Come Join us at NVMC this Easter

My 29th Birthday

This year for my birthday we didn't have much planned. My birthday was this past Saturday and I couldn't have asked for better weather, 80's in March. Last year on my Birthday we were snowed in with 8 inches of snow and ice. What can I say, we live in Kentucky, you never know what you are going to get. I had a hair appt scheduled for that morning so I went and got my hair done at my stylists new Salon. I have been going to Tracy for over 8 Years, and I was excited to see her new salon. It is amazing. Very contemporary, the salon is called Fierce, and fierce it is. After my hair appt, I headed home. Adam and the boys planned to take me to dinner because my mom wanted us over for cake at 8pm. So we headed downtown, our destination was a surprise to me. I love surprises, so I didn't ask. We pulled into the parking lot at Joe's Crab Shack, and I immediately remembered that they love to embarrass you on your birthday. In the past I have had to stand on a chair while people sang happy birthday, and when I graduated college, I had to ride around the restaurant on a stick pony and say I graduated while people sang happy graduation to me. So I started to get very nervous. As we walked to the restaurant, I saw some familiar faces at a distance. I realized that Adam had surprised me with my family and friends on my birthday. I was very surprised and excited. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present. We had a great time, and in case you were wondering, I had to wear a hula skirt and a straw hat and do the hula dance while standing on a chair as people sang Happy Birthday. There is a video floating around somewhere.

So to all my family and friends who were there, thank you for taking the time to celebrate my Birthday with me. I love you all, and couldn't imagine not having you in my life. To Adam, thank you honey for surprising me on my Birthday even though you don't like doing stuff like that.

Call from School

So I get a call from school today. Considering all the sickness going around, I expected them to say Alex was sick. Instead they inform me that Alex took his cell phone to school and it rang in the middle of class. So they took it away, and me or Adam have to pick it up. Alex knows this is a no no. He just got a cool hand me down phone from his brother, so I'm sure he took it to show his buddies. We might have to rethink the cell phone for Alex.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Uncle Bob

I just want to thank everyone for your thoughts and prayers these past two weeks. For those of you who didn't know, my Uncle Bob had a Massive Stroke Two weeks ago Sunday. He Passed away this past Tuesday.

The stoke left him paralyzed on his right side. When I went to see him, he opened his eyes, but it was so hard to not be able to hear what he was thinking. He was on a ventilator at the time. I kissed his forehead and told him that I loved him and that Adam and the boys loved him too. The next day Aunt Mae made the dicision to remove the Ventilator, the feeding tube and IV. We all knew that was what Uncle Bob wanted. I am sure it was the hardest decision she ever had to make. We continued to pray that he would get strong and make a full recovery. I know how big God is and what he is capable off. I also know that God has a plan, and that it could have been Uncle Bob's time to go. I started to pray for God's will. I prayed for peace for Aunt Mae and the family. Last Tuesday Uncle Bob passed. He was a man of God, and I know were he is today, Heaven.

Uncle Bob was my Great Uncle on my Dad's side. My dad grew up in a very close family. My Memaw and Aunt Mae were sisters. My Memaw, Pepaw, Aunt Mae and Uncle Bob were always together. Some of you have meet them at the boys birthday parties. They would drive from livermore because family meant everything to them. Uncle Bob and Aunt Mae had 4 kids, Angie, Berry, Tony and Vickie who died when she was a child. For my dad and his bother Darren, growing up with Angie, Berry, and Tony, they were all like siblings. I love to hear my dad tell stories of growing up in Livermore. So when they all grew up and had kids, us kids all grew up together. Holidays and weekends at Memaw and Pepaws meant fun with my cousins. Angie is an Aunt to me, and Berry and Tony are my uncles just like Uncle Darren is. We grew up as a very close family full of traditions, and just spending time together. Every thanksgiving and Christmas Day we spent at Memaw and Pepaws who lived right across the street from Uncle Bob and Aunt Mae. The whole family would pile in the two houses, and we would always eat dinner at Memaw and Pepaws, which used to be my Granny's house.

At the funeral they spoke of Faithfulness. My Uncle Bob was faithful to the Marine Corp. He retired as a Major from the U.S. Marine Corps after 23 years of service, serving two tours of duty in Vietnam. He was faithful to his church. He was a member of the Livermore United Methodist Church, the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels and had also served as Mayor for the City of Livermore. He helped to establish the Veterans Memorial in Livermore. But most importantly, he was faithful to his family. He was faithful to his wife of 55 years. They said his greatest fear was not of dying, it was of Leaving Aunt Mae behind. They spoke of how he would be asked to go and help with something, and there were so many times he would, but most of the time he would say, "No, I think I will stay with Mae." He loved his family and we loved him. My cousin Shilah and I are very close, and even though Uncle Bob was her Pepaw, he was like another father to her. They had a bond like no other. Shilah's husband, Chris, wrote a song for Uncle Bob called Flowers, and it was played at the funeral. It is on my myspace, check it out, it's beautiful. The funeral was complete with Military Honors, and Uncle Bob would have been proud.

When my memaw died, and I broke down because I couldn't leave my pepaw, Uncle Bob reassured me that he would be OK. He would joke with me about my hair color of the month, and then he would always tell it to you like it was also. He called Little Adam his Little Marine. He gave Little Adam a pocket watch with a the Marine Logo on it alittle over a year ago, and Little Adam cherishes that watch. Little Adam has said for the past few years that he wants to be a Marine when he grows up. When we would visit, Little Adam and Uncle Bob would disappear and we knew they were somewhere together, and uncle bob was showing him some of his medals, or certificates, or pictures. I am so blessed that the boys will have those memories of Uncle Bob.

Everything I knew growing up is changing. The family I grew up with, leaned on, and looked up to is different than before. Change isn't always bad. It's sad to say goodbye, and miss those you love, but I know my Memaw and Uncle Bob are in a better place. They are no longer in pain. I know I will see them again one day.

Just like the Marine Corp hymn says, I'm sure he's guarding heaven's gates standing up straight and proud.

Sickness go away

So I have been sick for alittle over a week. It started as a Virus, and really had me down and out last week. But this weekend I have a full schedule, so I had to suck it up and get things done. Well, that made the sickness linger, and I had to go back to the Dr yesterday. I have Bronchial inflammation, and I am taking steroids. Well technically, I am not taking them yet. I dropped off the prescription last night, but didn't feel like going back out to get the meds. So this morning my mom sent me an email asking how I felt. I told her pretty much the same because I didn't pick my meds up. So she replied back with a whole lot of (*&%&%$%$#^%*&^)(*&)(*^&%$*&)()^(&^$^$#&!!! She got onto me for not taking care of my self, and not telling her because she would have gone and got them for me. I know she would have, but she has alot going on too, so I didn't want to bother her. I asked her if that was her cursing at me, and she said Yes! Lol. Don't mess with momma. lol. So she told me next time don't lay there and suffer. So nobody better mess with me, cause you don't want to make my momma mad. And Mom, I know you are reading this, so I will go get my meds as soon as I get off.

Come and See

Looking back, I see were God has brought me from, and I see how he was working in my life before I even acknowledged him. About 5 years ago I had a dream that I will never forget. I dreamt that Adam and me had died. We were standing there in front of God. God told me I got to go to heaven. I asked about Adam, I told him it didn’t matter to me were I went, I wanted to know that he got to go to heaven. I can still remember how I felt even though it was a dream. God told me that we both got to go to heaven. Then there was my mom and my aunt Susan with our son Little Adam. Adam and I had to say goodbye to him. I wondered how I could do that. There was no way. But we had too, he couldn’t go with us. I woke up in tears. I couldn’t control the tears or my anxiety. I wasn’t saved, I didn’t know if I died if I would go to heaven. I wanted my husband and my son, my family and friends to go to heaven too. The morning I woke from my dream I went to work, and as I was sitting in front of a dishwasher running a test, my co-worker walked over to me and handed me a bible. I started to cry. He had no idea about my dream, but I know that it was God. As scared as I was, I was also scared of church. I had been turned away from another church because we had our son while I was 16 and Adam was 17. We lived together before we were married. These are all things that I was told were bad in God’s eyes. I couldn’t look at my son and see anything bad, he was a blessing, so I was angry that anyone would suggest that having him was bad. I just wanted someone to accept me and teach me despite of my past, I wanted someone to see that I wanted to know God. I was scared of being rejected, something I would constantly struggle with. One year later another co-worker invited me to New Vision. She knew of my past and never judged me. She told me that the people at New Vision would welcome me with open arms. I saw the love, acceptance and forgiveness first hand, and I longed to be in that atmosphere. That is what got me to church, a sense of being accepted. Along the way I learned about God, his love for me, and his will for my life. I have been on fire for God ever sense. New Vision is a place that you can come with all your baggage, and there are people that will teach you how to lay it at his feet, and give your burdens to him. Knowing God will give you a freedom like no one or nothing else can give you. I invite you to come and check it out. This Sunday join me at NVMC.tv at 6907 Outerloop. Service times are 9am and 11am. I hope to see you there.

Im stuck!

I have so much in my mind, and heart but I just can't get it all down on paper! I feel clogged up, in a good way.

We got Forked

We got Forked Saturday night. A few of our friends from church forked our house Saturday night, so we woke to the surprise Sunday morning. If you are like my mom, you might not know what forked means. You take white plastic forkes and stick them in the ground with the handle up. They were all over the yard.

Lesson learned: Laila and Trinidad are not good guard dogs.

I only have one word to say...revenge. lol

Pop

My Pepaw passed away on Sunday. He and my Memaw were staying in a hotel because they lost there power in the ice storm like so many of us. Saturday he had a hard time breathing and my Memaw called the ambulance. He died Sunday morning at the age of 91. He and my memaw were married for 64 Years. I was at church when my sister called to tell me. The first thing I told her was that I told him we would come down and go fishing with him, and we didn't. Then I started thinking of all the times I could have gone to visit, but something else came up. At that moment, I was filled with regret. Regret for not spending as much time with my family as I could. Regret is the hardest part of grieving.

Growing up, me and my sister, Jacqueline were close to my Memaw and Pepaw. We would spend summers at there house, playing in there wooded backyard going on adventures. My cousin Kristina was always there too. The three of us would have so much fun. My Pepaw had a workshop where he would make all sorts of things. I still have alittle rocking chair that he made for my dolls, it's in my office and I think of him every time I look at it. You could find him in one of three places. His workshop, in his Garden, or in his chair. My Pepaw loved to garden. He had a vegetable garden and fruit trees. Me, my sister, and cousin would sneak an extra plum every once and a while. They were so good. My pepaw always told us stories, he could tell me anything and I believed every word of it. At the funeral the Pastor said that he was told that my Pepaw had the incredible ability to read a book, listen to the radio and watch TV all at the same time. He also loved his chewing tobacco. My uncle Jack stuck some in his suit pocket at the funeral home. It put a smile on every one's face when they saw it, because they knew he always had it with him. We called him Pepaw, but alot of the family called him Pop. He was a tell you like it is kind of man. That is who he was. I will miss him very much. From all of this, it made me realize that I need to make more time to visit the people that matter to me before they are gone. This is what has been on my mind, thanks for reading it and spending a little slice out of your day to read about my pepaw. So if you can take anything away from reading this post today, make time for those who matter to you.

Eddie James Live at NVMC.tv this weekend!!!!!

Angie Girl's 2008 Highlight Video

Go Cards, and Merry Christmas!

This past Saturday was Lil' Adam's second wrestling match. I missed the first half of it because I was at a Christmas tea with the ladies of our church, which happened to be alot of fun and I can't wait for next year. While I was at the tea, Big Adam texted me that Lil' Adam won his first match! I was so excited. So after the tea I headed over to his match. When I got there, you could see that Lil' Adam was so excited, he was really pumped up that he won, and it gave him a boost in his confidence. His next match came up and he did great. The match had to be decided, and Lil' Adam didn't win that one, but he did an awesome job. The other kid kept getting him pinned down, but he would slide right out of the pin.

It was his last match of the day. My sister, Jacqueline was there, and this was her first time seeing him wrestle. The match started, and the other kid kept doing for Lil' Adam's face, which I hadn't seen before. I was kneeling down next to the mat so I could get some pictures. Lil' Adam was pinned, but he slid right out. They were both on there feet, and the other kid rams into Adam taking him down, Adam got out of it, and they started in the middle of the mat again. The kid would let Adam up again so he could take him down, this time harder. They get more points for a move like that. Only this time, Adam didn't get up. He was laying on his side curled up, facing away from me. My heart went into my throat. The coaches went onto the mat, and rolled Adam over. He got his breath knocked out of him. After about a minute, Adam gets to his feet, and he goes back to the middle of the mat to finish the match. They start, and the whistle on the mat next to them goes off. Both boys thinks it is there whistle, so they stop and are at there feet. They think it is over. The ref signals to reingage, but Adam doesn't see it. The other kids catches Adam off guard, and rams into him, lifting him up, and slams him to the ground. This time, Adam doesn't get up again. He was laying on the mat. My first imstinct was to run on the mat and make sure he was ok. But I remembered what everyone kept telling me. All the guys at work, kept telling me not to go on the mat or my son would never here the end of it. So I sat there watching for what seems like forever, but I am sure it was no more than a minute. I could tell Lil' Adam was crying, so I knew somehting was wrong. As I sat there and watched the worst kept coming to into my mind, but I knew I just had to pray. So I sent a twitter, because I knew all my friends would pray with me. Finally Adam stood up, and the coaches helped him off the mat. He came and sat down with me and Big Adam and my sister. He was taking deep breaths trying to get his breath back, and he said his hand was hurting, so we got ice, and headed to get some ice cream because ice cream makes everything better. Adam was just bummed. He went from all the excitement of winning his first match, to not wanting to wrestle anymore. He showed me his hand, and he had alittle bump on it. We kept an eye on it, and he took a nap.
When he woke from his nap, his hand was even more swollan. You couldn't even see his knuckles. So I took him to the immediate care center. They said it wasn't broken, but she was surprised at how swollan it was. They sent the xrays to a specialist. Monday morning I kept him home from school, because his hand was still swollen, so I was going to get him into his doctor. The specialist called, and said his hand was fractured. So we went to the same specialist we went to a year ago when he broke his thumb on the same hand. So when the dr asked him what color cast he wanted he said Red (or course). Adam looked at me, and said, "Go Cards and Merry Christmas!"

So as of right now, Adam doesn't want to wrestle any more, but we will see how he feels when he gets his cast off in a month. As his mom, I don't want him to wrestle. It wasn't something I was overly exicted about, but it was somehting he wanted to do, so I suported that, and I encouraged him. So as much as I don't want to see him out on that mat again, I don't want him to quit either. I want him to get out there, and conquer that fear.

Today...

Today,
GE Healthcare technology will help doctors save nearly 3,000 lives.

Today,
GE power generation equipment will create a quarter of the world's electricity.

Today,
3.5 million passengers will fly on commercial jets powered by engines
from GE and its partners.

Today,
GE Evolution locomotives will save so much fuel, it's like taking 43,000 cars off U.S. roads.

Today,
GE will entertain and inform more than a hundred million people.

Today,
GE water technologies will purify enough water to satisfy the daily needs
of 39 million people around the world.

Today,
GE's financial services business will provide $1.85 billion in credit to help companies grow
and people reach their dreams.

Today,
And since 1899, GE has shared its success with shareholders through a dividend.

Today,
More than 300,000 GE employees in over 100 countries are applying their vision,
leadership, and hard work to take on some of the world's toughest challenges.


So just imagine what we'll do
Tomorrow

Innovation you don't have to wait for.

New Vision Ministry Center Cardboard Testimonies...This is why we do what we do.

Cardboard Testimonies at New Vision Ministry Center from New Vision on Vimeo.

Sunday was an amazing day at NVMC. I came Sunday expecting great things. I have been working with the first impressions team, so at 1st service I stood in the back. Second service came around, and I was going to sit with my family, but I saw that seat after seat was full, so I grabbed my things, and I stood in the back with my husband and sister who gave up there seats as well. NVMC was full to the max with people coming to seek his face. Our faithful ushers and greeters put out more chairs so we could find a seat for everyone. I watched as the video played a message from Pastor on God's Love for us. Then one by one people walked on stage with cardboard signs showing what god brought them out of. It is because of his love.

Addicted Filthy Mess now Clean with God.
Hit Rock Bottom, now standing on the Rock.
A couple, lived together, did drugs together, now We pray together, married here 9-7-08
Hell on Wheels, now Holy Roller.
Brain Tumor "05 now winning threw Christ "08
Raised Muslim now Born again Christian
Raped at Age 10 now More than a Conqueror
A family of 4, (father)Loved Drugs, Alcohol, all kinds of sin, (mother)Marriage over, betrayed again and again, (son) Hated father, wish he would die, (daughter)Family in turmoil, don't know why now....(father)kicked out devil, God now lives in my heart, (mother)Restored our Love, now found a new start, (son) Love Dad now, He's someone to look up to, (daughter) Broken family restored with God's SuperGlue!

Then my Dad came on stage and help his cardboard sign that read, Drowning in Alcoholism, then he flipped it over, Now Sober is Christ!!! Wow, what God has done. I thank him for changing my dad's life, and for working in my friends lives. One by one, my friends at NVMC walked on stage and gave there testimony without even saying a word. These are all people that are special to me, my NVMC family.

As I stood in the back, I cried. Then Wings of Worship took the stage, and there was Anna Garcia, and Pastor David in the front. They just didn't get up there and perform mime, they ministered to hearts that day. They touched lives without even saying a word.

So many times we try to find words to express ourselves, when more often it's our actions and hearts that minister to people.

Sunday was a true testimony of why we do what we do. We invite our family and friends so that we can share with them what God has done in our lives. Our Pastor and leaders at NVMC pour so much out of themselves because it is what they have been called to do, and they have a heart to reach the city that is lost and hurting. Our volunteers give of there time, and serve because they know that people matter to God, so they matter to us. Our parking crew gives there time so that not one person pulls out of the parking lot instead of coming to church. Our Children's workers teach our children about God so that we can attend service and be touched without worrying that our kids are being too loud. That is why we do what we do. We do it so that we can share God's love with others, there is no other reason.

Lots to update you on.

Wrestling
So Friday Adam had a wrestling scrimmage. This was the first time Adam and I got to see him wrestle. So my patents, my nieces, and Will and Lexi joined us to see Adam in action. As soon as I saw the first match, I was nervous. It was more aggressive than I expected. There was a lot of throwing around, and loud thumps. Made momma nervous. So when they called Adam's name, he walked out onto the mat, and took his position. Then it was on. It went so fast, and so slow at the same time. We were all cheering for him. I am not really sure of the rules, I need to learn about that. Alex yelled out, "Adam don't concentrate on anything but this!" It was so cute. They wrestled for 6 minutes, and then at the end, the ref raised Adam's hand signaling that he won the match. I was cheesin from ear to ear. This is Adam's first experience with School sports. I took a video with my phone, and I am working on uploading that to my blog. But until then, here are some pics. Adam was in grey. I walked over and told Adam how good he did, and some of his friends asked if I was his sister!! I am telling you, that was the best compliment I have received in a long time.
As we walked to the car, Alex told us, that if anyone hurt his brother, when he gets bigger he will beat them up.

Saturday, we froze!
I set it up so that we could have family pics taken outside on Saturday. Well, it was freezing cold. We went to the KFC Building here in Louisville. They have a pretty park, and apparently it if for there employees, because as we were wrapping up, security came and kicked us out. At least we got out pics done. But like I said, it was cold. Outside pics in November, wasn't my best idea ever.


Rockin around the Christmas tree.
Saturday night, I met my friend Erin at Garden Ridge, and we shopped for Christmas ornaments for my tree. We have a fun family tree with colored lights, and all kids of ornaments. But I have always wanted a theme tree. So we went with a peacock theme, because I love the colors in peacock feathers. Well I got it home, and the peacock stuff didn't look very christmasy, so I took those back, and went with black, white, and silver. And it is beautiful. I love it. Very elegant. Here are some pics.

Thankful for..
This morning Alex showed me a paper he made at school.




If you can't see it, he is thankful for his Family, Friends and God. And he drew God with a Big heart.

Wrestling

Little Adam's first Wrestling match is tonight. It is an inner squad scrimmage. Momma is alittle nervous. But he is very excited! We haven't seen him wrestle before. This is new for him, and we haven't seen him practice, so this is a new frontier for us. I will take lots of pics and post them over the weekend. I hope he has fun, and I am praying no one gets hurt :o)

i will serve you while i'm waiting

About 60 days ago, our 70 days of ridiculous miracles started. Pastor asked us to make a list of Ridiculous Miracles we were believing for. I had a hard time with my list. I would write something down, then I would say, “With God, this isn’t really ridiculous”. You see, I have had some ridiculous miracles happen. My family was saved, me and my husband started serving god together, my father was baptized, my father was healed, my friends lives have been impacted and they have given there hearts to the Lord. God has sent special people into our lives. God has taken care of us Financially when there was no way. These are all things that seemed ridiculous before they happened, but then they happened, and I saw that nothing is too ridiculous for God, and because he has me, I know he can make it happen.

All this time, there was still something that I was believing for. I wanted to know my place. I saw people serving God in a place were they felt was right were he put them. The past 3 years that I have been at NVMC, I have served. I didn’t do it for a paycheck, I didn’t do it for recognition, I didn’t do it expecting anything in return. Having a relationship with God, and feeling his presence is an amazing experience. I didn’t want to leave church. I wanted to be there all the time. I remember Little Adam telling me one time, “Mom I wish we had church everyday!” So I started to serve because I wanted more of it, that feeling of being close to God. I have served ever since. I have been in the Choir, served in the children’s Dept, the nursery, First Impressions, Vision Care, Vision Athletics and any and all special events we had. I do not do it for man’s applause. I am telling you this because all this time, I wasn’t sure what his plan was for me, I wasn’t sure of my purpose. I knew I had one! I decided to serve him while I waited for him to show me my purpose. I didn’t serve him asking for something in return, but I do believe that I wouldn’t be were I am in him if I did not serve him.

(Deuteronomy 11:13-15 KJV)
(13) And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, (14) That I will give {you} the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. (15) And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.

I served were there was the greatest need, I served when I wasn’t sure what he wanted me to do, I served him while I waited.

Are you serving him? Don’t wait to serve while you are waiting on him. Serve him, and it will change your life.

Serving him is my way of worshiping God! I serve him by showing others that they matter to God!

God is good. God has given me my purpose. I am passionate about it, and know he has placed me were he wants me. So in the 70 days of ridiculous miracles, he has given me mine.

While I'm Waiting :
By: John Waller

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Takeing every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

Alex Says

Tonight Alex said, " I feel like I am about to give birth!"

lol, he cracks me up.

What will you sing?

I haven’t Blogged in a while. So here goes.

These past two Sundays have been amazing at Church. Two weeks ago, November 2nd, I went to first service, and during the first song I felt God’s presence. I know that he is there even when I don’t feel him, but this morning I felt it. I had some worry that I was carrying around. I kept telling myself that I wasn’t worried, but I just pushed it aside. So I felt God telling me that I can’t just push it aside and pretend it isn’t there, I have to give it to him. I went up to the alter for prayer during praise and worship. When I got back to my seat, Pastor Curtis and the Choir started to sing my favorite song, “To the Glory of your name.” This song has always ministered to me, and taken me to a deeper place in my worship. (I would love to have a live version of this on CD, hint hint) The song lyrics seem simple, not to knock Pastor Curtis’s writing ability, because we know he is gifted. It is a true worship song, and you really don’t need a lot of words for that, just to come from your heart. The song is more than the lyrics, it is the music, and it is a song that ushers in the presence of God. I really felt this was for me, because I hadn’t heard Pastor Curtis and the choir sing this for a while. Then came the Word. Pastor gave a word that I feel God had given me a glimpse of early that week. I really enjoy blogging, and sometimes I will think of something to blog about, and I will record it in a voice recording on my phone, so I can write about it later.

Here is my recording on 10/28/08 word for word:

What you put into you is what comes out of you. All day I find myself singing and humming songs that praise God. What you put into you is what is in you, and what comes out of you.

On Nov 2nd, Pastor talked about how we want God to help but we don’t want to walk in his word. We fill ourselves with things that go against the Word, and his will for us. We do it in the name of entertainment with the songs we listen to, the movies and TV shows we watch. These are some of the notes I took on Sunday:

· Every word you speak is powerful.
· What comes out of you magnifies what is on the inside of you.
· Watch what you listen too.
· Lyrics can live in your life.
· When you got junk in your life, you will sing his song.

When you got junk in your life, you will sing his song. Because I fill myself with his word, and songs that glorify him, I can sing his song.

When junk comes into your life, like a bad Doctors report, losing your job, death, or bills you can’t pay, WHAT DO YOU SAY? Do you ask God why it had to happen, do you worry how you will pay the bills, do you feel alone, and like no one cares, do you vocalize how everything bad is coming against you?

Or can you say or sing, “I call you holy, your name is holy, holy you are and holy you’ll be”, “Here in your presence, we are undone, here in your presence, heaven and earth become one, here in your presence, all things are new, here in your presence, everything bows before you”, “you were there, you were always there”, “You are God Alone!”, “When I think about the Lord, it makes me want to shout, Hallelujah, thank you Jesus, lord your worthy, of all the glory, of all the honor and all the praise!”

This past Sunday Pastor reminded us that you never know who is watching you. If you are at the Bar, cursing out someone, or gossiping you never know who is around the corner. We have to be more like him in our everyday walk, not just at church to put on a show for everyone, or if we bump into someone from church in public. Because it doesn’t matter what man thinks. We do need to be mindful of what we do, we are a reflection of him, and of our church. Ultimately, it matters what God thinks, and he sees you even when your alone, he knows your heart when you put up a front for others to see, he knows your thoughts when you keep your thoughts to yourself.

When I am in the car, or walking threw the grocery store, cleaning the house, or working, I hum and sing Christian music. Most of the time I don’t even realize that I am doing it. The funny thing is that it might not even be a song I have heard in a while, but it is in me. It is in my heart, my mind and my spirit. It’s not the music, it’s God. It’s his word that lives in us. What is in you is what will come out of you. If you have hate, anger, un-forgiveness, and judgment that is what will flow from you. But if you have love, acceptance, forgiveness, and compassion, that is what will flow from you. What do you want to reflect to those who are hurting and need to know this amazing man names Jesus, that came and died for our sins, and washed away our old things, and made us new in him.

The Church Hoppers

Yesterday at church, Pastor told us about this group called Church Hoppers that go around to Church's un-announced and check things out. No one at NVMC knew that they visited our church a few months back. At NVMC, we know we have a good thing, but it is nice to hear it from someone who has no ties to NVMC. At NVMC, we are a church for people like you, so come and see!! Consider yourself invited.

Check out this great blog at noefool...

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Here are some of the things they wrote. Check out article here.

The Church Hoppers
Music, marriage and a mosh pit
There was a lot going on in New Vision Ministry Center’s sanctuary.

Robotic lights pivoted on shiny metal trusses that hung over the stage. Huge woofers pumped out Gospel-infused rock while lyrics flashed on video screens.

But the Church Hoppers’ overwhelming first impression of the church was people. Folks were crammed into the modified gym up to the rafters, filling the room with expectation. It felt like a rock show. As the band played, the under-18 crowd surged forward to stand in front. Simple worship choruses flashed on the screen: I want to jump higher than before … I want to shout louder than before … I want to worship deeper than before … I wasn’t sure what jumping and shouting had to do with God, but it sure got the congregation energized as — yes — they actually bounced and screamed. In the midst of the passion and intensity, something happened to Zach. He tried to explain later: “I felt a Presence that I haven’t experienced in church since I was a kid,” he said. “It was actually kind of scary, like ‘I shouldn’t be enjoying it this much.’ I was clapping; I was feeling it … and yet I was really at peace with myself.” My skeptical side figures Zach’s experience was the product of music and emotions. But my Christian-idealist side hopes maybe he was sensing the presence of God.

The wedding in worship
I grew up in a conservative church where worship songs came from the hymnal and the preacher was in no danger of succumbing to excitement. So I’ve always been suspicious of Bible-thumping holy rollers. Yet I’m not completely cynical. Somewhere inside, I wish I could find as much faith in God’s power, as much passion for Jesus as they have at New Vision. There, it seems like anything could happen on a Sunday morning. Yes, I mean anything. Halfway through the service, Pastor David Boggs explained that a couple in the church wanted to get married, but they couldn’t afford the ceremony. So he conducted a wedding in the middle of worship, with a thousand cheering parishioners as wedding guests. “I sure didn’t see it coming!” said Zach later. “But hey, it’s celebration, and we’re all here anyway. It was really nice of the pastor to do it.” I actually choked up as I watched this couple exchange vows in the middle of a Sunday service. Boggs went on to preach from Romans 12:2, where the Apostle Paul instructs his readers to let God’s wisdom reshape their thinking. “Don’t look like the world; don’t act like the world — it’s messed up,” said Boggs. “We’ve got to learn to make decisions with the mind of Christ. There’s no addiction, there’s no boyfriend … there’s no job, there’s no financial problem, there’s no spiritual problem that Christ can’t conquer … I want this church to mature to the place where we all have the mind of God.” The pastor challenged his flock to renounce their sins, then move forward with the conviction that God would bring blessings as they followed him.

God may not bring “explosive growth” to the members’ mutual funds, but perhaps that’s not the big idea. Their passionate convictions might still help them through hard times — even a recession.