12/19/10 worship set

Joy To The World *choir Christmas special
The First Noel
Silent Night
Hallelujah God Is Here
Everything Changed

Shoofly!

Isn’t it very annoying when you sit down to eat and there is a fly just buzzing all around your food?  After I went to the grocery store one night, I left the front door opened a little too long unloading groceries and I let a fly in.  Now, flies are one of the nastiest varmints alive, and when seen in my home, don’t have a very long life span.  Flies love to land on your food and I don’t want to even think of where that fly had its last meal.  All I know is that they are disgusting and carry filth that is transferred right onto our dinner.  Last summer, Ben and Callie had a lot of fun trying to get a fly that had entered our home.  He was very pesky and they got a work out trying to swat him.  It took so long in fact, that they named him, “Peter”.  Why “Peter”, you ask?  I have no idea!  Leave it to my children to come up with that! Ha-Ha!  Well, “Peter” eventually lost the battle to the wonderful “fly swatter” but many of “Peter’s” friends and relatives have come and gone.  Such a nuisance!  We now have 2 fly swatters in the house to doubly attack those pesky, little creatures.

I started thinking about the verses in I Peter 5:8-9.  “Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith…”

We have to be alert at all times!  Satan is looking for our vulnerability to attack!  He reminds me of that little pest that buzzes around but we have to stand firm in our faith.  If we lose our focus on Christ, Satan can land right on us with all that filth and disease that he carries and make us “sick”. SHOOFLY!!!! As we stay self-controlled, alert, and firm in our faith; we can use our giant “swatter” and wipe him out.  God has given us everything we need to swat him out.  He has given us direct access to him 24/7 (Eph. 6:18  “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”) and his Word that is alive and active (Heb. 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword…”).  Both of these are great weapons in the godly arsenal that we have been armed with!

My prayer this week is to be alert and focused on my Heavenly Father!  That is where peace abounds and where we can flee the devil!

Have a blessed and “varmint-free” week!

~Allison Jordan

SHBC Praise Team

12/12/10 worship set

Joy to the World (Unspeakable Joy)
Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee
Glory In The Highest
Hallelujah, Light Has Come
*ladies ensemble

Basket of Blessings

I love to hear stories of how God has blessed people!  I’m sure you have experienced that in your own life as well.  I can’t tell you all the times I have been totally amazed at my God and how he blessed me just at a moment when I didn’t expect it.  Those are special times! I’m not just talking about monetarily, but in any way; an unexpected note of encouragement, a kind word from someone, a prayer answered, seeing your children do for others without being prompted, etc.  I could go on and on about the different ways God has encouraged my soul through a person, his creation, his Word, or many other avenues.  The bottom line is, he is the Master Encourager and blesses us far beyond what we could ever deserve! But let me ask you, how many times have you missed it? You may be saying, “Miss it? I don’t get many blessings.” Well, that my dear friend is where you are wrong.  Please forgive me for being utterly upfront and blunt here.  But the fact is; if you don’t feel as though you are as blessed as someone else, then you are just missing it.  God blesses each of us differently and in ways that bring him glory and honor. 

There was a time in our family, just a few years ago, when there was a lot of negative things, valleys, if you will, that we were facing.  As Matt & I spent much time in prayer together seeking God’s face in dealing with these trials, we felt God telling us to focus on all the blessings in our lives and give him the burdens.

I Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”]

So, that is exactly what we did.  We put a “Basket of Blessings” in our living room and encouraged each other, and our kids, to write a blessing that we experienced from God in the basket and to celebrate God and all the ways he loved on us that day.  We would read them aloud and give God the praise for what he had done.  Ben & Callie (before Caleb made his entrance to our family) were younger then and the sweet things they would write truly touched my soul!  What we came to realize is that our attention to the trials began to diminish.  Not the trials themselves, but the attention and anxiety to it.  You see, just the smallest of “good” things, started to turn into the biggest of blessings!  I remember my sweet Ben putting a note in our “Basket of Blessings” one day when he thought I wasn’t looking.  That precious note read that he was glad that his mommy didn’t have a headache that day and that God made her feel better.  What a blessing? My sweet son recognizing God’s blessing on his mom!  It really became something special and we started taking to heart the many things God was doing, that once before we had, so selfishly, been too consumed with the negative to notice them.  Our verse of prayer during that time was:

Phil. 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Wow! How life changing when you allow the Word of God to be your prayer!  The Word transformed our family and we began to see our situations turning around.  As we took each and every opportunity to give God the thanksgiving he deserved, we began to love God in a deeper more meaningful way. God didn’t turn every one of our negative situations around the way we thought they needed to go, but he transformed them into the way he intended them to be and we found ourselves completely and totally at peace!  

So what do you do with this devotion?  Well, I encourage you to begin to put the negative talk, thoughts, and actions away and begin to transform your thoughts to our Wonderful Lord and all the ways he DOES bless you!  If the words or thoughts that consume you are “I don’t have enough of…., I need more of…,I wish I could…” then it’s time to STOP!

God’s Word plainly says, 

Phil. 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

Not according to “my glory” but “His glory”! What a difference a pronoun makes, huh? It really is all about Him!  There are so many things in our lives that can discourage us and bring us down, but it’s time to give God our burdens and entrust him to take care of them in his time!  I encourage you all to have your own “Basket of Blessings” and see how life changing it is when our attention becomes focused on our Lord and his glory! 

Enjoy the rest of your blessing–filled week and prepare to be amazed!

For HIS glory~

~Allison Jordan

SHBC Praise Team

12/5/10 worship set

Christ Is Come
*choir Christmas special
O Come All Ye Faithful
Angels We Have Heard On High
When The Waters Rise
*special by Leslie Ortego
Healer

What do you want for Christmas?

Well, it’s no secret that I love to shop!  One of my favorite shopping times of the year of course is “Black Friday”!  Just saying that gives me chill bumps!  Now, shopping on “Black Friday”, for me, is not just about being the first to get the “goods”, I love it for the sport of it! Yes, it is true!  I love the crowds, the bargains, and the craziness that it brings, but most of all because it is the big kickoff for the holiday shopping season!  Ahhh! It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Just makes you want to break out into song, huh?

This “Black Friday” shopping was probably the most fun I have had! What began as just an evening stop on Thanksgiving night to Toys R Us with Matt & my sister to pick up some good bargains for Christmas, turned into an all night shopping adventure around Wilmington meeting lots of interesting people and laughing till my sides hurt! My poor husband hung in there with us all night and was such a trooper!  If you are one of those brave souls who ventures out on “Black Friday”, you know the chaos that is all around. People frantic to get the perfect gift at the perfect price for their loved one for Christmas.  Some people camp out with tents & sleeping bags for hours on end just to guarantee their first spot in line to get their prized possession.  In many of the lines we stood in, you would catch people’s conversations asking each other what they wanted for Christmas.  Even upon our return, our kids were asking each other what they wanted for Christmas.  That is a very popular question right now.

So, I’m asking you, “What do you want for Christmas?”

Here we are on December 1, 2010, officially beginning the Christmas season.  Christmas decorations are up, or are in the process of going up, and all the holiday parties are underway.  The countdown has begun and the shopping frenzy has already commenced, but I found myself, many times over this past weekend, asking myself, “What do I want for Christmas?”

It could be very easy to get materialistic in this society and find all kinds of things that would fill up my Christmas list, but as I ponder the desires of my heart, there is only one gift that could satisfy and bring such contentment.  That gift came in the form of a baby, born in a lowly manger.  His name is Jesus!

Luke 2:10-12  “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

My gift is the Messiah! Any gift that I will receive on this earth, although can be very special to me, can never compare to the gift that was born 2000 years ago in a humble stable. That precious gift was the gift of LIFE!  I accepted his gift of salvation many years ago, but the gift continues to bring such peace and overwhelming humility that just makes me fall deeper in love with my Savior!  You see, when you accept him as your gift, this is the gift that keeps giving. On a daily basis, the gifts I receive from my Lord produce so much gratitude.  His gifts include; grace, peace, provision, love, mercy, compassion and many more that I could go on and on.  You see, he tells me in his word that he wants me to live a full and abundant life.

John 10:10 “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Will I exchange gifts with friends and loved ones this year? Of course, and those will be fun times with gifts chosen specifically for that special person and done with much love.  But in response to question laid on my own heart this weekend, “What do I want for Christmas?”  Well, I want more of my Jesus! Sweet Lord, Almighty God, the Great I Am, Everlasting Father, Jehovah!  That is what I want, that is what I need!

There is a song that has been dear to my heart and says exactly what my desire is this Christmas, it is my Christmas prayer…

I've touched the hem of your garments 

And I have felt the leading of your hand 

But today, my eyes look much higher to see the face of the great "I am" 

So more of You Jesus, more of your face, more of your glory in this place!

What a glorious Christmas this will be!  More of my Jesus!  Imagine what this world would be if everyone desired this same precious gift for Christmas.  My prayer, this December, is that this joy he gives me will spread to those around me and his glory will SHINE!

What do you want for Christmas?

Blessings~

Allison Jordan

SHBC Praise Team

11/28/2010 worship set

Everyday
Give You Glory
How Great Is Our God
It Is Well
Break Through

11/21/10 worship set

You, You Are God
That's Why We Praise Him
All We Need
I Thank You
*special with track
Give Thanks

Shoes...

I love shoes! (I know you all find that hard to believe! HA!HA!)  Shoes are such a fun accessory to an outfit!  You can take a plain old outfit and put a “sassy” pair of shoes with it and it really changes the whole look.  For you men, pardon the word “sassy” and let me change it to “cool”!    Shoes can really tell a lot about your personality as well.  They are just FUN!  Well, last summer I had taken Callie out for back-to-school shopping and we were trying to find her some new tennis shoes for school.  The store was extremely busy as many people were out doing the same thing we were and because of the shelves, all I could see of the next aisle were people’s feet.  I began to notice their shoes.  Some were really cute, some were not so cute, and some were in desperate need of the nearest trash can.  You know what I’m talking about; those shoes that are so worn, that they would probably walk over and throw themselves in the trash can if they could just to put themselves out of their own misery!  

As I watched, I not only noticed their shoes, but the way those people walked and carried their feet.  It may sound strange, so please don’t hold this against me, but I really started to think about the people that those shoes belonged to.  By watching their feet, I could tell some were weary, (maybe from too much shopping), some were excited, (new shoes are always fun to buy), and some were hurried and frustrated.  But by looking at their feet, I had to stop and pray for those that really captured my attention.  I felt as though those shoes had a story behind them.  Where had those shoes walked? What had they been through?  For some, many burdens are carried around on those shoes, which in turn makes for weary feet.  In my interest of looking at cute little shoes, the Lord pricked my heart for those wearing the shoes and I am so glad he did.

Proverbs 12:25 “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.”

As we finished our shoe shopping excursion, we walked down the aisles and I began looking for the faces that belonged to those shoes.  I wanted in some way for them know that they were cared and prayed for that day.  I began to offer a smile and a kind word to some of those that I could easily spot.  Yes, some of those faces matched their worn out shoes and a smile did manage to crack on a few of them.  But I was taught another valuable lesson that day from my wonderful Lord!  He never ceases to amaze me with such teachable moments in very unsuspecting places.  

There are many that cross our paths everyday that are burdened and weary.  We cannot always solve their problems but we can lift them up to the Father and offer the love and encouragement that they may need at that very moment.  I pray that we all look for ways this week to offer a smile and a kind word that can cheer an anxious heart and weary feet!

Love & prayers to you for a beautiful week!

Blessings,

Allison Jordan

SHBC Praise Team

11/14/10 worship set

God Is Our Refuge
Friend Of God
You're Worthy Of My Praise
The Saving One
Jesus You Are

A Parent's Love

This week my little girl will be turning double digits!  That’s right…the big ”10”! It seems just like yesterday that Matt & I were waiting to go into the operating room for the birth of our second child. We were nervous and excited all at the same time as my doctor knelt beside my bed and said the sweetest prayer.  As I lay on the operating room table, Matt held my hand and together we anxiously awaited the first cry of our newborn child.  Then we heard the doctor say, “It’s a girl!” and there it was, the most precious little cry I had ever heard.  It’s a girl! We have a daughter!  Tears of joy flowed down our faces as we began to take it all in.  Many things started rushing through my head after that.  Ben was 4 years old at the time and I wondered, “would I be able to love another child like I do Ben?”  It was hard for me to fathom that I could love another one as much as my firstborn.  Then I thought about raising a little girl, what a responsibility.  Could I possibly be the godly mother to her that I had in my mom?  Could I show my daughter what it is to be a woman of God?  But then the nurse brought our daughter over and the second I laid eyes on her, I was in love!  God gave us a precious miracle on November 13, 2000, by the name Callie Elizabeth Jordan and we were ready for the glorious journey ahead in raising our beautiful little angel.

Over the last 10 years, we have just fallen deeper in love with Callie!  God truly blessed the world the day that she was born!  Her enthusiasm for life and love of people is certainly contagious.  We like to call her our little “encourager”.  She is quick to write an encouraging letter or sweet picture to someone to cheer them up and she certainly has put in many requests for prayer for others through our C.A.R.E ministry.  She has such a nurturing spirit as we have seen with her younger brother and we know that God has great plans for her life.  We can’t wait to see her continue to blossom into a young woman of God.

As parents, we delight in seeing our children grow and mature.  It is so special when the values and biblical foundations you teach your children begin to take root in their life and you see that fruit bloom.  A verse that is such a prayer of ours and has recently been used in a letter to me by my own mother is, 

3 John 1:4 “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 

That is our desire!  Whatever God plans for my children, is what we want for them.  We want our children so sold out for Christ that it just flows out of every fiber of their being.  Those 3 children we have belong to God first and foremost.  We are the honored ones that have been chosen by our God to parent and raise them in his ways.

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

I smile when they smile, hurt when they hurt, laugh when they laugh, and cry when they cry.  I hurt when I have to discipline them, but know that in order for them to grow and become responsible adults, that discipline is necessary and is done because I love them.  Their mistakes don’t change how much I love them though.  The same is true of our relationship to our Father.  He hurts when we hurt & rejoices when we rejoice.  His discipline of us is also because he loves us so much and is necessary for us to grow in him.    His love for each of his children is the same.  He loves us all and desires for us to grow deeper in love with him every day.  Just as I love to see my children happy, our Father desires for us to be full of joy!  But when I think about the love I have for my children (which is A LOT!), it doesn’t even compare to the love of my Heavenly Father. 

God’s word says, 

I John 4:9 “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.”

So, this week we will celebrate our daughter and the special day that marks her birth and may you celebrate the love of your Father.  His love for you is deeper than anything you can ever imagine.  He sent his Son to die to prove his love for you!  When life seems hard to bear and difficult circumstances arise this week, may you find comfort in the promise of his love for you….his child!  

Allison Jordan

SHBC Praise Team

11/7/10 worship set

He's Worthy
*choir special with track
Majestic
Meet With Me
When I Think About the Lord
I Will Never Be

Trip of a Lifetime

A couple of years ago, my sister took me on the most fabulous trip…to the Mall of America!  To some of you who don’t know there is such a place (which would totally surprise me), it is a huge mall in Minneapolis, MN where people from all over the world come for 4 stories of shops and to play in the large amusement park right inside the mall. It represents what America is about, big and grand!  That is why it was deemed “The Mall of America”.  It is spectacular!  My sisters & I love to shop, I know you find that difficult to believe, and it was a dream of ours to go to this mecca of shopping malls.

Well, two years ago I was just reaching my goal of losing weight and after 93 pounds lost, needless to say, I needed some new clothes.  My sister, Stephanie, so graciously offered to treat me and my other sister on a celebratory trip for a complete make over to this shopping sanctuary!  So here we go 3 girls heading to a destination that was before, only in our dreams, but now, becoming reality!  On the plane we endured lots of turbulence but we just kept the vision of big red clearance signs and lots of packages in our sights.  As the plane safely landed our anticipation was growing! Excitement was all around!  We boarded the shuttle to the hotel, which was conveniently located right across the street, dropped our luggage off in the room and headed out the door.  We could have taken another shuttle but it was taking too long so we walked across ourselves.  The closer we got, the bigger and more inspiring the large “Mall of America” sign got.  Before we entered the door for the first time, we had to pause in a moment of silence and take in the reality of the moment! 

Inside the door, we almost couldn’t speak! For those of you who love to shop, you know what I’m speaking of here.  We rented our “buggy” and headed down the first floor. Oh, the fun we had!  Giggling and taking pictures as we made our first purchases and trying not to scare others around with our excitement! We had a blast! For 4 days we shopped open to close and only took quick breaks to rehydrate and get some nourishment!  We were serious shoppers!  At the end of every day, we hopped on the shuttle with this sweet little old man that chauffeured us back to the hotel and we would get lots of funny looks at all our packages.  So much fun! We took our treasures from that day and lay them out on the bed to marvel and then we would scope out the next day’s itinerary!  My sister even took us to a wonderful salon to be pampered and get a fresh new look! We truly were in a shopper’s heaven.  When I returned home and shared my experience with others, someone made the comment to me, “This was a trip of a lifetime!” and I agreed with that statement! The other day I was talking with my sister as we are planning our next adventure, and we were again reminiscing about that amazing trip.  But that statement kept going through my head, and the Lord so sweetly reminded me of the true trip of a lifetime that is available to all….Heaven!

I have always been humbled by my sister’s generosity in treating me to that extravagant trip.  She spent so much money in making that trip special for us all and she did it because she loved us.  My Savior reminded me of a trip that I will take that he paid the ultimate price for, his life.  There is a place that will mark our final destination, one that will be a trip like none other we have taken before. Is so beautifully described in Revelation 21!  I can hardly wait to stand in the presence of my Savior!  As awe inspiring it was to be at the door of the mall that cannot even remotely compare to one day standing at the pearly gates ready to enter and be with my Creator for all eternity!

What is the cost for this trip…FREE!  When my Jesus died on the cross and shed his blood for me, he marked this trip “Paid in Full”.  All we have to do is accept his free gift of salvation! 

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

My Heavenly Father, I am in awe of you! You paid the price, your life, for me! So unworthy am I, but you have marked me “Paid in Full.” I love you!

There are many around us that have not accepted this free gift.  So many souls that will make their

final trip one day, but it will not be the destination that is waiting for the redeemed.  Theirs will be a destination of sadness and pain for all eternity.  This week may we be the ones that share with those that are lost that there is hope in Christ! That they too can have the “trip of a lifetime”, spending all eternity in glorious splendor with their Creator!

Blessing to you and may you anticipate your “trip of a lifetime” this week!

Allison Jordan

SHBC Praise Team

10/31/10 worship set

My Savior Lives
All Because of Jesus
Jesus Messiah
Jesus Paid It All
Broken and Beautiful
*special

Water...

As a family of five, dining out can be a little pricey; so on the occasions that we do eat out it is a great treat for the family.  With the cost of everything going up, Matt and I made a new rule that when dining out (since I am the master at “penny-pinching”) everyone would drink water.  That, in itself, saves us about $10 and you know how I just love a bargain!  Well, after one of Ben’s basketball games, we decided to take the family to Wendy’s for dinner.  Yes, I know, fine dining, huh?  Well, the kids were so excited not to be eating at home so Wendy’s was perfect for them. On the way there, they were going over the menu trying to decide exactly what they were going to eat.  During all the buzz in the car, Caleb raised his hands in the air to get our attention and spoke up very seriously and matter-of-factly and said “Everybody drink water”.  We all started laughing, but the mom that I am was very proud that he remembered the family rule!  

A few days later, the words that my young son so boldly proclaimed that night kept going through my head, “Everybody drink water.”  Have you ever been so thirsty that all you could think about was getting just a sip of water?  Nothing could satisfy your thirst like a drink of water.  It is clear, cool, and refreshing, and it just soothes the body.  We all know the benefits of drinking water.  It is necessary for keeping the body hydrated, and maintaining your body’s metabolism. It is so important for brain function, and of course there are many more benefits.  

I then began to think about the “Living Water”.  This is what my soul thirsts for!  Just as my body needs water to function, my soul longs for the Water that flows freely from the fountain of life. 

Psalm 36:9  “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.”

I love the story of the Samaritan woman in John 4.  Jesus, tired and weary from his journey, asked the woman at the well for a drink of water. She was confused that he, a Jew, would be talking to her.  As he began to share with her about the living water, she began to think the water that he was speaking of could make her life easier.  But you see, she was missing it.  The water that Jesus was speaking of would be the drink that would satisfy the thirst of her soul, the water that would provide eternal life. This was Messiah!

John 4:13-14  “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

This is the water that will change the very foundation of her life!  When I think about the times I get thirsty, physically thirsty, water is what I reach for to satisfy, but the times when my soul is dry and longing to be quenched, I go to the Living Water!  He replenishes and rehydrates the depths of my soul and is necessary for me to function!  What sweet, refreshing times with my Lord!  

I encourage you this week to rehydrate your souls and drink from the springs of Living Water!  I leave you with one last thought out of the mouth of my precious son,  “Everybody drink water!”

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Allison Jordan

SHBC Praise Team

10/24/10 worship set

Better Than Life
You Are Holy (Prince of Peace)
Holy, Holy, Holy
Revelation Song
*tag after message

Waste Removal...

I know you are all looking at this title and thinking, “What in the world is she talking about this for?”  Well, I always pray that God will use every opportunity around me to show me something in his Word, something that I need to see at that very moment.  I like to call these “teachable moments from my Savior”.  That very thing happened one day outside of one of my favorite places…Starbucks!  I was off work this particular day so I tried to schedule as many things and errands as I could since “free” time is hard to come by. I had my “to do” list in hand and was successfully hopping from errand to errand and found that I had about 45 minutes till my next appointment.  It was such a beautiful day that I decided to take those minutes and sit outside of my little coffee house with a cup of delicious coffee and bask in the beautiful sunlight that my Lord had placed in the sky!  I picked out a table that was placed where I could see all the beauty around me and enjoy the warm sunshine.  It was perfect!  As I sat there a few minutes, I began to notice a very unpleasant odor.  How could this be?  This was my time to enjoy the sunshine and drink my wonderfully brewed cup of coffee. How could I do this with that pungent odor?  

About that time I saw a lady pull up in a little golf cart and came over to a trash can nearby.  The trash can was overflowing.  Ah, the source of the stench!  She pulled the bag out and began sorting through it (she did have gloves on!).  I thought to myself, “How can she do this?”  I was starting to feel nauseous for her, but she, with a stronger stomach than me, pulled out all the newspapers and put them in a separate bag and then tied up the rest of the trash.  She took the nasty trash out to the cart and came back with a fresh, clean bag.  It was already starting to smell better out there, but she didn’t stop with a clean bag.  She came back over with a cloth and cleaned the outside of the garbage can, emptied the cigarettes out of the top ashtray and when she was done the whole thing sparkled.  Yes, it sure did!  She took something so smelly and disgusting and made it look like a masterpiece, and she did it without flinching.  She had pride in what she had done, even knowing that tomorrow she would have to do it all over again.

My Lord showed me again, just how much he loves me.  “From a dirty old trash can, he showed you all that?”, you ask?  Well, He reminded me that I am that dirty old trash can and he loves me so much that he removed that stinky filth and sin from my life and made me clean again.  But he doesn’t stop there; everyday he wipes all the smudges off and makes me shine for him and he does so with great pride evening knowing that he will have to do it all again tomorrow.  Why?  Because I am His child, His masterpiece.  A masterpiece, ready to live for him!  He takes great pride in me, in all of us, his children!

Psalm 51:7  “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”

Psalm 32:1  “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.”

May we all be thankful for “waste removal” this week!  Were it not for that great sacrifice, we would live a hopeless life.  Now we are free to live that beautiful, fragrant life that can bring honor and glory to our Master!  My prayer is to share that great sacrifice this week to those in need of a Savior.

Have a blessed week!

Allison Jordan

 SHBC Praise Team

Worship set 10/17/10

Days Of Elijah (special by Katie Furr)

Your Grace Is Enough
Mighty To Save

The Wonderful Cross  
   *tag after message

Each Day...

What a beautiful service this past Sunday! Praise God that he is our Jesus Messiah and it is he that makes me glad! As I got up this morning just soaking in the beautiful day that God has given us, I was reminded again of how wonderful he is.  Each day is held in his hands and he gives them to us to do what we choose.  My thought was, “What am I going to do with this day that God has blessed me with?”  Do I choose to focus on the negative things that will come my way, because just getting 3 kids up and ready for school, my husband prepared for a long, busy week and myself ready for the many jobs and meetings ahead, is enough to start the frustration, or do I choose to look for the positive in each of those situations?  I have 3 beautiful kids that go to a great school, my husband has a wonderful job and provides for our family, I have a job where I get to see people changing their lifestyles to be more healthy, I have a job where I can freely talk about God, and throw about 180 kids in the mix, how great is that?  Well, today, I choose to look for the blessing!  Today, I choose to throw off the negative thoughts and complaining spirit that wants to creep up and proclaim that God is so good!  That outweighs any and every negative that will come my way.  I came across an email that someone sent me a few years ago and I wanted to pass it along to you.  It puts things in perspective and really brightened my day.  I hope you enjoy it!

Approaching Each Day

By:  Author Unknown

I woke up early today, excited over all I get to do before the clock strikes midnight.  My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.

Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.

Today I can feel sad that I don’t have more money or I can be glad that my finances encourage
me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.

Today I can grumble about my health or I can rejoice that I am alive.

Today I can lament over all that my parents didn’t give me when I was growing up or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.

Today I can cry because roses have thorns or I can celebrate that thorns have roses.

Today I can mourn my lack of friends or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new job relationships.

Today I can whine because I have to go to work or I can shout for joy because I have a job to go to!

Today I can complain because I have to go to school or eagerly open my mind and fill it with knowledge and adventure.

Today I can dejectedly murmur because I have housework to do or I can feel grateful for shelter for my mind, body, and soul.

Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped, and here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping.  What today will be like is up to me.  And I shall decide what kind of day I shall have!

How will you live THIS DAY?

I hope you all have a wonderful week and remember Who makes each day!

“This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  Psalm 118:24

Blessings,

Allison Jordan

 SHBC Praise Team

10/10/10 worship set

For All You've Done
Made Me Glad (choir special)
Jesus Messiah
It's Your Love
   *tag after message (praise team w/band accompanying)

10/3/10 worship set

Better Than Life
You Are Holy (Prince of Peace)
Holy, Holy, Holy (groove version)

When I Think About the Lord (praise team w/band accompanying)
I Will Never Be

Be the Biggest Loser...

What an awesome weekend we had! Ben got to experience DNOW with 1200 other teenagers in Wilmington at Ft. Caswell and had a wonderful time worshipping the Lord, and me, Matt, Callie & Caleb went to Myrtle Beach for the “Biggest Loser” 5K/1 Mile Challenge.  If you are not familiar with the show, “The Biggest Loser”, they take several contestants that are critically overweight and, in most cases, on the verge of a lot of health problems and teach them through drastic means how to eat healthy and exercise.  Through my own experience with weight loss, I love this show and what it has done to alert America.  We are a nation that is 67% overweight or obese, and now our children are following our footsteps.  Many people have gone through the process of losing weight and gaining healthy lifestyles through this show and it was neat to meet some of those very people this past weekend.

As important as it is to eat healthy and be active, we need to start with the fundamentals of healthy living.  That is to daily surrender our lives to the will of our Heavenly Father and give up our own desires.  We need to take these precious “temples” that God has blessed us with and make them acceptable for him.

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;”
--1 Corinthians 6:19

We are not our own! That means that all we do, all we are, should be for him and for him alone! Well, how do we do this?

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?
-- Matthew 16:24-26

Jesus said right here in his own words, “he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Deny ourselves?  We definitely live in a society that does not deny ourselves much, it is pretty obvious, but our Father says to deny ourselves and follow him.  When we lose our life for him that is where we will find it!  

Just as in the show, “The Biggest Loser”, contestants have to lose weight to save their lives physically, we as Christians, need to lose those selfish desires of our sinful natures to gain a heavenly perspective.  We need to lay down our lives daily and follow our God and our rewards will be eternal!  Be the “biggest loser” this week and see the rich, abundant life God has in store for you!

Have a blessed week!

Allison Jordan

SHBC Praise Team 

9/26/10 worship set

Let Creation Sing (choir special)
Filled With Your Glory
Your Name

Surrender (praise team w/band accompanying)
   *tag after message

a season of change...

Well, as of tomorrow, it is officially “autumn”! Yes, I know, the weather still feels a bit too hot for the autumn season, but according to the calendar, fall has come! This is probably my favorite season.  I love the cooler temperatures after such blistering hot days and I love to see the colors change.  When the weather starts to turn cooler, our family calls in the “snuggle weather”. Well, Ben has grown out of the “snuggle weather” but my other 2 kids still love to snuggle and, of course, I love to snuggle with my hubby!  I spent the first 9 years of my life growing up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and I would see the leaves all across the mountains changing from green to a variety of fall colors.  Absolutely breathtaking and something I still long to see every year! 

When this season rolls around every year, I have to stop and just “awe” at my Savior because he is in control of the seasons and all the colors they behold! He can take that big beautiful tree full of green leaves and turn them into warm shades of brown, gold, and red and bring you to a new appreciation for the beauty of that tree.  The same is true of us.  Different seasons of our lives bring different colors.  We are the same person, but seasons of change in our lives bring about different shades that are all still beautiful, just different. I can look into the eyes of my children and see the seasons of change they are going through.  They are still my children, but they are changing just as God intended them to and they are all still beautiful.  It makes me appreciate them even more. 

God intends for us to go through seasons of change.  They are a time to let the old fall away and bring about colorful new opportunities for us to serve him more.  A time for us to grow in Christ! We can have confidence in knowing God allows these changes, but he himself will never change.  He is always the same.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

-- Hebrews 13:8

Allow God to take the beautiful leaves of your life and change them into the warm colors of autumn and see how your love for him becomes more vibrant! Experience the changing of seasons in your own life and expect heartfelt worship and deep content in our never-changing God!

Have a blessed week!

Allison Jordan

SHBC Praise Team

9/19/10 worship set

Your Grace is Enough
Only a God Like You
Love the Lord

Our God (choir special w/Tim leading)

God of Our Yesterdays (praise team w/band accompanying)

Striving for Excellence

The summer is officially over for our family.  School bells have rung again and we are in full swing now! The new school supplies are in use, uniforms are out, schedules are posted, and their new lunch boxes are very cool!  Of course, the first day of school is always the most fun!  Seeing all your friends after summer vacation and catching up is great, but then that fun starts to wear off as soon as the homework and early morning wakeups hit.  Reality sets in and as parents; our job is to encourage the kids to start the year off with good study habits and routines so they can continue to follow through all year.  We are also their “cheerleaders”, if you will, to encourage them when the going gets tough and they just don’t think they can do one more piece of homework.   We also want our kids to strive for excellence in all they do.  In our home, we do not demand all “A’s”, but we do expect them to do their very best in all areas.  God doesn’t expect perfection in us, but he does expect our best.  That is something that we try to instill in our kids, through God’s Word.  

Our best!  That is what God deserves in all areas of our lives.  Not just for the kids in school or sports, but from all of us in every thing we do.  We wholeheartedly need to give our all to God.  In our parenting, our marriages, our jobs, our relationships, our ministries, and every other area, we need to work to give God our best, to strive for excellence!  King Hezekiah was a king that had a close relationship with God.  Though he did make mistakes at times too, he was credited for trusting the Lord and seeking excellence.  

“This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah,

doing what was good and right and faithful

before the Lord his God.  In everything
that he undertook in the service of God’s temple

and in obedience to the law and the commands,

he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly.

And so he prospered.”

-- 2 Chronicles 31:20-21 

“He sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.”  We, as children of God, need to seek God daily.  Just as Hezekiah, a leader, served as a role model, we too serve as role models in the position we hold as worship leaders.  Others are watching our lives and our lives should match what we sing and lead on Sunday mornings.  Just like we teach our children, God doesn’t expect perfection from us but he does deserve our best.  We should strive for excellence in leading worship to our God!  That requires us to be in a deep prayer life, and daily reading of his Word for guidance and direction.  It also requires us to come to rehearsals prepared and ready to practice.  We expect our children to go to school with homework done and prepared for tests and quizzes, and the same is true with us.  When we come together in practice, we need to have prepared in advance so that our time together can be everything it should be for our Lord.  The times that we lead in worship, should be times focused on our amazing God, and that will happen when we are well prepared and in one accord. May the cry of our hearts this week be to seek excellence for our King!  

I appreciate all of you so much and know that God wants to do amazing things through us all!  

Blessings,

Allison Jordan
SHBC Praise Team

9/12/10 worship set

Be Glorified
We Have Seen Your Glory (choir special)
   *w/track
Open the Eyes of My Heart

Grace Flows Down (praise team w/band accompanying)
Great is Thy Faithfulness (Tommy w/band accompanying)

Do not be afraid, only believe!

Has God been pricking at your heart about a certain area and asking you to take a leap of faith and fully rely on him to guide you? Is there an area that you know God is leading but the fear of the unknown is holding you back? 

Well, I had another devotion planned for this week, but after some events over the weekend I feel that God is leading me to share a devotion with you that he had for me the day we made Caleb’s adoption “official”.  I have a couple of friends right this very minute in China adopting two precious girls into their families!  I began to think back to the call Matt and I had to adopt.  We were completely stunned, to say the least, when we felt God calling us to adoption.  We had two great kids already and we were done; or so we thought.  For a year we prayed about adopting before making that huge step of faith.  Our fears were many but one thing was clear; God called and we had to obey.  It was during the paperwork process, that we really studied God’s Word about adoption and what we realized is that how could we fear when God already set the standard for adoption.  He adopted us as his children through his Son, Jesus Christ.  He paid the ultimate price for me and for you!  From that point, we put our fears aside and knew that somewhere out there was a child that needed a family; a child that God had already predestined to be with us.  How exciting that was!  I have to be honest when I tell you that there were many times that I, in my human eyes, could not see how this would all work out, but God again would draw me back to him and I would look through his eyes.  What a beautiful picture I could see then.  

The day Caleb walked into my arms is a day, ordained by God, that I will never forget.  How perfectly he fit into my arms, how natural it was to hold him, like he was finally “home”!  It was a beautiful moment.  As Matt and I talked that night after the kids were asleep, we discussed how we could have missed out on this moment because of our fear.  If we had not put our fears aside and put our trust in God we would have missed this precious miracle that was waiting for us in a Chinese orphanage.   As I woke the next morning, preparing our final paperwork, I was excited to be officially making Caleb my son in just a few hours. I stood over his bed, in awe of what God had done.  I picked up my Bible and devotional book and turned to that day’s message and this is what was there:

Faith Versus Fear

“Be not afraid, only believe.”  Mark 5:36

As we consider the uncertainties of the future, we are confronted with a powerful temptation to play it safe.  Unwilling to move mountains, we fret over molehills.  Unwilling to entertain great hopes for tomorrow, we focus on the unfairness of today.  Unwilling to trust God completely, we take timid half steps when He intends for us to take giant leaps.  Ask God today for the courage to step beyond the boundaries of your doubts.  Ask Him to guide you to a place where you can realize your full potential – a place where you are freed from the fear of failure.  Don’t ask Him to lead you to a safe place; ask Him to lead you to the right place.  And remember, those two places are seldom the same.

-- from Hugs: Daily Inspirations for Women

I thank God that we took that step out of our fear and had faith that God knew what was best for us.  That we didn’t give in to the practical but put our trust in God.  We now have another precious member of our family because of that trust in God.  A precious soul that has now heard the most wonderful name he will ever hear, JESUS!  The Name above all names!

This was not intended to be a devotion about adoption, but a devotion about overcoming fears through faith in God.  I wanted to share our story of adoption because God used it in a powerful way to show us how fear, overcome by God, provides such sweet results!  I strongly feel that God is calling us all to a time of true faith!  It is time we put all our fears aside and follow him completely.  It is then we will see mountains moved!

Let’s use Mark 5:36 as our verse to focus on this week!  “Be not afraid, only believe.”  

Have a blessed week and know that I am praying for you!

Blessings,

Allison Jordan

SHBC Praise Team