Roger Bennett's Midnight Meditations

The "Stuff" of Life

The "stuff" of life.....what exactly does that mean? Well, I guess what I am talking about is everything that makes up our daily existences. A couple of Sundays ago, our worship leader used that phrase in referring to all of our baggage that we drag into the worship service. We all have it. That particular Sunday, I felt like I had pulled a couple of loaded feed sacks in behind me. He encouraged us to just put it down, and let God handle it all. When I laid it at Jesus' feet, and began to truly worship, I felt my whole demeanor lighten and begin to praise the Father for His goodness. In a nutshell, no matter what our "stuff" is, GOD is able to change it.........to make good come of any situation we find ourselves in. I was reminded of what Roger used to say a lot: God is NEVER surprised by our circumstances. He has a plan for us, and He already knew where we would be at this particular time. It is so comforting to know that.

We are sitting in the middle of the worst winter storm that has come this way in several years. I am thankful that I am inside and warm. Chelsea has been staying with friends, and was supposed to come home yesterday to begin packing in earnest for her upcoming trip (she leaves Feb. 4 for Poland for 3 months, to serve as a volunteer missionary. Please keep her in your prayers.), but the weather prevented her doing so. It's worse today, with ice covering the multiple inches of snow we received, and more snow falling right now, so I am not sure when she will be able to come. Jordan was able to leave work early yesterday, and I hope he is staying inside and keeping safe, as well. We never stop being parents, do we? I know that are pretty much grown now, but I still feel the need to keep them under my wing.

I would appreciate your prayers for a situation that I am dealing with right now. My life is certainly in a different place than I dreamed it would be three years ago, but I know that God is already there ahead of me, and I will trust HIM to have the answers each step of the way. He is good, He is faithful, and He keeps me where I need to be:

In His Grip!

Debbie

Another New Year

Here we are in a new year, in fact a new decade. It's hard to believe that 10 years ago, we were gearing up for the launch of a new Southern Gospel group called "Legacy Five". Wow, what a lot has happened in the past decade. Some parts, I wish I could live over and over again. Others, well....not so much. I am sure we all have memories we relive as we reflect on the past year. For me, it has certainly been a year of changes! Again, some wonderful, some not as much.

I have heard folklore that says that whatever you do on New Year's Day, you will be doing all year long. Uh oh! After we spent Christmas in AR, a quick trip, but a great one, we came home and JB set into a home project that still has my washer and dryer sitting in the middle of my kitchen floor. NO, I am not complaining.....it's gonna be fantastic when it's all done! He built a new wall in my laundry room to make me a large closet and a separate area for my sewing and crafts. New lights, new outlets, new tile floor, the whole nine yards. We spent New Year's afternoon priming and painting the walls, and I was reminded of muscles that I had forgotten I had. So, on to the same resolution I make every year........exercise, lose weight, and get into shape! (Which brings me back to the washer and dryer.....my weight gain has left me with fewer options in the clothing line, and I am running very low until I can do some laundry!) My mom reminded me I could go to the laundromat, but I am a wimp in this cold weather, and choose to tough it out. So, if you see me around town in the next couple of days, don't laugh, okay?

On to a more serious note. This new year brings new opportunities to live that Christ-centered life we should all be striving for. One of the devotions I was reading the other day talks about resolutions we all make (reference what I said above....). But, the fact is, all of the resolutions we have ever made, all of the promises to live a better life, to do better in our Christian walk, to make better efforts to contribute to a positive communtity - whatever they may be - could all be accomplished with one attitude......LOVE. Christ commands us to love one another, and more importantly, to love HIM. In John 14:15, the Father says, "If ye love me, keep my Commandments." That's it. Pure and simple. If we love God, we ACT like it. And that carries over to all aspects of our lives. Love for the Father spills over like a bubbling fountain. Our love for God translates into love for that difficult co-worker; love for that wayward child; love for that seemingly unlovable neighbor who has gone the extra mile to make our life miserable; love for those who have yet to even cross our paths......you get the picture.

As this New Year moves along, take every opportunity God gives you to show HIS love to others. All the rest will fall into place. It's not always easy, but it helps knowing we are all

In His Grip!

Debbie