Larry and I have dedicated the past couple of weeks to prayer, study, booking and office work and seeing God's will and direction for the future. As usual, January is a tough month to book rallies as churches are "recovering" from the busyness of all of the December Christmas programs and activities. For churches, January is usually the month for refocus and in house fasting and prayer as they prepare for the 2013 church calendar. We have taken the past three Sundays to attend different churches here in Florida. It has been so refreshing to "sit and take in". One never knows how spiritually hungry they are until the spiritual hunger pangs hit! I was feeling it and the messages have been so inspiring and challenging.

I tell Larry, "I want to attend church but I want to be anonymous"…(hard to do when Larry is so recognizable and "talky" - ha!). Because of our hearts for people and the nature of evangelism, we are often the ones to be ministering to others. We truly feel this is our calling and we genuinely love all the ways God uses us to connect His heart to others. But, there are times I feel the need to be able to be in a service for the sole purpose of soaking in truth and basking in His presence. I just love that connection with Jesus…I just need to feel His touch, hear His voice, drink in and let His Word give strength to move ahead. Again, let me reaffirm something here, I love people and I love to minister and to be with people, but then there are those times that I just need the focus and stillness of Psalms 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God." I know God has a hard time getting me to just being still. I am a go-do-go-do person. I'm sure there are many of you who can relate. There are times I just need to stop…and listen. So, for me, this time of focus, study and stillness has been precious.

Forty-some years ago my mother gave me this poem with the instructions, "Missy, read it, and do what it says." (I still need more practice on this one). Please enjoy and share with others!

Slow Me Down, Lord

Slow me down, Lord.

Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind.

Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time.

Give me, amid the confusion of the day, the calmness of the everlasting hills.

Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles with the soothing music of the singing streams that live in my memory.

Teach me the art of taking minute vacations - of slowing down to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to pat a dog, to smile at a child, to read a few lines from a good book.

Slow me down, Lord, and inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life's enduring values, that I may grow toward my greater destiny.

Remind me each day that the race is not always to the swift, that there is more to life than increasing its speed.

Let me look upward to the towering oak and know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well.

- Orin L. Crain

Well, if you are in the Midwest or in the subzero temperatures, I hope that you're staying warm. If you are in the warm temperatures and have sunshine, palm trees and sand, I hope you are enjoying it and not taking it for granted - ha! Be blessed until we talk again.

1 lb. hamburger

1 onion, chopped

2 T. shortening

1 pt. canned tomatoes or tomato juice

½ c. rice

1 T. salt

2 tsp. chili powder

Pinch of dried red pepper

1 pt. canned kidney beans

1 ½ c. water

Put meat, onion and shortening in pan. Place beans and spices on top of that and stir. Add rice and tomatoes. Mix well. Bake at 300 degrees for 2 hours, covered.