it's a simon and garfunkel moment


Okay, maybe just the first 2 lines of the lyrics, 4 perhaps.  But I LOVE the melody to the song Sounds of Silence.

And with that, I've forgotten what I was going to post about.  Oh, yes, sounds...

After visiting several churches in the area over the past few months, we think we've decided on one to stick with for now.  It's been tricky.  But the more we have visited, the more our desires have become clear.
Christ-centered theology.  Hearing the trite, over-used phrase, "God wants to bless your socks off," or a variation thereof in many larger denominationally affiliated affiliated churches has made me gag.  When did they become cousins to the pink-haired TV-preachers or MLM conference speakers? (Ok, well assuming the pastors of these churches and the individuals mentioned here are Believers, I guess they would be cousins.) Now, don't get me wrong, I do believe God loves me. John 3:16, duh.  But is blessing my socks off his primary purpose?    How about Micah 6:8?  The Beatitudes? 

I post in hopes that I don't hurt anyone's feelings, because most of the churches we've found have been very friendly and the people seem to love Jesus very much.  It's been nice to feel that most places we visited, we have been welcomed and our kids have been loved well.  If Nashville was the buckle of the Bible belt, I think we're at one of the holes in the leather. We found a few of churches with good Bible teaching, but TERRIBLE music.  Either too rock-concertish and not worshipful at all or too simplistic and also not worshipful in the opposite extreme.  Both extremes can be hokey, period, and distract from the teaching of God's word.  We love contemporary worship songs and classic hymns, all with theological depth.  We also love the use of various instruments to assist in making a joyful noise to the Lord.  Not trite choruses sung repetitiously over and over and over and over.  Nor do we particularly care for 1930's genre "gospel hymns" that are not really singing the Gospel message at all, but some kind of moral code.

A solid children's ministry  is also a must... preferrably with some kind of childrens church during the worship service.  And finally, the service times had to fit.  We discovered that Sunday morning is best for us with hubby's schedule.  Early rising during the week makes Sunday evenings HARD to do for our primary worship service. 

So, yeah, it's been hard , but after visiting around a 15 mile radius, I think we're ready to stick with one to see if that's where God wants us to plug in and serve. When Bear was dismissed from the service to go to their Preschool Praise class, I was thrilled when her teacher recognized her.  It had been at least 2 months since our last visit.  The music was not really close to what we were used to in Nashville, but it was good, God-centered, and heartfelt.  The Pastor used a Psalm to teach how David made clear choices toward godliness when he could have sought his own agenda.... in essence, he could have killed Saul, but decided to wait for God to accomplish His will in His time.
 

FREE Concerts at CCC

Our church is hosting a "Worship of God" Conference later this week, and the Thursday and Friday evening concerts are open to the public.

I'm not sure if we'll make it to either of them yet, but both should be really good. Click on the link above for more info!

I have sea legs.

After getting our planning done last night and this morning, we spent lots of time in the water. Center Hill Lake is the only lake I've been near in this state that has not scared me to get into in a long time. No, it's not the clearest, but we could see some fish in the water in the marina, and there was very little debris of any type in the water. And the water actually felt clean when we got into it. Oh, and it did not stink. The temp was perfect. (Once while we were dating hubby and I went for what supposed to be a romantic day trip to Kentucky Lake, the next state up. I now refer to it as Stinky Fish Lake. If I believed in bad omens, the sight and smell of the dead fish which we encountered washed ashore and saw floating in the water would have been enough to end our relationship. Percy Priest Lake is not AS bad, but not nearly as scenic or clean as CHL.) We swam off the boat for at least an hour, using rafts and "noodles" for flotation. Fish nibbled at our heels from time to time, and ducks swam within 10 feet of us. Oh, and a few of us went down the water slide off the back of the boat into the water. FUN!!! The weather was PERFECT. Our hosts were gracious. Their boat was amazing.... probably worth more than our house, and oh, so comfortable. A perfect place to relax. The fellowship was sweet, and our Mom's HEART ministry should have a great year. I had the pleasure of getting to know our church's founding pastor's wife personally, and friendships were formed and strengthened with some wonderful other Moms. In a big church, it's hard to get to know people sometimes. I knew more people on our committee than I realized. And they either liked my cake and brownies or were really gracious. The best part was finding a group of women that I didn't feel like I had to really pretend around. It wasn't quite like being around the close friends I've had forever, but it was much easier than I expected. I even confessed my near-cancellation and allergy cop-out. (My allergies are real, but I have felt better the past days over all than in a week.)

Got home around 6:45 tonight, and received a great big BEAR hug. She and Daddy did well, other than the fact she woke him up at 5:45 this morning. And I can't believe it took me 21 months to leave my baby for 1 night. I loved knowing she was in good hands. And I must confess, I loved leaving hubby with the responsibility. I came home to a happy baby girl,a swept floor, folded laundry & an empty kitchen sink. AND a clean dishwasher. He is the best. Oh, and he didn't make me cook... we split fajitas at "our" Mexican restaurant. Baby Bear LOVED the guacamole.

I'm going to go cuddle with my hubby in front of the tv now. Hope the rest of your weekend is great!

Inkling's Homemade Resurrection Eggs

Are you trying find a way to keep the true meaning of Easter from being overshadowed by the Easter Bunny?

As I wandered through a dollar store yesterday, I considered puchasing an Easter basket and some small toys for Baby Bear. They also had adorable little hats and purses. I reconsidered, and ended up buying what I went in there for- a spray bottle so I can spritz her curlz with water to help tame them. And bottlecap candy, and some barrets and a headband. Ok, so those weren't on the original list.

Anyway, I'm by no means opposed to the Easter Bunny. One of our family's treasured childhood traditions was finding the Easter basket. We had the same basket every year, filled with candy, perhaps a small toy or two, and as we grew older... nylons (in their large egg, of course) and chapstick. Hubby and I haven't talked about when we'll start this tradition for Baby Bear. It's not like she needs the candy or the toys. (It's not like she needed the happy meal toy yesterday, either. Or the fries.)

Anyway, my friend Inkling has been working diligently on a project for the kiddos at her church. Check it out.

Here's an article I found on crosswalk.com about family Easter traditions.

The Cure for Anxiety...

That's the subtitle in my Bible, just above Matthew 6:25...

Hubby and I attend a fairly large church. I wouldn't call it a mega-church, it certainly isn't anywhere near as big as the one with the outrageously huge crosses that you pass on I-40 as you head into Memphis. But it's big enough that a lot of people get lost in the shuffle, don't get plugged into the community, and move on to find fellowship elsewhere. I have a feeling that's fairly common in large churches. Anyway, our class is trying to be intentional about building relationships, and today was one of those days where it showed. It truly was a God thing. In addition to our scripture study, several of us shared how the Lord is teaching us to trust Him in our daily lives. We were able to share because instead of being in just another Sunday School class in the buckle of the Bible Belt, over time we have begun to build friendships and trust.

As we shared, a memory from my childhood came back to me. My parents had invited a family over for dinner. The wife was blind, and I remember being a little frightened by her eyes. She seemed nice, but I think the part where she actually was able to pop her glass eye out to show us really made me cringe. When she sat down at the piano to sing a song called "Consider the Lilies", any fear I had of her vanished. I was probably a pre-teen, I don't really remember. But I do remember thinking that if that woman could sing such a pure-hearted song with all she had been through, I had no reason not to have confidence in God's love.

It's getting late, hubby is going to bed, and I would like to snuggle with him, but if you find yourself struggling with anxiety, fear, or discontentment, I want to encourage you to read and ponder Matthew 6:25-34.

I really thought I'd be well enough for church nursery duty today...
we dropped Baby Bear off for the Sunday School hour, and I was fully prepared to go serve during the service. About halfway through Sunday School, my head became increasingly "cloudier" and my cough worsened. I had abstained from the meds that I thought were causing my dizziness... apparently the light-headedness was still a sympton of the illness, not the cure. A friend volunteered to fill in for me, God Bless her! I suppose she knew I shouldn't be coughing all over the toddlers. I sat through service... I enjoyed listening to everyone else singing, my heart sung what my voice could not. My friends thought I sounded terrible, but I really do feel better than I have in about 4 days, even with the continuing symptoms. It's all relative.

While I type this, Baby bear is watching "Baby Da Vinci", tapping her head with her palms and bopping along to "Head, shoulders, knees and toes." When I picked her up from her nap, I could actually smell her baby-clean hair. I am getting better, I swear.