The Stirrings of Fall

I'm loving the turn of the weather. Yes, it brings all kinds of sinus problems, but the truth of the matter is I'm sick of the stifling heat that this area brings. Mom tells me that Virginia is already seeing temperatures in the 50's (I think at night mostly) - football weather!! :)

Other news, I'm researching a fairly new breed of dog called "Puggles." They're a mix between a Pug and a Beagle. Although my first instinct is to rush out and get one, I'm holding off at the wise council of my Dear Boyfriend (DB). Rushing into it will only get me into trouble, so I want to make sure I'm ready for everything :).

I had my first practice with the choir at my new church - exciting stuff. There have been some things that have been going on that have allowed them to get lazy in the past, and I can tell I'm going to have a bit of a rough hall ahead of me, but I'm going to try and move forward anyway. I'm praying heavily for God's guidance on how to deal with things. But as we're reading in "Music Through the Eyes of Faith," Best explains that the music makers and how we treat them need to be more important than the music itself. We're first ministers of the gospel through song, which means that the people we minister should come first.

And although I want to be careful of people's feelings and desires, I'm most concerned with their spiritual and musical growth. It's my responsibilities to help them grow further than where they are now - the only true way I see that happening is simply being in constant prayer to God about it. I mean, I can teach these people something musically, but spiritually? There are many people who are twice my age...and what a powerful witness! They know and have experienced things as Christians that I may never understand - I don't want to discredit their experiences and understandings given by God - but I'm trying to remember that even in my semi-youth, I still have something to offer spiritually as well.

But of course, my flesh is week as of late. I find myself not nearly as Holy as I used to be *grin*. But is that a bad thing? To me, maybe not - I'm no longer trying to be the perfect Christian. I'm striving to do my best for Christ, and understanding, FINALLY, that I'm human. That I can and will make mistakes - but God's grace is sufficient enough to continue to work through me even when I mess up.

There are areas in my life that I need to deal with. Some things that I continue to get drawn back into because of my flesh nature. Before, I would assume that because I keep going back to it, I need to be "delivered" from it, or have someone lay hands on me to help me overcome the issues. I believe this needs to be done in some cases, but if I'm going to believe what the Word really says, I've already been set free from the sin nature by Christ's work on the cross. I simply need to believe it and allow the Holy Spirit to help me walk in that freedom.

How? By spending time with Him - being in His presence and feeding my spirit man instead of feeding my flesh man. I know this may not make sense to those who aren't familiar with "Christianeze", but I go back to the illustration that my youth pastor gave when I was 16 that I don't believe I'll ever be able to forget. It's like having two dogs - a white one that pulls you one way (into good things) and a black one that pulls you another (into bad things). The one you feed and exercise the most will be the one that wins out in the end. The one with the greater strength will always pull you its way in the end.

I don't know - Fall has always been a signal of something new in me...or a realligning of sorts with God. I'm feeling that same call from Him again :).