentence, to listening to others before he started talking. Mind you, he was officially still on Christmas break from school, so some of these examples were very interesting to me, but I loved each one. Brody is in the 4th grade this year and will be turning 10 years old in March. This is a very important year in elementary for him. He is learning to write in cursive, working on his writing skills, moving up in all of sporting leagues, etc. Up until this point, he has definitely been good with just getting by in school, but he recently seemed to come to the understanding that he has so much more to give. His dad and I saw the light bulb turn on in football last fall and we've just been waiting for that to happen in school. Our hope and prayer is his word for the year will be the beginning of just that - waking up to his full potential. He is such a bright and creative boy, full of life and never-ending energy. His positive attitude and sweet spirit seems to be contagious to all of his friends and acquaintances. And because of all of these precious things, he is often content with status quo. We're not trying to push him hard, but he's got some pretty big dreams for life, so we just want him to find the work ethic to match it. With the Lord in his life, there is no doubt that "all things are possible."

And that is where I leave the content of this post, in the hands of the Lord. Bailey and Brody do not belong to us. They are gifts from our Heavenly Father. He hold their futures and He knows the plans He has for their lives. God, help us be faithful servants with these two precious gifts from above. And produce in them your will where it concerns "RESPONSE" and "THINK" in 2010. Trusting You is the only way, the best way.

A Word for the Year

We've arrived in 2010! Can't believe it! How did this happen so fast? Ten years - a decade into the new millelium! I'm about to have 2 kids in double digits! What? When your children tell you life is flying by, you just have hold on to your britches, right?

Well, we've started the new year out with something that our sweet and dear friends shared with us, and I just have to share with you. Robert and Angie's new pastor (that is very weird to say) has challenged their entire staff and church to find a word that is their focus for the new year. Dr. Uth's word for '10 is REMEMBER. I don't know the story behind his choice, but I bet the members of First Orlando will be discovering that very soon. So Robert and Angie were sharing their word choices for the new year with Bradley and I the other day. We just loved it and were both so inspired by it, that we asked them if we could join in with them in a word to capture what we hoped our journey to be for 2010. Of course, that gladly agreed that we could come along for the ride. So, immediately Bradley decided to go with FINISH! Finish things he started, finish school, you get the picture. I like his choice. Living in Texas has been about school, and with the end in sight - of school, I like his focusing being finishing strong! Yea!

It took me a little longer to decide. If you read my last post, I had a pretty interesting year for 2009, and where I am right now is hard to put into words exactly. So to sum up what I hope the journey with the Lord will be for the year of 2010 was just hard. I batted around several words, but no particular one was chosen. Then on Sunday, our Pastor spent the day speaking on our church's vision for 2010. It was a great day, but something in the middle of his sermon struck me that day. It actually helped me make my decision. But it started in the early morning hours in my shower, alone with the Lord.

I get up at 5: 30 am every Sunday morning to be at work by 6:30 am. Yes....I know! And on cold days, the only thing that helps is that hot morning shower. But if you've been following this blog, you know that water is one of the things that makes me feel creative. My creative juices flow like crazy at the beach. When I am near the lake or a fountain, my mind just moves more freely. And the shower is the same. This Sunday morning, I was praying about the word choice. I was thinking about when I drifted to sleep and it was still with me when I was trying to wake up. I had gone to sleep reading the book, "Come Thirsty". I had decided on New Year's Eve as I was leaving the office, that I would make this my first read of the new year. It fell into a theme that I believe the Lord had going with me. A great part of last year was like the desert to me . I felt all alone in the wilderness for much of it. So maybe "Thirsty" was what I was. Thirsty to be filled and overflowing with God's goodness and mercy again. Thirsty to be healed up from some lingering wounds, you know like when your skin is so dry you can't put enough lotion on it. Thirsty like a plant that hasn't been watered; like the ground that needs the rain; like a riverbed that was low. And this book screamed out to me ,"Come Thirsty". Yes, the optimum word being "COME!" I had missed it! Thirsty is what attracted me to the book, but the "Coming" was what I had not done enough of last year. Tapping into the source that could quench my thirst. I know that much of my year was spent sitting down in my wilderness, like Elijah after Mt. Carmel. The Lord fed him, provided him water, and allowed him to rest until he was called back into service. And do you remember what God asked him to do after he sat and experienced some healing? Yes, run for over 300 miles to another mission for the Lord. He also got to go find Elisha, but a marathon none-the-less. Come Thirsty.

But that was not the word I chose. When Bro. John said, "What word has been rolling around in your mind, something that God wants to stretch you with and accomplish in you this year?", the word the Spirit brought to my mind was REFRESHED. That was what I told the Lord as I was finishing my shower that morning. "Thank you Lord for showers that are so REFRESHING to me every cold, early Sunday morning!" Thirsty is what I always need to be. Thirsty for more of the Lord. But when I COME, and drink from the LIVING WATER, He promises me to be REFRESHED. That is what I want 2010 to be.

Psalm 107:9, says, " For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
Psalm 68:9 says, "You gave abundant showers, Oh God, and you refresh your inheritance."

So, you'll hear a lot about this word from me over the course of this year. I'm anticipating great and mighty things from the Lord. And I know He is waiting for me to COME to the LIVING WATER, very THIRSTY and find REFRESHMENT. Join me, want you?

Goodbye to '09! Hello to 2010!

I Samuel 7:12, "Thus far the Lord has helped us."

I read this verse this morning in my morning devos and have been thinking about it ever since. And since today is the last day of 2009, I thought I'd cap the year with one last blog. For those of you who read this blog, I also manage other one for our church called "Imagine Christmas". I have to leave this blog to keep that one up as it supports the Worship Ministry's Christmas program each year. So, it might look like I've been a lazy girl in the blogging world, but no sir. Just blogging over there for the church. But I just couldn't roll into 2010 without looking back on all that God has done in '09 and saying "Thank you, Lord." Let's recap...

The year started off with much promise, as all years seem to do. At first we thought that '09 might bring seminary to a close in our lives, but that soon changed very close to the beginning of 2009. Three semesters to finish. Oh well...at least Bradley was enjoying his classes in MACE. I so enjoyed seeing his zeal for school change when he changed over to this course of studies. It was like a new fire was ignited in him. We could handle waiting to graduate in 2010. And look, now that it is only 5 months away. Trust me, we are counting the days until May 6th. Put that on your calendar.

The Spring was interesting. I think that is the only word that the Lord will allow me to use. Bradley was suppposed to go to Africa, but I just couldn't get a peace about it. I seriously lost sleep over him leaving for this trip. That had never happened before. So, I just began to pray that God would wrap me in peace or speak to him about a change of plans. And the Lord did just that. Bradley realized that he shouldn't go, which allowed his assistant to go in his place. Lori was so blessed and we soon realized why Bradley should have been here and not there. All I can say about the Spring is that it changed many things for the Thomas family. We took to our knees and found a way to praise through the storm. It was a personal and very private storm for Bradley and I. The Lord brought us closer together and closer to Him as well. But things changed. Trusting that nothing passes to us that does not come through the hand of the Lord first, we journeyed on into summer just holding on.

Summer brought some healing and a calmer time. The Lord's hand is ever faithful. Our ministries grew and we just kept keeping on. I found myself really just waking up each day, looking to the Lord for strength for that day...and kept on walking. The Lord really began to teach me a lesson in the summer months. How to "be still and know that I am God" while "runnning the race set before us". They just weren't meshing in my mind, body and soul. But when we are weak, He is strong. GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS! So this is what I would do. "Being still and waiting, while running the race". Guess what, still doing it. And we got the WADES! Yes another piece of home, here in TEXAS! We so loved having Aaron, Rebekah, Evie and Abel stay with us for a while. And getting to do ministry with Aaron again has been such a bright spot in the middle of the year '09.

Fall brought busy"ness". I still can't believe it, but Bailey started middle school at HMS! Brody is a fourth grader and all by himself at Bear Creek Elementary. Brody also started his 2nd year of tackle football. He grew so much over the summer that his coaches were very excited to have him back. Go Bengals! And Bailey was starting her 2nd year of Senior League cheerleading with me as her coach. We set high expectations for her squad since they were all returning to a 2nd year. I do love football and cheerleading season, so this was a really good thing for me. And both the Patriots and the Bengals had very successful seasons, although it felt like we played every game in the rain! We've never had so much rain in Texas. And at church, we began making plans for Christmas, which is my favorite ministry time of the year. Imagine Christmas would make another appearance, but this time would journey all the way back to the beginning of time to see the real reason why Jesus had to come as a baby. Sin entered the world! Much to do and stay busy with. And all of this went well and fast. Before we knew it, Brody's Bengals were regular season champs! They headed into the playoffs with very high hopes. And the Patriots made the playoffs only to lose the 1st game. But the cheerleaders had their big showcase day at Pennington Field. Which is where we found out that the Patriot cheerleaders won the Senior League Cheer Championship! Yes, that was our goal! And my peers honored me with another Coach of the Year Award, so we feel our cheer season was very successful! And the Bengals went all the way to the Consolation Bowl and finished 3rd in the league for the 2nd year in a row. And Brody was a captain for that game and got to call the coin toss! How cool was that!
Fall also brought some other news that was a secret for a while. It appeared as if the Lord was moving Robert and Angie to a new ministry. How exciting to watch God work in their lives in such a particular and clear way! The Thomas family could not be more excited for them. But as the days neared to the news being known and then the actual leaving...it meant that I'd be losing my boss and our friends. You have to know the whole story, but they were MY gift for obeying. The journey to Texas was harder for me. Bradley had a new thing but I had to say goodbye to a very full and effective ministry in Tennessee. And that doesn't even speak of leaving all our family. So the Elkins were my gift. I told Angie that she and Robert and kids would have to be just that...our family. We've known each other since we were 9 years old. We started going to the same school when we were in the 5th grade. In my memories, she's always been there. So that was a HUGE blessing for our obedience to come to Texas to be in the center of God's will. And now, they would be leaving. Saying "goodbye" to having your best friends there, just around the corner, was harder than expected. I can definitely tell you that I prefer to be the leaver than the one being left. And all of this wrapped into Christmas made for an interesting holiday. But who can be sad when you can see the hand of the Lord so clearly? Well, maybe we can be for a little while....

So, here I sit on the eve of 2010. I know Bradley will graduate in this new year. And God has already showed us His favor for school and finances. Thank you Jesus! And I know we'll be living in Texas without the Elkins. And I'm praying that the search for a new Worship Pastor is quick and easy for First Baptist Euless. But the rest, is totally up to God. I'm praying that the Thomas family will clearly see the hand of the Lord in our lives this year. I'm praying that my children will begin to develop a closer relationship with Christ. I'm praying that our home will be blessing to our friends and colleagues this year. I'm praying that my love for Bradley will just grow deeper and stronger. I'm praying that our families will see God's richest blessings in their lives this year. I'm praying that my walk with my Abba is deeper and fuller. I'm praying that the healing that started in 2009 will continue to take place in 2010, in me. I'm going to be intentional to praise Him first, even if I have to feel it later. I'm raising my hand in praise to the One who called us, set us apart, lives in us, guides us, protects us, never leaves us. "Thus far the Lord has helped us." He's not about to stop now. 2010, here we come with God leading the way.
Thank you for taking a journey through '09. Hang on for the ride with "Designed to Create" in 2010. Blessings to you and Happy New Year!

For The Audience of One

The Worship Ministry of First Euless is reading a book together called "The Audience of One" by Mike Pilavachi. It is from a series of little books written on worship that have been produced by Matt Redman. I have thoroughly enjoyed it as I've been reading it, digesting bits and pieces over these summer months. I find myself sitting and shaking my head in agreement with statement after statement written in this little jewel of a book. Over and over again I've thought to myself, "That is what the church needs to hear, to know about worship." I actually finished the book on the way home from vacation. Bradley was driving, so I took advantage of the time. I had been anticipating the chapter entitled "Worship and Creativity". Yes, my 2 favorite topics (besides my husband and my kids). Bring it on Mike Pilavachi! Again, I found myself enthralled with the words and challenges of this yet another great chapter on worship. And as I was about to turn the page to the last chapter, thinking, "Yea, I'm gonna be finished with my assignment before I go back to work," I read this statement, "Just make sure that your public worship is a mirror of your private acts of worship." And as my fingers reached up to turn the page, there was a big screeching noise in my head like the sound you hear when you suddenly slam on the brakes. What? And the Holy Spirit would not let me leave this page.

Instantly, I could sense the Spirit tugging on my heart. My mind traveled back to the days of being a teenager. I was thinking about something my dad used to say to me about public displays of affection. "What you're willing to do in public, means you'll do more in private." And you know, he was absolutely right. I had a high standard with this in my dating life. Avoid the appearance of evil, right?

Fast forward to my present situation. This time the author of my book is talking about my display of affection for my Lord. What I'm willing to do in public, I should mirror that or even go farther in my private worship with my Savior. Ouch! I was instantly convicted and began confessing. Worship is my work. I have never struggled to engage in worship. Even when my dad used to make me hold onto the pulpit so I wouldn't raise my hands when I sang in church as I child, I felt the freedom to do so. I've never been embarrassed about getting involved and leading others to do the same.

Just recently, my BFF Angie and I went to the Travis Cottrell "Jesus Saves" concert at a local church on a Sunday night. I needed to go so badly. We both went with great anticipation of meeting Christ and being filled with a fresh anointing of the Spirit at this event. It took me a couple of songs to get my producer mode turned off, and then I just worshipped, standing, clapping, singing, raising my hands in adoration - whatever felt appropriate. It was honest and heartfelt - AUTHENTIC would be a great way to describe how I was feeling about this worship experience. And then the singers began to sing a song I had never heard, "The Mercy Seat". Oh, this song was an experience all its own to me. My mind was instantly taken to the scripture in Isaiah 6 where Isaiah come into the temple to see the Lord high and lifted up. His glory filled the temple. And the creatures gathered around him were singing, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come." But Isaiah could not speak. His lips were unclean. And a creature flew to him and touched his lips with a white hot coal, so that he was made clean. I had to sit down and cry. Here I was, almost at the end of my worship experience, but I just needed to get on my face in the temple. I couldn't, I was wearing a dress, but I knew in my mind I could. I could enter that throne room boldly and fall at the feet of Jesus. The words to song they were singing are...

"He said that I could come into His presence without fear

Where His mercy hovers near

I'm running, I'm running, I'm running to the mercy seat

Where Jesus is waiting

His grace and blood will cover me...

Lord, have mercy, Christ have mercy

Lord have mercy on me..."

And I knew I was covered and forgiven, just as Isaiah knew he could approach the throne because his lips were made clean. But here is my question, for myself, "Does this type of experience get mirrored in my private worship, when I am alone, just me and Jesus, and He's waiting for my personal adoration? When there is no one to lead. Does my private worship glorify the One who created me to worship Him?" Lord, I bow the knee in surrender.... You are worthy to receive more.

Jesus Is My Lord and I Am Not Ashamed!

I was most privileged to be a part of the most amazing service I have seen in my 10 years of ministry. My church, First Baptist Euless, baptized 107 people in our 2 services yesterday. The Spirit was heavy and God's people responded over and over to His leading. I was definitely worshipping while I worked. We started the day with over 80 people who had already responded to our pastor's message about Biblical baptism as our first act of obedience after salvation. Bro. John stated it so well,

"If your first act to follow Christ in obedience is believer's baptism, then can He give you the next step until you follow this one?" This question rang true in the hearts of many in our congregation who had been on the list for a long while, as well as new believers too. We planned and prepared for three weeks until we reached "Not Ashamed" Sunday. Worship was amazing and the people were engaged in every way. Then one after one, our congregation cheered as 3 of our ministers baptized our church members 3 at a time in the big horse troughs you see above. But, the MOST powerful part was the declaration that each person proclaimed before they were submerged in the water. One by one, they stood and said, "My name is ____, Jesus is My Lord and I am not ashamed!" And with every declaration, our congregation applauded, cheered, cried, agreed. It was so moving. I struggled at times to push back my tears as I was working. Deacons, connection class leaders, children, Senior citizens, God's children proclaiming their love for their Master.

And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, Bro. John took time in the middle of our 2nd service to share the Gospel and invited those in the congregation who wanted to accept Him, as well as those who needed to drop their pride and take that hard step of obedience for baptism, to come forward. And instantly - people began to move. Praise Team members, deacons, children's workers, friends - to the cheers and applause of our congregation - a roar like you might have heard at a football game right after an interception or a touchdown - the people of First Euless rang out in support of their brothers and sisters as they moved to obey Christ. Well, there was no holding back those tears anymore. And we added to our plan and by the end of the day, 107 people had been through the baptism waters, one by one, standing together proclaiming, "Jesus is my Lord and I am not ashamed!" And as we concluded, what I think everyone would have loved to have gone on and on, we lifted our voices together to praise the One who is The Gospel. I can hear it now...

"Savior, He can move the mountains.

My God is mighty to save. He is mighty to save.

Forever, Author of Salvation.

He rose and conquered the grave.

Jesus conquered the grave.

Shine your light and let the whole world see

We're singing, for the glory of the Risen King, Jesus!"

And Robert and the band just let the music roll and settle as our people clapped, jumped, lifted their hands in adoration of the One who is our Salvation.

My name is Lainie Thomas. Jesus is my Lord and I am Not Ashamed!"

Romans 1:16

Marking Time

I have a secret to tell you. I'm not like most folks who mark the beginning of their year on January 1st. I know it sounds funny, but for the last 13 years of my life, I have marked my "beginning of a new year" by our family vacation to the beach. I think it might be because of where it falls. The kids are about to start a new school year. Summer is coming to an end. Fall kick off at church or promotion Sunday as some might call it. Maybe it feels like a new beginning because I've been in ministry for 10 years now and fall marks the beginning of the "new year". So, my mind flows that way. I think that is another reason why I reminisce and get nostalgic when I'm here too. And after 13 years of Thomas family beach vacations, I can mark time with each vacation. So, it's not just my great book I read this week that puts me in that mind time-traveling mode.

Just last night, we went to get ice cream with our friends from Maryland. Although Bailey and Abby had been spent several days together on the beach, it was the first time they had seen Brody all week. And as we walked through the Destin Harbor after the fireworks were over, Lori looked right at me and commented about Brody, "Wow, he's really grown a lot over this past year." See what I mean. These weeks are like a marker for me. Like a line in the sand of another year that has passed by. And I find myself enjoying each one more than the one before. This afternoon, we all stood together on the sand, and Phil said, "Well, we'll see ya next year, same time, same place." Then he started this, "Happy birthday to all of you. Happy Thanksgiving. Merry Christmas. Congratulations on your seminary graduation, Bradley." We all chuckled, but that was exactly what I was standing there thinking. Here comes another year. If the Lord tarries and we are all blessed to be here in one year, the kids will all be taller. Bradley will have completed his Master's degree from Southwestern. Horray! Bailey will have completed her first year of middle school. Brody will be about to start his last year of elementary school. I will be 30 lbs lighter (yes, only 30 more to go). We'll all be a year older. I'll have been out of high school for more than 20 years. Will Brody be wearing braces this time next year? I could go on and on....

As our beach friends walked away, I thought to myself...a lot can happen in a year. There is potential for so many new and wonderful things in our lives. What if Bailey has her first real crush on a boy this year? She sits on the verge of so many new things at her age and heading into middle school. How many inches will Brody have grown? Will there be any significant changes in our family and all our lives? Truly, only the Lord knows our steps ordered for this next year that lay out in front of us. Just like looking across the ocean that seems to stretch out endlessly into the horizon....this next year is endless with possibilities.

Sitting here in Florida tonight and knowing that tomorrow we head back home and that new year in our family begins, I feel both sad and excited. It was a good year for the family. It had its highs and lows, joys and sorrows. It's hard to believe how the kids have grown and changed. We'll never get this time back. But then I look at the potential for what lies ahead and I am excited. We'll place our trust surely on the Lord who knows what lies ahead. We'll seek Him first and He promises we will find Him. We'll be faithful in all He entrusts us with this year and ask His blessings upon our family. We'll not waste a minute loving each other. We'll laugh along the way. And when tears spring up, we'll give each other a shoulder to cry on. We'll celebrate the accomplishments and give each other courage to try again after the failures. We'll dream big and dare to use our imaginations to seek new adventures. And when Jasper (our family car) pulls into Destin next year, we'll take time remember the journey that has brought us around to another Thomas family vacation at the beach. I anticipate it even now. Until then, let's get back at it. There is much to be done....

BIG Beach Imaginations

I love to use my imagination. If there is one thing that living in the rural country-side when I was little taught me, it was how to use my imagination to pass many summer days by. I've posted before about how my brother and I spent hours on end playing with rocks, leaves, dirt, etc., all powered by nothing but our imaginations when we were growing up. It was awesome and I attribute much of my creative brainstorming abilities to just having grown up with my imagination being my best and favorite toy. Time travel back to the Summer of '09...

So, Bradley and I are raising our kids in a world filled with technology. I mean, Nintendo DS's, iPods, XBoxes, digital everything, I could go on and on. Kids in today's world should NEVER get bored, right? The world is always at their fingertips. Well, I had a proud and fun mommy moment today while at the pool with my kiddiloos. Bradley wanted to go back to the beach, but the kids just wanted to swim around the pool. And we were all alone on this gorgeous day in this huge pool, together.

Imagine this scene with me...Bailey and Brody were only about 10 feet apart from each other in the water. Both had their goggles on. And both were "playing" their own adventures. I began to watch and even more, listen to what they were doing. Brody was scuba diving. He wasn't in a pool at all! He was out on the big, blue ocean, on a huge boat, all dressed up in a full scuba rig, wearing a black scuba suit (I know, 'cause I asked him). He was diving into the deep ocean trying to rescue some "thing" that was sunken below. He crouched on the side of the ship (pool), and when he had his rig (goggles) all set, he'd give the captain of the boat a signal, and then he's launch himself backwards off the boat ledge (pool ledge) and into the ocean. After some scuba time, he'd come up with a treasure (a diving ball) that he'd rescued from the bottom of the very deep ocean. Over and over I watched him pretend his scuba adventure until all of the treasure was safely aboard his sea-faring vessel (a plastic blue toy ship).

Now I turned my attention to Bailey. She was just a few feet away from him, and she was a cast member on the CBS show, "Survivor". She was participating in a swimming challenge that appeared to be a killer! She was swimming laps with these yellow, weighted swimming balls in a race against the other survivors on her tropical island of wherever. At times, she'd just have to lean over the side of the ocean (pool), and her chest would heave with exhaustion from the cruel race that Jeff had just put all of the Survivors through. Wow...she was really earning her chance at a million dollars. It was impressive.

Now about 20 minutes later, Brody the 9 year old and Bailey the 11 year old were back in the pool in Destin with me, their adventures safely concluded for now. They decided that we needed to head back down to the beach. And that was just the beginning. The waves were crashing in to the shore pretty good, and they took their boogie boards and headed out for some surfin' fun. I'm watching and reading at the same time. This time they appear to just be riding the waves, when they come crawling up onto the beach together, as if they had been swimming towards shore for days. Bailey walks up and says this to me, "Ma'am, could we bunk in your house tonight? Our ship crashed out in the middle of the ocean, we've been swimming for days, we're starving and sleepy and exhausted!" Of course, without hesitation I replied, "What proof can you give me that you 2 ocean-faring strangers aren't dangerous? How can I trust you to sleep under my roof tonight?" And she said, "Ma'am, we'd be happy to sleep under your tent here on the beach if you'd let us." Well, who could argue with that. And they begin to gather "barnacle" (dried sea weed), which apparently goes extremely well with little fishies that can be easily caught along the shore. And they turned all of our beach toys into stoves,pots, fires, and everything you need when you're stranded from a ship wreck.

Oh, I could go on and on writing about their adventures this afternoon. But I'll just end this post by saying, "Thank you, Lord, that my kids have big, huge imaginations and they never tire of using them." I hope that is something I can contine to model for them, and when I blessed enough, I hope I get to continue participating in their grand "pretend" adventures. What a great day at the beach! I wonder what tomorrow holds in store for us?

The Beach & Friends

This is our second year coming to this particular place in Florida for vacation. We spent 10 years of vacations at the same beach in New Smyrna Beach, FL, and then our move to Texas brought the need to find a more centralized location between Texas and Tennessee. Destin was it and we love it. Last year, on our second day on the beach, there was a girl about Bailey's age who kept wondering around us, looking over, watching our family have fun on the beach. When we moved up to the pool, she ventured over in the water to introduce herself as Abby from Maryland. It didn't take 2 minutes for Abby from Maryland to become fast friends with Bailey. Abby's parents are blessed enough to own property here in Destin and they come the same two weeks every year, which happens to be the same time as our vacation. So, after almost one week of beach fun, our families felt like a friendship had been formed. But our week always flies by so fast and before we knew it, it was time for our Maryland friends to head back north and time for us to venture back across to Texas. But thanks to technology and emails, the girls have stayed in touch over the last year.

So, now we find ourselves in 2009, and right back at the beach visiting with our Maryland friends. And to keep the mind-time-traveling theme going, it didn't take 2 minutes and it was as if no time had passed since the last time the girls had strolled into the water, laughing, jumping waves, just having fun. However, there are some differences to let me know that time has passed. Bailey is now the same height as Abby. I happen to weigh quite a bit less than this time last year (just had to put that in there), and of course, my baby girl is about to become a middle schooler. But here we are, sitting, visiting, talking about beach property, politics, etc...right where we left our Maryland friends this time last year. And I loved it.

Now let me also mention that after dinner, Brody video Skyped with his #1 BFF who is in Texas and has been missing his best buddy quite a bit. And so, of course, the mommy BFF's had to have a little catch up time too. Technology just makes keeping in touch so much easier for us these days.

But the point to my blog isn't really about the passing of time or technology, but about the fact that I've always wanted my kids to have friendships that stretch across time and even miles that are important to them. The ones that just pick back up where they seemed to have left off. One like I have with my childhood friend, Angie. I can say after 28 years of friendship, that my life has been richly blessed by sharing so many years, moments, and memories with Angie. Sometimes reminiscing with her is like turning the pages of your favorite book that spans across several decades. It's like your favorite, warm blanket and a cup of homemade cocoa. It is comfortable and comforting that someone has your same memories...the same pictures that play in your mind likes old movies. Unfortunately I can't time travel to the future to see if these friendships of my children will last as long as mine has, but watching and listening to these encounters come and go makes me hopeful for them. I know their lives will be nothing but enriched by these friendships reaching years, decades into their futures.

It was a good day...the beach and friends only made it better. Wonder what tomorrow will bring our way?

What's In A Name?

I'm almost done reading my book here at the beach, "The Time Traveler's Wife". It is just so good to soak up the sun with a good book. Today, Henry and Clare had a baby girl in my book, and it wasn't until two weeks before she was born that they chose her name. I loved this chapter...they were spitting out names and looking up their meanings. Of course, I had my own little time travel - in my mind- back to a conversation that Bailey, Brody and I just had yesterday.

Here we go...We were walking along the beach, joking about what if Bradley and I were to have more babies. Brody would love that, but not Bailey. She is just fine being the only princess in our family. But immediately, she said, it would be a Cooper or a Delaney. That led us into this great conversation about names. I asked Bailey if she liked her name and she said an emphatic "yes!" Of course, Brody chimed in just the same. She was almost an "Emerson" and she likes that name, but told me that she is very happy being a Bailey. I told her that I never really liked my name when I was growing up (sorry Daddy). My brother has a very important family name, James Andrew Gore III. He was a promised fulfilled to my grandfather, the Sr., and just in case you want to know, the IV has been born and he'll be 12 this year. Back to our conversation....I was telling Bailey that my brother Jamie got to have 2 names - his long one and then the one we all called him, Jamie. But everyone called me Elaine and that was my middle name. But my Aunt Jane started calling me Lainie when I was little and I LOVED IT! I have always wanted that to just be my real name. Don't get me wrong, I love who I am named for, my Aunt Elaine who passed away when she was only 8 years old from brain cancer. In my mind-time-traveling state, I often wish I could have met her. She was a beautiful little girl with beautiful ringlet curls all over her head. My niece Chloe has her hair. Anyway...I love that I was named for her, but to me Lainie just fits my personality.

It was then that Bailey asked me if she would be the next to have twins. I told her that it was definitely possible. Twins skip generations in my family. My Mamms had a twin brother, Robert. I have a twin brother, Jamie...so Bailey could be the next to have twins. WOW...just consider this time warp conversation. Bailey, almost 11 years old next week, begins to tell me that she'd like to keep the B's going. She will name the twins Bradie Rebecca (for the girl) and Brett Lee (for the boy). Rebecca is a family name for both the Thomas side and the Gore side. Lee is her Grandad Thomas's middle name and one we wanted to pass along, but just didn't have enough kids for that. Bailey has seemed to settle on the fact that she too will have boy and girl twins. I tell her that Daddy and I will love them and we'll come and help her when she has them. And then we begin to talk about the day when her kids are running around on the beach with us. I happen to ask if she knows her husband's name just in case. She just responds with an "ew..no!" That's enough to make a mom of an 11 year old girl smile. :)

And just like that, we're back to 2009...it's time to come in and make dinner. Just as we're about to leave the beach, she looks over at me and says, "Mom, if I really have twins some day, I'm gonna need your photographic memory to help me remember what I want to name them, ok?" I smile and say, "I've got ya covered, girlie." What a conversation filled with many different periods of time and locations - memories of the past and hopes of ones to come.

Time Traveling At The Beach

One of my favorite things to do at the beach is to read. This year, I brought the book, "The Time Traveler's Wife". I've heard all the acclaim for the movie, but I love to read best sellers before I watch the movie, so this is my summer reading. And I am thoroughly enjoying it. It is such a great read and quite a creative concept to keep up with Clare and Henry over many dates, times and ages. And it has put me in a mental time traveling state. It actually started before I began reading the book. The beach just brings back many wonderful memories for me of my amazing family. As Bradley and I walked up to our new condo that we chose to stay out this year, my mind wondered back to the first time he and I arrived at the beach together for family vacation. In 2009, this year, we arrived before the family, but in the Summer of 1997, we arrived last. And we were met by Bradley's dad, Dr. Danny Thomas (I called him Doc back then and just Dad now), who said this as we stepped out of our car, "Bradley, how could you chose this place? It is a dump and your mom is upset!" He was helping us put our stuff on a cart to traverse up to 301 of Moontide. And I was dying on the inside. Oh no! We're going to be here an entire week with my in-laws of just over a year and Bradley's grandparents, and they hate it! Wow, this will be too much fun. And then we walked into the condo and Bradley's mom was jumping up and down, squealing with excitement because the condo was beautiful! Nice! Bradley's dad got us good. Now fast-forward 13 years later and we're walking into our new condo. Bradley opens the door, while holding his breath and then, we both start jumping up and down, squealing with delight! No, this is the BEST condo ever! And right then and there Bradley decides to turn this 13 year old joke on his dad. Hysterical! My time traveling started right then and there.

Sitting on the deck today reading my book, Bailey comes out to sit by me. She is almost as tall as me. She has some of my features, but her figure is Becky Thomas all the way, and I am so grateful. And just like that, I'm back at the beach in 1998. It is a hot June day. I'm wearing a blue and green maternity bathing suit and yellow cover up. I know!!! It is about day 3 of our week long vacation and I'm trying to figure out how to sit my very big baby-belly down gracefully on my beach chair. Just when I get comfortable, a man walks over to me from his area on the beach. He's holding a shovel and proceeds to ask me if I need help with my umbrella today. I tell him no thanks. My husband is just about to come down and put it in the sand for me. Just then he says this, "Ma'm, I wanted you to know that I am a doctor and you look like you could deliver any day, so if you happen to go into labor, just scream and I can help you." I can hear it like it was yesterday. I proceed to pat my very large, whale-like belly and say, "I only have 3 more months to go, sir, so I think I'll be okay today. But thank you anyway." He walks quietly away. If I didn't love the beach so much, I would have waddled right back up to our room. But, I was pretty much stuck in my chair anyway. Bailey would be born just 3 months later. It was her first trip to the beach. And instantly, I'm back in 2009 and she's asking me to go for a walk on the beach with her and Brody. What a fun trip back in time! And no waddling this time.

As we walk down the beach looking at washed up Jellyfish, my mind continues to take little time trips. I begin to share some of them with my kids. They laugh as I do. Like one summer in New Symrna, which Brody used to lovingly call "New Smyrnal", we were out on the deck on a rainy day. Much like today, the waves were crashing the shore. I think that was what made my mind wonder back across time. I asked Bailey if she remembered that mom on the deck next to ours yelling to get her daughter out of the ocean. It was actually closed to people that day too. She was yelling "Nunee!" I guess that we her name. Bailey instantly started dying laughing. That is only something my family would understand. Back into 2009, Brody wanted a story about him at the beach. His first trip was to New Smyrna. The first time we sat him on the beach, he just ate an entire handful. No crying, no choking...He just ate it. He's loved the beach ever since. I instantly time travel to the summer of 2004. Brody is 4 and we're all sitting around the pool together. Of course, he is afraid of nothing. It is after dinner and we're all just sitting on chairs up on the roof of the Moontide talking about our day. The next thing I know, Brody yells back at us, "Look, I can swim!" And in he jumps. The only problem is, his swimmies are sitting on the side of the pool. Of course, we all panic and jump up into our lifesaving mode to go and rescue our dying 4 year old son. Only, he's swimming like a fish all over the pool. Just like that. He's never looked back. And just like that I'm in 2009, sitting in Destin, holding my book, watching my tanned beach boy in his goggles doing laps like he's Michael Phelps. I think this time he's doing the breast-stroke and he's pretty good.

In the 2 days we've been here together, I bet I have "time traveled" over 100 times to precious memories of us over the last 13 years. Moments engraved in my mind. Since I have a photographic memory, they all seem as vivid as if they were just happening in the here and now. Where has the time gone? The baby who was in my belly in 1998 is laying over there on the couch. She's starting middle school on Monday. My beach baby has been practing his tackle football skills by tackling pillows on his bed in the next room. My amazing husband is stretched out on the middle couch with a camo band-aid over his right eye...wait, that's another story for another blog adventure. In short, I have and am loving my life. We are so blessed! And I'm grateful that I can condure up these moments of life, precious and priceless moments, to keep my company in my here and now. On to the next adventure!

Divert...Withdraw...Abandon...

Have you missed me? I've been quiet again...I know, it's been a while. The spring was...mmm...interesting. The summer has been busier than expected. And now, we're nearing the end of summer and that means my family ventures to the beach for vacation. And I have to be honest to myself and to you and say that sometimes I just don't feel that I have anything worth listening too. That's sad in a way. I identify that feeling in my life as being stale or just plain tired. I recently read a quote from Rick Warren about staying fresh in ministry, "Divert daily, Withdraw weekly, Abandon annually." Yes, this makes great sense to me. And here at the beach, I seem to get my bearings straightened out. It couldn't come at a better time. My wonderful boss sent me to an awesome conference and now my toes are on the white sand of Destin. Yes..... When you serve in a creative industry and you have to create every 7 days, tired comes easy. But let's look at this quote and see how it might help us to recover, get back on track, and get back at it. Ok?

DIVERT DAILY: I read this as spending time in the Word and prayer with my Creator. Daily diversion from the rat race, the grind stone, and I could think up 100 more cliches. HA! But this is solid truth. The source of my power and daily strength comes but from one place. In Christ Alone! How sad that I have to make time to divert. Life is really that busy isn't it? As soon as my feet hit the floor, I have family with needs. A cell phone that starts to ring. A computer with tons of emails to be answered. Meetings to attend. Oh, and let's not forget Facebook - got to check in with my 100's of peeps. :) But shouldn't the main priority be to DIVERT from all that could be a distraction to just spending time alone with my Maker. I've been learning that I really must do it all day long, as I go about the rat race. Thank you Lord for being in the mundane and every day with me. Next...

WITHDRAW WEEKLY: I think this could be as simple as really have a day off every week. Time away from the office, etc. But often for me, it means corporate worship. Now, worship is my work and I absolutely love it! There is no greater joy than watching people join in with you, to worship Our Father. I think both are a must! There must be a day that I just don't check my work email...as long as I can without being incredibly behind since Sunday is a comin'. But to gather together with the saints to corporately focus on the One who created us for Worship. YES...it must be done weekly. Even here in Destin, we took out the MacBook Pro and logged onto firsteuless.com and worshipped with our fellow saints in Texas, only we were all still in our PJ's. A nice treat to sleep in until 9:15 am and still get to watch worship. And it was heaven. Tears came to my eyes as I watched and listened to our precious choir sing "God is Here" this morning. And He was here...sitting on my heart...speaking to me. "Rest child. Now is the time to rest. I have much I need you to do, but right now, you need to rest." Thank you Lord for the still, quiet voice that speaks to my soul. Which brings me to #3...

ABANDON ANNUALLY: Ah... the beach. Even with a tropical storm brewing up in the gulf, we've traveled away from home to be together as a family and abandon the normal pace of life. Once a year. I tell people all the time that the beach is a must for me. That's not really true, but I sure do enjoy it. And the Lord blessed us this year to be able to make another trip to the beach. And let me tell you, we're staying in the BEST condo we've ever stayed in. Way to go honey! Can I get an "Amen!" And then the Lord spoke so softly to me this morning,..."Just rest". So, here I am...soaking up the sun (well, once the tropical storm passes over tomorrow), sitting on the sand, reading, resting, napping, cooking, laughing, celebrating, talking, praying, thinking, writing, looking, being abandoned to this I so needed.

There sure seems to be something to this quote. "Divert daily...Withdraw weekly...Abandon annually." I think I feel it working.

Enter into Rest

I shared yesterday about my priorities being called back into order by the Lord.  Him first.  I shared with you that sitting still and being quiet isn't easy for me.  Well here is another one that I've been noodling in recent days as I've been taking this trip to rejuvenation God's way.  ENTERING INTO REST.  I'm studying Hebrews in my 5x5x5 devotional guide that our Pastor recommended to our church this year.  In Hebrews 4, Paul (and I personally think he wrote this book of the Bible) is talking to the new believers about the Day of Rest.  He goes all the way back to the creation of the world and the example laid out for us there in Genesis.  God worked, created for 6 days, and then He entered into rest.  Paul is encouraging the new believers here that they too need to follow this guideline and find a pause to their work and enter into rest.  Now the Jewish tradition is very strict about the Sabbath day.  A devout Jew followed the law which stated that they couldn't carry anything, do any work, even walk a mile on the Day of Rest.  Here Paul is speaking to the devout Jewish converts who have overcome the law and believed in Christ that are struggling with their new faith vs. the old law.  He is encouraging them that they do need a day of rest  Hebrews 4:10-11 says, "Let the person who has entered HIS rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His.  Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience."   I am not legalistic...thank God for breaking free from the binds of legalism, and being that I WORK on Sunday since I am in full time ministry, I know that I am not being disobedient as this scripture is encouraging them to avoid.  And it does say "make every effort"; however the command to rest still remains.  

So how does a person in full time ministry enter into rest?  CREATIVELY of course! Theoretically, there is another day which should be a day of rest.  Friday is my day off and that is the day I set aside as my day of rest, but if I'm not really careful, it can get away from me. Sometimes getting ready for Sunday just isn't finished on Thursday by 5 pm.  Well, most weeks it isn't.  But as I'm taking the journey of rejuvenation God's way, I'm realizing that "entering into HIS rest" is a must in this process.  All I can honestly say right now is that I am taking this matter to Christ in prayer, especially when those weeks come when we must use our day off to complete the tasks so that our members can come and be blessed and enter into worship on their Day of Rest.  And as wonderful as the power source is (God's Word) the Lord gave us this verse in Hebrews 4:16, "Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace in our time of need."  The job of a person is full-time ministry can't always guarantee an entire day every 6 days...and there is grace and not law in this area; however, I know that this command is for my health - spiritually, mentally, emotionally - even Jesus took rest even if it was just an hour of prayer in a quiet spot away from the disciples.  I am taking this need in my life boldly to the throne.  Rejuvenation God's way means He'll make the time.  He'll carve out the moments.  He'll provide the strength.  He'll meet the need and I will find grace in my time of need.  And since He is the great Creator, He'll help me find creative ways on busy weeks to enter into rest...as long as I'm doing this God's way and entering into HIS REST.  Make every effort to enter into rest....God commands it and we need it.   

Quiet The Creative

So, it's been a while. I know and I was doing so well with keeping my posts on a pretty regular basis. And the truth is, I have missed this outlet. I'll give you a quick overview of why I took my break.

Our church hosted a conference that set up five 15 hour days for me right in a row. That week ended with me attending a Creative Church Conference that I really felt would be the thing to rejuvenate me from the big work load I had just finished. Only, I found myself almost feeling depressed at the conference. I can't explain it except to say that I just felt emptied out. Then I caught what I think was the flu (my daughter had it terrible) and wound up in the bed. Isn't it funny that God can use awful things like the flu to help us slow down and be forced to take care of ourselves for a little while. And while I was on my back, doing lots of sleeping, I felt the still small voice of the Lord doing lots of speaking to my soul. I had put together a lot of great work for a lot of people, but I had done most of it under my own strength. I felt the Lord was calling me to an adjustment of my priorities after this long run of churning out the work. So, I started on my second day at home in the bed by tapping back into my Power Source - God's Word. I made a list of everything that I had stopped doing that I was doing before this really busy time hit.. I was sure that just getting back to all my stuff would get me rolling again and feeling like myself, but the Lord just said "Wait". I felt like He wanted some of my creative outlets to be on hold. And I know it is because I had gotten out of sorts in a way. I couldn't put my family and all my responsibility on hold. I couldn't put my job responsibilities on hold. But I did feel that Christ was calling me back to order. Him first. He provides the energy. He makes the way. He lengthens the time. He creates the ideas and gifts them to me. And He was calling me back to sit and listen.
I have to be honest, I struggle with sitting still and being quiet. I know, this is not a big revelation for those of you that know me well, and obviously not for the Lord either. But I didn't really need a day at the spa. I didn't really need to get inspiration from an amazing conference. I needed to sit at the feet of my Father, tap into the power that raised His Son from the dead, listen and be filled. And it's funny, work didn't suffer, family didn't suffer. I didn't lose my creative edge from being quiet and waiting. What I found was what I went to that conference seeking - a resurgence God's power...the one Paul speaks of in Ephesians 1:17-19, "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised him from the dead and seated Him at the right hand in heaven."
If you serve in a creative field or even just read this blog, this is my prayer for you. When we run out of ideas, find ourselves exhausted and empty, we can be like Elijah in the Old Testament after the victory at Mt. Carmel. We can sit down and talk to the Lord. He told Elijah to eat and sleep. And when we was rested, the Lord told him to get up and run. There was more work to do. It is just so much easier when we use His unlimited power instead of our feeble attempts.