Christy Beasley...Songbird Gal

Oooooh it's gettin' crafty around here! :)

Ok this one has to be real short cause I'm busy, busy, busy!  But I'm very excited about some new artful adventures!  Nothing too new for me, except that I haven't always put it out there for others to enjoy.....so now I am!  Below are the start of what I'll be calling "Art Boards".  I'll be periodically posting these to show my new creations and things that you can purchase if you like!  As of right now I won't have prices on these boards, so if you are interested just contact me by email until my Etsy shop is up and running:):)  christybeasley52@mac.com.  

My first post here is all headbands!  Yay for fun headbands!

Enjoy!

 

I am a sheep.

I'm not even sure how to start tonight...the Lord has been so good to me, and for the past two days I feel like I have been in such a special place with just Him and I.  But I want to share with you what He's been saying to me lately, and it's simply this:  "Christy, you are my sheep."  For about 2 months God has been just ringing this through my ears and wanting me to remember, I am a sheep...I am a sheep...I am a sheep.  

John 10:29 says, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me....(it goes on to say)...No one can snatch them away from Me, for my Father has given them to me, and He is more powerful than anyone else."  

There is so much the Lord has been showing me in this that I can't even start to explain right now, but I understand being a sheep more than I ever have.  Being a sheep is comforting, because we know that our shepherd will never walk off and leave us.  He won't lead us into harm or off a cliff.  He won't starve us or keep us in a dry environment....He is always caring for the sheep.  Doesn't that make you just want to trust Him in everything?  If you know that He knows the way, and that He's been there before, don't you trust Him to steer You through and around anything in your way no matter how scary or dangerous it appears?  And even further than that, when He speaks....how sweet is it that He speaks and we can know His voice....and just hearing that familiar, guiding, loving voice of my Shepherd makes me want to go anywhere and do anything His voice tells me to do....because I trust Him....because He's my Shepherd...because He cares to speak to me....and it's a PRIVILEGE to be called His sheep and to know His voice.  I love how the passage says "and He is more powerful than anyone else."  So many times we are guilty of wanting to know what everyone else thinks, or asking other people to speak into us or advise us in life...and don't get me wrong, godly counsel is awesome!  But how much better to go straight to the shepherd and listen to His voice and let Him guide you.  After all, He is more powerful than anyone else!  There will always be those in your life that think they know more or know better, and sometimes they are honestly trying to help, but when it comes down to it, sometimes the Lord just wants you to personally hear Him speak to YOU.  

As a worship leader, the Lord just really impressed this on my heart.  That I have got to listen to the voice of my Shepherd first.  To ask HIM what my fellow sheep-mates need.  That before I lead worship somewhere whether it be on stage at a church or in someone's living room, I ask the Shepherd, "what do these particular sheep need to sing to you today Lord? What do you want to say to them God?"  As worship leaders we have got to trust that voice and honestly I'm not comfortable on any stage without it.  

And one last thought on the sheep-ness...I've also realized that as a worship leader I am a shepherd of sorts to the group of people I am leading into the Presence of God.  A good shepherd will take the sheep on a journey and get them to a good pasture of yummy grass and let them eat for a bit.  Often we are guilty as worship leaders to feel the need to fill up every gap between verse and chorus or bridge and instrumental with "come on a worship Him....praise the Lord...enter in...." and things like that, which are definitely part of leading at times and yes we need to do that when it's fitting.  But there are also times when the sheep are there already, in the pasture, and we just need to let them eat.  Sometimes that's in silence, sometimes just instrumental, or sometimes the repeating of a chorus or line that God is saying to His people.  But what I'm trying to say is, we don't have to work the entire time to speed people through the journey....we lead them, and then we let them eat what is so good, and we enjoy that time with them of course.  

Wow....I feel like I just rambled for an hour.  I hope that was digestible, cause I'm gonna be honest....I'm not about to proof read that mess that just poured out:)

Love you all!

Christy

I'm Back!!!

Whoo hoo!!!  Well, what do you know, I can't commit to a 365 blog!  So, I won't promise that again;)  BUT, I'm am back to blogging - and excited about it for many reasons....and some of that is art!  I've been getting ready to show some art, jewelry, and home decor items I'll have ready to sell soon....oooooh I just love that stuff!  Anyhoo, I'll be posting about that in the next week so stay tuned.  To catch up, here's a few random, verrrry random pics from the last few months or so!

105/365...Jericho House - Amazing Grace

Just wanted to share a quick clip of Amazing Grace from the barn at the Jericho House.  If you read my last post, you already know how much I enjoyed visiting there Thursday night and what a blessing it was.  The guys you see in the video are currently staying at the Jericho House, a rehabilitation center for men.  It's located in Cleveland, GA.  Check out their website and feel free to support them at www.thejerichohouse.org .  

Here's a quick video clip of "Amazing Grace". 

 

98,99,100,101,102,103,104/365...Old, dusty, broken-down WORSHIP.

What an amazing night!!!  I'm about to tell you about it....but for those of you who've been asking where my blog has been this week...

Ok, I don't want to have to say this every time I'm late blogging.  I love doing this 365 blog!  BUT, I'm also aware that sometimes it's just impossible.  So for me, there will be times I combine days...in this case....almost a week!  There has been sooo much going on, and you don't even want to hear it so I'll spare that stuff:)

Now, let me start by saying God is soooo good!  He's been doing amazing things in the life of our church and the people in it.  This past Sunday was so moving, and Pastor Tim didn't even get to preach because God was so evident in the house.  He blessed us all.  I got to lead worship at FCA again this past Monday, and again, God never fails to show up and I was so happy to be there.  As for the rest of the week, we've been practicing for Easter, preparing some sweet surprises, getting everything ready.....lots of STUFF.  (and this leads to tonight's story):

Throughout all the stressful "stuff" I've been working with this week, I had yet another thing to do tonight after a long day of work.  To be honest, I was tired...but God knew what I needed.  Me and a few guys from church went to the Jericho House in Cleveland to shoot some video and spend some time with the nice folks there.  We are having our monthly "Mission Sunday" this week, and some of the guys from the Jericho House will be joining us.  It's a beautiful place, and it took my breath away the second we pulled in.  We walked all over the grounds, saw all the animals, the green houses they run, and did some testimonial videos with some of the guys there.  On the way back up to the house, we stopped in at an old run down barn.  In it sits a bunch of junk, and in the middle of all that stuff is an old dusty piano.  Lloyd, I, and two other guys from the house went in, and to make a long story short...I ended up sitting on a broken exercise bench at the piano.  It was out of tune, thick in dust, but was calling my name!  The guys sat down, one of them grabbing a djembe, and I started to sing Amazing Grace, and just worshipped.  I got lost in it, and realized the guys were crying and worshipping alongside me.  I felt the Lord so strongly in that little old barn, and as we lifted up the chorus "My chains are gone, I've been set free, My God my Savior has ransomed me...", something grabbed hold of me that I can't even explain.  We all connected, united, and worshipped from the same heart.  We are ALL offered the same amazing grace.  It doesn't matter what our chains are, when we're set free, they don't matter anymore.  When we connected in the Spirit of God tonight, those guys became my brothers.  I love them.  I love that place, and I'll never forget this night.  I can't wait to go back, and I'm going to pray for those guys and that ministry every time I can.  It's great to see God at work and to get to be a little part of it.  Tonight, many things were confirmed to me about the anointing, and worship, and the yearning in my heart.  

Thank you Jesus for the chance to get out tonight and experience a different side of life....yes, LIFE!  I thank you for the blessings You've poured out on me, and I'm humbled by Your mercy and grace that never runs out.  I'm grateful for the chance to spend some special time with You and your people tonight out in the beautiful country.  You know right where to get me, and I'm glad You took me there tonight.  I am so filled. :) 

 

Me and my nephew, Cade :)

(Me and Katie at FCA)

(I'm dangerous)

(The mini-goat I want)

97/365...Pollen HATE...Easter EXCITED:)

I HATE POLLEN.  That junk is nasty.  Messes me ALL up.  

Alright, now that I got THAT out of my system....Have I mentioned yet how excited I am about Easter?!?!  Well I am.  There is SOOOOOO much to do it's a little scary, but I know it's gonna be worth it in the end.  Lots of changes, surprises, and tissues.....yes, tissues.  We will be doing a lot of new songs during the service, so I thought I'd let you know some of them so maybe you can look them up and go ahead and get in the mood!  

Christ is Risen - Matt Maher

Glorious Day - Casting Crowns

Stronger - Hillsong

O the Blood - Gateway Worship (Kari Jobe)

Check these out!  They are all amazing...."O the Blood" just hits me in such a sweet spot, and I'm sure it will bless you as well!  

Pics from the day???    Here ya go....

i hate pollen pic.

i want this VW bus....i only got this picture out of my window in the parking lot of Kroger...didn't wanna be too creepy and try to get a better one while people were watching :)

...and finally, we had an amazing dinner tonight.  This may sound weird, but we made pizzas on giant portebella mushrooms instread of crust!  Gluten-free!  Turn the mushrooms upside down, cover in tomato sauce, cheese, and pepperoni......sooooo good!  I saw the recipe on the Today show and Brad made them tonight.....he had them in the oven when I got home! :)  Can't wait to have them again!  (looks gross in the pic, totally yummy though)

96/365...Wednesday LOVE.

Wednesdays are crazy, but I do love them.  We had a combined service last night on the account of Spring break, and we had a great service!  We had good worship time, and then Brad preached and did a great job if I do say so myself!  

Alright HWC folks, time to get excited about Easter Sunday!!!  It's coming up....a little too fast for me, but I'm super pumped about the special service.  I think there will be some sweet surprises and we'll definitely be blessed.  Make sure you are inviting your friends and family!  And if you are looking for a church, come on over to HWC....we'd love to have you in the family!  Our website is www.harborworshipcenter.com.  There you can find out anything  you need to know!  

(On a side note, I enjoyed about 5 minutes outside this afternoon in the warm weather!  That is, until I ran back in so I wouldn't be too pollen infested.  Carly took these photos while we are out!)

 

95/365...Crazy Band Practices:)

Ahhh....band practice day.  Can I just say that drummers and bass players, well, you never know what they are doing back there!  Obviously not listening to me!  :)  They have too much fun while I'm trying to organize:) 

No long post for Tuesday though, it was busy and full of, as you see, musical adventure!

Opened my ribbon & scraps cabinet for the first time in a while today...not to do anything with it...but it made me happy:)

94/365...Create in Me a Clean Heart

Busy, productive day today....no other words other than this painting:)

92 & 93/365...The Weekend

So I combined my Saturday and Sunday blog because Saturday just flew by too fast in one big blur anyway!  I stayed home, worked on Easter service ideas (which I'm very excited about:), and then did laundry...forever!  

We had a great service at HWC yesterday.  You never know what to expect on Spring break weeks, usually a lot of people absent, but God always has a plan.  He showed up in an awesome way yesterday....God is soooo good.  

I have to say, I'm so caught up right now in some of the plans for Easter that I'm having a hard time not just giving it away!  There is one particular element of the service that I can't get out of my mind.  It has rocked me to the core and stirred and changed the way I think about God the Father and the gift of His Son.  His ONLY Son!  I believe it will change you too, so you don't want to miss Easter Sunday - April 24th!

Here's a verse that God spoke to me through this weekend:

Psalm 53:2

God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; He looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.

Again, without giving too much away, after knowing what's taking place Easter Sunday, my heart has been breaking thinking about the aching heart of the Father....knowing that He gave His only Son to make up for our mistakes, and sooo many don't even notice Him.  Many have acknowledged Him with their lips, but not lived as if they are thankful for such a sacrifice.  It must also be heart breaking for God to look down on the human race that He created, and see us running, scurrying, fussing, fighting, and missing the purpose of life all together.  

My prayer is that we will change this....and that when God looks down, He will see many hearts turned toward Him in awe and worship.  God make us wise to see your sacrifice in every direction we turn.  We need constant reminding, for we are a selfish, wandering people.  Make us after You along, God.

( I did get to run on the treadmill and watch iHop worship at the same time:)