Three FIRSTs!

Being in the Ministry is interesting for sure!

We have done pre marital counseling, rehearsal and a large wedding and didn't get a thing, not even a Thank you card. We have done funerals and various other things and sometimes we are given a financial gift and sometimes not. The greatest reward is one God gave: after the funeral of a stillborn baby girl, the couple called some nine month later saying they were pregnant with twins! That was the neatest reward of all - and they sent us pictures when they were born!

This last Thursday we had a funeral (Celebration of her life!) of a dear lady of our Church. Oh she will be missed greatly, and yet oh how we rejoice for her victory!

But let me tell you about the personal blessings to us that were unusual and special:

First, we were both given white flowers to wear during the ceremony! That indeed was a FIRST for us and so sweet. I know how PLEASED Alice would be that her children had honored us in this way.

THEN I received a check for SINGING! I have never been paid for singing at a funeral. THAT was a first! Ken was given a check also. Again I could see Alice smiling from Heaven, at how her children were showering us with love.

Florida is currently in a cold spell and we needed heat for the celebration service. The heat was not working right in the Church and Alice's family JUST HAPPEN to be in the heating and cooling business. So they did ALOT of labor and even bought parts and fixed our system. No cost to the Church. They probably saved the Church hundreds of dollars! Oh Alice would be so proud of her children and their attitude towards using their talents to benefit 'God's House'.

Ken stayed up all night trying to make a DVD for the family - compiling pictures he took at the viewing, the burial, people greeting each other, etc and played "I CAN ONLY IMAGINE" in the background (which is the song I sang at the Celebration). He has never made a ppt/DVD before. He studied, downloaded, experimented and finally this morning he produced it! He made six copies and took it over to the family tonight as a Gift from us.

The family had apparently had been expecting us, but no one had called us. Each one thought the other had called us to come over tonight. No one had called. So they were glad to see Ken. In a lovely manner, the children of dear Alice announced that they are donating Alice's car to us. You will have to ask Ken what kind it is - but it is a four door, so now we can pick up people more easily. It is much newer than our ailing Sebring. Our car has had so many issues llately that we knew soon we would have to buy something else before long. THIS takes all the pain out of searching and deciding. The LORD gave us a car!

This Hymn comes to my mind:

"I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazerene and wonder how He could love me, a sinner condemned unclean.
Oh how marvelous, Oh how wonderful and my song shall ever be.
Oh how marvelous, Oh how wonderful is my SAvior's love to me.

I SAT Today!

Every Sunday is totally unpredictable. We can depend on nothing being constant in our little church. As DH and I sat holding hands in the car, before we went into the Church, we prayed and confessed to God that even if we were the only two in Church today we would worship HIM. We asked Him to guard our hearts against discouragement and to help us rejoice in our blessings.

We had no children :( and no deaf :( . Those are two things that have potential to send darts of discouragment to my soul - thoughts can then multiply into self pity, wondering why we are here, and if God is seeing and caring. BUT today neither one discouraged us and that is internal victory. (spiritual cartwheel inserted here!)

HOWEVER, since I did not have to interpret, it allowed me to get on my knees in prayer as my Pastor Hubby started the service with prayer. I LOVE to get on my knees before the LORD and yet when I interpret I am on my feet before Him during the duration of the service. Today I was able to kneel. We also have a PRAYER segment, where DH takes prayer requests from the people and DH earnestly brings them before the LORD. Once again I was able to go to my knees. Simple things, but a joy to me.

We had a new hearing man there today, and I was able to rejoice and even talk to him. Usually my conversation is captivated by the deaf group on Sundays.

In fact I was able to spend time in chatting with all the people today. Sometimes I cannot do that. If children come ,they totally preoccupy me before the service. After the service, the deaf do. So my chatting is done more on Sunday nights with the hearing people. So today was a treat to be able to chat without distraction with our people.

When Ken was preaching I was able to SIT and spread my Bible out on my lap and study the Word of God with him. I knew how this serman in particular weighed on his heart. He didnt really want to preach it, but God was insistant. He even went to the church yesterday to rehearse (as he had some props to use) giving God an opportunity to change His mind. So knowing all that, I was able to pray for him and receive the message God had for all of us about the Holy Spirit.

He started out by saying if we were to take a test on what we knew about God, we may give ourselves an 'A' grade of excellence. For we know God is Holy, Just, Love.....etc. If we would grade ourselves on that we know about Jesus, we would most likely all say 'A+' for there is no other name talked about, honored, and praised than Jesus Christ in any Baptist Church. But what grade would we give ourselves on our knowledge of the HOly Spirit? One person called out "D". One called our "C". DH said he was thinking a 'C+' - for we know he is the comforter ,the convictor and part of the Trinity. But it is a topic that we Baptists shy from in fear we get carried away and get another label that scares us all to death. That began his talk on the FILLING OF THE SPIRIT.

He had a glass jar and a pitcher and said things like: Feel me LORD - and the LORD pours but we still have the lid on - our fear, our resistance, our sin, our whatever keeps us from receiving his fullness in us. It is not God's lack, it is out lack. We must receive. Take off the lid of _______________ and let HIM fill us to overflowing with whatever HE desires for us for HIS Honor and Glory.

His sermon was longer than usual yet no one seemed to be stirring, or leaving.

He then went to the altar himself. I joined him. After the song, the music leader came to the altar. It was food for thought for our people. Many positive comments were made and I am sure people are still chewing on it, and wondering what exactly he meant. We trust they will go to the HOLY SPIRIT and ask HIM to teach them what DH meant and how they can be more open to the Holy Spirit of God. I rejoice that my husband, a solid Baptist, was willing to realize that even we have been putting GOD in a box. I trust God is truly beginning to be released from the box of our minds and received in HIS fullness, whatever that may look like.