A Place of Truth and Restoration

Palm SONday & Passover

2010-03-28T05:12:00.001-07:00

Good morning & greetings to you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Today is what is called PALM SUNDAY. It is the day in history when Jesus was greeted & welcomed into the city, and as an act of honor, the people threw down palm leaves in front of Him. This time in history is also called "The Triumphal Entry".

In this day, we are living in a time of turmoil. And, just as in Jesus' day, people are looking for a "savior", if you will, to our political & governmental system. We look to the "systems" and the "government" to save us, provide for us, guide and lead us. We have gotten our focus off the SAVIOR of the World, Jesus. We have forgotten that He is our Provider & Sustainer, and also when He left this earth, He said that would leave us a Helper, Holy Spirit (John 14:16-18; John 16:7; John 15:26), who would GUIDE us, lead us, & teach us. May we cry out, as David in Psalm 139:23-24: "Search me, O God, & know my heart; Try me, & know my anxieties; & see if there is any wicked way in me, & lead me in the way everlasting." Keeping our eyes on this world's systems is causing great anxiety, worry & fear. These mental anguishes are not from the Lord, but are traps of the enemy that will not only paralyze us & the Body of Christ, but keep us distracted, deceived & entangled by the enemy. We must shake it off & keep our eyes & focus on Jesus Christ, our Lord. HE is the Savior & Provider. Great division is rising up in our nation and world, and we must be united in heart and one-minded on God. It is imperative. We must get in God's Word daily....we must spend time with Him & seek out HIS guidance & counsel. We cannot be led by our own selves, CNN, FoxNews or anyone else of the world. We must be soley focused on Jesus Christ and led by His Holy Spirit.

So, today, as it is PALM SUNDAY, I ask that you take a moment and throw the "palms" down in your life and ask Him into your lives afresh & anew. Welcome Him into those dark areas that you have been hiding and keeping locked up inside. And then on this Passover-Eve, I highly encourage you to celebrate that tomorrow (Monday evening), and ask God to give you the strategies for the days, months and time ahead of us, so that the evil of this world would "Passover" you and your loved ones, & the Body of Christ could not only be spared, but be warring, advancer of God's Kingdom. There are even greater days ahead, but we must be fully armored, discerning, and FOCUSED.

Palm Sunday.......Passover......the time is here, the time is now.......whatcha gonna do with it!?!

God's love & mine,

Lauren

aka Nonnie

Prayer for Lillian

2010-03-25T20:46:00.001-07:00

Please lift up Lillian Jade Hargrove, newborn daughter of Derek & Becca Hargrove up in our prayers! Go GOD!

L ord,
I lift up
L illian & her precious family to You.
L avish them with Your
I ncredible Presence
A and
N xplainable Peace.

J esus, we know that You are the Great Physician.
A nd Jehovah Rapha, our Healer.
D raw this family ever so close to You.
E nvelope them within a blanket of Your love.

H over & sing over them, even as they sleep
A nd protect & provide for them as only You can.
R emind them frequently that they are not alone.
G uide the doctors & nurses that wait upon them.
R ally the Body of Christ to continue to war for them as well.
O ur hearts cry out to You on behalf of this family.
V ictory is just on the horizon!
E xpectantly we wait & pray. Amen!

One Prayer, Two Prayer "Poem" / "Story"

2010-03-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

This is my attempt at a "silly" revision of Dr. Seuss', "One Fish, Two Fish" with a "Holy-Spirit" twist. N'Joy!

ONE PRAYER, TWO PRAYER
By Lauren Childress

One prayer, Two prayer, Read prayer, Feelin’ blue prayer,
Spoken prayer, Silent prayer, Old prayer, New prayer.
This one said in a car.
Another one said in a bar.
Say! What a lot of prayers there are.
Yes, some are read, some said when we’re blue.
Some are old and some are new.
Some when we’re sad, some when we’re glad,
And some are just to praise our Almighty Dad.
Why are we sad, mad and bad?
We just need to spend more time with Abba, our Dad.
Some are quick, and some are long.
The long one was in the middle of a song.

From there to here,
From here to there,
We can pray just anywhere.
There are some who like to pray & run.
They pray & run for fun with Jesus, God’s Son.
Oh my! Oh me! Oh my! Oh me!
God, Jesus, Holy Spirit----blessed Trinity.
Some prayers have just two words and some have four.
Some have six words but most have many more.
Where do they come from? I’m not really sure.
They are birthed and come from a heart that is pure.
As we say them they come, as we say them they go.
Some are fast. Some are slow.
Some are high. Some are low.
Not one of of them, to God is a bother.
He loves to spend time with us----our Heavenly Father.

Jesus, God’s Son, was born in a manger bed

To bring new Life to us who were dead.

What Joy, what Peace, what Love He brings

Jesus came to change everything.

He did miracles, the sick He did heal

He multiplied loaves & fishes for a mega-feast meal.

He walked on water, calmed the storm & called the dead back to life

He was the perfect, spotless Lamb without any sin or strife.

The religious leaders of the day didn’t like what Jesus did or said

They tried to trap Him in His Words & find a way to make Him dead

They came up with a plan to arrest Him & paid Judas 30 pieces of silver to betray Him

Jesus met with His disciples in the Upper Room, washed their feet & broke bread with them

Jesus told them they would desert Him & three times Peter would deny

That he even knew Jesus, but Peter told Him that would never be his reply.

Jesus was arrested after they found Him in the garden with His friends

Where He was praying, & foretelling of His earthly end.

Judas came beside Him & betrayed Him with a kiss

The other disciples were shocked & surprised about this

One of the disciples reach in their belt & drew out a sword

And slashed off the ear of one of the men who came to arrest their Lord.

Then the soldiers took Jesus to Caiaphas, the High Priest

But this priest wasn’t impressed with Him in the least.

Jesus was questioned & beaten, and His blood flowed & ran

Then, Jesus was taken to Pontius Pilate, Judea’s head man

Pilate found no fault in Him, but the crowd cried for His death on a cross

So Barabbas was freed, & for Jesus, it looked like all was lost.

Jesus was whipped & the soldiers crowned Him with thorns

They put a cross on His back, not a way for the King to be adorned.

It is unimaginable to earthly minds just what this selfless act of Love cost.

Jesus walked the Via Dolorosa….the Way of Suffering…….as spit & vile at Him were tossed

Once he got to Calvary, Jesus was hung on a cross between two guilty thieves

One of them mocked Him, but the other one, salvation received

Thump! Thump! Thump!
Can you hear the hammer pump?
The nails go deeper with each one of those thumps.
But Jesus did it to redeem us from the dump.
With each pump & thump Jesus paid the price of freedom in one sum’s lump.
He did this for salvation, healing & deliverance too!
Every curse was broken, what a loving act did our Savior do!

Say! Look at Jesus’ hands!

Do you see the nail scars there?
Look also at his side & feet

He is covered with wounds & blood, as you see.
He died on the cross for me and you.
Then, one, two, three days in the tomb

He went down to hell so that we can be free

Defeating Satan because of His great love for you & me

Jesus took the keys of hell from Satan, so now Jesus rules

Satan thought that he had won….but he was just a fool.
Three days later, Mary Magdalene went to Jesus’ tomb

She was so sad that He had died, & didn’t know what to do

But wait! The stone at the tomb had been rolled away

The place was now empty…….Mary ran to the disciples without delay

She told them that Jesus’ body must have been stolen & moved away

Two disciples, including Peter ran to check out the report Mary had given that day

They found the tomb empty & Jesus’ grave clothes folded & laid in place

Each disciple fled to their homes in fear that someone would recognize their face.

Mary returned to the empty tomb

But now, it was a Light-filled, glorious room

Two angels & even a newly resurrected Jesus were there

What a miraculous sight to behold & share.

Victoriously, on Resurrection Sunday, Jesus arose & made all things new!
What a selfless act of love He did for me and for you!

Mary found the disciples & told them Jesus was alive

And that very night, He appeared to them in the room they had gone to hide

Thomas doubted & wouldn’t be assured ‘til he stuck his hand in Jesus’ side,

And Peter wanted to talk to Jesus, ashamed that of their friendship he had three times lied.

Oh, how excited they were to see Him once again,

And Jesus spent time with them, but His earthly time was near its end.

Jesus told them that He was returning to God in heaven above

But that He would send a Helper, Holy Spirit would descend on them like a dove

Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost in a rushing Holy Ghost wind

They spoke in unknown languages, walked in unity, & shared all they had with foe & friend

That is not the end of the story, Jesus died for all to make things new

And if you ask Him in your heart, He will change you through and through

Then as a believer, be baptized by water, followed by baptism of fire

Holy Ghost empowered-----as you are lifted out of the mire

Jesus said, “Even greater things will My believers do in My name.”

He has a plan & purpose for each of us, our lives are never to be the same.

We are not in this alone, God sent us His Holy Spirit

Who will equip & guide each believer that will take the time to hear it

God will give us eyes to see & ears to hear His voice

But we have to seek Him daily, walk with Him----make that our choice.

Cleansed, redeemed & set free, we must share His message with others

No turning back, not even for our father, mother, sister or brother

Love, Love, Love, it’s the most important thing to do

And pray for all, including the ones that harmed or hurt you

We are called by God, to see that things in heaven are done here on earth

Take up our cross, deny ourselves and walk in the newness of second birth.

Keep our hearts pure & spend time in His Word, worship Him & pray

And He will guide our footsteps as we journey along the way.

We must enter frequently into that place of quiet contemplation.

Shake loose the chains of fear, worry, guilt, shame & condemnation.

He is singing over us, let us dance to Freedom’s song

As we keep in step with Him, we are right where we belong.

This is not the end of the story, no, it’s only the beginning

But we must decide if we will allow God’s redemption, healing & mending.

Salvation, freedom & Holy Ghost power are here……waiting on you.

Now is the time, we each have to make that decision…….”Whatcha gonna do?"

ALICE in WONDERLAND, 3-D

2010-03-10T05:24:00.001-08:00

****SPOILER ALERT!******* Do NOT read if you do not want at least some "clues" to the ending!

ALICE in WONDERLAND, 3-D

I went to see this movie last night......was supposed to meet up with some other ladies, and for whatever reason (I believe a God-reason)......that didnt' happen. When I went to the ticket counter and bought my ticket, they handed me a pair of 3-D glasses. After waiting in a line along the wall, they allowed us to find our seat inside the movie theater, and we watched some "commercials", and previews, and then on the screen popped a message, "It is now time to put on your 3-D glasses."......so I did. The next previews were for 3-D movies, and it always amazes me at how these images "come alive" with these glasses on. It was then, that God reminded me that that is what it is like when we become believers and baptized in His Holy Spirit, and unlike John Conlee's song in 1978, "Rose Colored Glasses", as we "see" in Him and "walk" in Him, we now do so with "Blood Colored Glasses" and we not ONLY see the beauty, but we DO see the Truth too! And that is because everything now is seen and done through the blood of Jesus and the finished work of His cross. If we take those glasses off, or choose NOT to see through them, things get "fuzzy" (yes, I had to compare what I was seeing THROUGH the glasses, and what it looked like without them......really fuzzy!). Therefore, I chose to wear the glasses to view the movie (but occasionally, I would pop them down a little to see what it looked like without them...LOL!).

Alice was a dreamer, and a visioneer, just like her father (aren't we too, hopefully, as believers, just like our Father???). In these dreams, she "saw" things that seemed "impossible" and even a little "crazy" and unexplainable. Some in her family tried to tell her that it was just a vivid imagination and others dismissed it as coming from a crazy girl, but her father, encouraged her. Isn't that the same with us (hopefully) as believers. Over in over in God's Word, He spoke to His children through dreams and visions. In Joel 2:28-29 & Acts 2:17-19, it says, " I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke." I believe God shows us things everyday, even multiple times a day, if we are listening......if we have our "Blood-Colored Glasses" on. We even dream dreams, but we must learn how to retain them, train ourselves to remember them in all their glorious detail (keep a small notebook by your bedside & write them down, even in the night-times, as they happen).
Alice then left the world as she knew it, to "walk" and "talk" and "see".....just like a Star-Trekker....."To Boldly Go Where No Man (or woman) has gone before". What an adventure. How many adventures have we missed out on, because we're "stuck in a box, stuck in a rut" and refused to chase a rabbit down a rabbit hole (even if we kinda have to "fall into it" to get there")? I want to go on that adventure! I want to live an ALICE life!

ALICE =
A.
L.ife
I.n
C.hrist
E.xtraordinaire

Alice, saw new things, did the impossible, made new friends, and lived the "life". She had to face her enemies, she had to find a key (God gives us keys everyday), to unlock that sword that would not only save her life, but the lives of many others. God gave us a Sword.....His Word. But, we have to use the keys (through Holy Spirit) to unlock it and then hold onto it and use it offensively in battle, to defeat the enemy (satan) in our lives and for the lives of others. Alice was urged to "hold onto the sword"....we have to "hold onto God's Word", especially in those times that it seems the impossible is staring us in the face, and the darkness seems to be all around us and the enemy mocking us and our loved ones. Wield your sword, speak His Word to those circumstances, and to your enemy. Go at it with all you've got, because your life & the life of others depend on it. When Alice did so, she "disarmed" the enemy and they dropped their swords. It also helped to "unmask" those that had been walking around in disguise and not being who they really were.

Also, when Alice first started in her "new world", much like when we first believed in Christ, she didn't know who she was. Even, those around her said, "No, this isn't the right Alice". We all hear the lies of the enemy everyday, and sometimes through the words of those around us, that say, no, you can't do that, or "You're not worthy". Those words can even be lodged in our minds through years of hearing our own self-talk or the words of those around us. It is when we truly become grounded in Him, and learn who we are in Christ (through His Word), that we can walk on that "impossible" level and boldly go where no man has gone before. The movie even ends with the caterpillar turning into the butterfly & soaring off....."Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"---1 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV). Shake off that caterpillar mentality, and FLY!, because in Christ, you are a new creation. WOO HOO!!!

One other thing I want to point out from the movie, is the "time-piece". IT IS TIME! It is time for you to become all that God created you to be! Just like in Esther 4:14 (NKJV), "For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" YOU WERE CREATED FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS! God made you, when He made you, for such a time as this.

Okay, all you "Alices" out there.......put on your armor (Ephesians 6:10-19---NIV):
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

As women of God, we are to be warriors for (and to) our families, homes, churches, communities and the world. Are you up to the challenge to live

A. L.ife I.n C.hrist E.xtraordinaire ?

I double-dog dare ya.......now whatcha gonna do about it?

Go GOD......and Go GOD in YOU!!!!!

God's love & mine,
Lauren
(aka Nonnie)

Have You Considered my Servant?

2010-02-18T05:44:00.001-08:00

Job 1: 6-8~~~ (Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” (ESV)

We can all quote that Scripture from Matthew 25:21~~His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'(ESV) And I have heard many of my brothers and sisters, while referencing this Scripture, talk about, "When I get to heaven, I just want to hear My Master say, 'Well done, good & faithful servant'" So, I have a TGIT challenge for you. Let us not just wait for the day "When the Roll is Called up Yonder".....but we are called to enforce His Kingdom and through Holy Spirit working in and through each believer, God brings heaven, here on earth NOW. Do you realize that God is up in heaven saying "Have you considered my servant _______(insert your name), that there is none like him/her on the earth, a blameless & upright man/woman, who fears God and turns away from evil. Because of the blood of Jesus, shed on Calvary, when we become sons/daughters of the King of Kings, that is how God views us. Revelation 12:11 (ESV)~~~And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. The things written of in the book of Job should not bring fear to the believer, but rather challenge us to step up our "walk" with Him, even in the face of adversity. 2 Corinthians 4:5-18 (NASB)~~~For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake.
For God, who said,"Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you. But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I BELIEVED, THEREFORE I SPOKE," we also believe, therefore we also speak,knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Go GOD!!!
May we all come into a new realization of whose we are, who we are in Christ & extend His Kingdom through the power and purity of Holy Spirit working in and through us to extend God's Kingdom here on earth NOW........
It's up to each one of us.....it is a decision that we must choose (daily, even moment- by moment) .........whatcha gonna do with it???

Now, let's 'git out there and 'git after it! Happy TGIT!

Run the Race

2010-02-10T02:36:00.000-08:00

(Inspired by Hebrews 12:1-3):

God is the author & finisher of our faith,

But we have the choice of whether we "get in the game".

So, run the race in such a way as to win the prize

And don't become entangled in satan's web of lies.

Keep your gaze & focus upon our Savior & His Word

And He will go before you as your Shield & Sword.

....Go GOD & Go GOD in YOU!!!!

God's love & mine,

Lauren

aka Nonnie

GoOD Mornin' Lord!

2010-02-09T06:16:00.001-08:00

GoOD Mornin', Lord!
What a beutiful sunrise to start the day. Lord, today, help me not get so caught up in the busy-ness of life, that I can't BE STILL and KNOW that YOU are GOD! Help me to be still today.......to steal that time away with You, in little "God-breaks" scattered throughout my day.......not to learn more information, but more just to spend our special time together. I also know, Lord, that the more time I spend with You, I experience transformation in all areas of my life. Oh how I love our times together. Forgive me for those times that I get so caught up with the events & distractions of this life, and neglect to spend that time with You. Help me, Lord.

I encourage each of you to find those times as well, to BE STILL & KNOW that He is God today & everyday! You'll be sooooooooooooooooooooo glad you did (& so will He!)

Go GOD & Go GOD in YOU!!!!!

God's love & mine,
Lauren

Synchronized Swimmer

2010-02-08T03:42:00.001-08:00

Oh Lord, today I want to sing LOUD and dance hard, that song that You and I share.....that song that You sing over me when the times are hard & rough, that beautiful melody that you hum in my ear as we swirl & twirl through this life......during the times of infinite bliss, as I am wrapped up in Your arms & we commune together, You and I.

Lord, I can hear our song echo in my soul, even during those times when we seem distant. Yes, Lord, I know during these times, that it is not You that has moved, but me, and still You wait, even yearn for me to turn back to You. You woo me to Yourself. Lord, You send birds to sing sweetly to me. You send the wind and the rhythmic rain drops. You paint brillant displays of magnificent sunrises and sunsets. I am surrounded by the sights, sounds, smells of Your creation everyday, every moment. You love well, completely & perfectly. Lord, that we could shadow that love to others in this life. Lord, that we could learn to love more unconditionally, more fully, more richly and more often. Fill me to overflowing with Your incredible compassion for others. God, I do not want to be a reservoir, but a channel of these gifts and this love that You pour over me. I want to share splashes of joy with a brother or sister who is deeply saddened and burdened. I want to share Your flood of hope with those that are discouraged. Lord, I want to be a synchronized swimmer with the River Jesus, so in tune with You, with Holy Spirit, that I can know when to move, exactly at the moment when You say move, and stay when You say stay. That I could flow in that water dance, and in rhythm with the Body of Christ.

Go God!!!

God's love & mine,
Lauren

Worship Him!

2010-01-03T05:39:00.000-08:00

"When I worship, I would rather my heart be without words than my words be without heart." --- Lamar Boschman

I pray you worship Him today! ... Not with just words on a page or wall, but from your hearts. But rather, when you sing, let those words you become YOUR words to the King! I also pray that you don't have to wait until you get in a corporate setting to worship Him, but do it right where you are. Worship is a choice & a lifestyle, not something we do. Worship is not just a song from our mouths or with instruments, but it is the rhythm & harmonies of our very life, should we choose to live our lives flowing in His Spirit & in His Truth. C.S. Lewis once said, "It is in the process of being worshipped that God communicates His presence to men." Jack Hayford says, "Worship changes the worshipper into the image of the One worshipped." Yeah, we become more & more like Him. I leave you with the words of this song & pray that it will minister to you...

When the music fades
And all is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring
Something that's of worth
That will bless your heart
I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the ways things appear
You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You
All about You, Jesus
I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You
It's all about You Jesus

King of endless worth
No one could express
How much You deserve
Though I'm weak and poor
All I have is Yours
Every single breath
I'll bring You more than just a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You
All about You, Jesus
I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You
It's all about You Jesus
Its all about you Jesus

************
Go GOD!....and Go GOD in You!

Now the decision is yours.....whatcha gonna do about it???

God's love & mine,
Nonnie

Open the Eyes of our Hearts, Lord!

2010-01-02T02:07:00.000-08:00

Dear Lord,

In this year, 2010, God, open the eyes of our hearts. Bring each of us to a new awareness & level of knowing who we are in Christ, our place in the Body, & our place on the "wall". I pray that each of Your children understand how loved they are.... with an everlasting, perfect love....the love of Christ Jesus. I pray that we allow God to continue to develop our understanding, mature each one quickly in the Lord, & give us keen, & Godly wisdom & discernment, much like the sons of Isaachar (1 Chr. 12:32) to understand the times & then know what to do. Lord, help us to be good listeners to You, & tune our ears to Your heartbeat for us...for our families, loved ones, churches, communities & the world. We want to be very quick to hear & then obey what we hear You say and to move (or stay) when You say to do so. Help us to be so "tuned in" to You, God, that no distraction, circumstance or event will keep us from hearing or obeying You. Open the eyes of our hearts Lord, to those around us. Help us each to function in a deeper level, in the gifts, talents & abilities that You have given us and together within the Body of Christ. I pray for a new level of boldness, courage & hope to overwhelm us in the days ahead. Fill us with Your courage....IN-courage (encourage) us, Lord. Lord, let the "Lion" roar! Help us to stand & keep standing, even in the midst of great adversity, & to move forward as the unified, mighty Army of God that You have assembled & equipped for such a time as this. We pray this & all things in the mighty name of Jesus, Your Son & our Saviour!!! Amen......Go GOD!!!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie

VIDEO LINK:
OPEN the EYES of our HEARTS, LORD!

Arise & Shine!

2010-01-01T06:46:00.000-08:00

Isaiah 60:1-2

New King James Version:
Arise, shine;For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.
New American Standard Bible
"Arise, shine; for your light has come,And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. "For behold, darkness will cover the earthAnd deep darkness the peoples;But the LORD will rise upon youAnd His glory will appear upon you.
Amplified Bible
ARISE [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you--rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and dense darkness [all] peoples, but the Lord shall arise upon you [O Jerusalem], and His glory shall be seen on you.

The Message
"Get out of bed, Jerusalem! Wake up. Put your face in the sunlight. God's bright glory has risen for you.The whole earth is wrapped in darkness, all people sunk in deep darkness,But God rises on you, his sunrise glory breaks over you."

<)))>< <)))>< <)))>< <)))>< <)))>< <)))>< <)))>< <)))><

I encourage you, this year, 2010, to ARISE & SHINE! Don't "hide your light"! The Amplified version says to arise from the "depression & prostration in which circumstances have kept you in" & to "Shine & be radiant with the glory of the Lord". So, what is it this past season (year) that has been holding you back, maybe even paralyzing you from going forward & doing all that God has created you for? Shake it off...arise & shine!!! God has created each one of us as unique individuals & TOGETHER we make up the Body of Christ. So seek God & His willl & purposes for you in this new season & allow Him to come upon you in a new way & His glory (as The Message beautifully says, His SUNRISE <> glory breaks over you), & SHINE! This is not only for you....but for all those you will come in contact with.....friends, family, co-workers, loved ones & strangers. It's a new day....a new year.....it's time to RISE UP & be transparent enough (not holding back or hiding) that His Light then SHINES THROUGH YOU to all those around you.

The decision is yours.....now whatcha gonna do about it?

Go GOD & Go GOD in YOU!!!!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie

The ElijahList - Prophetic Words and Prophecies

2009-12-11T22:57:00.000-08:00

The ElijahList - Prophetic Words and Prophecies

2009-12-11T02:20:00.000-08:00

WOW! It has been quite a while since I last posted. I actuallly had forgotten about the blog. I am on FaceBook, and that is where I have been keeping up with everybody. Sorry! Hope everybody has a Merry CHRISTmas & Happy New Year!

Wanted to share this quote today. It really touched me! :

Faith is not what you SAY, but what you DO! Act on God's Word and you'll find Him faithful! And don't forget: Every flame of God's fire, including the smallest, represents the whole fire of God. This is my testimony. IT WORKS! --- REINHARD BONNKE

I love that quote! ..... that EVERY flame of God's fire represents the WHOLE fire of God! So that little spark inside of you........represents that WHOLE fire of God......get to sparkin' and shine for Him! Go GOD!!!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

It's been a while.....

2009-08-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

Whew! What a summer it has been.....busy, but fun, too!
Well, I finished up my nursing classes in Denver this past Friday, flew back to Lubbock, Clay picked me up to the airport and we drove straight up to our place in Alto, NM to enjoy a mountain weekend of rest & relaxation. So nice to finally spend some more time with my man. Clay fixed breakfast for us this morning.....what a treat!
Clay just finished leading a Worship Team for a Men's Walk to Emmaus a couple of weeks ago. That was great fun.....made some new life-long friends and LOTS of memories.
Britt & Merrida made it to Cincinatti (I believe some of Merrida's dance students are competing there this weekend). Ambs is busy with her work in Washington DC and all the kids seem to really be happy with their lives, are healthy and for this and MANY more things, we give GOD praise!
Hope that this finds each one of you doing well.....healthy and happy.
Make HIS ways known!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

P.S. ~ It seems I only get these posts made when we are in Alto, NM. Guess things back home are always so busy, no time......sorry! Hugz to all!

Re-Blog on Parenting, etc.

2009-07-22T21:11:00.001-07:00

Here is another re-blog from Ambs' pastor.....great stuff.......READ ON:

Nothing is more rewarding or more challenging than being a parent. We need to help each other out. I know it's tough to boil it down to one thing. So feel free to share a few lessons learned. Here are seven lessons I've learned:
1) Your greatest failures as a parent can turn into your greatest successes IF you simply apologize. You are modeling one of the toughest skills to learn: how to handle mistakes.
2) A great marriage is one of the greatest gifts you can give your kids so focus on your marriage first and your kids second.
3) You create memories via engineering shared experiences. Be intentional about setting shared goals. Become a student of your kids. Learn to love what they love.
4) Parents are prophets. Don't just use your authority to speak correction into their lives. Use your authority to speak encouragement into their lives. Otherwise you will become a prophet of doom.
5) We have a Heavenly Father who compensates for our parental weaknesses. So take a deep breath and relax a little. Even if you're a single parent, you're not alone. God will make up the difference!
6) One of the greatest gifts you can give your kids is time. A little one-on-one time opens channels of communication like nothing else. If you hang with them when they are young they'll want to hang with you when you're old.
7) If all else fails, teach your kids to say please, thank you, and sorry. Especially to God.

P.S. ~ soooooooooo excited! Ambs flies home this weekend. Yeah!!!

Radical Christianity

2009-07-17T03:17:00.000-07:00

Great Video Clip......I dare ya to watch it (& then do something with it and about it!!!)

RADICAL CHRISTIANITY

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Love This!

2009-07-17T01:37:00.001-07:00

I was reading through Mark Batterson's blogs and found this statement from Rick Warren's Twitter account.....just had to share it with you:

So many talented people give 1st class allegiance to 2nd class causes that difuse their energy, weaken their impact & waste their lives.

Other Rick Warren one-liners:

Why do we put salt on ocean fish? The same God who keeps them salt-free while living in brine, can insulate us from worldliness. Jn 17:15

Weddings make us smile but funerals make us think..Death forces us to consider the meaning of life. Eccl. 7:2 .Never waste a funeral.

WOW! That is good stuff.....

Clay & I are headed to San Antonio later today......I have a Wound Care Conference there tomorrow (Sat, 7/18). We are also getting busy with stuff for next weekend's Men's Retreat: Walk to Emmaus in Slaton.....soooooooo exciting (Clay is the Worship Leader for it.) AND......even bigger than that, Ambs (our 24 year old dtr from DC) is coming home next weekend for about 10 days, when one of her best buddies from High-School days, gets married (congrats to Micah Hensley!). WOW! Lotsa good stuff!!!

Hope each of you have a super-blessed TGIF & weekend.......we're gonna!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Mark is HOME!

2009-07-09T02:40:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody!

Sooooooooooooo excited that my nephew, Mark Eaker, is finally out-of-Afghanistan. Clay & I got to have dinner with him last night. Went & ate an Italian restaurant, Orlando's, and then the guys had to do a little "man-shopping" at Academy & Gander Mountain, and then we finished with a trip to Bahama Bucks (great shaved ice place). Had a great visit. He is so excited to be home, and the big O'Donnell Rodeo starts up tonight, and he is really looking for to the next three nights of rodeo. My mom is headed to Texas today, and my brother, came into Lubbock last night......exciting times with lots of family.
Clay & I are headed out to Alto, NM today after I get off work for a little R&R in the mountains (trying to escape this 100+ temp weather). Fun times!!!
Hope each of you have a super-blessed day & weekend.........I'm gonna!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Ambs (our dtr)

2009-07-07T15:36:00.001-07:00

Our daughter had a section written about her in her college's magazine recently. Here is the section, and a LINK to the entire article on Leadership, if you care to read it. GO AMBER!
***************************
Amber Childress ’07 lives in Washington, D.C., and recently joined the staff of the Terrestrial Carbon Group, a climate change mitigation program housed within the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment. She had significant exposure to the federal legislative process before and during her studies at Austin College, serving as a Congressional page while in high school and, while at Austin College, interning in the office of the Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
While a leadership student, Amber led a team of Austin College students who assisted the Greater Dallas Business Ethics Selection Committee in the selection of the annual national awardee in 2007. Amber credited these and other leadership roles she was afforded as a member of the leadership program as instrumental in her personal development and subsequent choice of professional endeavor.
**************************

Thanks for obliging a proud mama!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Christ in You

2009-07-07T04:41:00.000-07:00

I am praising God today for many things.......but let me just list a few for you:

1. My nephew, Mark Eaker, is OUT of Afghanistan, and in WEST TEXAS (as of yesterday), and then on to Farmington, NM for a 30-day leave before he heads back to Germany where he is based. Welcome home, Mark! Thanks for all you do for our country!

2. It is HALLELUJAH TUESDAY!!!! (that means I am OFF call!). YEAH!

3. We have had WONDERFUL rains the past few days and the crops look fantastic! GO GOD!

Hope all of you are having a good week and had a wonderful 4th with family & friends.

A closing thought from me:

Colossians 1:27b says, "Christ in you, the hope of glory". CHRIST IN YOU! I encourage each and everyone of you, to share those gifts, revelations, and Christ's love that HE has poured into you......let it radiate out and lavish it on others. Be a blessing!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Press Video

2009-07-02T16:05:00.000-07:00

This is a great vid of the SECULAR press FINALLY getting the picture of the NON-tranparency of the White House! (Watch it before it gets yanked off of YouTube!!!)

PRESS VIDEO

African thunderstorm

2009-06-30T16:39:00.001-07:00

You will LOVE this video. Great talent. AWESOME!!!

African Thunderstorm!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

10 'Ways to Create Margin (re-blog)

2009-06-28T11:49:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I will post a re-blog from Ambs' pastor, Mark Batterson, lead pastor of National Community Church in DC....this is such a time. This is soooooooo important to learn and for everybody to DO! ENJOY!

One of the quantum challenges leaders face is this: as the organizations they lead start experiencing organizational growth they stop experiencing personal growth. Why? Because of the demands of the organizational growth. They start leading the organization and stop leading themselves. And that is when the blessing turns into a curse. Growth will grind to a halt. In fact, it will probably implode. You lose spiritual margin. You lose intellectual margin. You lose creative margin. And you stop growing. No Margin = No Growth.

The key to continued organizational and personal growth boils down to this: margin. You need margin to think. You need margin to play. You need margin to laugh. You need margin to dream. You need margin to have impromptu conversations. You need margin to seize unanticipated opportunities. You need margin.

One of the primary responsibilities of leaders is creating margin. It almost seems selfish. But you are doing everybody you work with a disservice if you give them everything you've got. You need margin. And it starts with time management. If you don't control your calendar, your calendar will control you.

Here are a ten ways to create margin:
1) Use all of your vacation days. You owe it to yourself and your family.
2) Protect your day off religiously.
3) Don't schedule meetings on certain days or before certain hours.
4) Delegate more responsibility.
5) Only check email during designated times during the day.
6) Get up earlier in the morning.
7) Schedule meetings with God and yourself.
8) Turn off the TV.
9) Get out of your organizational context and go to a conference.
10) Hit the gym. You don't have enough time or energy NOT to work out.

How do you create margin?

Flo's Killer Cake Recipe

2009-06-22T04:16:00.000-07:00

I haven't baked this yet, but my co-worker (Florene Jarrett, LVN) is an AWESOME cook, and she gave me this recipe. Sounds yummy, so I wanted to share it!

FLO'S KILLER CAKE RECIPE

1 box Carrot Cake mix

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

1 can creamy coconut pecan icing (1/2 used in cake, 1/2 used in icing)

Mix cake according to box directions. Add pecans and 1/2 of the icing to this. Pour into 9x13 pan and bake according to box (may need to allow a little extra time). Cool cake completely.

FLO'S KILLER CAKE ICING

1 can creamy coconut pecan icing (1/2 used in cake, 1/2 used in icing)

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 bag powdered sugar

1/2 - 1 stick butter

Mix all above ingredients together and beat (with mixer) until creamy. Ice cake when it is cool, OR for a moister cake, you can poke warm cake with toothpick (all over) & ice when cake is warm.

ENJOY!

Good Morning!

2009-06-22T03:27:00.000-07:00

Received this in my e-mail & wanted to share it with all of you! Have a super-blessed day & week!!!

~Nonnie

***********************************************

When I say good morning I mean to say:

G-od
O-ffers us His
O-utstanding
D-evotion to

M-ake us
O-bedient &
R-eady for a
N-ew day with Him.
I-nspire & encourage others, &
N-ever forget.....
G-od loves you!

Lion Chaser's Manifesto

2009-06-21T17:48:00.000-07:00

I have "re-blogged" this before....but it is back by popular demand. This was written by our daughter, Ambs', pastor, Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor of National Community Church. It comes from his book, Chase the Lion. I highly recommend this book if you have never read it!

**********************************************************

THE LION CHASERS MANIFESTO

Read it. Live it.

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Grab life by the mane. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.

Chase the lion.

TODAY!

2009-06-17T04:58:00.000-07:00

Saw this acronym on my FaceBook this morning & wanted to share it with you:

T = Together
O = Offering
D = Devotion
A = Acknowledging
Y = YOU!

TODAY is the day that the Lord has made.....let us rejoice & be glad in it! GO GOD!

AWESOME Wedding Vows....

2009-06-17T04:49:00.001-07:00

This has got to be some of the most AWESOME (and romantic) wedding vows I have ever seen! Enjoy!

AWESOME WEDDING VOWS VIDEO

My All-Time Favorite Video!

2009-06-17T03:57:00.001-07:00

This has got to be my all-time favorite video!!! ENJOY!

Nonnie's Fav Video!

God's Word says that we are to become like little children....and that they will lead us......GO GOD!

2009-06-17T03:45:00.001-07:00

Well, here we are in the middle of the week.....it has been a great week, too! Clay had a Praise & Worship practice (& dinner) here at the house last night.....it really does something and touches my heart to see (& hear) 5 or 6 men praising God and such powerful worship! WOW! It was awesome!

I saw a video today that I wanted to share with you. Really cute!

MAN SINGING HIS PUPPIES TO SLEEP VIDEO. Enjoy!

Have a great "rest of the week"!.............I'm gonna!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Samba Pa Ti

2009-06-14T09:30:00.001-07:00

And another video Clay did this morning on our deck...................

SAMBA PA TI

Blessings to you all!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

2009-06-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

Here is another video that Clay did this morning on the deck of our place here in Alto, NM!
I LOVE YOU LORD . Enjoy!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Good Morning everybody!

2009-06-14T06:26:00.001-07:00

Good morning, everybody! Great weekend this weekend in Alto, NM. Today is my hubby's birthday....so sending a "shout out" to him to wish him a "Happy Birthday!" He has had a friend from West Texas come visit him here in Alto the last two mornings, and they sipped coffee together on the deck and visited.....nice!
Here is a video Clay shot from our deck yesterday....ENJOY!
Our 24 year old daughter, Amber, is in the Mediterrean somewhere as I type this between southern Italy & southern France, on a private yacht, sailing with co-workers (a job-related, week-long cruise). The sailor is a sailing Olympic gold medal winner from Australia. Hopefully when she gets back there will be pictures to share!

Have a super-blessed day today and enjoy the remainder of the weekend!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Awaiting Seed

2009-06-11T19:01:00.001-07:00

Hey everybody!
We had a realy AWESOME presentation last night at our church from a Christian brother who happens to be a landscape architect. Our church has purchase 17. acres of land to build a new church/activity building/lake/recreation areas/sabbatical area.....etc..... but something that he said during that presentation has kept coming back to me over and over......something that has great spiritual concepts to it. We were talking about the landscaping.....and he was discussing bringing in "natural grasses" into the area, & not "fighting" against the land with something that would not really be "native" to the area......FIRST thing here.....how much time....both in thoughts and actions.....do we spend trying to be something and plant ourselves somewhere that we are NOT or not meant to be at? Hmmm.......think on that one a while & allow Holy Spirit to bring God's Truth to you on that one.....but here is the "kicker" I was talking about.....he said, "There are many, many 'seeds' out there on that land, with a little mowing , that many of these "grasses" are already out there. We need to position ourselves in such a way through this life that we get "stirred up" (sometimes even mowed down) that it cultivates all those seeds that have been planted in our life throughout our lifetime.....things that have lain dormant for far too long. They are waiting on US to allow them to be cultivated......or they can just remain dormant......the choice is up to us.
I CHALLENGE each of you to allow the mowing and cultivating to begin.......go to places where you can get "watered" and "fertilized"........I double-dog dare you! You will NOT be disappointed, and it will not only benefit you but soooooooooooo many others! GO GOD!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

2009-06-09T02:14:00.000-07:00

Good morning everybody! Happy Tuesday!!!
Hope this finds everyone doing well.....but even if you aren't.....BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD! Wanted to share a video with you that Michael James Murphy's team at Central Church in Las Vegas put together.....great video. Enjoy!
BLESSED BE THE NAME VIDEO LINK

Have a super-blessed day....and don't forget.......no matter what is going on.....
Blessed be the Name of the LORD!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Lessons Learned from Noah's Ark...

2009-06-07T11:05:00.000-07:00

Here some lessons we can ALL learn from Noah's Ark (this has been on e-mail for quite some time now.....Author Unknown):

Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah's Ark .

One : Don't miss the boat.

Two : Remember that we are all in the same boat.

Three : Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.

Four : Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.

Five : Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.

Six : Build your future on high ground.

Seven : For safety sake, travel in pairs.

Eight : Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

Nine : When you're stressed, float a while.

Ten : Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

Eleven: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.

Have a super-blessed everybody....remember, 99% of the battle is our mindsets & attitudes......possess a CAN-DO attitude this week......it WILL make a difference!

Smile!

God's love & mine,

Nonnie

aka Lauren

2009-05-22T05:18:00.000-07:00

Here we are again in Alto, NM (seems that is the only time I get a post out). It is raining and the pine smell is AWESOME!!! Guess it's supposed to rain a lot of the weekend, but they oh so need it.....and I can still enjoy it from my deck here. Hope everybody has a super-blessed weekend.
*NOTE: I used to say "Stay Safe!"......or have a safe one, or something like that, but actually, I think that each one of us live "too safely" all the time and miss out on so much the God has for us. So, I have decided to live life dangerously......take some risks......love......and live life to the fullest.....and I encourage you to do the same!

God's love & mine,
Lauren
aka Nonnie

Happy Mother's Day to everybody!

2009-05-09T10:05:00.000-07:00

Hey!
Just wanted to say Happy Mother's Day to everybody. Clay & I are once again in gorgeous Alto, NM. The temp is 62 degrees with only a wisp of wind here and there. Skies are blue.....it is wonderful. Hope everybody is doing well.

God's love & mine,
Lauren
aka Nonnie

Pics (ON the deck)

2009-03-23T10:51:00.000-07:00

CASA SHALOM (in Alto, New Mexico.....our Home away from home...)

Here is a look as you walk onto our deck.
There is a bench (front, right) around the tree in our deck,
our small "breakfast table" on the left....
Trailer entrance on right....
And in the back is our dinner table.
We watch deer from there, relax, dine,
play music, etc etc etc.

Here are pics from our breakfast table. You can see that we can watch the deer just below us, and this is where we often eat breakfast, and just "lounge". It is a beautiful & peaceful place to be!!!

We spend as much time up here as we can. We are about to head home now, but we be back in a couple of weeks!!! YEAH!!!

Hope each of you have a super-blessed week!!!

God's love & mine,

Nonnie

aka Lauren

Beautiful Alto, NM

2009-03-23T05:37:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!

Clay & I are enjoying our last day of a long weekend here in Alto, NM (just north of Ruidoso). The weather has been beautiful, but overnight turned windy and is much colder today. We call our little 5th-wheel, home away from home, "Casa Shalom".....and it is just that.....such a place of peace for us. We will return home today and I start a week of call starting tomorrow (Tuesday). I finally got the green light to return back to full work last Wednesday from my orthopedic doctor, after falling and breaking and dislocating my right shoulder. It has been a LONG 6 weeks of rehab and healing......but God is soooooooooooo good, and did just that. GO GOD! Hope you all have a super-blessed week! ......... I'm gonna.

God's love & mine,

Nonnie

aka Lauren

P.S. ~ Ambs had a great weekend in West Virginia, rock climbing at Seneca Rocks. Hopefully I will get some pics from her and can post some here later this week.

My Jesus I Love Thee

2009-03-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

Here is another new vid that Clay did today. It is my fav finger-style song he does.....the hymn, My Jesus, I Love Thee! ENJOY!!!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Howdy from Texas!

2009-03-14T05:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted here. I was reminded by a family member that she stops by and checks for updates.....and that it has been a while. LOL!
Same ol' stuff......work & church. Clay & I got to go to Ruidoso a couple of weekends ago and had a great time. Wrote a couple of new songs while we were away.
We are having a revival at church (Lamesa Christian Fellowship) right now. It started on Feb. 13, and continues, 6 nights a week (Sat nights off) even now. We have seen a LOT of salvations, healing and deliverance. Incredible times in the Lord!!!
Clay had his 6-month PSA (prostate bloodwork) this past week, and we will get the results this next week. Just a routine checkup. He is doing GREAT!!! You can check Clay out on YouTube, playing a little Samba Pa Ti. He put that on there last night (Friday night).
The kids all seem to be doing well. Britt & Merrida are in Nashville. She teaches Ballroom Dancing and Britt is still at the Guitar Center as an Asst. Mgr (in-training). Britt is also learning some dancing moves from Merrida, and has gotten into rock-climbing.
Ambs is still in DC. Is MUCHO into rock-climbing. Is still mulling over going to Law School this fall, and is starting to get those acceptance letters, but is also looking into all her options. The kids are going on a rock-climbing/camping trip to Kentucky in April. Ambs is just getting over a round of chicken pox.
Everybody is great! Hope you are all well as well. I will try & update more often!
Have a super-blessed weekend!!!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

You Can't Sing What You Can't Hear

2009-02-13T03:45:00.000-08:00

This is a RE-BLOG from Ambs' pastor, Mark Batterson.....GREAT STUFF!!!!

~Lauren (aka Nonnie)

**************************************

You Can't Sing What You Can't Hear

I recently read a fascinating story about a musical trainer who worked with Opera singers who could not hit certain notes within an Octave, even though the notes fell within their vocal range. It was a mystery. The trainer did extensive testing on their vocal chords, but he couldn’t find any reason why they couldn’t hit those notes. On a whim, he tested their hearing. And what he discovered is that these Opera singers could not sing a note they could not hear. The problem wasn’t singing. The problem was hearing. Made me think of that phrase that is repeated throughout the New Testament: he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says. I think many of us are trapped in negative cycles or sinful habits or destructive addictions because we haven't heard the loving voice of our Heavenly Father say, "This is my child in whom I am well pleased." When you start to hear the voice of God--His loving voice, His graceful voice, His assuring voice, His powerful voice--you begin to sing what you're heard. By the way, this is why it's so important to read the Word. When you open the Bible God opens His mouth. For what it's worth, I'd rather have people hear one word from the Lord than a thousand sermons!

J.O.Y.

2009-02-06T05:38:00.001-08:00

"Have no fear. Joy--radiant Joy must be yours. Change disappointment to Joy."
~~~Two Listeners

This (the above statement) was on my computer screen this morning. This is soooooo in-line with what I have been hearing God say, even sing over me lately! We recently were in Ruidoso and went to our church there, Grace Harvest Church. What a beautiful body of believers! We heard the Associate Pastor, Rifle Salazar, preach/teach on joy. It was very
inspiring and brought great revelation. His definition of joy was an acronym for the word. J (esus) O (n) Y (ou).......I love it....Jesus on you!!! Even in the midst of life's darkest hour......our toughest trials.......may we choose to live it so others see JESUS ON YOU (us).
The days we are living in.....if you watch the news.....you can easily slip into fear and disappointment........but Jesus gives each of us such a measure of faith (and JOY) that hopefully others see JOY. It does NOT mean that we will not have trials.....we will! God's Word says we will. I just challenge each of us (especially me) that others see Jesus On You......JOY!

God's love & mine,
Lauren

P.S. ~ I also pray, in Jesus' name, that God break any fear, disappointment, discouragement, depression....even oppression OFF of you, RIGHT NOW.....RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE........and that you go forth (that means GO FORWARD.....ADVANCE!!! (with COURAGE and BOLDNESS).......in JOY!!!!
Woo Hoo! \o/

The Principles of Fatherhood

2009-01-31T18:45:00.000-08:00

A friend of ours, Chris Craig, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Plainview wrote this....and I wanted to share it with you. It is really good!!!

God's love & mine,
Lauren
aka Nonnie

**************************************

The Principles of Fatherhood

Parents are instructed to "train up a child in the way that they should go." Unfortunately, for the most part I see parents, especially fathers telling their children the way they should not go. At first this seems like symantics; but, it is important for a father to do the following 5 things for their children.

1. Establish their Identity - A lot of people struggle with understanding the "will of God" for their life; but, scripture is full of examples where God spoke clearly with people about their destiny. God does have a plan for the lives of our children. We need to spend time with Him and with them so that we can help them to understand who God made them to be. 2 great examples of this are Gideon (Judges 6:11-13) and Peter (Matthew 16:17-19).

2. Establish their Authority - Children will frequently find themselves in situations where other people try to tell them what to do. Our children must know that we will defend them in situations like this. Our children should know that we trust them and that we will back them up if they ever find themselves in a position where they feel like they have to take a stand. Sometimes, like God, we need to tell people to shut up and listen to our children since they know what they are talking about. (Luke 9:32-36)

3. Develop thier Giftings - Children need a father to teach them how to do the things God is calling them to do. We see a picture of this in the Old Testament story of Aaron and his sons. When Aaron's sons were going to start doing what God wanted to do they had to wear their fathers clothes for the first seven days of the job. Aaron's sons had to learn to fill their father's shoes before they could be trusted. Likewise, as fathers, we must make sure that we are good examples for our children to follow.(Exodus 29:29-30)

4. Develop their Character - Most people try to understand the will of God in terms of location and vocation. They want to know where does God want me to live and what does God want me to do. I do not think that the will of God is primaraly concerned with either of these two issues. I think God is more concerned about who we are than what we do. If we are men/women of character then we can be trusted in any situation. As fathers we must make sure that our children develop a servants heart before they are allowed to assume high levels of responsibility. If we do not help them do this then their lack of character can destroy anything their gifting can build. We see a great example of this in the life training of Joseph in the book of Genesis.

5. Teach them to Fight - One of the most discusting things I encounter is passivity. (especially in men) Some how Christians have bought into some strange turn the other cheek mentality; but, there is a time for all things under the sun. Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a a time to gather stones and a time to throw stones. The marines say it kind of like this, "A lot of sweat in times of peace prevents a lot of blood in times of war." As fathers we must teach our children how to stand up for what they know is right. The truth is worth fighting for, women and children should be defended, and evil should be resisted. Like Aaron Tipton says, we must teach our kids to "stand for something" or they will "fall for anything." (Genesis 14:14-16)

Coffee Filters (who knew?)

2009-01-28T07:02:00.000-08:00

COFFEE FILTERS Coffee filters ...who knew! And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Tree for almost nothing.

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. They make excellent covers.
2. Clean windows and mirrors. Coffee filters are lint-free so they leave windows sparkling.
3. Protect China. Separate your good dishes by putting a coffee filter between each dish.
4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.
5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture & prevent rust.
6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.
7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.
8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a filter on a kitchen scale.
9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.
10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a filter to prevent soil from going through the drainage holes.
11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.
12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters.
13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. Soaks out all the grease.
14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."

OH YEAH THEY ARE GREAT TO USE IN YOUR COFFEE MAKERS.

11 Things You Won't Learn in High School

2009-01-19T02:34:00.000-08:00

Here are :
11 things you won't learn in High School
(has been attributed to being written by Bill Gates......)

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!
Rule 2 : The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.
Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.
Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.
Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

The Movement (RE-BLOG)

2009-01-19T02:29:00.000-08:00

Here is the SECOND Re-blog from Amber's pastor, Mark Batterson of National Community Church in Washington DC. Enjoy!!!

I was part of an interesting gathering yesterday called The Movement. Not even sure how I got invited. But it was quite an eclectic group. I sat at a table with Hank Hanegraffe, the Bible Answer Man. And I was in a discussion group with Phil Vischer, creator of Veggie Tales. Talk about left-brain and right-brain ends of the thought spectrum. Lots of different theological and methodological persuasions represented.
Just thought I'd share some personal reflections. The gathering really revolved around this question: what's wrong with the church? That isn't the way it was phrased. And it wasn't meant in a negative way. I think everyone gathered deeply loves and believes in the church. But the church-at-large has issues. And we need to be humble enough, honest enough, and courageous enough to admit it.
Here's my take.
I think the modern church has fixated on sins of commission. Don't do this and don't do that and you're alright. But that's not alright. Why? Because goodness is not the absence of badness. You can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right. That is why we're more known for what we're against than what we're for. Christianity was never intended to be a noun. It was meant to be a verb. It is sins of omission, those things we could have, would have, or should have done for the cause of Christ, that grieve our Heavenly Father. We've got to quit playing defense and start playing offense. We need to quit fighting amongst ourselves and start loving our enemies. We need to quit pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Discipleship is so much more than the accumulation of rote knowledge. It's a sanctified imagination that dreams God-sized dreams. It is a heart that breaks for the things that break the heart of God. It's not enough to create our own sub-culture. We desperately need to raise up a generation that feels called to culture-shaping professions as God-ordained vocations. We cannot reduce the gospel to the forgiveness of sins. It's about glorifying God by maximizing our God-given potential and serving our God-ordained purpose. It can't just be about creeds. It's got to be about deeds. It can't just be about us. It's got to be about others. We need the courage to stand up for what's right in a culture where nothing is wrong. But we need to do it in a spirit of humility. We need the courage to incarnate the gospel in creative ways. But we need to do it in a spirit of authenticity. And we need the courage to preach the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth. But we need to do it in a spirit of grace.
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Can I get an Amen???? AMEN!!!!! Go GOD!!!

God's love & mine,
Lauren
aka Nonnie

If you knock long enough..... (RE-BLOG)

2009-01-19T02:22:00.000-08:00

I came across several AWESOME blog posts from Amber (our daughter)'s pastor, Mark Batterson of National Community Church in Washington DC. Here is the first one.....

The theme of the Nebraska Pastor's Retreat was building a ministry that endures. Talked about Luke 11. One phrase from the New Living Translation really got in my spirit: if you knock long enough.
I think most of us never see our dreams become reality simply because we give up too soon. What if the Israelites had stopped marching around Jericho on the sixth day? What if Naaman had only dipped in the Jordan river six times? What if Elijah had stopped praying for rain on the sixth attempt? They would have forfeited the miracle. I love the underlying message of those stories: the miracle is only one lap, one dip, or one prayer away. We need to live with that kind of holy anticipation.
As I look back on my own life, the blessings of God are really the byproduct of asking, seeking, and knocking. If you knock long enough...
NCC broke all the church planting rules. We weren't 100 by the end of our first year. We weren't 200 by the end of our second year. According to the experts, we should have never broken those barriers. But if you knock long enough...
It took eight years to purchase 201 F Street, rezone the property, and construct the coffeehouse. Felt like forever. But if you knock long enough...
I tried to write a book for ten years. I have half a dozen half-finished manuscripts on my computer. I was frustrated beyond words. But if you knock long enough...
Try harder.
Try longer.
Don't give up.
Don't give in.
if you knock long enough...

Happy 2009, everybody!!!

2009-01-07T01:01:00.000-08:00

To my wonderful friends and family I pray:
“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.” (Num. 6:24) “Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.” (Is. 60:1).
This will be a year of great changes, challenges and turmoil. Do not keep your eyes and spirit focused on the world, and especially not the world news, but rather, upon the LORD. I plead with you to stay in His Word, and stay near Him. You need the counsel of not only the Lord, but other Christian brothers and sisters, so do not forsake the assembling of yourselves with others, for just as an ember (or coal) will quickly grow cold and dies out on it’s own, but together, in the presence of others, quickly becomes a raging flame, you need the encouragement and accountability of others, as well as further equipping in His Kingdom. Don’t be a lone ranger this year……you need the LORD and you need others (and they need you). This is VERY important! I pray the prayer of Jabez over each one of you: “Oh, that You, God, would bless each of them, indeed and enlarge their borders and that Your hand might be with each of them, and that You would keep them from harm that it may not pain them!” (1 Chronicles 4:10) And I know that God will grant me as I have requested, for I request it in the name of the Lord. “I do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might. (Eph. 1:15-19) Remember who you are in the Lord, and staying in His Word and in right-fellowship with Him, will keep you “connected” with the revelations He will show you in the days ahead. “You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you; and light will shine on your ways.” (Job 22:28).
You must remember how important and powerful are the words that come out of your mouth….they are actually life (and death). Just as God spoke the earth and everything into existence, because His Spirit dwells and empowers us, we have that same power…..in the spirit. “Should evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your name is in this house) and cry to You in our distress, and You will hear and deliver us.” (2 Chronicles 20:09). There will be plenty of opportunities in the days, weeks and months ahead, when trouble lurks all around, to worry and stress, but cry out to GOD and He will hear and deliver you. Psalm 20:09 says, “Save, O LORD, may the King answer us in the day we call.” And God will do just that! There is a warning to heed in Jeremiah 20:09 “But if I say, ‘I will not remember Him or speak anymore in His name, ‘ then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it.” He has placed His word in your homes (Bibles) and in your hearts, and spirits. Heed His Word, and turn to Him, instead of the nightly news to know what to do in the days ahead. This year, 2009 to us, and 5769 in the Hebraic calendar, is a year of God’s goodness in the midst of suffering. In God’s Word, the number “9” represents the womb and also the wineskin. There will be much travail and “stretching” this year, but if we stay strong in Him and in fellowship with Him, there will be a birthing of such new and great things that we cannot, even in our greatest dreams, begin to perceive what will be…..in us, around us and through us. GO GOD!!! Do not allow satan to abort or burst the wineskin of God's plans and purposes. Stay fresh and new in Him, so you can stretch as things begin to change and eventually birth his plans and purposes. Remember Hannah in the Bible. She travailed to birth the future of Israel in the midstt of a tumultuous season in history. “I hold the year in My hands in trust for you. But I shall guide you one day at a time. Each day I supply the wisdom and the strength.” ~~~ Two Listeners. Just as in the Old Testament, God supplies us with daily manna…..get in His Word daily and eat……it is life to you. Also, I pray that none of us arrive in heaven to find storehouses of miracles, gifts, encounters and opportunities that we missed while here on earth, because we were too timid, lazy or unknowledgeable to access them.
I pray that each of us live our lives BOLDLY and to the full this year. I encourage you to read the story of William Borden by following the link attached to his name, and that when we come to the end of this life, we too can say.....
NO RESERVES......NO RETREATS.......NO REGRETS!!!
Go God!!!!

Words Across Enemy Lines

2008-11-20T05:45:00.001-08:00

Here is another poem the Lord gave me through the night last night, and I was able to get up this morning and complete it. Thanks be to God!

WORDS ACROSS ENEMY LINES

11-20-2008

Encrypted words crossed enemy lines today
As the war of the worlds proceeded
For the soldiers were in need of reinforcements
And the Commander would know just where they were needed
Encrypted words crossed enemy lines today
As fear, sickness, and famine lurked about
The soldiers knew the Commander could get those provisions
To every place needed, without any doubt
Encrypted words crossed enemy lines today
And the enemy intercepted and tried to decode them
Try as they may, no solution came their way
And they knew the battle was not theirs to win
Encrypted words crossed enemy lines today
As spirit-filled believers used their prayer language to pray
As the prayers went up, and they communed with the Lord
He sent angels, answers and revelations their way.

Encrypted words crossed enemy lines today……
I pray they were yours too
For through them the Lord will show you the way
And advance His Kingdom in and through YOU!

To God be the Glory!

God's love & mine,

Nonnie

aka Lauren

Encrypted Words

2008-11-20T05:41:00.000-08:00

Here is a poem the Lord gave me during Church Services last night:

ENCRYPTED WORDS

11-19-2008

Encrypted words of wisdom
Written on fleshy hearts of love
Full of His decrees and revelation
From God’s throne room above
These words are keys to unlock God’s mysteries
Here on the earth below
Some for now and others for later
We must pray for His timing in this to be known
Words of strategy…..words of hope
And still others to bring victory
Words of caution, words of wisdom
And still others to set the captives free
God has His words for each one of us
We must listen and be still
Study His Word, lean into Him
Empty ourselves and prepare a place for Him to fill
Fast and pray…..wait upon the Lord
Recognize His voice and obey
These words are not only for us alone
But also to help others along their way
As God writes His words upon your heart
Be quick to write them down too
For God has placed His Kingdom
Deep inside of you!
Do not hide it under a bushel
Allow His light to shine through you
Share His Word with everyone
In all you say and do
Encrypted words of wisdom
Written on fleshy hearts of love
Full of His decrees and revelation
From God’s throne room above
These words are keys to unlock God’s mysteries
Here on the earth below
Be ready to receive them
And then share them, as on your way you go

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

How to Pray for the Election

2008-11-03T04:02:00.000-08:00

How to Pray for the Election - Testimony of Answered Prayer

Praying for the Upcoming Election

Patrick Joshua is the Director of the National Prayer Networkand a father figure to the prayer movement in India .

Because of a special burden for our nation, he visited theUnited States twice in recent months, including a trip to Houston. Patrick believes the U.S. is at a very critical timein history, the impact of which will be felt around the world.

During his visits, Patrick told the story of God'sintervention in India in 2004, in response to the fervent,united prayers of His people. At that time, political forces had mobilized with the intention of turning their nation in a direction that would make it almost impossible for Christians to share or practice their faith. Those forces had the momentum and the numbers as the Christian population in India is a minority - by some estimates representing only 6% of the 1.1 billion people in the nation.

The situation was desperate. Many thought it was impossible. So they turned to the God of the impossible and began to pray. In cities and states across their nation, a movement of united, fervent prayer arose, but with a unique focus. They weren't praying for particular candidates or political parties. Instead they were praying for the person of righteousness, the person of God's choosing, to be elected in every elected office. Right up until the day of the election every poll and pundit predicted the election would be a landslide for those who were opposed to the gospel. When the votes were counted, however, the results revealed a different story. In district after district those candidates and political allies who opposed the gospel had been soundly defeated. At a national level they were out of power. Needless to say the press and the pundits were stunned. No one saw it coming. So what happened? It seems God heard the cries of His people and touched the hearts of the voters as they went into the voting booths. Some believe a corporate conviction came upon the people and they indeed voted for the person of righteous, the person of God's choosing. This was seen most dramatically in the states and regions where prayer was the most concentrated and fervent. In one of those states, laws that restricted the advance of the gospel were immediately repealed.While our situation is certainly different, Patrick believes we are at a critical crossroad. He has encouraged us to follow a similar pattern in prayer for our upcoming election.

Here's the pattern for prayer as we approach our election.

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Prayer Guide for the Election

Begin with Heart Preparation:

- Come into God's Presence with Worship.

- Thank God for his great mercy and many blessings.

- Ask God to extend his mercy to us and to our nation.

-Pray for the upcoming election

-1. Those running for office nationally: Instead of praying for specific candidates or political parties

-Pray that the person of righteousness, the person of God's choosing, would be selected in every congressional district, every senate race and for the office of President.

- Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a disgrace to any people.Proverbs 14:34

2. Those running for office at the state and local level: Pray that the person of righteousness, the person of God's choosing, would be selected in every elected office at the state and local levels.

- When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan. Proverbs 29:23.

Those voting: Pray that each person voting will be convicted to vote for the person of righteousness, the person of God's choosing, in each elected office and in each ballot initiative.

Pray for God's Presence to overshadow each person as they make their decision.

- The Spirit of the Lord will be upon him

- the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord

- and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; Isaiah 11:2-3

4. Those involved in the election process: Pray that every official involved in the election process would serve with honesty and integrity of heart.

- The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weightsare his delight. Proverbs 11:1

5. Those praying: Pray that God would empower intercessors and people across the nation and around the world to call out to Him day and night in extraordinary prayer during this season - and beyond.

- And I will pour out on the house of David and theinhabitants of Jerusalem a Spirit of grace and supplication. Zechariah 12:10

6. The Church: Pray that the Church would be fully awakened, engaged and empowered during this critical season. Pray that we would understand the urgency and importance of this election and the implications for the advancement of God's purposes in our nation and around the world.

- The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.Isaiah 9:7

7. Our nation: Pray that God's plans and purposes for our nation would be established during this election season. Pray that we would be a nation who follows God and is a blessing to the nations of the earth.

Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10

Advent Conspiracy

2008-11-01T21:03:00.000-07:00

Hey, I received the sweetest letter from our daughter, Ambs, tonight. She had been to church and her pastor, Mark Batterson, had talked about an organization that provides water to villages that don't have it, and suggested that instead of giving gifts, that people donate to this organization instead (or also). Wanted to provide the link for you. It is a GREAT idea for individuals, families and churches! ADVENT CONSPIRACY.

God's love & mine,
Lauren

P.S. ~ Pray for Clay & my traveling mercies as we travel home tomorrow (Sunday)----Clay from the deer lease, and myself from Arlington, as I have been spending some time with my step-mom, Anna. We are going to a new church tomorrow morning, The Vine Fellowship. I am really pumped up about that. Hey, don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour tonight....YEAH! an extra hour of sleep!!! (Probably, lots of folks will be EARLY for the services tomorrow. LOL!!!)

Fresh New Format for this Blog

2008-10-29T05:59:00.001-07:00

Good Morning Everybody!

Today is a new day and we Praise God that His mercies are new every morning!!!! WOO HOO! \o/

Today I want to start a fresh and new format on this blog. I want to share a Scripture, maybe a word with you, and then a prayer. Prayer has always been a favorite part of my day and way I LOVE to spend with our Lord.

"For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, And for Jerusalem's sake I will not keep quiet, Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and Her salvation like a torch that is burning. And the nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you will be called by a new name, Which the mouth of the LORD will designate. You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, And a royal diadem in the hand of your God. It will no longer be said to you, "Forsaken," But you will be called, "My delight is in her," And your land, "Married"; For the LORD delights in you, And to Him your land will be married, For as a young man marries a virgin, So your sons will marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices the bride, So your God will rejoice over you. ~~~Isaiah 62:1-5 (NASB)

There is just soooooo much in that verse, and I pray that Holy Spirit bring you His Word and a revelation through it. Let's pray!

Dear Lord,
I lift up my friends & family to You. You are so awesome and Jehovah Nissi, our Banner! I pray that each and everyone of them come to a deeper understanding and wisdom about who they are in You, about the plans, purposes and destiny that You have for each one of them. I pray against every word curse that has been spoken about them, their families, their past, and we speak blessing. They are NOT forsaken and desolate, but blessed, and You delight in each and everyone of them. I plead the blood of Jesus over them and pray that You shower them with Your grace, love & mercy. Take them into the deeper things of you with a refreshing and greater level of knowledge and wisdom in You and Your ways. Help us to speak blessings over others, even those that so not look out for our best. We want to be a light in the darkness. We want to advance Your Kingdom this and everyday of our life and to bless and praise You in all circumstances. We give You this day, every minute of it. We bless You, Lord! We go now, out as You are sending us, as Your ambassadors. Help us to stand strong today for You and to be bold anc courageous. We pray this and all things in Jesus' name! AMEN!!!

Iron .Sharpens.Iron

2008-10-27T20:45:00.000-07:00

I recently received an e-mail from Glory of Zion entitled, Listen.Alert.Watch. It was talking about the times that we are in and the necessity that it is that we keep our spiritual eyes and ears open, be alert and watch (and move when we need to). It is no revelation to anyone (I hope, anyway) that we are in a very critical and crucial time in this nation. We each need to possess the wisdom, discernment and have a spirit of Isachaar to know the times/seasons we are in and then what we need to do about that. We ALL need to listen, be alert and watch. I also would like to exhort each of you to take heed of this Scripture:
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." ~~~Proverbs 27:17 (NASB)
Can we also ascertain from this Scripture that if iron sharpens iron, that iron can also become dull, if not sharpened, or even that there could be some things out there that actually dull us (the iron that we are)???
We just had incredible services at our church this past weekend with Bishop Jerry and Dr. Sherrill Piscopo. That was definitely a time of iron sharpening iron. Other "iron sharpens iron" times are the fellowship times when we spend with each other, times we go to church, home groups or Bible Study, Sunday School, even relationships (especially Paul/Timothy ones) we have with others.
But some of those things that we must be vigilant about that could "dull" us, and make us uneffective, less effective, or even indifferent might be: addictions/dependencies, TV shows and TV time, even computer/internet; pornography, time-wasters, people that we hang around that are not good for our character, etc., and anything else that keeps us from worshipping God, spending more time with Him, etc.
Let us be soooooo careful to be in "iron sharpens iron" places in our lives, so we be ready in season and out of season.
GO GOD!

God's love & mine,
Lauren

P.S. ~ Clay's mom (Melba) and our nephew (Patrick) are currently on the last leg of their journey home after spending a few days with our daughter, Ambs. up in Washington DC. We are praying for their traveling mercies. Also, pray for Ambs, she didn't get the score on her LSAT (test to get into law school) that she wanted, and will be studying to take it again the first part of December. Pray she does well, and more importantly, that God give her peace. Thanks!

Ambs back in DC

2008-10-12T20:43:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!

Just a quick shout-out to let you know that Ambs made it safely back home to DC tonight. (Thanks for your prayers for her traveling mercies.) She had a great trip while she was here and we really enjoyed having her home for a few days. We all got to see some old friends this morning at HCF in Lubbock. It was a great service and then tonight, we got to fellowship with some new friends (and some old friends too) at a Home Group in Tahoka. God is doing AWESOME things and we give Him all praise, honor & glory. GO GOD! WOO HOO!!!

Hope you have a super-blessed, SUPERNATURAL week.....I'm gonna!

God's love & mine,

Nonnie

aka Lauren

2nd Re-Blog (Ruin Me)

2008-10-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

Here is the 2nd of those re-blogs. ENJOY!

~Nonnie (aka Lauren)

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Ruin Me

I think this is my eighth catalyst conference. And I have to say that today was maybe the most powerful day of speakers I've ever heard. It ministered to my mind and my heart.The last session of the day was Craig Groeschel. And his last point or last prayer was "ruin me." It comes down to this: our hearts need to break for the things that break the heart of God. And I felt ruined. In fact, we usually try to beat the traffic and be the first ones out. But our team couldn't leave. We found a conference room to talk and cry and pray.As we sat in the balcony during that last session, I felt like the Holy Spirit took me back to my initial call in college. And He said in that spirit voice: what happened to the guy that used to pace the chapel balcony for hours seeking my heart? It messed me up. Broke me. Wrecked me.I need to quit ministry and go back to calling.May God ruin us!

Great Re-Blog (Three Translations)

2008-10-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

Here is the first of 2 re-blogs from Ambs' pastor, Mark Batterson. They are excellent!

God's love & mine,

Nonnie

aka Lauren

P.S. ~ Oh yeah, we are back from Ruidoso. Ambs is already on her way to L-town to visit with friends, and we put her on on a plane back to DC tomorrow. Pray for her safe traveling mercies, and that she makes the 35 minute connection in Houston to DC. Thanks!

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Three Translations

Had a thought during one of the sessions today.There are three ways to translate the Bible. You can translate it with 1) your mind 2) your heart and 3) your life.
I think a lot of us settle for the mental translation. But the end result is information. And what happens is this: we learn more, do less, and think we're growing spiritually. But not if that's the only translation.
The second translation is emotional. And the emotional translation may seem more subjective than intellectual translation. But that is when our hearts break for the things that break the heart of God. It’s not just information. It’s transformation. For the record, I think one person with one deeply held conviction will make more of a difference than someone with a hundred good ideas.
Finally, there is the life translation. That is when we become a “living epistle.” That is when the noun turns into a verb. And that is how we change the world. At the end of the day, Jesus isn't going to say, "Well thought good and faithful servant." He's going to say, "Well done good and faithful servant."
Imagine a church filled with people who are translating the Bible with their lives!

Saw 2 Good Movies 2day!

2008-10-04T21:24:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!
Clay & I just got in from a day in Lubbock. We saw two movies today. We saw a western called Appaloosa (sp?), that was pretty good and then an AWESOME movie called FIREPROOF. I highly recommend, especially the latter one to you. Bring Kleenex with you for the second one, too (even you guys!).
Ambs feels she did pretty good on her LSAT today. She won't know the results for 3-5 weeks or so. She is staying in Lubbock tonight with friends, and they were going out to celebrate her 24th birthday (which is tomorrow---Sunday). We are all going over to Clay's mom's house tomorrow night for a big birthday celebration for not only Ambs, but our niece, Portia, who turned 19 on Friday night, too. Happy Birthday, girlz!
Have a super-blessed, SUPERNATURAL Lord's Day!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Ambs home (for a few days)!

2008-10-04T08:41:00.000-07:00

Well, Ambs made it home yesterday (Friday). YEAH! She is taking her LSAT this morning. (LSAT = Law School Admision Test). She has been studying for it for quite some time now. Also, her birthday is tomorrow (Sunday, Oct. 5th). She will be here about 10 days total. We are taking her out to Ruidoso to our camper there for a few days next weekend, and then she flies home on Sunday.
The llamas all seem to be doing fine, as well as the rest of the animals on Childress farm. LOL!
Not much else to tell. All is well here. Hope all is well for each and everyone of you as well.

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Perhaps (Re-Blog)

2008-10-04T08:34:00.001-07:00

Ahhhh......... another re-blog from Ambs' pastor, Mark Batterson (but a really good one, too!):

PERHAPS

Here's one of my favorite phrases in Scripture. I Samuel 14:6 says, "Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf." I love that modus operandi. But I honestly think many if not most Christians take the opposite approach. Perhaps the Lord WON'T act in our behalf. We let fear dictate our decisions. We have a better-safe-than-sorry mentality. We live as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death.

Maybe it's time for a paradigm shift. When did we start believing that God wants to take us to safe places to do easy things? Here's a thought: the will of God is not an insurance plan. It's a daring plan.

I think we've made a false assumption that the will of God gets easier as we grow spiritually. Some dimensions do get easier with the consistent practice of spiritual disciplines. But I also think God will give us more difficult, dangerous, and daring things to do!

I love this phrase. It's so hopeful. It's so optimistic. And it's the key to living with holy anticipation. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. May God give us the spirit of Jonathan!

Napolean Dynomite

2008-10-02T16:39:00.000-07:00

Introducing the newest, Llama addition.......

NAPOLEAN DYNOMITE

(just 24 hours old!)

Mama Llama & Baby

2008-10-02T16:36:00.000-07:00

Here are Mama Llama, Tina, and her 24-hr old baby, Napolean Dynomite, in the pasture. Awwww! :)

Chester, the Papa Llama

2008-10-02T16:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a pic of our Papa Llama, Chester:

*NOTE: You will note, Tina, the Mama Llama, laying down in the right background.

The Grand Canyon

2008-09-22T06:57:00.002-07:00

O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! In wisdom, Thou has made them all: the earth is full of Thy riches! ~~~ Psalm 104:24

The guys praisin' God in the Canyon

2008-09-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

Lookin' at the BIG DITCH!

2008-09-22T06:47:00.001-07:00

Sissy & Big Al!

2008-09-22T06:41:00.001-07:00

This is my sister, Lisa, and her hubby, Allen. We call them Sissy and Big Al!

2008-09-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

GRAND Canyon!

2008-09-22T06:22:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody!!!! Sorry it has been so long since I last blogged. LOTS has been going on! We are currently in Flagstaff, AZ, with my sister and her hubby (Allen & Lisa Eaker). We are having a BLAST! We went to the Grand Canyon yesterday. Clay & I have been there a couple of other times, but I am ALWAYS just totally blown away by the beauty and vastness of it. I will post some pics a little later today.
But one other thing I wanted to share, is that I finished Mark Batterson's book, "WILD GOOSE CHASE" yesterday while we were on the road. AWESOME book! (This is our daughter, Ambs' pastor in Washington DC).
I want to quote a portion of the book yesterday that I felt was really profound (pgs. 160-161):
Can I share a personal conviction? I think vision is the cure for sin. One reason many of us get entangled in sin is because we don't have enough God-ordained vision to keep us busy. The more vision you have, the less you will sin. And the less vision you have, the more you will sin. It is vision from God that keeps us playing offense spiritually.
Too often we try to stop sinning by not sinning. That is what psychologists call a double bind. It's sort of like saying, "Be spontaneous." You can't be spontaneous now that I've told you to be! The way to stop sinning is not by focusing on not sinning. The way to stop sinning is by getting a God-sized vision that consumes all your time and energy.

Wow! Chew on that one a while. You may or may not agree with the statements above, but I hope it gets you to thinking. I know it has me! What is the vision for your life? your family? your church? your ministry? Do you know? Is it something that you can do on your own gifts, talents and abilities, or is it much bigger than YOU and something that only God can do (in and through YOU!)? We live in perilous times. Things are tough........but it is also a glorious time too. We gotta get out of the boat, step out in faith and move forward. We have lived life too comfortably for a long time, gotten settled into our comfy-spot, become spectators, and just drifted from here to there. GET OUTTA THE BOAT! Live life dangerously. God has got soooooooooooo much more for us out there. Let's get going!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Chase the Goose!

2008-08-23T04:22:00.000-07:00

I am continuing my reading of Mark Batterson's latest book, "Wild Goose Chase". It is an EXCELLENT read! I also enjoyed his other book, "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day". And I have previously shared his "Chase the Lion Manifesto". He has "tweaked" it and come up with "Chase the Goose".....so I share it with you here:

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Don't let fear dictate your decisions. Don't take the easy way out. Don't maintain the status quo. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing not to lose and start playing to win. Expand your horizons. Create some margins. Take off your sandals. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live today like it is the first day and the last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Challenge old assumptions. Blaze new trails. Don't stop making mistakes. Celebrate your failures. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Don't make a living. Make a life. Quit making excuses. Quit playing defense. And quit putting eight-foot ceilings on what God can do. CHASE THE GOOSE!

Howdy!

2008-08-23T03:18:00.000-07:00

Hey everbody!
It has been a good call week thus far! Thanks for your prayers. Keep them going up!!!
Clay had a PSA done this week. We haven't heard the results from it yet (don't expect it to be anything but ZERO anyway). He sees the doctor for a check-up on September 5th. We are praising God NOW for His good report!!!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Wild Goose Chase

2008-08-21T20:42:00.001-07:00

Hey everybody!!!

Well, Ambs' pastor's new book came out yesterday, and I finally got my hands on a copy of WILD GOOSE CHASE (Subtitle: Reclaim the Adventure of Pursuing God) and have begun reading it. Oh my gosh......it will mess you up! A MUST read!!! I loved his book, IN A PIT WITH A LION ON A SNOWY DAY, but this newest book is awesome, too!
Here is a "zinger" from Chapter 2 (page 16-17) that I LOVE!:

"I'm not convinced that your date of death is the date carved on your tombstone. Most people die long before that. We start dying when we have nothing worth living for. And we don't really start living until we find something worth dying for. Ironically, discovering something worth dying for is what makes life worth living." ~~~ Mark Batterson

WOW! That is powerful.....just let it sink in. I truly encourage EVERYONE to read BOTH of these books!

Have a super-blessed, SUPERNATURAL weekend! (I'm gonna!)

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Channels of Blessing

2008-08-18T06:42:00.001-07:00

GoOD Morning everybody! Hope this finds each one of you doing well. All is great and blessed here......we are sooooooo blessed and highly favored. GO GOD!!! We have been having such incredible services at church.....I can't even begin to tell you all that is happening.....not only AT church, but within the Body of Believers in Dawson County (and beyond!!!). It is mind-boggling. God is moving miraculously and right in our midst. You definitely don't want to miss out......get your feet wet.....hop in with us and get ready for the things to come will be even MUCH greater than these things we are experiencing now. (What we are experiencing now is just the "tip of the iceberg".....the biggest part of it is yet to come, and can't even be "seen" yet).
I read a prophetic word from Dutch Sheets earlier this morning about the month of September being a month of "SUDDENLIES".......whew! I know that NONE of us wants to miss out on that, but we (this includes especially me) need to begin now to prepare for that.....to make room for Him.....and in order to "make room" we gotta get rid of the "junk" in our lives. How sad that many missed an opportunity in Bethlehem long ago, to host the birthing of our Lord Jesus Christ.....because there was "no room". Well, a new "birthing" is about to take place of His Spirit......so MAKE ROOM!!! GO GOD!
Another thing God repeatedly keeps telling me (it may just be a word for me, but I feel I need to share it also) is that we need to stop being just "reservoirs"......we go to church and conferences and just get to "filled-up" and blessed, but then we fail to become "channels" for him, so that it can overflow into others' lives and make a difference, so HIS Kingdom can be manifested in all the earth. Let that sink in.......it's a now-word (at least for me....and on a lot of different levels, too). Make us channels, Lord!!!
Have a super-blessed, SUPERNATURAL week! (I'm gonna!!!).

Also, please pray, I start a week of call at work tomorrow (Tuesday, 8/19). Pray for a "Peace be still" week, including this upcoming weekend, for me and the others that are working on-call alongside me. Thanks!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Please Pray!!!

2008-08-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

This is straight from our local news here. and we are saddened about the passing of such young ones! Please pray for the surviving kids and ALL the families involved!

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Truck Accident Kills 2, Injures 7 In O'Donnell
Posted @ www.kcbd.com (our local NBC News Affiliate)
Aug 2, 2008 05:17 PM CDT

Truck Accident Kills 2, Injures 7 In O'Donnell
The Department of Public Safety tells NewsChannel 11 that two teens were killed, and seven others were injured early Saturday morning when a pick-up flipped three times just north of O'Donnell. The driver, 14-year-old Bobbi Brewer of O'Donnell was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities also pronounced 14-year-old April Lam of Tahoka dead at the scene.
Seven other teens were injured. DPS tells us they are: Jasmine Cano, 14 of O'Donnell, Jared Calvio, 15 of Tahoka, Sierra Rosalas, 13 of Tahoka, Joel Ortigon of Lamesa, Simon Reyna, 18 of O'Donnell, Joshua Garcia, 17 of Lamesa, and Anastacia Zepada, 15 of O'Donnell. Their conditions were not available.
The group was headed north on Doak Street, just north of O'Donnell in a Toyota pick-up around 2:30 a.m. Saturday. Investigators say Brewer had been drinking and lost control. The truck hit the bar ditch, and rolled three and a quarter times, coming to rest on the passenger side.
This accident remains under investigation. DPS tells us none of the teens were wearing a seatbelt.

WOW! WOW! WOW!

2008-07-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

WOW! WOW! WOW! is really all I can say about this past weekend. I have personally laughed.....cried.....shouted.....danced.....praised.....worshipped......and BEEN IN THE POWERFUL PRESENCE of ALMIGHTY GOD! WOO HOO!!! We have seen people dramatically and fully healed, delivered, saved, set free and restored. GO GOD! It has been nothing short of miraculous! \o/ If you are reading this and live in the West Texas area, all I can really say is that you really missed out if you didn't attend at least one of the services.
Eleven of us were licensed to minister this morning, prophesied over, anointed and prayed over. What a blessing from the Lord. Look out world......HERE WE COME! There were just so many things released this weekend, that Dawson County and the area better look out! There is no telling what this is going to birth.
Hope you have a super-blessed, SUPERNATURAL week........mine has already started that way......and will continue.....PRAISE GOD!.......hope yours does too!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Services are fantastic!

2008-07-26T20:52:00.000-07:00

Well, our revival services at LCF have been doing GREAT! What a fun time in the Lord we have been having, as well as LOTS of great teaching, impartation, praise & worship, dancing, etc etc etc. If you live in the area....we have ONE MORE DAY LEFT! Don't miss out on any of it!!!
Sunday Services are at 10:15 AM and 6 PM at Lamesa Christian Fellowship. There will be 11 being licensed for ministry in the morning (I have the privilege to be one of them. GO GOD!). God is just pouring out His Spirit on His people! How awesome it is!!!

Have a super-blessed, SUPERNATURAL Lord's Day........I'm gonna!!!

God's love & mine,
Lauren

Awesome P&W!

2008-07-24T20:29:00.001-07:00

It was sooooooo incredible to be back in the LCF house tonight with our brothers and sisters of Praise! WOW!!! What an incredible time we had in the Lord 2-nite! At the end, we were all in such harmonious unity and enveloped in worship together, that we were transported into the Throne Room of heaven. It was absolutely incredible!!! GO GOD!

If any of you live in the Lamesa / Dawson County area......we are having special services beginning tomorrow (Friday, 7/25) night at Lamesa Christian Fellowship at 7 PM, again on Saturday, 7/26 at 10 AM, 1 PM & 6 (or 7....I'm not sure) PM and then Sunday morning at 10:15 AM and Sunday night, too! Hope you can make it to some of them.......the Holy Spirit is gonna be flowin' and you don't want to miss out on ANY of it! WOO HOO!!! \o/

Hope to c-ya there!!!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

We're baaacccckkkkkk.......AGAIN!

2008-07-24T03:07:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! We are once again back after a long (5-day) weekend in Ruidoso. We are making lots of new friends and it is so relaxing while we are there.
Please continue to pray for my mom. She sees the eye doctor again today and they may run some more tests or send her to a different specialist. Also, they have a mobile home (that they live in during the winter months) down in Edinberg (sp?), Texas-----near Brownsville. They will be leaving Friday to go and check on that property to see how it fared with Hurricane Dolly. Please pray for their traveling mercies while they are gone. Thanks!
Have a super-blessed, SUPERNATURAL day.........I'm gonna!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Back in the Saddle

2008-07-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!!! Sorry it's been a while since I have blogged here. I just got off the worst call week I have ever had....L-O-N-G hours and not much sleep.....but I survivied, and then had a long 4-day weekend up here in Ruidoso. YEAH! I will work another full week this next week, Monday through Friday and then we will have a 5-day weekend up here again. Up here they say.......Change of Altitude = Change of Attitude........and I have to whole-heartedly agree. This place up here is such a haven of peace for us. We are making new friends and getting some much needed rest. GO GOD! Clay & I are both doing really well, as all our kiddos are too. Understand that we got some rain at home while we've been gone......YEAH!......and it has rained off and on up here too, which they have really needed too. We have a covered deck, and are still able to go outside, Praise the Lord, and enjoy the beauty that God created.
Guess I better go, gotta get ready for church (we have found a church we attend when we are up here, and not with our church family, Lamesa Christian Fellowship, when we are back home).

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

P.S. ~ Please keep my mom, Kathy, in your prayers. She had some repeat eye exams this past week, and the doc told her that she has had a stroke sometime in the past. She is really worrying over this, so keep her in your prayers for healing and PEACE! Thanks!!! Also, my sis-in-law, Allison, who lives in Lubbock (married to my brother) was scheduled for a much needed hernia repair tomorrow, Monday, but another doctor reported Friday to her that "something is wrong with her blood and her immune system", and the surgery is put on hold. Keep them in your prayers while they continue testing (and that the hernia will not continue to grow). Thanks!

Nice visit with the kids

2008-06-22T05:43:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody.......

Well, this weekend is drawing to a close....fast! We had a nice visit with our son, Britt, and his wife, Merrida. They were in West Texas for a quick visit (from Nashville, where they live). They have arrived safely back home. Wish we could have visited with them a little longer, but hopefully that will happen next time.
We had a really fun Praise Team Practice on Friday night, too. It is always fun getting together with "family" and Praising God together!!! Can't wait for services this morning......it's gonna be good! GO GOD!
We had our every 2-3 year, Review from the State at work this past week, and we passed with flying colors (NO DEFICIENCIES noted, and they cleared all the ones from the past survey). YEAH! We have such an incredible team at work. Way to go MAHHC!
Hope you have had a great week and weekend.....and an even better one to come!

Have a super-blessed Sunday...............I'm gonna!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

A Word for Lamesa and Dawson County

2008-06-18T04:15:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard that the glass is either half full......or half empty??? Well, to hear some talk right now in West Texas, you would probably have to say they think the glass is half empty. As my pastor would say, they are thinking, speaking and living within a poverty mindset. And (this part goes back to me again) when we do that, we have just shut off the glory realm of the Lord. We must get out of that trap. We (Lamesa/Dawson County and the area) are an Oasis in the Desert. GO GOD! What looks like it just can't be........is. We must continue to ask the Lord to give us spiritual eyes to see this (and He will).
Read the story about the Transformation in Brazil that I have attached. It has many parallels to what is beginning to take place in our midst. There is a move of God happening in Lamesa and Dawson County right now. I pray that each of us are a part of that move, because otherwise, it WILL happen, and move right by and past you. Get in the flow of the River of God (this is a Word from the Lord to myself as much as to anybody). The flow will not just be a trickle. It will not just be ankle deep, but be a WAY over your head, full stream, MIGHTY FLOWING RIVER OF GOD stuff. Prepare your hearts and those of our household. It will come unexpectedly......SUDDENLY......from outta no where and it will be much more and deeper than anyone could have ever imagined. GO GOD! It will touch not only your life, but will go out into and throughout the world.

What an exciting time in the Lord. Put on your prosperity mindsets........it is here......and what are you gonna do about it.....and with it. Don't try to contain it......just jump in (and yes, it will be "way over your head") and move with the flow of it. You will not be directing it......and it will take you to unexpected places......and in a hurry........how exciting. And we get to do it all together! Join in! You don't want to miss it.

WOO HOO! \o/

God's love & mine,
Lauren

BRAZIL STORY LINK

P.S. ~ Immediately after I initially posted this, I spontaneously started singing an old Gloria Estefan (I think.....) song.....only revised.......the song used to be THE RHYTHM IS GONNA GET YOU......only I was singing: "THE RIVER IS GONNA GET YOU.....THE RIVER IS GONNA GET YOU......THE RIVER IS GONNA GET YOU!"..... Just wanted to share that with you. Have a super-blessed, SUPERNATURAL......full-flowing in the River of God day........I'm gonna!
~lc

TGIF, Y'all!

2008-06-13T05:47:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody........

TGIF!!! It has been a HOT week (and the air conditioner is OUT on my car, and being a Home Health nurse that needs my car for my job daily & hubby, Clay, busy in the fields, I haven't been able to get it into the shop......but THIS AFTERNOON is another story.......GO GOD!!!

And to top it off, we are going to Ruidoso for a long weekend. Tomorrow (Saturday) is Clay's birthday, and we've got concert tickets to see Esteban (a flaminco (sp???) spanish guitar player) on Saturday night, and then Father's Day on Sunday. The kids are all doing great, and next week Britt & Merrida will be here.....YEAH!......we can't wait!!! Pray for traveling mercies.

The four baby elk are doing awesome......no new babies or pictures to report or show you. Sorry!

Not much else to say. Have a super-blessed, SUPERNATURAL weekend.

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Baby Elk

2008-06-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

Well, there are now FOUR BABY ELK on the Childress Exotic Farm. Above is a couple of pictures of one of them. Their backs stand about 3 feet tall, and between the four of them they range in age from 1-5 days old.

We had a busy weekend here at home. Hope each of you have a super-blessed and SUPERNATURAL week.

God's love & mine,

Nonnie

aka Lauren

Random Firings of the Synapses

2008-06-05T15:09:00.000-07:00

Another AWESOME re-blog from Mark Batterson, lead pastor of National Community Church:
~Lauren

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Random Firings of the Synapses

Every once in a while I like to share what I'm reading. I love to cross-pollinate by reading books in a variety of disciplines--everything from physics to philosophy to business. Here are some learnings from It's not about the Coffee. I read this because we're looking to expand Ebenezers into a coffeehouse chain. But I think it has applications or implications for spiritual leadership as well.

"If you grow people, the people grow the business."

I think we focus too much energy on church growth. I think it's all about personal growth. It's not about growing a big church. It's about growing big people--people who serve sacrificially, give generously, dream ridiculously, and love gracefully.

"The fundamental task is to achieve smallness within a large organization."

The way to grow larger is to grow smaller via small groups. I honestly don't think God will grow us beyond our ability to disciple people. And if small groups are our primary context for discipleship, then the number of small groups we have will determine our growth potential as a church.

"Have you ever been to an art museum and stood before a great work of art? It captivates you and transports you to a new place. The mythologist Joseph Campbell used to call this epiphany an aesthetic arrest."

I love that concept. And I've always believed that aesthetics are important. Why else would a dozen chapters in Exodus be devoted to the aesthetics of the Tabernacle including the color of the curtains and the exact recipe for the incense? So we need to pay attention to aesthetics whether it's a coffeehouse or a church. But I couldn't help but think about the aesthetic arrest we'll experience when we cross the space-time threshold; get our first glimpse of heaven; and kneel at the feet of Christ. And by the way, I think a spiritually charged atmosphere that is full of faith and grace is the ultimate aesthetic! Read I Corinthians 14:25: "They will fall down on their knees and worship God, declaring, "God is really here among you." That has always been my goal for church.

"At Starbucks, all employees are called partners."

I think language defines the way we think about things. For example, pro-life and anti-abortion are two very different ways of describing the same thing. Different connotations. Do we need a new vocabulary or a new term for what many of us call volunteers?

"We started opening our stores ten minutes before the posted time as a way to say yes to customers even before they placed their order."

I love this! When I played football it was called Lombardi time. If you weren't five minutes early you were late. I think it's part of creating an extra-mile culture! By the way, imagine everyone who attends your church arriving five minutes early one Sunday. What a thought!

Happy A!

2008-06-05T05:25:00.000-07:00

I'd like to send a shout-out to my hubby, Clay. Thanks for 26 great years together!!!! (Yes, today is our anniversary.) I am a very blessed woman---thank You, God!

Hope each one of you has an extra-special, SUPERNATURAL day!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Lion Chaser's Manifesto

2008-06-02T16:19:00.000-07:00

I know this is a repeat, but I just feel that at this point and time in history, we can't read this enough (and do it). Read it.......Know it........Live it! EVERYDAY!

God's love & mine,

Nonnie

aka Lauren

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Busy Weekend

2008-06-01T17:01:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!!!
Hope you have had a great weekend. It is has been BUSY here.......two graduations (with parties) and an AWESOME Church Service today that lasted until like 1 or 1:15. GO GOD! My niece, Jessica Eaker, in Farmington, NM, left today for Albuquerque, NM today, to start a six-week job there (she graduated from HS last week). GO JESSIE!!! So, tonight is the first "empty-nest" experience for my sis and her hubby, Allen. Pray for them, but I know that they will do fine!
Tomorrow starts a new work-week. Hope you have a great one.....draw outside the lines......don't just "play-it-safe".....but GO FOR IT! Reach for the stars!

I'm gonna!!!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

TGIF!

2008-05-30T04:23:00.000-07:00

TGIF! TGIF! TGIF! TGIF! TGIF! TGIF! TGIF!

TGIF! everybody!!!!! Hope you've had a great week........I have! We had Praise Team Practice last night---it was nice to be back with the "gang" and we had a lot of fun praisin' the Lord too! GO GOD! (We missed Sylvia, too!)

Tonight (Friday) our niece, Portia, graduates from OHS, and then this weekend, our nephew, Adair, graduates from FHS. Busy times......busy people.

It never ceases to amaze me, though, in the middle of this thing we call "life", there are so many "God-moments" and times to share our faith in the day-to-day things around us----everyday! Many call this "Lifestyle Evangelism" and it will be seen and heard more (whether good or bad) so much more than the sermons in our churches on Sunday. Don't get me wrong, I do think that we need our churches, but many people just want to GO to church.......we are to BE the church. Amen. It's all about the Kingdom of God and not a church building. It's a Kingdom-thing. The revival taking place in Lakeland, FL is an outpouring, that is to be taken out into the streets.....the highways and by-ways of life and shared with all people. God is doing incredible things in these days, and we need to use the gifts, talents and abilities, as well as just pray that we have spiritual eyes to see, and a spirit of Isaachar, to know ~~~ these times and what, when and how to do what God has not only called but created us to do. It may seem "foolish", but that is okay. It may not make sense to us at the time......that is okay, too. As my pastor says, "JUST DO IT!" Go for it!!!

I challenge you to look for the opportunities today and the days ahead for times that God wants you to step-out and step-up to the plate and share Him with others, do something for others --- with every word, deed --- not only in your actions, but your re-actions. It may seem like just some little something to you, but it may mean so much more to someone else. The world is watching and waiting for us to BE the Church. JUST DO IT!

God's love & mine,

Nonnie

aka Lauren

Shout out to the Graduates

2008-05-29T05:27:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! The week is nearly over (amazing!!!). Anyway, I want to send a shout out to two more graduates.........our niece, Portia Grant graduates on Friday night from O'Donnell High School and our nephew Adair Stoerner graduates Sunday afternoon from Frenship (Wolfforth) High School. Way to go!

Clay & I are FINALLY gonna be back "in-town" and back at our home-church this weekend. YEAH! Really excited and "pumped" about that one. It feels like it has been an eternity, because we have had several out-of-town and I have been on-call several weeks now in a row. LCF rocks!!! (our church) I think we will be in-town for the next two weeks, and then back out to Ruidoso, the weekend of the 14th for Clay's birthday.

We got 2 1/2 inches of rain at our house on Wednesday night (and some hail). THANK YOU, LORD! \o/ We still need some planting rain at Clay's parents home, though. They guys are really busy in the field. Keep the farmers lifted up for safety during these days of long work (and for continued rain, too). I think Clay's is only going to have to re-plant one field (and possibly another, but they'll give it a day or two and look at it again probably about Saturday).

My mom had a little eye surgery this week, and she seems to be doing better. PRAISE GOD! She'll stay home, here in West Texas for at least another week or so, before heading back to Ruidoso, New Mexico.

That is really about all that I know. Keep on pressing into the Lord, and living life LARGE and advancing the Kingdom! GO GOD!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

The Rebel (Re-Blog)

2008-05-27T04:55:00.000-07:00

Here is another re-blog from Ambs' pastor, Mark Batterson, the lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington DC (I LOVE THIS ONE!!!)

~God's love & mine,

Nonnie

aka Lauren

**********************************************

I was reading a Fast Company article about the way Microsoft is trying to re-image itself. They've hired an ad agency called Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Creative genius, Alex Bogusky, made one of those statements I can't get out of my mind: "Life conspires to beat the rebel out of you."

It's true isn't it?

One of the things I love about Jesus is that He remained the rebel his entire life. He didn't bow to the Pharisees. He didn't bow to Pilate. Truth is, He didn't bow to anyone except His Heavenly Father. That is what it means to be a spiritual rebel.

In the words of Dorothy Sayers: "To do them justice, the people who crucified Jesus did not do so because he was a bore. Quite the contrary; he was too dynamic to be safe. It is has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have declawed the Lion of Judah and made him a housecat for pale priests and pious old ladies."

Booyah!

More Deck Pics

2008-05-26T21:06:00.001-07:00

Views of the new deck of Casa Shalom, in the beautiful mountains of New Mexico (built in just 4 days by my hubby, Clay, our brother-in-law, Bill, and Clay's sister, Kathy and myself-----mainly the guys, and Kathy pitched in a lot too).

VIEW from the forest floor, looking up (in the eastern direction):

View from on the deck, looking toward the open-sky (southern end) of the deck:

View from the entrance onto the deck, looking in the northern direction, where the table and chairs are (and this 2/3 of the deck is covered, as you can see):

One of the views from the deck, down onto the forest floor. GO GOD!!!

Have a super-blessed and SUPERNATURAL week!

God's love & mine,

Nonnie

aka Lauren

P.S. ~ In case you are wondering, the deck measures 12 feet from the trailer door out (westward) and 26 feet from north to south long. The northern end is 6ft x 10ft (so the deck is not a plain square, is what I am saying here). You get the picture, anyway......yes, a pun was intended......so laugh! LOL!!!

Gotta go to bed!

Deck Building

2008-05-26T20:59:00.000-07:00

Well, we got the deck built this long holiday weekend. Check it out for yourself.....

BEFORE
(on Thur, 5/22/08):

& AFTER

(on Sun, 5/25/08):

2008-05-26T20:44:00.001-07:00

Hey everybody!

Well, we made it back in from a 3-day visit to Casa Shalom (in the beautiful mountains of New Mexico). Wanted to show you (first) a few pics of the inside of our 33 foot 5th-wheel. Here they are:

THE DINING AREA:

THE LIVING ROOM:

THE BEDROOM: (w/Queen-size bed)

This is our home away from home!

God's love & mine,

Nonnie

aka Lauren

Quick Post

2008-05-23T05:27:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to everybody! Hope you have had a very blessed and great week.........I have! (It has been busy, but good). Clay is out at Ruidoso, and I am on my way later today to join him there. WOO HOO! (Can't wait!!!). Pray for traveling mercies. Thanks!

My niece, Jessica Eaker, graduated from Farmington High School last night. I didnt' get to be there, but I am sooooo proud of her. Our other niece, Portia Grant, will graduate from O'Donnell High School next Friday, and then our nephew, Adair Stoerner, will graduate from Frenship High School next Sunday. WHEW! Lots of grads! We are soooooooo proud of them all.

A Prayer Request:
LAMESA SCHOOLS - a threat has been made that a gang from Lubbock is coming to town to “shoot up” the high school (gang wars). They were to arrive today (Thursday, 5/22/08) or tomorrow (Friday, 5/23/08). This is a valid threat. They did not come today (5/22). Please pray for protection (for all) and for God's Divine Intervention that will even further usher in the Kingdom of God into Lamesa and Dawson County. GO GOD!!! We know that with GOD .....ALL THINGS are possible! ..... and that He can take things that were intended for bad, and turn them right around into something marvelous.......even miraculous! WOO HOO! \o/

This is the town that I work in, it is my hometown AND it is the town where Clay & I go to church. Anyway, our Church (Lamesa Christian Fellowship) and Pray Dawson County have "staked claim" to the County and our schools, and satan has no place to come in there and especially to wreak havoc. God, we declare and decree that those things that have already been claimed for the Kingdom of God, will not be "invaded" by the darkness......in Jesus' name! Yesterday there were cops EVERYWHERE (Praise God! for them, and pray for their continued protection) and things in town were a little tense. Pray not only for God's protection, but His peace!

Peace to you and yours and God's richest blessings!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Sharing thoughts rollin' through my head.....

2008-05-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody......

It's been a while since we just sat down and ......well......chatted.

I have a few thoughts rolling through my head (yeah, scary, huh!?! LOL!!!). I was reflecting back on the events of the last year or so that Clay and I have been through.....the good and the not-so-good. They have ALL been growing times, though and learning times. Thank You, Lord!
I was thinking about how to effectively minister to others and what has brought me comfort and been "good" and what has not. So, just from my own experiences (yes, these may or may not relate to you.....we are all created differently..........UNIQUE!)..........anyway, through those uphill times as I will call them, I had some "church-friends" as we will say, that are looked up to as mature Christians (really, that is only for God to decide, huh!?! and really doesn't matter). Anyway, they came to us and spoke some real "churchy" answers that seemed empty and compassion-less. They brought no comfort, and on some fronts, to someone going through a dark time, sometimes felt like condemnation......that somehow we (and me myself) didn't have enough faith, etc. But, there were others, and many were NOT Christians, or would be considered what we churchy-people call, "Baby Christians" that were just real, some cried with me, some held me, others just let me "vent", etc. They didn't necessarily offer any "solutions", but they were so full of compassion and this brought GREAT comfort to me and to Clay. That has brought me to the conclusion, that sometimes we let RELIGION (yes, I still hate that)----which is man's rules and regulations in their attempt to reach God---present something that has no compassion or comfort for the individual, while others, were just there and REAL. Thank You, God.
I am encouraging us ALL (myself, especially included) to show compassion to ALL our brothers and sisters, regardless of whether or not they go to church, live a lifestyle like your own, etc. When we truly learn to LOVE each other with God's unconditional love, we, just by that very lifestyle evangelism will win the world to Christ. (Many times without even uttering a single word.)
Think about it!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

NCC Re-Blog

2008-05-21T04:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a GREAT Re-Blog from Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor of NCC: (NOTE: He is at a conference with Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Church & Author of the Purpose Driven Life).

Really enjoyed sitting around a round table with a group of pastors from across the country and talking with Rick Warren. Just thought I'd share a few things that made my synapses fire in new ways.
Rick is the king of one-liners! Has a unique way of saying so much with a few words.
"Every conflict is the byproduct of immaturity."
"You cannot have control and growth."
"Art needs a frame."
"Be a proponent of the new not an opponent of the old."
One of the things we talked about was the importance of decentralization. He talked about Saddleback's transition from a mid-week service where about 1000 people would attend to small groups. They have 26,000 people plugged into 3400 small groups that span a 100 mile stretch from LA to San Diego. That is the power of decentralization.
I think multi-site is another dimension of decentralization. Launching locations keeps you from becoming too centralized. Another topic that came up was criticism. Rick made some fascinating observations. We live in a day and age when anybody can say anything and the criticism is global, instant, and permanent thanks to Google. Rick shared some wise advice.
"If you wrestle with a pig you'll both get dirty."
"Define yourself or others will."
"Bless those who curse you."
"Separate fact from opinion."
"Hurt people hurt people."
"Insults are insecurities."

Now, that is GOOOOOOD Stuff. Be blessed!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Casa Shalom

2008-05-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

Clay & I are safely back home from our weekend trips. I am including a picture of Casa Shalom in her new place, and YES we are building a deck onto the front side, so don't worry about the steep slope by the door. All is well, but thanks for your concern! LOL!!!

Have a super-blessed, SUPERNATURAL week..........I'm gonna!

God's love & mine,

Nonnie

aka Lauren

Casa Shalom

2008-05-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

Well, Clay got Casa Shalom moved to her new, more secluded spot up in the mountains of Ruidoso. I am having a great time with my step-mom, Anna and Aunt ReRe in Arlington, TX. I will head home sometime Sunday afternoon. Hope you and yours have a super-blessed rest of your weekend.........I'm gonna!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren