Isaiah 43:19....

A sweet friend of mine passed this verse along to me this week. What a blessing it has been.

"Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert."

Isaiah 43:19

I have been into words lately so I decided to do a word study on this verse. The word do translates into a frequently used Hebrew verb meaning to do, to make, to accomplish, to complete.

Now this is my favorite: spring forth.....a beautiful image of the silent but certian gradual growth of events in God's providence.

Wow-isn't that so encouraging that God is going to literly do something in our lives? That He is not done with us yet and what He's doing is fresh and new....what a sweet promise! I know sometimes I get frustrated when I have to wait paitently to see the new thing He is doing but I trust and know with my whole heart that it is so worth it & in our precious Saviors timing it will spring forth into something beautiful....something so amazing that we can not even comprehend what that new thing may be!

Thank you Jesus for your sweet promises...that they are fresh and new everyday!

Houston Rockets!

With a win tonight in Portland the Rockets will advance to the second round of the playoffs! They haven't made it out of the first round in twelve years....and the last time they won a national championship I was in the 7th grade!! Hopefully this year we can regain our title of clutch city!

A Light...

This morning my sweet friend Julie spent some time praying for me.....when we got done she told me that she saw a lantern swinging back & forth in a dark place.

Thank you Jesus.

I must confess I have really been wrestling with The Lord this week on being a light. Even though my prayer has been that Jesus would shine through me....there has been a catch. Although I desire to shine for my sweet Jesus I have wanted it to be on my own terms and guidelines.

Here we go again Joy...how many times do we have to learn this is not how it goes...apparently I am still learning this lesson...

Don't get me wrong...I do desire to be a light for Him even when it's hard....I often find myself longing for it even more during those times.

Here is the catch....and I'm going to be honest-it's out of pure selfishness....I want something in return. I have found myself this week asking one specific "why question"....why Father do I have to be a light for others at my expense?

Now this is where The Lord totaly kicked my tail & broke me....this is when I should be thankful and rejoice in the pure & simple fact that I get to be a light for others....even when it's hard. That The Lord can use me through Him to bless others and cause life change...& that I am so missing out on the blessing if I am expecting anything in return. It's not about me but showing our precious Savior to others & for that I am so unworthy. Unworthy of Him using me in big and powerful ways & yet He still chooses to do so.

What a humbling thought.....

Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Pictures from Dad's & Dolls...

I mentioned in my last post that I get the best of both worlds with my job....here are some pictures from our Dad's and Dolls event Friday night!

Dancing for the girls...

Jumpin for joy.....

I couldn't resist...this is a classic Julie/Joy picture.....

Some of my sweet team members who came...they are the best!

Project Me...

This past weekend I had the opportunity to help out Lauren Price with an event she put on for Junior High girls called Project Me. She did a fabulous job and the girls had a really great time learning about how they are fearfully and wonderfully made! I got to teach a dance during the free time......umm let's just say we did more laughing than dancing!

I am 100% confident that The Lord has me in the most perfect job for myself right now. I have the best of both words getting the blessing of being able to love on both JHigh students and preschoolers!

Teaching the girls

Working on crafts...

Beauty and The Beast....

Last night my three Best Friends and I headed out to Miller Outdoor Theater for a girls night! We went to see Beauty and The Beast which is by far one of my favorite Disney Movies/musicals.....the best part....it was free! We sat on the lawn, brought a picnic basket full of our favorite snacks and just talked, laughed, and sang! It was so much fun!!!

Hiding from the rain....

Sweet blessings in my life....

Dad's and Dolls....get signed up!!

This Friday night at 6:30 is our annual Dad's and Dolls Preschool event. It is for any Daddy/Daughter ages 3-Kindergarten! Dad's you will not want to miss out on this event! It is my favorite event we put on in the Preschool ministry....I just love seeing Daddy/Daughter date night!!

The theme is Spring Fling so come dressed in your best spring attire! There will be food, crafts, make-up, moonwalks, The GiGL Team, and much, much more fun!!!!

Easter Weekend with my Sweet Team!

This past weekend at Second was amazing! I loved getting to celebrate the meaning of Easter with my precious GiGL Team! Here are some pictures from this weekend!!!

Before we performed at the Easter Egg Hunt

Easter Morning!!

The Masters...

The Masters Tournament starts today in Augusta, Georgia. Most of the golfers on the PGA Tour have dreamed of stepping foot onto the greens there since they where little boys. Winning the green jacket is one of the highest prizes one can receive while playing on the tour.

There is just something magical about this tournament....the beauty of the course, the tradition behind it, the way it brings the entire golf community together for one weekend a year.

Jehovah-shalom....

Another small group recap for my sweet friend Blair since she left to support her husband in the minor leagues....we miss you Blair!!!

Last night in small group we talked about Jehovah-shalom which means The LORD is peace. Here is the Kay Arthur quote we took our study from...."When the hour is dark and the situation desperate, we finally long for God's peace. Then we crave it. Our sanity depends on it. Fear grips us. We grope through the darkness, longing for peace's reassurance that everything will be all right."

We looked at several verses that deal with peace...one was John 14:27. From this verse we studied the two types of peace. God's and the Worlds.

Plain and simple....the worlds peace is temporary and false. It gives us an illusion of peace which can result in fear...fear we create ourselves. Think about it...the peace the world offers is not secure....it is a circumstantial one that is based on where we are in life and what we are going through. Then there is the perfect peace that our perfect God offers us. The peace that is true and eternal and will not ever fail us.

Wow. Take a second and read that again....

God's peace will NEVER fail us....so then why do we constantly find ourselves searching for the peace of the world? We have been given a true peace....now all we have to do is receive it...sounds pretty simple doesn't it?

That really got me thinking.

This perfect peace that is offered to me is a matter of me receiving it. It requires my mind to be controlled. Now for me this is hard. I must confess that I love to analyze things and pick them apart. As a matter of fact, my co-worker and friend actually told me the other day that she feels like The Lord is trying to teach me this exact lesson right now....capturing my thoughts and holding them captive.

Knowing the Lord Jehovah-shalom also requires us as Christians to have a confident expectation in our precious Savior and not a constant anxiety. Isn't that comforting to know....that we can truly relax when we trust and know who's in control of our lives? Shouldn't we find an unbelievable peace and comfort in the fact that today and tomorrow are not blank pages....that our sweet Jesus has already written them out...that He already knows...that nothing is a suprise for Him?

So I challenge you today to search your heart, pray, and ask our precious Savior where you need His peace today, stop wrestling with Him, be still and know He is God, and accept the perfect peace He is extending to you today.

Philippians 4:8-9 "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things and the God of peace will be with you."

Serve Katy...

This weekend the GIGL Team particiapted in Serve Katy! We had a blast dancing and singing for the families who came out to participate in the event! It was a great day of laughter and fun...I LOVE my team and am blessed beyond words by these sweet Jhigh kids who I have the privilage of serving along side each week here at Second Baptist!

My AMAZING team....

Dancing with kids....

My little friend McKenna.....

Dancing and having fun.....

The team with the Easter Bunny...

Dallas, Texas.....

Some of the Nursery and Preschool staff went up to Dallas, Texas this past week to visit some churches and find out what they are doing with their ministries.

We went to Fellowship, Prestonwood, and Bent Tree Bible Church. These churches where so welcoming and helpful and are doing amazing things in Preschool ministry!

It was a great time to get out of the daily routine of what we do here at Second Baptist Houston to see what others are doing....to be able to look at preschool worship with fresh/new eyes!