Beautiful Day with a Beautiful Boy!

 Today was one of those "priceless" days.  Not only was it another gorgeous day but I got to spend it with one of my favorite boys!  Gran and Seth spent most of the day just hangin' out and enjoy each other.  Today was focused on him because he turns five years old this weekend and today was his "special" day.  He is our youngest and the only one not in school.  I can't believe that this is the last  year I will have a grandchild not in school and free to spend time with whenever we want!  The thought just makes me want to cry.  All of our grandchildren are smart (of course) but this one's mind never stops working and he is full of inquiries!  Here is a precious example:

  

   Seth: "Gran, when is the world gonna go away?

   Gran:  "hmm..I don't know honey, only God knows that."

   Seth:  "because He made everything, didn't he....He even made the devil."

   Gran:  "well...I guess so.......

   Seth:  "and the devil better be glad God didn't just throw him away!"

   Gran:  (to myself)  "thank you Jesus for this precious, precious child!"

Hope you enjoy these other pictures of our glorious day.

Mark 10: 13 - 16

13 People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

A Favorite childhood song:

Jesus loves the little children

All the children of the world

Red and yellow, black and white

They are precious in his sight

Jesus loves the little children

of the world.

Don't miss a chance to enjoy the children in your life today!!

Laughter and Friends

Remember when you were young girls and you would get together with a bunch of friends and all you would seem to be able to do was to laugh? Well I’ve decided that is something you never outgrow. I have a bunch of girl friends (aka the M.E.G. Sunday School Class) who do that very thing whenever we get together. Last night was one of those occasions. We met for our monthly potluck (they’re awesome cooks too) and they were just what the doctor ordered for me!

I almost didn’t go because I was tired, frustrated and generally feeling low. Thank goodness I made myself go! Being with those girls, sharing our hearts, along with a meal was so good. But the best part was the “goofiness.” Somehow our table got going and couldn’t stop. I laughed more than I have laughed in many months! If you ask me what we were laughing about I probably couldn’t explain it so that you would think it was funny so I won’t even try. It was just one of those scenes where one person says something funny and then it is like a snowball that just keeps rolling down the hill getting bigger and bigger.

It wasn’t so much the content of our laughter so much as it was the fact that it was like cleansing for me. There is nothing better than good belly laughs to rid you of a lot of negative “stuff.” And what is even more special is that you have friends who just love to be themselves and have fun.

That’s what these sisters are – real people who love each other and always have fun together. You know, I’ll bet Heaven will be like that - people laughing and having a great time together. Won’t it be wonderful?  But until I get there I am so thankful to have friends who love to laugh. If laughter really is the "best medicine" then I want to thank you, my dear girl friends, for the medicine you provided for me last night!

Proverbs 17:22 (New King James Version)
A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.


Psalm 126:2 (New International Version)
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.  Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."

Go to:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOCJAVlESEo

Hope your day is full of laughter and good friends!!

A Perfect Sunday

What a wonderful day I have had.  It began with a very meaningful worship service that included one of my favorite hymns "Because He Lives" and the baptism of my good friend's son.  As usual Bro. Wayne's message was inspirational and to the point as he clearified the purpose of Baptism. 

It was very interesting to learn about six different Baptisms:  1) the baptism of Noah (through water); 2) the baptism of Moses (spared through the water of the Red Sea); 3) the baptism of John the Baptist (through repentance); 4) baptism of water; 5) of the Holy Spirit; and 6) of Fire (lake of Fire- Hell).  I had never heard it explained like this and it all makes perfect sense!  The main point was though that baptism does not save you.  It is only through profession of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior that we are saved! 

I was baptized when I was 10 years old and I regret to say I really don't remember it.  I wish I did.  But I do know that ever since that time I have had an acute sense of God's presence in my life (baptism of the Holy Spirit) and I praise him that I am redeemed through the blood of Jesus!!

After enjoying a nice Subway lunch and an "after lunch" walk with Jerry I enjoyed the rest of this beautiful afternoon working in my landscape and reading on the porch.  Life doesn't get much better than a beautiful day of worshipping indoors at church and outside in His glorious creation!!

Matthew 3:11-17 (New American Standard Bible) John the Baptists' words:

   11"As for me, (A)I baptize you [a]with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier    than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; (B)He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

April Showers of Blessings - My Job!

In mid April 1980 I was doing the “stay at home” Mom thing with one child in school and the other one due to start the following year when a knock came at my back door. When I went to the door and saw my pastor standing there I just assumed he was making a pastoral visit. I invited him in and when he asked me if I would be interested in taking the job as financial secretary when the current lady retired I was floored.

I can’t believe I have just finished 30 years working as Financial Secretary at Harrodsburg Baptist Church! Thirty years!! If anyone had ever told me that I would work there, or any where for that matter, for that long I would have laughed my head off! It is especially funny considering I never really looked for a job!

When Jerry and I married I took a part-time job at a credit bureau just so I would have something to occupy my time and expand my horizons! I didn’t work there long because I absolutely hated the job. I couldn’t stand having to collect money from people who were already down on their luck! Just wasn’t my “cup of tea.”

It wasn’t long after my little stint at the credit bureau that I heard about a possible opening in a local law office. Someone suggested I apply and, being naïve as they come, I applied, even though I had absolutely no experience! When I interviewed the lawyer asked me if I took dictation. I told him that I had learned it in high school and thought I could remember it if he didn’t go too fast (can you believe I said that?)  I got the job but I didn't work there very long because I became pregnant and Jerry and I had always agreed that I would stay home and take care of our kids and he would be the bread winner.

After Bro. Bob offered me the job Jerry and I discussed it and decided it was good timing since I was starting to get a little restless and needed something new in my life. In looking back it is easy to see how God was working in my life. He knew exactly what I needed when I needed it and exactly where I needed to be. Working at the church has not only been the best thing for me but I am convinced it has been the best thing for my family. When I took the job I made it clear that my family needed to come first and thankfully it has always been that way.   I will forever be eternally grateful to God and to Bro. Bob for giving me the opportunity to serve the church in so many ways. I have no doubt that my Christian growth would have been stunted were it not for my job! It is easy to grow spiritually when you work around Christians every day!  Indeed, I have been blessed and I still enjoy my job and love the people I work with!

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving  Colossians 3: 23,24.

Had a great time doing the Easter Egg thing with my little ones over the weekend.  God certainly added a beautiful touch to the Easter Weekend with all of His decorations of Spring beauty! 

We colored eggs, hunted eggs, had lunch and just had lots of fun!  Like the typical "granny" I am posting some pictures from our great day together Saturday. 

I knew lunch was a real success when Gracie devoured two slices of bologna and declared "Gran, this is the best lunch ever!"  Who'd a thought?

Jerry and I are going to Pigeon Forge for a couple of days and I am really looking forward to it.  I need a break from my "routine."  Hope you have a great week!

HALLELUJAH! HE IS ALIVE!!

1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"



4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen!  (Mark 16: 1 - 6a)


I hope your Easter is a blessed one!

To hear David Phelps sing He's Alive, go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qqt1rfBrGg

GOOD FRIDAY IS GREAT FRIDAY!!

As I’ve already said more than once, I LOVE EASTER!! The Easter season makes me focus more on my Savior. I should always be this focused but I am not consistently so all year around. But, Easter just fills my heart with joy and so much gratitude for a Father who loves me so much that He sacrificed His own Precious Son to die for my sins. I just can’t fathom that kind of love, but I pray that He will continue to teach me how to love like He does!

I also love the child’s view of Easter. I always loved Easter morning when I would wake up and find a basket of goodies waiting for me in the living room and a corsage in a box on the front porch. My mother always made all of us little girls a new Easter dress and we would proudly display our corsages on them!

And the Easter flowers are gorgeous. I just love Easter lilies. They just don’t last long enough!

I now have another Easter memory to add to my collection. Last night at church we had a Seder Service. The Seder meal was the traditional Jewish Passover meal. As we enjoyed the meal we also learned the tradition behind it. It was very interesting and the food was really good too! After the meal, we observed the Lord’s Supper in a little different way than we normally do. Our ministers gave everyone the bread and juice as we came forward. We dipped the bread in the cup as our pastor blessed us with reassuring words of God’s love for us. When I left after the service I felt really blessed! Another Easter blessing!!!

Today is Good Friday. I also love this day. It took me a while to come to love it because I always thought that the day Jesus died was tragic and I never understood why they called it good. As I have grown in my faith I have come to realize that it is good because if Jesus had not died on that day, we would not celebrate Easter Sunday and worse than that, we would not have our salvation. No eternal life with Him! What an awful thought! So, it really is GOOD Friday!

Sadly, it still isn’t good for some. For those who have not accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord, there is no Easter and there will be no eternal life with Him. I pray that I can be used by God to bring those people to Him. I can’t stand to think there are people around me who are going to Hell. My prayer is that this Easter they will find His amazing grace and their chains will be gone just like mine! I pray they will “Behold, the Lamb."

If you have time this is a beautiful song and video: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_L0AXVU5Ks

Have a blessed, great GOOD Friday!