Worship Wednesday: The Worshipping Wounded

This week has been quite exhausting. Yesterday, I had so many thoughts that I wanted to share, but exhaustion kept me from being able to make any sense of those thoughts swirling around in my head. So, I'm a little late with this post, but I wanted to share it with you anyways.

God has been speaking to me lately about healing and deliverance. That is not really surprising, considering all that I have been going through, and I have really needed His timely messages to keep me going. This past week, God has been talking to me about worshipping when I am wounded, and today, I want to share that message with you. 

We've all been wounded at one time or another. I don't mean physically wounded; I mean deeply, emotionally wounded. If you haven't been wounded like that, then I would seriously doubt that you have actually lived. I would argue that unless you live in a vacuum, you bear the scars of wounds that were inflicted, either intentionally or unintentionally, by people you love and care about.

 The problem with us wounded human beings is that we pass on the "disease." When we suffer from deep emotional wounds, we tend to lash out and wound the ones we are close to (whether they are the ones who wounded us or not). Most of the time, we don't even realize how deeply we are wounded and how deeply we have wounded others. It is a vicious cycle, and there is only one cure:

WORSHIP

Richard Foster says this about worship in his book, Celebration of Discipline:

"One reason that worship should me considered a spiritual discipline is because it is an ordered way of acting and living that sets us before God so he can transform us."

If there is one thing that we need as wounded human beings, it is transformation. We need the Lord to step in and transform our wounds into a witness! By worshipping in our wounded condition, we set ourselves before Him, lift up our broken hearts, and say, "Lord, I believe that You are good and You are able to heal and transform!" Worshipping wounded is a deliberate act of faith that liberates us!

Many times, I believe that our wounds are a result of drifting from fellowship with the Lord. I know that when my struggles are the greatest and I feel the sting of open wounds, most of the time, it is because I have let my relationship with Him slide down on my list of priorities. God loves us so much that when we have drifted, He will allow us to be wounded afresh, so that we might turn back to Him and seek the healing He provides. Hosea 6:1-3 offers us the assurance that God will heal us of those wounds if we bring our hearts before Him in worship once again.

Hosea 6:1-3 ESV

 ¹"Come, let us return to the LORD;

   for he has torn us, that he may heal us;

   he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.

²After two days he will revive us;

   on the third day he will raise us up,

   that we may live before him.

³ Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD;

    his going out is sure as the dawn;

he will come to us as the showers,

   as the spring rains that water the earth."

One of the things that I struggle with the most is waiting for my healing to come. Healing is a process, but as humans in this fast paced society, we want immediate results. I have heard it said that we often want a "microwave God" who offers "slow-cooker results." I can totally relate to that statement. For me, the waiting is that hardest part. When I am doing the right things and seeking after God, I get frustrated when I still feel my wounds, and many times, I drift away from Him again as I search for healing on my own. This only further aggravates our wounds and prolongs the healing process.

We have a choice to make: We can turn to the Lord in worship and lay our wounded hearts before Him, believing and waiting for His healing touch, or we can keep seek healing through makeshift bandages that temporarily ease the pain, but never fix the problem. I want to choose complete healing no matter how long it may take!!

Psalm 27: 4-14 ESV 

 ⁴ One thing have I asked of the LORD,
   that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
   all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
   and to inquire in his temple. 

 ⁵For he will hide me in his shelter
   in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
   he will lift me high upon a rock.

⁶And now my head shall be lifted up

 above my enemies all around me,

   and I will offer in his tent

sacrifices with shouts of joy.

   I will sing and make melody to the LORD. 

 ⁷ Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;
   be gracious to me and answer me!
⁸You have said, "Seek my face."My heart says to you,
   "Your face, LORD, do I seek."

 ⁹ Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
   O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
    O God of my salvation!
¹⁰For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
   but the LORD will take me in. 

 ¹¹ Teach me your way, O LORD,
   and lead me on a level path
   because of my enemies.
¹² Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
   for false witnesses have risen against me,
   and they breathe out violence.

¹³I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD
   in the land of the living!
¹⁴ Wait for the LORD;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
   wait for the LORD!

Worship Song of the Day:

You'll Come -Hillsong United

Worship...Wait...and Be Transformed!  

Ministry Monday: Mr. The King's Contribution

Photo by King's Queen

Mr. The King's contribution on this Ministry Monday, is a post about our collective ministry and responsibilities as disciples of Christ. He offers instructive and encouraging words for every believer. Click the link below to view his post on his personal/student ministry blog!


Soul Tribe: The Calling of The Disciples

Ministry Monday: The Sunday Sermon Review

Right before Mr. The King and I got married, I got my first ministry job working with youth. Back then, I was full of creativity and imagination, and I loved coming up with my own biblical material to teach instead of using a ciriculum all the time. One of the things that I started doing with the youth on Sunday nights was a discussion time called the "Sunday Sermon Review." I encouraged the youth to pay attention to the sermon on Sunday morning and write down notes and questions in a special notebook that I gave them. Then, on Sunday night when we would meet for small group, I would help to break down the sermon so that they could understand how to really apply it to their lives.

As I think back on the "Sunday Sermon Review," I realize just how effective it was. The youth in my group grew so much spiritually during that time, and so did I! I have a craving in my soul to continue to grow and to better apply the Word of God to my heart, so I have decided to start doing the "Sunday Sermon Review" again. I will be sharing about the Pastor's sermon each week on the blog (hopefully on Sunday's), and I will also be sharing more about the sermon with our youth during our Soul Tribe Student Worship on Sunday nights.

This week, we had a guest preacher who preached a sermon from Jeremiah 18:1-6 called "Being Shaped and Encouraged by God."

The Potter and the Clay

 ¹ The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, ² “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” ³ So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. ⁴ But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.

 ⁵ Then the Lord gave me this message: ⁶ “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.

Jeremiah 18:1-6 (NLT)

When I was told what the sermon would be about last Monday (as the Worship Leader, I usually know ahead of time), I was really excited because this passage of scripture from Jeremiah has always been one of my favorite illustrations of our lives and God's role in it. The preacher started the sermon by showing us a lump of clay. He demonstrated how pliable it was. He talked about remembering people in our lives who have shaped who we are today. Teachers, parents, grandparents, youth leaders, and friends have all made an impact on who we are, but God, as our Creator and the "Potter," is the ultimate molder and shaper of our lives. He uses both people and circumstance to shape us into the person He wants us to be.

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Philippians 1:6 NLT

One of the most beautiful things in life is the knowledge that the Potter will never give up on us. If we make a mess of what He is making, He will just mash us up, soften us up and start again.
The remolding process may hurt, but it is for our best. We must remember not to let ourselves become so hardened, by the world and by the enemy, that we are resistant to the molding hands of our Maker. He is the Master Artisan and His design for our vessel will always be more beautiful and more useful than anything we could design.

So, remain teachable; remain pliable in the the Potter's hands and trust in the beauty of the Potter's design. It is a long process and often a painful one, but one that will be worth it in the end when we see the finished product, a beautiful one-of-a-kind masterpiece of pottery that bears the indentifying marks of the Maker's hands.


Mr. The King and I would very much appreciate your prayers for our ministry. God is continuing to mold and shape it into what He wants it to be, just as He is molding and shaping us individually. We are not exactly sure what our ministry should look like at this moment in time, but it is our desire and fervent prayer to always be faithful and responsive to the Master's molding touch!

Phone Photo Fun





There has really been a lot of serious content in our blog recently, so since I don't want it to be too serious or depressing, I have decided to include a few fun photos today!

These are a few King family photos that I've edited on my phone. Enjoy!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.2



I had to snap this picture of Toby watching TV! You can see who controls the remote in our house!




I love colors!!





Toby is looking quite thoughtful in this photo. I wonder what He's thinking...
"Squirrel!!" Haha!!



The Gift of Troubles

Have you ever seen the movie, The Ultimate Gift, or read the book by Jim Stovall ?


If you haven't, then I highly recommend that you do!


The book and movie are about a privileged young man, who upon his grandfather's death expects to receive a cash inheritance. However, his grandfather had something else in mind. In His will, the old man left his grandson a set of challenges that he calls "gifts." These gifts are all a journey to the ultimate gift, and the journey changes the young man's life forever.


As I was reading scripture and some other blog posts today, I was reminded of the story, The Ultimate Gift. As we go through life as children of God, many times we do not get what we expect or ask for, but all I firmly believe that all God's gifts are good even if they don't seem good to us at the moment.
Jennifer Saake, author of the book Hannah's Hope posted this on one of her blogs:


When God Says No

In her post, Jennifer expresses her belief that pain is a gift...one that drives us to God. She also explains that God is thinking of our best interests when we ask for something good and he says no. This made me think of the first chapter of James:

 ² Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. ³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

 ⁵ If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. ⁶ But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

James 1:1-8 NLT

When troubles come our way, or when prayers and requests aren't answered as we expect, we have a choice. We can either breakdown and give up, or we can see our troubles as the gift they are...a gift from God to help us grow closer to Him and to help us become the "overcomers" that He made us to be!

If you will notice in the scriptures above, there is one gift (besides salvation) that God will never refuse to give us if we have unwavering faith, and that gift is wisdom. If we will ask for wisdom and believe that we will receive it, then we will be gifted with an abundance of it. If you ask me, as long as we have His wisdom and guidance, we can get through any troubles and truly count them as joyous gifts from the Father!

¹⁶ So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. ¹⁸ He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.

James 1:16-18 NLT

Let it be our goal to receive all of God's gifts as beautiful treasures from our Creator, who knows us and loves more than we could ever imagine!

Feeling Fabulous Friday: Frustration and Restoration

So, it's Friday again! The weekend has come and I should be excited, but...I'm not! I am tired, in pain, and mentally and emotionally spent. I know what you're thinking...I should at least be happy for two days to rest and relax. Well, you're probably right, but all I can think of right now is all of the work that I need to catch up on over the weekend. My mind fast forwards to Monday morning, and I think about having to relive the stress and exhaustion of this past week all over again.

Life has been stressful and challenging for us, especially in the last few months. You see, Mr. The King and I are facing a new challenge in our crazy maze of a life, right now. Well, it's not exactly a new challenge.. it's more like a new understanding of an ongoing challenge. Sharing about this challenge is sort of challenging in itself, but I feel like I need to share about it for the sake of my sanity and for the sake of any readers, both currently and in the future, who might face something similar.

For most of the 5 years I've been married, I haven't felt very well. I've had back, neck and hip pain, as well as regular headaches. Although, I've always loved to hike in the mountains, I've felt really bad for always holding my hubby back. My pace is slow, and I know he gets tired of hearing me complain of bodily aches most of the way. Working in an office has also been rather difficult for me because it hurts to sit in a computer chair for too long and it hurts to write. Add housework and other obligations into the mix, and you've got a nervous wreck and an accident waiting to happen. All of this has gotten exponentially worse over the past 6-8 months, and it has been very difficult to get comfortable, to rest, and function in my daily activities.

Last week, the doctor finally told me the verdict regarding my situation: I have Fibromyalgia.

Fortunately, I know that my life still has a purpose and I have a helper that promises to strengthen me to carry my load. I believe that each of us are given difficulties to go through so that we may better understand those in our world who are poor, helpless and hurting. When we hurt, we can identify with the hurting, and we are given an opportunity to minister and minister effectively.

Psalm 41:1-3 says:

¹ Blessed are those who have regard for the weak;
   the LORD delivers them in times of trouble.
² The LORD protects and preserves them—
   they are counted among the blessed in the land—
   he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.
³ The LORD sustains them on their sickbed
   and restores them from their bed of illness.

Psalm 41:1-3 NIV

That encouragement, that promise of God, is the only thing that makes me feel fabulous this Friday! I may be frustrated with my situation right now, and I may feel like surviving is the only thing I can hope for. However, God says that he will sustain me and restore me if I learn the lesson that he was trying to teach...Don't just think about yourself, think about and sincerely pray for those who are weaker!

Mr. The King always says this phrase that he learned from an ROTC instructor:

"Pain is just weakness leaving the body."

While I kind of understand the idea that is trying to be conveyed by this quote, I also disagree (biblically) with its negative connotation of the word weakness.

Listen to what Paul says about pain and weakness:

 ⁶ If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, ⁷ even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.
 ⁸ Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. ⁹ Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. ¹⁰ That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 2 Corinthians 12: 6-10

I have been given a thorn in my flesh, just like Paul, but I know that in God's economy, weakness results in His power in our lives.  So, I can either call out to God to remove Fibromyalgia from my body, or I can accept the circumstances that I have been given and let God prepare me to receive more of His restoring and sustaining power.

I want to chose restoration over frustration, everyday! When I chose restoration, I am choosing to feel fabulous even in my weakness!

Lord, thank you for your promise to sustain and restore me! I chose to  believe that you're power is alive in me, and that I am on the road to wholeness!

Worship Continued...

Today, I feel like I need to extend the focus on worship from the Worship Wednesday post. I have actually made some additions to the original post, because I had a few more thoughts that I didn't fully express yesterday. So, if you have time, I encourage you to go back and read the post again.

**Chasing a rabbit here**

If there is one thing that you will learn about me from this blog, it will be that I am a terrible perfectionist!

I can not stand to feel like I did not express my thoughts completely or that I left something unclear.

 (and I absolutely hate to think that I have left typos or spelling/grammar errors...UGGH!)

**Back to the point**

As I was posting yesterday, I realized just how important worship is to my spiritual well being. I also realized that I have been suffering from a severe overload of responsibilities that has left me with little time for worship. This has in turn decreased my endurance.

How can we survive under such pressure if we have not had regular fellowship with the Father?

Listen to part of Jonah's prayer to God during the overwhelming mess he had made for himself by running from the Lord and falling out of fellowship with Him:

 ⁷ As my life was slipping away,
      I remembered the Lord.   And my earnest prayer went out to you
      in your holy Temple.
 ⁸ Those who worship false gods
      turn their backs on all God’s mercies.
 ⁹ But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise,
      and I will fulfill all my vows.
      For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”

¹⁰ Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.

Jonah 2:7-10 NLT

Jonah called out seeking restored fellowship with the Lord, and the Lord answered him! Jonah offered a sacrifice of praise. In other words, he praised the Lord even though he probably didn't feel like it.

Jonah's mess was a self-made mess because of his disobedience, and many times, we find ourselves in that same situation. However, sometimes, we are doing all the right things, yet we suffer and feel as if the Lord is drifting farther away. It is then that we must still offer a sacrifice of praise to the Lord as Paul did in a jail cell after being arrested for speaking the truth.

²⁵ Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. ²⁶ Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!

Acts 16:25-26 NLT

What an example they set! That is true sacrificial praise! Unlike Jonah, Paul and Silas were enduring hardships because of their dedication to the Gospel, but we see that all of them received freedom from there oppression as a result of their choice to worship the Lord during their trials!

Listen to the song, "I Run to You" that my brother and his girlfriend recorded this cover of:

( I'm so proud of my little brother, but I have to admit that I am a bit envious of some of the great opportunities that he has had to minister.)

Paul and Silas ran straight to the Lord when their circumstances started spinning out of control! I want my first reaction to be like theirs...singing unto the Lord with a grateful heart! However, I am afraid that many times I am more like Jonah...I contribute to my own mess and then run further away from God as I seek to fix the situation my way. Sometimes, we may have to wait awhile for God to step in and free us from the circumstances we are in, but Jonah's way will always be the long way to freedom for us! We can at least experience peace, the freedom of the spirit, by running to God at the first sign of trouble!

 ¹ O God, listen to my cry!
      Hear my prayer!
 ² From the ends of the earth,
      I cry to you for help
      when my heart is overwhelmed.   Lead me to the towering rock of safety,
    ³ for you are my safe refuge,
      a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.

Psalm 61:1-3 NLT




Photo by King's Queen
Original post: Artist of the Soul: Be Still

 

When we are overwhelmed, stressed out, and moving at the speed of this world, the only way to experience some freedom is to drop what we are doing, slow down, and sit at the Lord's feet in worship, absorbing all that He is and all that He says!

Lately, all I have had within me to give is a sacrifice of praise! I really haven't felt His Spirit very much in the midst of this wilderness of oligations. However, I try to remember that, as a follower of Christ, I am called to carry the cross, and that means that times of struggle are to be expected. You and I both will have these desert experiences. We will cry out like Christ in the garden saying, "Please take this cup of suffering away from me!" However, we must also learn to say, "Father, let Your will be done, not mine...You are worth the sacrifice because you saw me as worthy of Your sacrifice, even though I am not!"

To get a little better picture of this sacrifice, read this conversation that I posted to my other blog a few months ago:

Artist of the Soul: A Chat with My Brother

Then listen to this "Worship Song of the Day"

Worship Wednesday: Worship & Sacrifice

For the first Worship Wednesday feature, I want to talk about a component of worship that isn't very popular...

Sacrifice

I think it is quite significant that the first mention of worship in the Bible is in Genesis 22: 5, when Abraham is on his way to sacrifice his son just as God had asked Him to.   

Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you."

Can you imagine being commanded by God to sacrifice your child as an act of worship to Him, especially the child that had been promised to you and that you had waited so long for?!! I can just imagine what many of us would have said to God if He had commanded us to do this! It probably would have sounded something like this:

" But God, I don't understand!!! Why would you ask this of me??!! Are you that cruel! Did you miraculously give me this child just so that you could rip him from my arms? He has been my pride and joy! If you love me, than why would you ask me to give him up like this!"

Is that what you would sound like? I have a feeling that I would! In fact, I am sure that in my past,  I have sounded much like that as I wrestled with God over something that he wanted me to give up.

In this overindulgent society that we live in today, sacrifice is a dirty word! Even as believers, we have shunned talk of sacrifice. We have been living under the New Testament "grace period" for so long, that we no longer have any concept of what it is like to make sacrifices...or give up our first fruits as an offering of worship to the Lord.

As I think about worship and sacrifice, I think of what Job said in the midst of his loss:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

Job 1:21 NASB

So, why did God command Abraham to sacrifice his son, and why is that worship?

I believe that God wanted to make sure the Abraham's priorities were straight. He wanted to make sure that nothing was hindering Abraham from fulfilling his purpose, to worship Him and bring glory to His name!

The English word, worship, is derived from the Old English word, weorthscipe which simply means: to ascribe worth or value to something.
In other words, worship is our recognition of the worthiness of God through both words and actions. Worship is a lifestyle of putting God above all else and proclaiming His value to the world. Worship is being thankful for the sacrifice that He made for us when He gave His own Son's life!

God often asks us to give up something or puts us in a situation where we must make sacrifices so that we can learn to ascribe more worth to Him than to any other person or thing in our lives. Simply put, He wants to strip away the idols in our lives; He wants to rid us of any unworthy thing that we ascribe worth or importance to. He desires for us to acknowledge His worth...it is for that purpose that we were made.

Most of the time, the things that God asks us to give up are truly good things, that is why it is a sacrifice. We must give up something good in order to acknowledge that there is something better, or more worthy, of our time and attention! In fact, there is nothing good or worthy compared to Him!
A couple of years ago, I came across this song, and it has a huge impact on me everytime I hear it. The song is called "Clear the Stage" by Ross King. Please sacrifice some of your time to watch this video and recieve the message of this song.

 ⁴ “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. ⁵ You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, ⁶ but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Exodus 20:4-6 NASB

Even in our theme verse for KINGdom Encounters (Matthew 6:33), we can see the Lord's desire to be first in our lives. In the passage surrounding our theme verse, the Lord tells us that we are not to put even our basic needs before Him. If we worship and serve Him first, then He will provide for us.

Take a look at the following passage of scripture:

 ³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

   ⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42 NIV

As you can see by Martha's example, even service to the Lord, things that desperately need to be done to further His Kingdom, can become a distraction from truly sitting at His feet in worship. We must give worship and glory to the Spirit of God and to His words instead of assigning worth to the works that we perform for Him.

I often feel like a Mary in a world of Martha's. While people around me are screaming for me to perform, all I want to do is sit at His feet, listen to His words and worship Him with my entire being. However, too many people today don't see the value of worship. People think that productivity is valueable, but they can not see the inner productivity that comes from worship.

For most of my life, I have felt like I've been forced to fit into the Martha mold by a world that puts emphasis on earning, doing and having, and in all honesty, the world has succeeded. God doesn't get the first fruits of my time and talents. That is why I am desperate for a change! I know that there are sacrifices that I need to make in order to become a "Mary" again. I'm not sure exactly what those sacrifices are right now, but I am seeking the face of God and asking Him to reveal to me what it is that I need to give up in order to ascribe to Him the worth that He deserves!

I ask for your prayers regarding this, and I will leave you with a beautiful worship song to offer to the Lord.

What do you need to sacrifice? What do you need to lay aside today?

Terrific Tuesday Anyone?

Today, you may be having to work, sick, dreading a dentist or doctors visit, and you're thinking, "What's so Terrific about Tuesday?"... Well, I'm sorry to say it, but if you have to ask that question then there is nothing that will be terrific about today!

In my life I tend to allow circumstances to control how I feel each day. It seems that if one small bad thing happens to me, I allow it to effect my entire day. The crazy part is... I choose that, but there is truth to this cliché that I've been told all my life: "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade."

 Last Sunday in our youth small group that I lead, we talked about being content. Now that lesson focused on contentment versus greed for material things, but as I reflect on the open discussion we had, I realized that  it's just a choice to be happy with the material things we already have. It is also a choice to be happy with the circumstances in our lives. We know that tragedy will strike both the righteous and unrighteous people... It's called life and it's gonna happen, but to allow your circumstances to affect your entire day is silly. You may think "Well Mr you don't know my troubles!" You're right, but as I was teaching my youth Sunday, God brought to my attention the story of Job. Job did not only lose material possessions but family, friends, and his own health. He took the circumstances and continued to praise God because he knew that God had his hand on him. He took lemons and made lemonade!!!

Now we don't find a passage that says Job was happy... and I know that if all of that stuff happened to me, I would find it pretty hard to be happy. How can we have a TERRIFIC TUESDAY when the struggles of life beat us down??? The good news is that regardless of how bad I have it, I am convinced that it will never be as bad as Job had it. I can grumble and complain about the junk in my life, or I can realize that somewhere in the world there is a person whose best day ever is still not close to being as good as my worst. Simply put,
there is always someone with a worse day.

Today may bring some unpleasantries, but I can choose to boast in the fact that wherever I go, whatever happens to me, the hand of God has already been there. Now that makes me happy and will make today TERIFFIC!!!

Here is the choice that you have... sit in your own gloom and doom as a defeated person or stand tall because you are a chosen child of God who has all of God's promises to look forward to. Whether or not today is a Terrific Tuesday is mostly up to you choosing to make it that way!

Heroes: A Late Father's Day Post

This past Sunday, I had several thoughts on my mind that I wanted to post for Father's Day. So, when Sunday came and went and I hadn't had a chance to post, I was a little disappointed. However,  since then, I've been thinking...

Why do we have to save our thoughts and feelings about our fathers or mothers for a special day?

So, in spite of the fact that Father's Day has passed, I have decided that today is not too late for me to share my thoughts.

This Father's Day, my thought patterns were a little bit different than they have been in years past. Yes, I thought about my Father, and even though I didn't get to be with him this year, I did let him know how much I love him and how grateful I am to have him as a father. However, this year, I mainly thought of my Dad in regards to his relationship with my youngest brother.



Dad and D, riding go carts!



My youngest brother is such a blessing to our family. He is so smart and thoughtful and loving (even though he can be a little headstrong at times)! He was an unexpected surprise addition to our family, but not in the way that you would think. He was no accident! D (as I will refer to him) was actually born to my troubled cousin, but she abandoned him when he was just several months old. Through various other circumstances and events, my parents eventually gained full custody of D, and at about 10 months old, he became a permanent member of our family.



Me and chunky, baby D



As D grew up, my parents, at first, struggled with what he should call them. His biological parents would pop in and out of his life on occasion, and my parents didn't want him to be confused. However, D just wouldn't call them Mimi & Pawpaw like they had wanted him to. It was just so natural for him to call them Mom and Dad, and why wouldn't he? They truly filled those roles in his life.



My other brother L, Dad, Mom and D

I have often heard it said that any man can father a child, but it takes a real man, someone special, to truly be a daddy. Well, my Dad is a daddy to D! My parents both have that special ability to take someone into their lives and be just what they need, whether that's a parent, a friend, or a mentor. My Mom and Dad welcome people into their lives with open arms, just as Jesus did, and I admire the fact that they did not hesitate to step in and be what D needed them to be!

What an amazing example of how our heavenly Father operates! No matter where you've been, He will take you in, and no matter what, He does not hesitate to be exactly what you truly need in your moment of desperation.

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.                         

1 John 3:1 NLT

You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”   

Luke 11:11 NLT

  For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.                                             

Romans 8:14-16 NASB

 ⁵ And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said,
   “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline,
      and don’t give up when he corrects you.
 ⁶ For the Lord disciplines those he loves,
      and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”
 ⁷ As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? ⁸ If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. ⁹ Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?

                                       Hebrews 12: 5-9 NLT 

Several years ago, Mr. The King and I heard a bluegrass song that reminded us of my parents and the sacrifices that they have made to raise D and give him a good home. We gave them a CD with that song on it, and they were both moved to tears. What was truly amazing was that at the age of 6, D loved that song and had practically memorized every line of it. He sang along perfectly when it played on the stereo, and he could also be heard singing it around the house or in the bathtub. I'm not sure if he truly understood the words, but he touched my parents heart every time they heard him sing it! 

This song means so much to my parents, and for many reasons, it means a lot to me as well!

Heroes by The Isaacs

Momma combs his hair and Daddy helps him brush his teeth

 Day after day for thirty years the same routine

The special needs he lives with make life seem so unfair

But he thanks God every day cause he knows Mom and Dad are there

 He's a hero and she's a hero

It doesn't matter if nobody knows their name

They keep on giving to make life worth living

 Might go unnoticed but they're heroes just the same

They tried for many years to have a baby of their own

 But God knew a little girl who didn't have a home

Someone else's burden was their blessing in disguise

And now she's got a Mom and Daddy there to hold her when she cries

 He's a hero and she's a hero

It doesn't matter if nobody knows their name

They keep on giving to make life worth living

 Might go unnoticed but they're heroes just the same

Every single parent who must carry twice the load

And those who sacrifice to raise a child that's not their own

They dedicate their time to make a difference in someone else's life

And in my eyes

 He's a hero and she's a hero

It doesn't matter if nobody knows their name

They keep on giving to make life worth living

 Might go unnoticed but they're heroes just the same

They might go unnoticed but they're heroes just the same.

With all of their biological children now grown and living away from home, my Mom and Dad are still in the thick of it, raising D as if he were their very own child (and to all of us he is). If that doesn't make them "Heroes," then I don't know what does!

I am blessed to have an earthly father and mother who are godly and compassionate. My Dad works so hard to take care of and provide for his family as best he can, and I am so grateful for the "Hero" that he is! However, in my limited human thinking , it makes more sense and comes more naturally for me to put my trust in my earthly father instead of my Heavenly Father. Still, I know that we have a trustworthy Heavenly Father who is full of grace and mercy, and He takes all of our fears and doubts away, if we will only trust in Him. You and I must remember that He loves and cares for us exponientially more than anyone on this earth is capible of! 

Abba! Father! I will listen to your voice. I will trust you to take care of me, and I will lean on you for strength in my time of need. My earthly father will let me down at some point in my life, but You, O Father, will always hold me up and make me victorious in the end!

Praise the Lord!

   How joyful are those who fear the Lord
      and delight in obeying his commands.
 Their children will be successful everywhere;
      an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.

  ⁶Such people will not be overcome by evil.
      Those who are righteous will be long remembered.
 ⁷ They do not fear bad news;
      they confidently trust the Lord to care for them..

 Psalms 112:1-2, 6-7 NLT

Ministry Monday: Ministries of The King's Queen

On this Ministry Monday, the first Ministry Monday of the KINGdom Encounters blog, Mr. The King and I will both introduce you to our ministries (in separate posts). The idea this week is to give you a little taste of how we serve the Lord and how we have served in the past. We hope to talk specifically about some of our ministries in the weeks to come, as well as explain our ministry goals and introduce you to ministries that we admire.

About My Ministries

Although I felt a call on my life as a teenager, I didn't realize my call to ministry until I was in college. I was always led to believe that women could not enter ministry as a profession, so it was a really a struggle for me to go against the grain (it still is sometimes). However, there is no doubt in mind that God has called me to ministry.

I understand and believe that as Christians, we are all called to minister because we were instructed by Jesus, during his final moments on earth, to go make disciples, to baptize, and to teach (Matthew 28: 19-20). However, I have felt a strong call on my life to serve Him by leading people into a better understanding of spiritual things, including the Bible, God, the Holy Spirit, worship, and our spiritual walk (a daily relationship with Christ).

As a college student, every summer, I interned in Children's Ministry and Children's Music Ministry at a church in my hometown. Through this amazing experience, I realized how much I loved working in ministry. After graduating with a B.A. in Religion, I took a job as a Youth Director at a local church. Then following some difficulty, I took about a 3 year break from church ministry. Then in February of this year, my husband and I were approached about a Student Ministry position at small inner city church. After much prayer, we decided to take it, and the church also asked me to come on as their Worship Leader. That has been a new and exciting opportunity, and I will share more about it in future posts.



Photo by The King's Queen



During the 3 years in which I took a break from church ministry, I focused on my Music Ministry. I wrote several songs, recorded a CD (which I am not really satisfied with), sang at various local and regional events (including Dollywood!), and released a couple of songs to radio. I also helped my hubby start up a new business called Middle Man Ministries, which I am sure he will tell you about in his post. To be completely honest, I wasn't really satisfied during this stage of my ministry. I really missed serving in a larger capacity in the local church, but God used this time in ministry to really break me and work on my heart.

I am really excited to be back in church ministry and using my musical gifts at the same time. It is challenging and at times stressful and difficult, but I am allowing the Lord to shape and teach me as I put aside fear and self-doubt and step out in faith to do a new thing for Him.    

My husband and I both hope to one day be given the privilege to serve in ministry full-time. We both work a couple of  jobs to make ends meet right now, and we wish that we could focus more time and energy on our ministries. However, we are trying to trust the Lord to give us strength and seek out His will and His wisdom for our financial situation and the future of our ministries.

Ministry Monday: Ministries of Mr. The King

Today's post is simply an introduction to the ministries of my life. The following weeks on Ministry Mondays I will go somewhat in depth into each one. Before we dive too deep into the mininistries that I invest my life into, I want to clarify what ministry means to me. A ministry is a person or group that provides a product or service to both believers and non-beleivers with a primary purpose of meeting their needs in a way that also brings them to a better understanding of God. Too often, we want to put ""MINISTRY" into a box, but if we are honest, any of us who are truly saved by the blood of Christ, is a minister, and the way we meet needs in our church and community is our ministry.

The ministry that I have poured most of my life into has been the local church. Since I was 12 years old I have held volunteer positions at church. Even though I have been a member at five different churches in my life, I have always found a place to plug in and get dirty for Jesus. With changes in my age, my knowlege and the needs of the different churches, I have served under different titles, including Sound Technitian, Bus Director, Praise Band Drummer, Youth Volunteer, Assistant Youth Director and now Student Minister. Next Monday, I will go into more detail about local church ministries that I have been a part of and why it is so important for you too to be involved in your local church.

The next ministry that I have been privileged to be a part of is a local southern gospel radio station. First, to clarify, Southern Gospel is like country, bluegrass, and barbershop quartet all tied together with Christian themes and lyrics. Most people have heard of Bill Gaither, so that is the style that I am talking about. Again in weeks to come I will go into more detail, but my primary position with the radio station is On Air Personality (noone in the industry really says DJ anymore). This position gives me the platform to minister to alot of people who come from just as many different backgrounds. And yes I do have a "Radio Voice" that I tend to shift into when I am asked to pray at church (king's queen gets so embarrased sometimes). Radio is fun, but just like any job, it comes with its own headaches. However, seeing how God is using both the radio station and me to reach out to this area is worth the trials that follow.

Working at the radio station allowed me to meet many local and regional artists (musical artists, of course). These relationships formed this idea in my head to start a Christian Event Planning Company. Coming from primarily small churches, lacking the resources or knowledge to deal with major booking companies, I wanted to design a company that would prevent small churches from being taken advantage of while protecting the needs of the artists. Once we recieved our business licsense our company shot off in so many different directions. The company is called Middle Man Ministries, and you will hear more about it in future posts.

The final ministry in my life is really just ministry in its most basic form, the ministry that you and I take part in on a daily baisis. This is ministry of being a follower of Christ, and it's about putting actions to my faith as I reach out and interact with my family, friends, coworkers and strangers on the street. Since the day that I proclaimed Jesus in my life, I have done my best to understand the simple fact that as I said that prayer, I also recieved the Gospel in my life and accepted the calling to become a minister of the Gospel.

My name is Mr. The King and I have been called to be a minister of the Gospel and these, what I will call sub-ministries, are what ministry looks like for me at this time in my life.

Who Said Christians Can't Have Fun

Last night we had an "All American" night of BBQ, baseball, ice cream and fireworks. Although it was "Elvis Theme Night" at the ball park and the music got a little tiring, we had a wonderful time!

The night was quite lovely with a temperature around 75° throughout the evening (a welcome break from the 90° heat!). It felt like the wonderful springtime weather that we seemed to have skipped altogether this year in Tennessee (the location of which I am convinced is the capital of all unpredictable weather!).



Despite the shadows on my face, it looks as if I've almost mastered the art of the mobile phone self-portrait!



We had a lovely couple join us for this fun-filled evening. They received the "best seats in the house" and thought it was rather fantastic to watch a baseball game from a stylish and comfy reclining chair...in the stadium! Now they are spoiled by the luxury of it, and will never again be able to watch a game in meager stadium seats!

Mr. & Mrs. Moe, our lovely companions for the evening, enjoying the game from their easy chairs!

I was honored to be able to share my rendition of God Bless America with the stadium crowd during the 7th Inning Stretch. I have had several opportunities to do this in the past, and I really enjoy singing in the stadium environment, using state of the art sound equipment. However, on this occassion, I found the experience to be particularly special, because Mrs. Moe and I had discussed, earlier in the evening, the fact that we both prefer God Bless America to The Star Spangled Banner. This prompted me to ponder upon the lyrics thoroughly as I sang. I have included the lyrics, as well as some background info on the song below:

God Bless America

by Irving Berlin

"While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer." *

God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.

 *This intro is not very well known. Most people start the song with "God Bless America."

The Library of Congress: Performing Arts Encyclopedia gives this background on the classic patriotic song:

 

Shortly after becoming an American citizen in 1918, Irving Berlin, already a highly successful popular lyricist and composer, was inducted and stationed at Camp Upton in Yaphank, Long Island, New York. He beguiled his commanding officers into allowing him to write a rousing musical comedy review which would serve to raise both funds and Army morale. For the finale of this production, Yip, Yip, Yaphank, Berlin wrote the original "God Bless America." But he felt the song was too solemn for a comedy and put it aside for twenty years.

In the fall of 1938, as fascism and war threatened Europe, Irving Berlin decided to write a peace song. He recalled an unpublished version of a song that he had set aside in a trunk, took it out and shaped it into a second national anthem, "God Bless America."

It is said in show business that "timing is everything." During the three days Berlin revised "God Bless America," the singer Kate Smith asked him for a patriotic song to perform on her CBS radio program, to be broadcast from the New York World's Fair on November 10 to honor Armistice Day. Berlin wanted his song introduced by Smith's fine contralto voice and the combination created an instant hit. Berlin generously signed over his royalty money from the song to charity and the revenues went to the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts of America.

I won't wax patriotic, since that's not my style, but I do want to point out the simplicity yet beauty of this song and the timeless relevance of the lyrics. No matter what nation we live in, we should lift it up in prayer for God to guide it and for His will to be done.

I also discovered some other interesting tidbits about the composer, Irving Berlin, that I found very relevant to me. I will save those for a future post and share their significance then.

Anyhow, my rendition of God Bless America was apparently a smash hit (I say this with all modesty), and I was encouraged to recieve many positive reviews from the spectators. In fact, the king (who is a bit biased, of course!)  said that I "nailed it"! Isn't that a rave review! I only wish that we would have thought to video it so that we could share it here.

Altogether, it was a lovely evening! The fireworks were beautiful, the food was great, the company was great, and the home team made a thrilling comeback to win the game!

 I forget to mention that the "King of Rock and Roll" (Elvis) theme at the ball park reminded me of a nickname given to my husband by a friend:

"Mr. The King"

Haha!! I think we shall call him that here from now on!

Also, as I shared a bit about the KINGdom Encounters blog with Mr. Moe, he informed me that he was also a blogger. Upon returning home, I looked him up and found his blog to be extremely well-written, intelligent, wise, and insightful. That was no surprise considering the conversations we have had with Mr. Moe. I encourage you to check out his blog and see for yourself!

Mr. Moe's blog: Mercy and Truth

I apologize for the disjointed post, but I hope the you can see the main point here...I had a joyfully pleasant evening!

  A cheerful heart is good medicine,
      but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.

Proverbs 17:22 NLT

Who said that Christians can't or shouldn't have fun!!