Praise the Lord!

Hooray!!! Glory is out of the hospital now and back at home as of the evening of Sunday, Feb. 24th. Thank the Lord for all of His healing!! I have had a glorious weekend! I went to Menno Haven (a weekend long retreat) and there found encouraging Bible talks and my PARENTS! They had surprised me back showing up without telling me they would be there. It was so nice to be able to see them again.

As I prepare to go on tour with Ensemble I have been battling feelings of inadequacy and fear. The Lord showed me a beautiful verse today as I was doing my Old Testament reading in Isaiah. Have you ever watched someone who is really afraid? Their hands start to shake as do their knees. If you would ask that person what is wrong- more than likely they would tell you that they are afraid or fearful. Isaiah 35:3-4 states, "Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you." The enemy I have been fighting is fear- God will take care of my fear if I give it over to Him. This verse reminds me of the trust that a little girl has in her dad- a trust so strong that when she is in danger she knows that he will do all he can to help her- to save her. I think of the story I once heard about a child jumping out of a second story window to the arms of her dad when their home was on fire. Or even just the simple trust shown when most dad's play with their children in a pool. You know when the child jumps off the edge into the water knowing that her dad will catch her. Am I willing to jump? We hear about "taking the leap of faith" and I think that is what this is talking about. It is what happens after we obediently leap into our heavenly Father's waiting arms....

Lunar Eclipse

Did y'all see the lunar eclipse tonight!? It was soooo pretty! The sky was perfect too- for once it was crystal clear. Isn't our God awsome?! Such wonderful things He has created....

Worrisome times...

Hello all! Well I am still alive- I know its been awhile since I have posted anything. Much has been happening! School has been very busy and Ensemble is preparing for tour during spring break. The big news right now is my niece Glory is in the hospital... She had the flu and it turned into a collapsed lung and pneumonia. She is doing better but they expect her to stay in the hospital for at least a week. Ensemble's tour schedule is as follows...

Friday, Feb. 29th - Grand Haven Gospel Chapel in Grand Haven, MI (Concert at 7 pm)
Saturday, March 1- Jefferson Hills Bible Church in Pittsburgh, PA (Concert at 7:30 pm)
Sunday, March 2-Forge Road Bible Chapel in Perry Hall (Baltimore), MD (Concert at 7pm)
Monday, March 3- Free Day!!! We will be touring the Baltimore Maritime Museum and Inner Harbor
Tuesday, March 4- Grace Gospel Chapel in Plumsteadville, PA (Concert at 7:30 pm)
Wednesday, March 5- Side trip to Valley Forge National Park and then performing at Greenwood Hills Gospel Chapel in Fayetteville, PA (concert at 7pm)
Thursday, March 6- Free Day!! Trip to Gettysburg
Friday, March 7- Warrenville Bible Chapel in Warrenville, IL (concert at 7pm)

Through a Glass Clearly

This one makes you think.......

Blessings All Mine with 10,000 Besides by Frederick L. Kosin

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. Phillipians 1:20

"For thoses with failing eyesight, a magnifying glass is a constant companion. What a blessing to put one in front of the list of Joneses in the telephone book and actually be able to pick out the right one! A magnifying glass makes what is invisible (or unreadable) to the naked eye visible. Christ, who is invisible to the world's eye, is waiting for us to "put ourselves in front of" Him so others can "read" Him. Christ is in us, and our body and life is the glass that God uses to make Him known to the world around us. My behavior stands between Christ and the world's eyes. Just as we pick up a magnifying glass to look at something closely, so the world "picks us up," places us in front of Christ, and reads Him in terms of our lives. As a believer with Christ resident in my body, I am always giving the world a view of Christ. It may not be what He wants or is pleased with, but it takes place nevertheless. Somethimes a magnifying glass neeeds to be cleaned so it can be more effective. Since Christ is in us and visible to the world, all we are and all we do should reveal or magnify Him. If we keep our behavior clean and put our lives in front of Him, the world will see Christ clearly. If our lives are dirty through unconfessed sin, our glass is dirty and the view the world has of Christ will be clouded. Many of us give a distorted view of Christ becaouse of the condition of the glass (our lives). For this reason, many are turned away from Christ as a result of what they see through us. We are, therefore, to be tools suitable and ready for the Master's use. The blessing is that Christ lives in us and has chosen us to be the "magnifying glasses" the world uses to get to know Him. "Christ will be magnified" says Paul. We do not need to pray for Him to use us! He is waiting for us to be used What a responsibliity! What an opportunity! This is the kind of responsibblitiy and opportunity no angel ever had."