Priscilla Shirer Live – Coming to Second Baptist, Warner Robins, GA

I am very excited to announce that my church (Second Baptist, Warner Robins, GA) will be hostessing PRISCILLA SHIRER LIVE…and it’s a YEAR away! However, our Women’s Ministry Team (Cindy, Teresa, Jennifer, and me…love these girls!) are getting geared up and prayed up and fired up! We will be putting together a BIG CORE TEAM as well for this event, so stay tuned here on my blog, and on Facebook and Twitter! Priscilla is a tremendous teacher of the Word of God and is so genuine. WE LOVE HER BIBLE STUDIES! I’ve given her a title that to me fits her so well. “Queen of Analogies.”  She can make a concept so clear and plain by the wonderful way she weaves a day-to-day analogy to the spiritual teaching she is expounding upon.  So mark your calendars and save the date for August 22-23, 2014!  To attend, you must register through the LIFEWAY EVENTS link.

A little unknown fact to many people is very special to us at Second Baptist.  We heard Priscilla speak at a retreat we attended at Callaway Gardens, Georgia about 12 years ago.  We loved her so much we invited her to come share at an in-house women’s retreat at our church.  She came and we loved her even more…and especially when she told us she was three months along in her first pregnancy.  Now she is the proud momma of three sons!  God is so good.

This following description is from the Lifeway site:

Ever feel like you’re in a rut? Whether you need inspiration or a challenge, Priscilla Shirer Live will snap you out of routine faith. Priscilla’s ministry to women around the world focuses on the expository teaching of the Word of God. She desires to see women come to a full understanding of who they are in Christ by hearing the uncompromising truth of Scripture. With passionate Bible teaching from Priscilla and worship by Anthony Evans, you don’t want to miss this intimate and inspiring event for women of every age, culture, and background.

Thankful, blessed to serve, and praying for Priscilla Shirer Live! 

Jan

 

Share

1,000 GIFTS, #770 to #785

Life is good because God is good. I’m very thankful (currently overwhelmed by His grace) as I sit here on a rainy Monday evening continuing this compilation of counting gifts to one thousand. I’ve scrolled back through these gifts several times and it brings me so much JOY to do so. To see His Hand, His faithfulness to undeserving me.
770. Something I don’t talk about much here is my “day job,” but I’m grateful to have one. I will testify that it has not been easy to be a pastor’s wife who works full time outside the home. His Grace has kept me going. In the early days I did it to help meet financial needs in our family. Even then God provided a job to this momma so I could be close to my boys and not miss any of their activities as I’ve worked in our local school system. They’ve long been out of school, but I’m still there…by God’s grace.
771. Two young couples I know expecting babies this winter each found out their unborn babies are boys…exactly the desires of their hearts. I’m happy with them.
772. My blog title is Gran Jan’s JOY, so it should be no secret by now that my grandchildren are just that. And most especially when one of them is enjoying a cupcake at her big brother’s Spiderman party. Delight. Miracles all of them. His Grace.
773. The birthday boy with the Spiderman cake. He is so precious. He thinks Spiderman kills spiders and we love him for it.
774. So thankful for my new Serger and looking forward to the sewing I want to do for my granddaughters. It finishes seams like a dream.
775. I came home from a women’s ministry team meeting one night and my husband had made jalepeno cornbread. From my recipe. It was delicious. It is now his job.  I love him so much.
776. Going to choir rehearsal and working on this music…JOY as I think about God sending His Son to earth…His Grace coming down.
777. Yesterday was one of the sweetest days in our church. Our pastor preached a powerful message from the book of Joshua on the power of a changed life – Rahab. Then last night we came together and witnessed the baptism of 16 people as they each shared  testimonies ending with “I am Not Ashamed.” It was tender and emotional and a night of praise. I love my church. Thank you David Falldine for this photo…
778. Music is such a gift of His grace. Being married to a worship pastor is pure JOY to me. I love what Gary gets to do and he loves what God has called him to do. This song has ministered to our church family so much in worship…Ten Thousand Reasons.
779.  Fresh okra from the garden…one of the last vegetables of summer.

780. Pickled okra made from my friend Lanie’s recipe. My friend Leah in North Georgia and I love making squash pickles – wonder if Leah makes okra pickles? 🙂

781. Looking forward to Fall and the sweet potatoes growing in my garden and wishing the little bunny that keeps eating the green vines would seriously stop it.
782. A phone call from this sweet saint, Esther Burroughs. She is planning to come speak to a group of worship pastor’s wives next February 2013. We were talking about the event as my sweet husband is helping sponsor the Metro II Conference in beautiful Savannah, GA. I can hardly wait for our time together.
783. Early mornings in the Word with song #13 on repeat. “Thanks Be To Our God.”  Actually counting His gifts of grace as Travis Cottrell sings them. These lyrics are a balm.
784. One of the best ladies events I have ever attended just this past weekend, Living Proof Live in Charleston. SC with 50 ladies from my home church and 9,000 total in attendance. This event requires a blog post all it’s own. Soon. “Embracing the Facing” was Beth Moore’s teaching topic from Genesis 31-32 – Jacob and Esau. It was strong and good.
785. Hearing my little grandson Jackson telling the story of Adam and Eve, of Naaman, and Jonah from his Jesus Storybook Bible. One of the blessings of this season of life is seeing the spiritual development of my grandchildren and being thankful for their parents (our children) raising them up in the LORD.
Count your own blessings my friends – whether you record them this way or use the iPhone app that Ann Voskamp has or whether you treasure them in your heart…keep counting His goodness to you. He is a Great and Mighty God.
Share

1,000 GIFTS, #579 to #594

Another Multitude Monday, and I am having a “memory lane” moment right this very moment. I began this journey of counting His grace gifts to 1,000 last year while attending a conference for worship pastors with my husband. My very first list is right here and here I am again…attending the Metro Worship Pastor’s Conference right now in Texas. GRACE.

579. I’m sitting in the lobby of the conference hotel and I love the sounds I’m hearing right now…the booming voices of the worship pastors all around me shouting greetings to one another as they are arriving…”hello brother,” “how are you,”  “how is your family,”  “good to see you.”  I love the family of God and I wish you could be in the meetings when these guys sing…a foretaste of glory divine. (Music people are wonderfully loud…in my observation.)

580. Just this morning my husband was in the conference hotel lobby talking to Ryan Dahl, the founder of Praise Charts Publishing. Gary shared an email with Ryan that our son Jeremy had written him (Gary) recently about the blessing of being raised up singing hymns…which led to Ryan writing a blog post on the spot – it was one of those God-ordained moments that has already set the tone (pun intended) for this week. You can read the email and the blog post by clicking here.

581. The great joy to worship yesterday morning at Prestonwood Baptist Church.  What a church! They celebrated 797 people saved on Easter Sunday last week. WRAP YOUR HEART AROUND THAT! The preaching by Dr. Graham was great (a message on leadership), the worship was amazing, and the people were so friendly. We sat with our dear friends Jack and Sharon Price (Prism Music). When you never get to sit in church with your husband, it means so much to just sit WITH him in a worship service.

582. It was a blessing to celebrate our Lord’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday – and the GREATER JOY is that we are able to celebrate His Victory over death, hell, and the grave every single day. Hallelujah what a Savior. These are my three grands in their Easter finery…Zeke in his “theer thucker thuit” and Madie and Jackson.  Gran Jan’s JOY!

 
 

583. This is my family…the “Real Maloys.”  My parents, me, my sisters Joan and Jo. I love these people with all my heart. We were all together Easter weekend (Jo’s birthday).

584. I often write and share about the joy and blessing of being a country dweller, but I’m very serious when I say it is a gift of God’s Grace to come home to the quiet of the country. Yes, we drive a bit further, but the solitude is worth the travel time…it’s peaceful here with front porch time;


585. Peaceful with garden time (which happens to be therapy to me – honestly it does);

586. Genesis 1:29
 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb
that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth,
and every tree whose fruit yields seed;
to you it shall be for food.

587. Chicken yard time…I love all their various clucking “sounds” and funny ways.

588. And I love their contribution to our family breakfast time…who knew a dozen eggs would fit in my husband’s John Deere cap? 🙂  I forgot to get the basket from my mom.

589. I’m working on a baby quilt for a long, long, awaited baby. God is good and Heather and Bubba are going to be wonderful parents to their baby girl…due to arrive in June. I’m thankful for my new found love of quilting and the gift of grace in their lives too.
590. There is a willow tree on the banks of our pond that Zeke and I like to sit under and have picnics when he comes to the farm. I am calling it the Picnic Willow and I love to spend time with my grandchildren.

591. My friend Lanie made a quilt to raise funds for cancer research. She herself is an ovarian cancer survivor.  God is so good – she brought this quilt to our James Bible study last week and we were talking about the power of prayer and healing from James 5.

592. This past Friday at work was wear purple for “Military Child Appreciation Day,” and these are some of my wonderful coworkers – my work family. We live and work in a military town and are blessed and thankful for our armed forces and their contributions to our daily lives. This is a great bunch of purple-wearing folks!

593. This is my Dad and his great-granddaughter, my granddaughter Miss Madie. My dad had 8 sisters (he is lone survivor in his family of origin, which included 11 children, 8 girls and 3 boys), and he is the father of four girls (I am the eldest), so it didn’t take too much for this sweet little girl to win his heart. 

594. This is the first of my daylilies to begin to show signs of blooming. I can’t wait and love to “come to the garden alone…” like the old hymn says. 

Speaking of “showing signs of blooming and growth,” I am asking the Good LORD to be with all of us at the Metro Worship Conference and I need to log off and take care of some things…I am praying for all that God has in store for me, that I will BE a blessing to others and that God will speak to my heart in the deepest places…I am so thankful for His grace.

Jan

Share

1,000 GIFTS, #11 to #23

Multitude Monday is here again, bringing with it the wonderful joy of counting gifts as encouraged by Ann Voskamp in her wonderful blog, A Holy Experience. I am also reading her book One Thousand Gifts  and there is a Book Club that will bless you greatly with weekly video discussions from Ann herself! I am on my way to counting gifts, as the author says, the graces of daily living. This week, I am going to count my blessings in pictures…all taken this past week on my Blackberry phone.


11. Sunday dinner with these two sweet girls last week while in Birmingham for a worship pastor’s conference with my husband. Here are Robyn, Sophie, and me. DELIGHT!

12.  A wonderful light and fluffy snowfall while in Birmingham…good for writing in mine and my sweetheart’s initials…on the hood of his truck!
13.  A snowy night…the view from our room at the Conference Center.
14.  Homemade buttermilk biscuits…my maternal grandmother’s recipe.

15.  Green cabbages harvested from my garden this past Saturday, 2-12-11
16.  A fire in my outside fire pit (a Christmas gift from my husband) this weekend…with a good cup of coffee and precious conversation with that sweet man…

17.  The sweetness of fruit and a grandboy who peeled his first clementine…all by himself!
18.  Hens on our farm, now producing eggs daily!
19.  These Valentine’s Day flowers were on my desk this morning when I arrived at work. My sweet husband had delivered them on his way to the church where he serves as worship/executive pastor. Pale pink and highly scented…my favorite.
20. Grandboy Zeke opening his Valentine’s Day card from Pop & Gran Jan…
21. Granddaughter Madie opening her Valentine’s Day card from Pop & Gran Jan…
22.  Grandboy Jackson opening his Valentine’s Day card from Pop & Gran Jan…
23.  A Valentine’s Day card from my husband, full of promises made and kept…

Grace-filled week and I thank you Father for all of the above, and for all that is yet to come, because of Your sweet grace…

 
Share

The Life of a Minister’s Wife

Part 1:
The Life of a Ministers Wife – part 1 from stephen proctor on Vimeo.
Part 2:
The Life of a Ministers Wife – part 2 from stephen proctor on Vimeo.
Part 3:
The Life of a Ministers Wife – part 3 from stephen proctor on Vimeo.

Share