Whew....

Where in the world has this week gone? I have just been too busy to even post much or even put some thoughts together this week. Anyways, it has been a busy but a good week. My school lunch visits where all good this week even though there is lots of drama and some of "MyKids" not making great decisions in class. Not everyone though so for that I am thankful! I am getting to spend some quality time tonite with an awesome family and then I get to hang with "MyKids" as zumba is on the agenda for Carol and Donna.... I get the best part of that deal! :)

Anyways, busy day tomorrow. We have a special retirement party planned for a coworker here at work. She has been here 34 years and is scared to retire and entering the next phase of her life. Please pray for her... email me lrbatema@gmail.com if you want her name. I know she would appreciate it. I also wanted to ask for prayer for my cousin Scott. He did not get a good bill of health from the doctor today. Cholesterol up, swelling in his leg because of his sleep apnea and with that brings weight issues. Please lift Scott in prayer and for his salvation - Jesus is not in his heart and he needs that the most.
Well I have been in the Book of Matthew this week. Also flipping back and forth in Proverbs 3. I will share some thoughts on that tomorrow. Time to wrap this work thing up for the day.

Love you all and still praying for peace in some areas of my life and my walk with Jesus,
Lonnie~

The Tuesday Shuffle ~

Yesterday was a tiring and long day. Not fully recovered from Sunday and pressing on after work to get the grass cut, lawn mower tuned, getting some order to the garage and finally planting 1/4 of my lettuce until it was too dark to see - left me dragging this morning. On top of all that - I went to bed at 10:45 or so - almost made it through CSI - until 2am. Done for at 2am........ how does this happen? Dogged tired and wide awake. I got up to read a little, walked around the house looking through each window like there was someone outside looking in - getting something to eat and drink then finally going back to bed and trying not to keep Carol awake. Finally I wake this morning with Adger, our big husky, poking his nose in my face. Late for work ..... hating that but in a few ways - thankful that Carol was looking out for me! Thanks Carol!!! I guess she could tell I could use a little rest and isn't it funny that my lesson that I put together on Sunday night for rock group was just about that. I had a 1-10 scale that I broke into thirds and described each part of the scale - Gods zone to live you life in, the caution zone and the danger zone. I did my best to articulate the difference between the zones and have something practical to share as well as a video clip to further explain and I just felt like I did not deliver it at all. I guess I was wrong in some ways though because a few folks have stopped to talk to me or email me and share where they are. That is powerful stuff..... I have to be honest though that I am not a peace with a few decisions these past few days. I know I should just do what God is calling me to do - am I afraid? afraid to push on to this unknown area or afraid to let go of where I am? Am I too comfortable where God has me right now and maybe in some ways being complacent? I don't know ... - so many of us live in fear these days. Afraid to take the step to come to Christ in fear of what others may think - afraid to get off the sidelines and serve God - for some, afraid to even come to church, in fear of being judged or not having their lives right before coming to God- afraid to venture out on that business idea....whatever it is- being afraid keeps us idle and keeps us from moving forward. It keeps us in the danger or even in the red zone.
I just want to keep my dreams out of the way. I want to do Gods will and live His dreams above all else. I know His dreams are bigger and better than my own. This morning after my ride into work since I over slept - a song came on through my Ipod after my podcast lesson. Dude..... I tell ya it couldn't have been more perfect. God, You are so good. No matter your struggle today - is that something you could honestly say? "God, You are SOOO Good!" If you can and mean that with all your being - then you are in the zone.... Gods dream zone and that is where God uses his children. We are His hands and feet loved ones..... be CONTAGIOUS no matter what you are going through. Everyone is watching ~Show them who Jesus is to you~

Jeremy Camp - My Desire
You want to be real, you want to be empty inside
You want to be someone laying down your pride
You want to be someone someday
Then lay it all down before the king
You want to be whole, you want to have purpose inside
You want to have virtue and purify your mind
You want to be set free today
Then lay it all down before the king
This is my desire, this is my return
This is my desire to be used by you
You want to be real, you want to be empty inside
And I know my heart is to feel you near
And I know my life It's to do your will It's to do your will
All my life I have seen
Where you've take me
Beyond all I have hoped
And there's more left unseen
There's not much I can do to repay all you've done
So I give my hands to use

God, my steps are your steps. Lead my feet where they should go Lord. Help me to put my dreams at your feet so that I may live Your dream. You are bigger than anything I am struggling with and the things I am afraid of. Help us hear your wispers Lord that are full of encouragement and hope. Help me focus on You. Help us focus on You so that others may see You through us. Lord we thank You and love you for all that You have given us and have done for us. Use us now Lord - help us, help our church Lord, be Contagious for you and for your purposes and praise. Its in Your sons most awesome name in Jesus that I pray,
Amen

My drive in this morning ~

Monday ~ I have to say I do like Mondays but they for sure are not my most favorite days of the week. I am pretty worn out after a long day on Sunday. I had to apologize to one of "MyKids" yesterday for not spending that much time with her yesterday. I hate that but Sundays are the Bateman clans busiest day of the week.
I do have to say though - serving in Sunday school yesterday was over the top. Kids that normally are hard to engage in Sunday school - were engaged yesterday. We had our series wrap up party and being that it was swords, shields, knights, princesses and chariots - it was totally fun. Kim, one of our ministry leaders thought it would be good to end the day with a pie jousting contest. Lets just say I hit both times with a dead eye face shot. Kim did get me good the first time around - as my head hit her pie and hand and stars were seen and the pie swiped my ear and I couldn't hear anything for like 15 minutes as I tried to get the whipped cream out of me year :) - Hey the kids are worth it .... and it was fun. Even the adults were loving yesterday!
That is the type of energy our kids need and deserve. I just love being in there and to think I may have missed all this if I continued to do my thing and not the thing God wanted me to do. What a blessing all this is. Teaching kids about Jesus, having fun, making smiles and a church atmosphere that the kids want to come back - is just priceless.
This morning on my way into work - I did not have my Ipod with me. I turned the radio off and had nothing going into work this morning. Silence ~ It for sure was weird. I did not like it at all to be truthful. When was the last time you had silence on your commute in the morning?

Anyways - I am looking forward to getting home this evening. I will be cutting the grass for the first time this season. Its a long grass cutting season here in the south. One that I am not in shape for and it will take a few weeks to get used to. I have been slack on my gardening and flowers and all these past few years. The drought here in NC is not helping that any. It may be time to get back to the basics and get my green thumb going again. Vegi's will always be my thing but now it may be time to color things up some. Springtime ... my mom loved the spring. I am looking forward to grandma's greenhouse trip already this year...I will be bringing Kyle with me this year so he can experience this. Its something I look forward to as well as my granny Bateman and my aunts. Mom I miss your breakfast on my greenhouse day!!!!

Love to all -
Lonnie

"We have to live our lives like eternity will come in the next moment". Rachel Joy Scott (Columbine)

I have this written in my Bible journal on the front page. Rachel was the first person shot and killed at Columbine High School. Our countries worst shooting at any school. One just never knows when their time will come. I think about this every so often~especially after the passing of some close loved ones over the years. My sister n law, Denise, especially. Her death came sudden. Carol, Kyle and I were at the cabin when we received the news that something was wrong. Doctors at the time thought they could save Denise but as the next 24 hours unfolded - so did the life story of Denise. What a way to finish the story of such a wonderful and loving person. We all have a story - we live our lives and live out our story each and every day. Does your story end with a good ending? Will people know what you lived for and what your passion in life was? Did life live through you or did you just barely hang on?

The last 3 years now since following Jesus, I feel more alive than I have ever felt before. The things that I once thought were important are no longer that important. The things I thought I would never do - I am now doing because of Jesus. Rachel Joy Scott was a teenager and she lived her life with a higher purpose. Through her life and even through her death, God received the glory. Here is a little of her story:

Throughout her life Rachel was an incredibly spiritual person who often wrote to God in her diaries about wanting to "reach the unreached". She begged Him for the chance to show others the way, to let her life have some purpose in spreading His word. In 1998 she drew a collage of images that included a rose growing up out of a columbine, with several dark drops spiralling it (you can see this picture on the video Untold Stories Of Columbine). On the morning of the shootings, she doodled a reprise of the picture: a pair of eyes crying 13 teardrops onto that same rose - the same number of victims the shooters would kill during the massacre just hours later. Rachel had always been close with her brother Craig (who had been in the library during the shootings and miraculously survived uninjured despite being next to Isaiah Shoels and Matt Kechter were shot and killed) but had experienced difficulty connecting with her father. That last week before her death, Rachel and her dad had a long and bonding discussion, something that left both of them feeling incredibly happy. For Darrell that moment would later give him comfort when dealing with Rachel's death.

God knows the exact moment when our time will come on this earth. Not a moment before or a moment later. Are you making the most of this time? Are you reaching out to others and sharing the life changing love and grace of Jesus? Even through death, God uses people, He has already written the story. The days ahead for the family of Natasha Richardson is going to be hard. I pray Natasha knew Jesus ... and that God will use her story to reach others. Those left behind will experience pain like they have never felt. But for some of them, it might be a life changing pain. Nothing is wasted through the life that Jesus gave us. So my question this morning is - Are you ready? Eternity may be in the next moment......

Lonnie~

Be Contagious ~

Yesterday I pinned up a hand written card in my office from NewSpring. Thousands of these were hand written last Thursday at the Unleash conference in Anderson SC and were handed out to each person on the way out. It was just not signed by a volunteer - it had a note to go along with it.
May God use you in a mighty way. It was a pleasure to serve you at Unleash! Be Contagious!

Those words continue to flow out of my mouth, infiltrate my mind and is pumping me up. I have to say that I am a little connected through different avenues through church - Rocky River Community Church - and I am just loving the "BUZZ" that is taking place. Things are exciting and people are excited! There is a different feel about things lately and that just pumps me up. Tonight, we are meeting to plan out our Kids Ministry party. Should be awesome - I really want to take it to another level! Hope they don't mind me being a part of that planning meeting!

God, YOU are SO good! I am really excited for a good friend of mine. Last Sunday opened the door for him to a God who has loved him even before he was born. It has been 2 years in praying for him and for his family ... God is on the move there in those hearts. All I can do is smile and give God all the praise and glory for doing so. We do serve and awesome God!
Paul tell us something very important in Ephesians 6:
The Armor of God 10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
19Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Working on a college campus has its battles. Todays kids are very much different than kids years ago but in many ways we were the same. I guess that makes sense but you know what that means. Anyways, I often hear - "Well, God made me this way." Usually this is in defense to a sin that is taking place or a lifestyle that God would not approve of. Its basically them trying to justify their actions.... we have all done it. But I have to say that God did not make you that way - Sin did. Sin has made you the way you are - God is the answer and the fix to that sin. Changes the entire way you see things doesn't it.
As God is moving in our church and in our lives - life change will only happen if we deal with sin in our lives. God is very interested in your character. This life change can't happen alone .... it is too big for you to tackle but with others around you .... God has placed certain people in your life for a reason. You know who they are that can help you, love you, encourage you and walk with you. Today, is the first day of a new beginning for some - a new journey with Christ.
I am excited for so many today.... when God is on the move........ hang on!

Lonnie~

March 16th ....

3-16. Those are some important numbers. I reminded everyone in our Rock Group last night who they are because of Jesus. We are His and we are held to higher standards in this world. We aren't subject to the ways of what this world says we should be or how we should act. Our eyes must be focused on Jesus and the things of Jesus. We are to be a light and a beacon for the lost of this world. I told the kids that God can use them just as much anyone else. There prayers are heard and have the same amount of power as mine, their parents or even Billy Graham.
It reminds me of my son Kyle, who led his grandfather in prayer in John 3-16. 16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[f] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Those were his last words on this earth. After a life of running from God - he finally accepted Gods grace and love and he was led by an 11 year old boy. Have faith like a child, Jesus said.
Even our children can do great things for God ... encourage them, teach them, and lead them parents.
Just thought I would share that tonight,
Lonnie~

I am still trying to recover from yesterday. Sundays are such long days but often times, just jammed packed with such awesome stuff. God, You are SO good. The Bateman clan got to hang out with some new friends this past Saturday - a birthday party. It is great getting to know this family and I am excited about that! Saturday night we got to hang out with some other friends over some great food. The kids all hung out in the hot tub and the parents hung out in the house. What is wrong with that picture? Aren't the parents supposed to be out in the hot tub? LOL ~
Anyways, yesterday was just one of those days. God showed up in amazing ways and in many places yesterday. Let me just say that God flexed a few of His mighty muscles and many of us are still just smiling about it. Pastor Jimmy brought a great message yesterday and touched a part of his sermon on serving in the local church. He spoke about getting in the game and off the sidelines. Jesus came to serve others and He left us that example to follow by. Serving others gets your faith into action and a chance to grow. Over the last few years, I can honestly say that serving others, praying for those opportunities are life changing. Not only for me, not only for my family but for others. I am excited for our new volunteers that came and signed up yesterday. Your faith meter is ripe for growing..... :)
I have been in the book of Ephesians the last few mornings. I wanted to share the Ephesians 3: with you today. If you're wanting to know how to pray, where to start to pray, what to actually say when you pray..... this will get you started.
Ephesians 3: 14
14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom his whole family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Love you all,
Lonnie~