Shine On

This is one of the views from my backyard. Got up and headed to my church, Inspiring Body of Christ, with a bit of curiosity. Today was the first Sunday, for at least a month, Pastor Rickie Rush would not be there to deliver the Message. Pastor Rush underwent spinal surgery earlier this week. To get to his issue, the surgeons would go thru Pastor Rush's esophagus and vocal chords.

Pastor is on the mend, and I need not have worried about today. Service was great--with 200+ men being the choir and Rev. Glen Jones brought the Message on home! He spoke how were are in the process of a promise. Once again the Message was right on time!

As for this picture, it does let me know where my strength comes from....

I am blessed.

April 20, 2003 was Easter Sunday

In essence this coming Easter Sunday is an anniversary of sorts. My steps into a church. Steps I wanted to take and not steps parents pushed me to. Or even being the biggest Osmond Brothers fan and take seat in a LDS ward to listen to the Osmonds share their testimonies.

Yea, I wasn't feelin' the whole God thing back then. Hey, I admit I'd make fun of folks and call them 'holy rollers'. Why would anybody give up sleepin' in late and then --EEKS--miss NFL football--for CHURCH? Naw. Wasn't part of my plan. Hangovers had to be recovered from, pizza to be bought, wondered how quick Friday could roll around again to see if the guy I slept with remembered my number.

Yea. God, church and me. Not BFF's. I had too much other stuff to do.

In 2003 life was topsy turvy. I still grieved the death my dad, Big Daddy Don in '01. I'd get an e-mail from the lawyer saying I had to pay this and pay that. Dad, unfortunately died without insurance--which I didn't didn't know until after he passed. I guess, I should have kept on him about such things, yet I thought my step mother had a handle on it. She didn't. My fault I didn't talk to her--so long story on all that. I eventually was minus 12 grand.

My work situation was horrendous. I experienced the sensation of a boss trying to find something to get me fired. Why? Gotta ask her. My boss wound up being my boss due to a reorganization. This happened right after I was promoted, that job--a dream job--lasted 4 months, before the re-org. I wasn't able to stay. I won't bore with everything. From working together literally 6 working days, my new boss wrote me up because she 'saw things'. When I asked what, she couldn't answer--then to my birthday week in April, and another week before Easter 2003, she wrote me up not once--but twice. The last accusing me of gambling on company time. When I asked her HOW I did that, she had no actual proof. I proved her wrong on what she did have.

That was Thursday, the day before Good Friday 2003. Earlier in April something just popped into my head, "Go to church." I'm like "Huh?" and poo poo'd that off. CHURCH?
After the chat with my boss, I went straight to a co-worker who earlier told me about a church pretty much in my own back yard. She'd printed off directions because she knew I would be back. She said God told her. OK. Yea. OK.

I didn't drive past that night. Scared I think. So I waited for the next day. Good Friday. I couldn't even drive in the lot,. I just parked in front of the church. I remember saying, "I'm going to THAT?" Chills thru my body. I really wanted to go IN.

Eager for Sunday. I'd purchased a bible. Acted like I knew what I was.
Then on Easter, which is Resurrection Sunday, I got up on the day Jesus died.
And journeyed to my first, I really want to be here church service-
Chills
They have yet to stop...
I am blessed.

Sunday

Hey, I dealt with rain and fog on the usual 25 minute drive, which was longer, to Inspiring Body of Christ Church today. I almost didn't go. My bed was real warm and cozy. The cats purt near pinned me down.

Snow came later, while we were in service. The camera guys showed us the parking lot as the snow fell. Not matter, the choir sang this song--which brings me to tears each time I hear it. Today was no different. I AM a Woman of God. I make no apologies for my Praise. Just love this song.

I smile at the thought of folks who have known me for years and wonder when this whole God thing happened. I could drink me some beer like water as well as pot a shot of whiskey like it was a mint. When the void in my life was too big for me to continue to ignore and I was at the bottom of a valley where I had no ladder to climb up and out of--it happened. .

Oh and the snow? Some parts received more than others. By the time I got home, I had nothing but mud puddles in my front and back yard. No snow. I am so OK with that.

The day was good. Rain, fog, snow and all. The Packers beat the Eagles. The french vanilla cappuccino helped too. But God.