Traci's Aunt

Traci's Aunt Tammy Johnson died Saturday at 1:30 following the motorcycle accident. Her funeral is Thursday at 11 a.m. at Chapel Hill Funeral Home off NW Expressway and across the street from Bailey Honda. Remember Traci and Aaron and all of their family.

Freedom Celebration

Don't forget we have the church-wide Freedom Celebration at our home tomorrow evening. Come at 5 (or earlier). We'll eat at 6 p.m. We'll have volleyball, croquet, cards, horseshoes and water for the kids to play in. Plus we'll have a good time of fellowship and encouragement for each other. (Remember last week's sermon?) Topping the whole thing off will be fireworks at dark. Come even if you can only stay for a while. We'll have a great time.

Pray for Traci's aunt

We just received notice that Traci O's aunt (her mother's sister) was in a motorcycle accident in Tulsa. She is in ICU with head trauma and it doesn't look too good. Please pray for Tammy. Pray that God would let her heal and be okay. Pray for Traci, Aaron and their family too that they could provide the spiritual support the family needs.

Pray for Camp

I'll leave in the morning to cook for camp for the children's camp. Pray for safe travel for all of us there and on our return on Friday. Try to remember the kids every day. Pray that they will have a great time and will get a boost for their faith. Pray for the sponsors to get sleep and not be "frazzled". Pray for Mary and me as we cook. See you Friday.

#1 Song When You Were Born

What was the music like when you were born? Elvis, the Beetles, or are you an 80's baby born when Duran Duran or Brian Adams topped the charts? Click this link and you can find out what song, by which artist, was #1 on the day you were born. It only takes a second and it's really kind of fun!http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm

I'd never heard of mine, it's "I'll Get By As Long As I have You" by Harry James.

Marsha is Home

Marsha got to go home from the hospital today. She is tired and still having some bleeding. Please pray for her that the bleeding stops and she will be able to be up and around again soon.

Already Stressed

If you are like me, you're already stressed by lesson one. I am a Martha. I keep busy doing all the little things that I assume MUST be done and don't do the important things for my relationship with Jesus. I've always known it, but this lesson just points it out more. I hope you are all Marys. I am going to strive to be more Mary and less Martha. Pray for me, will you?

Thought I'd share Maxine's way to solve stress with you. I'm not a hot tea drinker, but I think coffee would work. If you don't drink either hot drink, perhaps an iced tea would be just as effective. LOL.

Prayer Requests

Here are tonight's prayer requests. Please check these daily and pray for them.
1. Marsha. Pray the bleeding quits and she gets to leave the hospital.
2. Jimmee's sisters: Tina is going to Sherman, Texas to see if doctors can determine what is wrong with her. Jan found a lump in a breast.
3. Mark and Brenda Cole: Returned today from Mexico and have to go back Sunday. Pray for Mark's health and strength for both of them.
4. Traci's family and her father: Kelli McKim
5. DeeAnn is having a tooth cut out Friday at 9 a.m. She is also taking a test tomorrow at work.
6. Braudrick's will be out of town with Nathan's family this weekend. Pray for salvation for Nathan's father.
7. Virgil got overheated at work today. Pray for his physical strength to handle hot weather.
8. Camp next week. Pray that our children will have a fun week but one of spiritual renewal, too.

Small Gestures

There is at least one thing I have learned in my life. God sometimes uses the smallest gestures of kindness to touch the life of another person. When you do simple things for people, you may ease a broken heart, light a spark of hope of just let people feel the love of God. Do something simple for someone today. You'll feel better and so will they.

Pray for Marsha B.

Judy, JoAnn and I just returned from visiting with Marsha at the Spine Hospital. She went back in early this morning for a procedure to stop excessive bleeding. She will stay overnight again, and probably be home tomorrow. Pray for the procedure to stop the bleeding. Pray for strength and no pain for Marsha, too. See you tomorrow night.

Time Change This Week

Hey! We're not going to meet at 6:30 this week. Since it is the introductory lesson for The Frazzled Women, we'll go ahead and meet at 7. Beginning next week, we'll make the time change to 6:30. Hope you're not totally confused!

Blessings

Do you focus on the negative or the positive? I suppose I'm wishy-washy and go back and forth, but I believe I'm usually more positive than negative. (I hope you think that, too.) But things happen frequently that could make us have negative attitudes if we choose to. At the local airport last Wednesday we were supposed to leave at 2:45 p.m. A bird, one of God's smaller creatures, chose to fly into the engine and make a plane in Sacramento unable to fly to OKC. They tried to fix it and couldn't get parts quickly. Instead they flew a plane from Denver to Sacrament to pick up people there and bring them to OKC. Then we were able to get on the plane to leave for Sacramento about 8 p.m. We sat at the airport from 12:30 to 8 p.m. waiting. It was discouraging, but it was a time we got to meet people from OKC, even one from Houston, and talk about our church and one in Texas. I didn't see one person yelling about the delay. Choosing a positive attitude helps us stop and count our blessings instead of focusing on one small thing. Delays don't usually change our life significantly. We can, instead, count our blessings and get our perspective back in focus. Strive to be positive and show people around you how a Christian can make the best out of not-so-good events.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." Ephesians 1:5

New Time This Week

Hopefully it was announced at church this morning, but this is a reminder that we'll begin our Bible Study at 6:30 this week instead of 7. That will give us more time for prayer requests now that about 15 people will be involved. Hope you're ready for a great time. This week's session will be an introduction to what we're studying and an overview of the lessons. We'll get our books and begin. I can already tell you that the first lesson hits some of us pretty hard based on some discussions we had during one of the 3:16 sessions. So get ready to Defrazzle!

One Year Checkup

We're in California today for our youngest granddaughter's first birthday. It is amazing to watch her and compare where she is today with one year ago. She came into the world and began sleeping and eating, totally dependent on others. Communication other than a cry was nonexistent. But today is another story. She says a few things (mama, dad, sis, Isaiah, hi, etc.) but she has another whole vocabulary through sign language. She signs please, thank you, all done, more, eat, and drink. There's nothing quite like seeing her sign please over and over when you don't know what she wants.
Watching her made me begin to think about how much I have matured as a Christian over the last year. If we made the same spiritual strides that Isla has made in communicating over a year, it would be an awesome thing. But when I examine myself, I don't really know if I have matured any more. When I don't like things, I'm prone to just not do them instead of tackling them because I know God's Word asks me to.
What about you? Have you grown spiritually in the last year? Five years? Or are you still at the same spot you were when you were born spiritually? Isla has had to work to learn sign language, to feed herself, to crawl and to walk (she started walking Wednesday). Are we still sitting still knowing life would be better for us if we paid more attention to God's Word, but not wanting to exercise the energy or time it takes to do it?
We can learn a lot from a child. Let's do it.

The Numbers of Hope

Before I read Max Lucado's book, I doubt I would have realized we could spend 12 weeks studying John 3:16. Oh, I was aware it was an important verse that meant everything to a Christian. But I never realized all it did mean. If you're reading this and don't have the hope of eternal life in Heaven, read John 3:16. Noone has ever loved you like God did and does. Who else would send a son to die for the things you have done wrong? I wouldn't. But He did. 3:16 really is the number of hope!

Don't Become a Prune!

Here's an encouraging word to keep you smiling on purpose today! The big, luscious plum forgot to smile and it became a wrinkled prune. Do you want people to think you're working on being a wrinkled prune? Or do you want them to know you have Jesus in your heart and through Him can conquer anything? Smile when you see your neighbors. Smile when you check out at Wal-Mart. Smile when things go wrong. It is infectious and others will smile today. "This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

The Perfect Diet Food

If you're like me, you're either dieting or thinking that you should be. Some of you don't look like you need to, but then some of us do. Whatever, a diet food that was natural, fat-free, cholesterol-free and was still delicious would be a great thing to know about, wouldn't it.
Well there is fruit that fits all those qualifications! Know what it is? You'll find it described in Galations 5:22-23. It is the fruit of the spirit. It is wholesome and beneficial. It's even better if you take the time to share it.

Wednesday night

We'll wrap up "3:16, The Numbers of Hope" this Wednesday night. I will be in California, but Sue will be leading the session. Be sure to be there. If you didn't get a chance to sign up for a workbook on The Frazzled Female, e-mail me, call or or write a comment on this blog by tomorrow so I'll know you want to participate. Have a great week!

Summer's Here

I "borrowed" this from my daughter's women's group's blog in CA. I thought it was worth our time to read and do. Here it is:
It's not officially the start of summer yet, but when school's out, the feeling is all the same. Sleeping in, swimming, shopping, movies, sleep-overs... our kids think they deserve something new and special every day - just because IT'S SUMMER! Of course, they're kids, and in some ways, I guess they're right. We just have to keep reminding them that their responsibilities haven't gone away all together just because it's light outside longer and they don't have homework.
I must admit, I'm a summer time fan myself and look forward to time off with the kids and opportunities to relax. Unfortunately, sometimes that thinking can sink into my habits at church and in my relationship with God.
So this is the challenge. Just because it's summer and my schedule's changing a bit, does it mean I don't have to make church a priority? Do I get to take a summer break from reading my Bible and prayer? Do I still have to minister to those who interrupt my day and have needs to be met? These questions may seem silly, but they're not too far off from the way we justify "taking a break" from our relationship with God when our schedule changes. It may not be intentional, but just like a kid, we shy away from our commitments to the things that matter most.
I encourage you to train your mind to think differently this summer. This is a time to enjoy all the best parts of life that God has to offer. We can soak up extra time with family and friends, savor all the ice cream we can eat, and yet still keep our commitment to serving Jesus just like we do throughout the rest of the year. So enjoy your fun in the sun and don't forget to thank Jesus for all that summer has to offer!

Wednesday Night Requests

Here are the requests from tonight's Bible Study session:
1. Marsha's friend died last week, leaving a 14-year-old son who also is without his father. Pray for this young man and his family.
2. Marsha's daughter will be traveling to Arizona for 10 days. Pray for her safety and pray for Marsha. She has never been away from her daughter that long at one time.
3. Pray for Marsha.
4. Pray for Jean M. as she travels to CA next Tuesday. Pray for safe travel and a compatible visit with her family who are not believers.
5. Keep Joe and Mary Lou D. in your prayers. She is supposed to get to go home on June 14.
Pray for these people all week.

Prayer Request from Robyn H.

I wanted to add Mark's dad, Wayne, to the prayer list. He had by-pass surgery and will be staying with us for several days until he's able to go home by himself. He'll have a home-health nurse checking on him for a while afterwards. Also, pray for Mark as he is still having digestive problems, so we are going back to the specialist on June 26th to do some more checking. He's been doing pretty good the last week or so, though, so we are thankful for that. Pray that he finds something to help him feel better and find some medicines that he can take to help him. He hasn't been able to take any of the acid medicines because they cause depression, fuzziness in his thinking, etc. and he can't function, so he stops taking anything.

Put a Song in Your Heart

God can take all of your troubles and change them into treasures. Your sorrow can become joy. Not something that is momentarily a smile, but a deep, new joy. Isaiah wrote that he would drink from the waters of salvation with joy. We can do that too. Let the bubbling experience of new hope put that brightness in your eyes and a song in your heart. See you tonight.

Reach Out

The blessings that come from reaching out to others cannot be overestimated. That's the quote on my Barbara Johnson calendar for today. Sometimes she cracks me up. But today it made me think about how much I need to make sure other people need to know about Jesus. And one of the ways I can do that is showing his love. I' m going to show Jesus's love to someone today. It will probably be at the grocery store and at a Crimestopper's meeting.. Will you share his love today too? When we do, the people we share it with receive a blessing, but so do we!

Youth Group Reports

Wow! Nathan and our young people bowled the entire congregation over with their music and review of the week in Mexico. We are very priviledged to have a group of young people who will do menial tasks in order to help children in Mexico have a better life. Great job guys! Keep Nathan and our youth in your prayers at all times.