Women at the Well Spring Conference taught me about praise and worship!

My husband and I took a road trip to the western part of our state where the rolling hills and flowering dogwoods and azaleas were a delicious treat to our eyes. Elizabeth asked me to perform the drama of the Samaritan woman at their first annual Spring Conference and I was delighted to accept the invitation. Even my husband was excited about traveling with me and accompanied me to the event...there were a few other men. Thank you Dale for befriending Ron!!


The pastor started off the event with a brief message (more like a prophetic word for the women attending) and it was followed with 40 minutes of praise and worship. It wasn't a live band but a power point with music and words in place...it showed me that what we truly need to worship are hearts ready and open to worship. I feel I have earned a right to talk about praise and worship since I have been on P&W teams in 3 different churches over the last 18 years. WOW! Eighteen years is a long time. I began under the leadership of a very capable music pastor who played the guitar along with a pianist and three singers for Sunday mornings and a full band on Sunday evenings. The congregation eagerly participated in worship with genuine hearts as did those in the small church where I was the leader of the P&W team. That was a stretch...a big stretch, but the pianist in that small church was a new member just like me and together we came with experience outside of old hymns and along with the new pastor who lead praise and worship in his former church, made up the first team. After a few months we had a drummer, 2 guitarist and a few singers that joined us. We made a joyful noise unto the Lord and the congregation responded to our meager efforts allowing the Holy Spirit to lead them to the altar. Now I am one of many singers on a team and we have a full band of wonderful musicians. Most of our church, I think, would say they enjoy our style of worship and are ushered into the presence of God.

At the Women at the Well event, Elizabeth brought a message that captivated the women the entire forty five minutes! In most churches it is stressed you loose people’s attention after twenty minutes. Not so when the message follows forty five minutes of worshipping the Lord and getting hearts ready to receive from the Holy Spirit. We seem to rush into church, rush into singing 4 songs (no more than 4), rush into the message and then ...do it all over for the second service. The music can be uplifting, the sermon can be convicting and encouraging and we can truly meet the Lord in those short services but I have seen what a difference not only at the WATW Spring Conference but also in others where the time spent before the sermon was praising God for who He is and asking the Holy Spirit to move among us. The difference is at the close of the service when people are flooding the altar for more of HIM...flooding the altar for prayer to be better followers of Jesus....flooding the altar with pure grateful hearts that want only to do the work He has created them to do.

During my Living Interpretation of the Samaritan Woman, the eyes I looked into were so soft and ready to hear about this woman's encounter with Jesus. They felt her pain and her joy. Is that because all of us have sins we do over and over and we know that it is only by the help of the Holy Spirit that we can overcome? It was such a beautiful sight when I opened my eyes after singing "Alabaster Box" to see women praying for each other with tears streaming down their faces yet with a glow about them that only come from the radiance of being in the presence of the Lord. Yes, it was a real blessing to be with this group of believers and one night I don't think I will ever forget!

He's THE Christian!

I have been working with my sons who are 24, 36 and 38 in the big city and I so enjoy the different conversations that are tossed about like a pitch and catch game.  Back and forth, back and forth, dropping the conversation to answer the phone and then picking it right back up.  It is invigorating to be with them and their friends as they discuss new business ventures and make strategic plans to get them up and running.

Recently I was invited to join them as they met with a group of 30 somethings to discuss an initiative to help the Boys and Girls Club in their area.  They were all so very nice and seemed to have such good hearts as they wanted to offer their assistance by using their talents and skills used in their various businesses to bring about a product that could help TB&GC.  As I looked around the table I wondered what their backgrounds were as far as their beliefs.  Well, I soon found out. 

One of the members was unable to attend and in order to describe him to the others the leader said, "He's a red head!  And he is THE Christian!"  My son asked what he meant by that and the reply given was, "Well you know we say we are Christians but he is a real Christian."  His tone of voice told me that he admired his friend and I really want to ask what was so different about him, but it wasn't the time or place.  But I do hope I meet him someday.

I have thought about that one sentence over and over and I have told several people about this young man I do not know.  I also wonder if anyone would ever say that about me....without me telling them first that I am a Christian.  Could they tell that I am sold out to the ways of Christ by my behavior?  Do the words I speak influence them to want to know more about Christianity or does it make them turn and run?  What makes this young man so different than his friends who call themselves Christians?  Maybe if I brought to my mind everyday that I am an ambassador of Christ, I would act accordingly.  Lord, help me!

Should I Really Write Out My Rambling Thoughts?

Recently I had a friend suggest that I should write a devotional. Last month an older women (I use that term with much admiration) emailed me that I should write a book. Through the past ten years, I started both endeavors many times over only to throw up my hands and throw out my thoughts; who in the world wants to hear the ramblings that go on in my head? Some of them, no, most of them, are so random that I wonder how they even entered my brain. Certainly God sends out ideas and notions that I am to ponder, go to the Bible for clarification and grow in my understanding of Him. But I worry that some things are not of Him but of my own pitiful mind or worse, of the devil who deliberately keeps me off track.
So here I am thinking about writing out my own interpretations of life…again. This time I will not hold back even if readers may think I am stepping on sacred ground with dirty feet. I believe in the Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I believe that Jesus is my only way to the Father and the Holy Spirit guides me in all things. I want to engage with God and if by doing so I write about things that you do not agree with, please know it is not my intent to upset or enlighten you. Please do not judge my ramblings as gospel truth but a way of sorting out my real beliefs. Please share your thoughts with me. Maybe we will grow closer to the Lord together.

My first interpretation…The title is shocking but the surge it gave me in my Christian walk is electrifying.

If Virgin Mary were a whore would they call her Whore Mary?

As I read this status on Facebook I was instantly upset. What would ever posses anyone to think of Mary in those terms and post it on the web for all to see. This nineteen year old college freshman was someone I taught in Sunday School and I knew without a doubt that he believed in the Lord. How could he make light of the Lord’s mother? I was so disturbed about it I called him and asked (well, told him) to remove his status! He obliged, but it had already received comments from other young people who liked his post. What’s up with that?

The next morning the Lord spoke to me as soon as I opened my eyes and He reprimanded me for the way I handled the situation. Wasn’t this an opportunity to have open dialogue with this young man? He also brought to my mind that if Mary were a prostitute, He would have called her as such. God does not sugar coat anything in the Bible. There are prominent women in the Bible that are described by their sexual condition, like it or not.

Write down what comes to your mind first as I mention the names of Biblical women; Sarah, Rahab, Mary Magdalene, the Samaritan woman, the adulteress woman. Did you write words such as, barren and told her husband to sleep with her servant, prostitute, demon-possessed, married 5 times, and promiscuous? Unfortunately, most of us were taught those adjectives to describe these remarkable women as bad girls of the Bible. Are we missing what God wants us to really take away from their lives? Wouldn’t it be more encouraging to think of them as; mother of nations, helper to God’s people and great, great grandmother to King David, freed from bondage and then possessed by Christ, first evangelist in Samaria, and forever grateful. Each one had an encounter that changed them forever.

The next phone call to this young man was an apology for my outburst but also a plea for understanding. What was going through his mind to bring up such a thought? “Well,” he said, “When I was out raking leaves I was just having random thoughts and wondered why there is a sexual word in front of Mary. I know why she had to be a virgin but what would it be like if we gave sexual titles to everyone? Instead of introducing you as my mom, would I have to say this is three times married Barb? Or this is my never married aunt? Or this is my childless aunt?” Wow! What a deep thinker my son is! I had jumped at the chance to defend what I thought was an attack on Mary without even asking my son what he was contemplating. Now I was the one thinking about how I mentally label people.

God stated the facts about a person to show the condition of their heart before encountering His divine intervention. We state the facts as if making a derogatory remark about the person to make them lower or raise us higher. Did God really intend for us to remember Mary as the Virgin Mary or that she was chosen by God for a specific purpose? Did God want us to remember that Elizabeth was barren or that He created a child within her when it was seen as impossible? Did God want us to remember the woman at the well as the one who had been married 5 times or that she accepted Christ as Living Water? Did God want us to remember the harlot who came uninvited to Simon’s house or that she boldly worshipped him when she washed his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair?

Why do we always look for the bad in a person instead of the results of an encounter with God?

It still bothers me that my son would even put the word whore in a sentence with the mother of my Lord, but I am delighted that he was thinking of Mary while raking leaves.

Because of the teachable moments that occur afterwards, I have asked my son to tell me whatever roams through his mind.

Kyria Blog: Embracing Idols

When I read this blog it spoke directly to what is in my heart as a member of the Women's Ministry Team at my church.  When I was in Bible studies that stretched my way of thinking and convicted me of my actions that were not God pleasing, I grew closer to the Lord and my life was balanced and blessed.  And yet even knowing that, I put aside study for just about anything.  Shame on me!!!  Read this blog and tell me how it motivates you to seek the Lord.

Kyria Blog: Embracing Idols

Miss communications!

Have you ever read an email and totally misinterpret what the writer was saying?  I did that and it was a business transaction.  Not good!  It has been awhile since I have been in business.  I owned a cross stitch shop and managed a banking center... at the same time for a year.  During that time, no one emailed.  Of course it is not because they didn't want too; it was because there was no such thing as email.  Isn't that weird!  Now it seems as if no one hears the voice of their co-worker or boss.  Unless of course, the situation requires face to face, and it is of the utmost importance.  But an email can suffice in most cases.

The girl who sent me the email was not quite sure what I was referring to when I sent my response.  The girl is not really a girl but a woman.  It is just that I am old enough to be her mother.  She is very qualified for her position and I do need to stay on her good side because she has a wealth of knowledge about Quickbooks Online and she has offered to help me at anytime.  It's not her fault that I am not familiar with the lingo yet. 

I felt foolish that I did not take time to read her second email which would have cleared things up a bit.  Before I could make clarification, my son, the boss, sent me an email telling me to copy him on any communication to the staff...at least for right now.  What an embarrassment to me. I wanted to say, "Hey, you asked me to come to work"  I got my cup of coffee and sat on the couch thinking of how old I am to start something new.  Poor me!  Can I really keep up with a cutting edge business? 

Once I thought it through though, I realized how awesome it is to be a part of my son's business and his life...and the lives of the 2 more sons that live and work for him.  It's a family affair!  I am the oldest and I have made contributions to the betterment of the company.  Managing people was my strong point.   I want to be a team player...not sure if that term is used anymore.  Whatever!  I am thankful I have a job with wonderful people.

I turned 58 and started a new career!

I really thought that once my youngest son went off to college, life would slow down.  What a joke!  I feel like I am just waking up from a long nap and it is time to learn new things and enjoy a good challenge. 

So...my son who has a business in the Raleigh area ask me to work for him. I thought it through...

For so long I wondered what it would be like to go back to work.  I managed a bank 19 years ago until I was bed-ridden while pregnant, and once my son was born I dedicated my life to raising my boys. At first I missed working and the performance reviews.  Yep!  I needed to hear I was doing a good job. But then I found volunteer work at school and church can be very rewarding.  Now, it was time to re-enter the work force and even though it was quite a drive to work for my son, I couldn't imagine a better boss.

The 90 minute drive to his house, (which is also his office) gives me time in the morning to pray for my family.  I have been able to call my mom who lives in Ohio and check on her and call my sister in Texas.  There are even quiet moments when I clear my head of any thoughts and try to listen to the small wee voice guiding me into this new season of my life.

Learning Quickbooks Online has been a challenge, since I haven't done bookkeeping professionally.  The books for my small cross stitch shop was simple; very simple! In fact I used pen and paper...no computer.  Coming from a family of bookkeepers, accountants, CFO's  and business owners, it is in my genes.  Never thinking it would intrigue me so, I have found instant gratification when I have accomplished my to do list. 

Another son also works with us and he has taught me how to use QB online and I am rather surprised at his patience.  He does often tell me to try to figure it out on my own and if I can't, then I can ask him for help.  That's weird...taking directions from a 23 year old.  The son who owns the company is 35 and has a lot of patience too.  A lady on his staff asked him if he could fire his mother if I wasn't doing my job.  He smiled.  I wouldn't want to put him in that position.  I am trying my very best to his best bookkeeper!

Make sure your shoes are shined...or at least a match!

   I gotta laugh at myself.  I go from one adventure to another.  One dream to another.  My good friend, Donna was asked to put together a seminar about Professionalism in the work place. That includes Attire, Speech and Attitude.  She asked me to help her and right away I was on the internet finding points we should make.  Every article said there were two things that must be clean and neat for your appearance to be above reproach.  Your shirt and shoes!
   That isn't like a breakthrough concept for me, but I don't always look at my shoes as needing polished or shined every time I wear them.  This may be a downfall for me and after my recent doctors visit, I may never leave the house again without at least looking down at them.
   There was no need for me to rush, even though I had a long drive (one and a half hours) to see Dr. E., and so I just enjoyed the beautiful sunny day taking in all the sights as I drove to Chapel Hill.  My microphone was in my hand and everytime I would think of something pertaining to the seminar I would save it for later reference. 
   I arrived at the office early and was called in right away.  Paula, the nurse, came in and took all my vitals and asked me questions.   She said Dr. E. would be in shortly and left the room with a great bug smile on her face.  She is so nice and amiable. No problem..  I crossed my legs and started reading the magazine about hearing loss.  All was good until I looked down at my shoe that was on my left foot as I was swinging it back and forth.  I thought it strange that I had on my black shoe with the tassle.  I thought for sure I put on my blackish brown shoes with the buckle.  There are times when I do forget things, so I must have put on the wrong shoes.  No problem, my outfit could handle black shoes.  Except...I looked down at my right foot and...Oh NO!  I had on my blackish brown shoe with the buckle.  I uncrossed my legs and took a long hard look as if they would magically match.  But I did manage to laugh instead of cry, as my two different shoes hugged my feet.  The more I laughed the hotter I became and sweat was starting to form on my brow.
My face was getting red and I could feel the heat running down to my neck.  I started to fan myself and guess who entered the room?  Yep!  Dr. E.  He extended his hand to shake mine and I gave him the magazine; he smiled, took the magazine and placed it on the stand.  Then he shook my hand with a grin on his face. 
   I figured I would just not say anything and crossed my legs at the ankles, trying to hide my left foot with my right foot.  I know what you're thinking.  Yes, he could still see that I had on two different pairs of shoes but I knew if I didn't say anything, he wouldn't.  And he didn't.  As soon as he finished checking out my sinuses, I almost ran out of his office.
   I had planned on shopping while I was in the Raleigh area but I sure couldn't do that with 2 unmatching shoes.  Sometimes I think God has such a sense of humor.  Here I was planning what I was going to say to people about dressing professionally for work.  I even talked into my microphone as I drove and thought I was going to be on top of things.  Well....I guess the joke was on me.  Now I have a story to tell during the seminar of how important it is to check out your shoes before going to work and especially before a job interview or meeting. 
   I wonder if Paula and Dr. E had a good laugh after I left...with all the people in the waiting room!