OUR CHURCH

Yesterday at 2:30am we got a call from the police department that we needed to go to the church. When we got there the firemen were still trying to put out the flames. Here is one of the news stories:

Dec 26 2008 7:05PM
KXNewsTeam
It may be a miracle a family got out of a burning church safely this morning. A fire started in the Bismarck Bible Baptist church around 2:30 a.m.

A family moving to town was staying in the prophet's chamber (a small apartment). That's where the fire started. Their little girl woke up sick and that's when the mom noticed flames near the washing machine. The family was able to get out of the church fast enough.

Pastor Jeff Olson says that's the blessing.(Pastor Jeff Olson / Bible Baptist Church) "we don't have a total loss, someone here but no one got hurt, help was able to get here quickly, they said with the old plaster the building would have gone up quickly.

My faith is in that God protected us and took care of us, now it's a matter of following his lead ~ not ours."

The Insurance adjustor says the church is fixable. The sanctuary has smoke damage the fire damage is more extensive in the basement. An inspector described the beams as being beyond charred.

"We have a good solid core of members. I know them and know we will come together and come up with a solution of what to do in the short term."

Olson says he's not sure what the congregation will do this Sunday, however he says the church of about 35 members will move forward...

Now that I have had a full week out of school things are starting to fall into a nice routine around here. I must say that I am really enjoying it. But, before I get into that I do have to share some very special news (at least to me.)

My college advisor emailed me last Thursday to let me know that I was officially done and everything for my degree has been completed. But what was even more exciting was that I graduated with honors........my GPA was 4.0!!!

Thanks to everyone who prayed for me over the last 2 years while I undertook that major task. There were times I wanted to quit, but you would encourage me to continue. I can know look back and see that it was through those prayers and the grace of the Lord that I was able to do all of that!!

Now, about my home life now that school is no longer a factor. For those who don’t know me very well, I have a tendency to get kind of obsessive/compulsive about things. So I try my best not to let that happen. In order to keep from literally working my family to death trying to get everything I want done around the house AI have gone back to one of my favorite websites ~~ FlyLady.

Through following their routine my house is starting to shine again, but I’m not obsessive about getting it there. We do small things at a time and do them in a fun way. And most importantly it is working marvelously – not that I ever doubted it, because I used to follow this method for years.

Even with a busy week ahead, I know that everything will get done in a timely manner and we’ll still have time to enjoy ourselves.

Brett, Elisabeth, Braden and I are baking cookies this week. Jeff and I are going shopping. We are having a special candlelight service at church on Wednesday. My mom is coming Wednesday and staying until Friday. It is close week at work (meaning extra busy). And lastly – through all of this I plan to beat Nick at racquetball at least 2 out of the 3 times we will be playing!!!! (After all I can’t let a 19 year old beat me at the game I taught him ~~~ even if he is younger and in better shape.)

So anyone else have any special plans for the week??

Now that school is over ~ and we have dug out from the blizzard ~ it is time for me to develop a regular routine that does not include 4-6 hours a day with my nose stuck in a textbook.

The weekend was great. It was a time to get caught up on things that had been sadly neglected over the last few months. It was also a time to break out my cross-stitching. Of course, Jeff laughed because I’m still working on a blanket that I started for him when we still lived in Minot (over 10 years ago.) But some day I am going to finish that thing and then he won’t laugh any more.
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On a completely different note ~ at church last night (yes, we were able to make it) a verse was read that really touched my heart and I wanted to share it here:

1 Corinthians 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Think about that last line....I die daily.

I had to ask myself, “Do you die to self each day in order to live as Christ would have you to live?” Sadly, many times I would have to say, NO. I get busy doing “stuff.” It isn’t that it is necessarily bad “stuff,” just “stuff” that distracts me from doing what God would have for me to do.

A perfect example for me...God lays it on my heart to call and check on someone. Now, anyone who knows me knows I am NOT a phone person. I strongly dislike talking on the phone. So, I think of a handful of excuses to not make that phone call. If I were to submit to God, die to my flesh, I wouldn’t make those excuses ~ I would make the phone call.

Friends...take time today to put your fleshly wants aside and find out how God would want you to go through your day...and then do it. You will be blessed for your obedience and you will be able to say, “My cup runneth over.”

SNOWED IN

It is very strange to be sitting at home on a Sunday morning, still in my PJ’s. But that is what we are all doing this morning.

Currently there is a blizzard going on outside. The temperature is -11 (with a wind chill near -50). All I can say is BBBRRRRRR!!!!

We got up this morning to get ready for church when we heard that the highway patrol has banned all travel in the entire state of North Dakota. I guess this blizzard is a pretty big one.

So I guess we will, bundle up ~ keep warm ~ stay inside, where it is safe ~ and see how the progresses.

Praise is Pleasant

"Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely." (Psalms 147:1)

Praising the Lord is good, pleasant and comely or beautiful.

Do you ever have days that nothing seems to go right?

Instead of griping and complaining about our circumstances, we need to choose to praise the Lord.

Can you sing praise to God in the midst of trials?

Try it; you'll like it and so will God.

SHORT, SWEET, AND TO THE POINT

I'm DONE - FINISHED - GRADUATED......

I have officially completed my Master's Degree!!!!!!!!!

I'm Tired & Frustrated

I’m getting very frustrated. I am literally days away from completing my Master’s, but my thesis is a group project (don’t know who came up with that bright idea) and for the last 4 days the only changes that have taken place on our rough draft are changes I have made. I have resorted to begging for their help on this....I mean really, my grade is hanging in the balances based on the work (or lack thereof) of others!!!!!

If you read this today, please take a moment to say a little prayer. This rough draft has to be turned in by 11:55pm tonight. I work until 5om and have church at 7pm. I checked to see if either of my partners responded from my emails last night and I found NOTHING!!! I could just cry.

Thinking on Forgiveness...

I’ve been thinking a lot about forgiveness lately. Why is it easier for some people to forgive than it is for others? I honestly don’t understand.

I am the type of person who love’s fully, is fairly open with my emotions, trust’s with all my heart, and tries to find to good in everything and everyone. It’s just who I am. But that also means that many times I get hurt by someone. When I get hurt, it hurts all the way through to my heart. But I am also a person that forgives.

I have had things happen in my life and people have asked my, “how could you possibly forgive them for what they did to you?” My response is, “How could I NOT forgive them.”

Christ gave me the perfect example of forgiveness when he died on the cross for my sins. He was willing to forgive me long before I ever asked for forgiveness. The pain he suffered was more pain than I will ever experience in my lifetime – and He forgave....so how could I not be willing to do the same?

I’ve thought long and hard about this. If I am not willing to forgive how can I ask God to forgive me?

Psalms 25:18 Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.

Psalms 86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

Matthew 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Matthew 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

Mark 11:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Mark 11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

My Week

Well, it’s Monday ~ the start one another week. But this week is special. Here are the three reasons this week is so special:

1. At the end of this week I will no longer be a college student ~ I will have completed my master’s degree.

2. At the end of this week ~ Friday to be exact ~ my precious grandson, Braden Lee, will turn ONE. He is growing up WAY TOO FAST!!!!

3. At the end of this week I will NOT be getting on an airplane headed to India. Due to the terrorist acts and the country in unrest my trip has been indefinitely postponed.

Those are three really big things to happen in a week!! For the first time in a long time I have actually started to make plans for what I am going to do with myself. Here is my list so far:

The kids and I will be going to the YMCA one hour a day, 5 days a week

I am going to begin redoing one room in the house each month. The first room will be the dining room ~ new paint, a new lamp, border and anew curtain.

So ~~~ what does your week look like???