Outside our Church

I stand amazed at God. He is so faithful.

Alot of things have been coming against me lately and I have been fighting discouragement. The irritant is outside our Church, but coming from "friendly fire". I have not given in to it more than seconds at a time, yet STILL it knocks repeatedly on my mind's door.

Just when my seconds are tempted to turn into minutes, God has a way of showing up in some pretty neat and creative ways!

The enemy has a way of catching me by surprise too, and that is why it often hurts so. Surprised at who the enemy is using to bring torment. There ususally seems to be an element of surprise in friendly fire, catching me off guard.

MY LORD tends to do this also. In ways that I least expect it, HE shows up....in very creative ways....HE shows up.

Amid my mental battle, I received an email from a lady I barely know. I may have seen her twice for a few moments of time. Her email said that she and her 7 year old daughter would like to contribute to our puppet ministry! They would like to make or purchase a puppet and donate it to our ministry! I cannot tell you how much that SHOCKED me. She has enjoyed reading my posts about the Puppet ministry on our Church Facebook page!

Today she emailed to say they decided to purchase THREE puppets for us and they put in the order today! I am left speechless (well almost) but certainly humbled at GOD.

The enemy is using people outside our Church to bring discouragement into my life.

MY LORD is using people OUTSIDE OUR CHURCH to bring JOY into my life!

So who am I going to give attention to?

I choose to give attention to the one who LOVES me, laid down his life for me, rose again for me,and lives within me! I plan to serve HIM with all my heart and MIND until I see HIM face to face.

Thank You, Lord

Introducing MISS BLUE

It has been alot of FUN to give these old puppets a make over. They were used for years with my parent's ministry, known as "Mopsy and Derby". They held Children's rallies, Vacation Bible Schools and Family Crusades in many States. Both of my parents are now enjoying Heaven, and I am enjoying their THINGS. I am giving this group of well used, PINK puppets, a make over and they will soon re-enter ministry!

Today I finished MISS BLUE. I still have MISS PURPLE and MISS RED to finish, but they are almost done. Next, they will need clothes (I am thinking matching tie dye shirts that will bring in all the various colors)....THEN they will begin ministry!

This chorus of Pink Puppets I have named "The Pink Praisers". They will sing together familiar Sunday school songs using CDs of children's voices. They will travel with our already existing puppet team of adult puppets, known as "Hands of Faith".

As cute as they look..........they have no expression, and no movement until a puppeteer puts a hand into the puppet.......THEN, like magic.....the puppets come to LIFE! Puppets can keep children, and adults alike, spellbound for long periods of time, as they are ALIVE under the puppeteers control.

Similar to people. We breathe, we move, we exist, but until we are FILLED with the Holy Spirit of God, we do not LIVE!

Husband raised the dead!

My husband amazes me. He is so very talented. We had been thinking about each of us getting a puppet to add to the Nursing Home Ministry. Our Puppet team (Ed and Anne Kelm), go North for the summer and the residents miss them.

As we were walking around the Classic Car show in the Downtown Circle, I looked in a window of a store and they had a generous display of 28 inch full bodied puppets. Ken opened the door. We walked around and around looking at all the puppets. They had clown puppets, girl puppets with different color hair, boy puppets with different color hair, sculpted puppets dressed in motorycle clothes, and puppets dressed as brides, doctors, pirates etc. We walked around and around wondering if any of these puppets would be suited for us.

THEN my husband put his arm in one, and IMMEDIATELY the puppet came to life! My husband changed voices and he talked with this puppet as if he had known him for years. It was truly remarkable! He had chosen the Grandpa puppet.

His decision helped me to know which puppet I should get. I certainly needed the Grandma, so we are a couple. This will be sweet as we minister in a Nursing Home every Sunday afternoon. The winter puppet team has young children puppets, so in the Summer the change to senior citizens will be good.

We left the store with Ken's puppet in his hand, and together they finished walking among the classic cars. Someone even took a picture of them. He was so comical!

The store owner said he would have to order the grandma and it will be here in a few days.

Now we need to find CD - Christian music........song by old folks instead of children!

ANYWAY, the point is.......our lives are basically without meaning and purpose until the day we receive Christ. When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, we become NEW CREATIONS! We truly know what it means to live. So much like the visual I saw before my very eyes tonight. One minute the puppet was lifeless amid many other lifeless puppets, and the next minute he is full of life and personality......and he will be used of the LORD.

[Anyone have any unused puppets, send them our way! Hubby is good with marinettes too :)]