You Found Me

INTERCESSORY PRAYER...

2009-10-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

WE MISS YOU!

Dear Intercessory Prayer,

Just a line to let you know how things are since you've gone. It’s not the same without you. Although our lives seem shallow and empty now, we've learned to make up for that void in other ways.

We now run the aisles, leap for joy, jig to the music, sing all the newest choruses, and tap our feet in time to the rhythm. We've learned to worship without you. The prayer rooms, for the most part, are silent now. You wouldn't recognize them. The majority of those who do go there, come away dry-eyed. A lot of praying now is chanting and sing-song style. That’s how we know we’re really in the groove. We pray memorized phrases that come automatically. We pray because it’s required. We do it on demand. No one prays till they “break through” anymore. We just pray till our ten minutes are up.

Oh sure, we still believe in prayer, as such. But not very many are anxious for you to come back. You were always polite, never forcing yourself on anyone, nor coming uninvited. I hate to say this, but you’re really not needed now. You see, most of us have hospitalization insurance. It sure has taken away that old desperate feeling. There’s no need to pray more than the few minutes it takes to drive to the emergency room. Also, we no longer have to ask for daily bread. Now we have better jobs with wonderful benefits. If we lose our job, there’s always welfare and food stamps, and in cases of retirement or disablement, we’ve got social security. You see, we’re doing OK! Other things have kinda taken your place. Sure we miss you. Especially when some of the old-timers reminisce. But we’re getting over it. Actually, we’re too busy to entertain you right now. I’m sure you’ll understand.

We are having revival services without you too. It’s not hard. The preacher fasts and prays, along with a couple others. The evangelist preaches good. Most of us try to get there on time for the first song or two. Because of our schedules, it’s not practical for us to get there early for prayer. We justify the fact that the number of new converts is down; that there seems to be diminished conviction, less lasting victory and fewer miracles. It’s not us; it’s just the times we’re living in. It’s like this everywhere.

As your friend, I’m writing this to you, knowing how much it must hurt to have folks say they miss you, even when they are weaning themselves from the haunting emptiness of your memory. What hurts is that I know that these were children you personally raised. You were always there when they needed you. But now they don’t need you.

Do you know, can you believe that now when you are mentioned in church everyone gets real quiet? They all fell guilty I’m sure. Once in awhile some even get misty-eyed when we talk about the old times you shared with us. But all feeling vanishes along with the pizza right after church.

No. Intercessor prayer, your coming back wouldn’t really work right now. We’re too blessed. We’re doing too good. In your day you served a purpose, but the sentiment of most people today is that we can manage without you. We’ve got better clothes, cars, homes and churches than we’ve ever had.

Oh say, do you remember all the folks of yesteryear coming into the sanctuary with red-rimmed eyes? Remember the baggy looking knees on the men’s suits? Remember all-night prayer meetings? Remember the depth that was in the worship? Remember when sinners couldn’t sit in their pews any longer, and would run to an altar? Remember when you could feel unity and brotherly love? When folks helped bear one another’s burdens? When no one watched the clock? When saints could hardly wait to enjoy the after-service, praying around the altar until the wee hours of the morning? Well, that’s pretty much gone now, but you ought to see our new Hammond organ, the keyboards, three electric guitars and five string bass. Our choir just does terrific on these new songs too. The floor is carpeted and the sitting is padded. Thing are really comfortable! The arched beams are beautiful and we also have expensive chandeliers. Our pastor has polish too. He doesn’t preach too long, and he kinda spices up his sermons with cute sayings. I guess that’s progress for you. Win some, lose some. Speaking of lose some, we’re losing a surprising percentage of our young people, and a number of married couples have split up and backslidden—their homes busted up and their lives ruined.

That’s to be expected. I guess. We have plenty of phrases to cure the pain and emptiness of our hearts. What more could we ask for? Sure, we miss you, but I guess we just really don’t need you right now.

I hope you’re not offended. I don’t mean for you to be. You’ll always have a special place in my memory. You were very kind and generous to me. I can’t thank you enough! This generation doesn’t know you at all and your coming would probably scare them.

A good many never knew you very well. Those who knew you personally have waited so long to talk to you that they are now embarrassed.

While we are trying to work out our feelings about you and see where you might fit into our plans, you might try your luck someplace else. Maybe at the little store-front church on the other side of the tracks, or in some hut or shack. Maybe in Brazil. Or how about the Philippines? You might try the third-world countries. Surely someone somewhere needs you.

I’m terribly sorry to have to say this to you, Intercessory Prayer, we miss you but, we really don’t need you right now!

With Fond Memories,

From an Old Friend

By: Martyn Ballestero, Sr.

(Reprinted from The Indiana Trumpet)

Copied from The Oaklahoma District Beacon * Jan/Feb 19995

Friday night of PTT 09 as Bro. Codydy Marks was preaching his message, I suddenly remembered this article that was giving to me during some youth service. It goes perfectly with what her preached and my my my did the brother preach!!! Definitely a landmark in my life.

Growing and Blooming!

2009-09-03T22:15:00.000-07:00

Summer has ended and the School year is here and I can honestly say I am so Glad! I am so ready for Fall, for the changing of seasons, for cooler weather, for light jackets, for light scarfs, for the beautiful color arrangement of all the beautiful trees, for evening walks, for the sound of rustling leaves and wind, for the fair and for ohh so much more.

I've definitely been keeping busy. From taking 12 credit hrs at HCC, and working at Trinity Treasures, to working nights at Mennonite Manor, to church, to being President of SGA, to bible study, to sleep and to trying to have a life in between somewhere! I'm enjoying keeping busy but I also enjoy the days that I don't have anything going on and I can just relax (which they rarely happen).

At Trinity Treasure, I have the pleasure of teaching an after school class of about 20 first and second graders. As Summer was ending and my boss informed me that I would be having my own class, I began to think of what the decor in my room would be. I thought of many different themes from under the sea, to a safari, to dino world, to a pond life, to many others. After many hours of picking my brain, I finally decided on the theme of Flowers and Gardens. A bunch of purchases were made to make sure that I had a pretty good inventory to make a purrtty classroom and a useful classroom! We just finished our first week of Lesson Plans and we did some pretty cool stuff like paint some flower pots, plant some onions and plums, Color Celery, and water the church plants. The kiddos are really excited and I can't wait to do more really cool projects!

Growing and Blooming is not just a theme in my classroom but it seems to be the theme for my life right now. Getting back in church and re-starting my relationship with Jesus is a replanting process. I let my garden die and now I have to pull the weeds off that killed my plants and re-plant some of those seeds again. I gotta make sure that's its gonna be growing the right way and hopefully bloom once again! All I can say is that I can't wait to see what my spiritual Garden will look like once it goes through its cleaning and weeding. Hopefully it will be better than it was before...... fuller, brighter, stronger and weed free!!

My Venus Fly Trap- if you look close enough you can see the crickets antennas hanging out of one of the closed ones!

Very UnUsUaL....

2009-07-09T21:45:00.000-07:00

Going vertical: Brothers live on building's wall

RIO DE JANEIRO – Two brothers in Rio are living over the edge — literally: sleeping, working and eating on the side of a building 33 feet (10 meters) up in the air. Twenty-seven-year-old Tiago Primo and his 20-year-old brother Gabriel spend 12 hours a day in the bed, hammock, chair and dining table they've attached to a bright red-and-yellow wall as part of an art exhibit in Rio's old center.

The brothers are equipped with mountain climbing gear, and if nature calls, can scramble over to the verandah of a neighboring art gallery, where an indoor bathroom awaits.

The brothers have been hanging out wall-side since the end of May. They plan to continue the display until Aug. 20.

The Climb

2009-03-03T16:28:00.000-08:00

That dream I’m dreaming but
There’s a voice inside my head sayin,
You’ll never reach it,
Every step I’m taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking but I
Got to keep trying
Got to keep my head held high

There’s always going to be another mountain
I’m always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes you going to have to lose,
Ain’t about how fast I get there,
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb

The struggles I’m facing,
The chances I’m taking
Sometimes they knock me down but
No I’m not breaking
The pain I’m knowing
But these are the moments that
I’m going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I,
I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on,

[The Climb lyrics on http://free-mp3-lyrics.com]
There’s always going to be another mountain
I’m always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes you going to have to lose,
Ain’t about how fast I get there,
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb

There’s always going to be another mountain
I’m always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes you going to have to lose,
Ain’t about how fast I get there,
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb

Keep on moving
Keep climbing
Keep the faith baby
It’s all about
It’s all about
The climb
Keep the faith
Keep your faith

This is Miley Cyrus New Song the Climb and I usually dont like

her music but this is really good.

This should keep us all thinking.....

2009-03-01T12:13:00.000-08:00

How do you know when....

2009-02-10T20:37:00.000-08:00

how much is too much?

Too much too soon.

Too much information.

Too much fun.

Too much love.

Too much to ask...

And when is it all just too much to bear?

Quote From Grey's Anatomy

For the Record......

2009-02-04T23:38:00.000-08:00

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. I have a slight obsession with One tree Hill, Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice.

2. Ever since I could remember, I’ve worked with kids and enjoyed it and amazingly enough my major has nothing to do with kids.

3. My deepest fear is failure and the big scary future.

4. I love to prove a point and can get quite “excited” to prove it! (I think Julie knows what im talking about)

5. This last year I sort of lost myself, I’ve been searching for things and I hope to find the answers to my questions and I have a feeling the answers that I’m looking for are closer than I think.

6. I love music. I think that without music life would be boring, dull and kinda sad. Music just means so much because there are all these different styles of music which makes you feel good, different music for different emotions; it’s like it talks to your soul.

7. I’ve always had this wish to be a really good singer but I’m not so, I just stick to singing in the shower and in my car.

8. I wish I didn’t care what other people thought about me as much as I do.

9. I hate to be vulnerable in front of other people, I much rather be alone when I cry or breakdown.

10. I’m not very good at holding grudges; I usually forget about it the next day or a few after. I tend to just let things go.

11. I absolutely love to read!!! I just love to get caught up in a good story, that you just can’t put it down literally. There have been many sleepless nights because of a book.

12. I hate the feeling of being alone. I hate how dependent I am on other people. I get really attached.

13. I have this thing of like if am around someone too much I kind of copy their laugh..lol..well at least Ashley’s Scheid’s..lol

14. My Dream is to travel the world. I want to see and experience everything for myself, I don’t just want to hear or read about it.

15. In grade school through high school, I was in a hurry to grow up but now I just want it to stop. I don’t think I like all the responsibility and big decision making.

16. I am like the fast food queen and a total junk food junky!

17. Last year, I got my first speeding ticket ever. (Needless to say I’m never listening to Hannah on what the speed limit is…haha..lol..jk)

18. I love my family and I wish that most of them weren’t half a continent away.

18.I am a serious light sleeper. Noise and light are no bueno!!!! I’m extremely cautious if am sharing a bed or at someone else house.

19. I almost drowned in the ocean, when I was little and to this day I’m afraid to go too far into it.

20. This is probably T.M.I but I hate to go pee, I will hold it in as much as I can, I will seriously do the pee dance until it goes away. I just hate to take time out of whatever im doing to go to the restroom. Nishelle remember that one time I had to come borrow clothes from you because I couldn’t hold it any longer and I went in my old car...hahaha… Thank God for leather seats and carpet cleaners and vacuums.

21. I envy people who have these big goals, dreams, ambitions and passion.

22. My biggest pet peive is hearing people eat their food. I hate it when people chomp and munch their food. I know that I do it too (barely because im super conscious about it) but sometimes that crunch noise drives me insane

23. When I’m super tired and sleep deprived, I get hysterical and can’t stop laughing or just act goofy.

24. I am a weeper. A good movie, a good scene, a good book/story. They can seriously move me to tears.

25. I am a huge people pleaser. I want people to be happy and be happy with me. I have the hardest time saying no, its almost impossible!

The End!!!!