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Showing posts with the label church

Curveball - Big Changes & New Stages

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I am a 47-year-old woman with 2 grown children in college and one half-way through high school. My husband is about 10 years from retirement. We are in the settled down and settled in stage of life.  I have ministries I love and a rewarding part-time job where I feel like I make a difference. I would say content pretty well sums up life for us. Well, things are about to change and change fast! This summer began with a fast trip to move the college kids out of the dorm and home for a short 2 months, before settling them in their apartment back at school. One college daughter didn't even come home but left immediately for a 2 week trip to the east coast with one of her classes.  Now we are prepping our home of 6 years in a community we have lived in for over 17 years to move to a new state! How did this happen? I have lived in the state of Oklahoma for 41 years! Can I tell you God began preparing our hearts last year? It is amazing how he does things. I would say a...

Journaling through Proverbs

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One of my favorite things on earth is Bible study. I did my first study book while still in grade school. When I had my first child we lived far from family and I found comfort in my evening study time. I joined my first ladies Bible study about 15 years ago. It was life changing for me. .  We were a small group who prayed, encouraged and worked our way through Beth Moore's Breaking Free. I was hooked. The ladies were of all ages and walks of life and they taught me so much about living and loving and the Bible. Wednesday night we have a ladies Bible study at our church. We have traveled many journeys together in our classroom. In the last 12 years, our study has taken us through nearly every book of the Bible, in depth.  Some of the authors we have used are Beth Moore, Ann  Voscamp,  Francis Chan, Kelly Minter, Pricilla Shirer. These are just a few.  Pictured a Above are the books I had at hand. There are many more tucked away. I got...

Lessons From A Live Nativity

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A few days ago my son, along with many of his friends in our church youth group, volunteered at a retirement center. The center was having a grand holiday party with a beautiful buffet, family visiting, horse drawn carriage rides, and photos with Santa. The youth volunteers all got costumes of some kind and little jobs. Some were elves greeting, working at the carriage ride, or helping Mr. and Mrs. Clause, there was a tall snowman, and a handful were going to be a lovely live nativity at the entrance.  My son was given shepherd robes, a giant candy cane that had been wrapped in brown paper to make it a crook, a few directions, and a chair covered in burlap on a bed of hay.  These were the directions, "sit still and adore Jesus." :) It made me laugh!   Of course as soon as we left the house to do this little chore he got a horrible headache  in the car , so I gave him all his essential oils, over the counter meds and (don...

So Many Blessings

Like many others I have recently read Ann Voskamp's "One Thousand Gifts."  I wasn't a total ingrate before reading the book but I was an offender.  I must say I am still on the naughty list most of the time, but I am recovering.  I have often praised Him over a blue sky, or sunset.  Over my precious children and loved ones. Even for my home.  But never often enough.  I was nearly tithing my thanks to Him.   A special blessing happened this week, one I thanked Him for immediately.  My husband and I like to take communion together whenever possible, which isn't that often.  He runs video, ushers, serves, or works parking lot duty nearly every Sunday.  So many times I am on my own during service. Last Sunday was the same.  Hubby was filling in for an absent usher.  As communion time came I was praying and telling God how I missed having this special time with my husband.  Almost immediately my husb...