Today I decided I was staying home. Several months ago, Janie Wise, our state women's missions and ministry strategist, had asked me to do a big job. She asked me to be the worship leader for our state ministers wives retreat. This was such a huge honor for me. I have attended the retreat nearly every year we have lived here, and it is always a time that I look forward to every year. To put a cherry on top of this amazing opportunity, Janie allowed me to bring along two back-up singers! So of course, I picked these two:
Adrienne, Melinda, and I have rehearsed for the past couple of weeks, not to mention the fact that we sing together nearly weekly in praise team. I had wisely started preparing the girls and I several months back by scheduling us to sing several of our songs in church so we would not have nearly as much to do when it came time for the retreat. We are ready musically.
As I said, today I decided to stay home and prepare. I packed all my clothes and other needed items including the all-important iPod with our music on it and all the chargers the free world might need. I packed Stewart and Zach up to go to RA Camp-O-Ree at the Baptist encampment that is right by my parents' house. I packed Evan to go to Gram's. So I am physically prepared.
There was one area that I wanted to make sure was ready. That was my heart. I have prayed for this event since Janie first asked me. My prayers have heightened in the past month or so. I have even written down Scriptures and claimed them over the event. But today I wanted to get my heart and mind focused on Jesus. I want Him to be so magnified and glorified through us that nothing else is seen but Him. I had grand plans on how that would happen.
Then I turned on Apple TV to crank up some tunes in my house while I worked. On one pass through the living room, something on the TV stopped me in my tracks. Apple TV was playing the pictures from my phone in a slideshow on the TV. My phone is only a year old, but some of the pictures were much older. There were pictures of a tiny baby boy in the NICU. There were pictures of a brown haired, brown eyed boy with his best friend and (as he says) future wife when they were much smaller. There were old pictures of Stewart and me. There were pictures of my college students from years past. Friends old and new. I stopped what I was doing and sat down and wept. While the pictures were playing, some of the songs that we will sing this weekend were playing. I should have been reviewing the songs, but I could not. I was entranced by what I saw. My blessed life. All the Lord has done. And all I could do was cry and say, "Thank You, Jesus."
I do ask for your prayers for this weekend! We get to serve about 200 women, and we are beyond thrilled! Patti and LeAnne, the rest of the "First Wives Club" are going, too. It's going to be a huge slumber party! We are prepared. May Jesus be famous this weekend!
Adrienne, Melinda, and I have rehearsed for the past couple of weeks, not to mention the fact that we sing together nearly weekly in praise team. I had wisely started preparing the girls and I several months back by scheduling us to sing several of our songs in church so we would not have nearly as much to do when it came time for the retreat. We are ready musically.
As I said, today I decided to stay home and prepare. I packed all my clothes and other needed items including the all-important iPod with our music on it and all the chargers the free world might need. I packed Stewart and Zach up to go to RA Camp-O-Ree at the Baptist encampment that is right by my parents' house. I packed Evan to go to Gram's. So I am physically prepared.
There was one area that I wanted to make sure was ready. That was my heart. I have prayed for this event since Janie first asked me. My prayers have heightened in the past month or so. I have even written down Scriptures and claimed them over the event. But today I wanted to get my heart and mind focused on Jesus. I want Him to be so magnified and glorified through us that nothing else is seen but Him. I had grand plans on how that would happen.
Then I turned on Apple TV to crank up some tunes in my house while I worked. On one pass through the living room, something on the TV stopped me in my tracks. Apple TV was playing the pictures from my phone in a slideshow on the TV. My phone is only a year old, but some of the pictures were much older. There were pictures of a tiny baby boy in the NICU. There were pictures of a brown haired, brown eyed boy with his best friend and (as he says) future wife when they were much smaller. There were old pictures of Stewart and me. There were pictures of my college students from years past. Friends old and new. I stopped what I was doing and sat down and wept. While the pictures were playing, some of the songs that we will sing this weekend were playing. I should have been reviewing the songs, but I could not. I was entranced by what I saw. My blessed life. All the Lord has done. And all I could do was cry and say, "Thank You, Jesus."
I do ask for your prayers for this weekend! We get to serve about 200 women, and we are beyond thrilled! Patti and LeAnne, the rest of the "First Wives Club" are going, too. It's going to be a huge slumber party! We are prepared. May Jesus be famous this weekend!
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