Part Of A Family

I have so many thoughts to blog on that sometimes I don't know if I should journal a thought and keep it private or share it. So today I hope I have made the right decision. Ty and I are going on 10 years that we have been the Pastors of CJC. He had almost two years on me before we married. Before marrying Ty, I was very involved with Christian Center Church. My grandfather started this church in the early 70's and I never knew anything different. So needless to say, attending church has always been a part of my life. I have definitely had moments of frustration, sadness and anger (don't tell anyone). But for the most part I have had many wonderful times working in and with the institutional church. I can't imagine my life without the weekly fellowship I have grown to love. To me church is an avenue to grow, fellowship and serve. There is one thing that has always bugged me. And I would love your thoughts as well. Most people attend their local church to grow in the Word, to say they attended church and to occasionally fellowship with a few close friends. My concern is that many times servanthood is not important to the believer. We get into the mind set that church is here to serve me, to feed me, and to bless me. I am a firm believer that once you receive Christ as your Savior you will begin to grow through serving. I have never wanted to be a part of a local Country Club. I see CJC as a Covert Operation Station. We come together, hear the Word of God, pray, worship and then serve others. I want others to know what I know. If they don't know Christ, I want to help them find Him. The church is a family. They are my family. If you have ever attended church and you never felt a fit, I challenge you to take a step and get involved. Don't show up on a Sunday morning and leave without being noticed. Talk to someone, volunteer your time, share a kind word to someone hurting, pray with someone. Let God use you and be a part of a bigger family. The only benefit I find in having so many churches in one town is that everyone can find someplace to belong. You fit somewhere and you are called to minister to someone. Serve and see your walk grow.

Guest Blogger- La'Jeana Stroh

Luke 6:38
Pressed Down, Shaken Together, and Running Over

First of all I would like to say thank you to Heather for allowing me to post on her blog. I am honored. Today I am sharing a testimony that I hope will be a reminder of the God that we serve. A God that is good and does great things for His people.
Shane and I have taken over the Junction City Kids Church pastor position. This was a giant step for us but it has been a step that was God ordained and I see His fingerprints all over our lives. Not because of who we are but because of who He is through us. It is amazing to see the children at Cowboy Junction learning and growing. If you have children who attend our kids church then please let me take this time to say... Your kids ROCK!! Ok back to the subject!
We had seen a need arise for a keyboard in kids church. Some of the songs that we sing are too fast or just lack the interaction of person with child. I play the keyboard and the wheels began to turn... I NEEDED a keyboard. So like I usually do I tried to make it happen. I talked to Shane and ask him if we could personally purchase a keyboard to use in kids church. Of course he said yes. I found the keyboard I wanted. A Yamaha keyboard with all the bells and whistles.. full size piano keys.. and a new touch sensor that makes it more like a piano than ever! It was awesome. I pushed the add to shopping cart... What comes next you may recognize, " Internet Explorer has encountered a problem" and my entire computer shut down!
For a few more days I wrestled with this purchase. By the way this is not like me, once I get the Ok from Shane I am typically off and running with any purchase! :)
That night I was at Clay's "my son's" baseball game when I got a call from Dimitra. She is the guitarist from the worship team and she told me she had a keyboard in her back seat. What!! Was she serious. She said she didn't know how nice it was but that she had asked a family about it and they said they never play it so it was hers if she wanted it. What!!
I was so excited and thankful I had not gone with MY plan to buy a keyboard. God had a much better plan. Here it comes SO GET READY. When Dimitra showed me the keyboard I took one look at it and I knew... its was exactly the one I had placed in my shopping cart. Other than the color exactly!!
So to tie this story all together and explain my title. God is good! He wants to give us our hearts desires! He wants to bless us above what we could hope or ask for! He wants to bless us pressed down, shaken together, and running over. God bless you!

A Gift!

I am reminded so often of how very blessed that I am. I look at things a bit differently than I ever have before. The other night I was watching a television show with Ty and the boys fell asleep in their beds before I could kiss them goodnight. After the show, I went to my room to get ready for bed. I pulled back the covers and began to get in when I thought about those kisses I missed giving. I was so tired and I knew the boys wouldn't know one way or the other. I didn't get one foot in bed before I thought about how soon these days would be gone. I sprinted to their room to find my two little guys in a deep sleep. I kissed them both and whispered in their ears "I love you". This afternoon was absolutely gorgeous. I planted flowers in my flower beds and used my CJC Mother's Day gloves so that I wouldn't get dirt under my nails. When I finished, I looked over at the freshly cut grass and thought that would be a nice place to rest. I laid back on the prickly green carpet and listened to the birds chirp and looked up at the clearest blue sky. It was incredible. I say all this because here lately I am reminded that every moment without pain is a gift. Every moment with great health is a gift. Every moment that you have your children protected in your arms is a gift. We have so many gifts in our life that we take for granted. Take some time to look around and see what you are missing. Take a long walk and appreciate a windless day. Kiss your husband and be thankful you have someone to curl up to at night. I don't care where you come from or what your situation is, you have been given many gifts. Recognize them, enjoy them and never forget who gave them to you.

Let's Get Away!

Attention All Ladies. Cowboy Junction is planning a Ladies Retreat to Ruidoso. We are leaving Thursday July 8th and planning our return Saturday July 10th. The cost will be $100.00 or less. Price is dependent upon how many ladies sign up. The more ladies we have the bigger the house we must get. It is going to be an amazing time to refresh and come together. Relationships is one of the most important things in life and we need to make time for them. Our accommodations will have a hot tub so swimsuits are optional. Long walks in the mountains and a cup of Joe on the deck. What a better way to start our day than with a morning bible study in the cool pines. PJ's, no make-up and great movies. The list goes on and on. Invite your friends and come join us for a weekend you will be talking about for years to come. Please let me know as soon as possible if you will be joining us. I can hardly wait!!