Rainey Days

I'm listening to a new album that I bought on Itunes (available also at Christian bookstores) called A Deeper Level , by Israel Houghton. Great music, even greater worship. I just got a device to plug my ipod into my car, and I love being able to listen to all this praise and worship music as I drive my delivery routes. If you have never heard Israel (often listed as Israel and New Breed), check out "Let it Rain" and "Say So" on YouTube. Amazing!

I believe in Divine Healing, and I’m thankful for the supernatural touch of God that cures our diseases and restores our physical bodies. I’m grateful for the shed blood of Christ that provided that healing to us. I have prayed for healing, proclaimed healing, and had the proof of God’s healing in my life. Friends and family members have also experienced this miraculous healing, and love to testify about it. But . . . what about when God doesn’t heal? I have other friends and family members who long for the healing touch of God, but for reasons only He knows, God doesn’t heal them. These are people of faith and faithfulness to the Lord. They have obeyed the scripture in their pursuit of healing, but the healing they desire hasn’t happened. This past week we sang a new worship song at church (new to me, at least), and I found myself contemplating the words of the song: “ God in my hurting, God in my healing .” Given the choice, I’d much rather have the healing, tha...

Since I've been searching for full-time employment, I've been taking the opportunity to educate myself at the local library. I've checked out books on promoting yourself in interviews, networking your contacts, and negotiating your salary. All of these books have been interesting and informative, but I came across something in the salary negotiation book that has really stayed with me. Jack Chapman ( Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1,000 a Minute ) says that when it comes to money, particularly the amount the boss has already decided to pay a certain position, there are three governing rules: budget, fudgeit, and judgeit . Budget is the actual amount that approved or set aside in the finances of the company. It is pre-determined and fixed. Fudgeit is a cute term for the plans we make when we go over our budget but determine to fix it somehow elsewhere in the budget. "I can afford this new dress if I eat mac 'n cheese for the next two weeks" or ...

We had a great outreach day at the Severna Park Festival and Parade, thanks in a large part to our Outreach team volunteers (Rob and Alma pictured). We had perfect weather--maybe the best July 4th weather I've ever seen. This year, in addition to getting our contact surveys we also used our booth to promote our God in the Great Outdoors event and our Screen on the Green outreach, both upcoming in July. In order to draw people to our booth, we had a balloon artist, which was a pretty good draw to families with young children (photo below). We participated last year for the first time, so this year's event was our sophomore attempt, and with each event, we gain experience and wisdom. I was pretty happy with our day!