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Name: Sandy
Country: United States
State: Texas
Metro: Amarillo
Birthday: 10/29/1971
Gender: Female
Interests: Post modern churches, church planting, great music, singing, spending time with my family, my relationship with Jesus, reading, and of course.... Jeremy:)
Expertise: Singing, taking care of my 3 kids and the cat, cooking, laughing, and back seat driving.
Occupation: Wife, mom, and Burn director
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
Member Since:
10/26/2005
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| When Heaven Kisses EarthMy parents have been married for almost 44 years. I am blessed. I know that. I remember as a little girl (4 or 5 years old) my mom would walk my dad to the door of our house and kiss him goodbye for the day of work. I remember LOVING seeing my parents kiss each other. It brought such stability to my little girl heart. I knew I was safe. Everyday, I would squeeze into the middle of my parents and watch my dad kiss my mom. It was beautiful and it was perfect.
This past weekend we had our monthly BURN (extended time of worship and prayer). Before I get too far into this, I want to share that over the past few months, we have begun seeing miracles take place. One example is of a little boy who had severe asthma (he had it at the time he came into the BURN back in February) and while he was sitting in that environment, he was healed. Up to that point, he could not run without having difficulty breathing. I was not "in the know" at that point, but all of the sudden, this little boy was running around the entire room. I honestly thought, "What is going on?" But having been in children's ministry for a while, I really don't pay much attention to things like that. I know how kids can be. And hey, BURN is a place of freedom so, as long as he wasn't screaming or anything, I thought what the heck... LOL It wasn't until about an hour later that I was told that this boy had been healed of his asthma and that he was simply so excited about what God had done that he couldn't stop running! He hadn't been able to run in a long time! Sounds like something straight out of the early church days, huh? Remember the lame man walking, leaping and praising God?? We are experiencing HEAVEN KISSING EARTH and just like when I was a little girl, I wanted to be right in the middle of my parent's kiss, as a woman, I want to be right in the middle of heaven kissing earth! It is BEAUTIFUL and it is PERFECT!
God has really been dealing with me about resting in His presence. So often, we feel like we aren't "doing" enough. I've personally been soaking in a soaking class (that's the best way I can describe what we do) on Wednesday nights and I have found such POWER in that. It is offensive to the religious mind. How in the world can BURN be advertised the way it needs to be or be introduced to new people or be funded the way it needs to be if the leaders are soaking and resting all the time? I don't know... but I do know that God is doing the work while I rest and soak in His presence. The economy of Heaven is SO different than our earthly economy. Which is good, huh? The ways of God are so contrary to the ways of man. All I know is that since God has laid it on my heart to do this, the doors of provision are FLYING open. And the bonus of all of this is that in that time of resting in Him, He empowers us to be witnesses of His power and His authority. IT'S NOT ABOUT ME!! IT'S ABOUT HIM!! We all get to be in the smack middle of heaven kissing earth!
I will be honest here. I tend to be the type of person who runs around always "doing" and very rarely "resting". Usually during a BURN weekend, I am going ninety - to - nothing trying to do everything that needs to be done. I feel pressure to make sure everyone is comfortable when they come in. I want to make sure that they are happy. That they aren't "bored". There was something different about me this month. THANK GOD! I no longer felt the need to MAKE this happen. I simply laid on the chairs in that sanctuary and rested and soaked and meditated in the presence of God. Every time my mind would begin to wander and begin thinking of things to do, He would speak ever so gently to me and say, "Lay your head back down. I'm big enough to take care of it. Rest." And so, I would lay back down. And I honestly didn't care what people thought. "Is she asleep? Unbelievable. The person who is in charge of this thing is actually ASLEEP! What a lousy hostess!" LOL I was spending time with my DADDY! And it was WONDERFUL!
While I was lying there , we had a woman come in who was NOT expecting anything big to happen in her life. The story was so similar to one that had happened to a group of friends of ours about a month prior. SHE DID NOT KNOW WHAT SHE WAS WALKING INTO! We're talking there were people there who were lying all over the place. This woman, along with her two children came into the BURN. They were in need. She didn't want to ask for money. She simply was wondering if we knew of a place that she could spend the night and wait for some help on Sunday. All of the shelters that we knew of were completely full and the ones who probably had more information than I did, were closed on Saturdays. The only reason the building we were in (Cornerstone Outreach - an outreach center for helping those in need) was open was because we were BURNING. Under normal circumstances, it would have been closed. God DEFINITELY had an appointment with this woman! After talking with her after a few moments, we realized that all she needed was a gas card. There were people there who had the means to not only bless her and her children with a gas card, but also with groceries to ensure that they were as comfortable as possible on their trip. We also were able to minister to her while she waited in that atmosphere. GOD MET HER THERE! I love when God sets us up to be blessed! I love that when we least expect it, HE SHOWS UP!
The POWER that God gives to those who WAIT ON HIM is incredible! It breaks the yoke of bondage! You see when we lay aside all of our human ideas and human ways of doing things, God begins to show us that it is truly only by Him and through Him that anything of any consequence is accomplished. The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof!! IT ALL BELONGS TO HIM! And He refuses to share the praise that is rightfully His with us. He will not allow a human to steal His thunder! So, we rest, acknowledging that we are nothing without Him. And in that submission, He shows up BIG TIME! God, may I never forget. The power to be everything You've called me to be is only found in setting aside my best effort and resting in You. HEAVEN IS KISSING EARTH and I'm caught in the middle and loving it!
Live Life Loud!
~Sandy | | |
| Sacred vs. Secular - Thanks, Eugene Peterson!So much is going on in my life right now. I can honestly say that if I were married to anyone else, I really don't think I would be able to keep going. God has blessed me with an AWESOME husband. Every time I start getting a little melancholy about anything, Jeremy is right there to not only pray with and for me, but give me such incredible counsel. Jeremy is not in a position of "pastor" anymore (one who is paid full time to study the Word of God and teach), but I can say that he IS the pastor of the Hudson home. Last night, I needed Godly counsel about something that was happening ministry wise and Jeremy gave me some homework to do. He wants me to read the book of Nehemiah and let it soak in.
Just a few moments ago, I sat down with The Message translation of the Bible and I started reading the forward from Eugene Peterson for the book of Nehemiah. It spoke volumes to me and I want to share it with you.
"Separating life into distinct categories of 'sacred' and 'secular' damages, sometimes irreparably, any attempt to live a whole and satisfying life, a coherent life with meaning and purpose, a life lived to the glory of God. Nevertheless, the practice is widespread. But where did all these people come up with the habit of separating themselves and the world around them into these two camps? It surely wasn't from the Bible. The Holy Scriptures, from beginning to end, strenuously resist such a separation.
The damage to life is most obvious when the separation is applied to daily work. It is common for us to refer to the work of pastors, priests, and missionaries as 'sacred,' and that of lawyers, farmers, and engineers as 'secular.' It is also wrong. Work, by it's very nature, is holy. The biblical story is dominated by people who have jobs in gardening, shepherding, the military, politics, carpentry, tent making, homemaking, fishing, and more.
Nehemiah is one of these. He started out as a government worker in the employ of a foreign king. Then he became -- and this is the work he tells us of in these memoirs -- a building contractor, called in to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. His coworker Ezra was a scholar and teacher, working with the Scriptures. Nehemiah worked with stones and mortar. The stories of the two men are interwoven in a seamless fabric of vocational holiness. Neither job was more or less important or holy than the other. Nehemiah needed Ezra; Ezra needed Nehemiah. God's people needed the work of both of them. We still do."
Wow.
Live Life Loud!
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| Here's Your Sign...I can't believe we are already almost through the month of January, 2009! Things have been a little crazy around our house but I'm finally forcing myself to just take the time to write. Over the past 4 months or so, God has opened many doors for Jeremy and I to travel around our region of the U.S. to lead worship and teach and preach a little bit. I'm honestly having the time of my life! Yesterday, we were ministering in a church in New Mexico and the pastor quoted a sign that a Cardinal fan was holding up during the NFC championship game. The sign said, "We are who we thought we were."
Wow.
When I was around 4 or 5 years old. I remember sitting in Sunday School and hearing a Bible story about a little boy named Samuel. I listened to how his mother had been barren and how she desperately longed to be a mother. I listened to how this woman went and prayed silently in the temple with SO much passion and with such urgency (yet silently... only moving her lips) that Eli (the priest) thought she was drunk. The story goes on to say that Hannah finally conceived a son and named him Samuel and when she had weaned him, she took him to the temple and told Eli that since God had answered her prayer and given her a son, she in turn, was giving Samuel back to the Lord and wanted him to serve in the temple. While Samuel was still a young boy, God began speaking to him and Samuel became a prophet of the Lord. I remember sitting in my chair that Sunday morning and thinking, "If God talked to a little boy way back then... I know He can talk to me." I was taught at a very young age to start listening for the voice of God. I first heard His voice on a Sunday evening at church when I was 6 years old. He was telling me how much He loved me and He drew me to Himself. I began my relationship with Him that night. I realized very quickly that God really likes to talk... if we will just listen.
One night when I was 12 years old, I was sitting on my bed reading a book right before I climbed under the covers to sleep. I heard (not audibly, but very distinctly), "Sandy." It took me a few moments to understand what was happening. But I remembered what my Sunday School teacher had taught me that one Sunday morning. She had said that if we ever heard that voice, that we were to be just like Samuel and respond to it. I did. I won't go into detail about what all He spoke to me that night, but needless to say, the things He said have shaped my life dramatically. I'm still following the words that were spoken to me that night.
As I've grown up, that childlike faith began to get squashed. I began to realize that not everyone thought God could still speak to them. Then I found out that women weren't really allowed to be in ministry other than nursery work or teaching a children's Sunday School class. I didn't fit the mold of what a "minister" looked like and I most certainly wasn't old enough. However, I had a pastor's wife who saw me for what I was. She recognized something about me and she took me and raised me up. She was the choir director in my church at the time. She broke through all of the "red tape" and allowed me to become part of the adult sanctuary choir at the age of 12. Back then, choir robes were a must and I remember how my choir robe literally hung on me. Unlike everyone else, I had a TRAIN on my choir robe! LOL This was also around the time when there was a shift from having a "song leader" to having a "praise team". Sure enough, I was invited to help lead worship as a 13 year old little girl. I've been doing that ever since. I laugh because I have had so many people look at me and ask, "So. How long have you been leading worship?" And I know they think I'm lying when I say, "24 years." I have known most of my life that God had big plans for me. He has trained me and given me the ability and experience to do what I do as far as teaching and leading and all that goes along with that. But there have always been people along the way who have made me question whether I actually did hear from God. I've been told that women can't do what I do. I've been told to shut my mouth on more than one occasion (and believe me, I have a hard enough time speaking up because I would much rather be on the sidelines than in the spotlight). My parents have been confronted and told to tell me to shut up. My husband has been told to get a handle on me. It's been quite an adventure.
This past week, I have just come to the conclusion that I have been called by God. I have tried to temper it. I've tried to back away from it. I've tried to stifle it. I have wanted people to accept me and be comfortable around me. And I have been perfectly miserable. I have had a choice in the matter. I could continue to wither back and just deny any of it ever happened OR I can step into it regardless of what people think and say. I've made a choice. I know what I've experienced. I know who I am. And so, the sign that I would like to hold up is, "I am who I thought I was." Guess what? So are you! Here's your sign.
Live Life Loud!
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| Happy Birthday, Granny!This post is very difficult to write, but it is necessary for me. I love the Christmas season and this year is no different, but there is a bitter sweetness to it this year...
I don't write very much about my Grandmother. I guess partly because I don't really like to talk about what is happening with her and I just don't want to "go there" in my thoughts. My Granny has Alzheimers. Can I just say how much I HATE this disease? My Granny is my last living grandparent. She lost her husband (my Granddad) back in 1970 to kidney disease. He was, I believe, 46 years old. I may be a couple of years off. I know he was very young. My mom had just had my brother. My Granny still had my uncles at home who were 5 years old and 12 years old at the time. Needless to say, it was a very traumatic time. I never knew my Granddad. I've been told I look a lot like him. He was a pastor and a mailman. I'm sure my Granny loved him dearly. She talks about him quite a bit these days. My Granny never remarried. She is FIERCLY independent. That can be good in some respects, but definitely not all. God never intended us to live secluded from one another and unwilling to have anyone help us out. Unfortunately (or fortunately... however way you want to look at it), her independence is a thing of the past and she is having to rely more and more on all of us. She doesn't like it.
This year, my Granny has made a steady decline. It has happened so fast. And tonight, as I have most of my life, we will celebrate not only Christmas Eve together as a family, but my Granny's birthday. I'm having to come to the realization that this could, quite honestly, be her last. I hate thinking of it. I haven't allowed myself to think about it... But there it is. The "knowing" that life is short. Death is just part of life. Our lives are changing yet again. The pages of this book that is called life, just keep turning.
The beautiful thing that has happened during this time is that we have all become much more affectionate with Granny. We are quicker to hug her. Granny wasn't real big on hugs that much.... until here lately. She is SO tiny. She's 4'10" or something around that and weighs a whopping 85 pounds. She's tiny. And honestly, I feel like I'm going to crush her every time I hug her. But I can't stop hugging on her. I do NOT ever miss a chance to hug her and tell her I love her. Like I said, life is too short.
Granny has lived a great long life. I'm a blessed woman and I come from a blessed family. Tonight is a special night. I pray this isn't the last "normal" Christmas Eve. But if it is, I will treasure these 37 years of memories I have. And if I am blessed with a long life like Granny, I will continue to make more memories with my children and eventually with my children's children and quite possibly with my children's children's children. Life is beautiful. I don't want it to just pass me by. Merry Christmas, everyone! Be Jesus to those around you this Christmas season!
Live Life Loud!
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| BreatheThere are a couple of things that God has given me the ability to do and they are: 1) singing 2) being able to lead worship 3) teaching. None of these things I could possibly do on my own and I am not foolish to think that any of it is something I got on my own. These things are gifts from God. And I love using those abilities for His glory.
I was created for such a time as this. Plain and simple. All of us were.
Jeremy and I began leading worship about a year ago at a local outreach center here in Amarillo at least once a month. The people that show up at this outreach center every Friday at noon are ones who are desperately in need of food and clothing and honestly are having to sit through yet another Christian service to get a meal, groceries or clothing... or all of those things. The thing I love about going and leading worship there is every month, the people honestly don't expect much in the way of ministry during that time. They frankly want to get in and get out. I can't say I blame them. Today, somehow, it was different. What happened today has happened on a smaller scale over the past year during most times that we've led worship there. But today. Something special happened today.
For those of you who are worship leaders or pastors, have you ever noticed that there are times when you are standing on the platform and you get the feeling that the life has been sucked out of the room? Like you somehow are standing in front of people who aren't breathing... That's what was happening today. It was as if NO ONE was breathing. They were just there to simply make it just one more day. Little did they know what was about to happen. Heck! Little did I know what was about to happen!
Here's a great question. How do you get people who have almost nothing, as far as possessions go, to worship? Have you ever tried? I'm talking about some of these people that I was standing in front of today do not have a roof over their head and literally do not have a clue where their next meal is going to come from. How do you get them to open up their mouths and sing? How do you get them to hope again? How do you get them to look at themselves as something special? As a treasure? As someone of worth? The answer is, you don't. You can't. You see, there is nothing in and of myself that could possibly make someone want to worship. The only One who can draw worship out of a human heart is God. As I stood on the platform today, there came a point about 2 songs into the "song list" that God was up to something a little different. I love that. All of the sudden, I was prompted to say something. I began just talking to them. I began telling them about my love for wind chimes and how my wonderful husband bought me wind chimes for Mother's Day this year. In fact I know I wrote a blog about it. You can read it HERE. Anyway, I began to tell them how God spoke to me in my bathroom and how I cannot, for the life of me, figure out WHY He always likes to talk to me in the bathroom. The laughter came. The walls began falling. I then heard God saying, "Tell them how much I love them. Tell them how valuable they are to me. Tell them how I want them to dream again. How I want to breathe on them and make them make their own unique sound." I cannot describe to you what took place from 12:00pm - 12:30pm on December 12, 2008 in that outreach center. But what I can say about it is, the people began to breathe again. It was beautiful. And my heart will forever feel and remember what happened today. It brings tears to my eyes. I pray that the words that were spoken today will not be forgotten. But that the words that God spoke today to each heart would be fully embraced and remembered and grow in fertile soil in each heart.
It's good to breathe.
Live Life Loud!
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