I was sitting on my couch in Arlington, Tennessee, listening to the latest gloom and doom on the 5:00 newscast. Another person burned out of their home. I had lost count of how many house/apartment fires there had been since the winter began, but there had been quite a few. I hadn't lived here through a winter yet, but I thought it seemed to be a lot. While watching the lady on the news cry because they had lost all their children's Christmas presents in the fire, I decided it was time to stop sitting on the sidelines. It was time to get in the game. What on earth was I going to do...I was just one person, I haven't even lived in Tennessee a whole year yet. I didn't know many people and still didn't know the area. Excuses I told myself that's all it was.
After the Christmas holidays and my mother had gone back to Louisiana, Shelley came over. I told her, I want to do something, I'm tired of just sitting around letting other people "fix it". Shelley said she was all in. I was stunned. We had been friends for a few months, but my idea was going to be huge. It wasn't just going to be a weekend, feel good thing. It would expand all over Tennessee and eventually to other states. She didn't care, she was in. 100%, all the way, as far as it took us. I was stunned, but thankful I had one person on board. Faith of a Mustard Seed Outreach was born that night....In my living room.
We started small....Just a mission statement and a Facebook page. We launched the page January 3, 2012. We figured in a month's time we would have 50 fans and most of those would be friends and family. Fast forward, not even three weeks and we have closed files on three families, have donations scattered between 3 houses and more donors than we can count. God has overwhelmed us with over 325 "fans". We have grown very quickly, quicker than we have ever expected. God continues to grow our Outreach far bigger than the dreams we were talking about on my couch that cold December night. I've always heard if you want to hear God laugh, tell Him YOUR plans.....I'll bet He's rolling on the streets of heaven laughing at what the faith of a mustard seed can accomplish.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Brookwood: The End of an Era
Today marks the end of an era for Brookwood. It has been a day that I have dreaded for a couple of years now. I knew it was coming, but that has made it no easier. Mark Sutton has "been" Brookwood for 21 years. He has represented us on the radio with his attention grabbing radio spots and has had a morning program on Sundays as well. If you mention Brookwood to someone, they will say "Oh yeah, that is where Mark Sutton is." Brookwood and Mark Sutton, synonymous. That all comes to an end just like everything else does.
Mark Sutton came into my life at the most turbulent time to date. I was searching. I needed something, but I just didn't know what I needed. Mark provided that answer. I needed to have Jesus back in my life. I needed advice on how to be a parent.
I visited Brookwood for the second time Easter Sunday of 2006. I was alone. I didn't know why I was there, I had been attending another church, but for some reason, I popped in at Brookwood. It was the first sermon in the "Family" series. Exactly what I needed at exactly the time it was needed. I cried the whole service, but I knew I was where I needed to be at exactly the time I needed to be there. I was off on my adventure to learn how to be a Christian adult.
Over the years, I have listened intently on how to be a godly parent. I had no idea what I wanted to do as a parent, I just knew what I DID NOT want to do. I've been fairly successful. I am not anywhere close to perfect, but I have a direction that I'm on which is a lot more than I had that Easter Sunday back in 2006. My daughter has a chance to be a Christian, a chance she may never have had if I had not pulled in to Brookwood that fateful day. I'm sure many people have similar experiences to share.
To say "Thank you" seems so insignificant, so meaningless, so understated. We say thank you for cards, for dinner, for babysitting. Not "Thank you for saving my life and quite possibly my child, grandchild, great grandchild's life." Thank you just seems so meaningless for something like that. How DO you thank someone for helping save you and quite possibly multiple generations of your family? I'm still working on that and when I figure it out, I'll get back to you. I've thought about this long and hard....Nothing comes to mind.
I've been asking God quite regularly to please help me prepare for this and I finally received my answer. Haiti needs Mark more than I do now. They didn't back in 2006, but they do now. So it is with a great sadness that I say goodbye to a GREAT GODLY man who has changed my life forever. It has been said that there are people who leave footprints on your heart, Mark's footprints will become fossils that I will never forget.
So thank you, Mark Sutton, for everything you have done and if I can come up with something better than that, I'll track you down in Haiti. And to the Haitian people, take care of the second man who changed my life because he will introduce you to the Man who can change yours.
Mark Sutton came into my life at the most turbulent time to date. I was searching. I needed something, but I just didn't know what I needed. Mark provided that answer. I needed to have Jesus back in my life. I needed advice on how to be a parent.
I visited Brookwood for the second time Easter Sunday of 2006. I was alone. I didn't know why I was there, I had been attending another church, but for some reason, I popped in at Brookwood. It was the first sermon in the "Family" series. Exactly what I needed at exactly the time it was needed. I cried the whole service, but I knew I was where I needed to be at exactly the time I needed to be there. I was off on my adventure to learn how to be a Christian adult.
Over the years, I have listened intently on how to be a godly parent. I had no idea what I wanted to do as a parent, I just knew what I DID NOT want to do. I've been fairly successful. I am not anywhere close to perfect, but I have a direction that I'm on which is a lot more than I had that Easter Sunday back in 2006. My daughter has a chance to be a Christian, a chance she may never have had if I had not pulled in to Brookwood that fateful day. I'm sure many people have similar experiences to share.
To say "Thank you" seems so insignificant, so meaningless, so understated. We say thank you for cards, for dinner, for babysitting. Not "Thank you for saving my life and quite possibly my child, grandchild, great grandchild's life." Thank you just seems so meaningless for something like that. How DO you thank someone for helping save you and quite possibly multiple generations of your family? I'm still working on that and when I figure it out, I'll get back to you. I've thought about this long and hard....Nothing comes to mind.
I've been asking God quite regularly to please help me prepare for this and I finally received my answer. Haiti needs Mark more than I do now. They didn't back in 2006, but they do now. So it is with a great sadness that I say goodbye to a GREAT GODLY man who has changed my life forever. It has been said that there are people who leave footprints on your heart, Mark's footprints will become fossils that I will never forget.
So thank you, Mark Sutton, for everything you have done and if I can come up with something better than that, I'll track you down in Haiti. And to the Haitian people, take care of the second man who changed my life because he will introduce you to the Man who can change yours.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Bigger Houses, Newer Cars
Wow...It's been a really long time since I've blogged, but there is just something on my heart and I need to go somewhere with it....It's going on the blog. This week we have seen the devastation that our planet can rein down. Haiti has been brought down by a catastrophic event and it is heartbreaking to see all of the stories and news reports on TV. I am once again reminded by my gracious God that I have a lot more than I deserve. We sit here in America with WAY more "things" and "stuff" than we will ever, in a million years need, but yet we all want more. Bigger houses, better cars, more expensive electronics, etc. while the people of Haiti barely have a shack to live in. I complain constantly about not having this or wanting that when they don't have food, decent clothing and lets not mention (again) the "houses" they live in. God calls us to help one another, but are we really helping someone else when we have a bigger house or a newer car? We are helping ourselves. God has really been convicting me about all the complaining I do and I'm working very hard to stop (it's a struggle), but as I struggle, I'm presented with the haunting images of a land that is not too far away that has a lot more to complain about than I EVER will. Please remember the Haitian people in your prayers.
Monday, April 6, 2009
As Easter approaches, it is full of mixed emotions for me. Good Friday is on April 10 this year which is an important date for me personally. A very heartbreaking day...A day that has changed the whole course of my life. My grandfather died. It's been 14 years, but it feels like it's only been 14 hours most of the time. The pain is unbelievably real and it's still there. I've always heard that time heals all wounds, but not this one.
My Grandfather was a phenomenal person. He was well known all over town. You can't find someone from his generation or the one before or after his that doesn't know him, hasn't danced to his music (he used to be the leader of a big band) or been touched by his work with the Shriner's Hospital for Crippled Children (he was a Potentate, the highest honor a Shiner can have). He was amazing. My best memories as a child include him. I was talking to Chris yesterday about this little dump he used to take me to from the time I was 3 until the day he couldn't travel anymore. By the looks of this place you would have thought he was the most poor person on earth, but he wasn't, he just loved this place. I caught my first fish there on Lake Ouchita with my Snoopy rod and reel. I guess he's where my love of all things fishing come from. He took me to the finest restaurants in town and pretty much everywhere he went. He lived two doors down for most of my life and when we were waiting for the bus, he would stand in his yard in boxers and a tshirt dancing...It was hilarious. He was the greatest man I ever knew. He loved me...ALWAYS and he was the only one.
The day he died, I died. My heart was broken into 100 million pieces and even today it is still missing a few. I find it ironic that he is sharing the date of his death with Jesus this year. It's almost as if God is letting me know in His most gracious way, that although my heart still aches, still wishes that just ONCE Grandpa could hold my child, all is not lost. We will meet again and when we do, he will not be suffering, gasping for his every breath. Although I hated God when my grandfather died (and told Him so many times), God is still being gracious and merciful enough to let me know that Grandpa died a physical death, but he is alive and well in Heaven with my Jesus waiting to meet me there. So this year as I reflect on the solemness of the day my Savior died and the anniversary of my grandfather's death, I can be reminded that both have risen thanks to a Man who loved me enough to die an agonizing death, for someone who hated all He stood for the day my grandfather died, so that I may be reunited with Him and my grandfather one day. Praise the Lord for His grace, mercy and UNCONDITIONAL love.
My Grandfather was a phenomenal person. He was well known all over town. You can't find someone from his generation or the one before or after his that doesn't know him, hasn't danced to his music (he used to be the leader of a big band) or been touched by his work with the Shriner's Hospital for Crippled Children (he was a Potentate, the highest honor a Shiner can have). He was amazing. My best memories as a child include him. I was talking to Chris yesterday about this little dump he used to take me to from the time I was 3 until the day he couldn't travel anymore. By the looks of this place you would have thought he was the most poor person on earth, but he wasn't, he just loved this place. I caught my first fish there on Lake Ouchita with my Snoopy rod and reel. I guess he's where my love of all things fishing come from. He took me to the finest restaurants in town and pretty much everywhere he went. He lived two doors down for most of my life and when we were waiting for the bus, he would stand in his yard in boxers and a tshirt dancing...It was hilarious. He was the greatest man I ever knew. He loved me...ALWAYS and he was the only one.
The day he died, I died. My heart was broken into 100 million pieces and even today it is still missing a few. I find it ironic that he is sharing the date of his death with Jesus this year. It's almost as if God is letting me know in His most gracious way, that although my heart still aches, still wishes that just ONCE Grandpa could hold my child, all is not lost. We will meet again and when we do, he will not be suffering, gasping for his every breath. Although I hated God when my grandfather died (and told Him so many times), God is still being gracious and merciful enough to let me know that Grandpa died a physical death, but he is alive and well in Heaven with my Jesus waiting to meet me there. So this year as I reflect on the solemness of the day my Savior died and the anniversary of my grandfather's death, I can be reminded that both have risen thanks to a Man who loved me enough to die an agonizing death, for someone who hated all He stood for the day my grandfather died, so that I may be reunited with Him and my grandfather one day. Praise the Lord for His grace, mercy and UNCONDITIONAL love.
Friday, February 27, 2009
God Saying Hi
I love butterflies. If you've ever seen a caterpillar you know there's a miracle in every one of them. A caterpillar is not terribly ugly or maybe they are so ugly they are cute, I'm not sure. One thing that is for sure is that there is an amazing transformation in the cocoon and if that's not a miracle, then I don't know what is.
My love of butterflies started when I worked at the funeral home. As you can imagine, there aren't a lot of "good" days when you work in a funeral home. Every day you are reminded of the imminence of death (for those who aren't saved that a scary reminder) and deal with people's grief and agony over the loss of a loved one. After awhile, you either become numb to the misery or get comfortable in it...I'm not sure which and it's probably both. Anyway, it seemed like on the worst days of my time there, I'd always see a butterfly. I'm no butterfly expert, but it was always a black (or really dark blue) butterfly with a bright blue spot on each wing...It was gorgeous. I do not recall having noticed this type of butterfly prior to working at the funeral home. It always lingered a few minutes by my window like it was reminding me there WAS still beauty in the world in spite of the misery around me. It was God's way of saying "Hi."
Now that I'm a mommy, I tell Savannah when she sees a butterfly, that's God's way of saying hi. She seems to love that, because every time she sees a butterfly, I hear a joyous, giggling child say "Hi God!" It's the most wonderful sound in the world to me and I hope it's as wonderful to Him. Yesterday, while driving home, I saw a butterfly and thought "Hi God." That's when I began to think about the transformation that we undergo when we accept Christ.
It amazes me that an ugly caterpillar goes to sleep and wakes up a breathtaking butterfly. It's symbolic of how God transforms us once we receive His Son. We are transformed into a thing of beauty. Our outer appearance may not change, but our inner appearance does. We get rid of our old lives and habits and trade them in for new life in Christ and Christ like habits. We become beautiful just like the butterfly that always reminds me that God is saying "Hi."
My love of butterflies started when I worked at the funeral home. As you can imagine, there aren't a lot of "good" days when you work in a funeral home. Every day you are reminded of the imminence of death (for those who aren't saved that a scary reminder) and deal with people's grief and agony over the loss of a loved one. After awhile, you either become numb to the misery or get comfortable in it...I'm not sure which and it's probably both. Anyway, it seemed like on the worst days of my time there, I'd always see a butterfly. I'm no butterfly expert, but it was always a black (or really dark blue) butterfly with a bright blue spot on each wing...It was gorgeous. I do not recall having noticed this type of butterfly prior to working at the funeral home. It always lingered a few minutes by my window like it was reminding me there WAS still beauty in the world in spite of the misery around me. It was God's way of saying "Hi."
Now that I'm a mommy, I tell Savannah when she sees a butterfly, that's God's way of saying hi. She seems to love that, because every time she sees a butterfly, I hear a joyous, giggling child say "Hi God!" It's the most wonderful sound in the world to me and I hope it's as wonderful to Him. Yesterday, while driving home, I saw a butterfly and thought "Hi God." That's when I began to think about the transformation that we undergo when we accept Christ.
It amazes me that an ugly caterpillar goes to sleep and wakes up a breathtaking butterfly. It's symbolic of how God transforms us once we receive His Son. We are transformed into a thing of beauty. Our outer appearance may not change, but our inner appearance does. We get rid of our old lives and habits and trade them in for new life in Christ and Christ like habits. We become beautiful just like the butterfly that always reminds me that God is saying "Hi."
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Meeting Terry Scroggins...
My heart was about to beat out of my chest...I KNEW he was there...I knew it! I had made a split second decision knowing that this would most likely be my once in a lifetime opportunity. As we walked in my heart pounded harder....Could it be that he was here? What if I'd made the wrong decision and he wasn't? I would regret it for a LONG time....Maybe for the rest of my life...I might not ever get this opportunity again.....
There he was....I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT! Just a few feet in front of me standing there smiling...I grabbed Amy's arm so tight I almost hurt her..."IT'S HIM! IT'S HIM!!!" I couldn't believe it....less than 25 feet in front of us was Terry Scroggins...My most FAVORITE Bassmaster Angler....I had actually made the right decision....He was there! I'd anticipated this moment for over a year and a half and it all boiled down to this final moment....He was right in front of us....My heart was REALLY racing and I couldn't think of anything but the words I had wanted to say to him for about the last five years.
I walked up to him moved mostly by adrenaline and said "Terry Scroggins, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU!" Those were the words that everyone who knew me, knew I was going to say, I'd played them over and over in my mind a thousand time over the last two weeks. He was awesome! He was very kind and he was very pretty!!! He took a couple of pictures with me....As we were walking away, I was shaking I was so excited...My year was complete!
I almost died trying to dial the phone to tell Dori and Chrissie...Of course neither one of them answered and I was about to DIE to tell them I had finally done it...I'd met Terry Scroggins. Finally Amy got in touch with Dori (who had chosen to go out of town rather than share one of the most exciting moments of my life with me, but I forgive her) and the first thing I could say "I was close enough to him to smell his breath!!!!" I probably talked a million miles an hour telling her how excited I was, how awesome he was and how good he smelled. She was polite and listened to all of it. It was the best day of my life.
Amy and I walked around for a long time. We saw all my fishing heroes: Gerald Swindle, Ish Monroe, Fred Roumbanis and Chris Lane....We even saw Kevin Van Dam (for those of you who don't know him, he's the Michael Jordan, Emmit Smith of Bassmasters). They were all great, but nothing compared to Terry Scroggins. Amy witnessed my reactions to all of them and she'll tell you that I was WAY excited to meet Terry.
On the way home, Amy and I talked about how cool it was to just be able to walk up to them and talk to them, take pictures with them and how much fun the event had been. After I dropped her off, I began to think....
If I get that excited over Terry Scroggins, who most of you reading this (unless you know me very well) have no clue who I am talking about....How much more excited will I be when I meet Jesus face to face....Talk about shaking with excitement. All I've talked about for almost two weeks is the Bassmaster Classic, what I probably should have been talking about is how awesome it will be to meet Jesus...While there is nothing wrong about meeting someone and being excited about it, I think we all tend to forget one thing...Although meeting Terry Scroggins wasn't a guarantee when I left home this afternoon, meeting Jesus is guarantee for ALL of us. Will you run up and say "Jesus, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU!" Or will you hide in shame because you never took the time to meet Him?
There he was....I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT! Just a few feet in front of me standing there smiling...I grabbed Amy's arm so tight I almost hurt her..."IT'S HIM! IT'S HIM!!!" I couldn't believe it....less than 25 feet in front of us was Terry Scroggins...My most FAVORITE Bassmaster Angler....I had actually made the right decision....He was there! I'd anticipated this moment for over a year and a half and it all boiled down to this final moment....He was right in front of us....My heart was REALLY racing and I couldn't think of anything but the words I had wanted to say to him for about the last five years.
I walked up to him moved mostly by adrenaline and said "Terry Scroggins, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU!" Those were the words that everyone who knew me, knew I was going to say, I'd played them over and over in my mind a thousand time over the last two weeks. He was awesome! He was very kind and he was very pretty!!! He took a couple of pictures with me....As we were walking away, I was shaking I was so excited...My year was complete!
I almost died trying to dial the phone to tell Dori and Chrissie...Of course neither one of them answered and I was about to DIE to tell them I had finally done it...I'd met Terry Scroggins. Finally Amy got in touch with Dori (who had chosen to go out of town rather than share one of the most exciting moments of my life with me, but I forgive her) and the first thing I could say "I was close enough to him to smell his breath!!!!" I probably talked a million miles an hour telling her how excited I was, how awesome he was and how good he smelled. She was polite and listened to all of it. It was the best day of my life.
Amy and I walked around for a long time. We saw all my fishing heroes: Gerald Swindle, Ish Monroe, Fred Roumbanis and Chris Lane....We even saw Kevin Van Dam (for those of you who don't know him, he's the Michael Jordan, Emmit Smith of Bassmasters). They were all great, but nothing compared to Terry Scroggins. Amy witnessed my reactions to all of them and she'll tell you that I was WAY excited to meet Terry.
On the way home, Amy and I talked about how cool it was to just be able to walk up to them and talk to them, take pictures with them and how much fun the event had been. After I dropped her off, I began to think....
If I get that excited over Terry Scroggins, who most of you reading this (unless you know me very well) have no clue who I am talking about....How much more excited will I be when I meet Jesus face to face....Talk about shaking with excitement. All I've talked about for almost two weeks is the Bassmaster Classic, what I probably should have been talking about is how awesome it will be to meet Jesus...While there is nothing wrong about meeting someone and being excited about it, I think we all tend to forget one thing...Although meeting Terry Scroggins wasn't a guarantee when I left home this afternoon, meeting Jesus is guarantee for ALL of us. Will you run up and say "Jesus, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU!" Or will you hide in shame because you never took the time to meet Him?
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Hope
Today I was once again confronted with the fact that God does things in His time and not mine....It's a really bitter pill to swallow when it involves someone that you love and their salvation. We all know that tomorrow is not a guarantee and when you are speaking of someone's eternity that is a hard reality to contemplate.
When you pray for someone's salvation, you're never guaranteed that you will receive the answer you pray for. It is in God's will that we all know Him and accept His gift of salvation, but there's that little thing called free will that trips us all up, believers and non-believers. When you love someone you want only the best for them and part of that, as a Christian, is for them to share in the rewards of God's kingdom, but when that person turns away time and again, I begin to wonder. Am I like a dog chasing my tail? Things keep popping in my head about God hardening Pharaoh's heart. Is that's what is going on here? Is this person too far gone that they will never be able to change.
I'm sorry, but I just can't believe that...As I said tonight "MY Bible says with God ALL things are possible, not SOME things and not a FEW things....ALL things." I just can't give up the hope that God CAN change things because He can change ANYTHING. He's God....There's just that small problem of free will...One of my favorite examples of this is from my FAVORITE Veggie Tales movie called "A Snoodles Tale." Toward the end of the story, the little Snoodle is visiting what one could presume is God. The poor little Snoodle has been trashed and stomped on by everyone around him for a variety of reasons and he's hurt and feels like no one cares....Any way there is an exchange between the Snoodle and "God." "God" tells the Snoodle that "A gift that's demanded is no gift at all." If God gives us the gift of eternal life and then requires that we take it, it has ceased being a gift, and instead has become a demand. The cold reality of it all is that some people will take it and some people won't. It all goes back to free will.
While I love this person and will continue to pray for their salvation, I cannot force them to be saved anymore than God can. This is something that is out of my hands. I will continue to pray and continue to hope that one day they will be transformed and made into the person that God wants them to be....Until then all I can do is pray and hope.
When you pray for someone's salvation, you're never guaranteed that you will receive the answer you pray for. It is in God's will that we all know Him and accept His gift of salvation, but there's that little thing called free will that trips us all up, believers and non-believers. When you love someone you want only the best for them and part of that, as a Christian, is for them to share in the rewards of God's kingdom, but when that person turns away time and again, I begin to wonder. Am I like a dog chasing my tail? Things keep popping in my head about God hardening Pharaoh's heart. Is that's what is going on here? Is this person too far gone that they will never be able to change.
I'm sorry, but I just can't believe that...As I said tonight "MY Bible says with God ALL things are possible, not SOME things and not a FEW things....ALL things." I just can't give up the hope that God CAN change things because He can change ANYTHING. He's God....There's just that small problem of free will...One of my favorite examples of this is from my FAVORITE Veggie Tales movie called "A Snoodles Tale." Toward the end of the story, the little Snoodle is visiting what one could presume is God. The poor little Snoodle has been trashed and stomped on by everyone around him for a variety of reasons and he's hurt and feels like no one cares....Any way there is an exchange between the Snoodle and "God." "God" tells the Snoodle that "A gift that's demanded is no gift at all." If God gives us the gift of eternal life and then requires that we take it, it has ceased being a gift, and instead has become a demand. The cold reality of it all is that some people will take it and some people won't. It all goes back to free will.
While I love this person and will continue to pray for their salvation, I cannot force them to be saved anymore than God can. This is something that is out of my hands. I will continue to pray and continue to hope that one day they will be transformed and made into the person that God wants them to be....Until then all I can do is pray and hope.
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