Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows
Your name.
You wanna go where people know,
people are all the same,
You wanna go where everybody knows
your name.
Ok, I know this is the theme song for “Cheers” a show about a bar which is usually my husbands area of talking, like in his blog a couple of months ago called Pub Talk, but I thought it fit what hit me yesterday. So lets change the scenario for a moment and the show “Cheers” is instead the church “Hillside”. And the theme song is now “Where everyone Prays Your Name”. In the show when people come in like the guy Norm, everyone yells out, “Norm!” when he walks through the door. So for the purpose of this scenario we will use my husband Rick but it could be anyone or everyone. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could all yell when Rick comes through the doors “Rick I have been praying for you!” Is this how our church should be? Zach has said many times the we should not only pray, pray, pray, but pray for each other individually by name. Do we all do this? I can tell you that I do pray for you but I will have to admit two things. One, I know I fail in praying everyday for you and second, I am not sure if I know everyone by name. The thought that hit me yesterday was this call to everyone in our church to pray for each other by name. I know we have heard this before but I have felt called to be an echo and say let us all seek the Lord on behalf of each other. So let us start by taking one week at a time and set aside 7 am each day this next week for our brothers and sisters and pray for each other by name. I am looking forward to this time with God and praying for you.
Love Steph
Friday, September 26, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
A precious story!!!
Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens 'Great', she thought. 'Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry.'
She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn't there.
She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens.
When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains. She thought of the bible verse 'The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.'
She thought, 'Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me.'
Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, 'Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?'
Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it!
The story doesn't end there. Brenda's father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption, 'Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You.'
I think it would do all of us some good to say, 'God, I don't know why You want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But, if You want me to carry it, I will.'
God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called!
Yes, I do love GOD. He is my source of existence and my Savior. He keeps me functioning each and every day Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him....I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.
(Phil. 4:13)
She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn't there.
She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens.
When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains. She thought of the bible verse 'The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.'
She thought, 'Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me.'
Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, 'Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?'
Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it!
The story doesn't end there. Brenda's father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption, 'Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You.'
I think it would do all of us some good to say, 'God, I don't know why You want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But, if You want me to carry it, I will.'
God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called!
Yes, I do love GOD. He is my source of existence and my Savior. He keeps me functioning each and every day Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him....I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.
(Phil. 4:13)
Friday, September 5, 2008
His Energy
Today, thanks to Jamie mentioning wanting to read Colossians the other night, I had this desire to read Colossians. So I started to read. I didn’t get very far when a verse struck me and made me think of a conversation I had with Rick.
“We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.” Colossians 1:28-29
It hit me that we have his energy to do his calling. God gives us his power to do his will. How amazing is that? He will give us what we need, when we need it. Have any of you felt exhausted from your crazy schedules? Have any of you felt how can I fit all the things in that you feel called to do? I know I have, many times. And actually Rick and I were just talking about it this week. He feels a calling to do more for the church but doesn’t feel like he can commit because of the farm taking so much of our time. Don’t be reluctant on doing something you feel called to do. If it is truly of God, he will give you the time and energy to do his will, because we definitely can’t do His will on our own strength, we need Him. Don’t be afraid to step out. Have faith in Him and believe that He will be there to give you what you need. ☺
Love Steph
“We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.” Colossians 1:28-29
It hit me that we have his energy to do his calling. God gives us his power to do his will. How amazing is that? He will give us what we need, when we need it. Have any of you felt exhausted from your crazy schedules? Have any of you felt how can I fit all the things in that you feel called to do? I know I have, many times. And actually Rick and I were just talking about it this week. He feels a calling to do more for the church but doesn’t feel like he can commit because of the farm taking so much of our time. Don’t be reluctant on doing something you feel called to do. If it is truly of God, he will give you the time and energy to do his will, because we definitely can’t do His will on our own strength, we need Him. Don’t be afraid to step out. Have faith in Him and believe that He will be there to give you what you need. ☺
Love Steph
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Is there actually a good show on TV?
The verdict is not totally in but there might actually be a good show out there on TV. Rick and I have been able to catch parts of a new show on A&E called The Cleaner, which we find kind of amazing for this day and age of television. The main character of the show is a recovering drug addict who has been called by God to help others get out of drug use. Through out the show this guy is praying and talking to God and we found it so refreshing to see. I thought it depicted very well the struggles we can all have in our walk with God with the character questioning his calling, questioning himself whether he can obey, asking God why, and just questioning his faith in general along with other struggles. Don’t we all ask these same questions at some point in our life? We just found it nice to find the truth being spoken on a TV show and hopefully that will continue and maybe it will even start something new in showbiz. Keep praying and believe that the truth will be spoken in the most unpredictable places. ☺
Love Steph
Love Steph
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