As weeks go, this has been one big roller coaster ride with ups and downs.  Last weekend was rough, with the devil giving me a pretty good beating.  He knows where it hurts and does not hesitate to hit there.  I thought we might be coming up to the last round, because he just kept pounding relentlessly all week-long!  Several of you that know me, noticed that I was not myself – the spiritual warfare and fight against getting stuck in a rut of depression is the main reason and I found myself leaning on the ropes a few times!

It’s not that there were not a lot of good things that happened this past week.  There were plenty of good things.  Worship was great and I was super blessed to add a good friend to the membership of our church on Sunday.

VBS began and I think we have some of the most amazing ministry volunteers that I have ever seen – they really worked hard to make sure that everything was just perfect for the sharing of the Gospel in a fun, creative and inspirational environment.

God continues to amaze me as He unfolds the mission ministry of Northwood called Gace Place out into our community.  And the faithfulness of the every week and sometimes daily volunteers does more for my spirit than words can say.  We were also extra blessed to have a mission team of 29 teenagers and youth leaders from churches in Kentucky, Tennessee and Virgina to help us with a major organization project that is going to be a huge blessing to our volunteers and shoppers!

I also personally witnessed other random acts of ministry being performed by the Northwood family – several of our men making sure the grass gets cut and looks good for Sunday.  Men and ladies working to make sure that the building is picked up, cleaned and comfortable.  All ages doing little things that make a big difference in other people’s lives.

Right now, I am sitting in my back yard, listening to the crickets.  I have just watched as the sun went down and the night-time begins to fall around me and as rough as parts of this week have been, I can’t help but to focus on how great this week has been.  You will notice, I did not mention any of the negative things that the devil used to punch on me with, because those things don’t really matter.

Even when the devil is attacking, especially when the devil is attacking, you can count on the fact that God is present, working and performing miracles that will use the attacks of the devil to grow us for God’s glory and man’s blessing!

Well, I guess I better go inside, my girls are calling – they say my Father’s Day present is ready.  It must be something good, if I am getting it a day early – see it just gets sweeter and sweeter and one day it’s going to turn to sugar!

I hope I get to see or hear from you during this next week and I pray that something I do or say will motivate and encourage you into a closer walk with the One Who loves you more than you could dream or imagine!  God Bless & Press On!  MJH ><>

It’s amazing what can be accomplished when people are willing to work together!  Almost everyday of my life, I have the blessing of watching lives impacted and made better because a small group of people are willing to work together.  I am sad to say that I also on an almost weekly basis see lives that miss getting impacted and made better, because of people not working together.  I can’t help but to believe that the one makes God smile and the other causes Him to frown!

I want my life to bring a smile to the face of God, so I am in a fresh and new way dedicating myself to doing everything that I can to work with others in bringing glory to God and blessing to others!  God has been so good to me and I want to do and be good back!  I would love to join you and have you join me, so if your are really interested in doing something to bring a smile to the face of God, let me know what you are up to and how I can help and know that you are welcome any time to join me in the things that God has me doing!

Now before we go, let’s think about the top three things that get in the way of our working together for God’s glory:  1.)  It’s Not My Idea!  If it’s not our idea, then we sometimes have a hard time getting involved and helping others.  2.)  It’s Not The Way I Would Do It!  If you are not going to do it my way, then I’m just not going to participate!  3.)  It’s Not Something I Want To Do!  If we don’t want to do it, then most of the time we won’t do it!

You will notice in each of these excuses the “I/My/Me” attitude!  This attitude will get in the way of working together every time!  The old saying is true:  “There is no “I” in “Team”!

Today, I have been blessed to see 29 teenagers from other churches come into Grace Place and work together as a team with our Grace Place team to help us take some major steps in getting our storage area better organized.  It may seem like a very insignificant thing, but it will be a huge thing when we get ready to switch the GP Store from summer to winter!  We are getting things accomplished together that we just could not do even with the very faithful, dedicated and hardworking crew of ministry volunteers that give all they’ve got and then some.

The really beautiful thing is seeing the “Us/Our/We” attitude instead of the “I/My/Me” attitude!  Glad that God let’s us be a part of His team!

God Bless, Press On And Keep It Real!

I heard about another relationship coming to an end today!  Two people who had a friendship that grew into a relationship that eventually grew into a marriage, which produced a family that is now being broken a part, divvied up and passed on to the highest bidder.  This makes me sad, because I know and love the people involved and I know that they are good, decent and caring people who just got knocked off the tracks, probably without even realizing that it was happening!

One of the saddest experiences that I have had and that I have had to observe is the demise of relationships!  Almost every relationship at some time or another had hope, promise and meaning.  If you think back over your life, you will remember relationships that at one time were vibrant, meaningful and fulfilling.  Some of those relationships that you think of and remember are still sharing blessing in your life today, but some of those relationships are only memories and not always the fondest ones.

Why is it that something that can be so right one day, can be so wrong the next?  It happens in marriages and friendships, between men and women and in all classes, races and creeds.  I don’t think I have ever went into, started or pursued a relationship with the intention or hope of it ending badly, but I have had more than my fair share that did not work out!

In some situations, we just grow a part!  We grow a part because somewhere along the way, we fail to take time with and for each other!  To make sure that you do not grow a part in the relationships that you are now a part of, make sure that you make your relationships a priority!

Write them down!  Start on the inside of your circle and work your way out!  Begin with your Creator.  We often leave God out of the equation because we tend to take for granted that relationship.  You will find that taking for granted a relationship is one of the major opponents of its demise!

Are you married?  This is or should be your closest and most intimate of relationships and if it is not, then you know that the two of you have work to do!

We Are Family!  Now think about your family, kids, parents, brothers, sisters and anyone else that you are close to or want to be close to.  Just thinking about this list will reveal in your heart and mind, some of the work that you need to do.

It All Counts!  Next think about your friends, co-workers and neighbors!  Write them down even if the relationship is small, weak and seemingly insignificant.

Anyone Else?  Is there anyone else that you can think of that should be added to your relationship list?

PRIORITIZE!  Now that you have your list, take a moment to prioritize in order of importance!  The way that we asked the above questions should help with that!  As you look at and think through the priority order, you will most likely notice, if you are honest with yourself that you have some in the wrong place and there are some adjustments that only you can make.  Putting relationships in the right order and then making them a priority is a major step in growing relationships that produce wins for everybody.

Think About It!  Now with your revised list, take a few moments to think about why these relationships are important to you.  Think about how your life is better because of these relationship, especially when they are working the way they are supposed to.

Take Action!  With pen in hand, take a few moments to think about and write down some action that you can take this week to make each of these relationships better, stronger and more fulfilling for all that are involved.

It’s Gotta Start With Somebody!  You know now what you need to do, so go for it – you will be glad you did!