Daddy's Bible

It's quite in my house, but I know not for long... in fact, I may have to pause my writing and finish this later in the day.

Our house is filled with family who are still here from all the weekend excitement.  I'm not sure if you saw on Facebook, but my oldest child is now a true child of God!  Jordan got saved on Wednesday night.

I would love to share just a little of the story with you here, for there is no better message - no greater passion - than to share with one comes to the Lord!  This should not be common place in any life or any home or any church!

Last week was our church's VBS.  I know that Thursday is set aside as "decision" day during this exciting week.  Our Senior Pastor always leads the Open Assembly on that day as he presents the gospel to all the kids at that time.

I didn't want Jordan to be clear across the gym from me (her with the 2nd Graders and me with the 5th Graders) - if she felt the leading of the Holy Spirit.

So Wednesday night, June 8th - after bath time, I told Jordan to find her Bible and meet me on my bed and we were going to have a special time together.

However... Jordan came to me very sad and worried.  She had left her brand new Bible at church!
I gave her a little lecture on the importance of remembering and being responsible with our things.  I then told her not to worry, we would just use mine.

But then I had become worried and sad for I discovered I too left my Bible at church!  I immediately apologized to Jordan and told her we would make our time together extra special and use Daddy's Bible.

I had her turn to all those important verses... (thanks Kevin for making us memorize them for VBS!):
John 3:16, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:9

Jordan read all the verses out loud and I explained them to her as she read.  Then at the end of our time together we prayed together.  Yes, tears were shed, pictures were drawn, and many other intimate moments that are not appropriate for a blog - but to hear my sweet little girl pray - asking Jesus to be the boss of her life forever was the most precious sound I've ever heard!!!

On Thursday morning during the special Open Assembly with the Senior Pastor, Jordan bolding raised her hand, "walked the aisle", and publically professed her faith!

Then.... as if that was not enough.... John's brother - Joe Franklin - drove from the other side of Texas to baptize her in a special Sunday night service.

Once we recognize our need for Christ in our lives we have a responsibility to tell others.  Over the weekend, my Mom heard Jordan telling her cousins what it means to be a Christian!  I'm so proud of her immediate obedience to our Lord!

I know that her Daddy, my Rockstar, 

was celebrating with the angels and our Lord at this great event in Heaven!

Hebrews 12:1 (ESV)

Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses....

Luke 15:10  (NASB)

I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

His Word Sunday

I read this Psalm this morning from my One Year Bible and just couldn't help but share it here...




I don't know where you are this morning or what you are needing to hear - but this Psalm is filled with guidance to repent, hope for your soul, steadfast love and plenty of redemption.

Psalm 130:1-8 (ESV)

Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord!

O Lord, hear my voice!

Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

If You, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?

But with You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope;

my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning,

more than watchmen for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the Lord!

For with the Lord there is steadfast love,

and with Him is plentiful redemption.

And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Today....

I just realized that I've missed 2 Friday song blogs!!  2 weeks ago I really had not excuse, and yesterday is quite similar except that it was the last day of Vacation Bible School!!!

It was just an amazing week.  We had almost 300 kids in attendance and 14 of them accepted Christ.  One of those 14 was my very own little girl!!!

There is a song that I've been singing in the car (as if I was a real singer) that I just love.  It had me from the very first line....

I just love it!  Enjoy!

Reaping a little joy

At the end of the school year JP had to work on some vocabulary words in his 3 Year Old Pre-K class.  To make it fun they all had to to a little "project" with their specific word.  JP's word was "SEEDS."

So me & Mom went to the store and bought seeds of things we knew would 1) really grow and 2) would produce some very visible results.  Our choices were beans and sunflowers.

The past couple of weeks we have all enjoyed a few of JP's beans at dinner time.  It's been really fun for him to actually eat what he planted!

Today I read this verse in my One Year Bible and I must say - yesterday I got 2 visuals of how this verse looked in my every day life...

Psalm 126:4-6 (ESV)

Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negeb!

Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!

He who goes out weeping, 

bearing the seed for sowing, 

shall come home with shouts of joy...

Yesterday JP & I had to run to the store before dinner.  It was just he & I in the car, so I seized this opportunity with a captive audience to check on his little heart.  I asked him how his heart was handling Daddy living in Heaven.  He was quiet for just a moment and then he said this...

"Well, I'm sad he's not here - 
but I'm so happy in my new home."

I must also share with you the picture of his sunflower that he planted himself...

My dear friends - JP's sweet little comment and this flower is what "shouts of joy" looks like!

We still have our days of weeping - but for today, I'm thanking God that JP has joy!

I get knocked down...

Usually I wake up in the morning with what my daughter calls "a Jesus song" in my head.  But this morning, after reading my One Year Bible, immediately that old song of the 90's "I get knocked down but I get get up again, you're never gonna keep me down" - filled my brain.

The New Testament passage was from Acts chapter 5.  Peter and the other apostles were in Solomon's Portico teaching and healing.

Look at Acts 5:14 (ESV)

And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women.

I would imagine this made for a VERY good day for the disciples - don't ya think?

I too had a WONDERFUL day yesterday!  It was the first day of Vacation Bible School.  I can't tell you what it did for my spirit to see those 5th Graders get excited about memorizing scripture!  They eagerly raised their hands, nearly knocked me over at one point so they could answer questions about God's Word first!  I left there on top of the world.

 You probably know what happened to Peter and the others after this great experience.  They were put in jail!  They got knocked down.  Not the celebratory dinner they were expecting I'm sure.  However, God was no where finished near using them, so He got them out of prison!

Acts 5:25 (ESV)

And someone came and told them, "Look!  

The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people."

Peter and the others didn't let a big setback like prison knock them down completely!  Just like the song - they got back up with the heart and soul that "you're never gonna keep us down!"

Yesterday after Vacation Bible School I had to sign a bunch of papers.  It was really a good thing - but numerous papers had a "spouse" section and I can't tell you how many times I had to check the "Single" box or the "Employee & Children Only" box.  This really knocked me down.  I had a great day and yet went to bed sad and disheartened.

Sometimes when we get knocked down it can feel like a prison.  Like we're trapped and there's no way out of hurt, sadness, despair, the list goes on and on....

 However... today is a new day!  I totally and completely believe this!  And more than that... God has charged me with spreading His great news to these precious 5th Grade  VBS-ers and I know He's going to open those prison doors for me too!

The Sadduccees wanted to knock down the disciples that day - hoping they would give up from defeat.  Likewise, yesterday, Satan knew which button to push with my spirit and I'm determined not to let it defeat me too!

In fact this is how the disciples responded and it's my prayer that I will make this true in my own life today....

Acts 5:29, 41-42 (ESV)

But Peter and the apostles answered, 

"We must obey God rather than men."  

Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name.  And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Have you been knocked down recently?  I know it hurts and it's really hard to "get back up again" - but with Christ He can give us the strength to say to the enemy "you're never gonna keep me down!"

Will I be recognized?

Today I'm venturing down a road I've never traveled!

Teaching 5th Grade VBS!

I know, I know... you would think as long as I have been in church that I would have taught VBS somewhere along the way.  However, most of my adult years I was either running from God - or planting small struggling churches for God and therefore never had the opportunity to serve in this manner.

Our church is doing the Big Apple Adventure for Vacation Bible School.  Did you know that the very first VBS was conducted in New York City?!

Our church does an AMAZING job for VBS!  Last night we had service in the gym - which has been turned into an NYC wonderland - complete with city buildings, taxicabs, diners, tour buses, Statue of Liberty and everything!

After a brief service, the people were instructed to go into each room where the children will gather and pray.  Pray over the chairs, the craft rooms, the music room - basically each place the children will have an opportunity to encounter the gospel.

Our Director encouraged us weeks ago to pray for the one child that we will lead to Christ this week.  I will be looking for my "one child" eagerly today!

But before any of that can happen, I have to first meet with the Lord myself.  I do nothing on my own - but what comes out of my mouth today (and the rest of the week) needs to originate from the Lord!  I want desperately for those kids to know - rather see - that I've been with Jesus.

Check this out...

Acts 4:13 (ESV)

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, 

and perceived that they were uneducated, 

common men, there were astonished.  

And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

I'm just a regular person.  I'm not someone famous that the kids will be excited to see.  In fact, I've been gone from this church for so many year, I'm pretty confident that NONE of them will even know me personally!  They will not recognize me as "Penny Franklin" - But I do want them to recognize something or Someone special in me... Jesus.

What a verse!  "They recognized that they had been with Jesus."  Could this be said of you today?

I want those kids to be astonished at my boldness and excitement - and want desperately what He has given me to offer them!

His Word Sunday

His Mercy is Great

Have you ever given your children a choice of their preferred punishment?  Like... you can either be grounded from the phone or from going out with your friends, etc?

God gave David a choice of consequences for his sin as well.  To be honest - none of them sounded good to me - not a single one jumped out at me as the "lesser one".  However, I learned this morning a better way to pray when I do mess up - and found something really amazing at the end!

2 Samuel 24:14-16 (ESV)

Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress.  Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man."

So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from morning until the appointed time.  And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men.  

And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, "It is enough; now stay your hand."

(This entire story is wonderful - 
if you want to read more about his choices 

and what sin he committed read 2 Samuel 24:1-25)

Today this is my prayer...

Lord, I would much rather fall into Your hand, for Your mercies are great!  Please let me not fall into the hand of men!

I long to hear you say, "It is enough and I will stay My hand concerning you."  Amen.

Have a great Sunday!