God is Great, God is Good

Today has just been FULL of blessings. I feel I'd be doing God a terrible injustice, by keeping it all to myself. He's been so good, and so faithful to me, despite all my failures and shortcomings. I just have to share with you how wonderfully blessed I'm feeling right now.

First of all, I heard from someone today whom I'd helped relocate to another city recently, in hopes of a fresh start... a clean slate, as he got his life back on track. I'd been concerned, because I hadn't heard from him since my husband and I drove him to his new home there, more than 2 weeks ago. But thankfully, I did today... and he seemed to be doing really well. Everything he said was positive and with much appreciation for his new life there. There seemed to be much progress, for which I'm very thankful. Praise God for never giving up on us when we mess up! And praise Him for putting those people in our paths, who would help to steer us in the direction we need to be going, to fulfill God's purpose for our life. He's sure done so for me, throughout my life. It's only fitting that I use what He's taught me, to help others find their way, as well.

And on that note, we had a young college girl come by the church office this afternoon, just totally adrift. She was almost like a suddenly-blinded bird, having lost all sense of direction in life, wanting desperately to find her way. Our hearts went out to this young girl, after hearing of her struggle with various difficulties. It's so obvious that satan never meant for this girl to find the happiness and peace in life that God intended for her. One of my coworkers, Kenny Beard, talked with her about receiving Christ, and ultimately led her in the sinner's prayer, where she asked Jesus into her heart. He gave her a new Bible, and bless her heart, she was so hungry to learn, so full of questions, which we answered as best as we could. I then talked with her about our RU program, and she seemed so excited about coming to it. Please pray for her, that the devil won't talk her out of coming tomorrow night, and that she'll follow through in this comittment she's made to live her life now for Christ. What a joy it was to see the Lord working in one's heart, starting that transformation right before our eyes!

Right after this happened, we completed this semester's Good News Club at Forestbrook Elementary School today... with salvations. It's such a blessing to be able to serve in this ministry, where we're allowed to actually go into the public schools and share the gospel of Jesus Christ with precious little ones, who are so hungry for God's love. Earlier in the semester... on my first day, actually... I was privileged to lead a young girl in 1st grade to Jesus. I've prayed with several more, in the weeks since, for various burdens and needs expressed. Then today, on the last day for this semester, I was blessed to lead an exceptionally bright young fellow to the Lord. Despite only being in Kindergarten, he was so full of questions, and just amazed me with his longing to know for sure how he could get to Heaven. What a blessing it was to show him in God's Word the answers to all his questions.

We did Paddleball crafts with the children today, being it was their last day. They sure seemed to enjoy that!


Then they listened attentively as Mr Allen brought the lesson.

And after the lesson and counseling time was over, we then presented each child a new Bible of their own, compliments of our church. Should the Lord tarry, how wonderful it'll be for the children to be able to remember their time spent in the Good News Club, each time they look at their Bibles. For some, an even more special memory, as this was where they came to know Jesus as their personal Saviour.



Again, I'm so thankful for being privilege of being able to serve in this vital ministry. We have to reach them while their hearts are young and tender, before satan has a chance to corrupt their minds with lies, and cause them to follow down the road leading to destruction.

Later this evening, our church had our annual Ladies Christmas Dinner, where we enjoyed a wonderful time of fellowship and fun. Several of our Sunday School Classes sponsored a table, which we decorated and set for a full-course meal for 8. There were several beautiful tables again this year.

(Mine, pictured below, didn't win, but that's okay.)



This (below) is the table that actually won. Congratulations to the Young Couples' Sunday School Class, for doing a great job! (I think this was 2 years in a row, for them.)



We had a wonderful meal, catered by "The Trestle" in Conway. Then Roxanne's Mom gave her testimony, which was amazingly similar to my own, in many ways. She truly touched our hearts, and we're thankful she was willing to share her story with us. We never know whose life our testimonies may touch in a special way.



We also played some fun little Christmas games, got to know our Sisters-in-Christ better, and as women tend to do, we laughed and cried together. (What more could we have asked for?)

I was blessed to have some of the most beautiful women in our church seated at my table. My special friends include Cynthia Garris, Tammy Sims, Natalie Brown, Louise Wells, Debbie Mattocks, Mary Nelson, and the infamous Julia Goins (love ya, Ms Julia!). The conversations we had during the course of the evening, proves to me all over again that I am indeed very blessed. God has placed me here for a reason, and I praise Him for the opportunities and for the friendships He's given me. Truly, our God is great. Our God is good!

By the way, one more word of praise... at the dinner, Ms Julia gave me the newest edition of The Christian Voice Magazine, (hot off the press) in which another article of mine appears (page 18). I had a burden to share this message so that hearts would be softened, and hopefully led to reach out to folks in brotherly love, no matter where they come from or where they are now. Jesus loves us all, and so should we! (John 15:12)

You can find these magazines in many area Christian bookstores and churches. (Yes, we have plenty of them available at Grand Strand Baptist. See me if you have trouble finding one.)

If you're a business owner or church Pastor, you might want to consider advertising in The Christian Voice. Follow the link to their website, and then contact Mr. Dave or Ms Julia for further information. (Tell them I sent you.)

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Thankful for the Thorns

A dear friend of mine sent me this today. I just HAD to share...

Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes when she pulled open the
florist shop door, against a November gust of wind. Her life had been
as sweet as a spring breeze and then, in the fourth month of her second
pregnancy, a "minor" automobile accident stole her joy. This was
Thanksgiving week and the time she should have delivered their infant
son. She grieved over their loss.

Troubles had multiplied. Her husband's company "threatened" to transfer
his job to a new location. Her sister had called to say that she could
not come for her long awaited holiday visit. What's worse, Sandra's
friend suggested that Sandra's grief was a God-given path to maturity
that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer.

"She has no idea what I'm feeling," thought Sandra with a shudder.
"Thanksgiving??? Thankful for what?" she wondered. "For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended me? ‘For an airbag that saved my life, but took my child's?"

"Good afternoon, can I help you?"
Sandra was startled by the approach of the shop clerk.

"I ... I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra.

"For Thanksgiving? I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," the clerk continued. "Are you looking for something that conveys 'gratitude' this Thanksgiving?"

"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong."

Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."

Then the bell on the door rang, and the clerk greeted the new customer, "Hi, Barbara, let me get your order." She excused herself and walked back to a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and what appeared to be long-stemmed thorny roses… except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped:
there were no flowers.

"Do you want these in a box?" asked the clerk. Sandra watched - was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers! She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed.

"Yes, please," Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again," she said, as she gently tapped her chest.

Sandra stammered, "Ah, that lady just left with ... Uh ... She left with no flowers!"

"That's right," said the clerk. "I cut off the flowers. That's the 'Special'. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet. Barbara came into the shop three years ago, feeling much as you do today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had just lost her father to cancer; the family business was failing; her son had gotten into drugs; and she was facing major surgery. That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk. "For the first time in my life, I had to spend the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too much debt to allow any travel."

"So what did you do?" asked Sandra.

"I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always thanked God for the good things in my life and I never questioned Him why those good things happened to me, but when the bad stuff hit, I cried out, 'Why? Why me?!'
It took time for me to learn that the dark times are important to our faith! I have always enjoyed the 'flowers' of my life, but it took the thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort! You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."

Sandra sucked in her breath, as she thought about what her friend had tried to tell her before. "I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God."

Just then someone else walked in the shop. "Hey, Phil!" the clerk greeted the balding, rotund man.

"My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement ... Twelve thorny, long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator.

"Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously. "Do you mind telling me why she wants a bouquet that looks like that?"

"Four years ago, my wife and I nearly divorced," Phil replied. "After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we trudged through problem after problem, the Lord rescued our marriage. Jenny here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she had learned from "thorny" times. That was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific "problem" and give thanks for what that problem taught us."

As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!"

"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life" Sandra said to the clerk. "It's all too ... fresh."

"Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that the thorns make the roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember that it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns in your life."

Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on her resentment.

"I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out.

"I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them ready in a minute."

"Thank you. What do I owe you?"

"Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me."

The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you'd like to read it first."

It read:

"My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain. Show me that, through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant."

Praise Him for the roses; thank Him for the thorns.
God Bless all of you. Be thankful for all that the Lord does for you.

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Giving Thanks in Times of Peril

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you! I pray you have a wonderfully blessed day, surrounded by those you love. If you can't be with family and friends today, then I pray you are reminded that you are never alone. Our Heavenly Father is with you always! (Hebrews 13:5 - "...for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.")

I read an interesting article yesterday, by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein (President of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews). It really struck a chord with me, so I wanted to share a portion of it with you here.

In 1863, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation that created a cherished American holiday. Reflecting upon the year that was soon to close, which he said had been "filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies," he declared that the U.S. should "observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."

Note again the date of this proclamation: October 3, 1863. At this time, the nation Lincoln led was involved in the Civil War, the bloodiest conflict in U.S. history and one that quite literally pitted brother against brother.

President Lincoln's job of seeing the war through to victory for Union forces and healing his nation afterward was one of the most formidable challenges faced by any president. At this date, he could not have been certain he would succeed. And yet, he told his countrymen to set aside time to give thanks to God.

It is an example we would all do well to follow — in good times and bad, not just on Thanksgiving, but every day.

I think about the road our nation is on today. This wonderful nation that was founded on Godly principles has done a complete turn-around. We've abandoned those principles for what might be "more politically correct", despite the damnation to follow. I pray we realize the damage that's been done, and what it would take to get us back on the right path... and then do something about it.

I thank God for the privileges we, as Americans... and as Christians, have today. But yet, I live in fear because more and more of those privileges are being taken away every day, it seems. That's not right! God has blessed our nation tremendously, yet we've abandoned Him. How much longer do we expect to live "as we want to live", before He cuts off those blessings? How much longer before He pours out His wrath upon what once was a Bible-believing Godly nation?

Yes, our God is a loving God. No one could ever love us more than He! (John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.")

But He is also a just God. (Romans 7:12 - "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.") (Rev. 15:3 - "And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.")

We all need to look back through the history books... and more importantly, through God's Word... and then humble our hearts with a true spirit of Thanksgiving (giving thanks to Him), for the bountiful blessings He's bestowed upon us. As I said earlier, He's so richly blessed our country with the freedoms that we have today. We should love and appreciate Him for that... and draw nearer to Him, rather than turning away from Him!

Today, on this special day that we've set aside to give thanks for our many blessings, I am indeed thankful for His goodness and mercy. He has continually poured out many, many mercies in my life, and I cannot thank Him enough for that. I thank Him for His blessings upon our country, despite our attitude towards Him, as a nation. I do believe we're living in times of peril, but we can still praise God, just the same. We have so much to be thankful for!

And I believe 2 Chronicles 7:14 to be true... that if we humble ourselves before the Lord, and pray and seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways, then He will hear from Heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our land. I pray that each of us will make it a point to pray fervently for our country, for a true revival throughout, and for God to be given the glory and honor in which He so deserves.

I pray you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! God bless you!

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Hosea's Heart

There's been a common thread this past week, in several areas of my life. Whether it was my devotional study, a key thought in RU on Friday night, or something that always came up in conversations with friends throughout the week, the common thread in all of it was forgiveness.

I've been reading, or I should say "re-reading", the book of Hosea this week. I've always been fascinated by this little book, the 28th book of the Old Testament. In it, I find a beautiful story about love and forgiveness, which serves as a great lesson for all of us today.

We all know the story, right? Hosea was a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel prior to its fall. The Lord told him one day to take a wife... not just any wife, but an adulterous wife. (For those who ever find themselves questioning God about His plans for your life, don't feel alone. I imagine Hosea scratched his head a few times on this one.) But just keep in mind, God did (and does) have a plan. And His purposes will be fulfilled!

So Hosea married a girl by the name of Gomer. She wasn't at all the kind of girl a guy would want to bring home for the folks to meet. In fact, the only reason a guy would bring her home at all, would be for "temporary pleasure", shall we say.

You may be wondering why God would tell Hosea to marry a girl like this. What possible good could come from such a union? I can imagine if Hosea mentioned to his family that he was marrying this "good-time girl", they more than likely tried to talk him out of it. They'd probably beg him to reconsider the sweet, young girl down the road, who was a "more suitable" choice for him. And I imagine it would be pretty hard for Hosea not to agree with them, considering.

However, Hosea obeyed God and married Gomer, whom he knew was anything BUT the picture of a virtuous woman. Not only that, Hosea took his marriage vows seriously. When he said, "I do", he meant it wholeheartedly. I think about the words "for better, or for worse", included in most marriage ceremonies today. I'd say Hosea must have dug his heels in and braced himself for the last part of that phrase... because "worse" was definitely coming!

Gomer must not have been satisfied, settled down to just one man. She apparently didn't appreciate that which she had been blessed with. (The fact that any decent man would want to marry her, knowing her lifestyle, was blessing in itself!) She, instead, chased after those who would give her the things she desired. And she would use her own body to obtain these things. I suppose when you're accustomed to getting whatever you want, and paying any price to get it, your craving for those things only increases.

Doesn't that remind you of the way it is today? We foolishly dive head-over-heels in debt, for things we "think" will make us happy, only to find out that by doing so, we're just increasing our craving for more. (Think about the high-interest rates we pay on credit cards, mortgages, auto loans... all because we want to have the best... and more... of everything.) We're willing to pay any price, not to mention our peace of mind, for temporal earthly things.

But anyway, back to Hosea and Gomer...

While Gomer is out "getting what she wants", apparently not caring at all about her husband and children back at home, Hosea has enough love and forgiveness in his heart to want her back. Think about that for a minute. It must have killed him inside, knowing that his wife was with other men. Gomer was his, yet she was being "enjoyed" by probably every man passing by. Who knows how many there were!

Here he is living for the Lord, following in obedience to the Lord's commands, while his wife is obviously causing him much heartache and humiliation. (Can you imagine what the family is saying now?) Yet despite all of that, he loves her enough to forgive her. He wants her to come back to him. What a beautiful picture of forgiveness!

But that's not the end of it. Apparently, Gomer has gotten herself into some trouble. (As if being a harlot isn't trouble enough!) She may have sold herself into slavery... possibly to afford the luxuries to which she'd grown accustomed. In any case, if Hosea truly wanted her back, he would have to buy her back. Poor Hosea!

I must say, being willing to forgive is one thing. But to actually have to purchase her back... that would have been a tough one to swallow, for anyone!

Yet, what love he showed, by doing so! He paid the price, no matter what it was, to have his wife return home with him... despite her unfaithfulness... regardless of what others may have said about him (or her). He loved his bride and he wanted nothing more than for her to come home to live with him forever. What a beautiful picture of love!

The story of Hosea and Gomer illustrates to us another love story... that God loves us, even when our sins have broken His heart. He sent His Son to pay the ultimate price for our sins. He longs to forgive us, and He wants us to spend eternity with Him. (It also depicts His love for the nation of Israel, and how He's promised to someday restore her to favor again.)

On a more personal note, I think about Gomer's life, and I must admit, I do see some of Gomer in me. Granted, I haven't been unfaithful to my husband, as she was. But I have made some pretty bad choices in my life. I've gone down many roads I should never have considered, much less traveled on. I've done more than my share of "living it up". I've acted (and reacted) in the flesh, following after my own will, rather than the Lord's Will, for a great portion of my life. I've sought to fulfill my own worldly lusts, getting head over heels in debt, to keep up with the Joneses. I've broken the hearts of those I love, while I "did what I wanted".

I think about these things, and I see how easy it is for one to fall into the traps of sin. I realize now (after-the-fact), that had I turned to Jesus (alot sooner than I did), He would have helped me to break free from that life of bondage a long time ago. Many a heartache would have been avoided. Many a mistake not made.

Yet, regardless of how long it took me to come to Him and acknowledge my sin, and ask for forgiveness, He was still willing... and He did.

I don't know how Gomer felt, after Hosea went and bought her back. But if I could imagine, I'd say she must have been pretty thankful that he loved her so much. That's the way I feel tonight... so very thankful that God loved someone like me, despite all my faults and failures. He loved me anyway! So much so, that He sent His only Son to pay the debt for my sins (which are many).

But He didn't love just me. He loves YOU that much, too! If you don't know Him personally, please email me and I'll be more than happy to share with you how you can come to know Him as your own personal Lord and Saviour. It isn't complicated. I won't pressure you. I simply want you to be blessed, as I have been.

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Jubilee By The Sea 2007

I apologize for the delay in posting. I know some of you are anxious to hear about Jubilee. I didn't mean to keep you hanging, so to speak. I had actually planned to do an update when I got home from church every night, but by the time I walked in the door, it was way past my bedtime already. And then with all the busyness of getting prepared for the following day, I never got around to my blogging. :(

But anyway, Jubilee was definitely a huge success! The Lord poured out His blessings upon each and every service. Souls were saved; burdens were lifted; decisions were made. I believe that many lives were changed... for the better... thanks be to our Heavenly Father, during this year's Jubilee.

It was great to see old friends again, and to make some new ones, as well. We had great attendance numbers this year... 532 on the first night, then 678 during Sunday morning's Jubilee wrap-up. What a blessing!

We raised over $35,000 in a little more than 25 minutes on Sunday, after the preaching service. Glory to God, for always providing what we need financially, as well as spiritually, to keep this annual event going strong!

Afterwards, we ate some of the best (if not THE best) chicken bog on the planet! A big thanks to Preacher Mack Hutson for cooking it for us again this year. He pastors over at Springfield Missionary Baptist Church in Loris... which is where I attended on Sunday night, by the way. We appreciate his sacrifice of time and energy (and sleep). We love you, Preacher Mack!

We enjoyed this past week so much, that some of us have now diagnosed ourselves as having "After Jubilee Letdown", as we adjust to getting back to our normal routines. Of course, we carry the messages of each service with us in our hearts, still. But boy, how we long for that "Jubilee spirit" to continue on!

If you've never attended our Jubilee before, I encourage you to make plans to come next year. (Jubilee is always the first Wednesday through Sunday of November.)

Again, I apologize for the delay in posting. I'll do my best to post atleast 2 or 3 times each week, now that Jubilee is behind us.

Take care and may God's richest blessings be yours... today and always!

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For Such A Time As This

What a meaningful theme for this year’s Jubilee! While we have many within our church family who are going through crises… some fighting major health battles; others burdened for lost family members; and those facing mountains bigger than any of us could possibly climb in our own strength… how exciting it is to know that we can all come together for an amazing time of prayer and praise, trusting our Heavenly Father to once again pour out His blessings upon our church family for such a time as this!

We are often reminded of the story of Queen Esther, and how God used her to save His people. He likewise uses folks today to minister to, and to reach out to those who are hurting, or are in danger. We none know whom around us He may be using to fulfill His purposes in our lives. I have every confidence that He will use each and every speaker and musical guest during this year’s Jubilee, to fulfill His purpose of drawing each of us ever so close to Him.

We have just completed a thorough study on spiritual warfare. We know, from Scripture, that the enemy is not one who fights fair. His attacks are ruthless and unending, which is all the more reason for us to be prepared for the battle we wake up into each and every day.

We are given Jesus’ example for withstanding such a battle, in the book of Matthew, chapter 4. There, the enemy tempts Him again and again, in an effort to cause Him to stumble, to fall short from the glory for which He is so worthy. But Jesus doesn’t fall prey to the enemy’s attacks. Instead, He uses Scripture to fight off the evil one.

What Christ did, this is what we, also, should do. We need to lift up our Sword, which is God’s Word, to fight off the attacks by which satan meant to cause us to stumble and fall. We need to plow deeper into Scripture each and every day, to know exactly how to handle whatever the enemy throws our way.

Notice, then, that verse 10 says, “Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

You might be thinking you can’t stand up to the enemy, as Jesus did, and tell him to flee. You may be weak and weary in the battle, and don't feel like you can muster up enough courage to do this. If so, note what happens in verse 11.

“Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.”

Hang on to this example, and claim it as your own. Remember that where there is praise and mention of the Name of Jesus, the enemy can't stay. Look anxiously for those ministering angels whom the Lord will send.

Join us in praying that this year’s Jubilee will be the breakthrough in which so many are seeking at this time in their lives. Stand strong and seek God’s face for such a time as this.

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