one more thing on the jubilee....

i forgot to say that while i was in Arkansas..i got a chance to really get to know some of the girls. girls i've known forever, but this time we just got to talk and really express ourselves. so, to rebecca and christina...it was great, just awesome spending time with yall. and of course the mack and sharon gals are always a pleasure. :) not that other weren't but i just really enjoyed taking it slow this weekend and feeling the love of the saints. ok, that's it. :)

"This is the day of Jubilee!!"

I just got back from the AR jubilee. it was awesome. there wasnt as many people, but there was still good representation from all of the COGs. i cannot begin to explain how good it was. i mean...every meeting people say that. but it was something about this meeting that was just "umph". you know? the messages were truly on a more mature level. as were the testimonies. i did buy some of the tapes. and im sure your local tape ministry will either have the tapes or can request them. on the last night we all gathered at kevin and sharonda's house (which is quickly becoming "da spot"!...do they know that?) for games. ok, so if you remember playing the question game at lana's house..imagine that with about 25-30 people PLUS the sharon saints (who are hilarious by themselves) PLUS bro. neal and bro. tierre. CRAZY! and then we played not one but two rounds. TWO rounds of the question game. it was a long night. i think we left there about 3am ish. oh well, it was definitely worth it.

in other news, school has started. actually it started last week. im enjoying it. im teaching 3rd this year instead of 2nd. i requested to be moved (not b/c of the kids, though.) i must say it's been a nice change. i luv my partner teachers. they're quick and smart (those of yall who know me, will understand that comment.) so, im satisfied.

we are a blessed people, as pastor jones preached on. truly. :)

Red Sea

it seems like a lot of my posts are turning into poems/songs. well, here's yet another one. i get daily devotionals emailed to me everyday. this song was in my devotional for today. (if you're interested, you can go to www.crosswalk.com and look for the devotional "Encouragement from Today"..i've yet to NOT be blessed by these devotionals.)

Red Sea

Lyrics and Music by Gwen Smith



A battle is raging, the stage is set

Rivers edge, they're placing bets

Facing the water, I'm fighting doubt

I need Your hand to help me out



Part this Red Sea , deliver me

The tide is high, still on the rise

Secure my feet and guide my steps

I won't retreat from this duress

I'm movin', I'm pushin', I'm constantly pressin'

Approaching these waters with holy aggression

Show me Your power, I need intervention

Come and rescue me

Part this Red Sea



Minute by minute new circumstances

Uncharted water, taking my chances

I'm trying to get up the nerve to move

With You on my side, I know I can't lose



Pillar of fire by night on this desert road

Pillar of cloud by day with my heavy load

Its big, its big, I hear it mocking me

But You are bigger and You can part this sea

Pathways....

I just ran across this great poem from the YCLF website (it's listed under my "Links" page). Anyhoo, I thought I'd post it. It's very encouragin. Thanks to the author!


I know not the path I must travel,
I see not a way for my feet.
Ahead I only see shadows
Obscured is the pathway I seek.

I do not know all life's answers,
And where I travel seems rocky and steep
Still I am striving to follow,
And find the pathway I seek.

I do not know why there are shadows,
Yet of one thing I can be sure,
Jesus has travel'd there before me
And He knows the path is secure.

I do not know where He will lead me,
Only that with Him I will always be safe.
He has promised never to leave me,
And His promise He'll never forsake.

Each day I learn more to trust Him,
More fully in all that befalls.
His will for me becomes my will,
And I will follow were ever He calls.

In every trial and testing,
That shows me that I am so weak,
He gives me more grace to follow
For in Him is the pathway I seek.



- Chantel Harding

Vacation

so, recently my family and i went to texas for vacation. Here are a few pictures. Enjoy!

jason and i waiting on our boat cruise.


waiting on our tour of the capital, which was quite nice!


Granny & I


All of us on the riverwalk. (I look a mess!)

overwhelmed, to say the least!

ok, july is going by way to fast. i went in to work last week, just to check out my new room. oh my, oh my! so much to do so little time. of course i was there all of 5 minutes before my principal got me started on a huge project for the whole school. so, for the past few days i've been going in and working on that for a few hours. while, my class sits in shambles. see the problem is i get there around 10ish and work hard on this project for a few hours. always with the hope that i'll work on my class for a few hours afterwards. well, by 1ish i'm usually exhausted mentally and physically. so i usually leave and nothing is getting accomplished. (sigh). oh well, i'll try again tomorrow.

nothing else going on....i have two potential names to start piano lessons (thank you, paul..who'll never read this). yeah, im on that kick again. but this time it really looks promising. so, pray for me. i've really been disgusted and frustrated w/ my playing lately. this past sunday it was just really hard to get into the music. i've found that when i play that's how i worship him, since i dont get to spend as much time just standing and singing the words. so, i really want to do my best...its so frustrating. i feel like i'm "half-stepping" in everything i do. why cant i be totally awesome at one thing???? oh well. ok, seriously nothing else is going on. until the next update..smooches!!! ;)

july

wow....what at way to start this month. i've been on the road for the past 2 wks. first a few of us gals (liz, jacks, & jen) took a roadtrip to ohio. we were going for a wedding in springfield, but decided to make a weekend of it. we stopped first in cincinnatti to visit the National Underground Railroad Freedom Museum. it was AWESOME! we didnt even get through it. but, we're planning on going back for a young adult trip in sept. then we headed to springfield, where we went to a beautiful wedding. (congrats, lezlie). the next day we woke up early to head for cleavland. we spent the whole sunday with them. it was so nice to get to know them even better. im realizing more and more that its so hard to really get to know the saints at the meetings. there's just so much going on. my goal is to get out more and visit the saints in between meetings. anyhoo, after all of that we came back to chicago where i left out early, early to fly to texas to meet my family. we went on a little vacation there. we toured austin, dallas, and san antonio. san antonio was by far my favorite. the riverwalk is awesome. hopefully i can go back soon. it's actually not a bad place to go alone. if you want to just sit and enjoy the riverwalk and good food. im back here in AR, now. i'll be here for a few weeks before heading back to the joles. i actually kind of miss it. it's weird, i don't think i've ever really been like, "ok, it's time for me to go back." thats a good thing, though.

i found this poem on one of my favorite websites/blogs. it basically embodies my spiritual goal for this summer.


Give me the grace to care
Without neglecting my needs,
The humility to assist
Without rescuing,
The kindness to be clear
Without being cold,
The mercy to be angry
Without rejecting,
The prudence to disclose
Without disrespecting my privacy,
The humor to admit human failings
Without experiencing shame,
The compassion to give freely
Without giving my self away.
~Author Unknown


check out the website "Young Ladies Christian Fellowship". It has really helped me through some rough times.thanks, elizabeth for sharing it with us gals. i've added it to my links if you want to take a look. ok, im exhausted. consider this your july update. there's really not much going on right now. until later, :)

Happy Birthday, Jackie!

Happy Birthday, Jackie. God bless you on your special day. luv,~me.

School's OUT!

this is HILARIOUS...sums, up my year perfectly. :)

http://www.hallmark.com/ECardWeb/ECV.jsp?a=1725292471009M204069268Y&product_id=

I'mmm BACK!

hey everyone! im back.(not that anyone reads this enough to notice.) but, here i am and with my testimony of praise that I promised. God has once again proven himself in my life. this was such a difficult year for me. it was like i was in a test of faith. there were so many times i felt like i didnt really know the voice of god or that b/c things weren't going the way i'd planned, maybe i'd misinterpreted his will. but through it all god worked out all the little details and blessed. it seems like it was one thing after another. but in each situation he worked them out. like one by one, actually. so, my faith has been tested, but i got my blessing! God is so good and real. David refers to him as the "Living God". And that he is. so, it's almost time for the summer. i know i'll be busy decorating my new place, getting ready for teaching a different grade in the fall, and just trying to rest more in his will and enjoying the life he's given me. we'll see how well i update. here's a pic of trese and i at the may fellowship (which was AWESOME!!!). if you weren't there you missed it. anyway, may would not be may without me and my bff trese taking our pics together. (yes, i look horrible! we were at the park..what do you expect!)luv.

pics...link

i said i wasnt going to update. but here are some pics to enjoy while im gone.

http://northwestern.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2066608&l=e5aa3&id=2415867

spring break and a break....

thanks to everyone for your birthday wishes. it was great. i got to spend time in AR for the weekend..PLUS we had a nice revival (in AR) with P.Hodges. This week (back here in the Joles) we're in revival with P. Jones (FL). It's been great. Last night he preached on "The Power to Produce Prosperity." If you've never heard his testimonies on faith, you should try and get this tape/cd. Check out our church website http://www.jolietchurchofgod.org, perhaps mares will load it up so you can hear it.

OKAY. i'm officially on Spring Break from work. AND I've decided to take a little break from the blog. No, I'm not getting rid of it. I'm just not going to be writing for a while. With all of these revivals, I've decided to take some time out and really do some digging. I have a lot of decisions right now. I'm letting go and letting God. No more about what I want. So, yeah. These things take time. Feel free to say hello every now and then. See you in May if you're coming to the revival. If not..., until, June..when I'm back. By faith, I'm claiming to have a good testimony by then. luv,

drumroll, please...

And so what we've all been waiting for has begun....

The Official Countdown



Get your own countdown at ProfileSidekick.com

(ok, so maybe i was just waiting for it. ;) )

Happy Birthday!

so, i told you there were a lot of birthdays in these months. :)

Happy Birthday, Eliza/Lizm! (sorry...no pic)


And happy belated birthday, Pooh. (although you'll probably never see it.)

jenny's thoughts on SNOW.

i hope she doesn't mind. but it's really good. Happy reading!

Snow Uggggghhhhh (A must read!!!)


Hi everybody.
I know some of you aren't in Chicago but I hope you enjoy the message anyway
Why is snow a good insulator? Fresh, undisturbed snow is composed of a high percentage of air trapped among the lattice structure of the accumulated snow crystals. Since the air can barely move, heat transfer is greatly reduced. Fresh, uncompacted snow typically is 90-95 percent trapped air.

So, I was looking at the snow coming down and, of course, almost fixed my mouth to complain about driving in that stuff. That’s when God brought something back to my mind. I just asked Him for snow a few days ago. What is wrong with me? Well, I’ll tell you.

We all know how cold it’s been in Chicago . 6○ with wind-chills of 28○ below!!!! And dry as a bone. That harsh dry wind was dangerous. It was killing people!!! I was listening to the news yesterday morning and the newscasters were strongly suggesting that people stay home. They were telling people to only go out if it was a great need to do so. They also said that if you had to go out, make sure all of you skin was covered. That’s really something, isn’t it?

Look at us now! Just a day later and it’s snowing and the temperature is supposed something like 0○ but it feels warmer already AND in a day or two, it’s supposed to be in the 20s. Not ideal right? But it’s way better than 6 and definitely better than feeling like 28 below!!!

Why is it getting warmer? Because the snow is an insulator for the Earth. We needed snow!

“Why is snow a good insulator? Place your hand on the snow, and your hand will get cold. But, if you dig down into the snow, you can build a cave that will enable you to stay comfortable for an extended period. This is because snow is mostly air. (Fresh powder is 93% air.) Air spaces between the crystals work the same way as air spaces between fibers of wool or goose down, preventing air movement and slowing heat loss. Thus, the lighter and fluffier the snow, the better insulator it will be. Old, hard snow has less air (60-70%) and feels colder if you build a burrow in it or even stand on it.”

So when it snows, it makes the Earth feel warmer!

Think with me spiritually. We die spiritually when our lives are barren and cold and dry.

I am in need of great patience. This area of my life is cold and barren (hypothetically, of course). I always snap at people. I don’t have time to talk to my siblings/spouse/co-worker/classmate/boss, etc. I know that if I don’t get the victory in that area, I will die. The newscaster (Pastor, or minister) warn me not to go out and if I have to go out, I need to have all of my vulnerabilities covered (with prayer, reading and fasting). I know that the snow will warm up my experience, so I pray to God for snow.

When the snowy days (situations that cause me to seek God for more patience) come, my first inclination is to complain about having to deal with the undesired situation, but God brings back to my minds the times I prayed for snow. Dealing with the elements in this situation causes me to be strengthened. The fear of and opportunity for death has ebbed away.

1 Peter 1:7 “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”

Romans 5:3 – 4 “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope:”

One of my favorite songs says

“God has not promised you, sunshine
That’s not the way it’s going to be
But a little rain
Mixed with God’s sunshine
A little pain
Helps me appreciate the good times
Be grateful


God desires to feel
Each longing
Every pain that you feel
He feels them just like
But he can’t afford to let you feel
Only good
Then you won’t appreciate the good times
Be grateful
For it will be alright”

So, be grateful for both the literal snow and the figurative snowy/rainy situations. It delivers us from the danger of death in a cold, barren place.I hope this was as much a blessing to you as it was to me.

Love y’all
Jen

babble

being from arkansas and all, i never thought i'd say 40 degree weather was "lovely." but, that's what it was this week. i even got "hot" enough to drive with my window down. too bad we didnt get that 70 degree weather some others got. but it was good all the same. oh well, today it's supposed to be freezing rain and snow..and then snow all week. so it seems winter isn't over yet. but maybe can all be like jenny and her snow philosophy. it's pretty good. she'll have to write it for us..or maybei i'll share it in my next post.

nothing else going on...last sat. we had our monthly yp event. this month we had a potluck at the church and had to dress up as bible characters or historical black people (for black history month). of course i was super busy all week, so didn't have time to come up with a person until i got there. but i must say, i pulled it off pretty well. im not going to tell you, though, who/what i was. you'll have to go to liz's website and see her pics (when she gets them up. she also has some good info on black history). see if you can guess. (and when you do, just know..im not some horrible, fanatic person. who/what i am did do some good in the community. so dont get any wrong ideas.) after we ate (good food, good food) we played the cup game, black history trivia, and then talked. we had so much food left that the next day (yp's sunday) we finished off the leftovers. i think next month we're visiting danes (yeah!!). later!

ps. the birthday countdown is about to begin!!! (mine that is.) oh, and before i forget...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to...Leila (2/27?...i think???..tell me and i'll change it..sorry!)and Keila (3/2).

the last sin eater

so, yesterday i read this book the last sin eater by francine river. im sure most people have read it by now. (i know im late!) anyway, here are a few excerpts that were a blessing to me:

"I didn't realize I was entering a battle - one I could win only by trusting in the Lord. And trust, for me, aint easy to do. It's a learned thing, comin' one step at a time."

"Satan will prey upon your doubts and fears and try to drive you away from the Lord your God, for it is your heart he wants and your mind he will attack. Remember he is the father of lies and a murderer...but the Lord prevail[s] against him. Only the Lord prevails."

"Believe on him who saved you, [girl's name]. 'I want to believe. I do'[she said] 'Then believe'[said the prophet]. 'I try to believe' [she said]. 'Believe,' said the prophet, 'set your mind and heart upon Christ and obey the word of the Lord. Stand firm. God himself is going to fight for you."

"Just tell Jesus you trust Him and ye're waiting on him to tell you what to do."

And my all time favorite (sorry, it's long...)
"It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. It was the Lord speaking to us all and showing us over and over again the birth, life, death , and resurection of his only begotten Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord. It was like a best-loved story being told day after day with each sunrise and sunset, year after year with the seasons, down through the ages since time began. I knew after hearing the word of the Lord, I'd never walk anywhere again without seeing Jesus as a babe in the new-green of spring. I'd never see a field in all its glory without thinking how he lived his life for us in the royal robes of every summer wildflower. I'd ever see the greatness of his love in the beautiful sacrifice in the brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows of fall, and winter white would always speak to me of his death. And then spring again, his resurrection, life eternal."

luv it, luv it!!! so, yeah the book was encouraging. that last passage just made me stop and think of how many times i've "seen" God. just step out and observe nature. stop and "see" God.

happy birthday!

Happy Birthday to my sister! luv!

Black History Month

so, i dont know the official results for the game, yet (in case i don't come back and post.) but this superbowl has special meaning for me. it's black history month and two black coaches are making history. AWESOME! so, whomever wins..GREAT. Have a great BHM. (although we know we should celebrate history's greatness all the time.) go out and learn about your heritage. whatever it is! much love!