The ElijahList - Prophetic Words and Prophecies

The ElijahList - Prophetic Words and Prophecies

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.....

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.

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

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!

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!

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)

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!
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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.
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Thanks for obliging a proud mama!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

Christ in You

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

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

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

African Thunderstorm!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

10 'Ways to Create Margin (re-blog)

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

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!

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

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!

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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!

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....

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!

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!

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

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

SAMBA PA TI

Blessings to you all!

God's love & mine,
Nonnie
aka Lauren

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!

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

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

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...

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

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!

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)

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

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

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!

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

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.

"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

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

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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?)

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

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)

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)

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!!!

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!!!!