Like Anna

Last week I pulled out an old study Bible to do a little studying and I came across a postcard with this picture on it...

So, why do I have a postcard of an old lady in my Bible? Good question. This is actually a picture of a painting by Rembrandt. The orginial hangs in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, which I saw in person, May of 2009. I went to the museum while on a misison trip that took me backpacking through Europe. We had a spare afternoon so my fellow team member and I headed out for a trip around town. Thus, the Rijksmuseum...

 

So we're walking around taking in all of the fine art (my appreciation probably lacking) when we came across the above piece. I remember it captured my attention quickly, mainly because of her hand. It is difficult to tell in this picture, but the detail is incredible: the wrinkles, the veins, the way it lays on the page. How he made her hand look so real, I will never get over.

With each piece of art was a short bio. While the title of this piece is Rembrandt's mother, the bio said that it was a depiction of the prophetess Anna from the Bible. The only account of her is found in Luke after she saw Jesus as a baby.

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a window until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:36-38)

It seems, Anna practically lived at the temple. She probably heard the scriptures over and over, the ones that told of a coming Messiah. She most likely never touched or read them, but I imagine her face held the same eagerness found in this painting when she would listen. I think her heart ached and found purpose only in sitting in the Lord's presence. Can you imagine her joy to see her Savior's face as a babe?

I bought this postcard as a reminder: I want to be the woman in the painting. I want to be found pouring over scripture, now and when my hands are wrinkled and fragile. But then, that begs the questions: am I in the Word daily? Do I eagerly await to spend time with Him? Do I search the scriptures and commit truth to memory?

Chances are, if I'm not, I won't be like that woman. I won't be like Anna.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10

Courageous the Movie

I am blessed to be a part of a church that, as I've said before, will do what's never been done if it means more people will hear the gospel. So, Sherwood Pictures was born as a ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church, and Flywheel, Facing the Giants, and Fireproof have made more of an impact than I think anyone ever dreamed. The latest film, Courageous, is about police officers who discover what it truly means to be a godly dad.  2 weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend the Courageous movie premiere in Atlanta at the Fox Theater. It seemed only fitting for me to take the man in life: my Dad! So we strolled the red carpet, and had a great time!

  To give you more of an idea of the heart behind the movie, here are some of the actors and staff sharing about Courageous...



Courageous is about fatherhood, but this movie isn't just for dads. This young, single gal, was given examples of the kind of man I should look for, and reminded me that living a life worthy of the Lord is not always easy. We all must resolve to be courageous. 


Check out www.courageousthemovie.com for more info about the movie, resources for churches, theater showings, and more. Courageous comes out September 30th, make sure you're there!

Mi Tiempo en Honduras

Hola mi Amigos! (warning, you are about to recieve a spanish lesson)

I'm finally back and rested (I think) from my week in Honduras. This was my second trip to this beautiful country, and hopefully there are many more to come. I was first introduced to the country in May of 2010 on a mission trip with mi abuelos (my grandparents) and their church. I fell in love then with the people and left a little bit of my heart there. I was blessed to return a little over a week ago with another medical team to minister again to the mountain people.

Now, just to clarify: I am in no way medically trained. But you would be amazed at what you can do with a little instruction and in the middle of another country. Automated blood pressure cuffs, thermometers, and pulse oxcemeters (i don't even know all it does) are wonderful for those of us who can push a button and copy down a number. My last trip I used these to do triage, but last week, I worked with the dentist. Of the MANY patients that were treated in the clinics, roughly 125 of those had teeth extracted (fancy term for pulled). I was placed in charge of cleaning and sterilizing the doctor's instruments inbetween patients. I will say, I'm glad I don't mind a little blood and I now know the spanish word for a person to spit: esupa.

As a patient, the proceed for each clinic was:

Wait...

Triage (temp, BP, and pulse check)...

See healthcare provider (accompanied by a translator)...

Head to the pharamacy for meds...

...and here I am doing my part for the week: cleaning and sterlizing instruments used by Dr. Ted to pull teeth.

We were able to provide medical services to 1,150 people in 4 1/2. We worked with Iglesia Amistad Cristiana Church and helped reach communities that the church will follow up with. 

Another highlight of the week, was our visit to the police academy. It shocked me to find out that in Honduras, it is not standard issue for police officers to recieve a bullet-proof vest. We had the opportunity to take vests with us and distrubute them to several men and women. Dr. Daughtery, the American physcian leading our group, was able to present the vests and the gospel to the officers.

One of the Recreation Pastors at Sherwood was able to give me some soccer balls to take and pass out. Several kids waited around the clinic all day for a ball. This one was especially excited!

Now, allow me to introduce you to the "Fearsome Four". These lovely ladies and myself met in May 2010 on what would be all of our first trip to Honduras. We were blessed with the opportunity to all serve again together! It was great to catch up on all the Lord has done in our lives and to encourage each other. We're spread out all over the southeast, but are hoping for a reason to reunite soon ;) .

Thank you so much for praying for myself and our team as we served the mountain people of Honduras. This country and her beautiful people are becoming very near and dear to my heart. Returning there was like seeing old friends and family. I can't wait until the Lord opens a door to visit again.

Only fear the LORD and serve Him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things He has done for you. 1 Sam 12:24

Well hey there...

To say that a lot has happened since my last post, would be the understatement of the year. My mind works in lists and bullet points, so here's the skinny on the rest of my summer....

-Freedom Frestival: church event for the 4th of July as an outreach to the community. Had a great turnout, good friends from Mobile in town, AND got to pray with a little girl to receive Christ!

-5th Grade Mission Trip: took 12 5th graders to St. Simons Island for a 2 day mission trip. We prayer walked, and hosted a movie night. It was awesome to see the kids, some for the first time,  start to "get" serving, learning how to live mission-minded, and about how things are not about ourselves. 

-Camp Topadarok: Next up we had kids camp for completed 3rd-5th graders. The best part: Samuel, John, and James came down to be a part! Samuel was a staffer, while John and James were campers. So cool to see them hang out and have fun with kids I spend so much time with each week. We had  a great staff and chaperones who extended grace to this girl, the new camp director. Overall we had 2 children accept Christ and MANY experience conviction and reevaluated things in their life. 

Unfortunately, this is the only picture I got of the four of us. But still a good looking bunch :)

-Said good-bye to two AMAZING interns. Becky and James where more help this summer than I can express. Not only had great help, but came away with incredible friendships. 

Intern Becky on her Birthday! LOVE her!!

So there you have it. Lots of firsts for me, and crazy busy but I wouldn't have it any other way. The Lord continues to reveal His strength and power to me as He uses me in Albany. 

However, I'm pretty sure, had I not slowed down, Mom was coming after me (love you Momma!).

Headed out tomorrow for a seven day mission trip to Honduras. Pray as our team serves and works in medical clinics to reach the mountain people.

KidzBlast VBS

Growing up in church, Vacation Bible School is something I've always known about or been a part of. When I first came to Sherwood to interview, David mentioned that he had a idea for different way of doing VBS. The idea was this: to hold VBS at our upper campus/sports park, 8 am- 5 pm, with activities in the afternoons which would include anything from choir to art to fishing to field games. David's heart was to reach children who didn't just filter through all of the local church's VBS, but to reach out to those families who needed the all day child care and financial break, and those who would never be able to afford a real camp experience.

When David told me that idea, and how the pastor was behind, I thought, "Wow, sounds like a great idea! Good luck with that!". That was back when I still was figuring out if I was really picking up myself and moving to Albany, Georgia. But shortly after my move, began the planning for one of the biggest (and brand new) events for the children's ministry this summer.

"VBS KidzBlast" kicked off June 6th, and we were as ready as we could be, not really sure how it was all going to play out. But o how the Lord is faithful. We had over 400 children at Legacy Park each day, all participating in small groups, recreation, corporate worship, and a variety of activities in the afternoon. Here were some of the highlights for me...
 -Being prayed over by a group of preschoolers. Almost cried.
-On Wednesday, the gospel was presented, and 31 children came to Christ!! What a sweet moment it was! I got the chance to talk to two little girls and pray with them as they made decisions to follow Jesus with their lives.
-Got the opportunity to get to know some moms and dads of the regular Sherwood kids better.
-Seeing so many different people from the wonderful Sherwood Church family serve!! We had a GREAT crew of volunteers! From check-in and check-out teams, morning adminstration, preschool, rec, lunch crew, small group leaders, afternoon and track leaders. Couldn't have done without them!
-Hearing children singing/screaming "WE WON'T BE QUIET!" at worship, talking about Jesus!
-Driving a golf cart, and having a radio (Yes, it was a highlight. Just being honest folks).

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the week...

Morning stretch

Pastor David talking through the morning.

Small group time

Worship!

Worship was led by several high school students. They did a great job!

Fishing track time at the pond

Intern James leading the "Special Ops" track time. With sunglasses on, they were "invisible", and went around doing special projects for people!

 

 

 

 

 Two great preschoolers and staff kids. Asher Flynt and Kerianne Joiner!

 

To the left, Mr. Jay doing "special ops" with preschoolers. Precious children who prayed over me here! To the right, counseling kids who came forward to make decisions for Christ!

Its been a week since we packed up all the boxes and put away our orange t-shirts (all volunteers wore one...every day). I'm still processing and sitting in awe of all God did that week. One thing is for sure, I'm so thankful to be a part of a team that is not afraid to break away from the normal to better reach the community for Christ.

My Best Friend's Wedding

I've been told I have a lot of "best friends". The problem is, I have several friends that are near and dear to me, but to explain our relationship to you would take too long. So when talking about these sweet people in my life, "best friend" seems to be the best fit for the sake of time (we all know I'm a little long winded). However, there is one person that has always been deemed the title "best friend", and her name is Codi.

Codi and I met as freshmen at the University of Mobile and made a fast friendship during our second semester. However, we had to part ways in the middle of our sophomore year at UM when Codi transferred to University of Alabama (blah). It was the best change for doing what she wanted to do (social work), and would be cheaper (always a plus). I gave her my best, knowing that the Lord was calling my friend away, but sad to see her go. We had developed a friendship that went deep, based on how God had brought up through similar things in life. But when she moved, I'm not sure either one of us really expected to keep in touch as much as we did. Somehow though, we have always found time and made it a point to be there when it counts: graduations, hard break-ups, first dates, and birthdays. All the while throwing in a few "need to get away" weekends.

Codi's undergrad graduation! We both finished a semester early :)

I can vividly remember where I was and what I was doing when Codi called me a few years ago to tell me some news.  I had been out of the country for a month on a mission trip, and was checking my voicemail when I heard one from Codi:
"Hey, I can't remember what day you get back but CALL ME when you get in."
I called her back and after a little catching up about my trip, the conversation went a little like this:
Codi- "Sooo, I'm going on a date tonight."
Me-  "You ARE?" 
"You're not gonna believe who it is with"
"Can I guess?"
"Yea..."
"Collins?"
"How did you know that?!"

 Now, I can be a little naive at times (ok, maybe a lot of the time), but that one was not hard to figure out. I had met Collins probably a year earlier, and watched him become Codi's best friend. Codi had been seeing someone else for a while, but I knew that if he ever dropped out of the picture, that there was a good chance Collins might step up. He never overstepped the boundaries of friendship and was totally cool with the person Codi was and is. He encouraged her to be more of herself, and most importantly, Collins loved the Lord. What more could a girl ask for for her best friend?!

So this past weekend, I had the lovely honor of being in Codi and Collins' wedding. From the white daises to the bridal party walking down the aisle to "Lean on Me" to orange bridesmaid dresses, the wedding was  perfectly "Codi". (*Side note: I love going to a wedding and seeing the bride's personality all over the place.) Here are a few pictures from the weekend...

 . 

Codi and I at the rehearsal dinner. Where I told my side of the "first date" story, and cried when she gave my gift and card.

Minutes before the ceremony! Wearin' her favorite color...

Shots of the happy couple. To the left, Codi Sprewell and Collins Espy. To the right, Mr. and Mrs. Collins Espy!

So there you have it. My best friend's wedding. Congratulations Codi and Collins! I couldn't be more happy for two people. I am so excited to see all the Lord is going to do in and through you as you begin your lives together. Know you always have a special place in my heart, and a place to visit in Georgia!

 

Goin' on a Bear Hunt with Josiah

Most of you know, but for those who don't, my baby brother Josiah has Down syndrome. The last three and a half years have changed my family, but all for the better, since his arrival. Every time I visit my family he seems to making strides in his development, in some way. In February, I went home for a quick visit and proceeded to read a book that has been read to him a million times. But to my complete joy and amazement, when I read it to him on this visit, he was WAY more into the story.
Watch and see...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9db-x1ih_4&feature=youtu.be

Since then I have seen Josiah again when my family visited Albany. On that visit, my sweet brother looked me in the eye, waved, and clearly said, "bye". I literally almost cried!

Josiah is a great reminder that our God is faithful, and He has a purpose for every life. I truly believe we will all stand in amazement as we watch the Lord use Josiah and his life. And, honestly, I look forward to it.