**Siesta Celebration is January 20-21, 2012**
Hey, Darling Things!
I’m writing you from about 28,000 feet in the air, glancing out at a sunset heavy with steely thunderheads and striped in army blues. I am on my way home the long way from Columbus, Ohio. After our Living Proof Live ended and we ate lunch at the arena, we all headed to our various vans so we could make our ways to the airport. I hopped in the front seat with Rich because Ron and his darling wife Nancy had already headed home. Several of our other buddies were in the back chattering away when Rich overheard me say to my man on the phone, “Honey, I won’t be late! My fight is at 3:47 and I’ll pick back up an hour so I’ll have a nice long evening with you.” Keith was feeling poorly with a chest cold and laryngitis and I really wanted to get back to him.
(Rich) “Beth, you have a layover.”
“A what?”(Like I don’t know what that word means after nearly 30 years in thin air.)
“A layover in Denver on your way home. I think you get home kind of late.”
“But I had a nonstop flight to Columbus!”
“Well, you don’t have a nonstop flight home.”
And he was right. I hadn’t even looked at my arrival time in Houston. So, this afternoon I flew from Columbus all the way to Denver and now I’m on my Denver flight making my way to Houston. This weekend I’ve lost an hour, picked up two, then given one up again. Try to do that math.
But to say it was worth it is an understatement. We had 7000+ women in Columbus, Ohio who were in the mood to lift up some high volume praise to the God who is worthy. We knew we were going to love them within 15 seconds flat. And they were my favorite kind of group in Bible study, too, because they got involved the way a small class would. Super interactive. God so graced us in Ohio and we will remember the time we had with those believers for a long time. I knew God was up to something good when I looked at the stat sheet that K-Mac prepared for me and noticed that the six biggest groups attending the events were six different denominations. There are no words to express to you what that means to us. To God’s credit alone, that’s becoming more the rule than the exception in this season.
I’ve had a very interesting flying day. If you’re on Twitter, I tweeted that the people watching had been extraordinary. You know, I struggle a tad with eavesdropping as it is but when everyone is sharing very big feelings at a very high volume, what is a woman to do? But stare? And so, I nearly cried while a young 40 something Dad with shoulder length hair hugged his varsity baseball-type looking son goodbye as he took off for college for the first time. Both of them had tears streaming down their cheeks. It was a most moving scene and one that I had to restrain myself from joining. Of course, I don’t know if the young man was going away to college or not. I made that part up because it was the best possible scenario to fit the high EQ. The part about the long-haired dad and the varsity baseball-type son was true, however. And they were both crying. If I wouldn’t have to stop and explain when I’m making something up, my posts would go smoother. But somehow I feel an obligation toward confession.
What is indeed an absolute fact is that there was a little girl about six years old that nearly made people punch the windows out of the plane and parachute to Beulah Land while her mother chatted with a friend. Mind you, a six year-old little girl would have to work hard to push me over the edge. I love that age in the largest way. But I was nearly overwrought with the teeming desire to give that darling child a spank offering. But, of course, I wouldn’t have. Goodness knows, I have a deep commitment to all things politically correct.
Well, guess what day it is? August 15th and you know what that means! Spit out your next Scriptures, young ladies, and do it with some fervor. His words are Spirit and life to us. Let’s give them some respect and expect them to do the kinds of things He promised they would. Here’s mine:
Beth, Houston. “Therefore, get your minds ready for action by being fully sober, and set your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:13 The NET Bible
A loved one and I are memorizing this together as he seeks to take the next step in a victorious life that demands sobriety. For some of us, it’s all or nothing. Jesus is the only reason some of us are not passed out in an alley with a newspaper over us. If you have struggled to stay sober and the enemy is doing everything he can to suck the life out of you and steal everybody you love, one by one, don’t stay in the shadows. Get out in the light. Own up and let some people cheer you onto sobriety and victory. YOUR GOD IS ABLE TO DELIVER YOU. Do what you have to do so that you can do what you want to do. You have a calling to fulfill.
I never want to get where we’re playing church around here. The salvation of Jesus Christ is real and it has huge practical ramifications in everyday life here on this fallen planet. Let’s not just talk it. Let’s do it.
Therefore, get your minds ready for action by being fully sober.
Nancy–Yonges Island, SC “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV
Bonnie Huntington, WV
Romans 12:9 ESV
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
Roxie, Jerseyville, Psalm 121:1-2 NIV
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills-where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord the Maker of heaven and earth.”
Tanya, Killen “but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,” Romans 5:3 (NET)
Tricia, Eldridge, IA
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
But now, O Lord, You are our Father, we are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand. Isaiah 64:8 NASB
Tanya, Warren, PA
So is my Word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:11 (NIV)
Ashley, Huddleston, VA: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not men.” Colossians 3:23 NIV
Carol, Santa Maria, 2 Corinthians 9:11, “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generousity will result in thanksgiving to God.” NIV
Remain in me and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
John 15:4
Cindy
Flemingsburg, KY
Staci, Bismarck, ND “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24 NIV
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Julie
Clanton, AL
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:4-8, NIV
The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing,
but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness.
Proverbs 15:2 NLT
Lichelle, Austin, Texas
Psalm 121 1:2 NIV
I lift my eyes to the Hills, Where does my hlep come from? My help comes from the Lord the maker of Heaven and Earth.
Richelle, Kingston, TN
…If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31 (NIV)
The sovereign Lord is my strength. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer. He enables me to go on to the heights.
Habakuk 3:19
But dear children let us not love with words or tongue but with action and in truth. 1 John 3:18 NIV
Psalm 51:10 NIV
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours!” Mark 11:24
Betty Murphrey, WEndell, NC
1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10 NIV
Rene Claremore OK
May God give you of heaven’s dew and of earth’s richness–an abundance of grain and new wine. Genesis 27:28 NIV
Central, SC: “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” ~ Psalm 27:4, NIV 1984 Version.
Marilyn, Fort Pierce, FL, 23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24
good morning sista’s this is my verse for today…John 14:2
Jesus said,”I am going there to prepare a place for you.” amen onya ouida
Jean, Carlisle PA
2 Thessalonians 3:13
“Dear friends, you must never become tired of doing right”. (Contemporary English Version)
Shannon, Orange County, CA: “This is what the LORD says–your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.'”
Donna Hill
Clarksville, Tennessee
Hebrews 13:8 NCV
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
Dedra, Madison, AL:
“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV)
Amy
Middletown, Delaware
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Becasue of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
Lisa, West Des Moines, IA “You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Colossians 3:13 (NLT)
Karin, Johannesburg,
Isaiah 6:3 And they were calling to one another “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”NIV
Mona, Rome –
How can a young [or old] man [or woman] keep his way pure? By living according to Your word.
Psalm 119:9
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
Nichole, Nashville, TN
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10
Sue – Troy, MI
” Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:7
Glennell Buda, Texas
Micah 6:8 (New International Version)
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly[a] with your God.
Charlotte from Memphis
for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13 (NIV)
Rebekah from Marion, IN: But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands, so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. – Jeremiah 18:4 NIV
Hilary from Langley, BC< Canada:
"Then Jesus declared, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never
be thirsty." John 6:35 NIV.
Joy – Georgetown, TX – Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. – Colossians 3:13 NIV
Hilary from Langley, BC, Canada:
“Then Jesus declared, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never
be thirsty.” John 6:35 NIV.
I love hearing about your adventures! Your scripture verse ministered to me so much today. My prodical child/adult is heavy on my heart. He might be living under a bridge…literally. I am waiting for “Christ to be revealed” to him and in him.
Diane, Montgomery, Al “Restrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; For your work will be rewarded”, declares the Lord, ” And they shall return from the land of the enemy.” Jeremiah 31:16 NAS
1 John 1:9 NAS
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Patty, Granite Bay, CA “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as memebers of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:15 NIV
Julie, Goodyear. Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Matthew 16:23 NIV
Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit – you choose.
-Proverbs 18:21 [The Message Bible]
Though the fig tree does not bid and there are no grapes on the vine,though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,yet I will rejoice in the Lord,I will be joyful in God my Saviour.(Habakkuk 3:17-18) Twyla McAmis, Cleveland,Tennessee.
Love yours Mama! Cant believe I just read it! God is Good!
Hannah Tx, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” Colossians 3:23-24
Donna Marina, Ca
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,to them who are the called according to his purpose.