My Journey this Week

You know we all have to take the good and the bad in life. God never promised us the road would be smooth, but He promised us that He would be there with us. His presence means more to me now than earlier in my walk with Him. Last Saturday night we started on the Worship Team at our Church. There is nothing that I love more than worshiping my God and King. He is my life.

Always when you walk with the Lord and serve him in any type of ministry, you make the enemy angry. The Word of God says that in the end times, Ha satan would "wear out the saints." Nothing comes into our lives unless the Father Yahweh authorizes it. He has the final say.

My brother is presently in jail awaiting court on Tuesday. This has put a tremendous amount of stress on my 83 year old Dad. On Thursday, after taking my daughter to school, I found my "feathered friend Gary" (parrot) dead in his cage. We have had him for 15 years. His previous owner had died, and that is how we got him. He has always been affectionate to me, but hated everyone else. I will miss him, but he was very noisy with all of his squaking, It seems that squaking isn't a word, but that is how I describe the noise that he made. In a couple of weeks, I have to have a tooth pulled and an implant done. This is very emotional for me as I have never walked this path. However, I am very thankful that my daughter works at the University and will be there. On Friday, I went to a co-worker's husband's funeral. It was very sad.

Enough focus on the bad. The best part of the week was singing praises to the Lord on Worship Team today. It brings me great joy to be able to lead others into the presence of the Living God, and that will be where I will concentrate. Even though the valleys in your life may be deep - His love endures forever. He is coming soon - Maranatha!

Back to School

In the summer month of August

In sunny Southern California

When children ought to be having fun

with life full of singing and swimming

the school year begins

It seems as if things are so different

than when we were growing up

A child lived most of their leisure time

outside playing and interacting with other children.

Now they play lots of computer games

and their social interactions seem to be waning.

We wonder why they are overweight

Could it be that they sit and wait

Wait for their parents to come home from work

Daring not to do anything that might cause them

to exert

Lord, help our kids as they return to school

to be able to focus in the classroom

and learn, learn, learn

Their futures are so bright if only they could see 

As the teachers teach them with patience and understanding

and lead them by imparting knowledge that is key

to making them into the successful adults of tomorrow.

My daughter's essay on Bullying - By Rebekah Shaughnessy

Effects of Bullying

            It is proven that there are 3.2 million students in the world that are bullied each year. Bullying is a very big problem now days, and is overlooked by many people around the world. Bullying isn’t always physical; it could be verbal harassment too. Verbal harassment is one of the main types of bullying with today’s high school students. Every year it is getting worse, and more and more students are starting to think it is okay. Our kids need to start taking a stand against bullying and help to control what is happening around them. I think that if enough people started working together to stop it, it can end once and for all.

            The act of bullying is very unnecessary. It usually tends to occur when the offender is having problems in their own life and needs some way to let it escape, or if they think that bullying will make them “cool”. While they do that, it is causing innocent people to feel horrible. The phrase “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” isn’t the truth. Words can be extremely harmful. Being bullied is very traumatizing for the victim, and most of the time it will make them feel like they are worth nothing and that there is no one there to help them. There is about 4,400 children that die from bullying each year because they don’t speak up. The bully makes the victim feel weak, like they can’t even stand up for themselves. Eventually the victim will start believing that they aren’t worth it and they will stay silent. It is proven that children that are bullied before ninth grade end up taking a part in some type of crime by the age of 24. Bullying can also cause health problems such as depression, and also low self-esteem. It seems like in the future, bullying is only going to get worse. Not enough people are trying to stop it. The number of kids dying because of being bullied is only going to increase within the next 10 years and that will also lead to more crime in the world.

            One of the many solutions that people around the world believe can stop bullying is to increase supervision in schools. Many acts of bullying take place when no adults are around and it is a more one on one thing. If there was more supervision in schools it would lower the chances of it happening. Teachers need to start distinctly looking for kids that are taking place in bullying; they could stop it before it even starts. Although this is a great idea, there are also a few disadvantages. Not all bullying is going to take place at school, it can also take place off campus or it can even turn into cyber bullying, which happens on the internet. There are also not enough teachers in schools to be able to supervise everyone that gets bullied, some people will get missed and the bullying will still continue. There are many different ways to at least improve the situation a little bit.

            A solution that I think will help the situation is to start anti-bullying clubs at every school. The club can be a happy environment where kids can go and get help if they are being bullied. The club can be students that have been through the experience of being bullied and can help more personally then a teacher would have been able to. Also, if it is students that are operating the program they would be able to notice a lot more bullying because they will be with all of the kids during class, and even outside of school, so they can see what is going on. Everyone has been bullied at some point in their lives so there are many people that could join the club. I think this idea should be brought up in many schools, starting in the high desert. Every school in the high desert has some type of bullying taking place every day. If we start these clubs, bullying can be minimized and the schools will have a more welcoming atmosphere. It’s a great way to stop bullying.

            I want to be the beginning of the end of bullying. It has to start somewhere, and that somewhere can be at encore. I personally think it would be a great idea to start a club for kids that are bullied. It can be a safe place where no one will feel judged about anything, and kids can even go to vent about a situation that is bothering them. If this plan worked, every school in America could have anti-bullying clubs and there would be a lot more control over bullying. Bullying needs to come to an end before it gets worse and we lose more lives. The world would be a lot happier place if bullying were non-existent.

           

Our Wilderness Experience

I haven't written a post in quite a while, probably because our lives have been a bit unsettled. We started to attend a new church in Victorville. For some reason, I was unsettled there. The lighting was dim and there are no windows there. I tend toward not liking closed-in places. The pastor and his wife are wonderful people. Part of our reason for not continuing to attend may have been because of our attending our old church for over 18 years. You grow attached to people when you fellowship and worship with them each week.

So, then we went to another church for the past three weeks. We have tried, but don't think it is home for us either. It is a larger church than we are used to. We attended the sunrise service there for Resurrection Sunday this morning. Some of the things that were presented seemed to be a bit off to me. So my husband and I came home and chewed on it for a while. We both agreed that some of what was shared didn't seem scriptural to us. The pastor said that Jesus was put on the cross by Satan. I don't think that is the case. If the old testament had so many references to Messiah coming and dying, was that not Yahweh's plan for our salvation? Also, the church places alot of emphasis on "the pre-tribulation rapture." I know that in the case of Noah, God removed his people before the flood. And we all need to be ready to go at any time. But I think there is too much emphasis on "the rapture." For goodness sakes, maybe we should be ready to withstand some persecution should this not happen before the tribulation. Just like they are encouraging people to be spiritually ready because we are expected to be taken out, I think we should be getting ready to withstand some times of trouble. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

Then we went to the 9:45 a.m service at The Gathering Place (our old church that we left 6 weeks ago). We were greeted with such love from everyone there. The crowd was small, but it felt good to be home. When asked if we were settled yet in a church, we had to admit that we feel like we are going through a wilderness experience. So many emotions have been surfacing for me lately. Please pray for God's direction in our lives. We will be in prayer also, Friends.

Our First Day at Our New Church

Today was our first day at Horizon Church in Victorville. I am still going through separation anxiety from leaving The Gathering Place. I watched a few minutes of worship on Ustream from TGP before going to service. It is very difficult to go to a new church. I know it takes time to find out where we fit in, but initially it is an uncomfortable feeling.

Pastor Larry White and the worship team were very good. Songs were sung, praises were lifted high, and we entered into the very presence of Yahweh. He is so good to us! Without His presence, life is not worth living here. He is the reason for life!!

The sermon was about the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Pastor Larry drove home the fact that the sword was a small sword (not big like I had always pictured) which was used as an offensive weapon with absolute pinpoint accuracy. The Word of God must not be used in a sloppy way. It is to kick the enemy's tail.

He shared how the Word of God is infallible and is God's manual to us. Through the Holy Spirit, we are able to experience God through His Word. He gave us three truths about the Word of God.
1. God's Word strengthens (nourishes) us. Psalm 19:7-14
2. His Word guides us. It is a moral compass for our lives. Psalm 119:105
3. God's Word empowers us. Hebrews 4:12

One more important thing (perhaps the most important point that he made) is that we must be obedient to what the Word says. When we read or hear the Word, it will only be effective if we obey. May the Lord bless you as you walk in the Spirit and be obedient to the Word of God!

The Gathering Place

Saying goodbye is not an area in my life that is comfortable for me. This Sunday my family will be saying "goodbye" to our church family at The Gathering Place in San Bernardino. I have attended church at TGP since July 1995. I wouldn't have known what to do at that point in my life without Pastor Larry and Sue Lee. They helped my family (5 kids and me) through the loss of my first husband, Steve. God puts people in your life at just the right time. TGP became my family's home and the love of God was poured out on our lives. It was there that love grew and the Lord brought my husband, Pat and I together.

Pat had gone through divorce and I was a widow. Funny how the Lord works - he brought two hurting people together, first as friends and then as a couple. My life was never the same. Pat and I married and had our daughter, Rebekah in 1997. She has always been such a blessing to our lives. At The Gathering Place, Rebekah grew up and is now 16 years old. The fellowship that our family had for so many years has been very rich. People have come and gone. 18 years is a long time.

When we first started there, there were two kids that we took under wing. They may have watched our love grow a little two closely and perhaps it did rub off on them a bit. Eric and Qi had their first child, Isaiah, just 22 days after Rebekah was born. Also born in October of that year was Hannah. Mike and Gloria were very good friends to Pat and I. We laughed alot with them. Then there were so many others that deeply touched our lives also. I would like to mention a few. Dave and Cyndi, Logan and Gabe; Gina, Nathan, Alona, and Ziann; Ed and Cathy; Mike and Rocio; Don and Maria; Mark, Tiffany; Gene and Lori; Patty and Bud; Rod and Carol; Erika, Toby, Lizzy and the boys; Tracy; Monique, Yaseer and their family; Suzanna and Leo; Lindi, Ashley, Desiree, Zachary; Pastor Tim, Georgeann, Sarah Grace, TK; Duncan; Mama Nancy; Bonnie, Bernice; Greg and Tammy; Larry & Bonnie Reeder; Tony and Dixie; Millie; Yvonne & Larry; Tammi, Tatum, Tyler; and the list goes on and on. I know I have skipped some important people, but it is late right now.

One thing I will always remember is that our pastor prays for everyone in the church. The 5:30 a.m. prayer times on Mondays and Fridays show the dedication of a pastor who loves the people he shepherds and the city where he lives. Pastor Larry is dedicated to the people at TGP and the people in the city of San Bernardino. He travails in the Spirit and does not give up.  He is not afraid to share his life experiences to help someone to know the Lord.

It has been the highlight of my life for the past 16+ years to be part of the worship team at TGP. When I first started on the team, I was scared to death of being in front of anyone much less singing. Thank you to everyone who is on the team for blessing me with this opportunity. I will miss singing praises and worshiping the King of Kings and Lord of Lords with you. Qi, I will especially miss you. You have taught me so much. I love you my sweet little sister. May the Lord continue to bless everyone and may he bring new life onto the team.

In case anyone is wondering why we are leaving. It has been six years since we moved to Victorville. We commute 70 miles every day to work and also to church on Sunday. We have attended services at Horizon Church (Foursquare also) in Victorville on occasion, and a few years back Pat committed to a Pastor's In Training program there. We believe that we could be more involved in the community where we live if we attend church locally. We don't really have any friends where we live, they are all down the hill. As much as we love our church family, we believe the Lord has a mission for us here.

When we turned the calendar to February, the scripture on it said "You shall go out with joy and be led back in peace." Amazing that Yahweh would speak to us even through a calendar. We are excited to move on to the next phase of our journey and ask that you would please pray for us.

All my love, Stephanie

Beach Day at Corona del Mar - February 17, 2014

So, yesterday we didn't have school/work because it was President's Day. While the rest of the country is freezing to death, California is having a warm winter, probably due to the earth's tilting from some earthquake. At any rate, we headed to Corona del Mar for a beach day. After all, the temperature said it would be 72 degrees. We gathered up our daughter's friend, Shayne, and our grandsons, Caleab and Cadence, and headed to the beach. When we arrived, the sun was shining and it was warm with a nice breeze blowing.

Upon our arrival, Caleab and Cadence rushed into the water. Children don't seem to notice how cold it is. But this grandma was afraid they would get hypothermia. Grandpas don't seem to worry about that kind of thing. After 10-15 minutes in the water, grandpa took them to the tidepools and grandma rested on the blanket in the warm sun. When they returned from the tidepools, Caleab immediately headed back into the water. I asked him several times to come out but he didn't. So, I called his Mom and told him that she was on the phone and wanted to speak with him. Then he got out of the water and didn't go back in (all the way at least).

There were dark clouds forming above us and the sun was not seen again while we were there. It had been playing peek-a-boo, but then it was obvious that it wasn't going to come out any more. The temperature started to drop and I knew we needed to head out of there quickly.

I wish I could say that the drive home was without incident, but Caleab and Cadence both threw up in the car. It was a rough ride home. All windows had to stay open to keep Bekah and Shayne from joining in the situation. It was a bit cold, but everyone made it home safely. Thank God for his peace even through a day like that.