Blessed!

My children have been raised the same way that I was raised, in a Christian home. All of their lives we have gone to church for all the services and we've tried to teach them the biblical way of living. We made sure they were always able to attend the youth activities and trips, and we encouraged them to participate. Our first child took it all in and didn't miss anything if he could help it. Our second child got to a point in high school where she didn't want to participate and didn't even want to go on the trips. While she was always expected to be in the Sunday services, we didn't force her to do every single youth activity. It made me sad for her because I know that she missed out on so many things that would have left her with some wonderful memories for the rest of her life.

A year ago, Leah moved away to go to college. I wanted so much for her to get involved in one of the Christian organizations at the university, and I guess I made my wishes known to her too often. She got pretty tired of me trying to "force" her to get involved. I didn't feel like I was trying to force her, but that is how she took it. So, this school year, I have decided to stop mentioning it all the time and allow God to speak in his own way. I am still hoping for her to get involved in a Christian organization, but I am just going to have to step out of the way and let God step in.

Last night I checked my MySpace page and I saw one of the bulletins that was sent out from Leah to all her friends and even though I knew it was one of those silly surveys that young people seem to love, I decided to read it anyway. I was pleasantly surprised at one of her answers on the survey. The question was something like... if you could use one word to describe your life, what word would it be. Her answer was "blessed!" I was so amazed that this daughter of mine considered herself "blessed." And then this morning I found a personal message from her on my MySpace page. Her message said the nicest things and told me that we (her parents) mean so much to her and we make her want to be a better person and to glorify God. I was blown away by this message that she sent for no special reason except that she was thinking about us and wanted to let us know what we mean to her.

At times I have worried that I didn't do everything right in my parenting and that things didn't get through to my kids the way I hoped. But when you get little notes like this one from your children, you realize that maybe you did okay. You just do your best with the right heart attitude and lots of prayer, and God can take it and do great and wonderful things. I have been greatly blessed!

Who am I

I have a full time job just like many other American women. I've chosen not to blog about what I do 8-5 Monday through Friday, but I would like to write about my other job. On Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights (for choir practice) I am a church pianist. I guess if I have anything in life that I am passionate about other than my faith and my family, this would be it. I am not a concert pianist nor am I one who plays all over the piano with all kinds of fancy extras. I would love to be able to do that, but like the rest of my life, I keep everything pretty simple. I have one goal when it comes to my music -- my only goal is that the Lord will be glorified through the music. That's really my main goal in every aspect of my life, is that Jesus Christ will be glorified.
The church where I play the piano is not the church where I'm a member, and it is even of another denomination. That's okay with me, because the differences in the two denominations are not enough to matter. Each Sunday morning when I finish playing, then I leave that church and I drive to my church for the remainder of the service there. My family has continued going to our home church. If anyone asked me "why" I do this, I think my answer would be "because I have to." I don't have to because someone is making me, I don't have to because of the money, and I don't have to because I'm afraid I'll lose my ability to play if I don't do it. I have to do it because it is my passion and when you have a passion, there is something deep inside you that makes it such a part of you that you feel like you can't live without doing this particular thing. That's the only way I know how to explain it. And another part of my passion for music is composing. Sometimes I just feel like I have to write some music. It doesn't even matter to me if anyone else ever plays my piano music or sings the songs I've written. I just have to do it because it's inside me. I will end this with a quote from a book I read a while back....

"...the saddest people I've ever met in life are the ones who don't care deeply about anything at all. Passion and satisfaction go hand in hand, and without them, any happiness is only temporary, because there's nothing to make it last." from the novel Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

So, this is who I am -- who are you? What is your passion in life?

The Interview

I have learned how to put videos on my blog so here is another one. This video is long, around 8 minutes, but if you have a few minutes to spare, I would love for you to watch it. It is very funny to me, but that might be because I know most of the guys in it and I know their personalities. And maybe another reason I like to watch it is because I get to see my own son and hear him talk. I miss him so much and watching this video makes me laugh and feel like he's right here. They are just being silly in the video and it's not the best quality. And in case you wonder, I don't know why he wants to have dreadlocks down to his waist, and tattoos, and those big holes in his ears. But for whatever reason, he's my son, I love him and God loves him, and I'd like to share him with you.

video

This is a video I took of my son playing the drums the last time his band played a show here. It is very short, but you can see enough to get the idea of what a good drummer he is! My main reason for doing this was just to see if it would work and if I could get the video from my computer, to You Tube and then to my blog. Enjoy!

Favorite Proverbs

I read the book of Proverbs a lot and I have some favorites I'd like to share today. Anyway, the Word of God is far superior to anything that I write and it can speak in ways that I can't. Read and enjoy these proverbs from chapters 15 and 16 (NIV)....

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.

I really get comfort from those proverbs when I have a big decision to make and I'm not sure what to do. I know that I have the freedom to make my choices, but God will guide me about what is the right choice to make. And here are a few more proverbs that I like...

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.

A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

....and here are some pleasant words for today -- It's Friday!

Remembering Elvis

If you haven't already heard on the news, today is the 30th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley. I remember how shocking it was to find out that one of the most famous entertainers of that time had died. I was 18 years old at the time and had been an Elvis fan for as long as I could remember. My older sister and I had a lot of his records and we could sing every song on them, and we had posters on our bedroom walls, and we loved watching all those Elvis movies when they came on TV. Back then, it was very important to know when the movie was coming on TV because there was no such thing as a VCR or DVR to record it and watch it later. And I remember that one time my mother found out that he was coming to our city to do a concert and she went out and splurged bigtime on those $10 tickets! I mean, we thought ten dollars for a ticket was so expensive, but so worth it to see The King. That was so sweet of my mom because she wasn't a fan but she knew how much it meant to us and she took us to the concert.

Yes, I was an Elvis fan, but not a big enough fan to go to Memphis today with all those thousands of people. When I watch those old Elvis movies today, they seem so silly to me. And now I understand things about his life that I didn't understand as a child. But I'll always have fond memories of him and the fact that I got to see him in person.

Broken Records

I've always been fascinated by weather and sometimes wonder if I maybe even missed my calling in life and should have been a meteorologist. I don't like hurricanes or the damage and destruction they cause, but they do capture my attention when they are in the news, especially when they are in the Gulf of Mexico. But the weather event that has my attention right now is the extreme heat that's happening in my state. The high temperatures have been breaking records during the past week, and yesterday two records were broken. Yesterday our temp was 104, breaking the record of 103, but it also broke the record of the most consecutive days of temps in the three-digit range. It has absolutely been unbearable to be outside on these days.

But yesterday I noticed that I have become desensitized to these extremely high temperatures -- not in the way it feels outside, but in the way I think about it. Anytime in the past when I heard that our temps were going up to 100, I thought it was unbelievable. I remember just last week when they said the high for the day was going to be 103, I was in shock, but when they forcast a high of 106 I absolutely did not believe it was even possible. So yesterday I looked down at the little "weatherbug" on the computer to see how hot it was outside right then and when I saw 101, I was like hmmm, big deal. A fact that had amazed me just a week ago, now didn't mean much to me. And to think that I'm looking forward to Saturday when things might cool down to 99, well, something is wrong here.

I think this desensitization toward the weather is a lot like what has happened in our culture. Years ago, things that were considered unacceptable and wrong are now accepted as normal and even as good in some cases. Over the years, little by little, we have seen things on TV, movies, and the news that have desensitized us to what is right and what is wrong. So, why have things changed from the way they were in the past? Did God change his mind about what he wrote in the Bible concerning right and wrong? The way I see it, God is still the same as he was at the beginning of time, and his Word has not changed. We are the ones who have changed. I believe the Bible and that is where I have to go learn the truth about what is right and what is not.

If you read this and you are not of the same faith or beliefs as me, that is okay. I am not trying to change anyone -- I can't change people. But I do believe the Word of God. I would like to challenge you to read it if you haven't and let me know what you think.

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12