5/30/10 worship set

Leaning of the Everlasting Arms
Holy, Holy, Holy (groove version)
Holy Are You, Lord (choir special)
Here I Am to Worship

The Motions (Tommy w/band accompanying)
Refiner's Fire (Tommy w/Crystal accompanying)

rainbows...

Don’t you find great comfort in the promises God has for us in his Word?  I know during these uncertain times when everyone is making promises, we can’t always count on them.  It is as if making a promise to someone has lost some of its credibility.  It is a sad thing to admit but nonetheless true.  I do know that God’s Word is full of promises that have been kept and are still holding firm.  Now that is something to ponder.  Promises from man don’t always follow through, but promises from our God are etched forever in his Word!  

I have always been fascinated with God’s creation.  The way he uses a blank canvas everyday to paint us a beautiful picture in the sky has always been one of my favorite things to look at.  Every morning on the way to school, we look for the magnificent artwork God has designed just for us to enjoy that day.  Special are the days when we see a rainbow in the sky.  I would always tell the kids that when we see a rainbow to remember that he placed it there to remind us of his wonderful promises.  Then we list as many of the promises God has given us as we can.  Now the kids are always looking for those beautiful rainbows.  One day I was at the store having some pictures developed and I came across a picture I had taken a few months before of a double rainbow.  We were driving to my mom’s house right before I left for a preschool conference and the kids, all at the same time, started screaming in the car.  Good thing I was on a back street because I just about ran off the road!  They pointed to the double rainbow and we were just in awe!  I pulled off the road and took a picture of it and Ben reminded us that day of God’s promises.  He said that we had received a double promise!

I referred back to scripture when God placed the rainbow in the sky for Noah.  After all that Noah endured, he remained obedient and faithful and God protected him and his family.  He tells Noah in Gen. 9:12-17 “And God said, This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:  I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.  Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind.  Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.  Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.  So God said to Noah, This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

The promise is not just for Noah, but for all life on earth!  God keeps his promises!  When we can’t be sure of anything else, we can be sure that God keeps his promises.  We all love to see a rainbow, they are definitely beautiful, but sometimes we take for granted the significance of the rainbow.  Take some time this week to write down promises from God’s Word.  There are so many, but you will discover as I have, that in a world of uncertainties, his promises are forever!  

Let’s focus and celebrate this verse this week, Genesis 9:14-15a: “Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind.”  

Blessings,

Allison Jordan

SHBC Praise Team

5/23/10 worship set

Awesome is the Lord Most High
Give You Glory
Let the Worshippers Arise (choir special)
Holy is the Lord

Uncommon (Tommy & Allison w/band accompanying)
Jesus You Are (Tommy w/Crystal accompanying)

love letters...

Isn’t it great to receive “love letters”?  Over the last week I have received numerous letters and cards of those close to me wishing me Mother’s Day and birthday wishes.  Each letter or card I received was so special and held a precious place in my heart.  But just as special as each of those were, sometimes the best letters we receive are those “love letters” that come for no particular reason other than to say “I love you”.  

I received one of those letters just this week from my sweet daughter.  We had a bit of a challenging week with Caleb not feeling so great and taking a couple of trips to the doctor and I was also coming down with a cold that was not very welcome.  As we drove home from school the other day, Callie informed me that her teacher allowed them to do some of their homework in class.  Well just as I was breathing a sigh of relief that one of my children’s homework load was lighter I heard her say, “But I didn’t do my homework in class, Mom.” Trying to keep my composure, I asked my sweet, precious daughter why she decided to wait until she got home when her teacher was so kind to let her do it in class.  Of course I was ready to scream, when the next sentence that came out of her mouth put me in my place.  “I was writing you a letter, Mom”.  At that moment, I felt like I deserved the “Worst Mom Of The Year” award.

When we got into the house, she handed me this letter that poured her little heart out telling me how glad she was that God brought her to the right family, the ways in which we are so alike and how she loves the many fun things we do together.  She ended her letter with “I love you!  P.S. I’m glad you’re my mommy.”  Oh, how wonderful to read those beautiful words from my 9-year-old daughter.  As a parent, we love to hear those words!

I began to think about how our Heavenly Father feels when we tell him how much we love him.  When we tell him we are glad he is our Daddy, our Abba Father!  Of all the love letters we will ever receive, there is one that is the greatest.  The love letter from our Creator!  His Word is his love letter to us and it is filled with sweet promises and our guide for life.  Each time we open his Word our lives should be forever changed because it is the Living Word. 

Heb. 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword…”

As you finish your week and need that encouragement to get through the challenging times you may be going through, open his Word, his love letter to you!  It is there you will find refreshment and fire to keep going.  Let your Daddy know, just how much you love him!  Pour your heart out to him and let him know all the things that you love about him and what he means to you!  He deserves our praise!

Have a blessed week!

Allison Jordan

SHBC Praise Team

5/16/10 worship set

Fields of Grace
Lord Reign in Me
Great is Thy Faithfulness
Grace Flows Down

From the Inside Out (praise team w/band accompanying)

be still and listen!

Life can be very busy!  It seems as though, for all of us, things keep getting busier and busier and we are constantly going. Even now as I write this devotion I just put a load of clothes in the wash, got supper started, I can hear the joyful sounds of the kids fussing at each other, still have homework to finish, and I can hear the dog at the back door ready to go out.  What do I do?  Laugh!  Laugh at the chaos!  There are days when I wonder what boredom is and how that would feel.  But then reality sets in and I get back up and get busy.  There is never a dull moment around here!  I’m sure you all have stories like mine and you keep the candle burning at both ends.  All these things are necessary parts to daily life, but are we still keeping God in the forefront of our daily lives?  This revelation came to “slap me in the face” as I went from task to task one day.  I find sometimes that I am so wrapped up in getting the “necessary” things done that I remember that my time alone with God has been very shallow.  

God has to take the lead in our lives.  A life going from job to job or ministry to ministry without first conversing with God is a life that is setting itself up to fail.  God is my strength!  How could I put him on the “back burner” to fulfill my daily duties?  Well, I am not very proud to admit that I have done this from time to time.  A few days ago when I sat down to have my quiet time with God; my “to-do” list was going through my head.  I just had to stop and pray that God would renew my mind -- “And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” (Rom. 12:2).  I had to pray that God would take everything that was hindering my time with him and help me put it aside so I could concentrate and focus on what he had for me in his Word.  When you ask God to show up, he does!  He showed me that in the busyness of this time that I need to be still.  Yes, be still when you are busy.  It sounds crazy I know, but this is what God’s Word says: “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Ps. 46:10).  It doesn’t say, be still when everything is done for the day and your “to-do” list has been completely checked off.  It says, “Be still”, so be still is exactly what I did.  You know what?  My time with him that day was so much sweeter!  Praise God!

I urge you to do the same this week.  During this time when schedules are overcrowded and you need about 4 more hours in the day, be still and know that He is God!  What sweet fellowship there is with him when we will just be quiet and listen!  Through this series “Uncommon”, God has again reminded me that he is a necessity in my life on a daily basis.  He is life and breath and he deserves all of me so that I can live this life he has blessed me with!

Thank you, Father, for reminding me that you are always there and ready to spend time with me! I will be still and know that you are Sovereign God!

Have a wonderful week and listen for the sweet whispers from our Awesome God!

Allison Jordan

SHBC Praise Team

5/9/10 worship set

Arise (part special w/congregation joining)
Glorified
I Bow Down

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus (praise team w/band accompanying)
  **tag after message w/Tommy and/or praise team**

ingredients...

I love to cook!  It is something Callie and I enjoy doing together.  We like to watch cooking shows and try to recreate some of those yummy dishes and also try to make some of those dishes even healthier.  I am fascinated by great chefs and their abilities to take just about any ingredient and make a masterpiece that will just melt in your mouth.  Last weekend I had the awesome opportunity to join my mom & sisters in Atlanta for a Food Network weekend.  We had a great time and were able to see some famous chefs and hear some of their cooking secrets.  We sampled their cuisines and were blown away by some of the simplicity in those dishes.  What we learned was that is wasn’t about making difficult dishes, but taking flavorful ingredients and combining them together to produce a winning combination; a dish that brings comfort, satisfaction and “happy taste buds”.  It was a lot of fun!

As I thought about that simple concept, it made me stop and think about our own lives as Christians.  What ingredients does it take to make our lives pleasing to our Lord?  We all know that what goes in is what will eventually come out right?  God’s Word says: 

Galatians 6:7-8 says, “…A man reaps what he sows.  The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

If we planted potatoes, we would not expect to grow carrots; we would expect to see potatoes.  The same is true for our selves.  If we put things into our minds and bodies that are not pleasing to our God, then we are not going to produce characters, actions, and ministries that are glorifying to him.  But on the other hand; if we ingest those things that are of God such as; his Word, godly conversations, music that praises and edifies, and many others, then we put together a recipe that can produce a soul-satisfying, God-honoring masterpiece that can make a difference in the Kingdom of God.  That’s right; it is all about the ingredients!  As I have discovered, the ingredients we put in these marvelous temples God has given us is up to us.  Do we want to live flavor-filled lives that are honoring to our Creator or do we want to fill our temples with ingredients that are full of bacteria and mold that will not produce something that is edible?

Remember Proverbs 15:14: “The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.”

I want a life that is full of flavor and is pleasing to my God!  I want to fill my temple with ingredients that produce a delectable dish at my Master’s table.  All that I am is only for him!  

I pray that everyone has a flavor-filled week and enjoy a tasty treat of God’s Word!

Blessings,

Allison Jordan

SHBC Praise Team