My Opportunity to Delight in the Lord

This happens to be one of my favorite shots. It just appeals to me.

Take delight in the LORD, 

and He will give you your heart's desires. Psalm 37:4

I  love it when the Lord blesses with opportunity. My family and I were on yet another road trip looking for something of interest to add to the Christian Legacy Collection. Honestly, we were  kind of wondering aimlessly as we typically do, praying along the way for creativity and revelation of what's pertinent.  Sometimes these journeys are well planned and sometimes we just hit the road. Well, I had one of those days where I just wasn't feelin' it. I Thought we should just wrap it up and head home. My sweet, dear hubby, however, had an inkling to try one more little town and off we went. We found a quaint church that had a different type of appeal. I could see a few shots in my mind's eye pretty quickly. As we drove around, we noticed a man who was picking up trash around the campus of the church. We often like to make connections with people associated with the churches we shoot. As I have mentioned before, there are no extroverts here in the Spell family so this is never easy but often worth it! History can be amazing inspiration! It sometimes moves me to a new direction of focus and you just never know what you will find out.  This gentleman was so welcoming and transparent. This church meant a lot to him personally. He loved the idea of what I was doing and offered for us to come in and take some photos. I walked in and immediately became giddy (inwardly that is... I didn't want to scare him and make him change his mind.) I saw this old, white piano in the corner of the basement with the light cascading from the window directly above it and fell in LOVE.  He told us how the youth group met in there and all the happenings of the church. It was so encouraging to hear how God works when His people are faithful.  I took many, many shots in the next hour. This kind and generous man waited with us the whole time probably wondering why I would be so fascinated with things others barely noticed.  It was a treasure trove of how God's people worship in the church.   We did head home after that little excursion but was so  thankful that God provides opportunity to do this work.

This is a current card at all the Christian Retail stores.

He did not waver in unbelief at God's promise, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God. Romans4:20

As for me and my family, we will worship the LORD

     Sunday, a day full of family traditions such as big Sunday meals, shopping or heading off to the beach. For many, however,  it's a day set aside for fellowship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Cars filled with family members all toting Bibles headed off to the worship service bright and early. It must be a day of glee for the Lord. He sees the sacrifice of every struggling Mommy getting their brood of little ones ready and looking dapper;  Daddy taping a game because he has decided God comes first; Children excited about singing praises and sharing all they learned in Sunday School must be honoring to Him. Just as no human is perfect, no day is perfect. There is always one person who can't find a shoe or forgetting that you were suppose to bring the juice and doughnuts this week. Small failures will riddle all of our days.   We are still human after all and Sunday is just a single day of the week. The sun rises and falls like in all the others  but it's the heart and the intent that matters to the Lord. Was this day set aside? Are we going to church in order to  glorify and praise His name? That's what He desires. Some Sundays may be a struggle up until the point we cross the threshold but it's the getting there that counts. It's our intent that made us wake early and turn the iron on so we may bring God our best. It's our heart that sings praises while the choir sings. May the Lord receive all glory and all of our praises every day, but especially Sunday.

As for me and my family, we will worship the LORD. 

Joshua 24:15 

Worship the LORD your God, and He  will bless your bread and your water. 

Exodus 23:25a

The LORD is my strength and my song;
He has become my salvation.
This is my God, and I will praise Him,
my father's God, and I will exalt Him

Exodus 15:2

Above all, fear the LORD and worship Him faithfully with all your heart, considering the great things He has done for you. 

1 Samuel 12: 24

"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; 

     I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
     I will be with him in trouble,
     I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life will I satisfy him
     and show him my salvation."

Psalm 91:14-16

Pay attention and come to Me;

listen, so that you will live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
the promises assured to David.

Isaiah 55:3

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."  

John 4:23-24

A JOY reminder

Proverbs 15:13 says...
A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; 
    a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day. - The Message
 A happy heart makes the face cheerful,
    but heartache crushes the spirit. - New International Version
A joyful heart makes a face cheerful,
    but a sad heart [produces] a broken spirit  - Holman Christian Standard Bible
A joyful heart makes a cheerful face,
    But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken. - New American Standard Bible 

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

- Proverbs 16:3

 When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.

- Proverbs 16:7

Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful.

-Proverbs 16:20

Through the Eyes of a Child

A child sees the world so differently than we do. Just recently, my son made a remark about the "Top Secret" section of the newspaper. Perplexed by his comment, I began to question him. I finally realized he was talking about the "classifieds". It made me smile and then I filled him in as to what the classifieds really were and were not. It reminded how literal kids are and how easy it is to misinterpret. Many times we, as  parents, have to enlighten our children to educate them.

A father and son enjoying the early morning vista.

Whether we realize it or not, as Christian parents, we interpret God's love and mercy for humanity to our children. Their little eyes and ears take in so much information and when we least expect it at that. They are listening when we talk about how we should feed the hungry and help the sick and then watch us when there is a person in need directly in front of us. They take it all in; our mood, our words, our body language and our tone. Are we serving because we desire to show the  love of Christ or did someone put you on the spot? Maybe it's a homeless family you see at the park or someone who is broken down on the side of the road. What do we typically do? What is our initial reaction? Our kids are paying attention and we are transparent to them. But when we model the same love and mercy that God offers us to others, that has an impact on who they become as people. Just as it changes us to serve others in the name of the Lord, it changes our children to see us put our faith in action.

The First Step is the Hardest

There are no extroverts here at the Spell home. We try to push ourselves outside of our bubble and "stretch" ourselves as they say when it's necessary  but it's never easy. I am fine once I get to know you  but entering a new room of people who all know each other and I don't know a soul... not my idea of a good time. I have been involved with a church home since I was 12 years old. Going to church and to small group (aka Sunday School) is a privilege. We love having a church home. It's a great support system. However, just like anything else, sometimes change is uncomfortable. Last year our small group leader needed a break from teaching at the same time as other transitions  were occurring. Our entire group disbanded. We were all reluctantly in search of a new small group. Now, I realize that for some (the "extroverts") this would be a new adventure but not for me. I was comfortable there. I  knew everyone. I loved my little group. Our present church is a huge church. Many, many, many people attend every Sunday and we only know a small portion of them. However, because of circumstance we had resolved that we would visit multiple groups several times and not just land in the first class we visited (the stretching I was referring to). I realized through this process of visiting between many different classes a few times each that the first step was the hardest. After you were there and people spoke to you it was fun. It was just the walking in part that was difficult.  Gaining new perspective is so important. We had been in our former class for a number of years. Visitors would come and go. We would meet them and try to be warm and friendly, but I had forgotten how difficult it was to break into a new group. I would imagine it would even be more challenging going to church for the very first time as an adult. Even though the door is always open at every Bible believing church, walking through the door to the first available seat, now that is the challenge. It takes courage. It did for me when I was just 12 and joined my first church. God has blessed me through the years. Though we have moved from various churches for various reasons we still have a connection with our "church family"  from years ago and currently. Every Sunday we come together to worship the Living God and unite as a body of believers. We lift each other up in prayer and support each other in times of greatness and times of challenge. The courage pays off. Being able to worship and serve along side other believers is a true blessing.

"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matt. 18:20). 

Love Myself a Good Road Trip!

In our family, road trips will just always be apart of fond memories. Every new road is an adventure. We never know what we will see. On this trip, my husband spotted this row of old trucks. They were rusty and falling apart but deliberately arranged as if they were works of art. These old trucks had a lot of history. The current owner to a family farm realized that every work truck his  family had ever owned had been parked and left some where on the property. He finally decided he was going to gather all the vehicles to the same location. He parked them all out by the main road and took great pride in placing them in chronological order. What a find! We arrived there late afternoon. I could have stayed for hours shooting photos but I realized I had to move quick. The sun was beginning to set behind the pine trees.  I am fascinated  when the sun moves and the lighting changes every few moments revealing a fresh take on a subject. The world goes away and you just get caught up in each moment eagerly looking to see what awaits you. Fun.

Miss Fanny J. Crosby

Do you ever just break out in song? I do.  I start cleaning and all the songs I ever sang in church just start coming out. One of the great hymns that I often sing is Blessed Assurance. When I took this photo, I turned the pages quickly and found a song that  felt familiar to me. It wasn't until I began editing my photos did I realize the impact this song has had on my life. It's such a happy song to me and one that is ingrained in my heart.

Pg 103       Fanny J. Crosby

1. 
   
2. 
   
3. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
   Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
   Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
   Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
   
   
   
   • Refrain:
     This is my story, this is my song,
     Praising my Savior all the day long;
     This is my story, this is my song,
     Praising my Savior all the day long.
4. Perfect submission, perfect delight,
   Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
   Angels, descending, bring from above
   Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
5. Perfect submission, all is at rest,
   I in my Savior am happy and blest,
   Watching and waiting, looking above,
   Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
6. Miss Fanny J. Crosby wrote over 8000 hymns. Amazingly enough, she credited her blindness as to the reason she received a higher level of education and therefore set her on the path of poetry and song writing. When I read about specific Christians in history, I am reminded that we are all here with an individualized plan but all with the same opportunity, to bring glory to the Heavenly Father.   Miss Crosby was quoted as having said that if she could request one thing on the day of her birth it would be to be blind. She must have found that her blindness focused and strengthened her. Whatever the exact reason for her quote, what a testament to "...count it all joy."  She rose above the darkness of her circumstance and pointed people to the light in her life through poetry and song. What a personal challenge. Can I say that I rose above the darkness in my life and pointed others to the light of Jesus? This is a question that we will each have to answer. God never promised that there would be life without turmoil. 
7. James 1: 2-6   Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
8. Miss Crosby lived to be 95 years old and died in 1915. The words she composed in her heart live on for future generations.   When singing a hymn in church, we stand before the Almighty God, giving offerings of praise through song. In those moments, it all just becomes real. We could be in the midst of a thousand people but it's really just us looking to God. We apply the words from the song we are singing and begin to analyze our lives and relationship to the Father and pray. It turns out I have sung many of Miss Crosby's songs. Her thoughts and words will always be a part of my life and more than likely my children's as well. 

Click to read more about Fanny Crosby