My time here at blogger has been short, but sweet. I have decided to try another blogging platform. You can now find I Throw Like a Girl at http://www.carolmehl.wordpress.com/
Blessings,
Carol
Monday, November 19, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
God, Girlfriends, & the Grand Ol' Opry
I just know that there are 10's of you out there who read my blog and you may have noticed that I have not posted in a long time. Part of the reason is that I had the blessing of attending the Women's Ministry Forum at Lifeway in Nashville, Tennessee with four other women from our women's ministry team last week. Being from the Northeast, it took us a while to get used to all the Southern drawls and y'alls that we heard all week, but I think we also disproved the myth that Northeasterners are cold and unfriendly. We came home with lots of new friends to stay in touch with from all over the country.
At the Forum, there were main sessions and break out sessions. Worship at the main sessions was led by Travis Cotrell who usually travels with Beth Moore. I had been wanting to go to a Christian concert for a long time and God graciously provided one for me through this forum. I am now a new Travis fan. We even got to sneak back (with permission) on Friday morning to attend Lifeway's chapel service for their employees where Michael W. Smith was speaking and performing! What a blessing! We had many choices of break outs to attend. I chose ones on digging deeper into God's Word, pursuing personal holiness, using the internet in your ministry, using women's ministry to minister to the young girls in church, public speaking tips, and ways women's ministry can help strengthen the marriages in church.
The last evening of the Forum was wrapped up with a message from Kay Arthur on connecting with God through prayer. She is 74 years old and just about every scripture she used in her message came from memory. Her whole message was full of wisdom and God's word. The point that stood out the most from her message is, "Do not aspire to a certain position in ministry, aspire to know God and allow Him to do as He pleases with your life." I don't think there is any better advice than that for Christians.
Our hotel was just across the street from the Opryland Hotel - home of the Grand Ol' Opry, and we went there one night for dinner. It was the perfect time of year to be there because it was already all decked out for Christmas. There were lights and poinsettias everywhere. Absolutely beautiful! We had dinner next to a fountain that put on a show set to lights and music several times an hour. It was just indescribable so I won't even try!
To top off an already fantastic week, yesterday our son came home from college for Thanksgiving. He will then go back for 3 more weeks and then come home for 5 weeks of winter break! Yipee!!
My husband is having surgery on his hand tomorrow and we have family coming in for Thanksgiving, so I don't know if I will get to post much this week, so just in case I don't - have a HAPPY & BLESSED THANKSGIVING!
At the Forum, there were main sessions and break out sessions. Worship at the main sessions was led by Travis Cotrell who usually travels with Beth Moore. I had been wanting to go to a Christian concert for a long time and God graciously provided one for me through this forum. I am now a new Travis fan. We even got to sneak back (with permission) on Friday morning to attend Lifeway's chapel service for their employees where Michael W. Smith was speaking and performing! What a blessing! We had many choices of break outs to attend. I chose ones on digging deeper into God's Word, pursuing personal holiness, using the internet in your ministry, using women's ministry to minister to the young girls in church, public speaking tips, and ways women's ministry can help strengthen the marriages in church.
The last evening of the Forum was wrapped up with a message from Kay Arthur on connecting with God through prayer. She is 74 years old and just about every scripture she used in her message came from memory. Her whole message was full of wisdom and God's word. The point that stood out the most from her message is, "Do not aspire to a certain position in ministry, aspire to know God and allow Him to do as He pleases with your life." I don't think there is any better advice than that for Christians.
Our hotel was just across the street from the Opryland Hotel - home of the Grand Ol' Opry, and we went there one night for dinner. It was the perfect time of year to be there because it was already all decked out for Christmas. There were lights and poinsettias everywhere. Absolutely beautiful! We had dinner next to a fountain that put on a show set to lights and music several times an hour. It was just indescribable so I won't even try!
To top off an already fantastic week, yesterday our son came home from college for Thanksgiving. He will then go back for 3 more weeks and then come home for 5 weeks of winter break! Yipee!!
My husband is having surgery on his hand tomorrow and we have family coming in for Thanksgiving, so I don't know if I will get to post much this week, so just in case I don't - have a HAPPY & BLESSED THANKSGIVING!
Monday, November 5, 2007
Torn Between Two Topics
Confession time - I am really torn over what to post today. I had intended that since Thanksgiving is in November that I stick with a "thankful" theme and maybe post my entries from my Gratitude Journal - both current and old entries from when I journalled many years ago back in the dark ages when my kids were little.
However, I just "met" someone from the Bible and I can't get her off my mind. I want to write about her, but I need to study and think and pray more about her and what exactly God is saying to me through her story, but I will introduce you to her. You may already know her better than I do. Her name is Abigail.
Let me tell you how I met her. It was November 2. The reason I know this is because sometimes in my devotions I will read "the Proverb of the day" meaning that I will read a chapter from Proverbs for whatever day of the month it is. Since Proverbs has 31 chapters, it works out very nicely. I think God actually planned it that way. :) Therefore, I was reading from Proverbs chapter 2.
Proverbs 2 is all about wisdom and how important it is. There is a footnote in my Bible that lists "People called 'wise' in the Bible". When I looked down the list, there were the usual suspects: Solomon, of course. Joseph, Moses, Daniel, Joshua, Paul, etc. But then there was Abigail. Now I just thought that Abigail was one of David's wives. Big deal, end of story. What caught my attention about her was the reason the footnote gave for her being included in the list, "She managed her household well in spite of a surly and mean husband." But wasn't David her husband? He was not mean or surly. So I looked her up in I Samuel 25 and found that David was actually her second husband. How she became David's wife is a big deal and a great story. But her first husband was a guy named Nabal.
Here's what I Samuel 25:3 says about the couple, "His name was Nabal and his wife's name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was surly and mean in his dealings." The story then goes on to tell about Abigail's wisdom, humility, and bravery that saved her household from the impending destruction that Nabal's arrogance and rudeness had provoked.
I think there is a message in Abigail's story for women who, at times, are less than thrilled with their husbands. Being in women's ministry, I often hear stories of women who are dealing with husbands who can be mean and surly. And wives who are mean and surly. Heck, I can be mean and surly (I know that's a big shocker)! So I want to study Abigail and her story and use her wisdom to encourage others who are not in the marriage they had hoped for when they stood before God and promised, "til death do us part".
But for most of the rest of November, I think my "Grateful Journal" will have to do.
Hugs,
Carol
However, I just "met" someone from the Bible and I can't get her off my mind. I want to write about her, but I need to study and think and pray more about her and what exactly God is saying to me through her story, but I will introduce you to her. You may already know her better than I do. Her name is Abigail.
Let me tell you how I met her. It was November 2. The reason I know this is because sometimes in my devotions I will read "the Proverb of the day" meaning that I will read a chapter from Proverbs for whatever day of the month it is. Since Proverbs has 31 chapters, it works out very nicely. I think God actually planned it that way. :) Therefore, I was reading from Proverbs chapter 2.
Proverbs 2 is all about wisdom and how important it is. There is a footnote in my Bible that lists "People called 'wise' in the Bible". When I looked down the list, there were the usual suspects: Solomon, of course. Joseph, Moses, Daniel, Joshua, Paul, etc. But then there was Abigail. Now I just thought that Abigail was one of David's wives. Big deal, end of story. What caught my attention about her was the reason the footnote gave for her being included in the list, "She managed her household well in spite of a surly and mean husband." But wasn't David her husband? He was not mean or surly. So I looked her up in I Samuel 25 and found that David was actually her second husband. How she became David's wife is a big deal and a great story. But her first husband was a guy named Nabal.
Here's what I Samuel 25:3 says about the couple, "His name was Nabal and his wife's name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was surly and mean in his dealings." The story then goes on to tell about Abigail's wisdom, humility, and bravery that saved her household from the impending destruction that Nabal's arrogance and rudeness had provoked.
I think there is a message in Abigail's story for women who, at times, are less than thrilled with their husbands. Being in women's ministry, I often hear stories of women who are dealing with husbands who can be mean and surly. And wives who are mean and surly. Heck, I can be mean and surly (I know that's a big shocker)! So I want to study Abigail and her story and use her wisdom to encourage others who are not in the marriage they had hoped for when they stood before God and promised, "til death do us part".
But for most of the rest of November, I think my "Grateful Journal" will have to do.
Hugs,
Carol
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