Preaching and Teaching

Jarod and I were privileged to attend (kid free!) the Preaching and Teaching Convention at Ozark this last week. We haven't been for several years, and it is such a blessing to attend. It is three days of alumni, current students, and professors old and new joining together for worship, seminars, and preaching. It may sound boring, but it is very inspiring and fun. Jarod was asked this year to play in the worship band. Our friend from OCC, Corey Scott, was putting together a band of people who are currently serving in ministry. He asked Jarod to play acoustic guitar and to lead some songs. Let me tell you it was amazing worship! They sounded incredible and were an amazing group of people. Here's the shot of the band during one of the main sessions:

Corey Scott on guitar and vocals, worship minister at Northside :-) in Springfield; Megan Gariss singing, discipleship minister at Oronogo; Kip Nelson on drums, campus minister in Kansas City; Shawn Smith bass player, campus minister at Missouri State; and Alan Davis on keys, worship minister at Glendale Christian Church in Springfield.

 To spend time with other people in ministry is needed, I think. Ministry can be hard and draining at times though always worth it. To spend three days with people going through the same with the same desire to just serve God, is priceless. Jarod had an incredible time getting to play and sing with this group. Jarod and Corey sound really good together. They are similar stylistically and in their view of ministry. We got to eat lunch with Corey and his wife and kids and was a highlight of the week. We also got to see many professors including Corey's parents Mark and Carla Scott. They are incredible people. Catching up with old friends and professors who helped shape you is so wonderful and a lot of fun.

 Did I also mention that my brother Adam was there?? We got to spend time with him and I LOVED THAT! I miss him and his family and don't get to see him very much, so this was a true gift! 

So the thing I love most about Jarod is his love for Jesus. He is a godly man, husband, and father. I love that he uses his gifts for God and not for the praise of man (though I am bragging on him right now). :-) One of my favorite things is to watch and listen to him sing and lead worship. He has grown in this area so much and is very gifted. I am blessed to have him lead worship every week.  These two pictures are some of my favorite of all time of him.

 

Hands raised praising God without shame. The words to the song on the screen in the background I know he means: "Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, 'It is well, it is well with my soul.'

Thank you Lord for the gift of song and the opportunity to praise you with it. Thank you for Jarod being the leader of our family and for his gift of leading others in worship. Thank you for a week of replenishing and encouragement. I am so grateful!

A Tough Week

This week has been a tough one for me. I know I haven't blogged in a while. Part of that is we don't have a home computer, so I can only blog when Jarod brings his computer home from work. Also I don't like posting my every thought out into blog world. I'm a private person and honestly who wants to hear my every thought? But this week I need to write about. It's made me stop and slow down.

This last Monday I was home with Nat while the other three were at school, and I noticed on Facebook that the high school and intermediate high school (the 9th grade school which is connected to the high school but is its own separate building) were on lockdown b/c of gun fire. Ethan attends the intermediate grade school which is like a half a block away from the high school. My heart started racing, and I immediately started calling and reading and texting anybody who would have information. I found out that a 9th grade boy excused himself from class, went to the bathroom, and committed suicide by shooting himself. The school was immediately put on lock down and the police arrived within 3 minutes. By the time the police got there, all the students were secure, and they evacuated the 9th grade students to the high school till the parents came to come pick them up. 

Then later this week, a girl from our church who attends OCC lost a dear friend. Her boyfriends roommate was killed in a car accident. Our friend, Loren, and her boyfriend were supposed to have gone with him, but at the last minute decided to just hang out and not go. That decision saved their lives. They are in shock and heart break having lost their very close friend.

So here are some thoughts after these two events this week:

-After all the recent school shootings, this week has been too close to home. It could have been much worse if that boy had decided to take his rage out on others before himself. It was scary knowing my son was so close to this. I was praying for him and our other two for protection, peace, and boldness to love their friends in such a time. Scary knowing that it can happen in our peaceful town of Coweta.

-Explaining suicide to my 10 yr old son was not easy. He wanted to know why someone would do that, and that is hard to explain. We cried, hugged, and prayed together after school that day. We talked about what our response to such an event could be: to pray for his family, to love the kids at school who are picked on or left out, and to encourage their teachers who face these challenges too.

-I was able to email their teachers that night and tell them we pray for them and appreciate all they do. This was a little window open for us to share our faith. It was well received. :)

-I want to appreciate and enjoy the everyday moments with my kids. The mom of the boy who committed suicide may not have had a clue that her son was about to leave this world. No one knows when their life will end, and I want to cherish every moment of my children's lives. They are a gift that I cherish. All of them. In good moments and bad. I can not imagine my life without them!

-I know people will disagree with this, but this is my thought. Jarod and I have a heart for public schools for many reasons. One is that we need kids and families to be lights at their schools. There is darkness and kids who would never hear about Christ if it weren't for other kids sharing their faith. I was saved b/c a girl befriended me in Jr. high and invited me to church. Jarod and I pray for our kids and desire for them to be so strong in their faith and in our love and God's love that they can be a light.  Already they have told me stories of sharing their faith at school, and I am so proud of them! They are amazing kids, and we partner with them to make a difference.

-What's really important in life? Material things, size of your house, fashion, how much you weigh, popularity? When I die, no one will be talking about any of those things at my funeral. They will remember who I was and what I stood for. If I stood for anything other than Jesus then I have failed. I want to stand for Him and raise my kids to love Him. That is my calling in life. That is my passion.

- Please pray for Coweta and for OCC as we face losses and teach our kids how to handle it. Pray for the teachers and pray for the people who respond to such situations. Pray for our church to be the hands of Jesus to our community.