Come, Now is the Time to Worship

Happy Fall!

I love this time of year. Crisp and cool days, beautiful colors, pumpkins, harvest, caramel apples, stews and soups, football games and time with friends.
One of those friends, Brandon Crawford, aka 'Chief Musician' is a Worship Pastor here in NC.



Our family had the pleasure of meeting Brandon when he was in 7th grade. The Lord had already planted the annointed musical gift in him.... playing any type of keys and singing.He became a part of our family, and still is today. We never imagined the Lord one one day use our children to help him minister!


Our children are all true worshippers. Our daughter plays keyboard and sings and our sons play drums/bass and electric, acoustic and bass guitar. Pastor Brandon played a key role in the Lord's plan for their musical gifts to be used for His glory.

All 3 play for the church praise and worship team, Camp Quest and other ministries as they are needed. Our oldest son is the bass player in the band, Ecclesias.





Our daughter, is prayerfully considering becoming a Worship Leader as the Lord opens the doors and reveals His plans for her future.



All three will join Pastor Brandon at The "Fuel For The City" ministry outreach scheduled for Sunday, October 18th - Tuesday, October 20th in Durham, NC.

Come and worship with us if you are in the area.

More information can be found at:
www.churchatsouthpoint.blogspot.com

Harvest Time

I love harvest time. Those tiny plants and seeds put into the ground with faith have blossomed and become what the Lord intended.

I found this beautiful harvesting basket on a long prayer walk early one foggy morning. It was no longer wanted by it's previous owner and tossed to the curb with some other 'treasures.' Abandoned and needed a new home. Isn't it beautiful?

I harvested these glorious herbs the day after a much needed rainfall. Some of the treasures include: coneflower, yarrow, tansy, pineapple mint, lemon balm, comfrey, black-eyed susan, rosemary, and dill.

My grandmother, Angie Lee, was a renowned herbalist in her small mountain town. Much of my passion to learn more about the medicinal and culinary uses of the God-given herb has been inspired by her.

I dried all of these herbs by my kitchen fireplace and will transfer them to glass jars for future use. Check back in a couple of days to read my next post which will include many of the ways I plan to use each herb.

I truly serve an awesome Creator.

Rescued

This word has echoed throughout our home the past several weeks. Our daughter became passionate

about participating in "The Rescue" a worldwide mission to bring attention to the abduction of

the innocent boys and girls under the brutal leadership

of Joseph Kony. He is the notorious leader of Uganda's rebel guerrillas, the Lord's Resistance Army. They are called invisible children for many people seem to have forgotten them.

I plan to have my daughter to do a guest blog post on this story very soon.

“He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!” Psalm 22:8

I am so thankful to the Lord Jesus for eternally rescuing me at the age of 14. It didn't take me long to soon realize that He is ready, able AND willing to rescue me daily. Minute by minute. A rescue from busyness, guilt, shame, procrastination, selfish ambition, complacency........the list goes on and on.

And on.

Rescue: to set free from confinement, danger or evil.

to deliver. to redeem. to ransom. to reclaim. to save!

Are you like me and need rescued? Maybe you have never made Jesus your Lord and Savior. I promise you it will be the best decision you will ever make. Jesus wants to rescue each of us from the pit and give us a life of freedom in Him.
Or maybe it's that repeated occurring sin that you just can't shake? It could even be a rebellious teenager or a marriage that is on the verge of collapsing. Jesus wants to rescue you from that too.

To redeem you and deliver you. He is no respector of persons and desires for all of us to live a victorious and full life in Him.

I need Jesus to come to my rescue continuously and so thankful that He is a faithful friend...One who never leaves me alone, but leaves me His Word to stand on.

Rescue the perishing; don't hesitate to step in and help.

Proverbs 24:11

He Has Risen Indeed!

Resurrection Sunday-The Twelve Voices of Easter

Our family has enjoyed this presentation from Back to the Bible entitled The Twelve Voices of Easter.

http://www.backtothebible.org/articles-by-woodrow-kroll/the-twelve-voices-of-easter.html

Each one is 5-7 minutes long. As we listen, we google images of each character for of an artist portrayal. I pray you and your family have a wonderful weekend as we celebrate our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Unlikely Friends

Meet Marmalade, our newest addition to an ever growing menagerie of furry friends. My daughter adopted her about 3 weeks ago and the bunny wasted no time in getting to know our family. We soon discovered that our cat, Willow, had become her trusted friend.

They hit it off right from the beginning.

Whenever friends or family come over, they all seem to congregate in our 16 year old daughter Hayley's room. It is so inviting, cool (both in decor and temperature) and a relaxing atmosphere. So, guess where Willow introduced Marmalade to first? You got it!

"Marmalade, I told you this was a cool house and family," said Willow, "these humans really take care of their furry friends. Hey, but keep that under wraps, we don't want the other animals in the neighborhood to hear about this. I'm telling you, this place is too good to be true. When it's cold outside, we get to come inside where it is warm and when it is really hot outside, we are extremely comfortable here in the air-condition. Come, let's you and a take a quick cat-nap before dinner."

Ahhhhhhh, pure bliss and relaxation...not a care in the world.

"You are right," said Marmalade, "I like this place....I think I will burrow under this blanket awhile before dinnertime. Care to join me?"

"I just think I will," Willow sleepily replied with a huge yawn, "right off hand, I can't think of anything pressing I have to do."

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3: 15-17

Trash to Treasure: Distressed Furniture

I love finding other peoples 'trash' and turning it to treasure. Having a daughter who has the same passion and creative flair makes the hunt so much more enjoyable!

We found this neat cabinet and originally painted it a mint green to use in our one and only bathroom in this 1800's house. My daughter handpainted one of my favorite Bible verses on it...Revelation 21:5...He makes ALL things new!

We decided to give it a 'makeover' one Friday afternoon. First we used a sandpaper 'sponge' and went over it once with that. My daugher then took candle wax and rubbed it in all the places that would normally look worn/used first. We then used

semi-gloss Valspar (OOPS) paint and painted

two coats. We just found a color we liked and went with that.

I use to stress, but as my daughter says, " It's just paint mom and if you don't like it, we will just go back to "Oops Paint" and you can paint over it."

Freedom!!

From.the.mouths.of babes.

Why didn't I think of that?

I'm a lover of all things distressed/shabby Chic/cottage/eclectic look, so after letting the 2nd coat of paint dry well, I got my (actually my husbands) easy to use hand sander and begin to sand the edges of the curio....being careful not to sand every single last edge.....we wanted it to look used. worn. not haphazardly painted.

I love the way the original transormed color peeks through where the candle wax was applied. The wax doesn't allow the paint to adhere, thus giving the distress appeal.

The new curio is now unveiled in it's original spot sporting the new, sassy and chic transformation. Simple and easy. Done in less than an hour. However, I did have great help from an extemely talented, creative, persevering sixteen year old inspiring designer as my right-hand 'man.'

Fathers and Sons: Made to be Warriors

Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.

Psalm 24:8

I love the fact that my husband is a man's man. He is fearless, considerate and loves spending time with the family. He is my knight in shining armour. One Sunday afternoon he and some of his friends took all their sons hunting and skeet shooting. Rifles, shells, 'skeet' and snacks were all loaded in the trucks for a father/son bonding time on a beautiful glorious day.

There is just something about a father teaching his sons true life skills. Having fun side by side.Training them up to be men. My sons watching their dad continuously and wanting to be just like him. The Lord made these precious boys to be warriors. Mighty in battle. Brave. Champions. Heroes. Confident, yet adventurous.

"The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name. Exodus 15:3

Undauntingly courageous and bold. Positioned to be men themselves one day. My prayer is these two warriors will fiercely display loyalty to their wives and children. Just like their daddy. Tender in steady compassion looking to the Lord Jesus as the ultimate Father. True to themselves and their purpose.

I pray they will take the road less-traveled. Doing things not because they are easy, but because they are right. Walking fearlessly and steadfast down the ancient paths. Radically committed to Christ and to each other. Just like their daddy.

To make wise choices and for God's intentions for their future to burst forth in fullest measure. Forerunners with the Gospel wherever their paths may take them. Eyes fixed on Jesus.

Made to be Warriors. Just like their daddy.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

Bloom Where You are Planted

My husband and I spent one Saturday morning cleaning out a flower bed that was imploded with weeds...you know the kind....roots 3 feet long proliferated 2 feet wide that you feel a backhoe would be the only suitable way to remove. After 3 or more hours of intense heat and soreness starting to set it, we called it a day. We placed a pile of our 'weeds' and other unwanted materials, that had once called our garden home, into an unwanted heap.

Several months later, we noticed several beautiful crocuses and iris foliage peering out of 'throw aways.' The Lord immediately spoke to me that they were content in where they had been tossed. They still bloomed even if they weren't in the greatest of circumstances. It reminded me of Paul singing hymns and praises while in chains in prison. Contentment.




But godliness with contentment is great gain:
for we brought nothing into the world, for neither can we carry anything out
I Timothy 6:6-7

It is an indescribable happiness with one's situation in life.
Whatever that is. I do pray these crocuses continue to bloom where they were 'planted' that blistering summer day...I need that constant reminder daily. And when that reminder withers away, those determined irises peeking through will probably bloom just in time.

For He is an on-time God.



Once again, the Creator of the universe, has used His creation to teach me a tangible lesson. Thank you, Lord.

So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
1 Corinthians 3:7

Love Never Fails

We have put a challenge out there for our children. To walk in love. Sounds easy, but we have an enemy who desires to divide and conquer families. Trust me, he didn't skip over ours. As a family, we are memorizing the entire chapter of I Corinthians 13...the LOVE chapter! We couldn't have thought of a better month than February to dig into the Word to see what it said about walking in love.

We even spiced it up with a temporal incentive to go with the eternal and everlasting one...a gift card to Best Buy!

Jesus wants to set us free! When we walk in love, the world sees that and more than likely they will ask what is different about you? Walking in love is a testimony and a reflection of the One who has come to live inside and represents the greatest gift of LOVE the world will ever see!

Walking in love, according to Corinthians, is displayed like this:

Love suffers long and is kind

love does not envy

love does not parade itself

is not puffed up

does not behave rudely

does not seek its own

is not provoked

thinks no evil

does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth

bears all things

believes all things

hopes all things

endures all things

Walking in love. Sure, it sounds effortless, uncomplicated, undemanding, unproblematic...even easy. The Good News is....IT CAN BE! Once again, we must die to ourselves daily and allow Jesus to fully rule and reign in our hearts.

I'll let you know which child receives the gift card. I trust our entire family will be better off for once again taking the Lord at His Word.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

January Snow Beauty

January 2009

What a beautiful surprise we woke up to in the Piedmont of North Carolina.

Refreshing. Pure. Exhilirating.

My rosemary bush accessorized fittingly in her snow beauty.

I treasure old things. This vine seems as if it has perished, but come spring it will revive out of it's dormant stage and display it's graceful and stunning bouquet of life.

The enchantment of the picket fence greeted by the lavender is inviting, still and poised.

Our 1800's house appears to stand erect surrounded by a blanket of fresh snow.

The woodpile managed by my husband and teenage boys needs some more 'friends' (logs) from pawpaws winding and zigzagging woodpile. The pattern of snow on each log whispers Creator.

I am curious to know what various and asundry birds and animals has called this idiosyncratic* tree home.

*Another wonderful discovery of the ministry of homeschooling..you learn cool words with your children!

Our sons love the freedom of riding their bikes on the abandoned, tranquil and snow-covered city street.The innocence of the day complemented childhood innocence and child-like faith beautifully.

Our dogs, Peyton and Zealy, patiently wait for their family to come out and trompse in the snow with them. They seem to know 'no school today!" Yes, homeschoolers even take a day of 'school' off to explore the magic and purity of the Lord's gift of snow. (I actually had someone ask me do we take snow days...gimme a break.) LOL

The ending to a beautiful, matchless and untarnished snow day of January 2009.

Pure. Still. Stunning.Glorious. All praise given to the One who displayed His majesty for a moment of much needed change of routine. A welcomed interruption. Thank you Lord.

Psalm 147
Praise to God for His Word and Providence 1 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful. 2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel. 3 He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. 4 He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. 5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. 6 The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground. 7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; Sing praises on the harp to our God, 8 Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains. 9 He gives to the beast its food, And to the young ravens that cry. 11 The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy. 12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! 13 For He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your children within you. 14 He makes peace in your borders, And fills you with the finest wheat. 15 He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly. 16 He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes.