The Queenie has Spoken!

The Help, The Blessing....

2012-01-21T20:52:00.000-06:00

Pearl....Annie Pearl Harris. She is the one who hugged me, she is the one who taught me how to make a bed, even it was with a switch in her hand! Pearl could make an apple pie like nobody's business. I have tried and tried to duplicate it...tried to get her recipe but there was no recipe, just a hand full of this, a pinch of that...and magic was created! The magic was in her hands of love. I really don't know where I would be today if she had not been such a large part of my life. She gave me something my mother couldn't...real affection that came through her discipline, her hugs, her apple pies and all the time she spent with me. I can remember the time my friend came over and talked me into pouring finger nail polish all over the mattress! Yep, my butt was sore for a few days!!! And Pearl taught me a lesson I never forgot...don't follow bad decisions...do what is right. She taught me much about life...and boy did she love her Cincinnati Reds!! She would watch her baseball and iron at the same time. She was spirited! And she loved some nasty Falstaff Beer! But drank it with control...something I had never seen before.

Today...she passed away. Today....she was on my mind. Several months ago, I felt an urging to see her, but I didn't act upon it. No regrets...can't go there, it would be too painful. Life is so short...life gets too busy and time slips away. I know this all too well, but how easy it is to fall back into that trap. I can trust that Pearl knew how much she meant to me as I have told her so many times. But I wish I could've had one more of her great hugs and hear her say my name like nobody else could.

So tonight, my heart is sad....and very thankful for the blessing He brought in my life through my Pearl...He truly does give us food at the proper time.

The LORD upholds all who fall

and lifts up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look to you,

and you give them their food at the proper time.

You open your hand

and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

Psalm 145:14-16 (NIV)

Snips & Snails & Puppy Dogs Tails!!

2011-06-07T22:11:00.000-05:00

November 13, 1980...5am...we are on our way to the hospital. 11:46am...we welcomed a beautiful baby boy in our lives, Joshua Bryan Blount. He was a crier!...no, a screamer!!! He wailed....he was red faced...he was beautiful...I was a little scared! November 18....this beautiful baby boy was coming home...weighing 5 lbs. 11 oz...he was a tiny little thing...and make such a big noise when he was not happy!!! I was excited to have this beautiful baby boy come into our lives... we were committed to raising him to love the Lord his God with all his heart, mind, soul. We stood on this scripture: Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up Deuteronomy 14: 18-19. We took this very seriously...we talked about the Lord everyday...in every way. Josh grew...slow, but he grew. He was a tiny little guy....yet very opinionated...we saw his strong spirit to never give up before he turned one. He was a joy, even in the midst of his strong-willed spirit! Brother, Jacob, came along in 1983...he wanted us to take him back to the hospital!! They are very close today and for this I am very thankful!! They are two different kind of guys who respect each other....encourage each other.

Fast forward 30 years....May 22, 2011. This beautiful baby boy is now a good-looking man. Where did life take him to this point? He has grown in his faith...he has struggled in his faith...he loves ministry. He loves discipleship. He comes alive in ministry. God is moving him to Fairhope, Alabama to being ministry with the youth at Fairhope UMC. We are excited for Josh...and know that each day will continue to grow him - Our prayer is that his life will continue to grow deeper in faith....his wisdom would come from God and God alone...he would have discernment in leading these youth....these youth would come to love the Lord their God with all their heart, mind and soul. Which takes me to my next thought: how we live our life has an eternal impact. What kind of life am I living now that will continue impacting the world for Jesus Christ? My job as a parent is not over....my job as a believer is ever-continuing. How intentional I am I in my faith? What am I doing that grows my faith? They say that wisdom comes with experience...and yes, age (ouch, that hurt)! I know my life has experienced much pain..and much joy. Through each one of these, I do believe my life is richer and has made me who I am. It has been what helped me become the mother that I am.

Welcome to 2011

2011-01-03T12:23:00.003-06:00

Today started out with a bang!! And I am not talking about firecrackers, although I was frustrated enough to set a few off! Woke up at 4:15 am listening to Buddy rummage around his nightstand...with a flashlight. "what are you doing, buddy?"...he was trying to find his keys to open the gym. So, nice wife I am...I get up to help him. Well that hunt took me on a cold and awkward ride! No keys...he rides to the gym to inform his early risers that the gym will not be open until mid-morning. Then I get a call from him, asking me to check my car to see if he left them there. I headed out the door and realized how cold it was..so I mosey back in to get a coat and decided to put on shoes as well....but still in my pj's. I grab my car key and head out to my car, shutting the door behind me. Yep, you guessed it! I locked myself out of the house! Not one door was unlocked! My cell phone begins to ring....and it's sitting on the baker's rack inside the kitchen. Alot of help that does me!!! So, I am waiting to see if Buddy comes back home. In the meantime, I fetch a hammer and a metal mallet....I'm gonna bust the window out in my kitchen door. I thought again, and decided I would go to the gym to find Buddy. Well..guess what?? He wasn't there! Here I am, in my pj's wondering what in the heck am I going to do. We could be riding back and forth never crossing each other....Ahhh, Daylight Donuts is across the street! CLOSED and no money to buy me a donut!! Walmart to the rescue...off I go and enter the building looking for someone to ask if I could use the phone! They probably thought I was a vagabond!! Thankfully I had my flannel, plaid pj's on and real shoes! Get Bud on the phone..tell him where I'm at....head back to the house. Well....guess what??? He doesn't have a key to the house!! He pulls out his credit card and walla....in we go. We spent the next hour pulling every key out of drawers, nooks, crannies to see which one fits. Now, you would think we would have one key for all the doors..but somehow, that important fact was overlooked. By the time we tried the 20th key..BINGO...we found one. And eventually found one for each are of the house. But, we ended up with a container full of about 30 keys that we don't have a clue what they go to!

Moral of this story: get yer life in order, sister!!!! Clean out those closets, declutter the garage, get rid of all this stuff and make your life Simple! Interesting...that is our theme at Cornerstone this year: Simple Church....and our sermon series is: how do we use our time. My time will be used more effectively this year. I am going to be intentional in what I do. I'll keep you posted!

2010-09-30T23:15:00.004-05:00

Long day....tired...yet I am reminded of God's goodness. How He keeps his hand on each of us...He gives us nuggets of love - like a phone call or message from a friend who truly cares and loves me...just as I am:), encouraging me to "just think about it"...and that "think about it"..is a good thing... to think about:) And just like another friend said, our book is already written. He sees me, he knows my next step. I find myself thanking Him for providing employment for our oldest son, Josh. That each "quiet" moment Josh has been resting in, has been a time of reflection and trusting. Thanking God for opening doors in our youngest son, Jake's life....giving him the opportunity to use his gifts and "do" what he loves to do: music....having a conversation with Jake that is all about God's hand doing His thing and trusting Him in that. And looking on the table across the room and seeing the beautiful, red roses Buddy picked off our tree outside, put in a vase, gave to me..just because. These roses brighten the room in many ways..they are a reflection of a man who gives selflessly...finds quiet ways to encourage and love me; the color red is a happy color and truly helps me rest in the end of a busy day. Thank you Father for loving me even more than all of these.

Greater things are yet to come....

2010-09-29T23:33:00.006-05:00

My hometown is Montgomery...and although I have been gone for eleven years, I love this place, it's history and the people. Just reminded again tonight, that God is not finished yet...there is still more to come. There is a revival brewing...God is trying to wake the dead....He desires freedom, forgiveness and joy in the hearts of all people...I love this video footage created by Paul Bryant for Christ City Church in Birmingham (lyrics/music by Blue Tree). This song is relevant for Montgomery, for Auburn, for Birmingham, for Belfast...because He is the King of the nations!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3w5WVlFBZM

Doing Life Together

2010-09-25T12:03:00.004-05:00

Doing life together means you look at the clock and it's 2 am..you wonder where did the time go and do you have to go home now?
Doing life together means you have a crisis that involves a "sad cake" and your friend says they are the best cakes ever.
Doing life together is when you have a real crisis and your friend is there for you with a hug, a "I'm in this for the long haul", speaks the truth in love because they know it's best for you, love you no matter how ugly you get in that crisis, and know that words just don't work...but a look of compassion and prayer does.
Doing life together means giving all you got for the benefit of the other and it sometimes means sacrifice that you do with a smile because you love them like a sister or brother.
Doing life together means you are all about being the hands and feet of Christ.
And last but certainly not least.....doing life together is bringing your friend chocolate even when they don't need it but just because.

Being Intentional

2010-07-30T03:29:00.003-05:00

I woke up very early....like 2:30 am early. We are on vacation in Destin. It has been a great week, but just like every other vacation, it is coming to a close. Why does it take four-five days to unwind...just when it gets good, it is time to go home! Maybe that is why I woke so early...I do my best thinking in the wee hours of the morning. So this is what is on my heart:

Thinking about who I am...how am I growing...what can I do to make my life more intentional and committed in my faith

How to focus more on my relationship with the Lord, what hinders me:
1. How I spend my time
Facebook
Twitter
Television
Just plain "nothing-ness"
Lack of commitment
Don't make time to spend with the Lord
No Bible study
Being non-intentional
Weary-ness
Being unfocused - Floating without thought

2. What changes can I make that will focus my heart
One step at a time:
Slow down on facebook or twitter - stop using it as my escape and use this
time to focus on my relationship with the Lord
Be intentional on my blog..use this as a tool to journal my spiritual trip.
Find ways to be intentional in the way I treat others
Focus on the positive not negative
Encourage one another daily...
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Bible - take a moment daily to focus in on the Word....find a good study this fall....and be committed to that study for the purpose of growing/stretching my faith.

I want to fall in love with Jesus Christ all over again.....

2009-10-14T10:43:00.010-05:00

I received an email today from a friend...she was asking how to encourage someone who is struggling with hearing God. This is what the Lord gave me and as always when pondering such a question, my faith was encouraged - He has a way of doing that, doesn't He?

God has been speaking to people since the beginning of time - there is Moses, David, Abraham, King Solomon, Paul, John, Peter, on and on....As believers, He speaks to each of us through his Holy Spirit. I believe He does whisper in our ear - sometimes loud - we must know the Word to understand what these whispers are. So the real question is: what are we filling our hearts and minds with? The world is inundating us with false hope and truths....if we are not filling ourselves with the Truth, we will become confused on what is right and what is not. Living life with a constant awareness of who He is, breathing His word and acknowledging His presence always guarantees hearing his voice.

He loves each of us with an everlasting love and I believe He is the "Hound of Heaven"....meaning he doesn't stop looking to feed us with direction, love and truth - He never leaves us nor forsakes us. God speaks to each of us differently because we are not like one another. It may be through a friend, it may be through music, it may be through a walk in the park.....All too often we expect to hear him through the burning bush or the wool thrown out to catch the dew, something dramatic.

I have heard God speak to me...audibly....in different ways: some specific words: I love you with an everlasting love; I am with you, trust me; I have already paid your ransom and set you free, get up and walk in freedom. I believe He speaks to each of us but we can be too busy to hear, too hurt to listen, or we can be too stubborn living life out our own way.

Anger has a way of smothering out what is good for our souls.....and how do you reach the point of not being angry anymore? I have asked myself this question when I am going through the fire.....God's Word.....fellowship with other believers....study & prayer....easy answers, aren't they? But stepping into that can be challenging as our stubborn pride keeps us from walking forward. Satan just wants to destroy us by keeping us defeated!

The bottom line: He just wants our hearts....He wants us to keep our eyes on Him....to trust Him even when we can't see. It is hard sometimes....that is why we walk in faith....believing what we can't see:

God is who He says He is,

God can do what He says He can do,

I am who God says I am,

I can do all things through Christ,

God's word is active and alive in me.

Beth Moore

Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.
My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end
~ Psalm 119: 111-112 ~

Heritage

2009-06-23T21:32:00.005-05:00

Our heritage comes from the Lord..yes! But our earthly parents give and leave a heritage. That is how we learn who we are and what we are made of. As a believer, we trust our faith and integrity will show our commitment and love for Christ...which comes from spending time in the Word and prayer. Sometimes life can get too busy (Satan's greatest tool I might add) and we don't stop long enough to really sit before the Father. I am guilty of this....but the last two and a half weeks, I have had more time on my hands than I have seen in about six years. For those who are not aware, I am home recovering from surgery....doing pretty good, but taking longer than I anticipated. Notice the "i" part....with God, there are no secrets....just takes me a little while longer to figure it out.

This last Sunday was a very special day for all of us..well, most of us. We all have fathers (or we wouldn't be here). I have read a few comments about being thankful for dads and read one where their thoughts were my thoughts at one time: Father's Day is a difficult day for me. That took me back to many years past. I felt like that as well. My father died three days before my second birthday. I grew up not knowing him in a personal way by his physical presence, but my mother never let us forget who he was. Now, there were a lot of things going on around him that caused him anguish - He fought diligently for the rights of people to have the ability to vote, to attend the school of choice, take a bus, go to a restaurant, drink out of a water fountain ......regardless of their color. He was a man that stood on principle, believed all were created equal and he left a heritage that will never die. How do I know this heritage exists? I see this is my sons, Jake & Josh. I see that my father's heritage had indeed passed into their lives and impacted them in a way they cannot compromise.

These days, I love Father's Day. My sons have the greatest dad who is committed to loving them, encouraging them and living his life faithfully for Jesus Christ, hence another heritage:) But in my early years, I was sad and broken as I didn't have a father to give hugs to, thanks to or visit on this special day. God has done a great healing in my soul and I have been able to move past this pain. He taught me that He is my Father and everyday is Father's Day. Although my father wasn't here, in his own way I was loved. I was chosen. My Heavenly Father is always here. I am loved. I am chosen. The greatest gift my father gave me was his heritage. The greatest gift my Father gives me is His only Son, Jesus. I have freedom. I have forgiveness. I have eternal love. The chains are gone.....my freedom not just belongs to me, but to my sons as well.

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

I am a looney bird...

2009-03-30T23:24:00.001-05:00

So...somehow, I decided to follow myself! I think I may have crossed over from talking to myself to being mildly insane! No really, I did this by accident...not sure how to undo this but one thing is for sure..I will definitely know what I am thinking!! Oh well...life just keeps getting better:)

Broken People

2009-03-11T13:01:00.002-05:00

We are all broken people, how we wear it looks different on each person. Jesus Christ came into the world as an innocent babe, lived his life for the glory of the Father and left this world broken in body. But God by his grace and mercy raised Jesus from the grave, perfect with the beauty of his nail-scarred hands as a reminder of his sacrifice for us. What will we do with this? How will we live out lives as a remembrance of his gift to us? Today, as I was praying - my heart cried out at my lack of acceptance of the brokeness of others, realizing that I am broken too. We are connected to each other and we share the broken body of Christ as brothers and sisters. Love each other with sincerity, do not hold grudges against one another unless we plan on holding one against ourselves. God sees us as one....one beautiful concert of wholeness and glory. We belong to him through the blood of Jesus Christ.

~ Praise be to our Father and Lord ~

Hong Kong and Friends

2009-02-21T12:22:00.004-06:00

I must be in a "blogging mood". Two in one day....phenomenal:)

The Dean family is on my heart today. I love each one, Matt-April-Josh-Caleb-Luke, just as if they were my own "flesh & blood"....wait a minute, we are...we share the blood of Christ! YES!!

I am amazed at the hand of God...how He is working in their lives....providing every piece of manna they will need as they move to Hong Kong. He has provided housing, He has given the boys excitement for their new home and new friends.....He is going before them, preparing the hearts of the students in Hong Kong....and even more than we can see with our own eyes and heart. That is just the way He is....so I can trust He will calm our hearts that are weeping already, as we will miss their presence here.

I sit here and I see the faces of so many students who don't even know how their lives will never be the same as they are introduced to Jesus Christ! I sit here and see the faces of so many college students in this area who have met Jesus Christ through Grace Campus Ministries and their lives will never be the same again! What has been cultivated will go on from person to person because each one will reach one. That is how this ministry began...with a desire to live the Word, to breathe the Word, to give the Word to each person. So many students have gone, moved on to their careers, some in ministry - some in the work force.....and they all bear witness to the grace of Jesus Christ.

Thank you Matt, April, students and each person who has supported this ministry financially, spiritually and through their presence. Lives have been changed because of your obedience. Lives will continue to change because of your obedience.

My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Colossians 2:2-3

The Grace and Aroma of Our Lord

2009-02-21T12:17:00.003-06:00

Two weeks ago, I picked up the Saturday edition of the OaNow - When I read this article, my heart wept......and rejoiced at the same time. Wept for the family of Maria Sue; Rejoiced for the power God has in our life. We may become broken, be we are never unfixable. When we surrender to the Lord.....allowing him to fill us in our grief, our pain, our brokenness.....our lives will be richer and we will become the "aroma of grace."

Written by Walter Albritton ~
Methodist pastor who writes a weekly column in the Opelika-Auburn news

Recently, I read again about the accidental death of Maria Sue, the 5-year old daughter of Steven Curtis Chapman. That tragedy reminded me of a profound idea I had gleaned from an earlier story about this popular Christian singer. The idea was capsulated in the phrase, "The fragrance of the broken." The words came to Chapman during a walk in the woods. He had gone into the woods to pray, desperate for release from a drought in his soul. Pleading with God for a breakthrough, he gathered some rocks, stacked them into a make shift altar and began to pray. While praying he began to smell cedar, so strongly that it distracted him from praying. Opening his eyes he soon spotted a little cedar tree that he had snapped in half by stepping on it. The broken tree was the source of the smell that Chapman felt was sign from God. Quickly he wrote down the words, "The fragrance of the broken."

God does provide a "fragrance" that we may learn to cherish as we wrestle with our brokenness and that of our loved ones. Like the little cedar tree, it may not be easily recognizable. We have to look for it as Chapman did. Finding it, we begin to enjoy what may be called the "aroma of grace."

Each of us must learn to handle brokenness of one kind or another. How we deal with it determines whether we live well or merely endure life until it ends. Misfortunes can make us better or bitter. The good thing is that we have a choice.

Pain is inevitable but misery is a choice. As we face the pain with honesty and hope, something wonderful can occur. Character can happen. We can become finer people because we have faced our troubles with courage. Courage is contagious. Deal with brokenness bravely, with a positive spirit and your example is bound to encourage someone else.

When you find a way to smell the "aroma of grace" in your pain, then the fragrance of our brokenness becomes a sweet perfume to all who savor the essence of your life.

2008-11-26T11:01:00.001-06:00

2008-11-26T10:53:00.003-06:00

Get On With It......

2008-11-26T10:07:00.000-06:00

I woke up at 2:30am....couldn't get to sleep (happens way to often these days - This time, it was different. My heart seems unsettled....I pondered over "what was" and how things are now.......I remember the days of praying together with a special group of ladies and having spiritual encouragement from each other. Sometimes to the point of wanting to return to those days which immobilizes me..does this make sense? Living in the past....that's it! I am afraid that I have not really "moved" when I moved from my hometown....but have longed for my former days. So I have been searching to move forward, but just cannot get a grip on it.....until I went through my "library" of books, finding nothing that grabbed me, then I came across one of Joshua's seminary books - yes, I said seminary books......and I discovered not all are cemetery books:) I pulled this book out of the shelf: Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton. I only got as far as the introductory (read it twice as it is worth reading twice) - here are some of the words I highlighted that sure make sense to me, more sense than anything I have read in a long time:

Spiritual transformation is something outside the range of normal human activity and understanding that can be grasped only through divine revelation and brought about by divine activity. I cannot transform myself, or anyone else for that matter. What I can do is create the conditions in which spiritual transformation can take place, by developing and maintaining a rhythm of spiritual practices that keep me open and available to God.
The journey begins as we learn to pay attention to our desire in God's presence, allowing our desire to become the impetus for deepening our spiritual journey. Discover what it is that you really want. It is not until after we have settled into our desires and named them in God's presence that are ready to be guided into the spiritual practices that will open us to receive what our heart is longing for.

A spiritual friendship is a relationship that is focused intentionally on our relationship with God as viewed through the lens of desire. With such a friend we share the deepest desire of our heart, so that we can support one another in arranging our lives in ways that are congruent with what our hearts want most. Together we reverence the ways God is meeting us in the context of the spiritual practices that help us to seek him.

Me and God....we have been traveling on a long journey that has not been easy...I miss my prayer friends......my feet hurt from all of the rocks I have stumbled on......my heart hurts from all the pain I have suffered......but my soul is satisfied because I know the One who has transformed me in the midst of all the chaos! The race is still on and I am pressing forward with a renewed sense of desire to "get on with it".....

Twenty-Five Twice....not bad

2008-08-10T10:36:00.000-05:00

July 22, 1958....a glorious day to be sure! A little history about that day.......surprise baby! A surprise baby that my mom was not happy about - she screamed, she cried and.......nine months later......here I come and a even better surprise, I was born on their anniversary! Dr. Cohen held me up and said, "Tookie, here is your gift." I never really quite undestood the power of that statement until she passed away in October 2004.......I was going through her personal papers when I found the document of her wedding date. She had such a difficult time with the loss of my father, which happened to come three days before my birthday and their anniversary.....that she never mentioned this fact with me. So this day has taken on a different meaning to me.....God gave the gift of marriage to a special couple and gave me life all on the same day.....His miracles never cease to amaze me!
Time to go worship the Lord with the body of Christ at Cornerstone ~ Peace!