A childrens program part 2. Together for good

"God always has a reason for what He does."

God wanted to do something in this church this year through the children's Christmas program. Over and over again He reminded me of this. If God was going to do something, we wanted every one's hearts to be ready. Friends from all over prayed. They prayed that the hearts of every single teacher, sound guy, piano player, child who sang and every person in the audience would be soft and open. They were there for a reason.

At times my heart would tell me that I was just making it all up and everything was of my own doing and nothing was going to happen but I had to remember what God had told me through His Word and remember the lessons that I learned the hard way because I had wanted to be sufficient in myself. God is sovereign. He always has a reason for what He does.

The big day arrived. Oddly enough, I wasn't nervous. Someone far greater than me was working and whatever happened would be apart of the plan.
The children entered and filed onto the stage. This was the moment. I stepped out and began.
•A couple Christmas carols
•Three verses from Isaiah each prophesying the birth of Christ.
•The children sat, lights dimmed. Scene one of the skit began.
The story of a grandfather telling three children about the birth of Christ, one of the children commenting that he thought the manger story was a bit of a fairy tale.
"That is because you have not heard the rest of the story" The grandfather replied.
"The rest of the story?" The child asks. "Yes,” the grandfather replies "the story of God coming from heaven in the form of a child and dying a terrible death on the cross"
•Scene one finishes. The children stand and sing a song about His death.
•More verses from Isaiah prophesying the death of Christ.
•Scene two begins. The cruel story of Jesus' death yet this wasn't the end of the story. Jesus rose from the dead.
•The children sing a song about Easter.
• Verses from Isaiah about Jesus setting the captives free.
• Scene three. What now? Right before Jesus went back to heaven He said "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
•The program ended with one of my favorite song titled "Our heart"
And as the children sang, elders, ministers, missionary committee member, and spouses came forward and sang these words
"Our heart, our desire, Is to see the nations worship.
Our cry, our prayer, Is to sing your praise to the ends of the earth.
That with one mighty voice, Every tribe and tongue rejoices.”
Everyone stood, and one of the elders prayed.

I do believe God was glorified.

A Christmas Program. Part 1. Not my Program.

"The glories of Christ Jesus are far greater then anything any man could ever do on their own."

I love seeing God work...especially when it is so obvious that it is Him, and when it is a direct result of prayer.
He worked in such a way today.

July 2008. God began this work by filling my head with ideas for that my churches children's Christmas program that year. And though everything was not completely clear, He had laid the basics in my mind. The story of Christmas, not just a baby in a manger but the man on the cross, the Resurrection of Christ and the great commission.
So with much thought and prayer, I volunteered to direct the program.

September. I started teaching the 2-5year olds the songs they would sing.
As I planned out the details, I was advised to maybe do a skit.
With more thought, I decided to write my own script. As I started the process,
I made two goals: 1. To have the script finished by end of September and 2. Have cast lined up by the beginning of October.

News flash. God's plans are not our plans and God's time is not our time.

I tried to write the script on my own in my time. But first God had a big a lesson to teach me. And as I labored for the write words to say, I found myself frustrated that all I could write was shallow and stupid jabber. And as the days passed to no avail, I became more and more stressed to the point of tossing and turning at night and when I would think of the unfinished script I felt great panic.

During this time I would ask myself what exactly was I thinking when I volunteered to do this program.:)

Finally I had had enough. I stopped, I cried. Then I gave the pen to God. I told Him that He could have it all. I would be the tool in His hands. I gave Him the script and the cast. He knew best.

God had the pen and the words began to flow. After others had edited, I finished the script mid October. The cast came together shortly there after.

Many more times I would cry out to God and give Him the burden that wasn't met for me. Many more times I would give Him each song, each verse, each teacher, each child, each prop, each motion. And most of all, I would give Him myself.

God in return, filled me with peace. All was well, and with the advice of others and the continueal leading of God, the program slowly began to take shape.

Mighty Men

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Gal 1:10

For consider your calling, brothers: mnot many of you were wise according to worldly standards,not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

1 Co 1:26-30

God chose me not because of my ability and strength but because of my inability and weakness.


So who am I trying to please? What do I have to take pride in?

Peace that all is in His time

I'm currently directing a children's Christmas program of around 100 children.
There have been a lot of details and things that I've had to work through; and many times I've became very stressed about how I was going to get it all done. Earlier this month I still was writing the script, it wasn't finished when I wanted to have it done. I didn't even know what to write. I was nervous about what people would think...would they look down on me?...or would they hate the program?....
And was it foolish of me to even try this?
Finally I couldn't take it anymore. I stopped and cried out to God. I told Him to write the script, change the hearts, open my heart to all He had in mind for the program and be Lord of every detail. It is for His glory, make me merely the tool.
And He is.

A Peace that passes all understanding. The only time I've known it is when I quit being in control and I for that short time quit trusting in myself and begin to trust in God. Then I have that deep, deep, quiet peace.

I have learned in yet another way that God's time isn't mine and that His thoughts are much higher then mine.
But the program isn't for another six weeks…so please pray that I would continue to grow and trust...

God is Good, praise His Name
Anne

Time flies

Life....It's a crazy thing. At this point I am praying that God would teach me to use my time wisely and when life becomes overwhelming, He would teach me to move with it graciously. It shouldn't rock the boat.....but it does. And when it does, these verses become my reminders that God will always be there. That He is sovereign and He is Good

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and He will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Cast all your anxiety on him because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.Proverbs 19:21

Don't let life get you down, trust in God, He will carry you.

Just a thought to strive for......

A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
Proverbs 31:10-12

As a single young woman currently still at home and under my Dad's leadership, I have the opportunity to be a huge influence on my Dad and brothers.
Here's a thought, take the areas in the Bible that tell wives how to treat their husbands and think of them as ways daughters should treat their dads and brothers. To begin to treat them with respect, to bring them good and not harm, that the men in our lives could put their full confidence in us and lack nothing of value.
~Just a thought

p.s. read the rest of chapter 31:)

A bad mood gone good

I was in a bad mood today....and I didn't know it. In fact, if anyone had said anything about it, I would have rolled my eyes and said that I was perfectly happy but I was tired of everyone else being a pain. I even without a thought,would've huffed that "so and so" wouldn't stop complaining and "so and so" kept asking stupid questions and was not listening and I wished that they all would just be quiet.
But I didn't know I was the problem. I thought that I was just being my own "sweet" self. If you would have confronted me, I would have been offended.
I went through the whole day with this attitude, picking arguments with my sister and criticizing my brother about meaningless stuff. By the end, I had everyone else out of sorts and they all started huffing about as well.
It wasn't until later when I was helping my brother take a pile of stuff off the stairway that I finally listened to myself and the things I was saying. I was all a sudden taken back as I heard myself accuse my brother of not using common sense when cleaning and I actually huffed when he flippantly tossed a bobby pin into a near by laundry basket, something so pointless. That's when I realized I was being a brat.

Here's a thought. Often as humans, we don't see when we're the problem and though to everyone else it may seem obvious, we are somehow blinded to the truth. We often look at ourselves and don't see the facts, we think we're fine, even better then everyone else and in complete honesty will tell others just how "fine" we are when they confront us.
Also, if we swing that around, if we have ever been an "onlooker" to someone like this and we feel the need to tell that person off, we need to remember that that person may not know they are the problem and if you confront them, they will be offended.
We need to first pray that God would reveal to us the problems in our own hearts then pray for that other person that God would show them the truth. And last of all, have compassion on them and speak if it's God's will, in love.

Because Lord, You died my death.

With Easter soon approaching, I began about thinking about all Jesus had to do that day on Calvary and also what a thing it was when He rose again.
As I was thinking about it all, this poem came to mind.




I don't feel the pain
Of nails in my hands.
I don't feel the shame
Of whips upon my naked skin.
I don't feel the loneliness
As I'm deserted by all my friends.

And I don't know the sting of dying
Because Lord, You died my death.

I don't feel the mocker's spit
Running down my face.
I don't feel the burning flames
Of hell's eternal fire.
I don't know the bondage of forever sin
For Lord, You set me free.
I'm no longer blind,
Lord, You let me see.

I, a sinner, condemned to die,
Now stand, unscarred, alive.
Because Jesus, fully God, fully man,
perfect, blameless, chose to die in my stead.

I don't know the sting of dying,
Because Lord You died my death,
And rose again.