Shad went to spend the day with a buddy, the three little ones had PT, had to go grocery shopping, then back to pick up Shad and my dear friend Jackie so we could all go to Camp meeting together.
Now I don't know if some of you even know what Camp Meeting is....
I grew up going to Camp Meetings. Back then it was a church service held in an "tabernacle" usually open aired, that meant NO air conditioning...and remember I'm from Florida. The ceiling fans would be running, the people would have the little hand fans, for some reason they'd often have an advertisement for a funeral home, do NOT ask me why! Some folks would sit outside the tabernacle in their lawn chairs.
Camp meeting was FUN! It would last for hours and hours....maybe start at 7 pm and end up at 1 am... people would sing and shout and run the aisles.... the kids would watch, or go to the concession stand (when it opened). There would be singing and more singing...preaching, praying....
We would go to the Church of God Camp meeting down in Wimauma Florida in June and over to Mayo Florida for the North Florida camp meeting in August. It was hot....the ladies all were dressed up and back then the men wore suits. One time our family even went up to South Caroline for their camp meeting.
I've got some good memories of those time. When we went to South Carolina our good friends were the "over seers" or the head of the Church of God for that state so we got the VIP treatment:) We stayed at the camp ground in a trailer and that was just so much fun to me. I was about 5 years old and I remember being in the service, and the congregation was singing "Wonderful Peace" and the wind was blowing through the open air tabernacle. It was a little after sunset, cool (compared to Florida LOL) At only 5 years old, that memory is still vivid and precious, it sounded like heaven's angels singing to me. It's one of those memories that is like a short video in my mind, looking out to the hills, feeling the breeze, hearing that song...how lovely!
(1) Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight
Rolls a melody sweeter than psalm;
In celestial strains it unceasingly falls
O'er my soul like an infinite calm.
Peace, peace, wonderful peace,
Coming down from the Father above!
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray
In fathomless billows of love!
(2) What a treasure I have in this wonderful peace,
Buried deep in the heart of my soul,
So secure that no power can mine it away,
While the years of eternity roll!
Peace, peace, wonderful peace,
Coming down from the Father above!
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray
In fathomless billows of love!
(3) I am resting tonight in this wonderful peace,
Resting sweetly in Jesus' control;
For I'm kept from all danger by night and by day,
And His glory is flooding my soul!
Peace, peace, wonderful peace,
Coming down from the Father above!
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray
In fathomless billows of love!
(4) And I think when I rise to that city of peace,
Where the Anchor of peace I shall see,
That one strain of the song which the ransomed will sing
In that heavenly kingdom will be:
Peace, peace, wonderful peace,
Coming down from the Father above!
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray
In fathomless billows of love!
(5) Ah, soul! are you here without comfort and rest,
Marching down the rough pathway of time?
Make Jesus your Friend ere the shadows grow dark;
O accept of this peace so sublime!
Peace, peace, wonderful peace,
Coming down from the Father above!
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray
In fathomless billows of love!
There is nothing in this world like the peace that comes from God. That is something I can testify to, not just in the last few months but over my entire lifetime. The peace of God, is so sweet and precious. I know I let other things come in and steal that peace away at times, but thank God, He still gives it.
As a teen, I was touched by God around the altars of the tabernacle in Florida. My heart was stirred and encouraged to be more for God.
Recently I had been talking to a close friend who had never experienced a "old timey Pentecostal" service so I told her I'd find out when camp meeting was going to be and we'd go. Well she ended up not being able to go, but by then, I'd decided I wanted to go anyhow. Another friend said she'd go and my husband loves to be in church anytime, anywhere, so it wasn't hard to get him to work his schedule so he could go. We took the kids, because I wanted them to experience it too. See, my husband pastors a Pentecostal church, but ....our denomination is little bit "calmer" than what I saw growing up..... I knew the minister who was going to be preaching last night and knew he'd be like what I grew up around. And he was! LOL
this was just a clip of a service with him leading the kind of music I grew up singing:)
I'm not one to go around calling different meetings and services "awesome" but it really was great. Tommy Bates was the speaker and he actually spoke on remembering our past and how God has been faithful to us over the years. There were even a couple of folks who "ran the aisles" so I was happy:) Please know I am not making fun!! Even tho I've never been a very expressive person in my worship, it does not bother me when others are! The sermon, was just what Jon & I both needed to hear. God is faithful and we have nothing to fear....the sermon spoke to me and helped me to remember how Faithful God has been time & time again in my life. I don't ever want to be ashamed of Him and what He has done in my life. If it were not for God, I have no idea where I'd be...it certainly would not be where I am today! Of course, you may not think I'm in a good place today LOL but let me tell you....I am in a good place....I've got God's peace in my life and I'm content, even in heartache....
A good time was had by all....my kids were quite "wide eyed" especially during the time of special prayer. In Pentecostal churches sometimes when people get prayed for they get 'slain in the spirit" and fall down. When that happens in our church or denomination , we usually use "catchers" who gently catch and lay them on the floor, well the Church of God in which I grew up is a little different.... they just let them fall LOL! It's a good test to see if folks are "in the spirit" or "in the flesh" So last night people were falling out...and my kids were freaking a little bit. The boys were cracking me up!
So I bet you are wondering if that has ever happened to me? It did ONE time... Now I've had some preachers over the years try to make it happen to me. In their excitement, they'd be praying with their hand on my head and push back a bit... I didn't really think anyone was really trying to push me down, they'd just get excited BUT I don't do "courtesy falls" for anyone! Hey, with my luck, there would not be a "catcher" LOL BUT ONE time....I was in a service and the presence of God was so real and tangible...I was way back (of course) in a very large church. The minister asked all who wanted a fresh touch from God to stand. I did and as he prayed, hundreds of feet away from me, it was like a heavy warm blanket just settled down on me and I didn't have the strength to stand. I fell, between the pews, with no one catching me at all. I did not get hurt so I guess I was "in the Spirit" Then I began to laugh, it just poured out of me along with tears...and I really felt a refreshing in my heart. Now let me tell you, my husband was so freaked out and shocked by this. he just kept saying "it must be God...." For whatever reason, I am very UN- demonstrative in church. I admire friends who can just worship freely and loudly...but I just do not do that. My husband is like that...he is totally comfortable. That night he was in amazement LOL and he still talks about it 20 years later!
Some folks think that emotions have no place in church and Lord knows I try not to be very emotional in front of people but when you really think about it.....God made our emotions, He is the One who gave us life and gave us eternal life...it's pretty clear in the Bible, if you read the Psalms and Revelation that God expects our worship to have emotion in it. We are human and we have emotions... Think about when you sing "America the Beautiful" (for my US Friends) or whatever your country's song is and you get choked up....how much more should we have emotion about God...and our heavenly home? (says the one who fights emotion just about every Sunday....)
So that is where we were last night....it was good, good for our spirits!
----------------------------------------
Today has been a busy day. Had our care coordinator visit today, our nurses' supervisor visited, a new friend, our OT, then we (the nurse and I) took Selah to the hospital for speech just to find out the schedule had been changed....it's been a busy day and tomorrow will be too! Our nurse Aaron who is also a Catholic monk, has such a sense of humor. He says DAILY we need our own sitcom..."cuz you can't make up this stuff" If it's not one thing, it's another. We certainly keep him entertained:)
Here is Sarah on the princess car.
She will go down the hall and into the kitchen. She is so brave!
These next two pictures have quite a story to them. I had the tomatoes from my garden out after washing them to dry. Evidently Sam has watched the old movie "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" He took a tomato and ate on it and destroyed it! Sam has to giggle when he is doing something he thinks he will get in trouble for, so I heard him laughing, coming down the hall. At first I thought he had thrown up!!! Then I put 2 and 2 together:) he was laughing so hard, he could hardly stand up!
Sam with tomatoes all over him
the Killer Tomato is dead!
That was a classic Sam:)
So much in this post to make *me* smile and giggle...at God's goodness, at children being funny, at sweet memories, at how LIFE is just funny. (And no worries at your apologizing for not posting--you were living life!!)
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I'm glad everything is okay. I was really worried when you didn't post on Tuesday. I think that was the first day since I started reading right after Selah's accident that you've missed a post.
ReplyDeleteSecond, your description of camp meeting brought back so many memories! I was brought up in a similar denomination and I really miss going to camp meetings. (I had to walk away for a few minutes, I was so flooded by memories.) My childhood wasn't very happy, but camp...I can remember nothing but good things there.
Thank you for starting my day with so many pleasant memories!
My aunt was at the same camp meeting as you last night! Small world :)
ReplyDelete