Time for Tea!

The women's ministry of First Baptist Jonesboro hosted a Treasured by God Tea Party on Saturday morning at the church. It was a beautiful time as we gathered to share our lives with each other, enjoy a wonderful tea party and hear our guest speaker, Sherri Dodd share from her heart God's Word and message through her Tea ministry.

That may sound abit odd to you, if you were not there, but it it true. Through Sherri's love of collecting tea pots and teacups, a ministry to women has flourished. God really spoke to my heart in many areas on Saturday, one of which is that if we fail to use the talents and treasurers He has gifted us with we are not vessels fit for His use and glory.

Another of the lessons that she taught was that God pursues me, He hunts for me just like she searched all over Europe for tea sets. I am overcome with JOY that the God of the universe could love me so much that He would "hunt for me" not just the hunt for salvation but that He continually pursues me, drawing me to Himself for fellowship and abiding love. I am so grateful that God loves me more than I could ever imagine or even begin to comprehend.

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him. 2 Chronicles 16:8

A Matter of Opinion!

In my last blog, I mentioned that we have just returned from a "vacation" in Puerto Rico. I put vacation in quotes because often going on a vacation is harder work than staying at home in one's normal routine. Nevertheless, we prepared to take our annual business/vacation that we have been privileged to go on for 19 years.

This year's trip was to Puerto Rico and I was really looking forward to being at the beach, reading, and resting. The reading and resting did occur, but beach life was a bit disconcerting for two reasons: wind and iguanas. The wind blew at 30 mph the entire trip and never died down, not even for a minute. Wind and good hair days are not compatible. Even with the wind blowing constantly, I did venture out the first day to try and take a nap by the pool to rest from the early morning trip. Shortly, after dosing off to sleep, I hear this terrible noise above my head in a palm tree and someone shouts, "look at the lizards". When I opened my eyes to check out the "lizards", all I saw were two rather large creatures, fighting like there was no tomorrow. Mind you, the so called "lizard" was actually an iguana. The thought of iguana's fighting overhead made me a bit anxious.


The next morning I spent several hours studying my Bible and spending some much needed time with the Lord. One of the comments that I read in a devotional suggested that if you want to be a fearless person, you must face your fears, head on. I actually did not give that statement much thought until much later in the day. Shortly after noon, I ventured back out to the pool to try and get some sunshine. As I moved my beach chair in the position of the sun, I looked up to see a giant iguana about 2 feet in front of me, meandering across the grass. Needless to say, I immediately jumped on the chair and began looking up to see if there were any iguanas on the palm tree above.

Now, in my humble opinion, a lizard (which can frighten me from my fence gate when I walk by) is less than three inches long and are relatively harmless, even though we are not friends in any way, shape or form. A baby iguana, like the ones fighting in the trees the day before, are less than a foot long. But the iguana that I encountered at the pool on day two was not a lizard or an iguana, it looked like a dragon to me and had to have been at least 3 feet long. Not my personal idea of a friend or pet!

Quickly, I began praying that my husband would get out to the pool just in case I needed someone to defend me from the dragon. Fortunately, we did not see another dragon for several hours and then feeding time must have arrived. Right beside my chair struts a four foot dragon/iguana, who is not a happy beach lizard. He is followed by a younger, greener iguana, who scurries along at a much perkier pace. I only had two choices: stand on my chair and scream (which only put me about 3 inches higher off the ground than the iguana, who climbs palm trees) or to jump off of my chair in the opposite direction and pray that the mad iguana had not left his vegetarian lifestyle to consume a human.

Part one of the decision was easy, I jumped! Part two of the decision was a bit more difficult. I made the decision to face my fears. After all, there were two familiar sayings that flooded my mind at the same time. The first was "that which does not kill you, will make you stronger" and the second was from the morning devotional, "face your fears if you want to be fearless."

So for the next 30 minutes or so I followed the two iguanas around the pool deck to observe their behavior and conquer my fears about dragons. The older, more gray colored creature who was anxious, made his way to a group of resort guests chairs and became even more anxious as he felt trapped. This one reminded me of familiar human behavior. We run in a direction full steam ahead, not knowing where we are going and then we become trapped and anxious about the predicament that we find ourselves in. When trapped, the old iguana finally stopped long enough to evaluate the situation and look for the nearest place of refuge. For him, it was a group of shrubs where he could disappear undercover, and he did. Instead of being trapped and anxious because we run frantically in some direction that looks convenient, should we not always seek refuge in Christ alone! If we first run to Christ, then the word promises that the steps of the righteous are ordered.


The second iguana, who was apparently younger and more vivacious, did not run in fear; instead, he ran from chair to chair looking for food. When he finally found a willing family who was not afraid of him, he camped there for a while enjoying the fruit that was being thrown in his path. Willing to take a risk that the older iguana was not willing to take, he became vulnerable so that he might enjoy the blessings in store for him. Often times when we are willing to open up and become transparent, as humans, the blessings of the Lord become more obvious to us and to those around us. I admired the courage of the second iguana.

For me, I faced my fear of "lizards" with a much larger variety, thanking God that the iguana that I could see was not going to harm me. I still had some concern for the remainder of the trip about the iguana that might be lurking in the bushes that I was unaware of as I walked throughout the resort. That fear reminded me of what the scripture says about the devil, "he roams around like a roaring lion seeking those whom he may devour." I was also reminded that "we wrestle NOT against flesh and blood (the dragon/iguana/lizard) but against powers and principalities of the air." Our battles belong to the Lord and we need to march forward in faith not fear that the God who made us, loves us with an everlasting love and will protect us and guide us through this life.

So, I conclude that fear is often like the iguanas that I encountered in Puerto Rico - to some it is a lizard, to others an iguana, to me it was a dragon - it is definitely a matter of opinion!

Life in the fast lane!

These past few weeks have been busy beyond belief, praise the Lord my husband and I just returned home from a vacation in Puerto Rico. Although the trip was not my favorite, the time for rest, reflection, and relaxation was greatly needed.

Since my last post about the new Bible study class, the 30 dedicated folks who have taken this 50-day challenge to better health have tackled the first pillar of health, which is WATER! Water is the single most important factor in good health. After a couple of weeks of disciplined water consumption, it has become relatively easy to drink the recommended daily amount (1/2 your body weight.) The second pillar of health we will tackle next week is sleep. Sleep reminds me of the story of the three little bears, there is either too much, too little, and never just the right amount.

Through all of the activity of the past weeks, God has continued to show me His faithfulness in my life in a strong and powerful way. Women's ministry has experienced the wonder working power of God in so many ways. Damsels in Distress was a very successful program with guest speaker Martha Peace. Martha's testimony was powerful and the blessings of the evening were abundant. We are now preparing for our Treasured by God Tea Party and are prayerfully anticipating God's work in our midst.

As I daily strive to walk in fellowship with my heavenly Father, I continue to be reminded of His power and sovereign control in my life. This past week during our vacation, the wind blew 24 hours a day at 20 to 30 mph. I was amazed at the constant and unrelenting force of the wind. I was reminded of how powerful God is and how strong He stands on my behalf. When I am tossed and blown like the huge palm trees we observed from our hotel room, I know for sure that God is the one who created the wind, who breathes life into me and who upholds me with His strong hand.

With a grateful and renewed heart and mind, tomorrow starts a new week filled with new challenges, new places of trust and new mercies. Blessings as you continue to faithfully walk with the Lord. Off to bed to practice the second pillar of health - sleep! Good night!

50 Day Challenge!

The Seven Pillars of Health is a book written by Dr. Don Colbert, a general practioner who believes that God has given us an outline for better health. The scriptures teach that "for lack of knowledge, My people perish." The modern day church is literally perishing because we refuse to eat, sleep, and live according to the divine plan that God has for His children.

This past Wednesday night I began teaching a new Bible study based on the Seven Pillars of Health 50 Challenge. It was exciting to see 29 people in attendance at the introduction class. We officially begin the challenge next Wednesday night and seek to walk in obedience to the commands of scripture where our health and well being are concerned.

My prayer is that we will experience victory as we walk in obedience to the scriptures and strive to not only tend our temples, but live the life of service that God would have us live each day!

Refocused!

Well, if you are so kind as to check my blog from time to time, you have obviously observed that I have not posted in a month. It has definitely been a month to remember. Following the student ministries retreat in January, our family set off for four straight weekends of watching our oldest daughter compete in Miss America preliminary pageants. From Athens to West Georgia to Macon to Dalton, it has been a whirlwind of gowns, shoes, luggage, hotels and cars arriving from all corners of the state. Coupled with the women's ministry Kick Off 2008 at FBCJ, which was a spirit-filled morning to remember.

With much gratitude, perseverance and due diligence, our daughter did win the title of Miss Carpet Capital 2008 and has earned her first trip to Columbus, Georgia to compete in the Miss Georgia Pageant in June. Congratulations, Lydia!

This past week has been filled with many plans for gown shopping, listening to possible talent music, and attending the Miss Fulton County Pageant last night.

All of this flurry of activity has reminded me just how important my quiet time with the Lord is and how easy it is to become distracted by the "things" of this world. So my determined purpose this day is to refocus my priorities and renew my mind in the Lord! My teaching retreat, The Offerings of My Heart, emphasizes the crucial importance of getting into the Word of God, daily, and renewing your mind. When we fail to do this with determination and purpose, we allow the MOST important relationship in our lives to slide to the back burner.

Romans 12:2 says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind..." This butterfly will retreat to her cocoon for a time to be renewed and refocused.

As I challenged my daughter this morning, I would like to challenge myself and each of you to practice Colossians 3:1-4:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Even good things can be an easy distraction to the pursuit of holiness, this day I choose to pursue holiness!

God Bless!

Bella Butterfly!

What a busy time and it is only the 14th of January, 2008. I can hardly believe that just a few days ago I was recording my personal goals for the New Year and working hard to get all of the remaining glitter of Christmas off the hardwood floor.

You may wonder why this blog entry is entitled "Bella Butterfly", so I would like to share that with you. This past Friday night and Saturday morning, I had the great privilege of teaching a retreat for some of the young ladies from my church youth group. Prepared and a little stressed from the preparations, I was totally blessed by this special group of young ladies who gathered to study God's word and grow in their relationships with each other and God's word. The retreat was entitled "Bella Butterfly" which means beautiful butterfly. It was exciting to see these very beautiful young ladies who were eager to learn from God's word.

For over a year and a half, I have studied and taught the 12th chapter of Romans to various groups and at retreats, and I am amazed at how God has continued to teach me new truths from this passage each time I prepare to teach the scriptures. Hopefully, the truths that were shared and the scriptural priciples that were presented will have a life changing impact on those who attended. Great joy comes when you see the "light bulb" of revelation and truth sparked in the life of someone, especially a young person.

May God produce in each young girl who attended a transformed life that will not only grow into a fully matured, bella butterfuly, but also strengthen and encourage them through the truth of the Word to be the beautiful, godly, young lady that He has created them to be each and everyday. Remember, the only evidence of a transformed life is a transformed life! Be kind, be at peace with everyone, overcome evil, don't get revenge, love the Lord God with all of your heart, mind, and soul!

To my bella butterflies, your sweet smiles and joyful hearts are a blessing! Serve the Lord, well, today and everyday of your life!


Email me and share the random act of kindness that you have done since the retreat!

Happy New Year!

As 2007 comes to an end and we await the arrival of 2008 in just a few hours, may your new year be filled with the grace and mercy of the LORD, as He directs your steps. Walking by faith is a challenge for everyone, my personal prayer is that I may embark on this new year with renewed faith and purpose to obey the will of God, each and everyday of my life.

Happy, happy new year and I pray that you will have true JOY for the journey in 2008!