GreenvilleOnline - News

This was our neighborhood yesterday...FORTUNATELY we didn't have anything more than a lake in our backyard! NOAH! where are you!!

John Kerry for President - Speech to the 2004 Democratic National Convention: "And let me say it plainly: in that cause, and in this campaign, we welcome people of faith. America is not us and them. I think of what Ron Reagan said of his father a few weeks ago, and I w"

Interesting excerpt from Kerry's speech last night...Perhaps its not his sleeve that I'd like to see his faith but more in his approach towards human life. I am still somewhat confused by him.

Routines

Day after Day I find myself falling into routines. Before the sun ever rises, I consistently slap at an inanimate object commonly referred to as my alarm clock. The sound of the music is so quiet that only myself and the oversensitive ears of my dogs can hear it. My goal is to snooze out the time every nine minutes trying to stretch out those last few minutes. I pray silently before I take that last roll over, "Please God, as I go to meet you, make it worth my while." Undoubtedly, the cries and the whines of the canines prevail and I am forced to make my feet meet my slippers and focus the glasses and begin the day. The day of routines.

The dogs are out. The coffee is poured. With Bible, paper and pen in hand I head to the chair to meet God in hopes that my prayer for 'worthwhiledness' is fullfilled. Always, when I am open, He manages to show up at my breakfast table and pop some distinct clarity straight from His pages to my pages. For that routine, I am thankful.

I step into the shower to the tunes of the Christian radio station in preparation for morning prayer time. Somehow, they always seem to be playing Nichole C. Mullen's 'I know My redeemer lives' or Avalon's 'Can't live a day without you'. I hear the requests from the radio staff and I am prompted to pray for those who have called in with marital problems, for those who are sick or having surgery and those, including ourselves who are in need of financial provisions. This is a routine.

Showering, dressing, hair and makeup all fall into a futile routine that times itself according to the 'Weather on the 4's' and sports. God forbid that a power outage or change in programming occur to irregulate this routine. With routine in tact, the 7:00 hour is in full force and we are quickly being welcomed and greeted by Katie Couric and others who start their mornings in my 'middle of the night.' It's time to wake my spouse and with sleepy eyes and scope desperate breath, I am assured that he will meet me for prayer before I leave. THIS is a routine.

We pray for the day, the kids and of course, our job situation. I grab the last cup of coffee, return to the bedroom for one final mirror check and head out the door, tripping over the dogs. I head for the 'Z' car pushing away spiderwebs and bees and sit in the dampness that managed to leak its way into my seat. This too is a routine.

The route to work is always the same. The water department truck, the power truck are passed. A man with his cigarette in one hand and a dog leash in the other always fertilizing the same spot. The radio D. J. and his morning contests keep the cell phone close at hand just in case they need a comment or a winner. This is a routine.

Arrival at work leads to various events that push their way to five o'clock when I once again return to the same road that I seem to have just travelled. As I enter back home, I am greeted by the same animals that were once my stumbling block. Oprah reruns, unthawed supper and finally a substitute pot of leftovers eventually bring us all to a new episode of reality t.v. that is everything from Unbelievable, So Fake, Totally Impossible or just plain Stupid. This too is a routine.

I have settled on my bed with my laptop in lap for online chats with my family and friends and most probably a game of spades. As the theme song for the 11:00 news begins to play, I am drawn from my 'bed desk' to begin the routine reversal. This series of events is where the routines come full circle. The clothes that were put on are taken off, the makeup that was painted on is washed off. The final phase is when my head hits the pillow and the circle begins again. This is a routine.

I hope that my relationship with the Father is more than a wasted routine. I hope that the things that are done through the day are recognized for their purpose in my life and that the roar of my life would not drown out his still small voice. My desire is that as I routinely drive to and from place to place, that I not become mesmerized in a hynotic state, failing to remember that God is trying to have a conversation with me from the passenger seat. I pray that the routines in my life will be positive routines and not negative. THIS TOO MUST BE A ROUTINE.

You are the Potter
I am the Clay
Lead me and guide me
All through this day
Give me the wisdom
To trust who you are
Knowledge to seek you
And not stray too far
Help me to know that on
You I depend
To pursue you intently
Til day comes to end

..:: Welcome to Mark Schultz ::..

This is an INCREDIBLE video by Mark Shultz. I heard on the radio this morning that he will be going to Kuwait to sing this for our service men!! ALLRIGHT! What a blessing!

HOPE IS ON THE WAY.....
I wonder if there is any validity to this...
I HOPE that the HOPE that is ON THE WAY
is already in place.

Pots
Pans
Silverware
Dishes
Towels
Blender
Mixer
Crockpot
Microwave
wedding dress
wedding ring
house


Fairytale Fairytale your heart desires so much
My hopes and dreams for you my child
Is happiness you can touch.
So many things we've never had or had the chance to own
We saw and wanted and made a way
Yes they were ours,thanks to a loan!
The tires, the milk, trips to the beach
It all was justified and in our reach.
Now its your turn to walk the aisle
And I am stressing all the while
For now the time has come to pay
To settle up and try to say
That if we had more time to do
We'd take it slow and not buy new.
We'd buy a little here and there
We'd let the clothes see longer wear
It's your day now, your dream is near
And I will save until it's here.
I pray you'll watch, our lessons learn
To use your wisdom and then discern
That all you really need to start
Is shared between you in your heart.

Today has been a pretty uneventful day. Nothing really happened and continues in that direction. I will say that at this point, I have almost lowered myself to the depths of low...CHANNEL SURFING. I generally dispise that and refrain from any such association to it. I am, however, tonite, pushed to the point because of the manipulation of the democratic national convention.
I suppose there are things about that which I just do not understand. My gut instinct is to wave the flag and say "Yankee Doodle Republican". I think that as it stands right now, my feelings for that are swayed because of the beliefs and morals for which the majority of the republicans stand. I am sure that there are some democrats who are Christian and will stand their beliefs just as strongly. I suppose that I will continue to watch in order to form a better opinion.

Last nite I had a wonderful conversation with Liz (my cousin) 's husband. He told me all about how the horrible accident occured. He said first thing that God had been using this to perform so many miracles and was using all of the events to bring him glory. He said that if the accident had just been 10 minutes later that not only would have been there, but their daughter (age 19) , Courtney would have been there as well. Chris said that night after Liz surgery, he drove back to the scene of the accident and sat in the car and prayed, thanking and Praising God for what He had already done through this and he Praised God because it could have even been worse. He prayed for the family who lost their son and for the Recovery Ministry that he had just begun at their church. Liz is fighting very strongly and making good progress. She had surgery on her abdomen Monday which basically was a 'resection' of her intestines. She also has a broken leg but due to something having completely protruded through it will take a LONG time for recovery. Our prayeres should continue for Liz's friend Laura who is fighting for her life at Duke Medical Center.
Tomorrow we will meet my mom and her brothers and sisters for lunch. Mom is here from TX and we are all looking forward to being together._

To those who may read this, please pray for my cousin Liz Smith from the Sanford, NC area (near Raleigh). She and a friend were eating lunch Monday at a local restaurant when a 16 ton freightliner barrelled into the side of the restaurant. The son of the owner was pinned by the truck and was killed. My cousin and her friend were both transported to hospitals and are in serious condition. (A detailed article can be found at www.sanfordherald.com) Please pray for all of the families involved in this terrible tragedy.

This is really quick to say a few words about today. We had a FUN afternoon going to a BLACK church to share in a "GOSPEL PROGRAM". We were the only white people there (Our choir), but it was so neat. We BOTH recognized that there was no way that either of us could exchange types of music and do it justice! We approached the church and began to realize that this church MIGHT not have air conditioning! However, we walked in the front lobby and felt a cool breeze of AC...BUT THEN, we actually entered the main sanctuary and were greeted by 'Sister So an So" who kindly handed us a program and a Martin Luther King Funeral Fan! We fanned for the next hour as we thouroughly enjoyed the exchanged environment of sounds.

What have you asked of us??
To remember that you will be glorified in our sacrifices.
What have you asked of us? To Sacrifce
Our sacrifices are the giving up of something precious for the sake of a Diety. God, you are Diety and I give up praise and weak efforts, realizing that you will honor and bless inspite of weakness.
What have you asked of us?
To trust your faithfulness. You have promised that you will never leave or forsake.
What have you asked of us?
To respond in confidence that YOU are our helper and that there is no need to fear what man may try to do. You were there for Moses and Joshua and so many others in the past. You have not changed and you will continue to be the same.
What have you asked of ME?
Offer a sacrifice of Praise in Confident Faith in your unchangable character!

I remember the days of recitals. My own, I always prayed that the rapture that I'd heard of so often would happen at that moment. The freeze ups, the forgotten notes were worthy of rescue. Needless to say, the rapture didn't happen, just Indian war chants, Pa rum pa pa pum drums and eventually the quiet reflections. In all of the variedness, we are reminded that we are here for a reason...to evoke the emotions of those listening. Emotions that are full of excitment, peacefulness and calmness and often simple pride of accomplishment.

Sometimes you can hear reminders of famous composers from days past. Occasionally you hear the 'tic toc' of a pianistic clock. Many times you are taken to the memory of an old childhood hymn where visions of funeral fans and flies are everywhere. Rustling waters and breezes from trees often blow through the seats as we are swept away in relaxation and meditation.

Often I am put to shame and regreful of the negligence I have to practicing a talent that I am capable of sharing. However, like many gifts, when kept to ourselves it becomes rusty and creates insecurities. There are times when the teacher in me returns with a desire to correct the imperfections. "Pedal, Pedal, its blurring!" Then reality returns as I remember that I am no longer the teacher. I hear the staccatos and crescendos and am compelled to exemplify dynamics in my life. I too, need a little staccato in my life at times and there are days that I should perhaps crescendo or perhaps diminuendo somewhat.

My life is an instrument. God, make me an instrument of you!

Gifts

To each one He, God, gives a gift.
Is your gift teaching?
Is your gift preaching?
"I think you are a great host. Your home is always warm and inviting" one says.
The gift of hospitality.
Faith, the evidence of things hoped for
and believed
even when they are unseen.
"You have to believe that God is your helper,
your provider!
He is all you have
and all you need!
Let me ENCOURAGE you to trust him!"
Encourager.
What a blessing to find someone with that gift!
To some He gave wisdom
and to others He gave knowledge.
"Let's hope those who have wisdom
have knowledge enough to realize it!"
Some will heal
Some will Prophecy and
speak in languages that only the Spirit understands.
What ever your gift
Wherever you use it
Remember it is from God your Father
A gift!
A token of His Love for you.
To: You
From: God
with Love

I have come forth on the fifth with flying colors. The holiday weekend was fun and enjoyable although we didn't really do much out of the ordinary. We went Saturday to see THE STEPFORD WIVES...How fun!! Now I have explanation for my aunt that I cruise with!! She was a Stepford Wife and didn't even know it!!

We spent Sunday afternoon and evening with Patsy and Alan. They had brought Bejamin to Bob Jones Music Camp. We had a really fun time and will plan on getting together on Friday for his concert.

Tom is at home today awaiting a call from the car rental office. I hope that he hears something. He also received a letter from First Baptist Mauldin Search Committee. The letter was explaining the profile that had been developed for the New Minister of Music. Interestingly enough, there is NOTHING on that list that Tom doesn't fit. Time will tell though!

Father, you KNOW our hearts and that we are willing to go wherever you lead, but if it's your will, you know our desire to stay here. Give us clarity and peace as we trust you!