Yes, this is the kitchen table. No, I have no idea why.
Some people's children!
1 hour ago
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Stumble it!Tuesday, May 29, 2007
To Protect and To Serve
My brother joined the LA National Guard just months after his high school graduation. He graduated from boot camp and was only home for 2 days when he received the news that he was going to Iraq. His orders were to report to Ft. Hood in Texas where he would begin training with the rest of his unit. He would then go to Ft. Irwin for additional training before he deployed. He would be serving a one year tour in Iraq.
My brother gave His life to the Lord at the tender age of 12. He began faithfully seeking God and attending church with us. Then, at a weekend retreat, he had a very bad experience. He never stopped loving God or seeking Him but he didn’t want to go to church anymore either. We never stopped praying for Him and he never stopped seeing the hand of God in things. One of the most profound events to take place in our lives happened while he was in uniform.
He called me to say “hi” and “I’m OK” but I heard something else in his voice. I knew something was weighing heavily on his mind and I began to question him. “How was your day?” I asked, only to hear him reply with “fine”. I knew he wasn't telling me everything so I asked how he was feeling. Again he said that he was fine. I then tried one more time. “Did anything interesting happen today?”
There was silence. The only noise I heard was the static caused by the bad connection. I urged him to speak with an ever enticing “hmmm?”
“Well,” he said, “I don’t exactly know how to explain it.”
“Just tell me what happened” I pleaded.
“Well, today we were in a gun fight and my battle buddy starting making some bad moves. I motioned for him to change position and get out of the line of fire. The dude didn’t budge. I started yelling at him. I saw him trying to shoot but he had the safety on and nothing was happening. He wouldn't keep his head down, he didn't go for another weapon, and he wouldn't listen to me! They were moving in on us and I knew what was about to happen but he wouldn’t listen. I kept yelling at him but he wouldn’t listen!”
“Awe gosh sweetie, I’m so sorry. What happened to him?” I questioned.
“Well he got killed. I didn’t protect him. It was my job to keep him alive and I didn’t! I was too worried about myself. Now I have to write a letter to his parents explaining why their son is dead. It’s my fault, how am I supposed to explain this to them?”
I could hear the hurt and panic in his voice. I wasn’t really prepared when I heard this so honestly I had no idea what to say. I wanted to comfort him but all I could do is buy time till I thought of something appropriate to say. So I asked him why he thought it was his fault. His reply was like a word from God.
In a distraught tone of voice he answered, “It’s my fault because instead of protecting my brother I was pointing the finger at him. I should have just shot the enemy myself instead of yelling at him to do it. I was in range. I had the authority to do it but I didn’t. I just kept pushing him to do it. He was in a vulnerable situation. He was confused and unsure of himself and I made it worse by what I did. I should have just shot the enemy and talked to him about his mistakes after the fact. But nooooo, I was too busy being Mr. Know It All.”
That is what he said. But you know how God is… here is what I heard:
We should never point fingers at our brothers and sisters when they are in a weak frame of mind. We must lift them up, protect them, intercede for them, and rebuke the enemy on their behalf. When they are stronger, then we can discuss how they could have better handled the situation. We are in this together. We are to be united in the body of Christ. When one falls we must lift him up. I don’t ever want to have to explain to God why one of his children fell away and all I did was continue to point the finger at him. We must choose not to be self righteous.
“Hello?” he said. “Uh, are you still there?”
“I’m sorry. Yes, I’m here.” I replied in an almost confused sort of way.
“What’s wrong? You know it was just a training exercise. He didn’t really die. I mean, I really do have to write a letter to his parents as part of the exercise and that more than anything has me thinking. Only the Sgt. will read it but it just really bothers me because it could have been real. It could have really happened. I don’t want to be that way in an actual war zone. I never want to have to explain that to someone's father, you know?”
“Yes. Yes, I know. I just really got a revelation from God from what you told me. It was quite the eye opener.”
I explained it to him and he too received the revelation immediately. It’s a good thing we did too. He carried this with him to Iraq. His unit prayed before every mission. His team was just that… a team. They stood together. They prayed together. They watched each other’s back. They all came home alive.
Months later I too had this revelation brought back to memory at a time when I needed it most. A friend of mine was in a tough situation. He had fingers pointed at him in all directions. What he was being accused of was something that I wholeheartedly detested but I remembered what God showed me. I prayed for my friend and stood by him when others cast him out of their lives and out of their church. I fought the enemy on his behalf. I loved him and stood by him when his own family wouldn’t. Today God is using him in a mighty way to reach the lost and hurting.
This world is not perfect now and it never will be. People will make mistakes. We are all in this together. We are the body of Christ. We can’t expect others to meet expectations that we can’t meet ourselves. In order to conquer the enemy for the sake of the people we must fight the war with love, selflessness, and integrity.
'I AM' So You Don't Have To Be LESSON 3
Discussion Questions:
1. It was stated in the Lesson that God has made you "once, twice, three times a lady." Where are you in this progression? Obviously we have all been physically born, but are you 'twice a lady'? Have you been born again spiritually? This may be a private matter you'd like to discuss confidentially. If so, email me. If you have already received this gift, write a brief prayer of thanksgiving or testimony.
Yes!! Praise you Father for choosing me and for saving me! You can read my testimony here in my Celebration of Life post.
2. Are you three times a lady? Has God given you a stirring deep within your Spirit to be a 'deliverer'? Do you have a desire or are you already meeting a need in the life of the church, a particular ministry (such as jail ministry, food ministry, etc.) or perhaps individuals who share common issues?
I have not yet been given an “outside” ministry. Let me explain….
I desire and know that God will eventually lead me into a ministry that is beyond what I could ever imagine, however, for now He has called me to begin and lay the foundation for the most important ministry I believe any woman could have….He has called me to minister to and raise up my children for His Glory. My current ministry is inside the home. I am there for them. I spend time with them. I talk to them. I eat with them. I also home school. I teach them about the nature of God, the person of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit. I show them the examples of men in the bible and how they can learn from their experiences. My job is to raise up men of integrity. If I fail at this ministry then no other matters.
3. Do you ever get tired of waiting for that opportunity to do something
worthwhile for God? Do you ever feel God is using someone else instead of you?
I have in the past but now I see just how important my role is inside the home. Besides, I have prayed for God to bring others to me since I seldom get to go out and minister.. And he has! My neighbors just drop by, I meet moms at the park, young women at the grocery store, and lots of other strange places. He can and will use us wherever we are!
4. What do you consider 'worthwhile ministry'? Are you like me and sometimes find yourself mistakenly thinking it has to be Big to be Important?
Part I To me a worthwhile ministry is any ministry with a pure heart set out to make a difference for God. Part II Quite often I have. Then I think about the bigger picture and I also remember that God always says that the first will be last and the last shall be first.
Part I To me a worthwhile ministry is any ministry with a pure heart set out to make a difference for God. Part II Quite often I have. Then I think about the bigger picture and I also remember that God always says that the first will be last and the last shall be first.
5. Have you ever taken a spiritual gifts test? If yes, what are yours? If no, here's a good one from Ephesians 4 Ministry. Will you take it and come back with a response? Knowing some of you like I already do, I can almost pick out what your gift is before you say it. I can't wait to see if I'm right!
Your dominant gifts are Exhortation, Teaching, Administration
The results of your Spiritual Gifts Inventory indicate that your number one dominant gift is EXHORTATION! The Greek word "parakaleo" means to admonish, to encourage, to beseech. You are a "how to" person. You have the Spirit-given capacity and desire to serve God by motivating others to action by urging them to pursue a course of conduct. In a teaching position, you are able to explain how to apply God's Word. Your goal is to present material that enables the Holy Spirit to promote change in the student's life. You reach out and help Christians become more mature.
As an exhorter you are a very practical person, a good counselor, tolerant of others, serious-minded, orderly, and usually impulsive. You are expressive in a group setting; the group listens when you speak. You are comfortable working one-on-one or in groups. You are enthusiastic and talkative and enjoy encouraging others.
You are burdened to show how Scripture relates to conduct and have a desire to unify people by using practical rather than doctrinal issues. You likely place great importance on God's will and believe that His Word has the answer for every problem. You tend to make decisions logically rather than on feelings and are very orderly.
There was more but I cut it short for the blog… this was a great exercise!!
Monday, May 28, 2007
A Tribute to Our Nations Heroes
Happy Memorial Day....
To all those who have given their lives for the sake of our country.
To all those who have fought to keep the man next to him safe.
To all those who have put their lives at risk.
To all those who have served and continue to serve.
To all of the families who gave unconditional support.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
May is National Military Appreciation Month so let's show our appreciation!!
I come from a military family. My grandpa would say that it is "in my blood". I never joined but just like my grandma says... "Coming from a military family, you don't have to join to know that you served your country." She is right. I have been through too many deployments with my family. But God is faithful. Injured, hurt, distraught, He still carried them home, each and every one, alive and in good spirits. Of course, those closest to me are my grandpa who helped to raise me, and my brother.
I recently submitted the following articles to be printed in a book to honor our local heroes. I thought it would be great to share them with you all and then encourage everyone to write their own. It can be active, retired, deceased, discharged, etc. Post it on your blog and then link back to it on here....We just want to honor the men and women who make the sacrifices for our country...
William C. “Bill” Grant
Master Gunnery Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps
Husband of Theresa Joyce LeMay and father to William Curt Grant, he was born on July 3, 1932. He was a graduate of Plaquemine High. He enlisted into the military on September 5, 1951 and was trained in Paris Island, SC. An expert pistol and rifleman, he served in Japan, Hawaii, the Mediterranean, took one tour of Korea, and two tours of Vietnam. He spent more than 3 full years at war and was wounded several times in combat. He received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, Navy Presidential Unit Citation, and the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal as well as many others. He served 10 years in the Fleet Marine Force. He retired after more than 20 years of service. Some of his memorabilia from the wars can be seen on display at the Iberville Parish Museum in Plaquemine. He is also the grandfather to Amy Grant and Andrea Orcino, and Veteran Spc. Ryan M. Grant of the LA National Guard. He was also a proud great-grandfather. His grandchildren are: Gevan, Jacob, and Brennan Conway and Grant (his namesake) and Gabriela Orcino. He passed away on September 10, 2002 as the result of cancer.
Ryan M. Grant
Specialist, LA Army National Guard
Son of Mr. and Mrs. William “Curt” Grant and grandson to MGySgt. William C. “Bill” and Theresa Grant, he was born on May 9, 1984. A graduate of Brusly High School, he enlisted into the military after he graduated. After going through basic at Fort Leonardwood in Missouri, he went straight to Texas to train with the rest of his unit. They were deployed to Iraq where he served a one year tour with the LA National Guard 1088th Battalion. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for exemplary service as a combat engineer during Operation Iraqi Freedom III. He also received other medals for his service. He quickly became known as the “soldier on TV” because he was one of three soldiers chosen for a WAFB Channel 9 news commercial during his deployment. He is currently working on a degree in Kinesiology but his first duty is still to the US Army National Guard.
I am very proud of my grandpa and my brother but I want to say a very special THANK YOU to all of our military and their families. I am so proud of each and every one of you!
Please check out these amazing groups who give so much of their time, honor, and respect to our military: Patriot Riders, Baghdad Prayer Patrol, Operation Bedding, and Operation Care Package.
Friday, May 25, 2007
We FINALLY Meet....
Myself and Ginger Connelly from Support 4 Homeschool finally met.....
We attend the same church, the same homeschool group, and yet, never actually met before today at our end-of-the-year Homeschool Luau. The kids had fun and of course, we had a blast chatting with each other.
Here's to another year!
Ginger Connelly and Amy Grant (me) pose for the camera. Thanks Sonja!!
Brennan having a great time....
Jacob and Gevan giggling about how cold the water is....
This is the boys before swimming!
Eight Random Things About Me
I've was tagged by On The Horizon to do a post consisting of "Eight Things About Me".... So, here are eight random, unknown until now, things about me!
1. I put ice in my coffee.
2. I like to play but I have to win.
3. I want to travel around the world.
4. Show me a spider and I'll show you a girl who can hyperventilate in seconds.
5. I love music and I like it LOUD.
6. I cannot stand for my hands or feet to be dirty.
7. I'm a very picky eater.
8. I totally agree with On The Horizon about this: "I don't really think God/the Divine Creator cares what title or label we use, so long as we communicate! And on that subject . . . every waking thought is a prayer, an ongoing dialogue. The Divine knows all of our thoughts, prayers, fears, secrets . . . nothing is hidden from the Spirit."
I couldn't have said it better myself girl!!
I will be tagging some fellow bloggers to do this at later date... I want to give it some thought first... until then.. does anyone volunteer? Here are the rules:
Each player posts eight random facts/habits about him/herself and then tags eight other bloggers to participate. In turn, the folks who are tagged write a post listing their own eight facts/habits, along with these rules, and then tag eight more people . . . and so on.Each blogger must list the eight people they are tagging, and visit their sites, leaving a comment notifying them that they have been tagged and inviting them to read your entry