Joy

September has been a busy month. It's almost over already. Every day holds some joy for each of us - we just have to be looking for it and recognize it. Some things that have given me joy this month have been: time with my hubby enjoying the countryside, taking pics of barns and fields, seeing the dedication of Ashley to follow God's leading, time with my kids and grandbabies, time with friends, and enjoying God's creation. One day, Nutty (a squirrel in our backyard), came up and sat on the window ledge. I could only see his tail. I said Nutty, look at me and he did. I told him he made me happy just watching him, he looked for a couple of seconds and then off he ran. (Nutty and I have an unusual bond - we give each other joy). John and I were on our way home from church one evening and we topped the hill to see a beautiful sunset. It was as if God had taken a brush and every so softly put in a whisp of a cloud here and there - so light, so airy. The sunset was beautiful with its orange and golden hues, warm, light, but not to bright. It gave me great joy to see the sunset. The colors God has used to paint the earth are magnificent - boundless joy.

Difficulties

Sometimes life is difficult. There are things that happen or don't happen that are hard to understand. Sometimes you just want to run away, but the problems will still be there. It seems stress is a constant in this day and time. It is not always easy to cope with stress. I'm a half glass full type of person and I like to solve problems. There are problems I can't solve. Things I can't change even if I really want to. The only solution left is to trust in God - wait upon the Lord. I recently read that if we don't understand why things are happening the way they are, it's because we don't know all there is to know. Only God knows and He has it under control. Once again, I'm reminded that I must surrender to Him. Pray that I will be able to faithfully surrender myself to Christ...

Passing the baton...

I have been obsessed with watching the Olympics. I take such pride in our Country and appreciate those athletes who train and represent our great Nation. I was definitely a Michael Phelps fan - he's from MD. I think I watched almost around the clock. Pastor Mike preached this past Sunday on Passing the baton. He talked about the Americans (both male & female) dropping the baton in the 4x100 relay race. I saw the races and it was devastating to think these athletes trained so hard and then failed to pass the baton. I was very proud of the girl who ran back, picked up the baton, and finished the race. Pastor Mike talked about us passing the baton onto others. Are we sharing Jesus like we should? Are we sharing Him with our children, our grandchildren, our friends...? I challenge you to pass the baton onto your family, friends, anyone you meet. In Philippians 3: 14 it says, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

God is all up in this place!

Pastor Mike begins our prayer service with scripture and prayer; then we go to one of the sessions. John and I went to the pray through scripture session. There is always several different sessions in addition to the one we attended tonight: pray in the sanctuary with music playing, pray outside, pray with the Pastor, and pray in the quiet room. We come together again around 7:50 PM and sing a couple songs and join hands and pray a closing prayer. The theme for today was praying for the sick and the lost. Tonight was so special - I could feel God's loving arm around me during the closing. It was so awesome, I can't even explain it. The presence of God was so real you felt it without a doubt. We didn't want to leave. After the service, John Woodruff (one of my young friends) hugged me and said "the outdoor group lifted you up in our prayers tonight." How marvelous, how amazing, how loving that the group of younger people in our church prayed for me tonight by name. It brings tears to my eyes even now as I write this. There is nothing like the love of a family...

Prayer Week

We are having Prayer Week at church. I've had sinusitis and haven't been except for Monday night. We prayed for our Nation - and we need it so with the elections coming up. With the recent weekend at the beach, sitting in the sanctuary praying while music played in the background, my daily devotions and prayer time, I've had the recurring thought of the song "Then Sings My Soul." "Then sings my soul, my Savior, God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art..." Check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf0vJiyeLIo to hear it. It's one of my favorite songs to play. To me that's what worship is all about - my soul communing with God. Since I love music, it is a vital part of my worship experience. God is so great, so awesome, so powerful, and so loving. Why do we even fret about anything, He is in control. We just need to rest in His arms, relax, and follow His lead. May I be able to do that every day of my life with my soul singing His praises.

The beach

We just got back from a long weekend in Virginia Beach. It was awesome. Got to see my sister, Dina, which was wonderful. Her hubby, Steve, is off training to drive a big rig. Julie & Cliff went with us. We stayed at a hotel right on the beach. Woke up and went to sleep each night to the wonders of God. There is something very relaxing about the sounds of the waves. Julie did a drawing for a "chalk the walk" event on the cement boardwalk. I might be bragging, but I think she did a great job! She drew "I Dream of Jeannie" pic. We had a blast and were grateful for the relaxing time away.

4th of July weekend

We had a family picnic on Sunday, the 6th of July. We went to Urbana Park and roasted hot dogs. Scott did the grilling and the tables were full of baked beans, pasta salad, potato salad, bowl of mixed fruit, my Mom's great iced tea, lemonade, water, and cokes. For dessert, we had a brownie surprise made and decorated by Chris. Round cookie sheet with brownie, layer of cream cheese filling, banana, strawberries, and a drizzling of chocolate. I could eat one right now. We played in the parking lot - bouncing balls, playing keep away, throwing frizbees (one died - literally cracked up from our playing), and I gave scooter rides to Abby and Stephanie. Chris said I was the biggest kid of all - which I took as a compliment. There are city folks and country folks - we definitely consider ourselves country folks. Chris said city folks come to the park to play in the grass and country folks come to the park to play in the parking lot. After we packed up, we were still standing in the parking lot. Our kids decided we needed to do this at least once a month. So we're looking at August to return to the park. It was a great day of family and fun. Can't wait for the next one. Thanks God for giving us the gift of family.