I spent Friday and Saturday in Tampa at the Women of Faith Conference. It was good to go again after not having gone for the last two years. I've always looked forward to hearing the speakers who always give a lot to laugh about as we look at our lives and tears often come as moments are shared that so many women have in common. This year was no different. However, the evening before we left to go, I looked online to see who all was going to be there, and alas, none of my favorites, except Luci Swindoll, was going to be there. Except for a couple of ladies, they were new to me and young. I guess that says something about me...yes, everyone gets younger all the time.
About thirty went from our church. Among them some young women whose names I had heard but did not know. One of the pluses was getting to know them better.
One particular session stood out to me, and that was a mini-concert by Nicole C. Mullen. She and her husband are involved in two ministries. One is Baby Girls Club, for girls 5-18 and teaches them the love of Christ through the arts. The other is Team NCM, which trains young boys and girls (ages 9=17) who are gifted in the arts, and provides them with outlets to use and show their talents while growing as disciples of Jesus.
As she sang and danced with her group on stage, I thought of the passage of Scripture from Philippians 4. The passage here is from The Message.
Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
8-9Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.
Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
I'm putting one of her videos here. It's called "Brainwash." It isn't the style that many are used to, but it speaks of keeping our minds clean and pure. I think the title is perfect.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Monday Morning Manna
How many of us have beautiful feet? Probably not very many. Maybe that's one reason we cover them with shoes. I see some ladies who love to wear sandals, and their feet do look nice, perhaps after a pedicure, or if they have just polished their toenails themselves.
I remember one of the first things that a friend did when she saw my babies for the first time was take off their socks or booties and kiss their feet. She thought they were beautiful. Would she do that today to them? I don't think so.
When I was young, my mother always spent the money to put me in Buster Brown shoes, thinking that would help me avoid foot problems like she had. Guess what. It didn't.I developed hammer toes, had surgery for neuromas, had shots for heel spurs, and I find it hard to walk without orthotics in my shoes. Dress shoes went out the window a long time ago.
I wonder why podiatrists would choose their particular profession since all the do all day long is look at feet, feet that have all kinds of problems and are not very pretty.
The Bible speaks of beautiful feet, feet that are used to spread the gospel among those who are lost. In Isaiah the prophet writes: " How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'"
In Romans, Paul writes "And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
Last Thursday a grouop of us who worked in lived in Haiti were together for the morning and one of the ladies shared this story.
The Bible School students all went out on the weekends to preach at churches in the country. A truck would take them and drop them off, and then the men would walk to their appointments for Sunday, ministering along the way as they went. The preached in their church on Sunday and then walked back to their pickup point to come back to the school.
One Monday morning my friend was working in the office when one of the men came in. When she asked him about his weekend, he was so excited. He told her that one of people attending the service he spoke in on the wekeend had come to know the Lord as His Savior.
When he walked out of the office, my friend looked down at his feet, and they were bleeding..beautiful feet. She sad that before she went to Haiti, she had often thought of that verse about beautiful feet, but it came to life that day. I have to ask myself, "Are my feet beautiful?"
I remember one of the first things that a friend did when she saw my babies for the first time was take off their socks or booties and kiss their feet. She thought they were beautiful. Would she do that today to them? I don't think so.
When I was young, my mother always spent the money to put me in Buster Brown shoes, thinking that would help me avoid foot problems like she had. Guess what. It didn't.I developed hammer toes, had surgery for neuromas, had shots for heel spurs, and I find it hard to walk without orthotics in my shoes. Dress shoes went out the window a long time ago.
I wonder why podiatrists would choose their particular profession since all the do all day long is look at feet, feet that have all kinds of problems and are not very pretty.
The Bible speaks of beautiful feet, feet that are used to spread the gospel among those who are lost. In Isaiah the prophet writes: " How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'"
In Romans, Paul writes "And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
Last Thursday a grouop of us who worked in lived in Haiti were together for the morning and one of the ladies shared this story.
The Bible School students all went out on the weekends to preach at churches in the country. A truck would take them and drop them off, and then the men would walk to their appointments for Sunday, ministering along the way as they went. The preached in their church on Sunday and then walked back to their pickup point to come back to the school.
One Monday morning my friend was working in the office when one of the men came in. When she asked him about his weekend, he was so excited. He told her that one of people attending the service he spoke in on the wekeend had come to know the Lord as His Savior.
When he walked out of the office, my friend looked down at his feet, and they were bleeding..beautiful feet. She sad that before she went to Haiti, she had often thought of that verse about beautiful feet, but it came to life that day. I have to ask myself, "Are my feet beautiful?"
Monday, October 03, 2011
Monday Morning Manna
Our church observes the Lord's supper the first Sunday of each month. I've been away from home a lot and have missed it, so I was especially glad to see the preparations for it this morning as I entered our sanctuary for the morning service. While our pastor is on vacation and the assistant pastor is in Virginia visiting his dad who has had two strokes, our pastor to the senior adults spoke.
We so often associate fellowship with food. Baptists are notorious for that, and the Bible speaks of it often. When the three men came to Abraham and told him the Sarah would bear a son, Abraham had food prepared for them to eat. They had no doubt come from a distance and were hungry. In Exodus24 Moses and Aaron and other men went up and saw the God of Israel. It says that under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright and blue as the sky. It goes on to say that God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank. Can you imagine?
Coming to the Lord's table gives one time to look into one's own heart and examine to see if there is anything to hinder fellowship with the Father and to ask for cleansing and restoration. As the pastor was speaking, the following song came to mind. One day we are going to gather around the table in heaven. Won't it be grand!
We so often associate fellowship with food. Baptists are notorious for that, and the Bible speaks of it often. When the three men came to Abraham and told him the Sarah would bear a son, Abraham had food prepared for them to eat. They had no doubt come from a distance and were hungry. In Exodus24 Moses and Aaron and other men went up and saw the God of Israel. It says that under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright and blue as the sky. It goes on to say that God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank. Can you imagine?
Coming to the Lord's table gives one time to look into one's own heart and examine to see if there is anything to hinder fellowship with the Father and to ask for cleansing and restoration. As the pastor was speaking, the following song came to mind. One day we are going to gather around the table in heaven. Won't it be grand!
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