PASSING THE BATON

When passing the Baton, the Baton in this life
Did I hold it too loose? Did I hold it too tight?
Did I show you just how, To give it to others?
To pass it real smoothly, so that you can discover.

Did I teach you to run with joy in your heart?
To cherish his word..to never depart?
Did you learn how to smile through the deep dark struggles?
Of running the race not for yourself but for others?

The others that watch but don’t understand
Who need to take Jesus as Saviour and friend
They see you stuggle, the hurt and the pain
They see you turn to Jesus, and Worship His Name.

This is the baton I want to pass on.
So that others see Jesus and they will grow strong
They’ll take the baton and give it to others
and pass it along from sister to brother

Passing, still passing as the years go on.
Not ever forgetting the race that Christ ran
So set before you, the wonderful prize
the mark, the high calling of the Lord Jesus Christ

We will stand before Christ some wonderful day,
Saying, Satan was defeated. when you rose from that grave.
Living Victorious so others could see..
I’ve brought my friends and family with me

And now we will bow and fall on our knees,
casting our prize and crowns at your feet
The one that deserves all praise that is due.
Heaven and Earth STOPS,
JUST TO WORSHIP YOU.

This peom has a copywrite

HIS POWER AND GLORY DISPLAYED BY YOUR RISK TAKING

                                     

That is what you are asking me to do? Putting myself out there for everyone to see? Taking a risk just to see if this is truly a work of God or if this was just something I imagined in my mind that the Lord is calling me to do. At this point and time, the what if game began to play through my mind.

Ø  What if I fail? What if I get halfway through and run out of things to write about?

Ø  What if the finances don't come in to support this and we get it completed only to find out that we just wasted our time?

Ø  What if I get my eyes off the Lord and put something in the book that doesn't make sense?

Ø  What if I lead someone astray?

Ø  What if I spend so much time doing this book that I neglect my family's needs?

   About halfway through my little "What if?" the Lord allowed me to read something my husband had in his truck. "Risk taking shows you how to intentionally live in such a way that you take risks of faith, relying on God, to accomplish what He wants alone."

We need to act in dependence on God, despite feelings of discomfort or fear, trusting that He will bridge the gap between what you can do and what only He can do through you. When he bridges that gap with a miraculous occurrence, his power and glory are on display.

Once again the prayer that came to my lips weeks ago returned. "I am willing to put myself on the line to allow you to do the impossible through me."Here am I Lord, use me."

We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised. (I Corinthians 4:10)

 

 

 

MOTHER'S - CHANGING THE SHAPE OF OUR WORLD

Walking down the river bed at the Guadalope mountains last week I noticed that the rocks in the river bed were smooth.  My eye caught site of the rocks on the hillside and I noticed they were jagged and rough.  This brought the question to mind, "Why is there such a drastic difference in rocks that are all in the same area?"

HERE IS WHAT THE LORD SHOWED ME

These rocks have been though many storms.  The hail has pounded both the rocks in the river and the rocks on the hillside.  The same rocks have fallen down the mountain as erosion has taken place.   People have kicked them all around as they hiked through the terrain.   The difference in these rocks is the impact of water.  The rocks that the water ran over year after year after year had a different appearance to the beholder.  This is the difference my grandmother made in my life.  My mother,  was a very Godly woman.  She contributed to my life, as she followed my father in the ministry as a pastor's wife.

• When I was born my mother and grandmother ran Jesus, The Living Water, over my life
•  When I learned to walk and was falling down, they prayed I would walk in his steps. They poured Jesus, The Living Water, over my life
• When I was sick, they ran Jesus, The Living Water, over my life
• When I was angry, they ran Jesus, The Living Water, over my life
• When I rebelled, they ran Jesus, The Living Water, over my life
• When I wanted to sing, they poured songs of Jesus, The Living Water, over my life

Pouring the Living Water over the lives of their children, grandchildren, and great granndchilden did make a difference.  The heritage page in "Digging A Well" will show the difference that has been made.  Here is a brief list of the change they made to the world around them.

2 Sons are pastor’s
1 daughter married to a pastor

4 grandsons are pastor's
1 granddaughter married to a pastor

1 great-grandson is a pastor
1 great-granddaughter surrendering her life to the ministry

There are deacons, deacons wives, nurses, service men, leaders in the community, national guard, vocalist, writers, and the list goes on. 

Sometimes it is hard to have that water rushing over you time and time again. Those trials and tribulations are sometimes the water that takes us from a rough, craggly rock to that beautiful, smooth rock that he wants us to be.

THE LIVING WATER WILL CHANGE YOUR SHAPE

Look What God is doing!

God has begun to send children from everywhere to our church on Wednesday Nights. Our Secretary has felt led, of the Lord, to cook every Wednesday.  Becky serves some of the most wonderful meals.  Several months back we began to have quite a lot of Children and Youth show up for the meals, and then go to classes.  There have been several times lately that we have had about 40 to 45 kids on Wednesday's. Thanks Northside Baptist Church for opening your arms to these kids. 

Because you followed his command, God is going to bless you abundantly.

 

"Suffer the little children to come unto me,"

 

We now see what God was up to.  He has moved in so many different ways lately that it is unbelieveable.  Many of the children and youth that have been attending our Wednesday night service are hispanic. Our church was asked last week to open our doors to the Association and let a Spanish church be started inside our building.  It looks as if we will combine everything except for the worship service on Sunday.  We will continue to have our regular services up front and the spanish mission will use the fellowship hall and have Worship Services.  Sunday School classes will be combined for the youth and children.  We also voted tonight to start a ministry for the youth to come one night a week and worship in Song.  Ryan, Lisa, and I will be praying that God will pull this ministry together and strengthen the Youth of Kermit, TX. 

God seems to be expanding our boundaries in every area.  Pray for us as we are in desperate need of workers for the harvest.  God is moving in the most awesome ways.  It looks like he is leading our church to dig new wells in every area.  May we continue to have a willing heart to follow his leadership.

WHAT A MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE

Kay and I went out to eat lunch together on Friday. I expressed to her that I really needed for her to pray that if the Lord was in this, that he would supply the research information for me.

After the trip to the mountains and how he did such unbelieveable things, Kay reminded me, that was what we asked him to do. He has continued to just bring in more and more material. Sometimes it's overwhelming to see how he is supplying the research material and how he lays something on my heart. I start praying and then I pick up a paper or magazine that has exactly what I have been asking the Lord about.

When I get some more time I will try to write and let you know what the Lord showed me today through something that I picked up at the office.

What An Awesome God!

THE MOUNTAINS

Jonean has been hounding me for about a year to write a book or devotional book. I told her 100 times, NO, NO, NO. She kept on and a couple Sundays ago she said, “So, when are you going to start writing the book?” I whirled around in a smartelic way and said, "when God sends me to the mountains to write, I will." Within four days a trip had been arranged for me to go to the mountains. The Lord heard my words and immediately I found out a trip had been scheduled. Here is the update that I wrote after my trip to the mountains.


Just wanted to give each of you an update on what happened yesterday at the mountains. When we arrived I began my studies and doing some basic layouts. About 30 minutes into the project my laptop died. I told Lisa I was going to walk up the hill and see if the area we parked at had an electrical plug in the ladies bathroom or somewhere I could get charged back up. They didn't so I began to walk around outside looking for an outlet and a ranger walked up and asked if he could be of help to me. I told him I was looking for a place to charge my computer and he laughed and said, “Most people come to the mountains to get away from those kinds of things.” I told him I sent 14 kids and 4 adults up the mountain and I stayed to study. I explained I was doing some research because I was writing on the Wells in the Bible. I then asked, “Would there happen to be any wells around this area?” He said, “there are wells all over this place” and began to talk. I grabbed my Pulse Pen and explained to him that as I was taking notes on what he said, he was also being recorded. He said, not a problem because I happen to know quite a bit about these wells, as I am the biologist for this area. OH MY, He was extremely helpful and gave me his name, phone number and e-mail address. He also connected me with the geologist that works there. We were able to gather so much data and get it recorded that it was amazing. The Lord showed us soooooo many wonderful things we can write about. I also began to walk down the river where water had ran for years and years and looked at the rocks. I walked down the trail and was looking at the difference in the rocks and do you know what the Lord showed me. You can take one of the hardest rocks in this area and put it into the river and over a period of time with the WATER running across that rock smoothly or roughly, that rock WILL change shapes. The jagged areas on the rocks become smooth. If we run the living water over someone’s life over and over and over and keep running that living water over their lives, It Will Be Changed.

Ok now this one is totally cool; some of the wells there had quit producing water. We asked the biologist why and he said that there was an earthquake. EVER HAD ONE OF THOSE EARTHQUAKES IN YOUR LIFE that made you stop the living water from flowing as freely or stopped it completely from flowing? I'd call that your earthquake. These are only a few of the things that the Lord showed me.

I have gotten the opportunity to witness to a Buddhist and to the biologist. I've decided to write some things from time to time on this blog, since I don’t have time to write or call everyone. Hopefully this way I can keep you posted.

The guy that does our Children's sermons was gone this morning, You know what topic I did! I have gotten to do this with adults, teenagers and now small children. It seems to fit one age group just as well as it does another. I just condense it down more for the smaller ages.