This Is A First.

I'm in for a rather long (and busy!) weekend with a volleyball game, wedding of a longtime friend, and hosting a fall gathering of about 30 people so I've decided to do something that I've never done before and we'll see how it goes!

As many of you know, my church has a big printing ministry in addition to having a bookstore. I would like to give away a $15.00 gift certificate at the end of next Wednesday night.

So here's where you come in! Go to the Challenge Press/Book Heaven website, browse around, and come back and tell me one book/CD you would want if you won the gift certificate. I'll work out the details with the winner later (Hmm, can I see some LVBCers coming out in droves for a gift certificate? Well, it's free, so I'm sure that will be motivation:o)), but just leave a comment and I'll close the give away out next Wednesday night.

Happy browsing!

Another Works-For-Me!

About a year ago I read on someone's blog (you know how that goes! Blog hopping, that is... :o)) about an opportunity to earn free gift certificates. With thoughts like "yeah right" running through my head, I apprehensively e-mailed the lady and she referred me to MyPoints.com. I then signed up with MyPoints and did earn gift certificates!

Here's how it works:

• You read the e-mail offers MyPoints sends to you.
• You then click on the orange box that says "Act Now!" "Take Survey Now!", or something like that and instantly earn 5 points.
• You close out the window, delete the e-mail, and that's it:o).

Now I will say I'm not a big fan of spending money so normally I just click on the link and get the points. I've only ever bought one thing off of MyPoints and it was something I was going to use anyway. Their big emphasis (of course) is for you to buy something with the companies they advertise, but you don't have to do that:o).

I received $50.00 in gift certificates and it came at a good time too ~ right before I headed to Thailand for three months! I'm just about ready to get another $50.00 in gift certificates, but I'm having a problem deciding what to get (Christmas is coming you know!).

It's really easy and it takes me one, maybe two, minutes in the morning when I check my e-mail. I can definitely do that and as a result earn gift certificates. If you are interested in trying it out, go to my profile and e-mail me. I'll then "refer" you (and get points for doing so!) and you can start earning gift certificates too:o).

For more "Works-For-Me" ideas, go to Rocks In My Dryer ... just be prepared to spend a while reading!

Stay In The Castle.

Chantel wrote a good post regarding this book, "Stay In The Castle". I was just 16 years old when I first read it, but it impacted my young life greatly. The story is about a young maiden who wishes to find her Prince but was given an earnest warning from her father, the King: Stay in the castle! In other words, don't go wandering around outside the castle, trying to find what you think would work for you. If you do, you will miss the special man that God has waiting for you.

From the day I put the book down, I determined I was going to wait for the Lord to bring my Prince along. It's been 8 years since I've read that book, and I've seen many a friend and relative get married. Just because time has elapsed doesn't mean the command from my King is any less important. I've posted this quote on here before, but it's one of my favorites:

"Wait for God's time to bring it round and He will do it without any heartbreak or disappointment."

~Oswald Chambers~

Just recently I heard about someone I knew long ago who had the same desire that I have, but then impatience got in the way. Now that person is married, but it's not the best situation. My heart broke when I heard that story because patience did not have her perfect work!

I've pondered all my years since I read that book and realized it's not been a bad wait at all, but lest I was tempted to "throw the towel in", I was reminded as to why I'm waiting! I would rather remain single all of my days and be in the center of God's Will than to marry outside of God's Will. There is no safety in stepping outside of God's plan and Chantel's post and the story I heard were good reminders of that.

And so, I stay in the castle. To the ridicule of some and the sympathy of others, I wait. Only God truly knows my heart's desire, so I wait. Because the dangers of stepping outside of the castle are not worth it.

Burdens ARE Lifted At Calvary!

Days are filled with sorrow and care,
Hearts are lonely and drear;
Burdens are lifted at Calvary,
Jesus is very near.

Chorus: Burdens are lifted at Calvary,
Calvary, Calvary,
Burdens are lifted at Calvary,
Jesus is very near.

Cast your care on Jesus today,
Leave your worry and fear;
Burdens are lifted at Calvary,
Jesus is very near.

Troubled soul, the Saviour can see,
Ev'ry heartache and tear;
Burdens are lifted at Calvary
Jesus is very near.

~John M. Moore~

A Surprise Trip.

Lest some of you think I fell off the face of the earth... I did not:o). I knew I was in for a pretty busy week with Revival Services last week and towards the end of the week, I went with a family in my church to Tennessee ~ a complete surprise to all the kids in the family and my sister-in-law who came down from Indiana! The plan was concocted a few weeks ago, but my friend agreed to keep the whole thing a secret, telling only her husband. So after church Thursday night, I headed out to her house and was met by several of her confused daughters who couldn't figure out why I was there until it dawned on them that I was coming with them:o).


The main purpose of the trip was to help the family out with a house they recently bought ~ beautiful, but in need of a lot of work! So we spent the weekend cleaning, painting (the whole first floor was painted in yellow... I like yellow, but this was a little extreme!), and just general work...

An added bonus was the opportunity to see my sister-in-law, niece, and nephew. Originally my brother and other nephew were coming too, but in the end it worked out to be the three of them. The secret of the past two weeks was completely worth it... my sister-in-law shrieked when she saw me! Since she wasn't expecting to see me for another two months, this was a huge surprise!

(Hopefully she doesn't cause great harm to me for posting this picture!)

The weekend was so fun, peaceful, and quiet... well, quiet is a relative term. There were 10 females in the house and one very active 5-year-old-boy, so it wasn't quiet in the realm of noise but it was a very relaxing weekend. I've found yet another place I would love to go back and visit someday... Muddy Pond, Tennessee!

Seeing my nephew is always such a highlight for me. He is talking more and it's understandable too! Towards the end of the trip, he began to say "we go home now", but Kim and I knew he was definitely done with Tennessee when he said to me, "Good-bye Auntie Anne"! I'm looking forward to see that whole gang come December:o).

The whole trip was very pleasant, minus having a queasy stomach early Tuesday morning and having a tire blow out on the trailer two hours from home. Thankfully I feel much better now and two very nice men (one from Mississippi and one from Carlisle, PA) helped us out with the tire, which was a huge relief to us!

There's no place like home, but I sure do love taking these trips... and the next one's coming up in just a couple of weeks!

Taking A Break.

The other morning in my devotions I read Psalm 26:2:

"Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart."

Since that day, I've been asking the Lord to examine me and my heart. Tomorrow morning starts Revival Meetings at my church, so I will be taking this next week off from blogging. In years past, my pastor has encouraged my church to turn off the TV during the week. I don't have a TV, but I don't need any other distractions, so that's why I'm taking a break. If you come back and check here during this week, would you please take a moment and pray for the revival meetings???

"Lord, send revival,

And let it start in me."

News Stories.

Some news stories from over the past week. Read through them if you have time:o).

American Missionaries Targeted For Deportation

Concentration Camps Hold A Million People?

562 Baptized In Parking Lot (All I can say to this story is wow. Tailgating at a baptism???)

Creationists Meet, Settle Differences

Thanks-living.

I started my day off in the dentist's office so that should tip you off right away as to how my day went:o). I thought for sure my dentist would be impressed with the fact that my wisdom teeth finally got removed this past summer in Thailand (he's been after me for at least 7 years), but he only said, "Why didn't they take out the fourth one???"

After that lovely visit (thankfully I won't be back for another 6 months... I do not like the dentist's office at ALL), I raced over to school where I was met by a person who was frowning at me... "uh oh" pretty much sums it up.

By 11 AM I was ready to crawl into bed for good, but the day was just beginning! Even though my volleyball team was playing a game today, I just wasn't looking forward to it at all and it didn't help that the team we were playing was one of the best (Fairless Hills for those of you who remember them!). The other team came early and the rain that was supposed to come earlier actually came later so it was bad timing. Every time we were planning to start the game (we play outside), the wind would kick up and the raindrops would begin to fall. We finally played but that's another story.

After the game I took two students home. I was so ready to finish at the day and just be at home for the evening. I dropped the kids off and waited. And waited some more. I finally called the babysitter three times, to no avail. I then called their dad, who told me the babysitter left for her sister's house about 1/2 hour before I called. Figures! So he asked if I would run over to the restaurant where he works and grab the keys to unlock the door. I did run over and back, hoping the little ordeal would soon be over.

Fat chance.

The key went into the lock but wouldn't budge. I tried several times and then the boy tried too. He was finally able to turn the key in the lock, but was unable to unlock it (you know, that part is always nice!). So I went back to try it again and the next thing I knew, I was holding half a key in my hand... the other half was stuck in the lock.

(Right about now my sense of humor kicked in and I began to smile and think, "Haha. Now what am I going to do?")

After double-checking the fact that the key really was broke (yup, it wasn't a figment of my very poor imagination), the boy suggested he crawl through the window that was open. (I thought about Maria from the Sound of Music when she said, "When God closes a door, somewhere He opens a window." Maybe not totally accurate, but it sure did fit the situation!). So his sister and I hoisted him up the side of the wall, and he went through the window that was open wide enough for him to fit.

I finally came home, two hours after the game was over and I was only 15 minutes away from home the whole time. I came in and noticed our kitchen wall clock was crooked so I went to fix it and it fell down. Wow!

As I thought about my day, the Lord reminded me of the chapel message a missionary to Thailand (Bro. Lange) preached the other day regarding the ten lepers that were healed. All the lepers were healed, and yet only one returned to Jesus to give thanks. Bro. Lange challenged the young people to have an attitude of "thanks-living" and be thankful in everything.

So I am thankful... thankful this day is over:o). Seriously though, if this is the worst thing that's going to happen to me, then I think I'm doing ok!

Something Upon Which To Think.

My pastor's wife sent this out in an e-mail to my church and I thought it was a good reminder of how a Christian should be living.

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“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

The eagle is a symbol used many times in Scripture. In fact, it is mentioned 38 times throughout the Bible. We can learn some important lessons from this majestic creation of God. Eagles have a wing span of 2 meters and are around 90 cm. tall. The eagle mates for life and use the same nest for life. This nest is built in a safe place, often on the edge of a sharp cliff. It is built to last and the largest nest reported is 9 ½ feet wide and 20 feet deep.

When the babies are born, both parents assume responsibility for their care. They are gentle parents, sitting on the eggs for one month. The parents bring food up to the nest and feed them small pieces of meat. Within 45 days they can weigh nearly 40 times their birth weight. At three months they get special feathers for flying and a new learning experience begins. The mother eagle flies into the nest and begins to thrash around causing a great commotion. Eventually one of the babies will fall out of the nest and begin heading for the earth below. Never having used his wings before, he's not really sure what to do, but does do lots of flapping while heading straight down! Just before the baby hits the ground, the mother eagle flies underneath in order to 'catch' the baby on her powerful wings and she flies him safely back to the nest. This continues on day after day until all the babies learn to fly.

There are two verses in scripture that actually mention this routine of the eagle. In Deuteronomy 32:10-11 Moses reminds the children of Israel how God cared for them and guarded them just “as an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings.” Again in Exodus 19:4 God says that He will carry the children of Israel on eagles' wings. We can get very comfortable in our 'nest'. Perhaps that could be our way of doing things, our way of thinking, our opinions, our way of living life. Then when God comes and 'stirs up our nest' we get upset. We don't always identify this as a growing experience. Sometimes if we were really honest, we really don't want to grow. We get very complacent and satisfied with where we are and any interruptions are viewed as negative. But God wants us to fly - to become all that He intends us to become. He never stirs up our nest without good reason!

The eagle can see a rabbit two miles away. It can soar up to two miles above the ground and can fly at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour. They have a separate eyelid which slides across the eye sideways in order to keep the eye clean and free from dust as they fly. Their bones are hollow and therefore light of frame. Their frame has cross ribs like steel bars in sky scrapers. The eagle has 7000 feathers. The back feathers are as long as the head feathers. Their beak is black until age of 3 years and then turns golden.

When eagles are about 30 years old they go through a renewal process. They find a secret place high in the mountains and begin to claw at their face and tear out the feathers that have been damaged over the years. As a result, it bleeds badly. But this is necessary for the eagle in order to renew its strength. If it did not do this it would not be able to live to its normal 60 years of age. Psalms 103:5 says, "Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagles.” A time of renewal is necessary for every child of God. A time when we get rid of what is weighing us down, holding us back spiritually. A time to give up the sinful habits, to give in to the Holy Spirit in whatever way He is convicting us. We need to do this even to the point of renewal with pain! Some things we hold on to so tightly that to let go, actually causes us pain. But in order to have the long, powerful, useful spiritual life that God plans for us, we need to do that. It will renew our spiritual youthfulness.

When the eagle is free to soar in God's creation, they are the cleanest of birds. They were created to be free and to soar to great heights. They were not meant to remain close to the earth in the lowlands. They were created to soar. When eagles are held in captivity, they become none of the dirtiest birds. God has created us to remain pure and holy and conformed to his image. Don't allow the freedom we are to experience in Him, to be compromised by spending too much time in worldly thinking, activities, mindsets. Remain clean!

Eagles do not fly like other birds; they don't flap their wings but rather soar. Flapping their wings would use incredible amounts of their own strength and endurance and they would require so much more food as fuel if they didn't soar. Instead they sit on a high ledge and wait for the right wind currents to come. When the time is right, they take off and soar upward. Effortlessly, because they have waited for the right time. There is a special 'up going' wind, that they ride as it circles higher and higher toward the sky.

What a lesson for God's children to learn. How often do we waste strength by jumping out too soon and 'flapping our wings', instead of waiting for God's timing. Waiting is not a popular concept in these days of instant everything! But when we wait on the Lord - wait for His timing - wait for His answers - wait for His direction, then we can soar to new heights and fly to new places.

Interesting Article.

I've been trying to avoid Wal-Mart even since I've come back from Thailand. I stopped in one time to pick up knee pads for one of my volleyball players, but I'm purposely looking for other stores where I can shop (IF I shop! A good way to save money is to stay out of stores:o)). There was also a "letter to the Editor" in the paper a few weeks ago from a lady in a nearby town which houses a popular community college. Her point was the little town of S____________ didn't need a Wal-Mart to destroy other businesses. So I read this article ("What Wal-Mart Knows About You") this morning and was intrigued by it. Any thoughts on the matter???