::REpost::13March 09::

my committee is in Heaven

On September 11, 2007, a lady in our church was diagnosed with cancer.  She was the 4th grade girls' Sunday school teacher and the "dorm mom" for our college.  Somehow, out of all the eligible ladies in our church, she asked if I could substitute for her while she was receiving treatments.  I preferred to say I was "helping out in Mrs. L.'s Sunday school class."  How in the world could I ever fill her shoes as Sunday school teacher?  Impossible.

Last year at this time, she had finished her treatments, had just returned from visiting her daughter in Mexico, and was feeling a bunch better.  And she took over.  Gladly!!!!  I was so thrilled.  And now I get to learn underneath her.  And I ate it up.  Every single word.  I sat on the edge of my seat to listen to her stories.  I was so excited to learn from her.  She pointed out once to me in front of the class that Ruth received more from Boaz at his feet rather than working in his fields.  Lesson:  be at Jesus' feet longer than working in His fields.

Well, she had this joke with another worker in the class about always being late because she was chasing the boys.  The girls always got a kick out of it.  This worker was transferred to the teen class in September.  So guess who as now prime candidate for the "chasing the guys' joke"?  You guessed it.  Me.  I laughed right along with everyone.  Mrs. L. always made sure I wasn't offended.  How could I be?  She was teasing me because she cared.  And besides, I was so glad she was there to teach.  She always said, "Now Miss Rebecca, when you find that boyfriend, you have to bring him before the committee.  The 4th grade girls' Sunday school class.  Right girls?"  And they would all smile and nod with firm agreement.  "The committee.  She has to bring him before the committee."

In July, the doctor gave her a year.  In the back of my mind, I though that was the minimum.  The she started going downhill and we prayed for a miracle and God's peace and comfort.

In January/February-ish was our Father/Son banquet.  A sweet lady in the church invited a whole bunch of us moms and daughters over to her house for fellowship.  After we all got done eating, we were sitting around telling stories.  A few of the younger ladies were giving their engagement stories.  Of course, I don't even have a boyfriend story - haha!  :)  By this time, Mrs. L. had her southern accent back a bit.  She said to me in her sweet way, "Rebecca, you're going to have an engagement story before too long.  But don't forget, he has to come before the committee."  I got teary because I knew my committee wasn't going to be around much longer.

What blessed hope and comfort knowing that she is safe in the arms of Jesus tonight.

Hebrews 12:1, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses..."

Post-edit:  This one was hard to re-type.  Tears.  I miss her so much.  Andrea and Sharon, she is not forgotten!

::REpost::26June08::

The difference between the North and the South at last clearly explained:

• The North has Bloomingdale's; the South has Dollar General
• The North has coffee houses; the South has Waffle Houses
• The North has dating services; the South has family reunions
• The North has double last names; the South has double first names
• The North has Indy car races; the South has stock car races
• The North has Cream of Wheat; the South has grits
• The North has green salads; the South has collard greens
• The North has lobsters; the South has crawfish
• The North has the rust belt; the South has the Bible belt

FOR NORTHERNERS MOVING SOUTH....

• In the South:  If you run your car into a ditch, don't panic.  Four men in a four-wheel drive pickup truck with a tow chain will be along shortly.  Don't try to help them, just stay out of their way.  This is what they live for.
• Don't be surprised to find movie rentals and bait in the same store...do not buy food at this store.
• Remember, 'Ya'll' is singular, 'all ya'll' is plural, and 'all ya'll's' is plural possessive.
• Get used to hearing, 'You ain't from round here, are ya?'
• Save all manner of bacon grease.  You will be needin' it later on to cook with.
• Don't be worried about understanding what people are saying.  They can't understand you either.  The first Southern statement to creep into a transplanted Northerner's vocabulary is the adjective 'big 'ol,' as in 'big'ol truck' or 'big 'ol boy.'  Most Northerners begin their Southern-influenced dialect this way.  All of them are in denial about it.
• The proper pronunciation you learned in school is no longer proper.
• If you hear a Southerner exclaim, 'Hey, ya'll watch this,' you should stay out of the way.  These are likely to be the last words he'll ever say.
• If there is the prediction of the slightest chance of even the smallest accumulation of snow, your presence is required at the local grocery store.  It doesn't matter whether you need anything or not.  You just have to go there.
• Do not be surprised to find that 10-year-olds own their own shotguns.  They are proficient marksmen, and their mammas taught them how to aim.

AND REMEMBER:  If you do settle in the South and bear children, don't think we will accept them as Southerners.  After all, if the cat had kittens in the oven, we wouldn't call 'em biscuits.

Post-edit:  I hope you enjoy the series of re-posts from my old {now formerly closed} blog while I am on vacation.  I ran this post by my Southern mama and she laughed at just about everything so it must be true!

what vacation?

I can barely function I am so excited about vacation!  Peeps, I have not gone on a vacation over a weekend for 3 1/2 years..........woooooooooo!!!  And we're leaving tomorrow night with my grandparents to go on a family vacation.  I've taken little 3 night vacays but nothing extended in a while.  Now, since I've been landlocked on good 'ole USA for the past 3 1/2 years, I have not minded one bit.  I have said {and it still rings true} that I'd rather travel the US of A by car than go on an overseas vacation.  Now I find myself going on an overseas vacation and the traveling bug has officially bitten me.  And I must say that going on this vacation with my family is no reflection on me.  Today, I was thinking how blessed and privileged I am to go anywhere on vacation.  This homegirl does not make enough money to go on a vacation, period--and I am not too prideful to say that.  I am only going based on the generosity and love of my Dad.  Thanks, Dad!  

I do have some posts scheduled to keep my readership {loosely} intact while I am away.  They will be reposts from my old blog that has been officially closed for over a year now.  I had a great time choosing the posts.

Several weeks ago, I was attempting to organize the monster mess of Disorganized Pictures and came across these. THEN, I realized that they're all vacation pics so what a perfect opportunity to post them now.

::my favorite picture of my parents...taken in the mid '90's....my Dad's a lot thinner and my Mom's hair is different but they're still as awesome::

::this is such a beautiful picture of exactly how I remember my Mom when I was a little girl::

{if this picture was taken at this exact time this year, there would be tar balls behind her--this was in Fairhope, AL--one of my favorite places on earth}

::this picture is hilarious only because of me and David--LOOK at my feet--I was in complete denial that my little brother was taller than me::

::memories::boat + water + my brothers + sunshine = wonderful!::

Jr. Church game

So, I saw that adorable bucket at Target last weekend.  I decided if I could put a game together for Jr. Church quickly and {somewhat} cheaply, I would buy it.  Mission accomplished!  Sand was a little over $3 at Walmarts.  The toys were a little more than I had anticipated.  They were in the $1.99 bin but the price at the register rang up a different number.  Regardless, it was a fun game to put together.

However, the kids in my Preschool Jr. Church weren't so excited.  Unfortunately.  They were literally poking through the sand.  I thought they would be digging and throwing sand everywhere.  I had mentally prepared for the worst possible outcome in cleanliness.  The sand was slightly wet so that may have been the problem.

I'd like to use it again before the summer is out.  Maybe I should try something with water toys.  mmmmmmmmm.  :)  That would definitely be an adventure.

Check out this blog, Teaching for Eternity.

endless gifts {296-309}

296. reminiscing
297. readily given forgiveness
298. a really great Italian beef sandwich when I'm really hungry {I mean really hungry}
299. once again, AWESOME, INCREDIBLE people that I work for--truly a BLESSING from the Lord
300. a new afternoon nanny job
301. people who believe in me enough to recommend me
302. straight rows of a newly planted garden
303. old friends
304. friends leaving for the mission field {they will be missed}
305. provision every.SINGLE.week--thank you, Lord!!
306. a really bad Sunday in Jr. Church--reminds me that it's not ME who needs to do the work but the Holy Spirit
307. {repeat...but....once again} incredibly convicting sermons in church
308. a put-together house {after months of remodeling, this is definitely a blessing}
309. five chapters a day

11 days until we leave for vacation
10 more times I need to practice the piano
9 errands to run {eye doc, Target, vaccinations, Target, Post office, Target, dry cleaners, Target, Barnes and Nobles}
8 opportunities to visit Granny
7 houses to clean
6 pairs of shoes to pack {at least}
5 blog posts to write
4 cars to clean before we depart
3 substitutes to find
2 cello lessons
1 suitcase to fill

HIP-HIP-HOORAY!!!!!!!

Please excuse my appearance on this blog.

In other words, HELP!

But I have more important things to do this afternoon.

Later, peeps!

Post-edit - Saturday - OK, breathing again!  It looks a lot normal.  I was innocently fiddling around with the new Blogger Design and was treading deep waters.  But once I can get our filter to unblock the other half of the new Blogger Design tab, maybe I will fiddle around again -- with caution!

Quarter of a million, here we come!

This puppy is a few months over 9 years old and still runs like a charm! It may need some new brakes tomorrow but hey, who's keeping track? :)

endless gifts {276-295}

276. awesome, awesome sermons in church
277. the ability to serve at our church through work party
278. generous, generous people that I work for {even though they're unsaved}
279. canvassing {giving out the Gospel} for our church
280. old friends
281. the encouragement of seeing sisters all serving the Lord in different places
282. yummy cake
283. laughs, food, and fellowship with the "singles"
284. knocking on the windows and screaming out the bus window in the morning, "Miss Becca!"
285. singing from the heart
286. chairs on the porch
287. a perfect, sunshining day
288. sweet tea, flavored with mint, cool with no ice
289. the living, breathing WORD of GOD
290. growing in grace {it takes time!}
291. "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts," Colossians 3:15
292. comradeship and understanding of my family
293. {a short, little} ROAD TRIP
294. the smell of rain
295. the conviction of the Holy Spirit {it's scary when there's no conviction}

The Jr. Church class that I help out in is a high school class Monday-Friday during the school year.
I didn't want to look at the same board the entire summer until a new school year rolls around, so I decided to put up a very simple one.
I have my degree in Elementary Education but do not use the degree for my "career." However, there are plenty of opportunities to use my degree for church ministries. I like the {occasional} times when I get to put up a bulletin board.
This one is super simple but the class is Pre-Schoolers and they can't read. Besides, who doesn't love Suzy Zoo?!!

::Heaven::

Have you ever thought what Heaven must be like?  Seriously.  We have so many beautiful things to enjoy here in nature that have been given to us by God.

Here's a list off the top of my head of things that I have enjoyed:

--beautiful, white, warm sand--
--peonies in full bloom--
--any flower in full bloom--
--the ocean, lake, or any natural body of water--
--green, green grass--
--brilliant blue skies--
--fresh, fuzzy peaches--
--white, puffy, fluffy clouds--
--warm vegetables straight out of the garden--
--birds, nests, and fresh little babes--
--the smell of the ocean--
--the smell of flowers--

etc, etc

So, if this wicked, sinful, decaying earth is so beautiful and enjoyable, how much more infinitely beautiful is perfect, sinless Heaven where the SON of God resides?

I heard or read an illustration once about Heaven.  What if there was a little bird who lived in a rusty, old cage.  The bird was perfectly content in the cage.  But one day, it was given the freedom to enjoy the whole beauty of a forest.  But instead, the little bird wanted to remain in the cage.  That would be silly!

What a perfect illustration of us here on earth.  We're so concerned about our rusty, old cage.  Our garages, attics, barns, closets, storage units, and registries are full of STUFF...junk, really, when compared to the big, beautiful forest that awaits us.

During this whole remodeling process {that's almost complete}, I have been so concerned about the amount of things that we have.  And I wouldn't necessarily consider our family big spenders.  We don't go out shopping every single weekend.  It's amazing, though, how things accumulate.  I guess I get frustrated, too, when I clean people's houses and how the unsaved cling to things.  It is such a frustration.  But because they have no eternal hope, they cling to the things they can see which is junk.

I envy {in a good way} Rachel, who is moving to Africa with her family.  I'm sure they'll have everything they'll need and even want.  But to cleanse out a house and to live with a whole lot less on a mission field sounds so appealing right now.

One more illustration.  And this illustration is straight out of the memory and not 100% accurate but I'll give it a shot.  A pastor came and gave a sermon during chapel while I was in college.  He told of a sermon that his pastor would tell about Heaven.  This sermon had something to do with a trumpet call at the coming of Christ.  At the close of the sermon, he would always have someone blow a trumpet for effect to get the point of the sermon across.  Well, this pastor told this same sermon on a mission field {I think it was Haiti}.  At the end of the sermon, a trumpet was blown for effect but the response between the people on the mission field and the people in America was vastly different.  The people on the mission field all stood as one with their arms raised and shouting.  Christ had returned!  When they realized the sound of the trumpet was simply a part of the sermon, there was weeping because their hopes were dashed.

It's just a clear picture of how we Americans are so attached to a rusty, old cage.

{PS--I guess I've learned through this whole remodeling process that if I'm not willing to give up something, then...."Houston, we have a problem!"}