I have to admit I was not looking forward to today. The alarm went off at 5 am and I knew what it meant. Steve and I would quickly get dressed and head off to Baptist Hospital's cardiac center where he would undergo a procedure to check a possible blocked artery.

We arrive at 6 am, after a quick stop at Starbucks to make me happy, then to get in a long line and wait to register Pastor Steve.  Once he was registered we take a seat in the ...waiting room…to do none other than.....wait.  We were both a little nervous at this point but were quickly distracted and found ourselves laughing. There were a few folks falling asleep and as immature as it sounds, seeing that early in the morning provided some much needed comic relief.   Oh well, we had to do something while we were waiting!  Don't judge us :).  It's never the patients that fall asleep, just the family members who are there for support! 

After a few minutes the door opens and a very nice hospital staffer calls Steve's name and takes us upstairs to yet another .......waiting room. This one was a little nicer and much less crowded. And we wait.  Our wait was shorter this time and soon his name was called again and he was escorted off to get prepped for his procedure. As I wait in the waitingroom I'm in, Steve waits for the Doctor to arrive and for things to get underway.  We know that we have at least 2 hours before we'll know anything (the nurse said he'll let me know if it's a boy or a girl as soon as he can :) so I decide to get a few things done while I.........wait.

I'm reminded how easy it would be to use this time in the .....waiting room as a time to worry and bite my nails but what benefit is that to anyone?  It certainly doesn't help Steve and since I'm confident that the report will be a good one, why just sit here and worry?   I'm confident that God is in complete control of this outcome and I believe that we haven't come this far to be set back.  If that's what I believe then why not use this time to do something constructive?  Like write this blog!  Don't get me wrong, l don't enjoy waiting as much as anyone. I want the report without the process of the test!  I hate waiting for test results!  But a waiting period can be good for us.  It gives us a chance to count our blessings. (As I sit here this morning I can't help but notice a 16 year old boy who's here for a heart procedure...perspective).  It affords us an opportunity to discover things about ourselves. It allows patience to have "her perfect work".

The Isaiah 40:31 says "they that WAIT upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings as eagles. They will run and not be weary, walk and not faint."

And there I go!  I've gone ahead and blessed myself!!!  I hope it has blessed you too.

On this PrayDay, find a renewed sense of strength as you wait on the Lord.

I'm starting out this Wednesday all stressed out and I haven't even had my breakfast yet. Actually, I'm doing it on purpose...under Doctor Raji's orders, which means I have to dress for this stress so I won't look like a mess, and even pay for this stress because it's a Medical test. Today I'm taking a stress test.

After taking care of the paper work, I'll be put through a few prep procedures with an IV placed in my vein, shoot it up with some nuc juice, take a few before/after images of my heart and eventually get on a treadmill where they'll connect these probes to my chest and begin my test. Dr Raji will be present and on his go I'll slowly start walking and eventually get to a fast walk or slow trot so that my heart rate increases and blood will be pumped through my body. The purpose of this is to check my heart, valves and blood flow to determine my heart health. As I sit here and write this blog in prep, I know it will all be over in a few hours and then I'll have the peace of mind knowing my ticker is doing just fine.

I find this whole Stress Test thing so ironic and see how it parallels to life. Here, in order to see the condition of my heart, or what's in my heart, I must place stress on it. No, it's not good enough to put a stethoscope on my chest and simply listen to my heart beat. It's not good enough to check my blood pressure alone. No, they have to place the heart under stress to see how it functions under "game day" conditions to determine just how strong and healthy my heart is. 

And that's the blessing we find in stressing. Not that we want to be walking around stressed out all the time as there is no blessing in that, but that we're able to discover something about ourselves every time we encounter a stressful situation. It goes right along with the saying; You find out what's in a person when they're stepped on, because what's in them is what comes out.

The good thing for me is this stress test only last for 3 hours, and then it's over, unlike the stress many are coping with regularly. On this PrayDay, ask God to show you what your stressful situation is accomplishing in you, and seek to determine a better way to handle the press, while you're dealing with the stress, so you too can pass the test.

A few weeks ago Mary and the girls and I boarded a plane and headed to Flagstaff, Arizona. The purpose of the trip was to connect with our Pastor, Mike Hayes and a few other Pastors in the Churches in Covenant Network to see a new Church plant in the area and to confer with Church growth strategists. We were also told we would have some time to "sight-see" while there.

Truthfully, this trip was not on my "fav list" and after a summer filled with travel, I truly didn't want to go. I love Pastors Mike & Kathy Hayes and was looking forward to seeing them, especially since they will be at Metro at our 14th Anniversary Celebration on September 25th, but heading all the way out to Arizona was not the way I thought I needed to show my love. When I texted him earlier in the summer to let him know the tickets were too expensive, I thought for sure he would give me a pass and let me off the hook, since the economy is what it is (whatever that means??). Like the loving Pastor he is, Pastor Mike didn't give me the pass I was looking for, but instead suggested I try a cheaper route of travel. Not wanting to disappoint our Pastor, Mary booked the tickets and before we knew it, the day arrived and off we went to Flagstaff...and boy am I glad we did!

I can't even begin to tell you how exciting that trip was for us. To see the new Church plant in Flagstaff reminded me of the excitement we can experience when we step out into abandoned faith and totally trust in God. Then to hear from the guys at Kremmer & Associates speak on Leadership truths that immediately I put into practice when we returned (and they're coming to Metro in October), and even used in that Sunday's sermon (remember the clown glasses?).  And of course to connect with Pastor friends and to see our daughters stay up to 1 AM in the lobby playing board games with their kids. The whole trip was a true blessing, and to think I almost didn't experience it because I was about to let my excuse be bigger than my dreams. I'm so glad my Pastor didn't let me make that mistake.

That was the work portion of our trip, but you should have seen the play time...the Grand Canyon. We spent one afternoon aboard a train heading to see one of God's most beautiful works of art and it was spectacular! As we all stood overlooking the Grand Canyon, I found myself wanting to run up to Pastor Mike and Kathy and give them a huge hug and kiss to simply thank them for making us come to Arizona. If it wasn't for them, we surely wouldn't have made the trip and would have missed this beautiful sight and experience.

As we were heading back out of town that Friday, making the long and winding road trip down the Mountains, I was taken back by everything that occurred in that short 4 day trip and I heard God speak to my heart these words; "Just like your Pastor introduced you to the new experience of the Grand Canyon, if you follow and honor him, he'll introduce you to new experiences of faith in the Spirit."