Scripture Memory Team Verse 9 – May 1, 2015

May 5, 2015 9:14 AM 0

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Things are hard in our country, our world. Just the past week…the awful riots in Baltimore over the death of a young man while in police custody, the tragic loss of thousands of lives in Nepal due to an earthquake, our Supreme Court attempting to decide or rather “redefine” marriage. This I know and this I believe with all my heart – God is not asleep and He is on His throne. He knows the score and He is in charge. He will sort it all out one day and I must trust and pray.

Ephesians 4:3
Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit,
binding yourselves together with peace.

I know I’m not home yet…I’m a sojourner here. But I want to be united and at peace with others, by His Spirit – until that appointed day He calls for me. We must bind ourselves together. This verse says to “make every effort.” That means we have to be earnest, diligent and purposeful in our living. This is a challenge I face every single day. Memorizing the Word of God helps me in this EFFORT.  And God is so good to bring passages of scripture to my heart and mind in ways that I know He is leading, guiding.

Jesus be near,

GRANJAN

 

 

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TASTING GRACE – A Mentoring Ministry in the Kitchen!

April 30, 2015 12:57 PM 6

Psalm 34:8
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

Even with all the ways for people to connect through social media nowadays, nothing replaces a face-to-face conversation. And there is something REALLY special about gathering around a good meal at the table. TASTING GRACE wants to do just that! TASTING GRACE is a new ministry of encouragement for women of all ages to connect and share together while learning cooking (and life) skills. My sweet friend Jan Hamil and I are so enjoying this outreach. The book of Titus exhorts the older women to teach the young! We get together and cook and talk and laugh and share. I’ve heard many women say over the years that the “quilting bees” of long ago were good for women to share and connect, and it wasn’t all about the quilting! Women need women like never before in our social media driven society. I’m thankful to have the blessing of sharing my life’s experiences (and love for cooking) with these precious young women. When I was a young pastor’s wife I had the same blessings from older women in my life, but we didn’t know it was mentoring. We were just doing life and it happened along the way, nothing forced or organized. It was just the pure joy of coming alongside another woman to be an encourager. You can’t get that from a computer screen, or texting, or an iPhone chat. I certainly don’t want to take away from modern technology, because I sure do love my convection oven, Kitchen Aid stand mixer, dishwasher, and air conditioning! We wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun at TASTING GRACE if we’d had to chop wood to load the stove before making these biscuits! Can I get a witness? 🙂 But these are GIRLs – Girlfriends In Real Life!

These pictures are from my church’s (Second Baptist)   April 11, 2015 session of TASTING GRACE in one of our big old church kitchens. Learning to make homemade biscuits was on the menu. [Our Winter session included two different soups, cornbread, and a delicious Honeybun Cake.] Our devotional was from John 6 where Jesus talks about the True Bread of Life! We are meeting again in July and October also with much deliciousness and delightful conversations planned.

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TASTE & SEE THAT THE LORD IS GOOD!

GRANJAN

 

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Scripture Memory Team Verse 8 – April 15, 2015

April 16, 2015 10:28 AM 0

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I am moving along in my journey of participating with the SIESTA SCRIPTURE MEMORY TEAM 2015! The verse The Lord led me to for this go-round is from the New Testament Book of JAMES, my husband Gary’s favorite book of the Bible. One of the best Bible studies I’ve ever completed was entitled JAMES: MERCY TRIUMPHS by author and teacher Beth Moore [her ministry, Living Proof Ministries, is also the founder/sponsor of the Scripture Memory Team].  I remember my friend and partner in women’s ministry at Second Baptist Church, Cindy Schult, saying, “I feel as if we are leaving behind a dear friend,” when we completed the study on that last night. It was a tremendous study and we all learned so much. Here is my memory verse from the 19th verse of that first chapter, taken from the Amplified Bible.

James 1:19 – Amplified Bible (AMP)
Understand [this], my beloved brethren.
Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener],
slow to speak,
slow to take offense and
to get angry.

I had a friend send me a tweet regarding this verse saying “this is a hard one to live by.” A text conversation with another dear friend earlier yesterday shared the same sentiment when I texted her the verse. Let’s break it down:

QUICK TO HEAR [A READY LISTENER]
I am not quick to hear because I often find myself formulating my response to the person talking to me rather than really listening to them. I am over 10 months into my new position and I’ve had to do a lot of listening, more than ever. So it’s safe to say I’ve listened more than talked…at least while I’m at work. True. It’s been hard for me because I am a talker…but I have learned that it takes practice and concentration and intention to really listen. It’s actually hard. Sometimes I want to say, “if you only knew how much I really wanted to say when I was listening…”  I attended a women’s ministry leader’s retreat called “SELAH” this past January 23-24 in the North Georgia mountains. The main speaker gave me a great takeaway. She said we need to W.A.I.T.  Stop and wait and ask yourself, “Why Am I Talking?” W=Why A=AM I=I T=TALKING? Get it? So I typed it out and taped it to the bottom of my computer monitor. It is a trigger for  me when I see it to stop and W.A.I.T. if need be! And it often is!

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SLOW TO SPEAK
If you are practicing the “W.A.I.T.” [Why Am I Talking] discipline, then you are going to be slow to speak. I’m asking the Lord to keep me from the habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion. Give me ears to hear and a heart to just listen…and listen well.

SLOW TO TAKE OFFENSE AND GET ANGRY
The only way to handle being offended and getting angry is by walking daily in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is difficult and only comes about by much prayer. I also believe that growing older and acquiring the wisdom that accompanies aging is a benefit! You’ve seen more and just know when to “pick your battles.”  And always, above all – we must put on love.  Being Christ-like in our response when offended will bring much harvest if the offense is one concerning our faith. I Peter 3:15 talks about always being ready with a response that is gentle and courteous.  If the offense is personal it may be harder especially if it involves your family or friends. The best response is a soft answer and avoidance of anger.

Well, this is a great verse and I pray one that will settle deep in my heart. So now, I’m going to sign off so I don’t have to say, WAIT …”Why Am I Typing?” 🙂

GRANJAN

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Scripture Memory Team Verse 7 – April 1, 2015

April 6, 2015 11:19 AM 0

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Easter is my favorite celebration on the calendar. As we can see in the beauty of Springtime, there is new life everywhere. Easter means everything to all believers in Jesus Christ – our HOPE for Everlasting Life – found only through Christ and His glorious resurrection from the dead. So I chose this verse:

1 Peter 1:3 (HCSB)
Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
According to His great mercy,
He has given us a new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

When I read “according to His great mercy,” I am gripped with thankfulness. Mercy, so underserved – so freely given. New Birth – Living Hope – what great words in this verse! We had a glorious time of worship at my home church yesterday – my husband leading in worship, my son Jonathan participating by leading in worship during the song “Forever.” He did the speaking part like Isaac Wimberley did in this video below:

Hope you all had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday and will continue to enjoy the PROMISE of I Peter 1:3 every day!  This is the LINK FROM LIVING PROOF MINISTRIES with a word from “our sponsor” 🙂 Mrs. Beth Moore.

We Sing Hallelujah, the Lamb Has Overcome,

GRANJAN

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Happy 77th Birthday To My Mom!

March 23, 2015 4:17 PM 2

Happy Birthday to my sweet mama! Lois Clyde Boozer Maloy was born on March 21st at the end of the Great Depression…and she has done a lot of living in her 77 years. My mother is one of the strongest women I know, from a great generation of women. She grew up fast because she had 6 younger siblings to help care for (and one older brother). She went to work after high school and married young too. She had four daughters in 9 years and raised me and my sisters while moving every few years due to my dad’s career in the Marine Corps. She and my dad will celebrate 59 years of marriage this November 23, 2015. My mom was a military wife during the days before E-mail, Facebook, Skype, and Facetime. She took care of us four girls while our Dad was in Vietnam or on duty away for 13 and 14 months at the time. There were many nights as a young girl I would find her up reading his letters and playing sad records on the stereo when she couldn’t sleep.  She sewed and made our clothes. She cooked all our meals and we ate at home together as a family every night. She supported everything we wanted to do – she was even the “Cookie Chairman” when I was in Girl Scouts and we had cases and cases of Girl Scout Cookies in our garage one time. She is a precious lady to so many people and visits the senior adults in our church with a friend of hers on a weekly basis. She works hard in her flower gardens and can keep up with women much younger in age! I’m so proud of her and very thankful to have her in my life. IMG_9232

This is a picture of my parents and me when it was just the three of us…IMG_9238

 Here is my mom during a time my dad was promoted and she was
“helping” pin on his new officer’s bars.
She was always proud of my dad and us girls!IMG_9209

My mom likes to sew and do handwork in the evenings.
Her faithful dog “Dixie” is usually nearby.IMG_9241

She is “Grandmama” to her seven grandchildren:
(Jeremy, Amy, Jonathan, Melissa, Tyler, Payton, and Travis)
and Great-grandmama “Gigi” to six:
(Zeke, Madie, Jackson, Emery, Abe, and Colt).
She is known for her tea parties.
Here she is with Miss Madie Ruth, my oldest granddaughter.IMG_9237

Here she is holding great-granddaughter Miss Emery, my youngest granddaughter.IMG_9240

And here she is with her youngest great grandchild, my youngest grandson, Abe.IMG_9235

She is always up for a road trip and according to my dad if she
doesn’t have to cook supper, that’s even better!
This was made in Savannah on River Street when we had a girls’ weekend.IMG_9236

My parents are two of the finest people the Good Lord ever made
and my sisters and I love them dearly!
Married almost 59 years, they have been a shining light for us all!
Behind every man is a good woman, and my mom is that woman!IMG_9231

This picture was made this past Saturday (on her birthday)
when Mom and I spent the morning together
and she wanted lunch at Steak and Shake.
She received several Happy Birthday phone calls while we were eating!
And let me tell you this great-grandma has an iPhone and she can text and uses Facetime!
She loves to play “Dice With Buddies” with her daughters and granddaughters.

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Happy Birthday Mom!
I love you forever.IMG_9244

I close with this beautiful rendition of
“YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE,”
one of my mom’s favorite songs:

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Scripture Memory Team Verse 6 – March 15, 2015

March 16, 2015 3:13 PM 0

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Proverbs 8:10 (NLT)
Choose my instruction rather than silver,
and knowledge rather than pure gold.

I love this verse, I love the Proverbs. My  husband has been reading through the Proverbs on a daily basis for many years, over and over each month. He always reminds me that never once do you read in Proverbs about people being “too quiet,” but there are plenty of passages with warnings for the wisdom in guarding your mouth and zipping your lips (my wording there). So this go-round I wanted to choose a verse from Proverbs and this one means so much to me for two big reasons right now, today. First, I want to be a wise woman of God. To be wise I know I need to receive instruction from God. That instruction is found in the pages of His Word, the Bible. The next reason is a song I’ve been rehearsing for about a month now. It’s a new beautiful arrangement of a timeless song. Our choir will be singing it this coming Sunday, March 22! I am going to be singing the solo. George Beverly Shea who traveled and sang with the Billy Graham Crusades sang this song all the time. It references that silver and gold mentioned in Proverbs 8:10. It’s an old song written in 1922 by Rhea A. Miller entitled, “I’d Rather Have Jesus.”

I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands;
I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand.

Chorus:
Than to be the king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin’s dread sway;
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;
I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I’d rather have Jesus than worldwide fame;
I’d rather be true to His holy name.

He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;
He’s sweeter than honey from out the comb;
He’s all that my hungering spirit needs;
I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead.

 Blessings to you today,

GRANJAN

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Scripture Memory Team Verse 5 – March 1, 2015

March 1, 2015 9:07 PM 1

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My heart has been stretched with emotional swings this weekend…sorrow from the sadness of a funeral to the joy of a wedding, both events within a few hours yesterday and all with people we’ve known and loved for many years at our home church, Second Baptist, Warner Robins.

We began Saturday morning by attending the funeral of Dirinda Maxwell, a precious 51-year-old woman and friend who lost her battle with cancer. Her service was a true celebration of her life and the confidence that it truly was well with her soul. Dirinda was a cheerful and content woman of faith. Her funeral began with the congregation singing “10,000 Reasons – Bless the Lord,” and ended with “I Will Rise.” Pastor Mike Dorough shared a verse that had blessed Dirinda on her journey the past few months. I immediately knew it was going to be my memory verse for this post today.

Nahum 1:7

The Lord is good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble;
And He knows those who trust in Him.

Here is the link to the Living Proof Ministries post for the Scripture Memory Team, Verse 5 from Beth Moore.

The wedding of Nick and Hannah Prieto was beautiful. Nick is a young worship pastor that we’ve been blessed to know almost his whole life. My husband Gary prayed a blessing over them at the wedding. It brought back so many memories of our wedding. I was a young girl marrying a music man too and I didn’t know much of anything except that I loved him and wanted to spend my life with him. Now almost 38 years later we’ve had a great day at church, he’s still leading worship and he’s still my music man and I still love him with all my heart. God is so good to me.

Love and prayers for the Maxwells and the Prietos tonight. God knows those who trust in Him.  Nahum 1:7

GRANJAN

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