Buffalo Bill Cody and rest

I got you with that post title, didn't I?  I know you read that and were thinking, "What on earth is she going to write about now?!"  :)  Well, I'm not going to write about Buffalo Bill, but I am writing from Cody, WY.  The cabins where we're staying are called "Buffalo Bill Village" and I have NEVER seen more cowboy boots or rodeo signs than I've seen in the past 24 hours.

We have a concert tonight at a church here in Cody and a church service in a nearby town tomorrow morning.  We decided rather than haul the trailer all the way down here (2 1/2 hours) for one night, we just found a cheap little cabin (right in town...looks like a cabin, does NOT feel like a cabin).  In fact, the rate we got was so good and we've been so very busy, we decided to come down a day early.  We drove down yesterday morning, taking the scenic route through the Beartooth Mountains.  It was so beautiful!  What a gift it was to have a day free from responsibilities, just to enjoy each other and God's creation!

 

Today, we could have gotten up and done some sight seeing, but instead we slept in late and are relaxing in our little cabin.  Sometimes the best kind of vacation is one where you do nothing.

 

 

Last week, was a busy and blessed weekend of ministry.  Saturday (9/20) evening we did a concert at our "home away from home" church in Redlodge, MT.  This church body has welcomed us as family from the very first time we shared there.  We are blessed to call them family and were thrilled to spend the evening worshipping and fellowshipping with them!

Sunday (9/21) was a crazy, full day!  We got up early and drove 1 1/2 hours to our morning service, then went to lunch with a sweet couple from the church, drove back to Billings, let the kids run off some energy at a park and arrived at the Montana Pavilion at the fairgrounds at 4pm.  That evening we led worship and Josh played as part of a fundraiser for a local Christian school.  It was a privilege to be a part of that event and we pray for God's blessings on this school's building fund.  (By the time the speakers were finished I was ready to enroll my boys! ;)

 

 

Wednesday, we led worship for a "See You At the Pole" evening youth rally at a church where Josh has been sharing music since before he and I met.  The current youth pastor is a friend who Josh used to write and perform with.  Three other youth leaders there are good friends of Josh's (and mine now) from years passed and it was a gift to be a part of their outreach to the youth in the Billings area.

Adam, Josh, Wayne, and Ryan (Critter) - a sweet reunion

 

This upcoming week we have a couple mid-week events and then another full weekend.  As always, we appreciate your prayers for God to use us and grow us.  I am updating the praise/prayer page on this site today as well.

 

You may remember from the last time we were at Josh's parents, that they do not have internet at their house.  We have to drive to the library to get online.  Of course when we go to the library, we have a long list of things that must be done on the internet before the boys get restless and we have to vacate the premises lest we be banished!  We will be here for another two weeks, so our internet usage will continue to be limited!  Do you like how I have found yet another excuse for not posting very often? ;)  The good news is, I have my own laptop now!!!!  Yay!  Praise the Lord, this means that IF we happen to be at an RV park that has decent wi-fi, I can blog any time of the day.  Hopefully, this will lead to more frequent blogging....but we shall see! :)

 

Love to you all!

 



Update And a Few Random Pics

We have arrived in the Billings area. The last week has been busy and blessed.  We enjoyed both our week in Spokane and our short stay in Missoula!  In Spokane, we ministered at 5 churches that we have been to in the past.  That was a treat!  It's such a blessing to go where we know what to expect and know that we are loved and are a blessing! 

 

The pictures below are from the new church we went to in Spokane.  This was actually a mid-week Bible study that the pastor invited us to "take over" at his house.  We shared in our typical concert format with Josh playing many fingerstyle pieces and sharing his testimony, and then I led a couple worship songs and spoke about PFM.  It was a fun little house concert and we look forward to sharing with the whole church in the future.

 

 

 

We have been busy with homeschooling, booking, and even a little resting at the end of this week.  Our upcoming weekend is very busy and we'd appreciate your prayers for God's work in and through us.  In the meantime, here are a few random pics of life on the road this time around. :)



Josh's bedtime reading material....BORING! ;)

 Mine!....excellent book, thanks Debb! :)

 Sunrise before my morning run.

 Sunset in Hamilton, MT.  Josh's view while performing an outdoor concert!

 Same outdoor concert

 

Schoolwork on Grandmama and Grandpappy's dining room table, much more fun than in the trailer! :)

 

That's all for now.  Love to you all! :)

Honesty and Love...or Lack There Of

I was thinking this morning about loving the unlovable.  Who are they and how do I love them?  

Some say the unlovable are those difficult to love because they are different in personality or life circumstance.  For me though, it is far easier to love someone at a distance (stranger or acquaintance) that I don’t understand or even disagree with, than to love those near to me who have hurt or offended me, even in a small way. 

During my morning devotions today, God was reminding me of this sin struggle, this lack of love.  He was bringing to mind specific people I have not loved well.  I was reflecting on my interactions with some of these people and feeling a little defensive, thinking I had not really been unloving to them.  Then the Holy Spirit (as He is so faithful to do) showed me the reality hidden behind my own denial…

He started by reminding me that I am honest. 

Some might think my honesty is a mature character quality, but to be honest ;) I can’t help it.  It’s just who I am.  I remember a night in high school when my mom was questioning me about something.  “Did you ….?” she asked.  I looked at her (heavy with guilt) and said “No!... yes (hanging my head).”  My lie lasted about 1 second.  I just couldn’t do it.

My honesty goes much deeper than simply speaking the truth though, and this is where it gets ugly.  You see, I wear my thoughts and emotions on my sleeve.  Actually I wear them on my face.  If you know me, you can testify to this.   I use to joke about how I could never be a waitress because I couldn’t handle the stress so every customer that irritated me would see it all over my face!  I’d certainly go broke for lack of tips!

This unavoidable honesty means I can’t just "put on a happy face".  The Bible says, “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Matt. 12:34).  In my case, “Out of the overflow of the heart, the face scowls…or glares…or grimaces…or rolls its eyes…” You get the picture.

So, the Spirit opened my eyes to see that there are people in my life, whom I have failed miserably to love…and they have no doubt seen it on my face.

I am sad.  Sad to know that I have used my silence as a defense.  I have believed that if I was not speaking unloving words, then I wasn’t really being unloving.  I have convinced myself that these people I struggle to love are surely oblivious…and now I am faced with the reality that these people are probably all too aware of my attitude toward them. 

As I write, I find myself confronted with the reality that much of the “Love Passage” (1 Cor. 13) speaks of attitudes of the heart, not actions or words. 

 

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Cor. 13:1-6


So I find myself going back to the original questions...
Who are the unlovable and how do I love them?...and I realize - I am the unlovable.  I am ungrateful and unpleasant and unforgiving and unkind.  I am broken. 
 
I am the unlovable…and Jesus loves me.   

Jesus loves even ME!?!

So how do I love as Christ loves?

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God…No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.  We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.” (1 Jn. 4:7, 12-13)
“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit was is contrary to the sinful nature…But the fruit of the Spirit is love…”(Gal. 5:16-17,22a)

Oh Lord, may I remember the great love you have for me, inspite of me.  And by the power of your Holy Spirit living in me and remembering your ongoing grace toward me, may I love others well, completely, from deep in my heart...and may that love shine beautifully from my face.