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I am trying something different these next few weeks. I created a special page with the start of a new story and all you have to do to get in is ask for the password. I know many people read my blogs, but I am not sure how many read my home page write ups. I posted something about the new page on there also. To get the password, all you have to do is contact me on my contact form and ask, "May I have the password please? I want to read your story." I will email you the password and then you will be able to get on the page.
The story is one of the originals I used to tell the neighborhood kids when I was a teen. I would love to hear your comments and see how the children like it. Thank you! Oh, and don't forget to check out my cyber sale going on right now! The book prices in my store are lowered for just a few days! They make great gifts!
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I can still remember the fear that gripped me as I lay in bed listening to the silence of the house, wondering if my family was still there. Something had caused me to wake up, and my mind was full of uncertain thoughts as everyone else slept on; well, at least that is where I hoped they were. I strained my ears, listening for any sort of indication that they were still with me. Could the rapture have come and taken them away? It was all I could think about. Maybe the Lord had returned and for some reason I had not gone, and now I was going to have to fend for myself. Terror filled my little soul and I quickly climbed out of bed. I stood on the cold floor in my nightgown, with my hand on the door. I battled the thought of going into my parent's room and seeing if they were in their bed. I was afraid of what I might not find. And then, if they were there, I was afraid they would get mad that I woke them up for the silly reason of making sure they had not disappeared on me.
"Oh, Lord, please let them make a noise!" I prayed. Anything that would reassure me that everything was all right. And then it happened. The loud snorting snore that my parents made was suddenly the best thing that I had ever heard! Maybe it was the thing that woke me up in the first place, but it did not matter now. A peace settled over me and all my fears flew out the window. All was right in the world. Jesus had not returned and I still had my parents around to take care of me. There were other times when similar incidents happened that caused me to think I was left behind, (like when my mom hid in a closet when I was calling her and I panicked because I could not find her) and I was always so relieved and thankful that I had a second chance. It is sometimes hard to image just how a child thinks and reasons through things, but their fears and worries are just as real as the next person's. Children have such a simple way of understanding things, and sometimes they only get half of the story. A conversation with my girls the other night sparked the memory of what I explained above. Though they did not think they were left behind, they were afraid they might not go in the rapture and someday find themselves alone in the house. After asking them a few questions, I found they wanted to get reassurance of their salvation. It was a special moment for us, and afterwards they felt at peace once again. I went to bed thankful for the Lord's leading and thankful that my children get to grow up in a Christian home. This blog is really meant to be about being thankful this Thanksgiving season. So many years past I have seen people posting on their pages something new they are thankful for every day, but not so much this year. We get caught up in the busyness of life and we get stuck in a rut that is hard to pull ourselves out of at times. I never want to stop being thankful for all God has done in my life, for what He has given me, and for the blessings that He daily bestows upon me. So, for the rest of this blog, I want to share some of the things He has done for me and express my thanks to a God Who is Everything to me: I am thankful for my Christian parents, being raised in a Christian home, and being saved at a young age. I am thankful that I get to spend another Thanksgiving with my dad, who came close to death's door a little over a year ago and we had no idea if he would make it to the next day. I am thankful for my husband who works so hard to provide for us, and always helps out around the house even when he is tired; and yes, I am even thankful for the jokes he makes over and over trying to make me laugh when I am down and grumpy. I am thankful for the talents God has given me in flute playing, writing, song writing, and teaching. May I use them for His glory and honor. I am thankful for the five blessings He has given Joe and me; each one adds a special touch to our family that would be lacking if they were not here. May He give us wisdom as we raise them for Him. I am thankful for my friends, though many of them live far away, we can talk and be right where we left off the last time we chatted over the phone. They are a blessing to me and often give me great encouragement. I am thankful for the opportunity for the children to go to a Christian school. I am thankful for the other teachers and for the principal. I am thankful for my pastor and for my church family, and for the girls and boys who are my children's friends. May they seek God in all they do and always choose the right path. I am thankful for my two brothers and three sisters, as well as their spouses and all their precious children whom I will get to see in a few days. I am thankful for the times we get to spend together, though it is short, I pray it will be a sweet time. And lastly, (for now), I am thankful for the snores that let me know my children are still with me, and we are all safe and secure under the same roof. God bless you this Thanksgiving and remember, don't just say you are thankful, but live a thankful life. Show others you are thankful, and never, never stop thanking our Lord for all the blessings He daily loads upon us. There have been many times when my mom has called me about a question regarding a song that popped into her mind one night as she was laying in bed. For some reason a specific word or phrase remained forgotten, so between the two of us working together, we usually come up with the last part of the song from our past. Though she has not done it in a long time, I still have old songs pop up in my own mind. Maybe some event sparks an old memory in the recesses of my brain, or something someone says makes me think of a line from an song years ago, but often the words or tune of a song will suddenly come floating in.
I love music. I love playing my flute, teaching it, singing songs with my girls, and I love to just sing when I am alone in the car and can belt it out where nobody can hear me. I find it odd though, that I can always sing my best when nobody is around. Maybe I am more relaxed and my throat muscles open up better, but whatever it is, I wish specials could be sung in a car! I remember how music was healing to me as a teenager. When I was dealing with an inner struggle, I would put on my favorite music and let the words roll over me. They would help me remember that Jesus is the One Who truly can help us through everything, and He is the great Comforter. He often reminded me of Scripture songs, to help emphasis a verse that was needed for that day. Certain songs bring back memories of our church gatherings we had, when we had love feasts, or special events with group singings. It always refreshes me when I hear someone sing a song I have not heard in such a long time, and I am glad to know others know the songs too. The other day it happened again. As I mentioned in a previous blog, I am directing the play we are doing this year, because I am the one who wrote the story and know how it should go. I also wrote most of the songs included in the play. Well, last Wednesday I introduced one of the songs the teen choir is going to sing, which is a beautiful, old song from when I was a little girl. They obviously did not know it, and even though my boys may have heard me sing it a few times, my oldest was not going to help sing it even if his life depended on it! So, I had to go out of my comfort zone and sing this song to the group of teens sitting in front of me. Thank God He gave me my voice back after being so sick with a cold/cough for so long. I would never have been able to do it well if my voice kept cracking! I sang it through, and then we worked on parts with the other teacher who is helping me put together the music for all the songs. (Just a note on how amazing Mrs. Edwards is! She is the grandmother of the little girl who played piano on my previous blog. She is teaching her granddaughter how to play and they are both amazing when it comes to music. Thank God for her talent!) So, once we had the parts down, we began singing it through and it is hard to describe the feeling that came over me. Here I was teaching a group of teens one of the songs I used to sing, and it was amazing to hear all their voices join in harmony. I felt goosebumps as I heard how beautiful it sounded. It is going to be an awesome time to see them all up there on the night of the play, singing to the Lord, sharing how God's Word is the way to save souls. I pray the Lord will use all the songs, even the fun ones, to bless, convict, and encourage those who will be in the audience that night. I really hope you all can come. It is going to be a very different play, but the message that comes through will be very clear. Jesus is the only Way to Heaven. The Bible clearly states that message. So, tell your friends and come and enjoy this play on Friday, December 12th. I hope to see you there! A few weeks ago we had our annual ladies conference at church. It always is a huge event that takes weeks of preparation and planning. As usual, the week before was busy with decorating and getting everything just right for the one day when ladies can come relax, have fun, and be encouraged. School was cut short the Friday before so we could decorate the hallway, and many people spent hours paying attention to minor details such as putting candies in the ladies restrooms, and putting signs out so the masses would know where to go. The day finally arrived and I watched as the guys helping out kept pulling out more and more chairs as more and more ladies came. All in all there were over 400 ladies there that day and that is the most we have ever had! Everything went smoothly, which is a huge blessing when it comes to that many people in the building. My oldest son helped out during the day and on the way home he told me an amazing story that I thought would be worth sharing on here. He had helped hand out lunch boxes they had put together that morning, and they knew they had 340 boxes. About 35 ladies attended the pastors' wives luncheon so they did not need a box. "Mom," he told me, "I know we had 340 boxes, but somehow we fed 380 ladies and we still had seven left over!" I was so blessed to know that my son got to witness a miracle that day, just like the little boy with the five loaves and two fish. He got to see God's hand in the events of the day and had a glimpse of how real God really is. In closing, I want to share the offertory I played along with a young violinist, one of my old flute students, and a young lady who played the piano. It was a Christmas theme for the conference so the song we chose was called "Christmas Suite", a combo of a few songs for the theme. I hope you enjoy it and maybe you will hear it again in December! God bless! |
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