The Chronicles of Melinda

There’s this place I like to go
Every Sunday I’m about it
Sometimes I sit and wonder
How I ever  lived with out it
There I find so many people
And they all share in the love
For the one who saved us all
The one who dwells above
I’m all up in that place
In my heart I want to serve
I mean - yo ya’ll this is crazy
It’s almost straight absurd
There’s this guy they call him Dave
It’s like he’s preachin’ just for me
Sharin’ God in such a way
That his words they help me see
Another pastor Jamie
Keeps everyone connected
First time that I met him
I knew he’d be respected
Leah Rade a friend of mine
She runs the show behind the scenes
And she’s a true reflection
Of what Serving Jesus means
Dougie B my small group leader
And yo - my girl she rocks
I look forward to dem Wednesdays
And all day I watch the clock
And my Home- Boy Adam
Rockin’ youth in such a way
That he gets them into God
And even gets them kids to pray
It hasn’t been a year
Since my heart has been fulfilled
Cuz here’s where I found God
And still I feel the thrill
I’ve gained so many friends
Feelin’ love that flows like rhymes
And I get so caught up
That it chokes me up sometimes
Its crazy how I love Him
Crazy that I was saved
Crazy that at this place
So many sing His Praise
Crazy that I’m forgiven
Crazy that He loves Me
Crazy that I’m accepted
At a place called NHC!

God has Blessed me ya’ll.  I’m truly grateful for this gift.  I’d put the rappin’ part of this gift to the side and then came to NHC and quite unexpectedly had the opportunity to put it back to use.  Now I’m getting to use it for what I think is God’s true purpose.  I’m really enjoying sharing it with the youth, sharing Jesus on a level with them that they are used to hearing negativity.  I’m “flippin’ tha script fah Jesus!”  Sometimes I can get spiritual and serious (click my Poem tag and see how else God helps me share), but I can also just have mad fun with it!  That was like - all in 10 minutes.  But I gotta get to group.  (Cuz it just happens to be the Wednesday that I’m watchin’ the clock! LOL!)  Big love to NHC for letting me share my gift in a positive way that glorifies God and makes me feel pretty good, too!!!

5. And lastly comes our little finger - the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, ‘The least shall be the greatest among you.’ Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

First I would like to ask everyone pray for my friend Karen.  Karen, herself, was in a minor motorcycle accident on Friday on the way to work and thankfully not seriously injured.  Her daughter was in a serious car accident early Saturday morning and is in critical condition at Duke.  So please help me raise her and her daughter in prayer.  For whatever reason God is rocking her world so please pray that whatever his will in this situation will be…he is merciful.  Also pray for Karen’s strength in this situation and that she will not question her Faith, but that God will strengthen it all the more so as she deals with this.

Okay - Sunday woke up to get to NHC extra early to greet before first service and rehearse for Club 56 worship.  We have such a great team.  Bruce Strickland so graciously coverred ushering for me so I could rehearse during service.  THANKS BRUCE!  But while greeting - I knew it was going to be a great Sunday. The people kept coming…and coming…and coming.

Club 56 rocked.  Kristy and I performed my remade version of You Make Me Better for the Club 56 kids, then we had one big small group session that I thought was pretty cool and we took the kids downstairs to watch some of our own get baptized.  In addition a total of SIXTY ONE people got baptized.  Including three of our Club 56′ers and my friend Dougie’s man-squeeze JAY!  GO JAY! 

God was SERIOUSLY in da hizz-ouse at NHC!

Our Youth Pastor, Adam, wasn’t feeling so great.  He’s had a non-stop headache for days (probably because of all them pease he eats) so say a prayer for him that he’s feeling better.  So he asked ME to speak the message to our youth for Spiked.  I accepted…and tried to soak it all in before service.

Then it was time to rehearse for SPIKED with Kristy again.  And thanks to Dougie for praying with me before Spiked service officially started as I prepared to take on the role of Adam (except cuter, fatter and with longer hair).

Time for service to start - the kids L-O-V-E-D the rap so that was a big plus.  Love being able to relate some of their music in a Jesus way and they still think it’s cool.  Just gotta say though…I think we rocked! 

Then I got to pretend to be Adam (no easy feat!) and teach the message of acceptance to the group.  Point was - Jesus accepts us the way we are when we come to Him no matter what we’ve done in our lives.  We’re forgiven of our sins and accepted when no one else might accept us.  So we need to accept others and learn to be his instruments of acceptance to glorify Him.  Who are we to reject anyone when we’ve received the ultimate acceptance?  I think it’s a pretty serious message especially when it come to teenagers.  Pretty serious things can happen when teens deal with rejection.  Suicide, violence (school shootings) you name it.  So if our kids can learn to be the instruments that counteract the ultimate feelings of rejection among their peers…they can make the ultimate difference.  (AND ADULTS, TOO!) I think they ”got it” as I saw some pretty serious faces in between the laughs.  And they got some pretty cool magnets to hang in their lockers.  I guess I did pretty alright when all was said and done…especially with the last minute prep and following MAN notes (you know…women are so much more efficient at notes) ha ha from some feedback I got.  So GO ME and thanks ADAM for trusting me to git-er-done for ya!

Oh - good note - my co-worker Julie brought her son to check out Spiked.  Hopefully we’ll be seeing him again.  And there will be another youth added.  Also saw quite a few other new youth faces I hope to see again!

So here it is Monday!  And it’s raining! Blah!

We took one route- had to turn around because of shooting in the woods.  Then we headed a different way and a tree had fallen across where we usually cross a creek causing us to cross at a different spot.  Spent a few minutes visitting with an old acquaintance and then headed home in a hurry because the sky got dark and a storm was a comin’!  So we got home, unsaddled and turned out. Then we decided to hit the road to the local meat market and got some chicken so I could make homemade chicken nuggets and fries.  Ice cream sandwiches for dessert.  Oh the minor pleasantries of life.  We ate and then laid out watching some Magician Awards show with lots of cool stuff (how DO they do some of that?) and both fell asleep by like 9:30PM.

So I’m kind of waiting to exhale.  I’ve had the chance to release some issues to someone that I’m having that have caused me to feel angry and coiled up.  So now I’m waiting for the result of that.  I’m “waiting to exhale”, but in a way I kind of feel like I’ve exhaled already just by releasing the issues.  

It’s like tennis (my new favorite sport!)  I served the ball…and am now hoping for a successful volley.  Then you meet at the net and shake hands when it’s all over.  Truly - it’s a lose lose situation.  Just wanting some peace when all is said and done.

On another note…I am totally….well…..SPIKED about Spiked Ministry this weekend.  Stay tuned! 

Identity Theft - the series at NHC.  Been reflecting on my own identity theft here lately.  Something that stuck from a past element of the series “human relationships are not unfailing (they will all fail you sooner or later) and we take an an identity that reflects our feelings from these failed relationships.”

Yup- I”m trying to get past the identity I have adopted from the latter of those two…the anger I feel in part that I’m being taken advantage of.  Those feelings are only centerred towards one person and not people in general so it’s only a “part time identity” that only my close circle of friends are familiar with.  

I feel angry and taken advantage of every day.  I think it’s caused me to spend less time in the proximity of the source of my stolen identity to avoid any emotions causing unwanted conflict.  Kind of falls into the series we just wrapped up with the Youth.  “Home…It Ain’t always so sweet!”

I guess…when someone benefits off of you (including MAKING money off of something YOU pay for) and offers little in return you can’t help but feeling taken advantage of.  And if they can do something for you that costs them little more than time, but act reluctant when you ask…you feel…well…how would YOU feel?  And to have someone attempt to dictate what you do with something you have maintained financial responsibility for in upkeep…well that stings a little, too. Okay - why sugar coat it.  It friggin’ angers the crap out of me. 

At the same time I’ve found myself defending the very source of my anger and trying to justify actions that I myself can’t even comprehend (beyond the taken advantage of part).  I’d like to wonder why that is…but then I think that by doing so…I am somehow dismissing that I have been naive in allowing it.  I’ve shut friends down who have chastized the situation because it forces me to defend myself and  I don’t like facing those feelings anymore so I just choose to avoid them.  I’ve adopted the “…in God’s time” response to why I don’t put my fut down.

On the other hand…I find a great peace between those feelings.  I was just discussing with someone the other day how much I look forward to going to NHC.  Whether to attend service or to serve…when I know I am going there I almost get that kid at Christmas feeling no matter what I am going there to do.  Maybe because great things are happening at NHC and I feel very much a part of something great that God is doing there.  And because I get a great peace out of the things I do…I know that God is providing me an “out” to my angry identity by working through me and putting my giftings to use there rather than allowing me to focus on my angry identity. 

And on top of that…it really helps to have relationships in my life that encourage me to be peaceful and pray about the negatives in my life rather than battle them in conflict.  This is his way of taking care of me while he tries to take care of the source of my anger on his terms.  There’s some great things going on with the youth at NHC and I feel Blessed to be part of the happenings as they develop.  (I’m working on something right now…and I’m SUPER excited by it!)  So thanks for the Youth Ministry Team for helping me find my identity away from my identity (if that makes sense).

Oh - smart move on her part a few weeks ago to sing a patriotic song!  It was good…real good in fact.  I mean…times as they are who would possibly have advocated her vote off?  Even Simon said that was a good move on her part.  And it kept her alive and it was a GOOD performance.  But she’s been consistently in the bottom three  lately so it was just a matter of time.  Sad to say…Brooke with her genuine and emotional self will be the next to go.  But come on folks - we know there is only going to be ONE American Idol so they will essentially be voted off one by one until the ultimate favorite is left standing.  I think the two David’s will battle out for the top spot.  But when it comes down to it I don’t think Archuletta has the “sellability” (but don’t get me wrong…that boy is GIFTED) whereas Cook rocks the house with his own versions of classic hits that make you want to know what’s coming next week.  HE will sell records…even if he isn’t crowned Mr. American Idol this year.  He’ll be like the next Daughtry fah-sho.

Anyway- back to the topic title “That’s just the way it goes!”  Certain things are beyond our control.  Actually - everything is beyond our control.  You know why?  Because God knows what we are and what we are going to be.  HE is in control and we are along for the ride.  So when things happen the way they happen…it’s because that’s the way it goes in accordance with God’s plan.  So even when things don’t go the way YOU want them to go….remember everything happens for a reason.  God knows right off what the reason is…you will find out eventually.  Don’t dwell on it…every situation has a lesson.  It’s up to US however…to figure that lesson out.  So PAY ATTENTION people.  God is trying to tell you something.  I.E. Maybe Kristy Lee Cook is going to have a fun American Idol Tour….then go on to be a famous horse trainer or something.  Who knows…????GOD knows!

I rode Ransom yesterday after work…nice ride.  Taira fizzled out so it was me, Ransom and Ringo Dingo dog.
Left the key in the dually and the battery is dead, dead, dead.
Fiona must have been going out of and not coming into heat..so we’ll try again next cycle.
Tonight is Small Group - I’ve missed it the past few weeks and am looking forward to hanging out with my peeps.
I have really come to appreciate being surrounded by strong Christian friends and the advice they give.
Good things are happening and going to happen with the NHC Youth Ministries!  Stay tuned…
I am financially BROKE! (But rich in Christ, Friends and being loved).
I am continuosly focussing on the future…where I’m going, what I’ll do, who I’ll share it with.
I am going to commit to making a doctors appointment for the continuous issues I’ve got that I have been avoiding…in fact I need to get off here and go make that appointment now….

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