Friday, October 31, 2014

It's Time to Face The Monsters




What you think you lack…

What you think you don’t have…

Who you think you aren’t…

These are the monsters that keep you from living the life you were meant for.

Am I right?

They tie your hands behind your back and make your feet feel like they have been planted in cement. You don’t move forward -  too afraid of the what-ifs. You can’t go back. So you live somewhere in the middle of what you want and where you are.

There’s a reason they call fear a form of bondage. Because it is.

What if, though? What if you swallowed down that lump in your throat?

What if, you said a brave yes and took a leap of faith forward. Trusting that there would be someone there to catch you if you fall.

What if, everything you had made up in your head – all that could, would, should happen, didn’t? What if, you were wrong?
“If you’re not afraid, you’re dream isn’t big enough. Your dreams should scare you."  Want to know why? Because they need to be "ridiculously crazy so that the only way they will ever succeed is if God intervenes." (Mark Batterson)

Today, I am guest posting over at God-sized Dreams, won't you join me?

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

How Small Has Nothing To Do With Big-The Biggest Small Church In TX


I had the opportunity of working at Button Memorial, the smallest big church I've ever been in, for only nine short months before we moved. But it's an experience that I'll always look back on with a smile.Last year while working in the church office I witnessed first hand the power of small and how very BIG it can be.

This sweet little church has no more than 70 members (on a good Sunday), but they have hearts that do the work of many.

the workers are few but the harvest is plenty.

They lived out the phrase  "Jesus with skin on" in ways that made me proud to show up each morning and witness to their acts of love and kindness. They reminded me of what church is supposed to be.

They aren't perfect people and it doesn't matter. I like them more because they weren't perfect, just fully human beings working out their faith in day to day acts.

The members of Button fed those that came through their doors through the food bank, which ran solely on donations (mainly) provided by the congregants. During the summer they offered a free lunch program for low-income families. They wanted to make sure there weren't any hungry kids in the community with school being on break. 

The widow loved the Lord and gave all she could. It wasn't in her abundance but in her poverty she gave all she had, and how it pleased the Lord.(Luke 21:1-4)

(Did you know thousands of children each summer go hungry day to day once school lets out for the summer? School is where they get their breakfast and lunch. They may or may not get dinner at night, so the two meals they eat at school are all they get.)

Some days I felt like the church bouncer (which is a funny picture, because I'm 'bout the last person that would ever be a door bouncer)because we would get quite a few walk-ins from the street asking for help. If there was money to be given it was, if not we directed them to another church that could help.

Most of the congregants are older, it's a dying church, quite literally.

But it doesn't stop them from acting when a call comes in of a person in need, member or not. They will do all they can to fill the need of whomever walks through their doors, no judgement, questions asked, only, "What can we do for you?"

And isn't that the way church is meant to be? A welcoming sanctuary for all?


We don't have to have huge bank accounts or large amounts of time. We only need love like Jesus did. Pray for God to grow that love for Him and others.

Button isn't  made up of rich, high-society folks. No, they were a group of individuals that worked as one body. Like, I believe, the church was meant to.

I want to love like the people of Button. Because they know how to love BIG.

God provided this job as a way to show me my prayers need to be specific. I've spent my entire prayer life praying very general prayers. But this time I got detailed. I asked for a part time job that I could work while the kids were at school, maybe even only 4 days a week, no weekends. A job that understood I had a family and if the kids were sick or had something going on at school, I needed to be there. And a job that wasn't so stressful it spilled over to my family.

God provided just that. The job at Button is what I prayed for. I know I wasn't the most qualified applicant, and Lord knows Pastor Mel had his hands full of applicants to choose from, but he chose me.

Oh, God, how you love.


Friday, October 3, 2014

Let's Take A Walk...

I grew up being a fan. In the south you have to pick sides, Auburn or Alabama? You will be asked this question before they ask you the next question, "What church do you go to?"

After graduating high school I was -eventually-able to attend the BIG campus and not just the smaller one in Montgomery (AUM-Auburn University of Montgomery) (after I pulled up my grades :))

The campus is like no other, absolutely beautiful. Old big architectural buildings dating back over 100 years. Huge oak trees and perfectly landscaped courtyards are what you will find in a stroll through campus.

A couple of weekends ago Trey and I had the chance to get up early and walk through campus one Saturday morning sans kids.

We were surprised to see how many people were up and jogging and walking. In a college town you wouldn't expect to see so many faces early on a Sat morning.

 The only disappointment of the morning was that it was cloudy. I was hoping for some sun for my pictures, but they didn't turn out so bad.

Are you ready? Lets take a walk through campus!

     Samford Hall-sits right off College Street. It's the backdrop for most pictures taken on campus. You can see why.

The Football Stadium

The Haley Center-not only where I took a couple of classes, but grabbed quick lunches or snacks and usually found a quiet spot to study before a test.

Toomer's Drugs-Home of the famous lemonade. It's good! This is also the corner that gets rolled when we win football games. This little corner is a mad house!

I hoped you enjoyed our walk. As you can see we are LOVING our new home!


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