What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?

This year, I really don't remember who said it, I do remember that it was a preaching service of some sort but I don't really remember which church I was at when it was said, but this preacher posed this question: "If you knew you could NOT fail, what would you do?" I do know we were at our old church when this question was posed to us and I remember the very first thing I thought was, I would build a GREAT work for God! It wouldn't be with 20 or 30 people. It would be with 2,000 or 3,000, each of those numbers representing a life that had been changed because of the Gospel of Christ! Each of those numbers would NOT be for numbers sake and certainly NOT for bragging rights but for the power of God at work and abounding in my generation and the one to come! The next thought that came to me was that I wouldn't fail with my kids. They would grow up to love God and do exactly what He wanted them to do! And the final thought came to my head is that my house would always be Martha Stewart clean and decorated every moment of every day. So if I get two out of three I won't care about the whole house thing!

I wrote down this question on my bible reading schedule. I'm VERY choosey what I write down on my Bible reading schedule ONLY things I REALLY want to remember. I wrote this between the months of April 3 and July 1. We came to the great Jackson Park Baptist Church at the end of July. This question I wrote down from the nameless faceless preacher I then put two references: Jeremiah 33:3, and Philippians 4:13. Jeremiah 33:3 says, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."  and Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." 

Next two the two references I wrote this little outline. I'm sure it came from the preacher:
1. We have the power of His promises
2. We have the power of prayer
3. We have the power of the Holy Spirit

As I look at Ministry Monday I think of all the wonderful things that have happened this weekend! The Lord gloriously saved a little girl at Sunday NIGHT church of all times, AFTER the evening service was completed and people were heading home! I remember the joy of Sunday school and all the fun I have teaching children. I remember the time of fellowship with those dear sweet ladies after the evening service while we waited for our husbands. I had a great sunday. I remember being able to FINALLY play the song, "Wonderful Grace of Jesus". That is a big deal! That is probably the hardest hymn I have ever had to try to play. It was good day. We don't have 2,000 or 3,000 people coming . . . YET. But as I look at this simple little outline from sometime this past year and more as I read those promises God has in his word, I realize with God ALL things ARE possible. I realize afresh and anew that is is ALL God! IT is God which worketh in you to will and do of his good pleasure. It is all about God.

I do know this, God put a dream in my heart years ago, as a teenager to reach my generation and the generation to come with the gospel. I know that in the last 3 1/2 years that dream, despite some people saying that their ministry to me from God was to temper me, that that dream has only been strengthened. The need is greater than ever. People need the Lord! I was put on this earth for such a time as this and Lord willing I am going to do everything I can to reach as many people as I can because after all, I have the power of God's promises, the power of prayer, and the power of the Holy Spirit!

Wifey Wednesday

Today I'm going to give my top three websites that I use for being a wife. I love the internet. I love that the internet is now in my home! I have found, now that it is in my home I have to actually choose to use the internet wisely, whereas before when I had to go to the internet and had limited time I planned out how I was going to use the internet. That's not a bad practice to keep up.

There are three main websites I go to. I started looking and I actually go to a lot of websites for a lot of things, planning ladies events, planning children's programs, looking for ideas for my home, etc. But for my own personal use as a mother and wife I go to three main ones.

The first one I want to talk about is Ministry 127. I love this website. I get on this website and read articles about the christian life but as a christian mother and christian wife, this website is good fuel for my fire. This website lets me know I'm not an island. In our christian walk it is so easy to feel like an island, like you are the only one doing something a certain way. Ministry 127 is a ministry of Paul Chappell's church Lancaster Baptist Church. I once asked him if I could use some articles, making sure to give the proper credit, for a newsletter I was composing and he told me that I could use whatever they have on their websites. They put good quality stuff up to help and encourage other churches because they are striving together for the cause of Christ! Isn't that great?

The other website I use is Sheila Gregory's Website. This is the best website for wives out there! Seriously. She is getting it right! If you are a wife or thinking of being a wife you ought to visit this website! She talks plainly but biblically. She tells it how it is and how it should be. She is very adept at taking cookies and putting them on the bottom shelf for all to have access to! You don't walk away from one of her blogs wondering what you should do or how you should do it! I know she isn't KJV and that may be a hangup for some of you. I don't care for it either but come thanksgiving time when I go to serve the turkey to my family I'm not going stop them from eating the turkey just because there are a few bones. So go read Sheila Gregory's website and every once in awhile come back and see how I'm doing! 

The last website is The Best Website on EARTH: Pinterest! I LOVE pinterest! It is my favorite website! My husband thinks its a cult! To which I dreamily respond, "Pinterest is not a cult, it has enriched our lives!" Pinterest is where I get inspiration for decorating my house. It is where I log my favorite articles on the web that help me. It is where I find ideas for cooking, and where I organize activities I plan! Contrary to popular belief I don't go to pinterest exclusively! I love that I can go to a website, see an article I like and "pin it" to my board. I can google something for an activity and "pin it" to my board. It is the best thing every created for the web. Surprisingly the man who created it was a lawyer and he was just doing it for fun! I honestly think God had a little hand in helping this website come about!

So there you have it! How I use the internet to help my life as a wife and mother!

Ministry Monday

I purposefully chose Mondays for this title. In the ministry, Sunday is usually your busiest day. Mondays are the day when most preachers resign. I once heard a preacher say the ministry truly is bitter sweet. But I have to say the sweet part is sooooo much sweeter than the bitter! The sweet far outweighs the bitter! I love our new ministry at Jackson Park Baptist Church. I felt like home the moment I first stepped through the door. I love the people at Jackson Park. I love playing the piano. I love planning ladies' activities. I love planning the children's church. I love making the Bible as exciting as it truly is. I LOVE seeing children at church! I love walking in our new building and seeing the people that will one day fill those halls! I love that my children love coming to church! I love having my children beg to come to church. I love doing my discipleship classes! That is probably one of my favorite parts! I loved discipleship classes at our former church and I love them now! I love going to the hospital to pray with people. I love cleaning the church - yes, even that! I absolutely positively LOVE our copier at church! So will there be bitter times to come at the Great Jackson Park Baptist Church . . . we do live in a sinful world, so yes, I think there might be. But already the sweet times are so overwhelmingly wonderful that even though there must be hard times, that grow us, that change us into what God wants us to be, I'm thankful that there are sweet times to counter that! I am so thankful for my church and church home! I love you Jackson Park Baptist Church!

Feelin' Good Friday

Today, on Friday, September 14th, I was going to blog about some amazing chocolate crinkle cookies that my family absolutely loves! They make approximately 4 dozen but are usually gone within 3 days. Other cookies will sit in the cookie jar looking sad and lonely with no one to eat them, but not these babies! But I didn't have time to make the cookies and actually take pictures at the same time . . . don't worry, we are enjoying eating them.
So what am I going to talk about on this Feelin' Good Friday? On Wednesday evening after we got home from church my daughter went into the bathroom to wash the "fellowship" off her hands and she came out smiling and exclaiming, "Praise the Lord, God provided soap for us!" She says that because when we lived in Ohio there were more than a few times that God miraculously provided things we needed and/or wanted on a regular basis. Some things we would pray about, some things I would mention in passing that they would be nice to have. One of those things was Bath and Body works hand soaps. I just love their stuff. It smells soooo good and it makes you feel soooo special to wash your hands with it. (Or I may be the only weird person out there who thinks that!) So the other day, my wonderful husband took me shopping at the mall and I remarked that Bath and Body Works was having a sale and he said, "Go pick out some soap!" That is not something he has ever said in our married life. We bought the big gallon of orange soap refill container and if someone gave me Bath and Body Works Soap I would sometimes refill those containers. It never had quite the same special effect. So go in to buy some I did. I bought, Creamy Pumpkin for the Bathroom and foaming Kitchen Lemon for the Kitchen.
I am very blessed to be at a church that provides for our needs and well beyond. Not being able to buy certain things is NOT everything in life. What meant more to me was that my child was able to recognize that GOD provided for us! Yes, there were very hard financial times in Ohio. NO, that is NOT why we left. Would I trade those hard financial times to be able to go back in time to buy whatever hand soap I desired? NO! Absolutely NOT! Those hard time strengthened my faith! I now know God won't let me go hungry, without a house, without electricity, etc. and He even provides my wants! Those hard financial times taught my daughter to say, "Praise the Lord, God provided soap for us!" Those "hard" times taught my daughter that there was a God in Heaven who knows our needs and loves us! Those "hard" times were some of the best things that ever happened to us!
I'm feelin' good this friday because as I say with my daughter, "Praise the Lord, God provided . . . " What has God provided for YOU this week? Take a moment to tell me!

To Blog or Not to Blog . . .

As with everything in life, I work better if I have a plan. I've been struggling with whether to even blog. There are good reasons to blog and there are good reasons NOT to blog!

Reasons to blog:
1. I have something to say, whether anyone out there is listening.
2. I can be a force for good on the internet.
3. If someone is listening I might have a little bit of influence for the cause of Christ over them.
4. Blogging enhances my own personal life. I love to talk . . . if you could not tell!
5. It is another way I can bring glory to my wonderful Savior!

Reasons NOT to blog:
1. I don't have time . . . that could be reason enough for all 5 reasons I'm going to give!
2. I don't think what I have to say is all that important.
3. I would have to plan for yet ONE more thing this week?!
4. I will be sitting at the computer blogging about all the things I should be doing instead of doing all the things I should be doing!
5. What if I make this challenge to myself and miss a day . . . am I a complete failure and will I just want to stop because of it? (uh, sorry about that, my inner self just popped out and blogged that!)

Reasons why having a plan is a good idea:
1. It will make me look for things to blog about.
2. When I have a brain freeze, I will have a plan to go back to.
3. One day, I'm going to look back on this part of my life and realize that I wasn't as busy as I thought I was! So having a plan will keep me on track and as my life continues to grow in busyness I won't have to wonder what I'm going to say next.
4. If I know I have to blog on certain days, I'm going to have to actually quit procrastinating.
5. I like to be organized and that organization brings a smile to my heart and will help me blog more profitable things!

What I'm going to blog about:
1. Ministry Mondays: On Monday I am going to blog about ministry, what I have done, ideas I want to do, ideas that were a complete flop so you should NOT do them!
2. Wifey Wednesdays: I think another blog out there already has this name and if it is copyrighted I will change it right away. I was trying to think of who I am and what I do and that would be what I blog about, you know, the whole idea of writing about what you know about - I am a wife. Not a very good one I'm afraid, but I am constantly trying to get better. I just spent $15 on kindle books (that I need to remember to tell my husband I spent) to hopefully make me a better wife. So on wednesdays I'm going to talk about wifey sorts of things, things I've learned, books I've ready, things I did with my family, etc.
3. Feelin' Good Fridays: On fridays as we look to the weekend I am going to write about things that make me feel good, possibly something in the scripture that I've read that week that really spoke to me, some kind of dessert, especially any kind of chocolate, that makes me feel really good, random acts of kindness that make me feel good, those sorts of things!
4. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be my, if I do something, extra days. Hey, committing to three times a week seems a little daunting! So I'm going to K.I.S.S. it as my mother used to tell me, Keep It Simple Stupid - funny she used to emphasize the "Stupid" (if she's reading this I can just see her shaking her head in the affirmative!)
5. I am going to blog about who I am, what I do, but most importantly I want to bring honor and glory to my wonderful God! He has been so good to me! He is Someone everyone ought to know! I hope that as I blog people out there will want to come to know Jesus in a personal way just as I do!

So that's that, to blog or not to blog . . . I guess I'm going to blog!