Prayer

I have long thought that my current job situation has presented itself as a mission field brought to my doorstep. All of you who know me well know that keeping a neat work area is not a requirement in my book. I may be obsessive about some things, but keeping things orderly and put away is not on the list. I had two CDs lying on my desk. I actually looked at them this morning and though I should take them home. However, this afternoon they were still there. One was a soundtrack to a movie. The other was the Third Day Christmas album. One of the men I am working with stopped by to say "hi" and asked about the two CDs. I told him about each. First he asked to borrow the movie soundtrack. Then he asked about the other. I told him it was a Christmas CD that I really liked. He also asked to borrow it. I pray that God will use this CD to plant a seed in his mind. I also pray that should he ask, that God will give me the words to say.

Some Light-Hearted Fun

What a weekend! Friday night I was blessed with a fun game of tennis with my dear friends A & P. I kicked their butts of course...oh wait, that was in tennis dancing, not in actually playing a game. Oh well. I look forward to many more fun games with them this summer. It is so nice already having such great weather and being able to be outside and enjoying it in such great company. On Saturday I traveled home where my niece was beside herself with excitement that I was coming to see her. It's nice to know that someone gets so excited just because you are coming to visit. That evening we celebrated my Papaw's 86 birthday. His actual birthday was Sunday, but when you're that old you are just happy to know that people remember at all! He enjoyed the company and even got to eat steak, though there was no filet mignon for him. My chocolate chip cookies were a hit though and he kept them all for himself. He is not much for sharing his desserts! Last night my friends R, B, and C came over for dinner. B is moving this week so it was a goodbye supper for him. We ended up cranking up the karaoke using On-Demand (thank you Comcast!) and having a great time. I honestly can't remember when I have laughed that hard. So, it was a great weekend with great memories. God is so good to bless us with great friends and weather.

Your Two Cents Please

Starting May 14 the US postal service wants your two cents worth. No, not your thoughts, but two more cents for every letter you mail. So, now I get to go buy some not so cute 2 cent stamps to pair up with my very cute Hershey Kisses stamps I bought last month. Sort of defeats the purpose of the cute stamp when I have to put a not cute stamp next to it. However there is some good news to this story. You will not be able to buy a forever stamp. You buy it at the going rate for stamps (which will be 41 cents) and it will alway be good. You won't need to put some not cute stamp next to it when the price of stamps goes up again in a couple of years. So, now I am trying to figure out how many stamps I use on average so I can stock up on these forever stamps. With interest rates as low as they are, I feel buying low is a much better option these days since my money is earning less than two cents in the bank.

I Am Encouraged

1. I am encouraged by most of the comments to my recent blog. I was afraid that many of today's Christians and church-goers felt that asking a church membership to be obediant to God was wrong. Thank you, my friends, for encouraging me that it isn't all who feel this way.

2. I want to highlight a blog I stalk. This person knows I stalk their blog, in fact, I posted my first comment on it last night. At church there is an awesome ministry for 5th and 6th graders led by an awesome couple J and L. I have been reading both of their blogs for over a year, but have recently just introduced myself to them. I got to spend some time talking to J at Disciple Now this past weekend and thanked him for what he is teaching on in the 5th and 6th grade department now. They are learning manners! Hallelujah. Now, don't think J is neglecting teaching them the Bible as he does that with a passion like I haven't seen in a long time. But he is also teaching them how to be respectable citizens. So the guys are learning how to be gentlemen. The coolest thing is J is telling everyone so that when someone sees a 5th or 6th grade guy following the rules, they can tell J and the guy will be inducted into the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and they get the coolest t-shirt. Last night my friend R and I attended the first induction ceremony. It was awesome! Now, don't think the girls are excluded. This spring L is going to teach them how to dress modestly. I am so encouraged by these two people God is using to touch the lives of the next generation. You can read more about them at their blogs Live Out Loud and New Day, New Mercies.

Reflections

This past weekend my church had Disciple Now for our teenagers. Let me tell you that hosting 9 ninth graders is an experience in and of itself. The guest pastor really touched some of these girls and they felt he really spoke to them on a level and using language they could understand. For Sunday services at our church, the guest speaker preached as well. On Sunday night he talked of the trial that Jesus went through in His last days and also about the church that the guest speaker planted about 3 years ago. In talking of his church, he spoke about the process of building the church by-laws and how it was a several month process involving several people who spent many hours together and apart studying scripture and making it a Biblical based church. Below are the items one must commit to to be a member of this church:

1) You must be a Christian (saved through Christ's grace and have followed in Baptism)
2) You must be involved in a small group
3) You must serve somewhere within the church.
4) You must tithe.

In a discussion with my roommate this morning, it became apparent to me that some of these items (2-4) offended some members of my church. How do you feel about these? Should church members be required to do these things? There is a Biblical basis for them so should it be optional? The church that requires these runs about 1,600 each week with approximately 800 members. That means they have 50% of the people doing the work. Don't most churches have 10% doing the work? Let me know your thoughts.