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!!

Chicken Vegetable Soup

I know it is time for warm weather and cookouts but I don't think mother nature got the memo. So with all the colds going around, I thought I would share one of my favorite soup recipes. My mother taught me and it is a great way to get the veggies in your kids. Hope all of you are feeling well but if not this soup will help.

8-10 chicken tenders
1 stick butter
salt and pepper
1 chopped yellow onion
4-6 peeled and chopped potatoes
1 can of Rotel
1 can of tomato sauce
2 or more cups of chicken broth
1 can drained green beans
1 can drained sliced carrots
1 can drained lima beans
1 can drained golden corn
1 c. elbow macaroni
1/2 head of green cabbage, chopped

In a 9"X13" pan, cook chicken tenders with a stick of butter and salt/pepper covered for 1 hour at 350*. Cool and cut into small chunks. Keep in butter until needed. In a stew pot, saute onion and potatoes in 2 Tbs. of olive oil. Cook until onion is tender. Potatoes will not be completely cooked. Add rotel, tomato sauce, chicken broth, green beans, carrots, lima beans and corn. Add salt and pepper again to taste. Bring to a simmer. Add macaroni and cook until almost done. Then add cabbage and chicken with all the butter and juices. Continue to cook until cabbage is wilted and flavors combine. Serve with cornbread. Yummy!!

He Never Changes!

Last night during Praise and Worship I was feeling low. I know we have all had one of those days where you don't know why but you just feel bummed. Well, that was my day yesterday. As we began to sing the last song, I felt the Lord speak to my very core. No matter what kind of day we have, He never changes. When you feel weak, He reamains strong. When you feel hopeless, He is still the God of hope. When you feel sick, He is still your Healer. He is never changing. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Isn't that comforting? It doesn't matter what you think, feel or see. God has never left your side and He is in control. The world around us is constantly changing. Things in this life are often like a roller coaster ride. But your Heavenly Father is riding the same ride with you. In fact, He is even in the same car. I woke up this morning at 6 a.m. My eyes just popped open and so I began to pray for all the people I knew were needing a miracle. Before 8 a.m. this morning, I had received 3 phone calls. One was informing me that my friend's baby was being air-lifted to Lubbock. The next call was that another friends step father had passed away at 2 a.m. And then my cell phone began to beep. I rushed over to find a text that said my girlfriend that had a tumor removed from her skull yesterday, was being taken back into surgery because of blood clots. This was all before I even brushed my teeth. Later in the day I talked to a friend who just lost her brother and her father due to cancer. And 30 minutes ago I received another phone call. Last nights praise report has become an urgent prayer request today. A little 2 1/2 year old boy has an unexplained medical condition that is affecting his oxygen levels. I tell you all that to say this. I sit here in this chair amazed at how I feel. Normally I would be a ball of nerves. But by the grace of God I am full of peace. No, I don't understand. Yes, I want a miracle in each one of these stories. But I will not be shaken. I will not be overwhelmed. The enemy wants me to be frazzled. He wants you to be frazzled as well. But if our God never changes and He holds us all in the palm of His hand. Why should we fall apart? He is God and He is good. So all I am going to do is Pray and Believe. Will you do the same?

What is God saying?

Well, I am reading another book. I go through seasons of reading everything I can get my hands on and then I won't pick up a book for months. A couple of days ago I was reading a book by Beth Moore called, "When Godly People Do Ungodly Things." There was one particular paragraph that caught my attention. Beth Moore gave a warning to all of us who have been called to speak to the Body of Christ. She said that we must be cautious to remember that God doesn't just want to talk through us. He wants to talk to us. When we stop letting God speak to us, it is only a matter of time before He will stop speaking through us. This statement hit me right between the eyes. I think this is true for everyone. When we stop letting God speak to us, it affects our ability to make a Godly impact on others. It is so easy to tell myself, "Heather, you have done enough. You have been in church twice this week and you have prayed for many people." I can then get real lazy in my personal prayer and study time. But how can I expect to give to others when I am empty myself. This past year I have gone through a lot in my private life. During this time God showed me a picture of my life. It was a water pitcher turned on its side laying in a puddle of liquid. The Lord spoke to my heart and said, "Heather this is you. You are trying to give to so many people but you are empty." He said, "Let me sit you back up and fill your cup so that you may give again." These past 6 months I have been very selfish with my time. I have had to take care of my walk with the Lord. We can get so busy doing for God that before we know it we are drained of everything we have to give. We are then no good to anyone. I challenge myself and you as well. Don't lose focus of your private time with God. Make the time to hear His voice. Make the time to be filled back up. I heard someone say once that we are to be a river not a reservoir. We are to be filled so we can pour out. But don't pour yourself out and stay empty. God wants to use you but more importantly he wants to be with you. Many times throughout the Gospels Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, Let them hear." Are you listening? Make sure you take the time to do so.

The View From My Seat!

What an amazing Sunday and Monday service. Once again, Praise and Worship was incredible. Lesley's song before Ty spoke was just beautiful. I think of how blessed we are to have such an incredible team of musicians. Our volunteers were all working so hard this weekend. They work so hard because they love to serve. They give unselfishly of their time and energy. Not to mention the thirty people that showed up on Saturday to clean the church and the surrounding area. Eggs were stuffed, stage was mopped, trashcans cleaned, litter picked up, classrooms organized, wood was dusted and the list continues. All I can say is,"Wow." The church never ceases to amaze me. And then there is the Word that Ty delivered. I have never heard salvation explained that way. But it is so true. I personally know many people who refuse to give their life to Christ because of obstacles. They have unanswered questions that "seem" too big for God. Therefore, how can they give their life to Him? If you can't wrap your head around certain things, can you possibly trust God with your LIFE? Ty made the point that if you would start with a personal relationship first, then the obstacles wouldn't seem so big after all. It is all about making Christ personal. He is not just "his" God but He is "my" God too. When things become personal it becomes a matter of the heart instead of the head. I swear the mind is one of our biggest enemies. I just recently finished reading, "Battlefield of the Mind," by Joyce Meyer. If you are like me and you struggle with your thoughts, I highly recommend reading this book. We can't serve God with our mind and be successful. Faith is not logical and yet as Christians we know that it works. But until you take a blind step you will never experience the fullness found in Christ. Faith first Answers second. Get a hold of your mind and give God your heart.