Looking Forward to My Rest

The Lord has brought so many wonderful people in my life over the years. One of them is a beautiful woman named Brenda Grier-Miller. The Lord brought her into my life during my college years. One of the many things she taught me is to be mindful of my language. Instead of saying that she was tired, she would always say in her smooth, sweet voice instead, "I'm looking forward to my rest."

After several months of traveling, doing what I absolutely LOVE and am grateful to do, my body is telling me that it is looking forward to our rest. This Christmas break will be just what I need to rest and be renewed for the new year. Thank you for all of your prayers this season. I can feel their sustenance. :-)

Blankets, Oatmeal and a Good Book

I've been on Mandisa's Christmas tour for the last several weeks, and it occurs to me that I've not shared as much about it with you as I'd like. I MUST tell you about this regular experience on a tour bus. Shout out to my homie, Laura Cooksey, who showed me the ropes concerning all-things-tour-bus.

First of all, it's freezing! Apparently, "a cold bus is a healthy bus," but I can't always tell! I know the cold kills germs, but I'd like a little coziness sometimes. ;-) So, I bring my thick, black blanket along to capture all of the heat and keep me warm.

Another cozy item I bring along is my ziploc container of oatmeal. I generally eat oatmeal everyday for breakfast, and I don't see why having breakfast on a tour bus should change that. I bring along my cinnamon and agave nectar and work it out!

Now, if you ever find yourself on a tour bus, pray that you're on it with amazing people. I am, and it makes all of the difference. Conversation with Mandisa and her crew is hilarious and thought-provoking. I love these folks. :-) There comes a time, though, when no one will feel like talking, and there's no need to take it personally. I just turn to my trusty third item--a good book. Now, I personally prefer a good one by C. S. Lewis. He has very creative ways of reminding us about Christian truths that I truly can't get enough of. I just cozy on up in my book and enjoy a good read.

That's my tour bus experience in a nutshell. :-)

Women of Faith Update

I just wanted to give you a quick update on the happenings of Women of Faith as they concern me. I have gratefully accepted an invitation to be on the Imagine Tour Worship Team again, and I am excited to visit new cities on the East coast in 2011 with the wonderful ladies I'm blessed to be on a team with.

Also, the worship team is working hard in the studio right now to provide another worship cd. It's really fun! We and our producer, Chance Scoggins, are working tirelessly to capture the spirit of the event digitally in the studio. I can't wait for you all to hear all of the fun stuff Women of Faith is planning! Be prepared to hear some GREAT songs. ;-)

Taking It and Running with It

If you've been reading my blog, then you know that I did Beth Moore's Daniel study with the women at my church. I'm currently on a tour bus with Mandisa and the rest of her band, and I thought I'd reread all of Daniel with my newly gained knowledge and perspective.

I read chapter two again, and I was reminded about the dream God gave King Nebudchadnezzar about the kingdoms of the earth--Nebudchadnezzar's and those to come. In the dream was a physical statue representing these earthly kingdoms; and Nebudchadnezzar's was represented as the gold head of the body.

Chapter three of Daniel begins by telling us that Nebudchadnezzar had a gold statue of himself built in the land of Babylon. I thought this was quite interesting. Where do we think he got the idea that he should be represented by gold from? He probably got it from the dream that God GAVE him. But he seemed to have missed the point. He took the idea of being a gold head and made it into a whole statue. Not only that, but he missed the point that the dream was ultimately about the Kingdom of God that would remain standing after all earthly kingdoms have been destroyed.

How many times have I done this? How many times have I taken a revelation from God and run with it in the direction that feeds my own desires and ego? How many times have I missed the point of a vision God has given me? How many times have I made the entire story about me, when it was really a story God was telling me about Himself that I was merely blessed enough to be included in? When have you taken a word from the Lord and run with it?

Towers and Beaches

I'm sitting here at the beach on our day off on
Mandisa's Christmas tour, and I'm LOVing it! Anyone who loves nature knows that it's a wonderful place to hear unexpected things from the Lord. Looking at the ocean, I'm recalling something my father said before. He said, "I imagine that when Adam looked at the ocean originally, he could see straight to the bottom." It's something that has stuck with me over the years, because I love and am fascinated with the ocean.

It started me to thinking today: Was Adam exposed to the ocean in the Garden of Eden or outside of it? I'm not sure. What I do know is that Hawaii has some of the prettiest beaches in the world right now, and I'm sure Adam wasn't quite there. Then I started to think of God's instruction to Adam and Noah--be fruitful and multiply. God wanted them to literally fill this big earth that He made for us.

I learned a couple of months ago that God's destruction of the Tower of Babel wasn't just about people trying to reach Heaven; but it was also about people NOT spreading out and filling the earth like He had told them to. The Bible actually says that the people's intentions were to "make themselves famous and keep from being scattered all over the world. (NLT)" God's confusing their language succeeded in scattering them, as was His original plan.

Cut to today when we love to travel and enjoy the beauty of this earth in different locations. I think as people we are so afraid of not having the sustenance and wonder of today, tomorrow. When, really, God's sustenance and wonders of tomorrow are far greater than what we can manipulate and store up today.

We almost missed out on the most beautiful places in the world by building the Tower of Babel. What towers are you building today?