DAY 37: Don’t Stand Around the Edge of your Life by Mary Pat Palmer

DAY THIRTY-SEVEN: Don’t Stand Around the Edge of your Life by Mary Pat Palmer

Not long ago I heard something profound that I had never been able to put into words. It was in reference to people who stand around the edge of their lives. Wow! I have always been unable to put that feeling into words, but have been guilty of standing around the edge of my own life. I looked into the experiences of my life, but tried to not feel them.

I got up, went to work, helped with homework, cooked supper, attended ballgames, and got in bed only to start it all back up the next day. I was numb. It was easier to be numb than to have feelings about anything. I was afraid to be happy because that could be easily taken away. I was afraid to be excited about anything because that could be jeopardized. I was even afraid to be angry because that hurt too much.

Looking back at that time of my life, I realize that I was broken. I was going through an unwanted divorce, trying to raise a child, and feeling internal conflict at my home church. Satan was talking to my heart and mind saying, “Just stay here on the outside because no one really needs a broken, hurting woman for anything.” I went through the motions of my life, but wouldn’t or couldn’t jump in.

With the benefit of hindsight, I realize that God led me to The Church at Trace Crossing. The people at Trace Crossing don’t mind the baggage you bring in that door with you. In fact, they will help you carry it in the front door (and with an umbrella over your head if it is raining.) It is at Trace Crossing that I figured out what baggage I need to keep and what I need to let go of and give to God to handle.

At Trace Crossing, I have learned how to get back into my life. I don’t stand around the edge wondering what great things my life has to offer. I feel it all now…the good, the bad, and the ugly. The people at Trace helped me realize that I can give all the junk in my life to God and I get back something beautiful. Trace Crossing is definitely a “whosoever church.” In my case, whosoever is broken and afraid to enjoy all the happiness of a life in Christ.

Didn’t Jesus spend most of his time with people who were broken in one way or another?

My Prayer for Trace Crossing:

Dear Father in Heaven,

Continue to be first in the hearts and minds of the people at Trace Crossing. Help us to be persistent and positive as we touch the lives of the hurt and broken. Help us realize that someone walking in those front doors may be carrying some painful baggage. Help us to help them carry it in and give it to God. Help us to be a shining light that is consistently present in the lives of the people we touch each day. We want others to see Christ in us. We want to be that “whosoever church.” In Jesus Name, Amen

DAY 36: "Lessons from an Unusual Relationship" by Tim Williams

DAY THIRTY-SIX: "Lessons from an Unusual Relationship" by Tim Williams

I’m an early-riser and enjoy getting my exercise taking early morning walks. I not only get the physical benefits of walking, but I also enjoy what seems to be a more peaceful and serene part of the day…..Not so much noise, a more relaxed pace, and some pretty awesome morning scenery.

A few weeks ago while walking around a small lake located in the heart of our neighborhood, I noticed a white duck swimming with a Canadian gosling…..The white duck has been around for a while, but the young gosling was a new sight for me; especially in light of the fact I hadn’t seen any Canadian geese around our area for a long time. The young gosling was swimming in the wake of the larger white duck who was leading him around and quacking out instructions of some sort the whole time.

Over the next few weeks, I watched this strange and unlikely relationship unfold between the white duck and the young gosling. I also would often see residents in our neighborhood at the lake feeding them bread crumbs or crackers. On several occasions, I took our grandchildren down to the lake and would enjoy watching the interaction of the kids with the duck and gosling that had now become comfortable enough to come up on the lake’s bank and take bread right out of your hand; however, the white duck was the obvious protector of the gosling and would always take the lead in any human transactions, quacking all the while and placing himself in between his human visitors and what I now had come to understand was his adopted orphan gosling who had no other leadership other than his fluffy white feathered counterpart……It was really an interesting scenario that I enjoyed watching over the next few weeks.

Each morning as I would go walking, I would find myself on the lookout by the time I got to the lake to see how that “soap-opera” was playing itself out……..I watched the gosling as he grew even larger than his overseer, and becoming ever more bold as he would waddle up alone on the shore, and on some occasions, out into the street, flapping his wings in some sort of morning stretch and exercise……but the white duck was never far away quacking out his instructions and orders in an obvious desire to protect his young charge.

I never figured out how that gosling got to our community lake….Doesn’t really make any difference…..The Lord got him where he needed to be during the time he needed a friend……I was walking one morning and thinking about a funeral service that I would be leading for a 36 year old young mother who had been a member of the youth group in a church I had pastored for 12 years……Another circumstance where I couldn’t quite figure out God’s purpose…….As I was making my way around the streets and cul de sacs in our neighborhood, I heard in that early morning walk the distinct “honking” of a group of Canadian geese……I looked over some rooftops of homes on the lake and saw a flight of geese lifting up into the sky, and I thought, “Gosh, I haven’t seen any Canadian geese flying over this stretch of sky in a long, long time….What are they doing here?”……….And of course, it hit me like a rock: “Could they possibly have stopped and picked-up this lone goose and taken him with them to wherever it is they go?”

I jogged to the lake to see if I would find the strange duo that I had grown so accustomed to seeing over the last few weeks floating together through the water..………But there it was…………one lone white duck ………”Very sad” is what I thought and what I felt…..He’s all alone……..I watched him for a few minutes as he paddled around, seemingly undisturbed by the fact that his buddy was no longer around……….I walked around the lake that morning just to be sure that what I thought had happened had actually happened……….No Canadian goose was anywhere in sight…

That morning, I felt as though the Lord taught me several lessons and provided me with the thoughts I needed to get through the funeral service I would be preaching in a few hours:

First of all, we’re never alone……..God has promised to never leave us nor forsake us…….Wherever our travels in life may take us, the love of a heavenly Father can be experienced in our acts of love to others, and in receiving the acts of love that the Lord provides to us through others.

Secondly……God has a “place” for us in this world……..We are not here by accident or coincidence, but by divine appointment and providence……For those in Christ, we understand that we are on mission as ambassadors in His Kingdom to bring Him glory……..He gives us a “place” to accomplish that…….Glennis and I are thankful that one of the “places” the Lord has sent us is to Trace Crossing to join hands with other believers in the many facets of growing in His grace and knowledge and in serving in His community.

Thirdly……..While God indeed has a “place” for us while we are “in” this world……we should never forget that we are not “of” this world……..God has created us to be “lifted up” into His likeness and into eternal fellowship with Him and to those that belong to Him……..There is a day when everything in this life is over…….God has ordered our steps and numbered our days in this world; but a time will come for all of us when we hear our Master call us to come home. In the meantime, take your place at the table of fellowship and celebrate LIFE.

By the way……..my little buddy at the lake has a new friend……a white feathered fluffy duck just like him…………quacking, waddling, and swimming together…….I have no idea how that duck got there, but I know that the Lord has provided……He always does……because He cares for us.

My prayer for Trace Crossing:
Father, help us to see in the world around us the lessons You are teaching. Remind us of Your constant presence, help us see our mission in the environments in which you have placed us, and remind us of our heavenly identity. Also, help us to be unlikely friends to whosoever. Amen.

DAY 35: "Mini People, One Passion" by Kevin Wood

DAY THIRTY-FIVE:

“Mini People, One Passion” by Kevin Wood

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. Psalm 68:5

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

I’ve seen it a thousand times – literally – the face of a little boy or little girl left behind in a Ukrainian orphanage. I made my first trip to Ukraine in May 2004 and fell in love with a little girl named Julia and her brother Costya who were living at a small orphanage in a tiny village. I wanted to adopt them but I was too young according to government standards. My heart broke – literally – as I left them behind in their overcrowded conditions wanting so badly to rescue them from that place.

Since that first trip in 2004, I have returned four other times. The most recent trip was just last week when eight of us went from Trace Crossing. I think I can speak for the group when I say this, but all of us were moved beyond belief at what we experienced. There is just no way to put into words what your eyes see and what your heart feels when you are surrounded by such incredible need. When you look in the face of a child who has been abandoned by a mother or forgotten by a father, it simply breaks your heart. You want to hold them. You want to love them. You want to adopt them. All of them. But you simply can’t. And that’s the paralysis your spirit feels – hopelessness and helplessness to change these children’s lives for the long term. So you simply do what you can – you love them as strongly as possible for the time that you do have, and try to block out the thought of the time that you won’t have.

I have a dozen pictures of Trace Crossing folks doing just that. Stephanie Foreman with her arms wrapped around a precious little girl who’d been abandoned just a few weeks before. Her daughter Katherine cheek to cheek with another little girl whose head had been shaved recently to make sure she didn’t have any lice. Michelle Taylor and Kirksey Taylor, another mother and daughter team, smiling and embracing girls and boys as if they had always been a part of the Taylor family. Even Drew Love and Kevin Fulgham got into the action, thumb-wrestling boy after boy after boy because in the language of an orphan, thumb-wrestling is still a deep form of affection. And I will never forget Daniel Monaghan’s tear-filled eyes as we gathered to pray one night and he asked, “Why? Why God does this happen to these kids?”

As we finished our final orphanage visit on Thursday, I looked at the room packed with 70 children ages 3 to 13. There were some beautiful kids in that room. About halfway through our program, a couple from Texas walked in and sat down next to a little boy. They had been trying to adopt him for 11 months and were approaching the final steps of the process. You could see the joy on their face. You could feel the joy in his heart. I wish I had taken a picture. One child rescued from that orphanage. 69 to go.

The reason I wrote this is just to say, I pray our church has a passion for these little kids – these “mini people”. Every week our worship guide has a phrase on the front that says, “Many People, One Passion.” I want to change that just a bit for today to “Mini People, One Passion”. That passion is to remember those forgotten by earthly fathers & families and let them know about a Heavenly Father & a faith family who longs to love them deeply. I look forward to leading more trips of Trace Crossing people to do exactly what we did this past week – to show “mini people” that we have “one passion” – knowing Christ’s love and showing Christ’s love to little kids who desperately need it.

I could write a 100 more pages but I don't want to be known as the longest blogger on here. I will leave that honor to Wayne Foreman and Shane Robbins.

Read Psalm 68:5, Psalm 82:3, and James 1:27. That explains it. Let’s do that.

If you want to see more pictures of the Ukraine trip, then please visit our website at http://www.tracecrossing.org/default.aspx?pid=98.

My Prayer for Trace Crossing:

Father of the Fatherless, make us a people whose hearts break when we see the needs of the poor both at home and around the world. Let us be a people who weep deeply for widows and orphans. Let us never grow tired of taking up the cause of this world's fatherless children, teaching them and showing them that there is a Heavenly Father who will never abandon them. We were all orphans once, until you came and rescued us by the work of your only Son on the cross. And by his blood we are forgiven, we are free, and we are family - adopted by grace. Help us to never forget that. Help us to never forget them. Keep us from wasting our lives on useless pleasures. Keep us from wasting your resources on useless treasures. Make it our pleasure to spread your treasure to those who need it most in this world. Never let us hoard it for ourselves. Show us how to be as extravagantly gracious and giving as you are. By Your Grace. For Your Glory. Amen.

DAY 34: STRAIGHT TO THE THRONE by Susan Bouchillon

DAY THIRTY-FOUR: STRAIGHT TO THE THRONE by Susan Bouchillon

It's been almost 2 years ago now since I sat at Harvey's having lunch with my friend, Emma Kate. Most of our conversation revolved around Trace Crossing, this "new church" that was starting in Tupelo. I had somewhat followed the birth of Trace and even prayed for the families involved in the early stages, but was eager to hear so much more about it.

I asked question after question and Emma Kate patiently responded. Where are you meeting? Do you guys have a pastor? Being part of music programs in the previous churches I had attended, one of my questions was, "Who is leading the music?" (I think I really asked who the choir director was!) She told me his name was Kevin Williams. She also told me that the lucky folks who'd witnessed Kevin leading worship said, "Kevin Williams will lead you straight to the Throne." After our lunch I couldn't wait to visit this Church at Trace Crossing. I do say visit because that is what we intended to do. After that very first visit we knew that this place was where we wanted to call home.

As I said, that was almost 2 years ago. Each and every Sunday we attend church and gather with wonderful friends. We pray with those in need. We receive prayers, hugs and comfort when we are the ones in need. We hear an awesome Biblically based sermon from an anointed pastor sent from God. And... our hearts are prepared for worship by Kevin Williams. I have been moved to tears by his passion for Christ and the way it comes out in his prayers and music. I am so thankful that my family---especially my children--- are learning to truly worship Christ under Kevin's leadership.

I'm not sure who said it but they were indeed right...thanks Kevin for leading us to the throne.

My Prayer for Trace Crossing

Dear Heavenly Father,

I am so thankful for The Church at Trace Crossing. Thank you so much for blessing us with such wonderful staff and leaders who never seem to tire from doing your work. We feel so fortunate to be a part of a congregation who truly loves you and others. Thanks for allowing us to be in a place that lets us worship you so freely. May we always realize that it is indeed all about you. We love you Father. Amen

DAY 33: “The Stars” by Michael Campbell

DAY THIRTY-THREE: “The Stars” by Michael Campbell

James 4:8- Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

I love the amazing beauty the sky beholds, especially the stars. They are so amazing to me, to think that God placed each one exactly where it is and He knows exactly how many there are, how they are truly so big, but we see them as so small. As a kid, I remember being outside at night just staring at God’s awesome creation, but a time I will never forget is when I saw the stars over Wyoming. I was with a group that was learning how to be cowboys: we rode horses, cooked over an open fire, and slept under the stars. I remember finally lying down from a long day of riding and taking care of the horses, and seeing the most beautiful night sky I ever laid eyes on. I made the comment to our trail boss (who was a lot like Curly from the movie City Slickers), “Man, I sure wish we had stars like this back in Mississippi.” In a very simple way he said something that was so profound to me “Boy, you got the same exact stars as anyone else does. You just got more stuff between you and them stars.” His words were so true that night and are so true for many of us believers.

James 4:8 tells us that if we simply draw near to God, He will likewise draw near to us. God is a lot like those stars. He is always there and He is the same today as He was yesterday and as He will be tomorrow. God wants to have a relationship with us, a relationship that is more amazing than the stars themselves, but instead we choose to fill our lives with distractions and put up barriers that keep us from seeing God for who He truly is. We hurry through life and don’t take the time we need to truly seek after Him. In my own life, I battle with FOCUSING ON GOD. I, like many of us, live life in the fast lane and have many irons in the fire, which cause my spiritual eyes to be blinded to what God has for me and my life. God comforts us with this promise by saying that if we will stop being distracted by our jobs, our hobbies, our worries, our wants, our fears, our desires, and just simply seek after Him, then He will be faithful to meet with us, show Himself to us and allow us to see what He has for us. God cannot tell a lie which means that my God means business when He says this.

To truly see the stars the way God intended takes a little work on our part as well. You can’t see them just anywhere… You have to find a place that doesn’t have distractions in the way, blocking them out. It also takes a little work on our part to receive this promise. We have to get to a place in our own lives that is cleansed and purified. James tells us that for us to draw near to God, we must first cleanse our hands and purify our hearts. For us to approach God, we must recognize our sins and distractions, confess them and lay them to the side. So I ask you, are you able to see “The Star” in your life, or is there too much “stuff” in the way?

My prayer for Trace Crossing:
Father God, I thank you for your beauty and amazing power that is displayed in Your creation. And Lord, You are our Creator and I pray that as believers and members of this faith family, we are striving each and every day to meet with You and draw near to You. Lord, it is my plea that you remove any distractions or barriers that we have as individuals or as a faith family that would keep us from seeing You and drawing near to You. And God, I pray that You would cleanse us and purify us so we can step boldly into Your presence and that the world around us would see You through us. Amen.

DAY 32: "The Weakest Link" by Tami Scott

DAY THIRTY-TWO: “The Weakest Link” by Tami Scott

I’ve done a number of Bible studies over the years ~ some with just ladies and some with my husband in a life group, but most of them only partially completed. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve attended every meeting ever scheduled.

Once we become believers, we find that walking with God takes quite a bit of work. Starting a new Bible study is easy and exciting. It’s sticking with it and finishing that’s the hard part.

God desires to have a relationship with us. I’ll be honest with you ~ if given the chance, I’ll take the easy way out on just about anything. I’ll be the first to admit I have a tendency to spread myself too thin and in the end my study time and prayer time with God are greatly affected because of the choices I’ve made. I’ve come to the realization though, that the only path to true fulfillment is to be completely His. If I truly want that relationship with God, then why wouldn’t I do all I can to learn more about Him?

This past Sunday, Kevin made reference to two things in his sermon. One was, “It’s time to step it up!” I highly doubt he was talking to me, but he does have this way about him that makes you feel that way. The second thing he mentioned was about not being passive. I have taught elementary school for 16 years and that’s the one thing you will constantly hear me say in my classroom, “Be active, not passive.” It’s amazing that I can go over this day in and day out with my students yet find difficulty in following through with it myself. I’m always encouraging my students to be active learners and search for the answers instead of allowing the same ones to always do all the work. In the end when I come to lifegroup without the lessons read or my homework done, isn’t that exactly what I’m doing? Being passive.

I praise God each day for bringing my family to Trace Crossing a year and a half ago. I am so thankful for the friendships that were redeveloped and for the new ones that have been and are still being formed.

We are all on the same team, His team. Thank you to my lifegroup for always being an encourager to me as well as others. Susan B. I appreciate you looking me in the eye and saying, “You’ll only get out of this study what you put into it.” I love you girl! Thank you to my dear friend, Jennie Lee, who will keep me straight when Babylon has me so confused!

As Beth Moore stated at the beginning of this study . . . Continually ask God to grant you “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.” Ephesians 1:17

Alright friends, it’s time to step it up. I refuse to be the weakest link! How about you?

My prayer for Trace Crossing:
Dear Father God, I thank you for this awesome faith family at Trace Crossing. Please continue to guide us so that we may be encouragers to others. I ask that you grant us depth of wisdom and understanding so that we can build that relationship that you long for us to have with you. In Your name I pray, Amen

DAY 31: McKinley Can Come to My Church by Paul Bouchillon

DAY THIRTY-ONE: McKinley Can Come To My Church by Paul Bouchillon

As a young boy growing up in the 1960's, I witnessed quite a bit of change. Many events rocked our society and our nation. Churches were in the forefront of these sweeping changes. Some churches were used as tools for change. Meanwhile other churches stood as barriers to change. One incident that sticks in my mind to this day took place when I was 4 or 5 years old.

An older black man named McKinley Walker used to trim our hedges and do general odd jobs around the house. He was one of the finest people God ever put on the face of this earth. He was gentle and always had time for me. I would always look to see when McKinley was taking a break so I could join him. On this occasion, I invited McKinley to go to church with me. He did not answer me the first few times I asked him. But I persisted to the point where he could tell that my feelings were hurt. In his gentle manner, he placed his hand on my shoulder and told me, "Son, that's nice of you - but I can't go to your church. I have to go to mine." It dawned on me then that even though we were taught that God loves us all, "man" had decided otherwise. From that point forward, I saw the inconsistencies in the church and felt largely that people belonged to the church often times for social or business reasons. The church as I saw it was not the one that Christ established. He turned society and its rules upside down, then paid the price we could not pay by dying on the cross.

Church became an "obligation" as I became a family man - kind of like part of a job description. I began hearing about God planting a hunger in the hearts of a few families in the community to begin a new church. Many of these people I knew. I also knew of their convictions and their passions. But, their preacher was only 28 years old! I did not verbalize this but thought it to myself: "Here's a new guy - a kid - who is full of passion about changing the world but really has no idea about the 'real world' ".

I had the pleasure of going to lunch with Kevin Wood. It did not take long to disspell my prejudice. He was level-headed but passionate. Immediately I felt a bond of trust as we shared who we were. In November 2006 we went to visit and have not looked back. My life and those of my family have never been the same. In fact, during the last year or more, my family and I have gone through some difficult times. Not once did our faith family at Trace Crossing waiver in their genuine love and support. We have never seen such an outpouring of love - that agape love that can only come from our Master. But more importantly, as I see the vision of our church come to fruition, I am witnessing those old, man-made barriers being destroyed. It is a vision that has resonated with me since I was a young boy asking a simple question to an old friend. I thank God that now McKinley can come to my church.

My Prayer for Trace Crossing
Heavenly Father, thank you for inspiring the vision of Trace Crossing, stirring our hearts to live as Christ did, tearing down the barriers, seeking the broken for your Kingdom. Father, may we never lose that original passion you placed in our hearts. For it is in the precious name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

DAY 30: "I'm Not Handicapped" by Christian Williams

DAY THIRTY: "I'm Not Handicapped" by Christian Williams

Today, as Rob Sevilla read the scriptures, I found myself feeling sorry for the crippled lamb, mainly because he wasn’t the “right” kind of sacrifice. A crippled lamb should not be considered a good offering. I know that, but it doesn’t seem fair. I thought, “Hey, he can’t help that he can’t walk!” I know most people feel sorry for the spotless one that is sacrificed. I, however, can relate to the cripple.

Many of you know that I was diagnosed with a rare eye disease at age 19. Prior to that time, I did things just like everyone else. I really struggled with the “handicapped” label. The truth is, I needed some help because I was a sophomore in college and my detail vision had diminished greatly. As a result, I had trouble reading small print. Student services let me take tests in a nice quiet room. They would enlarge the print for me and give me unlimited time to finish. Richard Carley, my case worker, looked me in the eye one day and said “I know you don’t like it, but you are going to have to face the fact that you are handicapped.” I was so upset that I couldn’t stop shaking. Sometimes truth not only hurts, it makes you angry.

The truth is we are all handicapped, broken. I am broken physically, but my mind and heart are broken as well. I have prideful, selfish tendencies that God cannot fix in me because I don’t really want Him to. I don’t really want to see these imperfections. Talk about blind! Honestly, it would be easier for God to fix my physical blindness than my spiritual blindness. I get in the way of the latter. God calls us to be “living sacrifices” but we aren’t worthy of that fate.

Our brokenness makes us just like that lamb, limping along trying to keep up with the Master’s voice. He would carry us if we really wanted Him to. But sometimes we’d rather cross our arms and say, “I’ve got this. I’m not handicapped!”

I have come to realize that the “h” word is not so bad. It just means that I need some help once in a while. God has used this in my life to teach me dependence on Him and others. We have this miracle called the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of our bodies. He has set up residence in very close proximity, so close that we could easily fall in sync with Him.

When God shows us the truth about ourselves, it is as if the scales fall from our eyes. He gives us true sight. But the Spirit cannot do what we will not allow. So let’s get real with ourselves. Let’s be real with one another. Let’s thank God for grace that loves us beyond our imperfections!

My prayer for Trace Crossing:
Holy Spirit show me the truth. Help us all see the truth. And then help us move with perspective and passion for you. Remind us that we are truly handicapped without your help. Amen.