the pleasure principle

First it was the perfect chicken sandwich, then the ingenious “eat mor chikn” cow mascot, now it’s “My pleasure!” to serve you.

Chick-fil-A has caught my attention again.

Let’s see. The food is hot. The tea is perfectly sweet. The tables and floor are clean. Shirley is bringing around the tea pitcher, asking if I want a refill, while dropping complimentary mints on my table. My kids are sweating in the play area. And the kids can exchange their kid’s meal toy for an ice cream treat.

Yep, I think it is their pleasure to serve me.

The purposes for serving in the church are to glorify God and build others up. When I look around TrueNorth Church, I see these purposes being fulfilled. The sermons are relevant. God’s Word is being taught. The music is diverse. The greeters are smiley. The children are learning about Jesus and bringing their parents to church. The parking lot is full. Mission teams are being sent out. Journey Teams are bursting at the seams. Prayer teams are on their knees. I can even smell the cookies being baked while I’m typing. “I wish I could describe it to ya!”

These aren’t jobs…they’re ministries.

Because it's our pleasure to serve Him!

i've got chills...they're multiplying

I wish everyone could experience the view from the stage on Sunday mornings at TrueNorth Church. It is such an amazing sight to see. God is truly being blessed by the praise and worship you are giving Him. Let this feeling carry you through your week.

another one bites the dust

I dropped my cell phone into a full glass of Coke. No struggle, no splash, no drama…it just sunk straight to the bottom. I tried cell phone CPR using three sets of breathing and compressions.

It didn’t make it.

We were also without a home phone for two weeks this summer. One of those weeks we were on vacation and I couldn't check my messages...no ring, nothing. Alan went under the house and found the line that was messing us up and got us back in business.

Those who know me well, know that I love to talk on the phone. A lot. Always have. It's one of my favorite ways to build or maintain relationships…by spending time with people on the telephone (while multitasking of course…remember the ADD I caught from church?) Satan knows that one of God’s purposes for us is to live in community with others. Is he trying to take that away from me?

Or does God want me to be silent for awhile?

lemon "aid" stand

I found a small plastic cup in my kitchen yesterday that had a few dollar bills and some change in it. I asked Allison, my 9.92 year old, if that was the money from her lemonade stand.

Her reply: I told Dad to put it in the offering.

The lemonade stand was started by Allison (left) and her BFF, Elizabeth (right), in order to purchase a Webkinz. They made a little over six dollars, which was not enough to buy the beloved critter. So they opted to split it and put it in the offering at church. We’re not talking 10% here. We’re talking the whole kit ‘n caboodle…100%.

And this is coming from children who DO NOT like to share, trust me. They think “share” was a lady from the 70’s who sang “I Got You Babe” with her husband.

I don’t think God wants 100% of our money…but 100% of our hearts. It looks like my kid is giving her heart to Him. And that makes me one happy mama.

Oh…and this picture was taken at church on Easter morning…matching Easter capris, you gotta love it!

la cucaracha

My parents came over last night and Daddy, whose nose is always in the paper or watching the news, tells me that we are in World War 3…according to Newt Gingrich anyway (because he knows a lot!) I heard words like Suez Canal, Israel, Muslims, Hezbollah, Lebanon…and I heard the word ‘fools’ quite a bit. Then World War 3 happened in my den. Daddy chased ‘la cucaracha’ for me and was exhausted by the time he got him. It was quite entertaining.

I knew stuff was going on in the Middle East, but I didn’t know how mad everybody is and how many countries are involved and that any day our lives could change again forever like they did on Sept. 11, 2001. Condoleeza is supposed to be meeting with somebody about sum’n soon. What we need are people meeting with God and asking him to intervene. Would you join me in making a commitment to pray regularly for these countries? This is bigger than I thought…much bigger than the trivial things like la cucaracha in my den.

This is all Jenny Lou's fault

C'mon get happy...if you think this title is a reference to the Partridge Family, you are right. I have some so-called friends at my church who call me "Mama Partridge" because I am the oldest person in our band, in which I play keyboard. Being the oldest doesn't mean I AM old though or that I look like Shirley Partridge - "surely" I don't! (No offense or anything, Shirley!)

If you go to TrueNorth Church in my hometown of North Augusta - and you don't have ADD - you will eventually get it like I did. I would like my blog to have a "theme" - maybe I will discover it through my writings and ramblings. But until then I will proly blog about these passions:

Jesus Christ - who constantly pursues me and calls me His own.
My husband, Alan - who constantly pursues me and calls me his own.
My three children - who constantly pursue me and call my name all day.
My music - it's everything. When I reflect on past memories, there's always a song playing in the background.
My church - TrueNorth Church (TNC) has turned my life upside down. And that's a good thing...actually, a God thing!

So. A whole lotta lovin' is what I'll be bringing. C'mon...you know what to do.