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