A busy and fun weekend....

Well, we have had such a great weekend here in Middle Tn ..... our congregation here at Lomax held our annual Kid's Rally ..... this years theme was .....GIANTS!.... the battle belongs to the LORD!. We had such a wonderful time. Our oldest 2 (Travis and Mia) were counselors since this was for grades 1 through 6. The children enjoyed activites, crafts, and wonderful Bible Lessons from our speaker. Eric worked in the audio/visual room and I helped in the kitchen , ran errands and cleaned the Christian Service Center Building after all was said and done..... what a blessing to our family that we were able to be a part of this special day.

Then today after morning services and a wonderful lunch (made by Mia) we went to my nephew's birthday party (he turned 10 yesterday) then came home and had a quiet afternoon.... I took a nice long NAP with Jed. Eric spent the afternoon watching football games.... he and Travis are in the Fantasy Football League at church..... and the older kids spent a quiet afternoon doing their own thing.
And finally, after evening services we had a teen social ...... had hot dogs, nachos, and desserts.... then the youth group played games. What a good finish to a wonderful weekend.

here are a few pictures of the weekend.....




Camp Lomax is ready.....




The counselors meeting....















Warming up the grill (we fed nearly 200)











Getting ready for a session....











Here are our "Giant Goalies" for a fun activity....















Amaris getting ready for her turn at charades....

Tuesday's IOW ~ roses and crowns

"They gave our Master a crown of thorns. Why do we hope for a crown of roses?"
~ Martin Luther ~






As I read the quote for this week I placed a picture (not much unlike the one above) in my mind of a rose... a thing of beauty...... and let my imagination form a crown. Oh how lovely and carefree it would feel to place such a crown on my head....so I again imagine placing this thing of beauty upon my brow. And that is when the pain comes.... sharp pricks from each thorn of the roses. My thoughts race back to Christ... is this the pain He felt as the soldiers set the crown of thorns upon my Saviors head? I quickly open my eyes and study the picture of the rose.... there on the stem are thorns..... often overlooked because of the beauty of the flower. But the thorns are there..... just as much a part of the rose as the bloom.



Think of how often we find joy here on this earth.... each day is full of blessings God bestows upon His children..... even in the midst of trials God wants to bless us. All we have to do is look to Him for that blessing. Will it come in the form we decide? No.... for God knows so much better than we – what it is we need.



Pro 28:20a A faithful man shall abound with blessings......

Is it wrong to ask for a crown of roses here in this world...... I think not..... as long as we are willing to endure the thorns as well.

Thanks to Iris at Sting My Heart for hosting this week.

And thanks to Karen's Whimsy for the rose image.

This week.....

....... has not been the best week ya'll..... I've been down with a kidney infection and Jed is sick with an upper resp. infection. So, needless to say I've done good to just get through my days these last few days. However, I am on the mend.... no sodas for a while .....booohoooo!!!! And Jed is on some meds and is mending well....last night after finally falling to sleep at 11:30.... he slept all night ..... yipee. Now, if all the rest of our bunch can stay well..

Wednesday's Word

Rom 6:8 But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him;
Rom 6:9 knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death no more hath dominion over him.
Rom 6:10 For the death that he died, he died unto sin once: but the life that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Rom 6:11 Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus.
Rom 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey the lusts thereof:
Rom 6:13 neither present your members unto sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves unto God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under law, but under grace.
(ASV)

Friday's Fixin's ~ Honey Mustard Glaze

Honey Mustard Glaze (for pork or chicken)

1 cup honey
1 cup prepared mustard
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Mix ingredients together and brush over meat.... then bake or grill. May repeat brushing throughout cooking time.

Thankful Thursday ~ the clay....

The Potter and the Clay....

Jeremiah 18: 1-6

1 This is the word the Lord spoke to Jeremiah:2 "Go down to the potter's house, and I will give you my message there."3 So I went down to the potter's house and saw him working at the potter's wheel.4 He was using his hands to make a pot from clay, but something went wrong with it. So he used that clay to make another pot the way he wanted it to be.

5 Then the Lord spoke his word to me:6 "Family of Israel, can't I do the same thing with you?" says the Lord. "You are in my hands like the clay in the potter's hands."....



God sends Jeremiah to the house of the potter.... and what he learns there is profound.

Just as the potter is busy with the clay and keeps the end product in sight, God is busy with purpose for us. However, like the vessel is marred, we are stained by sin..... but, that does not mean we are to be given up on....no. Instead, God (just as the potter) remakes us into a new creation through grace in Christ. For we are His .......just like the clay in the potters hands.

I am so thankful that God takes such great interest in the clay.....




Please visit Sting My Heart for more Thankful Thursday thoughts.

Wednesday's Word

Isaiah 35:4 (NCV) Say to people who are frightened, "Be strong. Don't be afraid. Look, your God will come, and He will punish your enemies. He will make them pay for the wrongs they did, but He will save you."

In Other Words ~ Prayer

"Praying is no easy matter. It demands a relationship in which you allow someone other than yourself to enter into the very center of your person, to see there what you would rather leave in darkness, and to touch there what you would rather leave untouched. Why would you really want to do that?"
~ Henri Nouwen ~

Satan in on his toes in this world.... this is where he hits the hardest..... our personal pride. How can we let others know our needs so that they may join us in prayer when we are so caught up in “keeping it quiet” or “suffering in silence”? Why is it that we so often let ourselves be deceived into this way of thinking? We are told to bear one another's burdens and to share the load of others..... which by the way we are so willing and ready to participate..... when it is not us that is needing to release the burden to others for them to share. Sad really that all it takes is just a sprinkle of pride to keep us from sharing in one of the most blessed parts of Christianity. For it is not only a blessing for us to get the prayers we need for the situation..... but it is a blessing to those we have shared a request with. They get the chance to be God's vessel of ministry to us in our hour of need. God knows that prayer brings His people closer.... not only to Him..... but to each other as well.

Philemon vs 6 (NCV) I pray that the faith you share may make you understand every blessing we have in Christ.

Please visit Fruit in Season for more Tuesday's IOW.