Okay, so I guess you've noticed that I've not been blogging quite as much lately. There has been so many things happening in my personal life, our family life, at work, at church, and our children's soccer/cross country. I even had a wonderful visit from my mother and niece Jessica last weekend. We've experienced some wonderful blessings lately, but also gone through some personal struggles as well.
As some of you know I've been fighting extremely intense migraines almost on a daily basis. The good news is that I'll be 'heading' in for a CT scan on my head (get it...heading...ok, I'm goofy) and, if nothing abnormal shows up, Iwill begin preventative meds to help control them. Yippee! I can't wait! Finally, DRUGS! (Just kidding!) Frankly, I've become extremely frustrated and downright depressed at times over these stupid migraines. I'm just not one to slow down and I don't do well when I'm 'disabled.' I'm so accustomed to helping others and ministering to others. I don't like it when I'm not available to do so. It's been so frustrating because it's been a month of enduring these intensely painful migraines.
I don't know why my migraines have been such a problem lately. I don't know why I've not been healed of them. After all, like you, I'm about the Lord's work. So why am I suffering with something that prevents me from doing His work? Why haven't these migraines gone away? There isn't time to deal with these things! But do you know what? Even in my suffering, God has a plan.
My health problems are minimum compared to the trials that others are facing. Sometimes we question why we suffer such hardships and troubles. The Bible tells us that God's ways are higher than ours. He says so in His Word, "For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9) Listen, God loves you and me. HE has a plan for YOU. He has a plan for me. HIS plan is better than any plan that we could ever imagine. Like the loving parent, He wants what is best for us. Our lives are full of many wonderful blessings, surprises, and successes. God does bless us so abundantly and I'm thankful for the blessings He's given. But in our lives we also face struggles, pain, affliction, and hurt. We don't know why these things happen to us. We simply live in a broken world and therefore are subject to suffering. But no matter what, we shouldn't allow the external to affect the internal. We must continue to place our faith and trust in our loving God...in The ONE who knows all about our suffering! He is an ever present help in our times of trouble. He's a wonderful God. We can call out to Him and He will answer.
"The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time." Psalm 34:17-19
In His Love, Cathy
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Prayer Requests
Pray for a student in my class whose family is going through a serious medical crisis with a young family member.
Pray for a friend's husband who is battling cancer.
Pray for a friend who has feels hopeless.
Pray for a friend who has a tumor.
Pray for several friends who are fighting serious chronic migraines.
Pray for a member of my family who is bipolar and fighting depression as well as health problems.
Pray for these and others who have health issues, problems, and have recently lost loved ones.
Pray for the lost to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Thank you for your prayers.
Grace and Peace.
In His Love, Cathy
Pray for a friend's husband who is battling cancer.
Pray for a friend who has feels hopeless.
Pray for a friend who has a tumor.
Pray for several friends who are fighting serious chronic migraines.
Pray for a member of my family who is bipolar and fighting depression as well as health problems.
Pray for these and others who have health issues, problems, and have recently lost loved ones.
Pray for the lost to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Thank you for your prayers.
Grace and Peace.
In His Love, Cathy
What Love Means
What Love means to a 4-8 year old
Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it. Touching words from the mouth of babes. A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?'
The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined See what you think:
'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.'
Rebecca- age 8
'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You ju st know that your name is safe in their mouth.'
Billy - age 4
'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.'
Karl - age 5
'Love is when you go out to ea t and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.'
Chrissy - age 6
'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'
Terri - age 4
'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.'
Danny - age 7
'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss'
Emily - age 8
'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.'
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,'
Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)
'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.'
Noelle - age 7
'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.'
Tommy - age 6
'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'
Cindy - age 8 (this one reminds me of my dad only it was a dance recital)
'My mommy loves me more than anybody You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'
Clare - age 6
'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.'
Elaine-age 5
'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.'
Chris - age 7
'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.'
Mary Ann - age 4
'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'
Lauren - age 4
'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' (what an image)
Karen - age 7
'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.'
Mark - age 6
'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.'
Jessica - age 8
And the final one
The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.
When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,
'Nothing, I just helped him cry'
Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it. Touching words from the mouth of babes. A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?'
The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined See what you think:
'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.'
Rebecca- age 8
'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You ju st know that your name is safe in their mouth.'
Billy - age 4
'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.'
Karl - age 5
'Love is when you go out to ea t and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.'
Chrissy - age 6
'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'
Terri - age 4
'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.'
Danny - age 7
'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss'
Emily - age 8
'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.'
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,'
Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)
'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.'
Noelle - age 7
'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.'
Tommy - age 6
'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'
Cindy - age 8 (this one reminds me of my dad only it was a dance recital)
'My mommy loves me more than anybody You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'
Clare - age 6
'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.'
Elaine-age 5
'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.'
Chris - age 7
'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.'
Mary Ann - age 4
'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'
Lauren - age 4
'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' (what an image)
Karen - age 7
'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.'
Mark - age 6
'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.'
Jessica - age 8
And the final one
The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.
When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,
'Nothing, I just helped him cry'
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Is God Your Last Resort?
"Again, the Israelites did evil in the LORD's sight...They abandoned the LORD and no longer served him at all.... The Israelites were in great distress. Finally, they cried out to the LORD for help, saying, 'We have sinned aginst you because we have abandoned you as our God and have served the images of Baal.'
The LORD replied, 'Did I not rescue you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistiens, the Sidonians, the Amelekites, and the Maonites? When they oppressed you, you cried out to me for help, and I rescued you. Yet you have abandoned me and served other gods. So I will not rescue you anymore. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen! Let them rescue you from your distress." Judges 10:6, 9b-14
Does God have limits as to how much He will put up with? Does he ever get tired of us and our human fickleness? The Israelites repeatedly sinned, turning away from God and worshipping worthless idols. But when faced with certain annihilation, they always came running back to God to rescue them. Sadly, God was their last resort here. In this passage we see that God isn't so quick to rescue them. God recounts all that He'd done for the Israelites. He was reminding them of all the times HE had rescued them, not the false gods they had worshipped. Then He, the good parent, tells them "NO!" Israel had gone one step too far. He sent them packing back to their false gods. Why? Because God knew their hearts. He knew them inside out. Maybe they had not truly repented and were just giving God lip service. Perhaps they were not truly seeking to change. Maybe their hearts were not fully committed to the LORD. Perhaps it was their attitude, speaking to Him like their worthless idols who were deaf, dumb, and worthless. Perhaps God wanted to drive home a hard lesson.
Now, before we condemn the Israelites for behaving in such a way, we must examine ourselves. If we are truly honest, we too are guilty at times of worshipping things other than God. When we place a HIGHER or EQUAL importance on earthly persuits over God, we have crossed the line of idolatry. ANYTHING that we value as much as (or more than) God IS our idol. Our idol could be money, power, status, connections, or success. Our idol could be our reputations, our good name, our job, our family, our hobby, or our identity. Our idol could also be trusting in earthly things more than God, such as Presidents, leaders, systems, or governments. What do you trust more than God? When we place our trust in the things of this world instead of the God WHO CREATED THIS WORLD, then we are committing idolatry.
God reminds us of all the GREAT THINGS He has done for us. The Bible is full of these reminders. His Word is our spiritual heritage, recounting His Greatest rescue ever - His Son on the Cross for our sins. Should we continue to ignore Him? Do we continue trusting in these worthless earthly idols? How bad does it have to be before we turn to Him? But then, what if we cry out to Him in our darkest hour and He says "No! I've had enough. Go back to your idols for help." But what if those idols - money, power, systems, etc.. - are gone, useless? What then?
Well, let's check out the rest of this passage in Judges.
"But the Israelites pleaded with the LORD and said, 'We have sinned. Punish us as you see fit, only rescue us today from our enemies.' Then the Israelites put aside their foreign gods and served the LORD. And he was grieved by their misery." Judges 10:15-16
There is a change in attitude in the Israelites in these verses. No longer were they just giving God lip service. They truly repented and turned to God. God loves us. He promises that if we cry out to Him HE will hear us and HE will respond to our need. But, it requires us to truly repent, to put away all other idols and worship Him alone! The last sentence of this passage just really touches my heart. God was grieved by their misery. Wow! Let's stop and picture this. The God of the Universe grieves for our misery! He loves us - and - He grieves - for us!
No, God should not be our last resort. He should be our first and only resort.
In His Love, Cathy
The LORD replied, 'Did I not rescue you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistiens, the Sidonians, the Amelekites, and the Maonites? When they oppressed you, you cried out to me for help, and I rescued you. Yet you have abandoned me and served other gods. So I will not rescue you anymore. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen! Let them rescue you from your distress." Judges 10:6, 9b-14
Does God have limits as to how much He will put up with? Does he ever get tired of us and our human fickleness? The Israelites repeatedly sinned, turning away from God and worshipping worthless idols. But when faced with certain annihilation, they always came running back to God to rescue them. Sadly, God was their last resort here. In this passage we see that God isn't so quick to rescue them. God recounts all that He'd done for the Israelites. He was reminding them of all the times HE had rescued them, not the false gods they had worshipped. Then He, the good parent, tells them "NO!" Israel had gone one step too far. He sent them packing back to their false gods. Why? Because God knew their hearts. He knew them inside out. Maybe they had not truly repented and were just giving God lip service. Perhaps they were not truly seeking to change. Maybe their hearts were not fully committed to the LORD. Perhaps it was their attitude, speaking to Him like their worthless idols who were deaf, dumb, and worthless. Perhaps God wanted to drive home a hard lesson.
Now, before we condemn the Israelites for behaving in such a way, we must examine ourselves. If we are truly honest, we too are guilty at times of worshipping things other than God. When we place a HIGHER or EQUAL importance on earthly persuits over God, we have crossed the line of idolatry. ANYTHING that we value as much as (or more than) God IS our idol. Our idol could be money, power, status, connections, or success. Our idol could be our reputations, our good name, our job, our family, our hobby, or our identity. Our idol could also be trusting in earthly things more than God, such as Presidents, leaders, systems, or governments. What do you trust more than God? When we place our trust in the things of this world instead of the God WHO CREATED THIS WORLD, then we are committing idolatry.
God reminds us of all the GREAT THINGS He has done for us. The Bible is full of these reminders. His Word is our spiritual heritage, recounting His Greatest rescue ever - His Son on the Cross for our sins. Should we continue to ignore Him? Do we continue trusting in these worthless earthly idols? How bad does it have to be before we turn to Him? But then, what if we cry out to Him in our darkest hour and He says "No! I've had enough. Go back to your idols for help." But what if those idols - money, power, systems, etc.. - are gone, useless? What then?
Well, let's check out the rest of this passage in Judges.
"But the Israelites pleaded with the LORD and said, 'We have sinned. Punish us as you see fit, only rescue us today from our enemies.' Then the Israelites put aside their foreign gods and served the LORD. And he was grieved by their misery." Judges 10:15-16
There is a change in attitude in the Israelites in these verses. No longer were they just giving God lip service. They truly repented and turned to God. God loves us. He promises that if we cry out to Him HE will hear us and HE will respond to our need. But, it requires us to truly repent, to put away all other idols and worship Him alone! The last sentence of this passage just really touches my heart. God was grieved by their misery. Wow! Let's stop and picture this. The God of the Universe grieves for our misery! He loves us - and - He grieves - for us!
No, God should not be our last resort. He should be our first and only resort.
In His Love, Cathy
Monday, October 13, 2008
A Life Well Lived
What is a life well lived?
Is it a life that seeks to succeed in this world?
Is it a life that achieves that ultimate dream? You know dream.
The dream where you have the perfect spouse, the perfect children, living in that house behind the little white picket fence.
Your life is perfect. Your marriage great. Your kids are exceptional.
You are super mom or super dad in this dream.
Your life is perfect.
Is this the life well lived?
What is a life well lived?
Is it a life that has the successful career?
You know, the career where you earn respect and climb the corporate ladder.
The life in which you are one day CEO or chairman of the board.
Is it the life in which you, the entrepenaur, have a successful business.
Or maybe a life well lived involves your politcal success or perhaps your political activism on behalf of some greater cause.
Is this the life well lived?
What is a life well lived?
Is it a life that is filled with fame and riches?
Perhaps a life well lived is lived in front of a camera, audience, or on a big screen.
A life well lived might be played out on TV or in movies. Maybe it requires going gold or platinum. Maybe a life isn't well lived unless it wins the Heissman, the MVP, or Olympic Gold. Perhaps a life well lived includes the constant attention of the paparazzi.
Is this the life well lived?
What is a life well lived?
Is it a life that is dedicated to finding a cure for cancer? What about the life that is dedicated to sending men into space. Does it require a Nobel prize? Certainly these are noteworthy achievements. Perhaps a life well lived is lived in service to one's country or serving others in need. Maybe the life well lived advocates human rights or serves his fellow man in need.
Though all noble causes, are these indicators of a life well lived?
What is a life well lived?
A life well lived isn't any of these things.
These aspirations, achievements, and noble causes, though some good, in and of themselves are not a life well lived.
A life well lived is a life lived for Jesus Christ.
A life well lived recognizes its sin and its total dependence on Christ for salvation.
A life well lived is a life that is completely given over to Jesus Christ.
Utter dependence, utter surrender, utter obedience upon THE ONE who is worthy.
Loving the Lord, loving other, and living for Christ -
this is the life well lived.
In His Love, Cathy
Is it a life that seeks to succeed in this world?
Is it a life that achieves that ultimate dream? You know dream.
The dream where you have the perfect spouse, the perfect children, living in that house behind the little white picket fence.
Your life is perfect. Your marriage great. Your kids are exceptional.
You are super mom or super dad in this dream.
Your life is perfect.
Is this the life well lived?
What is a life well lived?
Is it a life that has the successful career?
You know, the career where you earn respect and climb the corporate ladder.
The life in which you are one day CEO or chairman of the board.
Is it the life in which you, the entrepenaur, have a successful business.
Or maybe a life well lived involves your politcal success or perhaps your political activism on behalf of some greater cause.
Is this the life well lived?
What is a life well lived?
Is it a life that is filled with fame and riches?
Perhaps a life well lived is lived in front of a camera, audience, or on a big screen.
A life well lived might be played out on TV or in movies. Maybe it requires going gold or platinum. Maybe a life isn't well lived unless it wins the Heissman, the MVP, or Olympic Gold. Perhaps a life well lived includes the constant attention of the paparazzi.
Is this the life well lived?
What is a life well lived?
Is it a life that is dedicated to finding a cure for cancer? What about the life that is dedicated to sending men into space. Does it require a Nobel prize? Certainly these are noteworthy achievements. Perhaps a life well lived is lived in service to one's country or serving others in need. Maybe the life well lived advocates human rights or serves his fellow man in need.
Though all noble causes, are these indicators of a life well lived?
What is a life well lived?
A life well lived isn't any of these things.
These aspirations, achievements, and noble causes, though some good, in and of themselves are not a life well lived.
A life well lived is a life lived for Jesus Christ.
A life well lived recognizes its sin and its total dependence on Christ for salvation.
A life well lived is a life that is completely given over to Jesus Christ.
Utter dependence, utter surrender, utter obedience upon THE ONE who is worthy.
Loving the Lord, loving other, and living for Christ -
this is the life well lived.
In His Love, Cathy
This Week in PCC Children's MInistry
WEDNESDAY OCT 15
6:30-7:30 p.m.
His Kidz Bible Study - Room 1 (Kg - 3rd grade)
CHRIST ROCKS! Bible Study - Room 2 (4th-5th Grades)
7:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Children's Outreach & Service Team (Room 1)
Children's Worship Team (Room 2)
SUNDAY, OCT 19
ROCK SOLID CHILDREN's CHURCH offered both services.
PK Class - Room 1 for children 3 years & potty trained through 5 year olds in PK.
KG-4th Grades - Room 2
UPCOMING CHILDREN'S EVENTS
FALL FAMILY FUN NIGHT is Wednesday, OCT 29! JOIN US for a great night of fellowship, fun, & food! We have a lot of great activities planned for you and your family! We're planning to have a hayride, bonfire, pumpkin face painting contest, plus much, much more. Stay tuned for more info in this week's church bulletin and in future emails!
In His Love,
Cathy
6:30-7:30 p.m.
His Kidz Bible Study - Room 1 (Kg - 3rd grade)
CHRIST ROCKS! Bible Study - Room 2 (4th-5th Grades)
7:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Children's Outreach & Service Team (Room 1)
Children's Worship Team (Room 2)
SUNDAY, OCT 19
ROCK SOLID CHILDREN's CHURCH offered both services.
PK Class - Room 1 for children 3 years & potty trained through 5 year olds in PK.
KG-4th Grades - Room 2
UPCOMING CHILDREN'S EVENTS
FALL FAMILY FUN NIGHT is Wednesday, OCT 29! JOIN US for a great night of fellowship, fun, & food! We have a lot of great activities planned for you and your family! We're planning to have a hayride, bonfire, pumpkin face painting contest, plus much, much more. Stay tuned for more info in this week's church bulletin and in future emails!
In His Love,
Cathy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)