Proverbs 31:30 and Praise Songs...

OK...this is random and the first part is totally unrelated to Women's Ministry...BUT I want to update my ipod because I bought a $10 cord that plugs into my car and now I can hear it on my speakers!!!! Ok yes I know I am WAYYYYY behind in technology but so thrilled to have found it and for $10! I expected to pay much more...which is why I have not looked for one before...lol So...I need your help. Give me your top 5 or so Praise and Worship/Christian/Gospel songs please!

Now for the Women's Ministry related tidbit for today...On the back of our WM shirts we sport one of my favorite scriptures...Proverbs 31:30 "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. " Long before it became one of my favorite verses...before I honestly had read a single verse in a Bible I always used the phrase "pretty is as pretty does". I taught it to Peyton when she was barely 2. People thought I was nuts...(some things will never change I suppose...) but I figured she needed to learn early in life that pretty looks and ugly behavior still reflected UGLY because it doesn't matter what's on the outside...it is what is on the inside that matters in life. She got it fairly quickly and when she would act up as a toddler I would say firmly "pretty is..." and she would tuck her head and say "pretty does" and behave (granted this never worked with caleb...lol). Folks in Walmart would think we were from outer spacce but I did not care because I was teaching a life lesson without screaming at her. Of course, back then I did not associate "Pretty is as Pretty does" with living as scriptural persay, but recently I can draw the association to beauty fleeting (outer "Pretty" is temporary) and charm deceptive (inner "pretty" should be doing RIGHT in Christ). And now when I watch the news at 10pm I wonder why other folks could not teach their children the same simple concept...can you imagine the world if no one looked at "Pretty" as a description of an outer appearance but instead as a description of the person's heart? How different would the news be???? I bet shorter because they would have less drama and trauma to report!

Carrying the verse further...once I became obssessed with reading my Bible and books by Elizabeth George...I often pondered...what does it mean to "fear the Lord"? I mean it is placed startegically throughout the Old and New testaments so I figure I'd better "get it" because it must be important to repeat so often. I am not sure what the current view is from theologists, but I decided to me it meant to fear the Lord the way I want my children to fear me. When I tell my kids to do something I expect them to do it because they do not want to face the wrath of Mommy. I don't care if they WANT to do it as long as they DO IT! I tell them all the time that they do not have to like me or my rules they just need to fear me and my consequences and then they can like me when they are 30! There is a large difference between liking someone and loving someone...and for now I only care that they love me enough to respect (and fear if that's what it takes) me. So I think that is how God wants me to behave. I think He wants me to do anything He tells me because I do not want to face the consequences of disobedience. I think that is why there are so many examples of disobedience and the wrath that ensues...Old Testament as well as New Testament. I think as women we are called to be obedient in following God's direction whether we "like it or not". I think God wants us to love Him enough that we don't even hesitate to follow Him. I don't think He necessarily cares if we like the direction He is sending us =) Just "GO and DO" is what He tells me daily!!! Of course He throws an occasional...you're talking "it" to death..."BE STILL AND KNOW"! haha

So tell us...what are your top 5 songs, and what does "fear the Lord" mean to you personally...there are no right or wrong answers. God speaks to everyone differently. I would love to hear your insights as I'm sure they are more grounded than my craziness!

OK...have a Jesus Filled Week and I'll see you back for Scripture Memory Day on April 1st! no fooling!

In Him,

Kristy

It's HERE!!!

Chicken Day is here!

I say it is here because officially when I leave work today (early!) I will eat, sleep, and LIVE chicken...as will ALL of you! I can't wait! I plan to be at church around 4:30 or so to start making posters and getting organized. I will be somewhere in the Adult wing if anyone wants to join me early. I am leaving work at 3:30 to make a Wal Mart run on the way! yeehaw!
See ya soon!

Chicken Days are here again!!!!

Hey y'all!
I hope you are having a Jesus filled week! I am so excited about chicken day coming up...yes I know and told you all thaty I am weird! Honestly, it is one of my favorite days of the year. It is one of the most awesome days to sit back and watch God's children working in harmony. Even when it isn't going smoothly...folks are still working together in Christian Love for each other...I just LOVE it!


If you have no plans on Thursday night or Friday...come sling some chicken! We will set up Thursday night at 6pm and then all day Friday we will need help from anyone and everyone!

Please pray for each other this week....the enemy is on the prowl looking someone to devour (reference 1 Peter 5:8)...let's not give him any new material ladies!!! If you don't have a specific person to pray for...you won't waste a single prayer on ME!!! I have a challenge, well I probably should call it an opportunity =) that God has placed before me that will take me in new territory of service to Him. I have tried the Moses defense of "come on God, send someone else...pppppleaseeeee!!" But the answer came back from above as a...."ummmm NO, now quite whining put your big girl panties on and deal with it young lady". So pray I am completely obedient...with a resounding Yes Sir!!! I thank you in advance for any prayer you can send up for me!

Love ya girls!
Kristy =)

SCM#4

OK...the time slipped away from me this go round and I did not finish learning mine! So I am repeating...

Ps 94:17 (NIV)"Unless the LORD had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death."

Let's hear your verses!

God is speaking...

This is probably way more than any of you care to hear about my world, and I normally try to keep this blog strictly to Women's Ministry related activity...but I am a woman and this is something I think you will all find very interesting. I love hearing a good "God moment" and I am sure you do...if not then stop reading and check back for the SCM on the 15th =)


Ok, so I have been meaning to post this slide from Caswell but I kept avoiding it. It was through this post that my Sat night meltdown occurred. You see...God has been hinting to me that while I say I love him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30 my memory verse #1 for 2010)...that I am still missing out on something. If I truly loved him with all my heart then my heart would break when his breaks. I would think like Jesus and NOT at all like Kristy. You may remember my tangent about the book I read...Primal by Mark Batterson from this SCM post #1.


Well, at Caswell on Sat night Cindy Johnson sang a song that I cannot remember the beat or tune or anything for because once I saw this slide...I FROZE in astonishment. I reached for my camera knowing it would change slides by thetime I had it ready...but it hung up and waited for me to snap this picture: Now...I am no theologist BUT two times within a few weeks the SAME basic quote...something is amiss!


I didn't think much else about it until this past Monday night...a crazy thing happened at the Gardner house. Many of you know that I am an avid reader...a HUGE book nerd if the truth be told. In fact on Monday I had 3 reading projects going on…One Year Chronological Bible, So Long Insecurity, and the Renovation of the Heart. Each night I spend a little time in each book. And clearly three is PLENTY at one time for someone to read! Well Monday night Travis sat in MY chair and picked up the renovation book. Well he does not read as often so felt that I could not take it away from him and tell him to find his own book to read. So I grabbed a book my friend Val loaned to me well over 6 mths ago (The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns - no relation to Daniel and Melissa that I know of but I will ask at church) and I was going to “pretend” to read through it so Travis would put mine down and I could scoop it back up…big mistake…the Hole book is soooooo good that it hooked me right at the beginning. It is such an easy read. The theme is eerily similar to the Renovation book but it is funny and less “serious” or formal if that makes any sense so it goes much quicker.

Anyway, so now I have 4 reading projects. Well…last night (Tues) I was dying to get back to the hole book. So I read my Bible, then my Insecurity and then started the Hole…you will NEVER believe who he is...(yes it is sad that I had no clue what the book was about only that Val said it was good and she thought I would like it and remember it was my DECOY book to make Travis put mine down!!!!)…author Richard Stearns is the current president of World Vision, yes I said World Vision. This means nothing to any of you but let me tell you I had never heard of World Vision until I read Primal. You know the book that made me no longer recognize myself???? The book that made me think like a complete stranger and question everything I had every known about the church as a community of believers. And guess what Stearns quotes in around Ch 3….Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision. And guess what he quotes “Does your heart break for the things that break the heart of God?” The exact same quote in Primal and the exact same reference to Bob Pierce. I almost shut the book! First Primal, then the Caswell slide, now this.

I honestly thought my heart broke for the things that break God’s heart…but now…I am guessing He’s not done with me yet. And by the time I finished “Part 1” of the book I had laughed hysterically and then was crying because our priorities as a people of God are so screwed up. I think the book is going to be dangerous to my comfort zone. But I am so thrilled to hear God speaking.


So that had no Women's Ministry point in it at all...I just was so excited I wanted to share it with anyone who is checking the blog regularly. And hopefully someone will be encouraged by the post. Please share a recent God moment you have had with us! I just feel in my bones that God has something big planned for our community of believers at WMBC. And I am so honored to be a part of it and have a 2nd pew seat =)


Love you all!
Freak Show Kristy

sharing this from Girfriends in God today...

March 8, 2010
Don't Scratch That Itch!
Gwen Smith
Today's Truth "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed" (James 1:13-14 NIV).
Friend To Friend I once woke up with a spider bite that was the size of a quarter. It may as well have been the size of North Carolina for as much as it itched! I was half-tempted to scratch off my arm. That nasty bite was just begging to be scratched. However, I have learned a thing or two in my thirty-something years, and one thing I know for sure: it is best not to scratch this type of itch.
It would be like opening a bag of chips with the naive intention of eating only one (yeah, right!) I knew that if I started scratching my bug bite, it would be nearly impossible to stop. I would regret having ever started.
Super-itchy bug bites are a lot like temptations. Temptations are itchy! The call on us with urgent voices that scream, "Scratch me! Scratch me!" Yet, in all reality, a little scratch will not satisfy temptation's itch at all...it will just make matters worse. When we scratch the itch of temptation, the itch does not diminish. To the contrary, it increases.
The Bible teaches us that when we resist temptation, our faith is then mobilized and the muscles of our character are strengthened. Let's look at what that looked like for a guy named Joseph. (For the full account, pause here and read Genesis 39.)
Joseph was a man of integrity who did right in the eyes of the Lord, but he definitely faced some temptation! He was seduced by temptation in the form of his master's wife, Mrs. Potiphar. You see, Mrs. Potiphar wanted her husband's right-hand man to sleep with her, and she pursued him with aggression. Hers was a hand-delivered invitation for Joseph to sin that had itchy written all over it. But he flat-out refused. His heart was determined to honor God.
"My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" Though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her (Genesis 39:9-10).
Temptation chased Joseph relentlessly. Oh, how he must have longed for the itching to stop! To give in would be sinful. To give in was simply not an option for this young man of character. So on the day that Potiphar's wife caught him by the cloak and begged again for Joseph to sleep with her, Joseph ran out of the house. He ran from that tempting situation as fast as his legs would carry him.
God was honored in Joseph's response.
He ran from temptation.
We would be wise to do the same.
What do you need to run from today? Have you determined in your heart to honor God in everything? Temptation comes in all shapes and sizes. It might be calling your name from your pantry - or from your computer - or from a bottle - or from another cubicle in your office. What temptations do you face today? Name them and run the other way! Don't scratch that itch! Determine in your heart that you will choose the path that brings honor to God, and call on Him for strength.
I realize that dealing with temptation is not easy. When that nasty spider bit my arm, I struggled not to scratch the bite. I had to re-direct my thinking to persevere through the temptation. When we come face to face with temptations, God's strength is always available to us. We need God's strength. Ours will fail us. Friend, when we resist temptation, we get to experience the peace and protection of God, our faith is mobilized and the muscles of our character are strengthened.

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday y'all!
I am so glad this week is drawing to a close. It has been crazy at work and I am just flat tired! But also mainly because I am ready for Sunday! I can't wait to be back at church to worship with my husband! Worshipping at Caswell with the ladies is ALWAYS an awesome experience...but there is something about being with my hubby that makes it even better! We also have the first Eagle Scout Ceremony from our Boy Scout Troop on Sunday! That is so cool...I encourage you to come if you dont have anything going on. It starts at 3pm and I hear it is going to be a rather impressive ceremony!
I finished the John Ortberg book I was telling some of you about. It was very good...he is so funny and sort of sarcastic which makes it easy for me to read...haha. Anyway, in the end there was a quote that I just LOVED...(he is speaking of Jesus's heart)..."when the church understood His heart , it became a community like nothing else the world has ever seen". Oh how I want to get to the place where I truly understand the heart of Jesus. I want the world to see more of Him and less of me in my daily living. I want the demons to tremble when they hear me wake up in the mornings. And I want Jesus to yell like my daddy watching the Panthers score when I step out of the boat and tell someone what Jesus has done in my life. I want to be the Jesus people see in a dark and miserable world. I know many of you want that too! We need to be sure to encourage each other every chance we have the opportunity. Together we can grow into the ladies God wants us to be! Alone we can't. Men don't understand that women need other women to grow with! Men tend to grow in seclusion but women can't. We need each other as much as flowers need sunlight and water!
I truly believe that when we all start living as a community that always seeks Jesus first in all of our daily living...we will be a community like nothing the world has ever seen! Look out world...here we come! Seek Him ladies...seek Him!
Y'all have a wonderful weekend! I love you all!
In Him,
Kristy =)

SMC #3

My scripture comes from the retreat. The babbling, at times incoherent, confusing speaker said a few things (if you could focus and stay with her)...that really pierced my heart. Those of you there can testify to my meltdown! haha I am such the freak show...but I have never been so burdened. There are so many people dead. so many people...and like the movie says "THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW THEY ARE DEAD!!!" (yes don't faint I did sit still at one time in life long enough to watch the Sixth Sense...but then that was before I was given help!)

My scripture this time is Ps 94:17 (NIV)
"Unless the LORD had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death."

Praise Him, ladies, praise Him! I just love you ladies! Thank you for keeping me accountable and in His Word!

Let's hear your name, verses, translation...