Great Weekend!!!

Well, another Thanksgiving has come and gone. It seems we get SO excited for it to get here, and then it goes way too fast. Is it just me?? I feel like I was just getting off work, and now it's back to work tomorrow. I'm reading Facebook status updates of sad people who are having to say goodbye to loved ones and travel back to their homes. I think if I had my way, I would just freeze these moments in time so they would never end. I had a great time with my family, and can hardly believe how much my nieces grow each time I see them. It seems like yesterday they were all toddlers, and now they're all in school, doing great, and gaining on their aunt in the height department! It was a very nice, relaxing, get away weekend. Now to start gearing up to a crazy December!! I'm already looking forward to Christmas and more days off!! Hard to believe it will be here before we know it! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and remembered to thank God for all the blessings in your life. God Bless!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

As I sit here tonight, the night before Thanksgiving, I'm thinking about all the things I'm thankful for! There are too many to mention in a blog, but some of the things I'm most thankful for are my family and friends. Often times I do not understand why God has blessed me with SO many great things in my life when I see others around me who don't have what I have. I don't mean material things, I couldn't care less about all of that, but I mean friends and family, the things that are FAR more worth than material things. Words cannot express how much JOY you all bring me, and how fortunate I am that God allowed my path to cross with so many of you reading this blog. If you are reading this blog, please know that you have touched my life in one way or another....ways you may not even know about. I cherish each of you, and thank you for being my friend. So, as we go into this day of Thanksgiving tomorrow, please take a moment to thank God for all the special blessings and people in your life! We wouldn't have any of this without Him!!! I want to wish you and yours a VERY Happy Thanksgiving, safe travels, and lots of good food!! :-) I leave you now with this Friendship Blessing that was posted in a note on Facebook by one of my dearest friends!! I hope it brings a smile to your face, and know that I love you for blessing my life!! God Bless!!

In a blanket of blessings, so cozy and snug

With hot chocolate beside me in a sweet little mug

I sit and I think of those that I love

The ones here on earth, the ones up above

I'm blessed beyond measure, yes it's certainly true

To have friends that I treasure, this includes YOU

Who keep me laughing when I feel like crying

Who keep me going when I want to stop trying

Friendship is such a blessing, it's true

And I'm truly thankful that God gave me you!

"I Need A Hug From God!"

Well, it's close to that time of year again, one of my favorite Holidays....Thanksgiving! I can hardly believe it. Seems like yesterday it was summer, and here we are heading into the Holiday Season. Well, this year I'm pretty excited because my brother, sister-in-law and 3 nieces will be heading in for the Holiday Weekend. It's safe to say that my nieces are my world, so I'm really looking forward to seeing them. I don't get to see them as often as I like, but it makes me more thankful to see them on these special occasions. As I've been thinking about them coming over the past few days, I can't help remembering what one of my nieces said when she was here last summer. It hit me hard, stuck with me, and will ALWAYS stick with me as long as I live. She had gotten in trouble for something she had done. She hung her head and said, "I don't know why I do bad things, I don't want to do bad things. I just need a hug from God." Yeah, just think about that for a few minutes. Wow!!! Doesn't that sound just like us in our adult lives?? I know I have felt that way many times, and I need a hug from God OFTEN!!! Children have such a way of slapping adults upside the head, and boy, am I glad they do!! Just like my niece, "I don't know why I do bad things, I don't want to do bad things. I just need a hug from God!!!" Don't we all!!!! I hope you've had a blessed day!!

"What's Her Name!!"

Well, I just heard on the news where my future husband has become engaged. Prince William has left me to find another woman. GASP!! What is he thinking?? If he'd only given me a chance, I KNOW I would have swept him off his feet. I just hope that I can go on as this is one of the hardest things I've been through. As hard as it is for me to let go, I will, and I wish him years of happiness with "what's her name". Just remember, dear William, if you find out "what's her name" is not all you thought she'd be, I will still be right here in Tennessee waiting for you!! You KNOW you need an older, mature woman with graying hair!!! "What's her name" ain't got nothin' on me!! ;-)

Who Do You See??

This is one of my all time favorite portraits. I have it hanging on my wall in my room, and it serves as a great reminder to me of who I was, where I've been, and who saved me. When I look at this picture, I see ME!! I hate to say it, but I'm still this person at times, we all are. I see me holding the hammer and nails, and I see Jesus upholding me, and loving me when I am spitting in His face. I do not understand what Jesus went through on the cross or WHY He chose to love us so much to do this, but how thankful I am. Even when I, the sinner, continue day after to day to hold the hammer and the nails, Jesus continues to love me, and forgive me. So what about you?? Who do YOU see in this picture?? I hope you'll say yourself, and remember what Jesus went through to save you. He loved all of us so much to give His life for us even though we continuously hold the hammer and nails. God bless!!!

Forever Rejoice!!

Hey guys! Just a reminder that Christmas is fast approaching, and if you're like me, you do everything possible to avoid the craziness of shopping. If I can't get it online, forget it! haha! So...what's the easiest gift to give your friends and family?? Why, a Forever Rejoice cd by 1WORD, of course. All you have to do is drop us an email at 1wordcd@gmail.com or go to our website and order at www.1wordmusic.com, and yours truly will ship it right to your door. You don't even have to leave your house, and that's the best way to Christmas shop if you ask me. :-) Of course, I'm not a typical female because I cannot stand to shop ANY time of year. :-) So, get online and get some of your shopping done early!! These cds will make excellent gifts and stocking stuffers!! Hope you all have a blessed weekend!

Prepare To Meet Thy God!!

Everyday on my commute to work, I pass a HUGE billboard that says "PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD" in bold letters. It seems to slap me in the face every morning, which is a good thing because it serves as a great reminder to me that I need to be ready as that day gets closer with each passing day. I, along with many of you reading this, forget that our life is temporary. "You are a vapor that appears for a little while...". Life is so uncertain, and we really need to "prepare to meet our God". I'm not trying to make this a downer blog, but this is just reality. Our life is short, and we live like we are going to be here forever. Thank goodness we're not, because I grow weary living here. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to meet God, and live with Him eternally where there will be no more pain, suffering, struggles, evil, sin...everything will be made new, and everything will be PERFECT. So what about you?? Are you "prepared to meet your God?" This is a question only you can answer, and it's my prayer that you can say "Yes!" God bless!

Thank You, Veterans!!!

Today is a special day that we dedicate to our Veterans. My father is a Vietnam Vet, and I couldn't be more proud to call him my father for serving our country. My grandfather, great uncle, and other members of my family are WWII vets, so as you can see, I come from a long line of military men. So to you, our Veterans, I want to say THANK YOU for serving our country, and allowing us to have the freedom that we enjoy today. It amazes me that men and women we don't even know put their lives on the line for all of us. We are so blessed to live in this country, and I don't know about you, but I am SO proud to be an American!! The land of the free, and the home of the brave, although I saw this on a friend's Facebook status today, and I really like it: Home of the free because of the brave!! Isn't that the truth??!! Thank you all SO much for your service and dedication!! God Bless!

Just Stuff...

Blogging is kinda like therapy to me. :-) It helps me just get some stuff out that is on my mind, and well...maybe help you guys do some thinking and soul searching as well, maybe it's even entertaining at times. :-) Tonight, I've had a few people on my mind, and just want to bring them before you all so we can all be praying for them. Life is so uncertain, and just when you think you have it all together, it can fall apart in the blink of an eye. The first people I want to lift up in prayer are my friends, June and Bill Carlisle. Some of you reading this know the Carlisle's, and know the story. To others, to make a long story short, Bill had a serious motorcycle accident last week. He had to be revived at the scene, and immediately rushed to Vanderbilt Hospital. He's now been transferred to a rehab center in Atlanta awaiting physical therapy in the hopes that he will be able to walk again. We just never know from one minute to the next what may happen to us, and we just always need to be prepared for anything. So please pray for Bill and June, and their children as the future is unclear at this present time of Bill's condition. My specific request for Bill is complete healing. And we know that all things are possible with God. For my second prayer request, I'm asking you to uplift a friend of mine in fervent prayer. I don't want to get into alot of details, as God knows the story, and who she is. She's a friend who I just don't know anymore. She's hurt alot of friends and most of all, her family. She just needs prayers that the Enemy will stop deceiving her, and she will come home. So many of us love her, but we do not love the life she is living right now. It is breaking many hearts, and I just ask you to pray that God will intervene and open her eyes. I appreciate being able to blog prayer requests, and if there's something on your heart that I can pray for, please don't hesitate to share it with me. Isn't it SO incredible having Christian brothers and sisters who are there, and lift up prayer requests to our Father? I would never make it through life without having our Heavenly Father to talk to in times of trials. I hope you've all had a blessed day, and thank you so much for praying!!

Love This Quote!!

I came across this quote on someone's Facebook status, and I love it!! Just wanted to share!!

"Your talent is God's gift to you; what you do with it, is your gift back to God."

ThankSinging 2010!!!

It's that time of year again...time for ThankSinging!!! I LOVE this time of year!! It's crazy busy, but it's crazy fun, and I'm so excited!! :-) Please take a minute to watch this video, and if you're around the Madison, TN area on Sunday night, Nov. 21st, we would love to have you join us for ThankSinging 2010. If you want to be a part of an amazing worship experience, this is the place to be!! It's an hour and a half of singing praises to our Father, and there is nothing more I enjoy doing!! I believe this is just a small taste of what Heaven will be!! So, come on out and join us! We would love to see you there!!!

Christmas....

Is it really getting that close to that time of year again?? You know, I like Christmas for the most part, but it's kinda getting to the point that Thanksgiving is getting shoved aside. I've heard of a few people who've already put their trees up. Seems we just get through Halloween and WHAM!!! Drag out the tree!! I guess sometimes I think we forget to be thankful, and remember what Thanksgiving is all about. We just want to rush right on in to the Christmas Season. Well...all of this to say, 1WORD started practicing for our Christmas gigs tonight. We're doing some songs from our set last year, as well as throwing in a few new ones. We're singing one that has become my FAVORITE new Christmas song...well, maybe not over my all time favorite, "O Holy Night" , but it's very close. :-) I'm not going to reveal what it is until later, so I guess if you want to know what it is, you'll just have to come to one of our gigs in December. or book us at one of your Christmas parties. How's that for bribery?? haha! Ok, ok...in all seriousness, maybe one day, we will get a Christmas album recorded, and hopefully this song will land on that cd. ;-) We're getting booked up quick for December, so if you'd like to have us at one of your parties, let us know asap. We would love to sing for you!! Hope you've all had a great day!! Hugs to all, and please, remember to be thankful for Thanksgiving! Those turkeys are counting on us!! ;-)

God Is Good!!!

What a wonderful day 1WORD had at the Cumberland Church of Christ. We had a nice turn out for our concert today, and were well received. I've heard a rumor that, "we were a hit", and are going to be asked to come back. Wow! What a wonderful feeling that is. Again, there is always SOMEONE at our show that minister more to me than they will ever know. There were a couple of ladies who touched my heart yet again today, telling of how they really needed this today, and how uplifted they were. It just does my heart SO good to hear people say these things because as I always say, this is what 1WORD is about. It's about glorifying our God, and bringing others to his feet. My soul feels so good in knowing that maybe I touched just one person through the talent God has given me. It's ALL for him, it's nothing to do with us, I'm just so grateful that he has placed me in 1WORD, and to be used for Him. My passion has always been to serve him through music ministry, and now that passion has become real. There are so many things I could say about today, but this blog would be never ending, so I will close with this, it was just a wonderful day worshipping with God's children in Kentucky, and I cannot thank God enough for all the blessings he keeps pouring on me abundantly. I hope you all have had a wonderful Sunday!! God Bless!!

On The Road With 1WORD...

Tomorrow marks our first official 1WORD road trip. We are leaving Tennessee bright and early to worship with the Cumberland Church of Christ in Somerset, KY. After worship, we will be holding a concert, and we are really looking forward to this opportunity. I'm not exactly sure where Somerset is, but if you know and are close by, we would love to have you come on out and join us at 1:00 p.m. as we praise our Father through song. We look forward to traveling more in the future, so if you're interested in booking us for a church gathering or other events, please contact us via Facebook or email us at 1wordcd@gmail.com. We would be honored to sing for you!!! Hope you all have a blessed weekend, and don't forget to "fall back" tonight!! Gotta love that extra hour of sleep!!!! God Bless!

The Power of the Cross!!!

Wow! Talk about a powerful song!! My praise team had a practice last night for an upcoming event at our church called "ThankSinging". The song I'm posting is one we will be singing that night, and I must say, it is just incredible. I've actually heard this song somewhere, but where, I cannot recall. Please take a minute to listen to the words of this song. I will warn you, there are some graphic images from "The Passion" movie, so if that bothers you, then don't watch, just listen. This was the best version of the song I could find, and I just wanted to share. Sometimes, I think we forget just exactly what took place on the cross, and how Jesus paid the price for all of us to live the life we do, and have the promise of salvation. I have a hard time singing this song as I just can't help but wonder why did He go through this for us? But Praise God He did, He is risen, and we are SAVED!!! I hope this song touches you as much as it touches me. God Bless!

Blessings and Parents!!

I just finished reading a friend's blog who lost her mother a few years ago after a liver transplant. I must say, the emotion she showed in that blog led me to write one, too. She moved me to tears, so here goes with some thoughts of my own. Sometimes life just isn't fair, and we wonder why things happen the way they do. Upon reading her blog and the things she mentioned about her mom, it just really hit me. Things I've never thought about before. She mentioned a couple of things she kept that were so dear to her like a tube of her mother's chapstick with her mom's lip imprint still in it. What a small thing that means SO much. How many times do I take for granted the fact that I still have two healthy parents who are retired, enjoying life to the extreme with wonderful friends, traveling around, truly "living the American dream". I wake up every morning knowing they're going to be around when in reality, that "knowing" can change in the blink of an eye. After reading my friend's blog, I was wondering what will I keep after my parents are gone?? What will I hold dear to my heart to remind me of them?? Mine will probably be a telephone as much as my mom loves to talk on it. ha! For my dad, maybe the remote control, and his favorite recliner. :-) It's just things I've never really thought about before. I look at my dad, and the things he's held on to with the loss of his parents. He got out my grandfather's wallet the other day, and 5 years after he's passed, everything in it just as G'pa kept it. I know that wallet means just as much to my dad as that tube of chapstick meant to my friend. It just helps you feel a piece of them is still with you. I just want to stop taking the blessings and loved ones in my life for granted because we just don't know when those moments will be taken away. I often ask God why he has chosen me to be so blessed when I take it all for granted so many times, and slap Him in the face. Why was I chosen to be in the loving family I'm in who taught me about the love of God, when I look around and see so many children in abusive homes who have never heard the word God other than taken in vain. Do you ever just wonder why YOU were chosen to be where you are, and why YOU were chosen to be the son or daughter of the parents you have?? Maybe the memories aren't as fond to you as they are to me, but all I can say is I've been blessed greater than I EVER deserve, and just can't figure out why. Why did God choose me to have such an abundant life when I just forget sometimes, and so many around me are hurting? I guess my thoughts are just rambling tonight, but all of this to say that I'm so completely blessed to have an amazing family and friends, and I pray that I stop taking all of my blessings for granted because it is only by God that I have all of these abundances in my life. So please, if your parents are still alive, please let them know how much you love them because you just don't know when it might be the last time you get to tell them. To all of you who have lost parents, I cannot grasp the pain and anger you go through, and I wish I knew the words to say to help your pain, but I do know this. A better day is coming where we will never say goodbye ever again, and I don't know about you, but I can't WAIT for it to get here!!! Just remember that with each passing day you are one day closer to seeing your parent(s) again. I hope you all have a blessed day, and thanks for letting the serious side of Jewels come out for a bit. :-)