Happy Middle-of-the-Week Day!!!
Hope this finds you all doing well. All is well here. I can't believe that today is the last day of April! WOW!
Please pray for RAIN for our crops. Most of the farmers in this area really need rain in the next week or so, so they can get the cotton (and other crops) planted. GO GOD!
God's love & mine,
Nonnie (aka Lauren)
Good Monday Morning, everybody!!!
How are you doing??? We are GREAT! Clay and I made it back from our weekend. (Clay led worship at a Men's Retreat in Slaton, and I went to Ruidoso to spend some time with my mom and step-dad. AWESOME!!!). Clay had a GREAT time and God worked (as usual.......GO GOD!). I had a very nice visit with my family. It is so peaceful and a place of rest at our place in Ruidoso. I now call our 5th wheel, "Casa Shalom". LOL!!! :) \o/ I also visited a Ruidoso church on Sunday: Grace Harvest Church. Great to see things that are going on in your community and church, at another church......just God, huh!?! He is sooooooooooo AMAZING! Hey, they also had a dance team (of 4 very talented women) that danced an interpretive dance to Chris Tomlin's version of "Amazing Grace" VERY POWERFUL and beautiful. The people there were very friendly and loving, and I got to hear one of their lay-men preach a straight-from-the-heart, VERY moving message. Simple, but so awesome!
Clay & I (along with the Worship Team he led this past weekend) will be leading the Llano Estacado Emmaus Community Meeting Worship this Thursday, in Lubbock. WOO HOO! It is such an honor and privilege to get to lead others into the presence of the Lord.
I pray that you have a super-blessed, SUPERNATURAL week! I'm gonna!!!
God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren
Hey everybody!
For those of you that are missing Cindy Jacobs' OUT-OF-THE-BOX 3 Conference, you can free download the podcasts at I-Tunes through May 24th. I was unable to successfully get logged on last night to see Chuck Pierce or Jerry Tuma (some kind of glitch), but they should be available later today for download. I HIGHLY encourage you to do this. You don't have to have an i-pod to download, you can watch them right there on your computer. Just do it!
Have a super-blessed HUMP Day (hey, it's the middle of the week----that means it's all downhill from here). GO GOD! \o/
God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren
P.S. ~ Thanks for your prayers for me! I was able to get a huge chunk of paperwork completed yesterday and last night! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it is NOT a train! WOO HOO! (NOT! CHOO CHOO!!!).
Please read the update on Biz' blog (see link to right). Biz & the Daniels' family need our prayers! GO GOD!
God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren
Another re-blog from Ambs' pastor, Mark Batterson.....READ ON!
Hey everybody!
Well the week has started and is just goin'. Whew! Pray that I get all my paperwork caught up at work......it is never ending and LOTS! Thanks! Please keep Biz (see link to right) and her family in your prayers. The doctor's report says that the cancer is back. They see the oncologist at 3:15PM today (Wed---PST) to get the results of the PET Scan and what they docs feel needs to be done now. Her dad is a Pastor. Thanks for your prayers for them. You can catch the updates, just like I do, by following the link on the right to her parent's blog.
I "attended" Cindy Jacobs on-line OUT-OF-THE-BOX 3 Conference last night (Monday). WOW! It was really good. She mixes it up with worship and "announcements" and/or breaks about every 20-30 minutes, which is good, because you just can't keep someone's attention much more than that (that is a proven fact). She has hand-outs you can pre-print to follow along with, and it is FREE! WOW! You can't get much better than that. It is geared for the working folks, it is from 6-9 PM nightly through Thursday night---and you can view from your home......even in your jammies, if you wish! Awesome concept!!! (Very out-of-the-box.....imagine that! LOL!!!)
Clay is leading worship starting Thursday night for a Men's Walk to Emmaus in Slaton. I will be leaving Friday afternoon to go and see my mom in Ruidoso, NM. God is opening a huge door/window for me to develop a deep relationship with my mom, and I am very grateful for that. GO GOD! It is really exciting. I just stand in awe of all the "Redemption Moments" that God continues to bring Clay & I. It is totally amazing! Words cannot even begin to tell you about it. \o/
Have a super-blessed, supernatural week..........I'M GONNA!
God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren
P.S. ~ Please be in prayer for Lamesa & Dawson County this week. God knows! Keep the entire community and area saturated in prayer and God's awesome presence, love & peace.....and even covered in the blood of Jesus. GO GOD!
Hey everybody!
Just checkin'- in on ya! Hope you are having a great weekend. It has been busy for us, but FUN, too! Clay played and sang for a Lion's Club deal in Levelland Saturday morning (for a friend). I went to Lubbock, shopping AND saw a patient up there for the gals working the weekend, too. That was great! We had Praise Team practice last night (Saturday). That was a lot of fun. The whole praise team was there........GO GOD! I hear we are expecting quite a few visitors in church today (Sunday). That is always exciting.
Have a Super-blessed PASSOVER Sunday! (BTW.....for those of you that are interested, Glory of Zion is having an "On-line Passover Sedar" tonight at 6 PM CST. Just have some lamb/chicken, bitter herbs (horseradish or parsley soaked in salt water), a boiled egg, some type of cracker or bread and grape juice or wine. ALSO, try to catch my pastor (and possibly other area pastors) on GLC (God's Learning Channel) from 8-10 PM CST tonight. GO GOD!
God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren
Hey everybody!
We just got home from Clay's Emmaus Team Party. It was a time for the team members and their spouses to have a meal together, fellowship together, worship together and get to know one another a little more. It was really fun. Van & Leslie Shaw (they live just south of Lubbock) were so gracious to open up their home and "Uncle Billy's" (behind their house) to the group. GO GOD! The Men's Walk will be next Thursday through Sunday (in Slaton). Keep all of them in your prayers. Clay is leading the Worship Team.
TGIF!!!!! I am so thankful to be through another week. I have really been in a "fog" lately. The scary thing is, that I am in such a place in my life, since we have changed churches in the last year, that I don't have a trusted friend close enough to kick me in the seat of the pants, to confide in when I go through struggles or just the "fog" of life, or just to be "real" with. And don't get me wrong, I do lean into the Lord. But I really need some of those relationships, too. It is also a bit lonely at the present. Pray that I find those relationships again....I really need them. I feel that I am in a "holding pattern" right now, and it is a little disheartening. I can't really explain fully to you what I am going through, but it is tough. Clay is my best friend here in earth, but sometimes, it is nice to have a girlfriend to share your heart with.
I can report that Clay & I have a camper up in Ruidoso now. (It is at the same campground where my mom and step-dad live for the spring/summer months.) We love going up there and just relaxing and getting out of West Texas for a while. We do LOVE the mountains! It is also nice to be able to develop a relationship with my mom. That is really exciting! Through things in my childhood, we never really had a good relationship, and God is redeeming that now, and I praise Him for it! WOO HOO! \o/
Thanks for your prayers for me and my family!
God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren
Please follow the link in my links box on the right to BIZ. Her father has posted a new blog in the last 24 hours. They need our prayers. GO GOD!
God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren
BTW....
You can follow my links at the bottom of the page. Biz, the young lady with cancer, is doing WELL! And her father has updated his blog recently with 3 updates. So, if you have been praying for her, you will be delighted to read his blog. GO GOD!
Blessings!
Nonnie
aka Lauren
GOOD Mornin' everybody!
Today feels like a Monday for me, because I took at extra day off at work (Monday) and Clay & I spent a L-O-N-G and relaxing weekend away at Ruidoso, New Mexico. It was soooooooo nice. We love it up there. But, today is Tuesday. This is set to be an AWESOME and worshipful week this week! Tonight (Tuesday, April 15th) at 7 PM the LaMesa De Dios Emmaus Community is meeting at FBC in O'Donnell, and Clay, myself and another friend who plays bass, will be leading them in worship. GO GOD! Then, Friday night, Clay is leading a worship team for an upcoming Men's Emmaus Retreat, and they are having a family get-together, and Clay will be leading worship for that (up in Lubbock). Then, Saturday morning, Clay will be playing and singing for some Lions Club event in Lubbock. Sunday morning, we will be worshipping at LCF, and then Sunday night, the LCF (our church) worship team is slated to go to Midland/Odessa with our pastor, and do a few songs for God's Learning Channel from 8-10 PM CST (see info in blog below), but the main thing is our pastor is speaking (she is so awesome, and we thank God for her everyday). WOO HOO! \o/ GO GOD!
God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren
P.S. ~ Please keep the Frank Eaker family in your prayers. He will killed in a tragic farming accident in our area over the weekend, and his funeral is this afternoon. Please especially keep his wife, Pat, in your prayers! Thanks!
Hey everybody!
Some exciting news...........our pastor, Gwen Aldridge of Lamesa Christian Fellowship has been asked to speak on God's Learning Channel (GLC TV) in Midland/Odessa, and they have asked her to bring the Praise Team with her.. Clay & I have DISH TV Satellite, and it is a local channel (through our satellite) for us (Channel 16). If you want to see our Praise Team and awesome pastor, it will be on (LIVE, I believe) Sunday, April 20th (PASSOVER SUNDAY) from 8-10 PM CST------the program is called Light of the Southwest.)
The broadcast information for GLC is at: (You can check out what other channels it may be on AND/OR, they webstream as the program is on, too!):
GOD'S LEARNING CHANNEL BROADCAST INFORMATION
God's love & mine,
Lauren
aka Nonnie
Hey everybody! Happy middle-of-the-week to ya!
I'm back from Abilene. My job sent me there to a class yesterday (Tuesday, 4/8). Excellent information, but long day. Thank You, Lord, for keeping me safe there and back. It started at 8 AM and went past 4 PM. (and it's about a 3 hour drive each way, too!). Oh well.
Hope this finds each of you doing well. All is well here. Clay is doing GREAT! PSA numbers are still zero, and he doesn't have to go back for another 6 months. He's busy on the farm getting things ready for a new crop. Pray for rain for our crops! (We have a chance today. GO GOD!).
We attend Lamesa Christian Fellowship and things are HOPPING there! It is so exciting!!! (and we are all having a lot of fun too!). It just amazes me what all God is doing these days in the Body of Christ. It is an exciting time in the Lord! We have the most incredible pastor, Gwen Aldridge. She really hears the Lord and then runs with it (and gets us "running" with it too!). Gotta keep movin' in the Lord, 'cause if you stand still, you're gonna be left behind......and I sure don't want to miss out on ANYTHING! \o/
Ambs is still in DC. Is in the process of applying for possibly a new job as an energy analyst. Just pray for her in this area. Ambs attends National Community Church there and LOVES it!
Britt & Merrida are still in Nashville. Britt has been promoted to Assistant Manager of Guitar Center there and is doing very well. Merrida is Assistant Manager at Dillard's. They have found a church there and as far as I know things are great.
Another re-blog from Mark Batterson, lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC: GREAT STUFF!
~lc
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I see a generational trend that I want to address.It seems to me that emerging generations don't want watered-down, dumbed-down, or soft-sell versions of the truth. I think they want to be challenged and confronted. I'm not talking about Bible thumping. We need to do it persuasively and thoughtfully and prayerfully. But I have this growing sense that the people I pastor want me to get in their face more often. To be perfectly honest, I think I was a preaching wimp early on in ministry. I was afraid of tough topics or controversial topics. I wanted to preach things that pleased everyone. But as the years have passed, I have realized that you aren't doing anybody any favors if you don't talk about tough stuff. Even if people disagree with you. At least you force them to think. Any maybe it's an opportunity to learn how to agree to disagree but still love each other. In too many instances, the church is answering questions no one is asking. We dance around the things people really think about and care about.I think emerging generations want us to make them think, challenge them to change, and confront their sin. That's my sixth sense. And whether they want us to or not, that is part of our calling. I'm afraid that there is a strong temptation among younger preachers to just scratch where people itch. But Paul warns Timothy against that (II Timothy 4:3). Does that resonate with anybody? A few ideas if you want to start talking about what people are actually thinking about. One of our open-source series is The Elephant in the Church. All of the graphics and videos are free. Love to see some churches take on the obvious truths that everyone ignores. And don't just use ours. Come up with your own. You may have very different elephants running around your church than NCC. Here's another idea. My friend Michael Kelly at Threads has done a great job with his new study The Tough Sayings of Jesus II. If you're anything like me, you tend to read faster when you come to the parts of the Bible you don't understand or aren't obeying. Maybe that is where we need to slow down!
Good Morning, everybody!
I was reading through Ambs' pastor's blog (Mark Batterson of National Community Church in DC) and he referenced a College Graduation Speech that a man named Steve Jobs had given at Stanford University back in 2005. I websearched and found the address and read it, and wanted to share it with you. <CLICK HERE for LINK>. Have a super-blessed, POWER-packed (Holy Spirit power, that is) SUPERNATURAL week!
God's love & mine,
Lauren
P.S. ~ I made it home safe and sound from Ruidoso this weekend. Had a great visit with my mom and step-dad. Clay & I absolutely love the mountains (as much as we love the ocean and water, too! maybe more! LOL). Another place (as all are) to celebrate the beauty that God has created all around us. What a wonderful Creator and remarkable creation! GO GOD! \o/
Yet another re-blog from Mark Batterson. READ ON!.....
~Nonnie
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Open-Minded
I've spent the better part of the last two days reading. Amazing the way a new book makes my synapses fire in new ways. Just thought I'd share one of my favorite quotes. Oliver Wendel Holmes said, "A mind stretched by a new idea never returns to its original shape." Cool thought isn't it? Proverbs 18:15 is one of my life verses. It says, "Intelligent people are always open to new ideas. In fact, they look for them." (NLT) I never want to become a closed system. I want to stay open-minded. And one of the best ways to look for new ideas is by reading widely. You need to cross-pollinate. My bookshelves are filled with books on everything to theology to psychology to neurology to physics. Why? Because I honestly believe that every ology is a branch of theology. And when I study other disciplines I discover new dimensions of God's kaleidoscopic personality. According to Romans 1:21, creation is one way the creator reveals His character.
I am re-blogging a few things from Ambs' pastor, Mark Batterson of National Community Church in DC. GREAT STUFF!
~Nonnie
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Out of Imagination
All the speakers at Awaken have ten minutes to speak. I knew it was going to fly by, but what a rush of adrenaline. Serious time warp! I had to start wrapping up the minute I started ramping up! Thoroughly enjoyed the experience.I decided to speak on one of the greatest dangers we face as leaders. Neurological studies have shown that over the course of time, there is a cognitive shift from right-brain to left-brain. And if we don't find a way to stop the shift, memory overtakes imagination. We stop creating the future and start repeating the past. We stop innovating and start imitating. We stop doing ministry out of imagination and start doing ministry out of memory. A few years ago I read something R.T Kendall wrote that impacted me:
"The greatest opposition to what God is doing today comes from those who were on the cutting edge of what God was doing yesterday."
I don't want that to be me! One of the by-products of the neurological shift away from right-brain imagination toward left-brain logic is that we become too logical. And it seems fitting on April Fool's Day to say that great leaders are illogical. The people God uses the most are people that aren't afraid of looking foolish. In fact, if you aren't willing to look foolish you're foolish!I shared a little bit of our coffeehouse experience in my ten minutes. I still remember feeling so foolish when I called the previous owners of 201 F Street, NE. It was owned by two Jewish lawyers. NCC was only about 100-150 people at that point. And we didn't have one red cent in the bank. It felt foolish asking if they would sell the property when we didn't even have the capability of buying it. But that's one dimension of faith--the willingness to look foolish.I Corinthians 1:27 says that God uses foolish things to shame the wise. Nothing has changed. He still uses fools. So maybe the church should adopt April Fool's Day and make it a holy day!
