Just "Another" Night in Hawaii

We were just hanging out tonight when Mom looked up and said, "Look at that tree against the sky." Here's the tree...and the three beautiful ladies I shared the night with. Enjoy!

I Will Sing - Part 2

So I accepted the call - and I am now officially the Protestant Women of the Chapel (PWOC) Worship Leader for '09-'10. As a member of the board for PWOC, we have been asked to read Spiritual Leadership by Henry and Richard Blackaby. Yes, you read the name correctly. These are the very same authors of the book last Spring that lead me to say, "YES!" to the call in the first place. Hmmmmmm...

Anyway, these authors claim:

The key to spiritual leadership is to encourage followers to grow in their relationship with the Lord...[this relationship] can only be achieved when leaders bring their people face-to-face with God, and God convinces them that he is a God of love who can be trusted.

And I thought, "Isn't that just what worship is all about? Isn't worship a face-to-face experience with our Lord where we recognize the attributes of our God, and dwell in His presence? Isn't this where we will learn that God is a God of love who can be trusted?" Hmmmmmmmm...

Well, there I am. An inexperienced (i.e. NO experience) worship leader, speculating on just what it is I am supposed to do in this job, and here God is, placing the answer in my lap:

Bring His children into the Throne Room of Grace.

What do you do in the Throne Room of your King? In ancient times, people bowed before their king, worshiped at his feet pleading for mercy and good favor in order to ask for something. In present times, God's people bow before their King, worship at His feet in awe of the mercy and grace He has already bestowed upon them, and in that assurance can ask for anything, and it will be given to them.

"Entering into the Throne Room" seemed to be emerging as God's vision for leading worship. Hmmmm....

Enter in a side conversation with a friend. She informs me that PWOC International had picked a theme verse for the upcoming year. It was Psalm 45:6-9

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the sceptor of Your kingdom...

Who says God doesn't affirm His people?! He had given this same vision to others before me. It was all fitting into place. A call to the Throne Room of God. A call to come before the King and to be handed the sceptor of acceptance. A call to worship and dwell in the presence of our Lord, experience Him face-to-face, and learn that God is a God of love who can be trusted.

So this is my prayer. Will you pray with me that somehow, someway, this untrained voice can be used of God to bring the ladies of PWOC into His presence. To draw His beloved children into the Throne Room to worship Him, recognize His attributes and trust Him with their very lives?

Updates to come...Hmmmmmmm... :)

New Life!

White-Rumped Shauma. That is the common name of the bird shown to the left that has recently taken residence inside the pack under my bike seat! (see pictures to follow)

Momma bird has made a nest, laid 5 eggs, and in the last day, 2 of those eggs have hatched. The children are ecstatic! They will sit at the edge of our 'safe zone' and watch as Daddy bird (shown here...he was sitting in the tree RIGHT NEXT TO ME when I took the picture) brings food to Momma bird, and even defends his home against other male birds of the same species. It's pretty amazing.















Shown: Five Eggs / 2 Baby Birds snuggling / One ready for food