Yep...here I am again, on the bus for a 7 hour drive from Chicago to Wisconsin. It is a gorgeous day here in Illinois: sunshine, blue skies, and a cool autumn breeze :-) I love fall in the north! haha Honestly, I wish I wasn't on this bus so I could take a walk or just sit outside and read.
We're headed to Meford, WI for a show tomorrow, then we're gonna have a couple days off in Milwaukee, then another show on sunday in Whitewater, WI. Then we'll be heading to Indiana. From what I've heard, we've been getting a lot of opposition from one of our shows in Wisconsin, so please be praying about that and that hearts and minds would be opened and prepared for what's going to happen in these next few days.
Another prayer request. One of the girls on the team, Tabetha, just heard that one of her best friends from home was a in a bad car accident this morning. She doesn't know all the details, but she does know that the girl, Nikki, is in critical condition. She is a strong woman of God and was in the process of planning a mission trip to Africa. So if you could keep Nikki in your prayers, that would be great, thank you so much!
Alright, well, I'm going to get back to sitting on the bus ;-) haha Love y'all!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Days Off
Ahh...it's amazing what 2 days off can do for a person haha. Thursday we hung out in Arkansas and went out on Lake Thunderbird at the invitation of one of our hosts who owns a boat. We did some water sports and did a lot of tubing, too. It was a blast! We're all still pretty sore, but we had a great time, so it was definitely worth it. And it was a beautiful day for it too...a perfect way to take the day off and to enjoy God's creation.
Yesterday we spent the day in downtown Memphis, TN, which was a lot of fun as well! We got to hear some incredible blues bands; awesome talent in Memphis! There was this one band called The Will Tucker Band, the lead singer/guitarist was 16 years old! And he had an amazing voice! There was this other band, and the woman that sang was phenomenal! She had a huge range and a very soulful sound, which I love, and she was just super super talented. So anyway, yeah, had the privilege of hearing some really talented people yesterday. Then we went to karaoke in the evening, where there was also some talent...but not quite so incredible haha! Needless to say, we had a very fun-filled day yesterday. Also got to do a little shopping :-)
Today we're headed to Frankfort, KY where we have a show tomorrow evening. It's gonna be a long drive...about 8 or 9 hours I think. So...plenty of time to watch movies, listen to music, talk to my parents, and take a nap haha...oh, and blog of course lol.
So this morning in my devotions I was reading Psalm 139, which is a go-to passage for me, but today it was because my little daily women's devotional talked about speaking respectfully to ourselves. It talked about needing to be an encourager of yourself rather than your worst critic, which I can tend to be at times :-/ So, to remind myself of who I am, I went to Psalm 139. I would encourage y'all to read it in The Message; it's a different version of the Bible that kind of breaks it down into common language today. So anyway, it was just a great reminder of how truly well the Father knows me, knows each and every one of us. He knows more about us thatn anyone can or ever will...how crazy is that?! And then to top that off, in light of Him knowing everything about us, He still loves us! God still loves me in spite of all my failures, faults, and flaws. Praise the Lord. Oh How He Loves!! :-D
Just wanted to share a little something that was on my heart today. I hope the amazing Love of the Father encourages you as much as it has encouraged me today :-)
In Him
~Anna
Yesterday we spent the day in downtown Memphis, TN, which was a lot of fun as well! We got to hear some incredible blues bands; awesome talent in Memphis! There was this one band called The Will Tucker Band, the lead singer/guitarist was 16 years old! And he had an amazing voice! There was this other band, and the woman that sang was phenomenal! She had a huge range and a very soulful sound, which I love, and she was just super super talented. So anyway, yeah, had the privilege of hearing some really talented people yesterday. Then we went to karaoke in the evening, where there was also some talent...but not quite so incredible haha! Needless to say, we had a very fun-filled day yesterday. Also got to do a little shopping :-)
Today we're headed to Frankfort, KY where we have a show tomorrow evening. It's gonna be a long drive...about 8 or 9 hours I think. So...plenty of time to watch movies, listen to music, talk to my parents, and take a nap haha...oh, and blog of course lol.
So this morning in my devotions I was reading Psalm 139, which is a go-to passage for me, but today it was because my little daily women's devotional talked about speaking respectfully to ourselves. It talked about needing to be an encourager of yourself rather than your worst critic, which I can tend to be at times :-/ So, to remind myself of who I am, I went to Psalm 139. I would encourage y'all to read it in The Message; it's a different version of the Bible that kind of breaks it down into common language today. So anyway, it was just a great reminder of how truly well the Father knows me, knows each and every one of us. He knows more about us thatn anyone can or ever will...how crazy is that?! And then to top that off, in light of Him knowing everything about us, He still loves us! God still loves me in spite of all my failures, faults, and flaws. Praise the Lord. Oh How He Loves!! :-D
Just wanted to share a little something that was on my heart today. I hope the amazing Love of the Father encourages you as much as it has encouraged me today :-)
In Him
~Anna
Monday, September 20, 2010
Clarity
Hey everyone! :-)
I have a prayer request. This is the biggest thing that I need prayer for as of right now.
This whole experience has a lot to do with discovering my purpose and discovering what it is God has planned for me. So, my prayer is that God will give me clarity and direction as far as what He has for me and where He wants me to go. I pray that He will give me confirmation in my heart on the things that are to come and the things that are part of His Master plan. I want the desires of my heart to reflect God's desires for my life. I understand that all the answers to my life questions may not come to me all at once and I'll all of a sudden know exactly what I'm doing for the rest of my life. My prayer is for direction, guidance and clarity on the things that of God and not just of myself.
Please, if you could be praying these things with me that would be awesome! Thank y'all so much for all your support and prayer! I know I've said that a bunch of times, but I'm serious, I really appreciate it!
God bless!!
:-)
I have a prayer request. This is the biggest thing that I need prayer for as of right now.
This whole experience has a lot to do with discovering my purpose and discovering what it is God has planned for me. So, my prayer is that God will give me clarity and direction as far as what He has for me and where He wants me to go. I pray that He will give me confirmation in my heart on the things that are to come and the things that are part of His Master plan. I want the desires of my heart to reflect God's desires for my life. I understand that all the answers to my life questions may not come to me all at once and I'll all of a sudden know exactly what I'm doing for the rest of my life. My prayer is for direction, guidance and clarity on the things that of God and not just of myself.
Please, if you could be praying these things with me that would be awesome! Thank y'all so much for all your support and prayer! I know I've said that a bunch of times, but I'm serious, I really appreciate it!
God bless!!
:-)
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Ian
Now you might be wondering why I titled this post "Ian," but I'll get to that :-)
Last night we had a show in Corsicana, TX. It was a rather stressful night for everyone, and registration was insane. Being out with registration for the majority of the show, I don't really get to see what's going on inside with the show. If anything, I see the people that leave, or those that left the show but are just hanging out in the hallway or something being rowdy and kinda disrespectful. Needless to say, those kinds of things are discouraging, and because last night was already rather stressful, I was having a rough night.
At one point in the night, I just hung my head and thought "God where are you? You are so big, much bigger than all these distractions. Please show up in this place and change lives; give me some hope to hold on to in order to know that this night was worth it."
God gave me hope in the form of a young man named Ian.
There was a group of 5 guys hanging out after the show, and someone told Missy and I that they wanted rings but didn't have the money. So in order to make sure they were for real, we called them over and started to talk to them a little bit. Missy asked them if they were ready to make a commitment to God to wait until marriage to have sex. Two of them said yes right away, another one was like "whoa...to God?" and left. The final 2 were sort fo him-hawing and saying how hard it would be to wait and they didn't know if they could do that. Missy proceded to tell them that it is difficult, but it is so worth the wait. She was super encouraging and told them how she knew they could do it, but they had to decide for themselves what they wanted to do.
Then I started talking, and as some of you already know, when I get talking it's hard for me to stop...haha. But this time it was different, I could feel the Holy Spirit using me and speaking through me, so I knew I had to talk.
I started to tell him about how this commitment isn't something to take lightly, it's not an easy commitment to make and it's one that takes a heart change. I referred to the starting over story within our show, and he expressed how much that hit home for him. And I could hear and see the sincerity in him...another reason why I felt compelled to keep going. I came right out and told him that this commitment is not possible without being saved and having god by your side. I spoke again of second chances, about how God could restore him, and about God's true and real forgiveness. Slowly as I was talking, one by one, his friends left, but not him. He stayed there. He listened. I knew he was listening, even though he had his tough-guy face and never really looked at me, and more importantly, I knew God was working on his heart. And that is why I couldn't stop. I wasn't going to to pressure him into doing something he wasn't ready to do, but I wasn't going to give up either.
After about 5 or 10 minutes of just talking to him about heart change, being for real, being committed, and most importantly, doing it all with God as his Savior and his source of strength, I asked him that one question that everybody wants to get to in the witnessing process. I asked him if he was ready to ask Jesus into his heart and if he wanted to be saved. I put it in perspective for him, though, by saying that it would mean going to school the next day and looking his buddies in the eye and telling what he did the night before. Saying "Dude, I'm waiting. And I'm not doing it alone because I've been saved and I now have Jesus by my side."
His answer - "Yes" with a smile on his face :-)
WOOOOOO-HOOOOOOO! And you guessed it, this young man's name is Ian! As of September 15, 2010 Ian is a saved young man who is wearing an SRT ring saying he is going to wait for his future wife. And i am privileged to say that I was able to lead him in the prayer of salvation; what an honor! Praise the Lord for moments like these where He uses us to further His Kingdom, even when we are so unqualified for the job.
God is so good! He showed up in an amazing way last night in Corsicana, TX! Along with Ian, about 275 others committed themselves to Christ! And more than 200 people purchased rings as a symbol of their commitment to wait! AWESOME!
So if y'all could be praying for our new brother in Christ, Ian, that would be amazing! He's in a tough community with his buddies and it's not going to be an easy thing for him to commit to this. Pray for confidence in the face of adversity and opposition, courage in times of temptation, and strength to stand up for his decision.
Thank y'all so much for your prayers and for reading this blog. I pray that my story about Ian has touched you and made your heart smile just as mine is. And that you would be rejoicing just as the angels in heaven are rejoicing over those that once were lost, but are now found in Jesus Christ :-)
Love in Christ
~Anna
Last night we had a show in Corsicana, TX. It was a rather stressful night for everyone, and registration was insane. Being out with registration for the majority of the show, I don't really get to see what's going on inside with the show. If anything, I see the people that leave, or those that left the show but are just hanging out in the hallway or something being rowdy and kinda disrespectful. Needless to say, those kinds of things are discouraging, and because last night was already rather stressful, I was having a rough night.
At one point in the night, I just hung my head and thought "God where are you? You are so big, much bigger than all these distractions. Please show up in this place and change lives; give me some hope to hold on to in order to know that this night was worth it."
God gave me hope in the form of a young man named Ian.
There was a group of 5 guys hanging out after the show, and someone told Missy and I that they wanted rings but didn't have the money. So in order to make sure they were for real, we called them over and started to talk to them a little bit. Missy asked them if they were ready to make a commitment to God to wait until marriage to have sex. Two of them said yes right away, another one was like "whoa...to God?" and left. The final 2 were sort fo him-hawing and saying how hard it would be to wait and they didn't know if they could do that. Missy proceded to tell them that it is difficult, but it is so worth the wait. She was super encouraging and told them how she knew they could do it, but they had to decide for themselves what they wanted to do.
Then I started talking, and as some of you already know, when I get talking it's hard for me to stop...haha. But this time it was different, I could feel the Holy Spirit using me and speaking through me, so I knew I had to talk.
I started to tell him about how this commitment isn't something to take lightly, it's not an easy commitment to make and it's one that takes a heart change. I referred to the starting over story within our show, and he expressed how much that hit home for him. And I could hear and see the sincerity in him...another reason why I felt compelled to keep going. I came right out and told him that this commitment is not possible without being saved and having god by your side. I spoke again of second chances, about how God could restore him, and about God's true and real forgiveness. Slowly as I was talking, one by one, his friends left, but not him. He stayed there. He listened. I knew he was listening, even though he had his tough-guy face and never really looked at me, and more importantly, I knew God was working on his heart. And that is why I couldn't stop. I wasn't going to to pressure him into doing something he wasn't ready to do, but I wasn't going to give up either.
After about 5 or 10 minutes of just talking to him about heart change, being for real, being committed, and most importantly, doing it all with God as his Savior and his source of strength, I asked him that one question that everybody wants to get to in the witnessing process. I asked him if he was ready to ask Jesus into his heart and if he wanted to be saved. I put it in perspective for him, though, by saying that it would mean going to school the next day and looking his buddies in the eye and telling what he did the night before. Saying "Dude, I'm waiting. And I'm not doing it alone because I've been saved and I now have Jesus by my side."
His answer - "Yes" with a smile on his face :-)
WOOOOOO-HOOOOOOO! And you guessed it, this young man's name is Ian! As of September 15, 2010 Ian is a saved young man who is wearing an SRT ring saying he is going to wait for his future wife. And i am privileged to say that I was able to lead him in the prayer of salvation; what an honor! Praise the Lord for moments like these where He uses us to further His Kingdom, even when we are so unqualified for the job.
God is so good! He showed up in an amazing way last night in Corsicana, TX! Along with Ian, about 275 others committed themselves to Christ! And more than 200 people purchased rings as a symbol of their commitment to wait! AWESOME!
So if y'all could be praying for our new brother in Christ, Ian, that would be amazing! He's in a tough community with his buddies and it's not going to be an easy thing for him to commit to this. Pray for confidence in the face of adversity and opposition, courage in times of temptation, and strength to stand up for his decision.
Thank y'all so much for your prayers and for reading this blog. I pray that my story about Ian has touched you and made your heart smile just as mine is. And that you would be rejoicing just as the angels in heaven are rejoicing over those that once were lost, but are now found in Jesus Christ :-)
Love in Christ
~Anna
Monday, September 13, 2010
Rest
Wow...what a crazy weekend!! We had a show on Saturday night, finished at 9, then tore down and drove to 2 1/2 hours to a hotel, got there around 3:30, woke up at 7:30, drove to the next venue, had a show Sunday night, then went to a hotel, and finally got to sleep in this morning. Yep...crazy. haha
BUT all is well and I feel more rested than I did all weekend. God is good and He provides us rest in times when we feel so restless, Praise the Lord! In our weakness, He is strong. In those times when we absolutely cannot get through a day unless we rely on His strength, it's amazing what He'll do.
The entire team was exhausted yesterday and running on about 4 hours of sleep. Yet we pulled off an amazing show, lives were changed, and my heart was smiling :-) and all of it was by God's mighty hand. Amen! God does amazing stuff, if only we'll let go and let Him move. God is so good! :-)
Alright...I'm tired and it's bedtime for me.
Love y'all!! :-)
BUT all is well and I feel more rested than I did all weekend. God is good and He provides us rest in times when we feel so restless, Praise the Lord! In our weakness, He is strong. In those times when we absolutely cannot get through a day unless we rely on His strength, it's amazing what He'll do.
The entire team was exhausted yesterday and running on about 4 hours of sleep. Yet we pulled off an amazing show, lives were changed, and my heart was smiling :-) and all of it was by God's mighty hand. Amen! God does amazing stuff, if only we'll let go and let Him move. God is so good! :-)
Alright...I'm tired and it's bedtime for me.
Love y'all!! :-)
Thursday, September 9, 2010
In Every Season
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
And I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship
My heart's cry is to know and feel this statement every day of my life. No matter what the circumstances are, I want to have a Reason to Sing. To be, as Paul was, content in every circumstance because of my heavenly Father, my Savior, my Lord. Because He gives me strength to face each day, I want to face the days with faith, hope, and courage. In Every Season, God is there. We say at Christmas time that 'Jesus is the Reason for the Season'. Well let me tell you...Jesus is the Reason for Every Season! And I will ever praise Him for His constant watch over me. Even when I feel confused and frustrated, God is still there, every moment of every day. Amen!
So I'm at the Carenet Conference; a big conference for pregnancy centers, and abstinence and purity movements. It is pretty awesome to see hundreds, probably thousands, of men and women here who have a heart for saving the lives of babies all over the world from abortions. What a powerful ministry! These people are so passionate about this movement and this issue. Awesome!
On Tuesday September 7, 2010 at 10:32pm, my sister-in-law gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Colton Charles McCurdy. That's right, I'm an AUNT!! And I am sooo excited! I wish I could be there, but when I can finally see him and hold him, I'm gonna be greedy and not let anyone else hold him! haha But as I think about his life, and in light of the conference I'm at, it baffles me why anyone would want to take life away from someone. It makes me sad to think that beautiful babies don't ge the chance to breathe their first breath, or take their first step, or say their first word. Wow...something to think about, isn't it? Praise the Lord for the new life of Colton Charles McCurdy, for he is indeed a gift from God! :-)
In Christ,
~Anna
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Texas!
I'm in Texas now! There's big trucks everywhere! haha It's really nice here...hot, but very nice. We're staying in host homes and just kinda chillin' for a couple days here in the suburbs of Houston. It's nice to have a couple lazy days...but I start to get anxious after a while haha.
Today we went to a community pool with our host family. They have 3 kids, ages 4, 3, and 1...yeah...crazy! haha It was a lot of fun though, nice to get some sunshine. The pool was like a miniature water park, with slides and diving boards and 4 different pools to swim in. It was really nice.
Next week we have the Carenet Conference, which is a huge pregnancy center conference here in Texas. We help with all the technical stuff, so we're there all week. It starts on Tuesday and ends on Saturday. Then we have a show Saturday evening, so that should be fun. We also have another show in San Antonio on the 12th and another in Corsicana, TX on the 15th. So yeah, we're here in TX for a while. It's pretty down here though :-)
So...I have a prayer request. For some reason I've been getting headaches lately, and along with them comes nausea, light-headedness, and dizziness. I'm not sure what's causing all of this because I'm drinking lots of water and I think I'm eating pretty good, or at least I'm trying to. But if y'all could be praying about this that would be great. Thank you!
Thank you to everyone for your prayers and your support. God bless y'all!! :-)
Today we went to a community pool with our host family. They have 3 kids, ages 4, 3, and 1...yeah...crazy! haha It was a lot of fun though, nice to get some sunshine. The pool was like a miniature water park, with slides and diving boards and 4 different pools to swim in. It was really nice.
Next week we have the Carenet Conference, which is a huge pregnancy center conference here in Texas. We help with all the technical stuff, so we're there all week. It starts on Tuesday and ends on Saturday. Then we have a show Saturday evening, so that should be fun. We also have another show in San Antonio on the 12th and another in Corsicana, TX on the 15th. So yeah, we're here in TX for a while. It's pretty down here though :-)
So...I have a prayer request. For some reason I've been getting headaches lately, and along with them comes nausea, light-headedness, and dizziness. I'm not sure what's causing all of this because I'm drinking lots of water and I think I'm eating pretty good, or at least I'm trying to. But if y'all could be praying about this that would be great. Thank you!
Thank you to everyone for your prayers and your support. God bless y'all!! :-)
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