Mother & Daughter: Blessings of the Weekend

Wow! Did I ever have an exciting weekend! Bill, Cathy, and I went to the Ingole household for the weekend.

First, for Becky's 50th birthday party on Friday where we danced, talked, and karaoke-d the night away! Was it ever a blast! We raised somewhere around $5000 for rebuilding their 'adopted' son's house in Honduras (that was all Becky wanted for her birthday: money towards Brian's family's new house!)! How exciting! ...and yes, though I've never done it before, I tried to sing karaoke with Michelle Harter and one of Emily's friends, Heather. Well, okay. Really, I was dragged up there, and, though I tried to avoid the microphone, Heather didn't let me get away with out it in my face at least a few times. And we sang for at least two songs. But what the songs were, I cannot tell you. Not because they were bad, but because my education never included secular songs (outside of what you hear in stores when you listen and the movies/TV commercials). So if you want to know, you'll have to hunt down either Michelle or Heather! LOL!

And, Secondly, we went to enjoy a whole weekend with the lovely Ingole family! Okay, maybe that was more the bonus on Saturday: hanging out with whoever came over to play games. Originally, the main reason for staying through Sunday had to do with a long drive that no driver wants to do too soon and hearing Emily preach (my reason, Hello! I'm not the driver!) the Sunday morning service! Woo who! And was she good! ...of course, in the end, we opted to leave early Monday morning so I could hang out with the dynamic 'Ingoley-Virgonte' and the lovely 'China Doll' a little longer. And, in the process, I got my hair colored back to its original color--does anyone even remember what that was?

Oh, wait; you wanted to know what Em spoke on?! Oi! Do I have to tell you everything...Okay. John 4:22-24; Luke 4:1-2, 4, & 14-19; Col 1:13-18; Timothy something; and there was more, I'm sure, but that's what happens when you forget to write it ALL down: you can't recall it later! So that's it. There you go......Oi! All right. Here's my notes. Under John 4:23, I wrote: "God is now drawing a line between those who worship in Spirit and Truth and those who are 'religious' or a 'good person'. We are called out of carnality or being a carnal Christian. It's not whether you wear a skirt, or shoes, or dance, that will send you to hell, but not having a personal relationship with HIM that will!" and "People may praise you, but then you get to real with them and they criticize you; Jesus [see John 4] felt everything, but He knew how to combat it too!" Under Luke 4:18-19, I wrote, "You can't do anything without Him" "He doesn't need you, He wants you" and "there's a qualifier to that: you have to say 'Yes' and daily!" And Under Colossians 1:15 & 18, I wrote: "He went there first, and He'll be there by your side when you get there." And, the main point that I got from it, was "overcoming your religious spirit/pride and dying to yourself; but knowing God would be there in the end, because He wants to use you!" Or something like that (I'm not very good at re-wording my jumbled thoughts, which seem to only make sense to me!). I mostly caught the dying to self because that's what God has been dealing with me about a lot lately! But the urging to do that (die-to-self) has come about because I feel the urgency for God longing to use ME! And do greater works (John 14:12)!

I know I was blessed by the whole weekend. The fellowship. The fun. The friends. And the death to self! Oi! What a combination; but a good one!

Thank you Ingole's and others for the wonderful weekend!
And doubly thanks to you, God, for being there in and through it all!!!

Christ's love to y'all,
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