Ministry Chapters!

So many emotions from this video memory from my YouTube account, from last September 2018, for so many reasons. Though I have played piano in church lots, as well as nursing home ministry, over the past 20 years since first taking piano lessons and earning, I had become perfectly content with only playing for occasional specials. I needed my freedom and ability to raise my hands and freely praise the Lord during worship service. But a year ago that all changed, and I took the weekly piano position at New Life Assembly of God. He has been so faithful to keep me physically able to be there every Sunday since filling in last April 2018. I have only missed one Sunday morning in that timeframe due to sickness. God has restored my desire and talent to play the piano for His glory and reminds me that it is another form of worship to Him. I am thankful for the previous pastor and his wife, as well as the people here, for giving me the opportunity to teach the youth, play the piano, and sing for His glory. I have learned so much in a year regarding the piano and strengthening and encouraging myself in the Lord. It has been like taking lessons all over again. Afterall, ministry should challenge us to do our best; not perfection but strive to become better. Through long music practices, constant key changes, missed notes or chords, lots of prayers, laughs, a few tears, and maybe a grey hair (insert chuckle), I kept pushing through it. Oh, the stories we could tell you about our intros, tagging, outros, music hand signals, ma'am you're not in b flat mishaps; wait that was mostly me. But, despite my stumbling and insecurities the enemy would throw in my way, it was all to be God's hands and feet. The pastor's wife was so good and gracious to work with me and encouraging me to keep playing and singing and Bro. Bill helped me gain confidence with my piano playing in the short time that I knew him. Bro. Bill has since passed away (he testifies and sings the second song in this video). Jesus Us Me. I have sung and prayed this many times and now He is using me. As the previous pastor's family moves on, and myself and others step up to the plate to allow the Lord to work through us and keep this country church going, this last year has been a roller coaster journey, but one I would do again. It teaches you just how tough yet rewarding ministry can be, yet it also finally helped me to not quit and keep pushing on. The enemy fills your head with the you are not good enough lies etc, but God is there drowning him out with His precious voice nudging you to keep going on to fill the need within His church. If you are never given a chance to do or lead a ministry in church how will you ever improve your talents and abilities? So, in writing this post I am thankful for my 'in the waiting' season and now my 'in the working' season. As I continue playing the piano and teaching on Sunday mornings, for however long God sees fit for me to be at New Life Assembly of God and also transition back to Clanton First Assembly of God for Sunday night/Wed night services (let us continually keep praying for our churches and pastors)... I simply thank Him for chapters: the chapters ending, the chapters beginning, and the chapters continuing.

YouTube video link: https://youtu.be/iYOc9YaqR_0

Crisis Averted!

Paul had many difficulties and problems as he served the Lord. Nowhere in the Bible are Christians promised they will be free from problems or suffering. Rather, Jesus said in this world you shall have tribulations but take heart for I have overcome the world, John 16:33. God allows us to have suffering and problems so He may deliver us through faith. God allowed Joseph to be sold into slavery so He could turn his dilemma into victory. God allowed Daniel to be put into the lion's den that He might deliver him. God allowed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be thrown into the fiery furnace that He might deliver them. And, God allowed Paul to be shipwrecked that He might save him. Our God is able to take care of us in the most terrible circumstances, don't forget that.

Speak Life!

On May 12th, 2019 on my way home from church that morning, God spoke these words to me, "speak life". Since that day He has taken me on a journey of learning to speak life again in the middle of tough situations. It's been a spiritual, emotional, and physical  battle the last 2 weeks but I've buckled down, stayed the course and kept pressing on. May 26th, 2019 I shared this word with the people at New Life Assembly of God. Through this blog, I share this word with you. If you're discouraged and in a hopeless state of despair, challenge yourself to begin speaking life this week. When you make speaking life a habit (like prayer, bible reading, church attendance, tithing or fasting), you will begin to see God at work all the time in your life. You will become more aware of His presence, goodness, mercy, grace, etc. Speaking life daily and refusing to entertain negative conversation helps build your trust in God, so that when trials come, your faith is strong and your trust becomes solid without doubt. I begin to feel better when I speak life and encouraging words, I notice my problems less because I shift my focus to the problem solver (God). I now stubbornly and bullheadedly believe in speaking life! I use to get so frustrated with the doubters, mockers, and scoffers because they didn't believe or see things like I did. This past week God spoke to me how maybe they weren't raised in church, they've haven't experienced healings and recovery from over 30 surgeries like you have, they've haven't felt the love of Me, they haven't experienced Me turning hopeless situations around, they maybe want to protect themselves and say it looks bad and not get their hopes up speaking life! Instead of frustration, I started feeling empathy for them and knowing that it is still my job to share the gospel, to speak life, to tell them even when it looks hopeless we still have a reason to SPEAK LIFE! I know when I wasn't speaking life, those "speak life" prayers from others is what brought me through. So, I challenge you to stand up and speak life, because when you're speaking life you're speaking God's word and not man's opinion.

Here the message at this link: https://youtu.be/EKIGPg_8Xu8

Speak only Life into Dead Situations!

Ezekiel 37:1-14, Valley of the dry bones/Speaking Life. In these verses, the dry bones symbolically represented the utter state of defeat, there were no signs of life. Their breath and hope were gone. Many are experiencing dead places in their lives: whether it is spiritual, emotional, situational, physical, financial, or mental. We feel dead on the inside, meaning all of our hope is gone. When we receive hurt after hurt and dissappointment after disappointment, it can place us in a valley of dry bones condition. God’s desire is that our trials make us stronger, but often before the strength comes we find ourselves in a dark and seemingly lifeless valley of despair. When we are in the valley, we look to the right and see hills, we look to the left and see mountains, meaning problems are all around. When we are in the valley, we find ourselves in one of the lowest conditions in our life. When Ezekiel prophesied to the dry bones, scripture reads the first thing God told him to prophesy, was to hear the word of the Lord. Then God told him to say to the dry bones, I am going to put breath into you and make you live again. I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. No matter how desperate your situation is, no matter what it looks like. God is able to speak the word of life and hope in the midst of your dead place. Oh, there is no mountain too high, and no valley too low. No matter how big the problem is, we can never forget that God is bigger. Hear the word of the Lord. Do you hear the rattling? Can you see in the Spirit realm, the bones coming together? Can you believe that God is giving you strength? He is breathing His Spirit into the midst of your dead place. No matter what it is, give it to Him, for God can do what no man can. It is impossible with man but with God, all things are possible. Allow Him to come in and receive new life today... in the midst of your dead place, begin to speak new life into it and allow the breath of God to revive and resuscitate those areas of your life!

Prayer of letting go!

One of the best benefits we can receive from a prayer life is learning to let go. In fact, I think prayer is really the process of letting go. You are letting go by taking your burdens and giving them to God. People are carrying burdens they were never designed to carry. The sooner we learn we are not in control of our lives, situations, or heartaches the sooner we will learn to trust God on a much deeper level. After all, our lives are in His hands and not our own. I've realized that prayer is essentially telling God, "It's not up to me, it's up to You." His perfect will must be done in every situation, and He must get the glory for it all. Prayer is where burdens change shoulders (from yours to God's). There is power in prayer and prayer changes things. Don't ever think your prayers are in vain. However, 99.9% of the time the mountain (obstacle) that is standing in the way of our deliverance, healing, breakthrough, miracle, etc. is our refusal to 100% give it over to God.

Misery 2 Praise!

1 Samuel 1:1 - 2:11 - this scripture looks at Hannah's journey from misery to praise. Waiting is one of the hardest things we must do. So much of life involves waiting, and in an age of instant products, waiting irritates us. But waiting is hardest when we see the clock running on, the years going by, and still our hopes and dreams are unfulfilled. Hannah knew about waiting. In a society that measured a woman's worth by her children, Hannah was barren. Year after year she waited in misery for the answer to her prayers. She had two choices: to be bitter or to continue seeking God's help. She continued to seek God's help and God gave her a son, whom she named Samuel, which means "God Hears" and in that moment her misery turned into praise. Just like Hannah, we must continue seeking God and standing on His promises that our prayers will be answered and heard according to God's will and time, knowing that our misery shall turn into praise.