30 Days of Thankfulness, Day Four

I'll keep it short and sweet tonight, as I'm ready for bed and have been for a while, but am making an effort to actually update daily. Yes, I would like my gold star now.

Today being Sunday, it seems like the perfect time to mention how thankful I am for my church.

I've told the whole church saga on this blog before - how I grew up in one church, felt led to find a new one, felt an instant connection at a new one, felt like a traitor to the old one, et cetera, et cetera. It was not a fun transition. It caused much family tension, many tears, and much frustration.

But the plain and simple truth of the matter is that the first time I visited Osborne, two years ago this month, I felt the Holy Spirit during the worship service in a way that I never had before, in all of my (then) 31 years.

Since then, I have learned so much...about who God is and who I am because of Him, about practical life application of God's word, about loving people and serving joyfully.

I am still so far from perfect. I fail daily, and multiple times daily, at that. But here, I finally feel as though I am maturing in Christ. I can hardly help but be thankful for that.

I have also been blessed with an amazing new church family at Osborne. There are some people there that I went to school with, and love seeing again - if it weren't for one of them posting about Osborne on Facebook, in fact, I would likely have never visited. (Thanks, Liz!) But there are so many more that I have met for the first time there, that I wouldn't have known otherwise, that I love dearly and cannot, now, imagine being without.

I love the music. I love the pastor, although he stomps on my toes weekly. I love that there is a huge and well-run children's program, where my girls both learn and have fun. I love that there are thriving homeschool and adoption/foster care communities in the church. I love helping teach the kindergarteners on Wednesday nights, and big hugs from them between songs at music time. I love praying for my church family and knowing that they are praying for me too, and I don't even have to ask it of them.

If you're a local friend who reads my blog and you don't have a church home - please, come visit with me sometime. I'll show you around and stick right with you until you feel at home.

If you're not local...well, I invite you to check out some of the sermons online. There are LOTS that you can watch, and they're all worthy of your time.

No matter where you are, my wish for all of you is for a church home where you feel welcomed, loved, appreciated, interested, and convicted - a church home that allows you to fully appreciate Psalm 122:1: "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord."

30 Days of Gratitude 2011: Day Two

If I continue my trend of blogging just before bedtime, maybe I never will feel like that full-on rant after all. I'll suffice it to say that something has been gnawing at me. Okay, several things, but one more prominently than the others.

Today being Wednesday, the girls and I headed to church earlier this evening. They went to their respective classrooms (Milly actually, willingly goes to her class now, which is nothing short of a miracle) and I headed off to my class. There are no Wednesday night worship services; rather, there are classes that run in 8-12 week "series," and you choose the class that appeals to you from each session. There are usually several that sound wonderful, and it's a hard choice. This session, though, was a no brainer - it was called Balancing Life's Demands, and was taught by Pastor Steve.


Tonight was the last class of this series, and I'm sad to see it end...but wow, what a last night. I sat there and heard exactly the words I needed to hear. For discipline. For uplifting. For inspiration. I'll share it all in a later post, but suffice it to say, my niggling "what do I do about this" prayers were answered directly tonight.

That's not an uncommon occurrence at Osborne Baptist, which is why on day two, I am thankful for my church.

If you've been reading my blog for a while - or are lucky enough to know me in person (haha) - then you know how I've been struggling in the church department for the past couple of years. Not with faith, but simply where to go. My husband and I have a "home" church - where we grew up, met, etc. - and the decision to seek out a new church was not an easy one. Feeling like a traitor to my "old" church, it took quite some time to "allow" myself to feel at home anywhere else. But I was fortunate to find one that I love, even though it is veeeeery different from what I was used to.

A wise woman has told me several times now that one needs a church where they are "fed" spiritually, and OBC does that for me. I can't tell you how many times I've had experiences just like the one tonight, where I walk in for a service or class and hear Scripture that applies directly to what's going on in my life at that time. I am so very grateful.

(My word, how many "quotes" can I use in one blog post?!)

Of course, it should go without saying that I am also (so, so) grateful that God loves ME enough that He sent his only son to die for ME...and for you. He has blessed me so many times, with a wonderful family and so much more. Without Him, the church itself would be just another building.

Demands & Comfort

(It's time for another Spiritual Sunday post! I hate that it took me so long to give this particular meme a try!)


Power Source classes resumed this past Wednesday night at OBC - instead of a Wednesday night worship service and sermon (which I'd been used to), this church offers different classes on Wednesday nights. Each one lasts for twelve weeks, and you sign up for the one that interests you most. There are usually ten to twelve classes to choose from, and there's something for everyone. In this session, for instance, there are classes devoted to studies of Judges, Timothy, and Revelation, there's a marriage class, a parenting class, one just for women (a study of the book Captivating), and then there's the one that I chose: Balancing Life's Demands.


The class description reads: "Are you busy, tired, stressed out, and stretched to the limit? Does life seem a little out of control? Are you running long on "to do's" and short on time? In Balancing Life's Demands, you will learn how to put first things first and find peace in Christ while in the midst of pressure and adversity." 


Oh yes, this sounded like a class for me. I'm not necessarily "stretched to the limit", but I've been there before, and have to actively plan and schedule so as not to wind up there again. And I definitely feel like I could use a few more hours in my day...so I signed up.


About seventy people showed up to the first class. We met in the choir room (the largest classroom in the church, I believe) and there wasn't an empty seat to be found. I imagine that this was due to two things: one, everyone can identify with having too much to do. Two, the teacher for this class is also the church's pastor, who is a pretty popular guy. Pastor Steve is charismatic, funny, honest, and an excellent speaker. He's just an "every man" kind of pastor, and is so easy to identify with - if anyone can tell us how to juggle a to-do list, he's the guy.


During the first class, we talked about the six symptoms of misplaced priorities...and most of them resonated with me. Then there was the overview of Biblical priorities: God, mate, family, work, ministry. And an amazing quote from Dwight D. Eisenhower: "The urgent is rarely important, and the important is rarely urgent."


I've spent the rest of the week considering my own priorities, and how they need to be realigned. The first step was limiting my time on Facebook - darn you for sucking me in, Frontierville! I had such a booming frontier town...it's a shame that I had to burn it to the ground (or at least delete everything) so there's no temptation to check in just one more time. The next step was enforcing time for Bible study - one of the "I should" tasks that was quite often pushed back and back and back until it just didn't get done before. It's amazing how much time you can find for it, though, when you move it to the top of your priority list.

So the middle of my week was thought-provoking. By the end of the week, I was encased in a black cloud...just an emotional funk that I could not shake. I was ready for Sunday morning to roll around, knowing that I always feel better after going to church. And sure enough, this morning's message was absolutely perfect for me.


I mean, any message that begins with a detailed description of fried pork tenderloin, homemade mashed potatoes, buttered rolls, corn, green beans...well, it has to be pretty terrific, right?!


The name of the sermon was actually "The God of All Comfort," but you just can't talk about comfort without mentioning comfort food. (At least, Pastor Steve can't, because he's kind of awesome that way.)


I needed some comfort this morning, and I got it in spades. My sermon outline is a jumble of notes and verses that I'll spend more time with this week. I cried more during the service than I think I ever have in church before. And I left feeling better - and better equipped to handle whatever life throws my way.


(Although it's not posted just yet, the full sermon will be available online - in audio, video, and podcast formats, plus sermon notes - very soon. You'll be able to see/hear it, as well as past sermons, HERE if you're interested. I haven't heard one yet that wasn't thought-provoking, compelling, and relevant, but I'd especially recommend this one!)


"...He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."  2 Corinthians 12:9-10


"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

A beautiful song by Hillsong United that we sang this morning...so perfect!