Well, my favorite day of the year has come and gone: Black Friday.
Looking at my purchases, I didn't score any fabulous deals. But it was a priceless day. Priceless because I spent the day with my favorite Black Friday shopping buddy! We've shopped together for the past 7 or 8 years.
Every year we recount past Black Fridays. We talk about the longest line we've ever stood in. We remember parking strategies. We discuss how the crowds aren't what they used to be. We talk about the changes in our gift-buying strategies. We remember past purchases, and discuss how the lists have changed with family changes. Every year is a new adventure for us.
Although I was sick and exhausted this year, we still had fun. We were standing in line to get into Target at 4 a.m. We passed all the crazies with shopping carts, and wiggled our way through the crowds to grab the items on our lists. Once again, we made memories...the kind of memories that are always more fun in retrospect. (Let's face it...it gets exhausting racing the masses to get one of the "limited quantities.")
All in all, another great Black Friday with a great friend. Looking forward to next year, Natalie!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
A Week of Thanksgiving -- Day 4
Today I am thankful for food.
My refrigerator and pantry are usually full. If not, I run to the grocery store to restock. I take food for granted.
Today I will eat until I'm completely stuffed, then I'll probably eat some more. There'll be more than enough food for all the family members coming to celebrate Thanksgiving at my house. My mother will bring the turkey and dressing with some sides and a dessert. My sisters and nieces will bring even more sides and desserts. And I'll contribute yet more sides and desserts. No doubt we'll eat until we make ourselves miserable. Don't most people?
Yet there are those within just a few miles of my home who will wonder where their lunch will come from today. They may wonder if they'll even have lunch. Not just today...but everyday. They won't have a huge family to celebrate and give thanks with, nor will they have a smorgasboard of foods from which to choose.
Today, and every Thursday, there is a woman in my church who, with the help of her friends and volunteers, feeds the hungry in downtown Birmingham. Her ministry is called Grace's Kitchen. She does not take food for granted. She sees how hunger affects the homeless. Food is the tool she uses to build relationships and to share the Gospel with the homeless in Birmingham.
What about you? Are you like me?...Do you take food for granted? If so, I challenge you to get involved with your local food ministry. Time, money and food are all resources they can use...surely you can share one, if not all, of those.
To learn more about Grace's Kitchen, click here.
I hope you have a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving! Be sure to take a moment to thank God for your food today!
My refrigerator and pantry are usually full. If not, I run to the grocery store to restock. I take food for granted.
Today I will eat until I'm completely stuffed, then I'll probably eat some more. There'll be more than enough food for all the family members coming to celebrate Thanksgiving at my house. My mother will bring the turkey and dressing with some sides and a dessert. My sisters and nieces will bring even more sides and desserts. And I'll contribute yet more sides and desserts. No doubt we'll eat until we make ourselves miserable. Don't most people?
Yet there are those within just a few miles of my home who will wonder where their lunch will come from today. They may wonder if they'll even have lunch. Not just today...but everyday. They won't have a huge family to celebrate and give thanks with, nor will they have a smorgasboard of foods from which to choose.
Today, and every Thursday, there is a woman in my church who, with the help of her friends and volunteers, feeds the hungry in downtown Birmingham. Her ministry is called Grace's Kitchen. She does not take food for granted. She sees how hunger affects the homeless. Food is the tool she uses to build relationships and to share the Gospel with the homeless in Birmingham.
What about you? Are you like me?...Do you take food for granted? If so, I challenge you to get involved with your local food ministry. Time, money and food are all resources they can use...surely you can share one, if not all, of those.
To learn more about Grace's Kitchen, click here.
I hope you have a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving! Be sure to take a moment to thank God for your food today!
A Week of Thanksgiving -- Day 3
Today I am thankful for family.
My immediate family...3 beautiful girls, and my wonderful husband.
My extended family...parents, sisters, nieces, nephews, in-laws, cousins...you know, those folks who always make holidays fun and interesting!
My friends who feel like family...you know who you are!
My choir family...those who are as passionate about singing to God as I am.
My church family...many I don't know (it's a big church), but who enjoy spending time together worshipping our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Thank you, God, for family...and for those who feel like family!
My immediate family...3 beautiful girls, and my wonderful husband.
My extended family...parents, sisters, nieces, nephews, in-laws, cousins...you know, those folks who always make holidays fun and interesting!
My friends who feel like family...you know who you are!
My choir family...those who are as passionate about singing to God as I am.
My church family...many I don't know (it's a big church), but who enjoy spending time together worshipping our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Thank you, God, for family...and for those who feel like family!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
A Week of Thanksgiving -- Day 2
Today I am thankful for FREEDOM:
of religion
of speech
to agree or disagree
to vote
from the chains of my sin
from legalism
to choose
to sing
to have as many Bibles as I want in my home
to openly share the Gospel
That's a smorgasboard, but the first things that come to mind.
As I was thinking about writing this post, I thought how true it is that freedom is not free. Coincidentally (or not), my nephew, a Marine, posted that very thing as his FB status this morning. He is well-acqauinted with the price of freedom.
Many have died for our freedom as Americans. Many sacrifice time with loved ones. Many families sacrifice their loved ones.
The highest price ever paid was by a perfect man named Jesus, who was willingly crucified on a tree to pay the penalty for our sin. If you don't own the freedom He bought for you, I urge you to read the book of John in the Bible, and consider the price He paid for your freedom.
of religion
of speech
to agree or disagree
to vote
from the chains of my sin
from legalism
to choose
to sing
to have as many Bibles as I want in my home
to openly share the Gospel
That's a smorgasboard, but the first things that come to mind.
As I was thinking about writing this post, I thought how true it is that freedom is not free. Coincidentally (or not), my nephew, a Marine, posted that very thing as his FB status this morning. He is well-acqauinted with the price of freedom.
Many have died for our freedom as Americans. Many sacrifice time with loved ones. Many families sacrifice their loved ones.
The highest price ever paid was by a perfect man named Jesus, who was willingly crucified on a tree to pay the penalty for our sin. If you don't own the freedom He bought for you, I urge you to read the book of John in the Bible, and consider the price He paid for your freedom.
Monday, November 22, 2010
A Week of Thanksgiving
Today begins my week of giving thanks. I am first and foremost thankful for forgiveness.
God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for me, and even though I chose to mock Him anyway, He forgave me. Jesus forgave me, even though He willingly died, taking my sin upon Himself, and I, knowing and believing that, choose to sin anyway. Dwell on that for a moment. One chose to send His only Son to die for a world that mocks Him, turns their backs on Him. One chose to willingly give His own life as payment for our sins, and we still choose sin over Him. If you believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior, and have knowingly and willingly chosen to step into a "big" sin, and have at some point, experienced true repentance, you too are overwhelmingly thankful for His forgiveness. Blessed are those who grasp forgiveness without ever having brought upon themselves the guilt and shame of one of the "big" sins to finally make them understand it.
I am overwhelmingly grateful for my husband's forgiveness. There were times he would've been completely justified in walking out on me. Yet, he stayed. He loves me unconditionally, and forgives me with no strings attached. If not for him, I'm not sure I'd have ever had the tiniest inkling of what it is to grasp God's forgiveness. He offered me forgiveness in a circumstance that if I had been in his shoes, I'm not sure I would've offered it.
I am thankful for forgiving friends. Those kinds of people are few and far between, but when you find them, hold onto them! And be willing to forgive them when needed! If not for a few forgiving friends who kept open ears, held my secrets, and offered wise counsel, I would've never learned what it is to reach out and be a friend to those who--according to the world, the judgmental and the legalistic--don't deserve it. Those friends will forever hold a special place in my heart.
What are you first and foremost thankful for?
God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for me, and even though I chose to mock Him anyway, He forgave me. Jesus forgave me, even though He willingly died, taking my sin upon Himself, and I, knowing and believing that, choose to sin anyway. Dwell on that for a moment. One chose to send His only Son to die for a world that mocks Him, turns their backs on Him. One chose to willingly give His own life as payment for our sins, and we still choose sin over Him. If you believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior, and have knowingly and willingly chosen to step into a "big" sin, and have at some point, experienced true repentance, you too are overwhelmingly thankful for His forgiveness. Blessed are those who grasp forgiveness without ever having brought upon themselves the guilt and shame of one of the "big" sins to finally make them understand it.
I am overwhelmingly grateful for my husband's forgiveness. There were times he would've been completely justified in walking out on me. Yet, he stayed. He loves me unconditionally, and forgives me with no strings attached. If not for him, I'm not sure I'd have ever had the tiniest inkling of what it is to grasp God's forgiveness. He offered me forgiveness in a circumstance that if I had been in his shoes, I'm not sure I would've offered it.
I am thankful for forgiving friends. Those kinds of people are few and far between, but when you find them, hold onto them! And be willing to forgive them when needed! If not for a few forgiving friends who kept open ears, held my secrets, and offered wise counsel, I would've never learned what it is to reach out and be a friend to those who--according to the world, the judgmental and the legalistic--don't deserve it. Those friends will forever hold a special place in my heart.
What are you first and foremost thankful for?
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Tears
If you read Heaven's New Arrival, you know that a friend very near and dear to my heart passed away on Tuesday. I cried most of the day.
Today, I took my middle daughter to get braces and a butterfly (a crazy-looking contraption in the roof of her mouth). I had no idea what to expect because I've never had braces. She was a little nervous, but did fairly well throughout the process. And it helped that she loves her orthodontist (shout out to Dr. Boggan!). We were almost ready to go, and were told that the butterfly had to be turned. We didn't really have a clue what that meant.
As soon as the key went into the butterfly and started turning it, she started crying. I was little comfort to her. I couldn't tell her how long the pain would last. I really didn't know how bad the pain was. I just knew my baby was hurting, and I wanted to cry with her. It was breaking my heart to watch her cry and know there was nothing I could do for her. (We certainly weren't stopping the process at that point!) I calmed her as best I could, and walked away. I think if I had stayed by her, I'd have done more harm than good. I let the skilled technicians (I assume that's what they're called????) take care of her. When they finished, we were on our merry way. Well, maybe not so merry since she was still crying, but on our way, nonetheless.
I thought about how I had cried all day on Tuesday. My husband tried to comfort me as best he could. But he was really no help. My Mom offered kind and gentle words, as well as friends. But, really, only God is the "skilled technician" in my case. He's the expert in life and death. He knows the sadness I experience in the loss of a friend. He knows why my heart is breaking. He knows how to comfort me. He knows how to make it all better. And my tears are so precious to Him that He keeps them in His bottle (Psalm 56:8). That alone is comfort to me.
Today, I took my middle daughter to get braces and a butterfly (a crazy-looking contraption in the roof of her mouth). I had no idea what to expect because I've never had braces. She was a little nervous, but did fairly well throughout the process. And it helped that she loves her orthodontist (shout out to Dr. Boggan!). We were almost ready to go, and were told that the butterfly had to be turned. We didn't really have a clue what that meant.
As soon as the key went into the butterfly and started turning it, she started crying. I was little comfort to her. I couldn't tell her how long the pain would last. I really didn't know how bad the pain was. I just knew my baby was hurting, and I wanted to cry with her. It was breaking my heart to watch her cry and know there was nothing I could do for her. (We certainly weren't stopping the process at that point!) I calmed her as best I could, and walked away. I think if I had stayed by her, I'd have done more harm than good. I let the skilled technicians (I assume that's what they're called????) take care of her. When they finished, we were on our merry way. Well, maybe not so merry since she was still crying, but on our way, nonetheless.
I thought about how I had cried all day on Tuesday. My husband tried to comfort me as best he could. But he was really no help. My Mom offered kind and gentle words, as well as friends. But, really, only God is the "skilled technician" in my case. He's the expert in life and death. He knows the sadness I experience in the loss of a friend. He knows why my heart is breaking. He knows how to comfort me. He knows how to make it all better. And my tears are so precious to Him that He keeps them in His bottle (Psalm 56:8). That alone is comfort to me.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Heaven's New Arrival
My heart is very sad. One of the world's greatest Christians has passed away. Aubrey Edwards will forever hold a special place in my heart.
The first time I met Aubrey was when the church I was attending brought him in as the interim minister of music. Our choir had been through some heartbreaking struggles, and Aubrey entered our lives with a sense of renewal. It didn't take long before I fell in love with him and his wife, Phyllis. They became like a second set of parents to me. I spent many times sitting in their living room, chatting about life. Not once did I ever hear a complaint, an unkind word, or gossip from them.
Aubrey encouraged my passion of singing. I can't tell you how many times I would tell him I had a new song ready to sing, and he would immediately set a date for me to sing. When we ended up at separate churches, he would always ask me if I was singing in the choir. At one point, I wasn't singing, and had to answer him with a "no." He told me, "You need to be using that voice." Anytime he introduced me to someone, he followed it with, "She has a beautiful voice. You should hear her sing." God used him to encourage me to sing His praises. I know God used him to do the same for countless numbers of people.
Last year I had the opportunity to sit with him a couple of times when he was having his dialysis treatment. The first time I sat with him, he was in a substantial amount of pain. He would motion and whisper for me to help him get comfortable. He didn't complain...not even once...about his pain. The second time I sat with him, he wasn't in as much pain, and chatted with me a lot that day. I saw how he spoke to everyone in the dialysis room. When someone would ask how he was doing, his response was always that he was doing good and that he couldn't complain.
I had the privilege of hearing countless stories about his life and minsitry. I'm not sure we'll ever know how many lives he touched on this earth...I would dare say thousands upon thousands. He was truly the most loving human being I've ever known. And I think anybody that knew him would agree.
I will forever think of him when I hear Sweet Little Jesus Boy...he sang it beautifully. I will forever think of him when I read Ephesians 5:19:
speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord
I am sad that I didn't take more time to spend with him. But I look forward to the day I will see him again...singing with the hosts in heaven in his new, perfect body! Our world has lost a sweet, precious man. But I can imagine him singing God's praises in heaven even now.
Please pray for his lovely bride, Phyllis, and his daughters, Sondra, Kim and Leisha.
The first time I met Aubrey was when the church I was attending brought him in as the interim minister of music. Our choir had been through some heartbreaking struggles, and Aubrey entered our lives with a sense of renewal. It didn't take long before I fell in love with him and his wife, Phyllis. They became like a second set of parents to me. I spent many times sitting in their living room, chatting about life. Not once did I ever hear a complaint, an unkind word, or gossip from them.
Aubrey encouraged my passion of singing. I can't tell you how many times I would tell him I had a new song ready to sing, and he would immediately set a date for me to sing. When we ended up at separate churches, he would always ask me if I was singing in the choir. At one point, I wasn't singing, and had to answer him with a "no." He told me, "You need to be using that voice." Anytime he introduced me to someone, he followed it with, "She has a beautiful voice. You should hear her sing." God used him to encourage me to sing His praises. I know God used him to do the same for countless numbers of people.
Last year I had the opportunity to sit with him a couple of times when he was having his dialysis treatment. The first time I sat with him, he was in a substantial amount of pain. He would motion and whisper for me to help him get comfortable. He didn't complain...not even once...about his pain. The second time I sat with him, he wasn't in as much pain, and chatted with me a lot that day. I saw how he spoke to everyone in the dialysis room. When someone would ask how he was doing, his response was always that he was doing good and that he couldn't complain.
I had the privilege of hearing countless stories about his life and minsitry. I'm not sure we'll ever know how many lives he touched on this earth...I would dare say thousands upon thousands. He was truly the most loving human being I've ever known. And I think anybody that knew him would agree.
I will forever think of him when I hear Sweet Little Jesus Boy...he sang it beautifully. I will forever think of him when I read Ephesians 5:19:
speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord
I am sad that I didn't take more time to spend with him. But I look forward to the day I will see him again...singing with the hosts in heaven in his new, perfect body! Our world has lost a sweet, precious man. But I can imagine him singing God's praises in heaven even now.
Please pray for his lovely bride, Phyllis, and his daughters, Sondra, Kim and Leisha.
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