Monday, May 28, 2007

Please Remember

Remember
By Tess (12 yrs. old)

Remember the men and women who died
fighting for freedom on the American side.
Our nation's flag flying proud, flying high
gave our soldier's courage and told them God was standing by.
Wars are not a choice, but a necessity,
because we join to help others in need.
Although we may not like it, this is God's plan,
for He holds every battle in the palm of His hand.
Remember to keep your heart in the right place,
because this is a battle we all must face.
Pray for our soldiers in Iraq,
and ask that there would be no more attacks.
For God leads our army and our hearts too,
that's why I say today, soldiers thank you!
So, in January through December
please make sure that you remember
all the men and women who died,
while I have my freedom here.

This may offend some, but Memorial Day was created to remember those who died in battle - fighting for our country - for our freedom. It was not created for all who died period. This day is for remembering those who fought to give us this country and the freedom that we have and it should be honored as that - not made into a generic holiday where we remember everyone who ever died everywhere. I know that may sound harsh, but especially now in this day when our Military is not honored and not remembered in a good way, we SHOULD honor them on this day.
We NEED to.
So please honor our soldiers living and fallen today, and be thankful for what they gave up for you.
(It brings a close comparison to the sacrifice of our Lord doesn't it.)
I personally, am thankful for my husband and his service to this country ... he hasn't gone overseas, he hasn't faced a battle yet ... but he has served in the Marines for almost 6 years now and will continue to give himself to this country for the coming 15 years. I am so proud of his willingness to serve and his desire to protect this country and our family.


Monday, May 14, 2007

Purpose

LORD,
You have assigned me my portion and my cup;
You have made my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me.
Because He is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body will also rest secure,
because You will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will You let Your Holy One decay.
You have made known to me the path of life;
You fill me with joy in Your presence,
with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.
Psalm 16:3-11

Not where my heart is at all times but where I so desire to be.

Monday, May 07, 2007

"Life is full of ugly tea stains that splash against white washed walls. Reality often seems to be more obstacle than opportunity, more pain than pleasure, more chaos than calm, more hurt than happiness, more tension than tenderness. ... I must believe that as God's woman, God is using everything in my life to make me more like Himself.
Together, He and I can take the tea stains in my life and make something out of them. We can take the tensions and be tender, take the hurts and be content, take the obstacles and build opportunity. That is what God offers me from life.
And when God says that's what He can do for me, only my unbelief keeps me from experiencing it. If the Christian life is worth living, then God is worth believing. And if I believe God, there is no end to the possibilities."
*Ruth Senter*

"Self-sacrifice is against our human nature, yet it should be part of our 'new nature.' If each of us had an attitude of self-sacrifice, what a change would come about in the atmosphere of our homes. Self-sacrifice is total unselfishness.
Loving unselfishly does not mean making the least of ourselves but making the most of someone else."
*Jo Ann Lemon*

HQ

We have new headquarters. We are in Eagan now. We moved Sunday of last week - not yesterday. :) And we have settled in for the most part. It's really nice here. The actual apartment has new carpet, new cabinets, new linoleum in the kitchen/entry way, and new bathroom accessories. I think even the light fixtures are new! Also, the really neat thing about being here is the neighbors that we have already met - in less than a week! We met our next door neighbors - a couple with a 17 month old daughter and a couple down at the end of the hall that have a 9 month old daughter - new playmates for Emma! We also met the guy who lives above us - who actually went outside looking for our cat for us, how nice is that? And the people on the third floor as well - a man and his mother - who loves kids and is totally willing to babysit anytime.

It's been really sweet considering I was almost scared to meet any of our neighbors at our last place. It's also a lot quieter here. We just got through the weekend and there was no noise Friday. Saturday, during the day it was a little busy and
noisy but during the night it wasn't really at all! It's smaller in space but we've settled in nicely and I think it's going to be a really good place to live for this year.

On another note, we had celebration Sunday at church and it was great. The teens alone pledged $17,935 towards the "On the Move" campaign! It's amazing to see the faith of the younger generations. It really challenges me in what we're doing for the move and for the church in this campaign. The verses that struck me yesterday were from II Corinthians 9.

"Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 9:6-7

"This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God." 9:12