Catalyst Atlanta 2012 - MUSIC

Before Catalyst Atlanta 2012, we attended church at City of Life in Kissimmee, Florida.  They sang a new song by Israel Houghton, "Jesus at the Center."  It's a powerful worship song and definitely one I wanted to bring home to LifePoint.

While we were at Catalyst, Isarel Houghton was actually there and sang several of his songs, which included "Jesus at the Center."  Wow!   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIIhzTQkK9o  "From my heart to the heavens, Jesus be the center.  It's all about You, yes, it's all about You."

The Sunday before Dave and I left for Catalyst, he used Eddie Kirkland's song, "The Solution" in his message.  Again, at Catalyst Eddie Kirkland was there and led that song.  (Eddie Kirkland is one of the worship leaders at North Point Church in Atlanta where Andy Stanley pastors.)  It's a great song with powerful lyrics.     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eoqxYtUJEs

On the second day of Catalyst, the North Point worship team/band led a couple songs and then the stage went dark.  When the lights came back up, Michael W. Smith was at the keyboard leading "Above All, " and went into "Healing Rain."  He ended with "Agnus Dei."  The Guinnet Center was filled with the presence of God as 13,000 church leaders sang, "Alleluia, Alleluia, for the Lord God Almighty reigns.  Holy, holy are You, Lord God Almighty.  Worthy is the Lamb, worthy is the Lamb."  It was such a beautiful sound and sight as Michael Smith's hands were stretched toward heaven and everyone sang acapella with hands raised in praise.  It was one of the highlights.

Gungor was a featured artist the first night of Catalyst.  I didn't know who they were, but did recognize "Beautiful Things" that they sang. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyPBtExE4W0)  I didn't realize until I got home that Gungor and Israel Houghton wrote, "Friend of God."  Michael and his wife Lisa Gungor are accomplished musicians and he writes beautiful lyrics and music.  At the moment I don't have any Gungor songs on my iPhone, but I definitely want to add his music to my collection.

I don't remember who led "One Thing Remains" by Jesus Culture, but it still rings in my heart.  "God's love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me."   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_KXsMCJgBQ

At the end of Andy Stanley's session on the first day, he had the North Point worship team lead a song, but I never caught the title or who wrote it.   I did manage to write down these four lines.
 
     "The maker of the heavens knows my name
     The author of the oceans gave me grace
     My soul, my soul will ever sing Your praise
     Who am I that You would find me here."

My soul, my soul, will ever sing Your praise.

Catalyst 2012 Trip - FRIENDS

Dave and I attended Catalyst 2012 in Atlanta this October.  This has been our third Catalyst Leadership Conference (one on the west coast and two on the east coast), and they just keep getting better.  

On this trip to Catalyst we flew out a little early and spent time in Florida and Georgia visiting family and friends. Over the next little bit I'll blog about some of our experiences on the trip, but wanted to start with all the friends we saw.

• Gary, Jan and their son Sean Nichols (Melbourne, FL).  Gary and Dave (my husband) lived next door to one another as kids and went to school together.  We saw them last year and it was so great to see them again this year.   We met at Woody's for barbecue chicken.  I think it's so neat that Gary and Jan were high school sweethearts and are still going strong.  

Sue Pafford French and her sister-in-law met us all at Woody's.  The Pafford's and Welch's have been friends forever.  Sue's sister, Candy, was in our wedding.

1. Barbara (Berg) Smith and Dave were in high school band together and this is the first time he's seen her since he left Florida in 1969.  I love meeting Dave's friends.  It's helps me put a face and personality behind the stories he tells.   She just happened to be visiting her family in Melbourne while we were there, but she now lives in Apopka, FL. 

Kissimmee, Florida - Michael and Mary Sue Flippo.
It was such a blessing to worship with them at City of Life church where Michael serves as the Music Director.  We knew them back in Cleveland, TN when we were all newly weds.  We had such a delightful visit with them that included tears and lots of laughter.  They blessed our hearts.  We ate together at Fat Boys.

Deland, Florida - W.L and Lyndal Welch.
It was great that we could spend some good quality  time with Dave's Dad and Lyndal.  One of the highlights was the night Lyndal's son, Raymond, and her daughter, Joy & husband Rick came over and fried perch and hush puppies for dinner.  Good food and good company!

Atlanta, Georgia at Catalyst 2012 - Austin and Spencer Hughes, sons of our good friends Doyle and Lawana (Cleveland, TN).  There were 13,000 people at this conference and what are the chances that we would park next to one another in the parking garage and that I would recognize them.  They were such gentlemen to take a picture with an old lady they didn't know.  I loved seeing them.  I think it was a God-thing.

Also in Atlanta, we saw Carole Ann Stubbs.  She and I graduated from high school together (TMS, Cleveland, TN) as best friends.  We've stayed in touch all these years and it was great to see her again.  We met at the Cheesecake Factory (mmmm, red velvet cheesecake) for dinner and then spent the night at her house.   We stayed up late "catching up."   I also enjoyed a wonderful phone conversation with her sister, Kathy.
Hopefully soon, we'll see them both in Alaska.

Rick and Gay Johnson drove down to Macon to have breakfast with us at the Cracker Barrel.  The were just starting their family in Alaska the last time we saw them and now they're grandparents.  We rehashed so many good memories.....it was so fun to catch up.
Just for the record, that is NOT a smile on Rick's face.  :)

Foster (Fawster) and Sheila Bell - Macon, GA.

Even though I knew Foster from my days in Cleveland, TN, it was in 2008 that we reconnected when they took a cruise to Alaska and visited us in Fairbanks.   They're wonderful friends and were so gracious and hospitable to let us borrow their car for the Catalyst Conference and let us stay with them after the conference.  Sheila helped me get my southern drawl back.  Good friends are a treasure!

People we saw that I didn't get a picture of.....

• Patty (Mallard) Lowe (Florida).  She's a high school band friend of Dave's and he hadn't seen her in 40 years.  We had such a delightful visit at Dogs R Us.
• Linda Hnilica (Edgewater, Florida).  Dave knew her and her family when he was still a kid in Florida.  We reconnected with her last year in Chicago.  Linda is a beautiful, talented lady.  We loved visiting with her at Red Lobster.
• The Pastor and his wife where the Welch's attend Sunday evening services.   They were so friendly to us and we appreciate the care they give to the Welch's.
• Beautiful Hannah Flippo (Mike and Mary Sue's daughter-in-law).  Sorry we didn't get to meet Clarke.
• Ronda Flowers in Macon, Ga.  I didn't know Ronda, but know her Mom and Dad, Richard and Carolyn Carter from Cleveland, TN.  
• Jan (Phipps) in Macon, Ga.  She told me that she and my Mom had attended International Youth Camp together (years ago) and that Mom had been such a blessing to her at a time she needed it.  That blessed my heart.   
• We attended a Sunday service at the Avondale church with the Bells.   The people there were so friendly and welcoming.  They made us feel right at home and we were blessed to worship with them.
• We also attended a 75th anniversary celebration at a Church of God of Prophecy in Macon, GA with dinner on the ground......fried chicken, greens, fried okra, black eyed peas, cornbread and lots of sweet tea - plus all kinds of salads and desserts.  

Joni & Glen (GA) - we're so sorry we didn't get to connect with you.   You were so close, yet we missed you.

Wes & Julie Teel (FL) -  we missed seeing you this time.  

Tom & Yvonne Queener, one of these days I hope we can see you again.  

We're so blessed, enriched and thankful for all the friends (old and new) in our lives.

Did you notice that most of our visits with friends involved food?

  

Good Friends

I recently flew to Spokane to visit my friend Teresa, and attend a Women of Faith (WOF) Conference (more about the WOF conference in another blog).   We first met twenty-nine years ago in church when her husband was transferred in the military to Ft. Wainwright.   Our children grew up together....we became family friends.  After a couple tours in Alaska, they were transferred out, but we never lost contact with them.

Over the years we've visited them in California, Texas, Nevada, Florida, Missouri, Washington and even England.  

"Sometimes talking to your best friend is all the therapy you need."  On this visit:

• We reminisced about people we know and things we've done together.
• We bragged about our grandchildren.
• We laughed together.
• We discussed our parents and families.
• We shared recipe's (thanks for my new favorite dessert: Vanilla Pudding Dessert with fresh strawberries and crushed vanilla wafers).
• We discussed books and favorite authors.
• I read the book "The Orphaned Adult" (Understanding and Coping with Grief and Change After the Death of Our Parents by Alexander Levy).
• We talked about home remodeling.  I got some good ideas to take home for some of our remodeling projects.  
• We ate out at places we don't have in Fairbanks, Alaska.
• I enjoyed their fresh grown tomatoes on bologna sandwiches (my favorite).
• We bragged about our grandchildren some more.
• We even bragged about our children.
• We shopped together.
• We, along with her husband, visited:
• Manito Park, which was filled with the most incredible and beautiful flowers; and
• We drove about 90 miles to the Palouse Falls State Park and enjoyed the view of a waterfalls and massive canyon.  
• I enjoyed spending time with their son, daughter-in-law and 2 grandchildren.  One evening we all enjoyed fish taco's together at Anthony's and then walked along the river after dinner and dessert.  A highlight of that walk was when Teresa's five year old granddaughter, Teighlyr, joined me, held my hand and we talked for a few minutes before she scurried on.
• The weather was 95+ all week with no clouds or rain.  It was beautiful, although too hot for me.  I did enjoy sitting outside (in the shade) as much as possible.  Thank God for their air conditioning though.
• I was able to connect with a cousin on my Mom's side of the family.   We met at Red Robin for a three hour lunch.  Hey, it takes time to "catch up."   :)
• We worshipped together at the Women of Faith Conference.
• Good friends are like stars.  You don't always see them, but you know they're always there.
• Did I mention we bragged on our grandchildren?

Time Flies - Things Change

Forty-one years of marriage.  It's funny, but 1971 doesn't seem that long ago.

In 1971:

• A first class stamp cost 8 cents
• World Series Champions:   Pittsburgh Pirates
• Superbowl V Champions:  Baltimore Colts
• Most Popular TV shows:  
• All in the Family
• The Flip Wilson Show
• Gunsmoke
• The Mary Tyler Moore Show
• Here's Lucy
• Some Number One Songs:
• My Sweet Lord, George Harrison
• Knock Three Times, Dawn
• One Bad Apple, The Osmonds
• Me and Bobby McGee, Janis Joplin
• Just My Imagination, The Temptations
• Joy to the World, Three Dog Night
• You've Got a Friend, James Taylor
• How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, The Bee Gees
• Go Away Little Girl, Donny Osmond
• Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves, Cher

I remember listening to records, 8-tracks, cassettes, CD's, and now we just download songs from iTunes.

The first computer we bought was an Apple 64Kb/memory.  I could type faster than the computer could respond.   Now we have laptops, iPads and iPhones.

Not long after we were married we purchased a Chevy Impala for $6,000.00.   The GMC Envoy sitting in our driveway today is not only more expensive but is equipped with shoulder harness seat belts, airbags, cup holders (not enough for my liking), dual temperature controls.  We're still not up there with leather and heated/cooling seats, nor GPS installed.   We do have booster seats for the younger grandchildren, while our own kids stood up in the back floorboard with no car seats.  Thankfully, they survived.

We've always had color TV, but they have gotten larger, thinner, with crisper pictures and better sound.  They now hang on the wall.

In 1972 Dave and I moved from Anchorage, Alaska to Cleveland, Tennessee for two years where Dave went to college.   We shipped four BIG cardboard boxes of household goods (remember we hadn't been married long and didn't have much) for $78.00.  We drove from Anchorage to Cleveland and the gas in Alaska cost 55-cents/gallon.  In Canada it was closer to 70-cents/gallon.  Although it was sold by the liter, we figured the cost by gallons.  When we got back in the states (lower 48), the gas varied from 30 to 40-cents/gallon.  Hotel rooms were $10.00 to $15.00.    Forty years later, in Fairbanks, Alaska we're paying $3.89/gallon (it just went down from over $4.00/gal); and a hotel room these days would be more than 10 times what they cost back then.   However, the two years we lived in Tennessee, I worked at Bowaters in Athens, TN for $350.00/month.   That's right....a month.    Dave worked for the college and his income went directly toward his tuition.  He did have the opportunity to play drums in quite a few recording sessions making $10.00/hour.   Wow - big money!!  When we moved back to Alaska we were in the middle of the gas shortage crisis.   Fortunately we had no problems getting gas over those 5,000 miles home.

It's fun to reminisce back to the "good old days."  I wouldn't trade them for anything and I'm thankful Dave and I have been able to take this journey together.   One day my grandchildren will look back to 2012 (if the Lord tarries) and the changes will probably be just as significant....or more so.

"One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard:  that You, O God, are strong, and that You, O Lord, are loving."  Psa 62:11

 

How to Have a Healthy Soul

I'm sharing this from Beth Moore's "James - Mercy Triumphs," workbook:

How to have a Healthy Soul

• Lose the victim mentality
• When you're feeling powerless, don't let anyone tell you there's nothing you can do.  You can always do something:
• Be still and Know that God is God
• Trust God
• Hold your tongue
• Be patient
• Count it all joy
• Submit
• Confess
• Rest in Christ
• Pray
• Live life with God
• Pray and be prayed for
• Confess sins to God, and when appropriate to others.  

What If.....

On March 22, 2011 I copied the following in my journal.  Unfortunately I didn't note who had written it or from what book I copied it.  These words came to me in a very critical time of my life and they still speak to me today.

"WHAT IF this isn't the end but a new beginning?

WHAT IF the answer to my prayer is just over the next hill?

WHAT IF this is necessary in order for me to be prepared for the next important chapter in my life?

WHAT IF God knows exactly what I need at this particular time?

WHAT IF God is speaking to me through means I would not have chosen for a blessing I cannot see?

WHAT DOES this experience make possible?

WHAT WILL I be telling my grandchildren that I learned was so valuable in this season of my life?"

When God Speaks, Will I Listen?

I’m an only child who grew up in a very sheltered and protected environment. I accepted Christ at the age of 10......I attended a Christian school from the 5th grade through graduation from high school and then went on to a Christian College.

I lived a normal life....married a guy who would soon become a pastor, had children, taught Sunday School , directed the youth choir, played the piano, moved to Fairbanks, raised teenagers, retired from the Railroad, became a grandmother and still play the piano. Life didn’t send me many curves, but when it did I was almost blown away. Without going into lots of details the last four years of my life taught me a new dependance on the Word and prayer. I’m here to tell you that although I’ve failed over and over again, God is faithful, loving and attentive to the cries of his children. I have a journal full of promises and encouragement that God has given me along the way to prove His faithfulness.

I want to fast forward to several weeks before my Dad died. The 23rd Psalm was so familiar to me that I guess I usually just skimmed over it, but one day the 6th verse became alive and grabbed my attention with such force. It spoke such hope to me....not only for me but for my Dad. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” I began praying that over my Dad most every day after that knowing that goodness and mercy had already followed him his 91 years. After he died, I then saw the fulfillment at the end of that verse. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Grandpa is proof of that.

Around the same time that Psa 23:6 spoke so forcefully to me I heard or felt another message, but it wasn’t as joyful. There were only 3 words, but they were spoken very distinctly into my spirit. Those words were "wash my feet" and I knew it applied to me and my Dad. I ignored them, because I didn't want to get a tub of water out and wash my Dad's feet. However, my refusal to listen didn't make the words go away. They would pop in my mind at odd and crazy times. There was no getting away from it. I heard other people say it, I read it....it was everywhere.

Two days before he died I took him to the doctor because he had some labored breathing and his ankles were swollen. The nurse told me the doctor would probably have Dad take off his shoes and socks. After the nurse left, I told Dad that the doctor may want to see his feet and ankles. He immediately said, but my feet are very scaly because it's hard for me to get down and wash them. The words "wash my feet" screamed in my head again and I knew I had to wash his feet. Fortunately the doctor didn't have him take his shoes and socks off....and Grandpa was spared any embarrassment he might have had. He had a follow up appt the following Thursday. I surrendered and told the Lord I would wash Grandpa's feet before that appt. You're now thinking, she washed his feet and all was well. However, I never washed his feet. I did surrender my "I don't want to wash his feet" to I'll wash his feet on Wed morning. However, in the early morning hours on Wednesday he died in his sleep and I never washed his feet. I wish I had, but the Lord has given me tremendous peace over that because I know I got my heart right BEFORE Grandpa died.

The story doesn’t end there.....

On the plane between Seattle and Anchorage, after 2 weeks of rest and relaxation in San Diego, I was reading a book* by David Jeremiah that was given to us at the Shadow Mountain church we attended in San Diego. On page 45, David Jeremiah says, “In Jesus’ day, people wore sandals and had dusty feet. That’s why it was a matter of common courtesy and hospitality for a host to provide a servant to wash the feet of guests as they entered a home.” Oh no.....there it was again......”wash my feet.” I thought I was past that. Jeremiah went on to say, “since most people don’t wear sandals or walk on dusty streets today, that custom is no longer practiced, but it still serves as a worthy metaphor for us.”

I don’t know where God’s call to “serve” will lead me, but I feel like He’s teaching me “as the body without the spirit is dead (this took on deeper meaning as I saw my Dad's body without the spirit), so faith without works is dead also. James 2:26

*Signs of Life

Always Read the Back of the Card

I received a "Thinking of You" card in the mail recently from a friend. After I read the card and the personal hand written note, I flipped the card over to look at the back. I always like to see who printed the card (i.e. Hallmark, American Greetings). This particular card was a Guideposts Greetings card and a short article by Gina Bridgeman was included on the back of this card. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to share it with you. Thank you Sharon Weaver for sending the card and thank you Gina Bridgeman for your thoughts and insights. Just look what I would have missed if I had not looked at the back of the card.

Someone Cares

"I read recently that by the time you reach age seventy-five you might easily have slept the equivalent of twenty-five years of your life. I think I've already spent as least that much time watching. Last week I watched my son Ross play trombone in a jazz band concert, my daughter Maria dance in a recital and my husband Paul's barbershop quartet in concert. Soon, I'll begin the springtime rite of sitting on hard metal bleachers watching countless hours of high school baseball.

I was telling my mom that maybe I should be doing more and watching less when she laid the truth on me in her reliably sensible way. 'We can't all be stars,' she said. 'Somebody has to watch, or it would take all the fun out of performing.' Then I remembered how our daughter rushed up to us after last year's school musical. 'Did you see my dance?' she wanted to know. The fact that Mom and Dad had seen her seemed as important as the dance itself.

My mom also pointed out that there's more to my role than simply watching: Somebody has to drive to rehearsals, get the piano tuned and volunteer to bring the post-game snack. None of that may be glamorous, but I've learned that the performance - or whatever form that 'starring role' takes - couldn't happen without the supporting players. We watchers play an important role in the lives of others, who need to know that someone is cheering especially for them."

Gina Bridgeman

Guideposts Greetings

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