Saturday, March 1, 2008

DT Greenville

Last night we went street preaching with Kerrigan, John, Jesse, Gary, and Ross. The weather was chilly with a little bit of rain toward the end of the night, but this did not stop the college students from lining outside of the various clubs. This was the first time that Tony wore his sandwich board downtown Greenville; it is just amazing how many people read it to themselves and even out loud (usually in a mocking manner, but it still amazes me). Then there are those that just stare at the words on the sandwich board... which usually prompts the question "So what do you think about that statement?" It is a great conversation starter.

I (Shayna) offered two guys a gospel tract. They said they had already rec'd several that night. There names were Patton and Jesse (not James... Patton kept calling him James during the conversation. It was funny!). They had just met that night and during our conversation discovered that they are both from Richmond, VA AND that they graduated from the same high school, just different years. Jesse graduated in 2003 - just like me. He said he couldn't imagine already being married; he was raised catholic; knew some scripture; and was very talkative! He kept interrupting (in a polite kind of way). A couple of his friends came over and distracted him and they ended up going to one of the bars across the street. Patton stayed to talk with me. He was very interested and asked several questions, one being "so what does one have to do to be born again?" He was glad that I wasn't "forceful"... he had went to a couple Young Life camps and they were very focused on getting a decision and were not able to answer his questions. He was so grateful for the conversation and accepted the little book titled "How to Live Forever, Without Being Religious".

Ryan was a guy that had stared at the sandwich board and was kind of pacing back and forth. He was also raised catholic. It was as if he was trying to ease his conscience during our conversation. "But I am a good person and I think God will understand that I am just having a good time." We had a lengthy talk and he took a gospel of John and put it in his pocket. He had a lot to think about...

The cops tried really hard to put a stop to us, but because of our first amendment right, we have the freedom to be there. They had told us that if we were going to stay on the sidewalk, we had to "keep moving". So we decided to stand in one of the alley ways, which is also public property.

Tracy was one of the girls standing in line to get into the club. She came over to me and with tears in her eyes, expressed how grateful she was for us to be there. "Keep doing what your doing. Don't take anything these people say personally. I'm a Christian too. I'm just here to protect my friends. I'm the responsible one." She knew that she shouldn't be entangling herself with the world and her conscience was heavy.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Our Daily Bread

"Christ does not teach you to pray, 'Lord, give me enough to serve me for two or three years', but, 'This day our daily bread'. This is to teach us that we must live upon God in a dependent condition every day for daily bread."

Quote from Jeremiah Burroughs book "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment" (page 200)

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

*Family Hug*

Something to remember...

There seems to be a certain time of the day, usually mid afternoon, that this quality seems to be running out for everyone in the household. Kids are getting tired, I'm already beginning to count down the hours for Robert to come home... the kids' early morning wake up call is allowing exhaustion to set in... the chores are not completed... oh yeah, and then what about starting dinner?It's at this point in the day that I know I need to pull out another little secret. It works everytime. It makes all of us feel better... it's a no hassle way to short circuit the tension. It's the "family hug."I simply yell out, "Family hug time!" in the middle of the commotion, and we gather in a tightly knit circle and hug each other for an entire minute or two until everyone is smiling.When Morgan began crying from a stubbed toe, Caedman was wailing because Christian accidently landed on him on the trampoline, Scott and Shelton had begun to bicker over who really won monopoly, the phone was ringing and I had just discovered the dishwasher was leaking all over the kitchen floor...I called for a family hug. It was so needed by all of us that we ended in a heap on the floor, somehow mommy on the bottom, my hair in the dishwasher puddle.I was too tired to get up. I lay there, overwhelmed with God's goodness to me with these children and I closed my eyes, loving the moment. I could hear Caedman splashing his hand in the new found puddle on the floor, feel Shelton's head close to mine, Morgan's head on my heart, Scott's hand in mine.

---Resolved 2 Worship

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Whatever My God Ordains is Right

Original words by Samuel Rodigast, 1676
Translated by Catherine Winkworth, 1863
Music and alternate words by Mark Altrogge
As recorded on In a Little While

Lyrics

Whatever my God ordains is right
In His love I am abiding
I will be still in all He does
And follow where He is guiding
He is my God, though dark my road
He holds me that I shall not fall
And so to Him I leave it all

Whatever my God ordains is right
He never will deceive me
He leads me by the proper path
I know He will not leave me
I take content, what He has sent
His hand can turn my griefs away
And patiently I wait His day

Whatever my God ordains is right
Here shall my stand be taken
Though sorrow, or need, or death be mine
Yet I am not forsaken
My Father’s care circles me there
He holds me that I shall not fall
And so to Him I leave it all

Whatever my God ordains is right
Though now this cup in drinking
Bitter it seems to my faint heart
I take it all unshrinking
My God is true, each morn anew
Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart
And pain and sorrow shall depart

© 2007 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI)

***********************
And just a thought to go along with that; God does not ordain anybody to go to hell. That is what everybody deserves. Yet God chose to save some. That is MERCY. That is GRACE.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Great, Great Afflictions

This morning, we read this at the breakfast table; an excuse of a discontent heart:

'Oh, but it is very great, my affliction is exceeding great,' says someone, 'and however you say we must be contented, you may say so who do not feel such great afflictions, but if you felt my affliction, which I feel, you would think it hard to bear and be content'. To that I answer:
  1. Let it be as great an affliction as it will, it is not as a great as your sin. He has punished you less than your sins.
  2. It might have been a great deal more, you might have been in Hell. And it is, if I remember, Bernard's saying: he said, 'It is an easier matter to be oppressed than to perish.' You might have been in Hell, and therefore the greatness of the thing should not make you murmur, even grant it to be great.

Quote from Jeremiah Burroughs book "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment" (page 192)

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