FFF - 09.21.12

What a lovely week I've had!  My week went by quick as a flash, but filled with things I wanted to do.

1.  Uplifting time with Beth Moore simulcast:  On Saturday, I joined a great small group of ladies as we watched the Beth Moore simulcast from Reading, PA.  I enjoyed it so much and I feel like I received a Word from God.  (That will be for another post later.)  I also really enjoyed worshiping with Travis Cottrell and the Living Proof Worship Team.  I have taken the song, "O My Soul, March On," as my theme song.  As Travis said, sometimes you just got to get your "angry praise" on and sing while stomping all over the enemy:

O my soul march on in victory
O rejoice for I have been set free
No turning back, no turning back
I have been redeemed
O my soul, my soul march on in strength

My God has crushed the enemy
swept him into the raging sea
My foe has been defeated
and his power's stripped away
Rise up and say
Rise up and say

Nothing's impossible with God
Nothing is greater than His love
The curse of sin is broken
Fear is washed away
Rise up and say
Rise up and say

The battle belongs to the Lord
and I will not fear
Be strong , be strong
the battle belongs to the Lord
and I will not fear
March on, march on

O my soul, march on in strength
O my soul, march on in strength
O my soul, march on in strength
O my soul, march on, march on

(written by Travis Cottrell, David Moffitt and Jonathan Lee)

2. Sunday was another good day, and after church, we stopped at a little "Mom and Pop" restaurant that opened in our town and purchased some chicken and dumplings to bring home for dinner.  I also got some 7 layer salad.  Yum!  So good to know that there is a restaurant just down the road to go get some good home cookin' on those days I just don't have time to cook.

3.Hillsong!  On Monday, I traveled with a church group to Memphis to hear Hillsong Live.  The service started at 7:30 and we got there at 7:29.  God showed us favor and just as we walked in, they opened a new section right down front.  We had an awesome time of praise, standing for about 2 1/2 hours worshiping.  Praise God, the next day, I was not sore from all that standing at all.

4. Road trip:  Jim and I managed to squeeze in a road trip to Dixon Springs.  It's funny to go in the middle of a workweek.  It seemed like we had the world to ourselves .... 

I can't say Dixon Springs had anything remarkable going for it this time of year, except the natural beauty and serenity of trees and hills and a small creek trickling away from a tiny spring in the ground ...

I did find it interesting, though, right in the midst of the park, there were abandoned church buildings.  Here is my favorite - standing in fairly good shape ...

The sign reads Dixon Springs Methodist Church, Est. 1856

Here's another church ... no sign or anything to indicate its history. Next to it, an old old church fallen into even greater disrepair...

Here is the circle with the 3 old churches.  Did villagers once walk here to Dixon Springs to come to church?  Were these churches a Methodist, a Baptist, and a Lutheran?  All within a few steps of one another ... did all the worshipers get along ... did they have a local church alliance all working in unity?

5.  When we reached home that evening, we had our first chili of the season.  A perfect fall day ...

6.  (bonus #1) I got to spend a day with my youngest chicklet that left the nest.  I just wish I could have had a day to spend with my chicklet that is in Oklahoma as well..

7.  (bonus #2) Love this quote from Beth Moore:

"Sometimes you need to praise first, and then you feel it later."

I wrote the above in community with the Friday's Fave Five bloggers.  You can link up at Susanne's blog, Living to Tell the Story.