OCC MOTHERS, POEM, PICS AND ... A CONCERT!

A few of our OCC Moms!

Mother's Day brought a sweet surprise to some of us Mom's from Osoyoos Christian Centre. Besides a wonderful word from (Pastor) Jim we all shared some of our stories of Motherhood. Not all of it was sunshine and roses (yes, roses seems to be the theme of this post!) - rather we heard many different views of what Motherhood means.

We heard of Moms who took on extra children. We learned about Moms who went 'the extra mile'. We learned about the mentoring which forms us as responsible adults. We heard of Godparent Moms stepping in as a Mom in one instance. We learned about Moms who were not truly appreciated till they were no longer with us. Each individual story opened our hearts to want to appreciate the Moms we have - while we have them. We learned that being Mom is as much a privelege and opportunity, as much as it a responsibility.

Of course, the ultimate example, had to be the picture of Mary as she watched the crucifixion of her Son, at the cross on that day, so very long ago.

And obviously, the Moms of these men of our church had a good Mom-example because they provided (NOT CARNATIONS - which is typical) but roses for our Moms... and here they are trying to create an assembly line to deliver them in a way they could be transported home. I don't know about you - but the 'Mom' in me was most impressed they'd forethought to provide the ziplock bags, paper towel and elastics!

photo credit: flavolka@sxc

And so, I think its fitting I post this wonderful poem I found with a rose theme for your enjoyment.

UNFOLDING THE ROSE

It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of God's design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
GOD opens this flower so sweetly,
When in my hands they fade and die.

If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of God's design,
Then how can I think I have wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?

So I'll trust in Him for His leading
Each moment of every day.
I will look to him for His guidance
Each step of the pilgrim way.

The pathway that lies before me,
Only my Heavenly Father knows.
I'll trust Him to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose.


~ © Bryan T. Burgess ~

And of course, along with our rose themed blog post I would be amiss not to include the powerful worship song "Above All" by Michael W. Smith as a reminder for us as we go about our busy week. I pray you will think on Jesus and his sacrifice and keep it near to your heart to bruise it - keep you open to the needs around you. In case you have not watched a youtube video before, to hear the song you need to click your cursor on the triangle in the middle of the picture below to get your computer to make the video start - make sure your sound is turned up!

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A few prayer requests - can we please lift up Angie as she does her practical this week - shadowing etc at work so she can get used to what being a care aide is like in a day to day setting.

Please pray for Rose's son - lets stand by our sister to pray into the needs of her children.

Can you pray for my friend Valinda (she's one of our blog visitors) - the Lord is leading her and her ENTIRE family to a missions He's been laying on their hearts for several years and they are now seeing it come into action. What a blessing!

Another (blog) friend of mine needs prayer for some family members and their health issues. Thank goodness, like the internet can reach across the world, so our Lord too does not have 'borders' between prayers!

We are helping to pack and move Isabelle on Wednesday. If you can be of help - via your hands/and or with a vehicle it would be much appreciated!

Due to moving Isabelle I'm not entirely sure if we will be on MSN chat on Wednesday night - but I'm going to open it up anyways and be there (at 7 p.m. PST) - so if you need prayer or would just like to talk to me about what God has been doing in your life, why not send me an invite on MSN and I'll add you in. My username is lalaime

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Penny Burh Johnson

One of my dear friends, Penny has been following our blog (I do send out updates when I post, let me know if you would like to be notified by email - or not) Penny has responded... with an offer to do a CONCERT at our church! This is hugely exciting, and we are already planning and thinking on combining it with a Dessert Night! (so get ready for a baking night, ladies!) If all goes as planned, Penny's performance will take place on Wednesday, June 24th.

Penny was selected as the CGMA 2008 Female New Artist of the Year and has produced two CD's. You can find out more about Penny and listen to some song samples by visiting her website. Just click HERE!

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Thank you all for stopping by to visit our blog today. We would love to pray for YOU - just leave a comment and we will lift up your needs. We welcome your comments as well as your contributions in the form of poems, scriptures, photos and dialogue!