Thursday, September 18, 2014

FAITH While You Wait!

There is a difference between faith & wishing. Faith sees, feels, knows, talks about, envisions, before it is a reality. Faith comes by hearing. Faith is. #talkaboutittilitsreal #myproof#tylerjr #trinityfaith #timothyisaacjosiah
Romans 10:17 (KJV) - So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 
Hebrews 11:1 (KJV) - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 
Yesterday I posted the above quote to my social media outlets. I began thinking about faith. About our successes, as well as things we are still standing in faith to see come to pass. I began to think on our greatest success thus far in regards to faith. It was an easy example, our children. 

It all began in 2001-2002. Newly married, a new business and growing in our walk with the Lord. As we were aggressively expanding and growing our new business, we found ourselves driving a lot in the expansion process. We would drive from Myrtle Beach, SC to the Atlanta Metro area in Georgia. The one way drive was a short 6 hours. There were seasons where we drove this several times a week, leaving Myrtle Beach at 3:00 in the afternoon, driving to Georgia for a 1-2 hour meeting, and turning around and driving home. We had a LOT of time on the road. We had a LOT of time to talk. 

FAITH BEGAN
Often on our 6 hour drive home, we were almost talked out. We had talked about everything and to stay awake, we began talking about our future children. We had already decided we wanted 4 children, and had already decided upon their names. Our drive consisted of imagining what they would be like, act like, look like, their personalities, their gifts, talents and abilities, how tall they would be, the color of their eyes, thickness of their hair, even down to who would be the one child who would like to snuggle the most. We began talking about, imagining and SEEING our children.

We began talking about, praying for, seeing, imagining our four children: Tyler, Trinity, Timothy & Taylor, in that order. Two boys, two girls. To this day, I'm still not sure why we believed them in the order of boy, girl, boy, girl, but we did. That is how we saw them. We talked about how Trinity would love to feed daddy. She would feed him bites of her food (and at age 2 1/2, SHE DOES THAT!), and when she was old enough she would make him sandwiches, carrying it in on a plate and beam with pride as daddy thanked her. She would love to serve daddy (and even her brothers), simultaneously this is also the love language of her dad, "acts of service." From the book The Five Love Languages, this is one of the ways Tyler feels loved the most. Taylor on the other hand, wouldn't be the serving type, but she would be the snuggler out of the four kids. She would love to be held, hugged and could just sit in your lap, loving you with her affection. 

I could go on about all the things we talked about, but the bottom line is, WE TALKED and FAITH CAME! Faith comes by hearing! I HEARD my voice as I talked to Tyler, I heard my voice talk about our children, and I listened and HEARD as Tyler also talked about them, and we were in agreement (Matthew 18:19). As we SPOKE WORDS out of our mouth, FAITH CAME. Until, our kids took on themselves, years before they actually arrived. They began to take shape, because we spoke about and envisioned them. We talked about them like they were REAL and one by one, they have become the real, live, manifestation of what we spoke about. 

I've heard many people say comments like, "Well, we're just not like you and Tyler. It just doesn't happen like that with everyone. My husband and I can't just 'pick out' whether we want a boy or girl next."  

My thoughts behind that comment? Tyler and I just spent more time building our FAITH around who our kids were and who they would become. Sure, someone who just makes a decision, hopes for or wishes to have a "baby boy next," may or may not have a boy. How real did that baby boy become? Did they see him, talk about him, envision him, see his characteristics, personality? My questions to them would be, DID FAITH REALLY COME? Did you talk about them so much, OUTLOUD, with your words that, as Romans 10:17 says, FAITH CAME. 

Don't get me wrong, why haven't some of our other dreams and goals come to pass yet? I believe many still will, but why not yet? Well… I believe it is our responsibility to speak about, envision, see those goals becoming a reality. SPEAKING ABOUT them until FAITH COMES. Faith GIVES birth to a new, dreamed, reality! 

When were our children born? Tyler Jr - 2009, Trinity Faith - 2011, Timothy Isaac Josiah - 2013. BUT, truly on our drives from Atlanta to Myrtle Beach, THAT IS WHEN OUR CHILDREN WERE BORN. 


Tyler Jr, Trinity & Timothy …. one more to go! Our baby girl Taylor!






Thursday, August 28, 2014

To Hell in a Handbasket?

Quite an interesting title for today, I know! I looked up the meaning for this phrase and this is what I found: 
To be 'going to hell in a handbasket' is to be rapidly deteriorating - on course for disaster.
As I sit and reflect on my life, like many of you, I definitely had my season of what I call my black sheep days! Late high school, early college, the definition above defines the direction of my life. Without Jesus, doing what I felt like doing, my life was rapidly deteriorating & on course for disaster.

One of the Bible verses Tyler & Trinity know, is one of my favorite.
Romans 10:9 - If you, confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord & believe with your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved!  
But isn't that true of every person who has not accepted Jesus as their Savior? It may not look like their life is deteriorating. It may not look like their life is on course for disaster with their nice new car or new house, their elegant and perfect interior decorations, or the front porch wreath & topiary tree that makes everything look so together. You know that friend, you partied with them back in the day. You joked, laughed, created memories, most of which you now wish you could take back.

But then… that day came for you. Like the prodigals son, who went and squandered his inheritance, he came to his senses. He came running back to his father. You and I did the same. We had that defining moment when we realized our life was empty. The parties were not fulfilling the empty void in our heart. The relationships weren't completing us like we thought they should. The money seemed pointless and meaningless. We had that moment, down on our knees where we took Romans 10:9 and received it for our life. We confessed with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, for the first time we believed it in our heart that God did raise Him from the dead, and for me, that day in November 1996, I was officially saved. Saved from a deteriorating life. Saved from a life headed in the wrong directions. Saved, ultimately, from a life in hell, had I not confessed Jesus as Lord and received Him into my life.

What about those friends? What seemed like decades ago, what about them? Did they make the same change or decision I did? Some did. Some did not.
Jonah 4:2b - ...for I knew that You are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and [when sinners turn to You and meet Your conditions] You revoke the [sentence of] evil against them.
The evil sentence? What is it? For those who DO NOT accept Jesus as their Lord, the eternal sentence is inevitable. When they breathe their last breath on earth, they will go on to spend an eternity in hell.

And that friend, for years, has continued to come up in my mind. She continues to prod at my brain. Why? Because I know most likely where she would go. I don't think she has made that decision for her life.

Which leaves me with the challenge. Who is it that you need to talk to about Jesus? Who do you need to ask that question?
On a scale of 1-10, how sure are you that when you die you will go to heaven? ------ Oh, you're a 7? ---- Would you want me to tell you how you can be a 10? Eternity is a long time to play around with and not be 100% sure. Because if you're not 100% sure, you are 100% unsure. Can I share with you how you can KNOW you are going to heaven? 
Romans 10:9 - If you, confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord & believe with your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved!   
Repeat after me: "Thank you Lord that I confess that Jesus IS Lord and I DO believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I receive Your salvation. I confess my sins to you and ask for your forgiveness. THANK YOU LORD that TODAY, on __(date)___ , I AM SAVED!"
You pray for me and I'll pray for you. I have a phone call to make that I've dragged my feet on for years. Who is it that you need to call?

And please, SHARE your story in the comments below!

 

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Any Excuse Will Do

Do you have something in your life that you know you are supposed to be working on? A habit you are supposed to be establishing or breaking? A task or assignment that you are supposed to be completing? Have you been diligent to complete this assignment?

Or are you letting life pass you by?

Any excuse will do not to complete a task. Over the years, I've noticed I've had many excuses for different things. Let's look at a common list of tasks... And list of excuses.

  • Complete the book. Edit the book. Pursue a publisher.
  • Start the business.
  • Get on a consistent exercise routine. 
  • Organize ________________.
  • Make your bed everyday. 
  • Clean regularly.
  • Start cooking and eating healthy. 
  • Save money.
  • Get out of debt.
  • Do what it takes to grow existing business.
  • Read and listen to success/spiritual books or audios.
  • Teach kids the Bible, manners, how to clean up room/make bed, ____________.
  • And the list goes on. 
Well, I like most have been guilty of making excuses, and guess what, any excuse will do!! Here's a list of some I have used over the years, as well as maybe some extra's. 
  • I have small children, I just don't have time to __________.
  • I'm a nursing mom, I can't ____________.
  • My kids are in soooo many activities. I'm just a taxi and don't have time to ______________.
  • I'm pregnant and need to sleep. I'm just too tired to ________________.
  • We don't have the money to do ___________.
  • I don't know how to start the __(business, podcast, book, you name it)__.
  • I don't have the materials to _____________.
  • It's too hot. 
  • It's too rainy. 
  • I don't have the contacts to get started with _______________.
  • My house is too small. 
  • I have to clean, I don't have time to ___________.
  • I have too much laundry, how can I fit in doing _____________?
  • My family doesn't believe I can do _____________.
  • My friends aren't supportive. 
  • I would have to wake up early, my sleep is too important. 
Honestly, to not accomplish something in life, any excuse will do! You could just as easily say, "I can't write the book because of the hangnail I have. It's too painful to type." 

You could be making excuses or you could be simply running. Let's take a look at Jonah, 
Jonah 1:3a - "But Jonah rose up to flee..."
It's easy to make excuses and it is easy to flee what you know you should be doing. Most likely, you or I are not going to be swallowed by a whale if we are disobedient to God....but what are we going to miss out on for not being obedient? What life could you be living if you followed that gut instinct that you've had for years! (i.e.: gut feeling, also known as the prompting of the Holy Spirit) What could be your happiness level if you just completed this assignment instead of chalking up excuses. What could be your significance level? Would you be able to help a large group of people if you completed this _________________?

I'm speaking to myself here! Trying to accomplish things with a 4 1/2 year old, 2 1/2 year old & a 7 month old can be interesting. Sometimes it's interesting to just fit in a shower, let alone accomplish something major!

Friend... I'm going to challenge you today, unlike Jonah, don't flee! Choose to not make excuses and just do it anyways! DO SOMETHING GREAT! Go against the odds and WIN anyways! Despite what you could use as excuses! Do it anyways! Excuses will always be available! No one ever did anything great with excuses, they always operated in spite of their obstacles and adversities!

Friend, today WIN ANYWAYS! Any excuse will work for you remain average, but friend, go out there and ACCOMPLISH YOUR DREAM! START IT! BEGIN!

I believe in you and am praying for you right now!!



Thursday, August 7, 2014

Numbing Joy

Have you ever been at a crossroads? One path will take you down a road to one life, while the other path will lead to a completely different life. The 1st life, The Blessing - the blessed life that The Lord has in store for you to live. The good life. The 2nd life, a life that, in the beginning brings happiness, it feels good, it fills a void in your life, it even seems consuming. Your heart and mind are consumed by this life (often revolving around a person or position). You think about it/them all the time. When you rise and when you wake, it is the consuming thought that is with you at each breath. 
Proverbs 2:23 - Men who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness
Proverbs 4:26 - Consider well the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established and ordered aright.
I remember well that day. That defining day. The day that would change the very course of my life. The term crossroads almost seemed too light of a word to describe the position I found my life. I knew, though tangled up, obsessed, wrapped tightly, consumed - the one life would bring me fulfillment in the today. The fulfillment would be at least for a day or maybe just moment, though it could immediately turn on me for the worse if it felt like it, as soon as tomorrow! The other path, in the short-term, would be painful. It would be a painful today, tomorrow, next week and most likely next month. It would mean cutting ties. It would mean hurting my heart. It would mean opening up a place in my heart where I had allowed something to slide in and fit, puff up and fill a void. Path 2 meant I would take that piece out, leaving an empty, shallow, dark, painful hole. My heart would be open and my heart would be hurting. 

The defining day. The lottery option. If I chose the first road, it was a true gamble! The lottery option in effect meant, I could lose everything. My second road, I ultimately knew would bring pain now! I would be in pain for awhile, and only time down this path would heal my opened heart. BUT….. the end of the road meant I would be fulfilled, healed, whole and healthy. My heart would be in a healthy place. The void would be filled with God, and by choosing Him, He could lead me to HIS life that He had for me. The immediate life, the microwave choice, would be immediate happiness, long-term mediocrity, and potentially end in devastation & toil. 

The good life, the blessed life required patience. Painful, day in, day out, patience. The path God had for me, put me on a path that required putting in, beginning to fill that void with Him. Beginning to fill the place in my heart with God was not always easy, but I chose God first over self, short-term feelings, my flesh and my pleasure. It was a painful path that required my continual, daily pursuit of God, when sometimes the pursuit of alcohol or relationships would have brought a more numbing joy

On this journey, when I was ready, when I was complete, the ultimate gift would be waiting. The gift that would bring so much joy and happiness that I could not have imagined. After the pruning away, trimming back, the waiting, shaping, molding and defining, that ME…. the me of the 2nd path, could be finally trusted with the good life! I had proven myself faithful. I had allowed roots to not only take root, but go deep & thicken. In pruning out the hard things, my roots were strengthened. God could TRUST me! 

I'm so thankful I chose true joy over numbing joy. The numbing joy would have been fleeting. It would have gone. It would have continually had to be replaced. It would have included toil. It would have ultimately caused more pain. It would have pushed me into the hamster wheel of life, sin and entanglement that had me going too fast, it was hard to get off the wheel… not to mention, the wheel was extremely exhausting and certainly not the blessed life. 

Is there something in your life that you are choosing numbing joy instead of choosing to truly seek & follow God? What is it? Will you consider dealing with it today? Finally head down the road of peace, restoration & true joy! 


Thursday, July 17, 2014

#270 - The Mom of "COMPARISON"

Let's be honest mom's, we've all done it. Done what? You know, done it. Sat there comparing ourselves to that other mom. Or on a really bad day, maybe we just sat there comparing ourselves to LOTS of other mom's… having one of those moments where we just didn't feel good enough, so let's just rehearse all the things that other mom's do better than we do! 

How exhausting!

The list may go something like this: 
She makes healthier dinners than I do. She buys the good organic stuff.Her kids don't eat much junk food. Her house is always clean. Look how good her kids behave, I never see them fight. Her kids have such great manners. She's in great shape! I mean, how does she have a stomach like that after having 3 kids?!She seems like such a nice mom. Her kids get to be in so many fun activities. She and her husband are such a good looking couple. She and her husband must be so good at handling their money, I have no idea how they live in such a nice house.  She is so disciplined at working out.I'm sure my kids watch more TV than her kids. Her kids probably color, use scissors, glue and do crafts.
And the list goes on.
Proverbs 31:10a - A capable, intelligent, and virtuous woman—who is he who can find her?
I'm thankful for the Proverbs 31 woman, and I'm thankful that as a believer, I have the Holy Spirit living inside of me. Why? Well, I'll answer the latter part first.

I'm thankful the Holy Spirit lives inside of me. 
A few years ago, as a newer mom, I was feeling a little overwhelmed. So many mom's that I was around seemed to have everything together. I couldn't figure out how I could do everything, raise my kids up in a godly manner, work out and stay fit, and cook, clean, get up early to read my Bible… yaddee yaddee yaddee. It was one of those days for me. As I sat looking at everyone else's strengths, I wallowed in all of my short-comings. And as I sat there wallowing, I felt like the Holy Spirit whispered to me, "Just focus on the atmosphere. Create an atmosphere where I am involved, and you will be the best mom that you were created to be." 

So… I had permission NOT to be the mom of the year by the "worlds" standard by being involved in everything under the sun. I had permission to just be ME while creating an atmosphere which invited the Holy Spirit.

What. A. Relief. 

As far as the Proverbs 31 woman…. I've come to more and more of the realization that as I focus on being that woman, I don't have to search for her in so many other people. I don't have to compare when I'm focused on just being.  If you read the whole section, Proverbs 31:10-31, you'll notice that she really is amazing! I can imagine, between her doing everything that she did, there was no time for comparing. For me, if I just focus on being who God created me to be, being the Proverbs 31 woman in my own life, being and listening to the direction that the Holy Spirit leads me each day, then I won't not only not have time to compare, but I won't even see the opportunities where I could compare. I will be to busy being!

So… girlfriend…. today, when you're tempted to think that other mom is thinking about you or how your kids are behaving when she looks your way, dismiss it! Focus on not wasting your time and energy on the comparison game. Focus on BEING the Proverbs 31 woman that God created you to be! When you are in the pursuit of THAT woman inside of you, you will not have time to compare yourself to Susie Homemaker. 

Girlfriend, PURSUE the YOU that God created you to be! Pursue that Proverbs 31 woman on the inside of you!


Thursday, July 10, 2014

Do Your Dreams Mean Anything?

Dreams. Are. Important. 

Have you ever woke up and thought, "Man, that was a weird dream." Then you go about your morning routine, getting ready for your day. When you don't give your dream a 2nd thought, an hour later, you have no recollection of what you dreamed about. The fuzziness of your dream just floats off into oblivion. 

Dreams. Are. Important. 
Genesis 37:5 - Now Joseph had a dream and he told it to his brothers
1 Kings 3:15 - Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream.

You know the stories. Joseph had a dream that the sheaves would bow down to him, then a second dream that the sun, moon and stars would bow down to him. The manifestation of his dream came years later when Joseph was the manager of all the food in the kingdom and 2nd in charge only to the Pharaoh! 

Solomon had a dream. God spoke to him and told him to ask what he wanted. Solomon, in his dream, asked for "understanding to recognize what is just and right (1 Kings 3:11)." If you remember, in the dream, God in turn not only gave Solomon discernment and wisdom, but riches and honor as well! But in reality, not just his dream, throughout the Bible we can see the fruition of Solomon's dream. He's know as the most wise & richest man in the Bible. His dream became a reality. 

Dreams are a way that God can communicate with us. As it says, God is the same yesterday, today and the future. Next time you wake up and you think, Wow! That was a weird dream. Write it down! Pray. Ask God to give you discernment into what your dream meant. 

I recently did this. I woke up with clarity, remembering my dream. In my quiet time that morning, I journaled what I saw in my dream and began to seek the Lord if it had specific meaning. As I sought the Lord about it, he revealed to me the meaning of the dream. Though this was a few weeks ago, I can go back to this journal entry, and in anticipation, be excited about it's fulfillment. 

Granted… if you had some bad fish the night before, that could cause you to wake up thinking some weird things. Also… TV can cause you to have dreams that aren't "messages from God." When on vacation recently, before bed I caught a clip of the local news of the Florida town we were visiting. The next morning, I remember waking up to a nightmare (we don't watch news at home!) That news clip, though just seconds, was one of the last things that went in before we went to sleep. The dream did not represent something from God, it represented the last thing I put in my head before bed. My subconscious thought on that news clip while I slept. So, I encourage you, don't go to sleep with the news being the last thing that goes in your mind. 

But, just as in the day of Joseph and Solomon, God still communicates to His people through dreams. Next time you wake up remembering a dream, don't just brush it off! Write it down. Pray about it. See if this dream was a message from the Lord. It could be a possible warning about your future if a certain area of your life doesn't change, or it could be something good you can be in anticipation for! 

Dreams. Are. Important. 

God. Communicates. Through. Dreams. 

Listen.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

YOUR Supernatural Provision

1 Kings 17: 1-6 - Elijah the Tishbite, of the temporary residents of Gilead, said to Ahab, As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before Whom I stand, there shall not be dew or rain these years but according to My word. (2) And the word of the Lord came to him, saying, (3) Go from here and turn east and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, east of the Jordan. (4) You shall drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you THERE (5) So he did according to the word of the Lord; he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, east of the Jordan. (6) And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning and bread and flesh in the evening, and he drank of the brook.
Supernatural Provision. You have a wealthy place. You have a place where everything is provided for you. A place where the supernatural meets your reality. You have a THERE

What is a "THERE?" A "THERE" is the place where your supernatural happens. Your "there" is the place that God instructs you to go so that He can provide for you supernaturally. Your "there" is a place of provision. When it appears everything is drying up all around you, when it appears a famine or drought has struck, business has dried up, opportunities seemed to have stopped, all around you the only thing you see are people at a stand still and struggling. During that time, if you listen, you will hear God telling you, like Elijah, "Go." During this time where the world seems to be struggling and not succeeding, it is God's desire to provide for you in a way that you can only tell the world, "This is God. How did I make it? How did I survive? It was God, He did it supernaturally."  

But?? Where is the "THERE?" The THERE is wherever God has instructed. A crucial element in supernatural provision is actually SHOWING UP! Notice, that God lets Elijah know that there will be no dew or rain for years. Then, God gives Elijah his next step, and the next step is not to stand still. The next step is to GO.  There was supernatural WAITING for Elijah at his THERE! 

The thing is this… if Elijah would have went to the stream, up the road behind his mom's house, he could have starved to death. The supernatural provision was waiting for him at a defined and definite place. The supernatural provision HAD A PLACE, it had a LOCATION. For Elijah his place was, "from here and turn east and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, east of the Jordan." It was very specific. If he chose to go somewhere else, his friends house, his mentors house, his moms house, his grandparents, his place of employment… if he had decided to go anywhere else, like everyone else in the drought, he would have been met with struggle. Elijah's Supernatural Provision had an actual place! His wealthy place was waiting for him. Those ravens were circling that area waiting to provide for Elijah. 

Let me wrap up by adding, the Go, that Elijah had to do in order to receive his provision may not have been comfortable or convenient. He may not have wanted to GO. But, thankfully for him, he did. If you slowed down to listen to that still small Voice of the Holy Spirit. What would you hear? 

Today, apply this BLOG to your life! Allow The supernatural provision to meet your needs!  

  1. Be Warned: Know the upcoming season. 
  2. Listen: If you listen, the Word of the Lord will come.
  3. Obey: If you obey, God's provision will meet you there. 
  4. Go: Where is your "THERE?" (Maybe it is where you are at now? Maybe it means going somewhere else.) Your "THERE" is where the provision is! Now GO!
______________________________

A SHOUT OUT!

Just wanted to send out a quick HELLO to the readers in
the country of LUXEMBOURG! 

It's great to have you joining us!
 I just wanted to let you know I SEE YOU!
Thanks for reading! I call you blessed in Jesus name!
Also… I'd love to hear from you!
Leave a comment and let us know a little about
you & life as a Christian in LUXEMBOURG!



Thursday, June 26, 2014

#269 - THINK & Rejoice About Your Future!

Proverbs 31:25 - Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; she rejoices over the future [the latter day or time to come, knowing that she and her family are in readiness for it]!
Are YOU rejoicing over your future? As you sit, on your couch, in the kitchen, in your office, taking a bathroom break, are you rejoicing over where your life is going? What your future looks like? Are you ready for the future you see? Are you GETTING ready for the future you want?

In the blogpost Fanatical Obedience, we touched on this topic, where do you see your life 5 years from now? But really, where DO you see your life in 5 years? If nothing changes will you be in the same place, wishing and waiting for "a miracle to happen," or "your harvest to come in?" I am the first to be in agreement with you for you to harvest from all the seed you have sown. But at what point do you need to stop waiting, and continue in the work you should be doing?

There have been several books that talk about the idea of THINKING. That discuss actually taking time to THINK in order to see changes that you'd like to see in your life. Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, THINK for a Change by John C. Maxwell are just two of the books that discuss this glamorous, life-changing activity. THINKING. 

You may even be DOING the very thing that you are called to do. You are a painter, you may be PAINTING. You are a writer, you may be WRITING. You are a speaker, you may be SPEAKING. You are a mom, you may be MOM'ing. You are a baker, you are BAKING. BUT my question is, WHAT is your next step that will take your family to the next level? The next place? The future that the Proverbs 31 woman talks about that she is rejoicing over. What and Where is "THAT" place you are going?

Your gift is important… BUT, that is the EASY PART! If you write, there is no toil in the writing! That comes naturally to you. If your gift is speaking, there is no toil in that, it comes natural… as you speak it is effortless! If your gift is baking, you find peace in that place because it is your gift. But what is the next step for you?

Is the church, your community, the world suppose to see or benefit from your gift? 

That question, my friend is for YOU to answer. That answer may require you to SIT, THINK, PRAY and JOURNAL. It may take you brainstorming with your spouse. What are the next steps? That may mean finally monetizing from your gift so you can actually taste and see the fruit of your gift, allowing you to bless your family, your church and your community even more.

Friend… there are a plethora of resources out there to find out how to do this. Check out some podcasts that discuss the subject. A couple I could recommend….
GO out there and FIND the resources that are EASILY accessible and use them! Let those resources set you up for CHANGE for your life. So, like the Proverbs 31 woman, you too, can rejoice over your future! 

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Fanatical Obedience

Isaiah 65:16 - So (it shall be) that he who invokes a blessing on himself in the land shall do so by saying, May the God of truth & fidelity (the Amen) bless me. 
Matthew 5:8 - Blessed (happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous—possessing the happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace, regardless of their outward conditions) are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!
We all want to live our dream life, right? We all have our own vision of what "living in the blessing" is. We all (hopefully) even are still clinging to dreams, dreams of what we want to do, where we want to go & how we want to spend the rest of our days before meeting Jesus face to face.

Where are you today? Where were you 5 years ago? What will change 5 years from now if you do not change anything? Are you making progress towards the life you want to be living? Five years from now, how old will your kids be? Will you still be in the same rut, the rat in this rat race of life, running from here to there ready to pull out your hair if you don't get a break? What will you have to show for your life 5 years from now?

Your answers to the above questions could be answers that ARE indeed taking you to your dream life and dream destination, you could be well on your way, and if so, I commend you! If you calculated out how old you would be in 5 years, how old your kids would be in 5 years, and looked to see where you would be at in life in 5 years and you are not happy about it, i'm going to propose something to you. Are you ready? Here goes….

Fanatical obedience.

Yes, that's it. Fanatical obedience. The non-negociable sort of obedience.

The above verse, Isaiah 65:16, used the word fidelity in describing God. I wanted to look it up to see what it was really talking about. Here's what I found:
Fidelity
    • strict observance of promises, duties
    • loyalty
    • accuracy, exactness
    • devotion to duties, obligations
    • loyalty or devotion as to a person or cause 
In the verse above, it is describing God as the "God of truth & fidelity". Ie: God is going to observe the definition of fidelity, it is who HE is. 

I'm going to propose that you and I adopt those characteristics in our relationship & obedience with God. That we apply devotion to duties & obligations. That we apply strict observance to the duties that God has asked us to do. Fidelity also was described as faithfulness to one's spouse. How about faithfulness to one's God?

I'm going to propose that we take an inventory… What is God asking us to do? What is He leading us to do? Once we know that answer, let's FOLLOW IT OUT TO A T! Let's get fanatical about the obedience of what HE is asking us to do! Let's get fanatical, if it means purging out some responsibilities that WE took on without consulting Him first, activities that maybe are taking us AWAY from obeying what we know we should be doing, PURGE them! If it's a TV show that has sucked you in… if it's that afternoon nap… if it's Pinterest, Facebook, twitter, or even just a simple one sleep! Whatever it is for you… let's take an inventory. What do we need to do to be obedient to what and where the Holy Spirit is leading us? 

Let's be FANATICAL in our OBEDIENCE!! 

I believe as we do this, the picture we see of where we "could be" in 5 years, will become a REALITY! Position yourself today to be LIVING in your wealthy place. I say "wealthy place" not only meaning financially. But, positioning yourself in your "wealthy place" with stress levels, with happiness levels, with your physical fitness, with your relationships, with you marriage, with your children, and yes, with your finances. Let's position ourselves so that WHAT WE DO TODAY, will put us in our wealthy place and in 5 years from now our lives will be the epitome of being blessed as it says in Matthew 5:8. Happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous—possessing the happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace!

Together, let's do it! Let's be FANATICAL IN OUR OBEDIENCE! Ask the Holy Spirit NOW… what does that mean for you? Go ahead, ask Him!



Thursday, June 12, 2014

Stand UP for God!

God needs YOU to stand up for Him! He gets blamed for far to many things that HE is not responsible for, even by Christians!
    James 1:17 - Every good gift and every perfect (free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light
    John 10:10 - The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it [a]overflows).
    1 Peter 5:8 - Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour
I'd like to plea my case today. The subject could be quite lengthy, BUT I will try to keep it into a "bite-size" devotion. :) 

How did your parents teach you? As a parent, would you teach your child the following:
  • Put a disease on your child to teach them a lesson.
  • Cause your child to get in a car accident to teach them not to value material things. 
  • Burn your child to teach them not to touch the stove. 
  • Strip everything from your child that they love to humble them. 
Of course you would not do ANY of the above to your child! You would not even THINK of it! Actually, if you did any of them today, you would most likely be thrown in jail! So why do we let God take the blame for ALL of these things?!? Why do we let our loving Father take the heat & get thrown under the bus like this? Let's take a look at the life of Job. I believe his story is behind a lot of our misconceptions. 

You know the story. Job gets everything except his life stripped from him, but let's take a closer look! At the beginning of the book of Job, envision God, a proud papa, bragging on his child. Look at Job. He's such a great son. I'm so proud of him. He really does honor me. NOTICE, when Satan asks God to take things from Job in chapter 1 verse 11, God WOULD NOT TOUCH JOB! In verse 12, we see that God only reminds Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power." If we rewind to the Garden of Eden, we'll remember that after Adam & Eve sinned, the authority & dominion that they had was handed over to Satan. After eating that apple, authority was given to Satan. Man no longer had dominion on the earth for the next several hundred years, Satan had dominion and authority. Not God. Not man. That is why GOD put in place a way for MAN to get back authority and dominion by sending his son Jesus to defeat Satan, death, hell & the grave. Even GOD cannot go against His Word. 

When Jesus went to the cross, that did something HUGE for believers! That took the authority out of the hands of Satan, and BACK into the hands of the believer! It had not been in the believers hands since Adam! Old covenant believers had to constantly sacrifice to be atoned for their sins. Even the sin of fear, which we see Job was living in sin as we look in Job 3:25, For the thing which I greatly fear comes upon me, and that of which I am afraid befalls me. Job was living in fear, and sin gives easy access for the enemy to come in. 

Why Today is Different!
Today, as Believers, we live under the new covenant. WE now have AUTHORITY, the key is we just have to TAKE AUTHORITY! The devil, Satan, is roaming around looking to devour believers, but he is a toothless lion! We have all the tools to defeat Him and live in victory! We have the Armor of God (Ephesians 6), we have the Word to defeat Him (Is 53:5- by his stripes we are healed!), we have Angels working on our behalf (Ps 91:11 - He will order His angels to protect ME wherever I go!), and the list goes on! BUT… there it is, the big BUT as it says in 1 Peter 5:8, it is our job to be vigilant and cautious at all times!!! Our enemy is ALIVE and REAL! He, NOT GOD, is looking to destroy us if we let down our guard. We can take the Word and put the enemy in his place! SPEAK the WORD DAILY and DEFEAT THE ENEMY! 
  • I am the head and NOT THE TAIL!
  • I walk in DIVINE HEALTH because the blood of Jesus is flowing through my blood stream!
  • I AM Blessed!
  • I am the Child of the Most High God who gives me FAVOR with God AND Man!
  • Good things come to Me every day! 
  • My family and I are Protected! Angels are encamped all around us and our house!
  • I AM A BUTT KICKER! Satan has NO authority over me! I exercise my GOD-GIVEN authority, because Jesus defeated Satan, therefore I WIN! 
  • I LISTEN to the Voice of the Holy Spirit and HE directs me where to go and what to do, every day! I AM OBEDIENT!
Speak the Word! Don't let God take the blame for what Satan is doing out in the world! Satan is STILL roaming the earth, looking to destroy, and destroys on a daily basis! Someone needs to stand up for God! He is a good God! He does good and He loves you! Don't let God take the blame for what Satan is doing! STAND UP FOR GOD TODAY!

---------------------
ALSO! Check out this interview! 
I was interviewed by "THE SUCCESS EDGE: For the Marketplace Christian" 
Get a little more insight into ME, my story and what makes me tick. :) 
Thanks in advance for taking a listen! :) 
TheSuccessEdge.biz/42
Have an iPhone? Listen to it via the podcast app from iTunes!
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Thursday, June 5, 2014

Cut Him Some Slack

The movies make him out to be stupid. TV shows show him as incompetent. Even music pokes fun at him. "Who is this?" You ask? It's Dad. It's your husband. Sure, sometimes it's innocent prodding. We even hear other dad's making fun of themselves. In the recent movie, "Mom's Night Out" (which we saw on our date night and both LOVED), but even this movie made fun of "Dad", his choices and how he did things as a father (because who takes an entourage of kids to an arcade with just himself and a tattooed muscle friend?!) Nonetheless…. I'd like to talk about Dad. 

From the birth of our children, mom's have this innate sense to nurture. Often the crying of our baby isn't "screeching on a chalkboard" kind of noise, but it is noise that we say, "I can help." The moment we pick up our baby, the crying calms. Nurturing is innate. As our children grow, we build up a tolerance to, "Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom." We build up a tolerance that there are 1, 2, or 3 kids all wanting something different from us at the same time and we can only do ONE thing at a time. But we do it, knowing there is a pecking order to our completion, each child will get answered…. in time. 

Husbands, dads, they have innate things built within them too. They have an innate sense to want to provide. They have a desire to provide. They have a desire to conquer, to move the family forward, to win for their wife. The constant internal need to provide what their family deserves, what they believe their wife deserves. He desires to take you on the trip you want to go on. He desires to pay the mortgage without you being stressed. He desires to get you in that house that you have always dreamed.

He is not stupid. He is not incompetent. Just the opposite. God has created him to WIN for YOU and for the Kingdom of God. 

He comes home and…. 

  • He tries to unwind and turn off the corporate emails and conference calls ringing in his head. Cut him some slack.
  • He is trying to forget that last customer that he just got yelled at. Cut him some slack.
  • He is trying to measure up to all the expectations put on him from the recent conversation with his boss. He is after all, the provider of the family. Cut him some slack.
  • He is trying to do his best to handle and grow the millions of dollars in his portfolio of business. Cut him some slack.
  • He is thinking about the family finances, and how he can get you ahead. How he can save to take you on the trip that he knows you would love. Cut him some slack.
  • He's thinking about the new vehicle that you need and how he can make it happen. Cut him some slack.
  • He's trying to be a good husband and do the things he knows you want him to do, like dishes or mow the lawn or change the lightbulb in the garage or take out the trash or even just give you a break. He can tell you're exhausted. Cut him some slack.
  • He's trying to be a great dad and play with the kids even when he's tired. Cut him some slack.
  • And…. he's trying to pursue God. He's trying to make sure He is on the right path to be an impact for the Kingdom of God. Cut him some slack.
Ladies… I definitely am not perfect in this area. There are nights when my husband comes in the door, looks at me, and with that one look he can tell I am up to my ears with kids. I'm not always perfect in putting on my "Leave it to Beaver"-wife smile, my apron on, and dinner warm and sitting on the table ready when he walks in. I'm not perfect either.

Find out from him! Does he need some space when he gets home to unwind? 30 minutes? An hour? Maybe it's worth a discussion (when you both aren't tapped out and exhausted) to find out what he needs (and what you need), so when he is home with the family, he can be at his best. That might mean you, having an activity for the kids to be occupied for the first 30 minutes after dad gets home? 

With Father's day coming up… Cut him some slack. Not only does he love you and the kids, but he's doing the best he can to be the best he knows to be. 

We love you Dad! You are worthy. We respect you. And we think you are doing a great job! God has great plans for you Dad! 


1 Timothy 5:8  
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

1 Corinthians 11:3 
But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.




Thursday, May 29, 2014

#268 - The Silver Lining Through the Melt-Down Days

Has it been one of those days or weeks? Have you found yourself sitting at your kitchen table, plopping your head down on the table and just letting the tears flow (or at least wanting to do that). Have you found yourself rubbing your temples thinking, "Am I good enough to do this job? Am I doing a terrible job? How can I be better when some of my natural tendencies aren't geared towards being good at _____________."

Friend, it will get better.
Isaiah 26:4a - So trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him.)...
Proverbs 31:28 - Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied); and her husband boasts of and praises her...
Do you have an area of expertise? An area where you really do feel like, "I got this. I know what I'm doing." Then on the flip side, do you have an area where you feel like your brain is on overload, smoking, just trying to figure out how to do _____________?

For me, I definitely feel like I have those areas. I feel confident in my ability to listen to the Holy Spirit. I feel confident The Lord has called me to write. I feel confident in helping my kids be great sleepers and on a schedule that is conducive to what I want. I feel confident in my ability to nurse (so far 3 kids - Tyler Jr & Trinity until 12 months, Timothy is on month 5), pump and store a large supply of breast milk in the freezer….. but then, I have my areas. You know, those areas.

Those areas in my life, like trying to figure out how to organize a desk or nook in my house so it doesn't look so cluttered. My brain and organizing…. ahhhhhhh! I'm a "wannabe melancholy" - detail oriented, organized, everything in order. Although, it feels like there is smoke coming out of my ears because my brain is working so hard to figure it out when I'm trying to think about how to organize a certain area. Let's just say, it's not a natural gift!

Potty training. (argh!) Trying to help Trinity to not get (pardon me), poop all over the toilet seat when she gets up half way through going potty, as I walk away for just a second to tend to a crying baby.

Disciplining my kids so they will be obedient the first time they are asked to do something. Helping them be kind to each other and others. Discerning when the party is over and it is time to do some work (both Tyler Jr & Trinity are sanguines and constantly having fun! Especially Tyler Jr, I think he wakes up and there is a party going on in his brain!!! He wakes up, FUN! He gets dressed, FUN! He eats, FUN! Everything is bouncing and FUN!)

Keeping the house in order… being on a schedule… getting back in a routine of working out…. yaddee, yaddee, yaddee. You name it, I have my list of things I'm working on (or need to eventually work on!).

After a recent melt-down day… I'm reflecting on the silver lining. In organizing a desk/shelf area, I found a book (who knows when or where I got it), What a Difference a Mom Makes by Dr. Kevin Leman. What a perfect book for me to pick up right now. Learning how to raise children, specifically a son, and those important roles I play as a mom. Learning why everything is always a competition, because that's how boys are wired. They need to conquer. They are programmed to want to win.

Silver lining in someone I met. As I listened to the Holy Spirit prompting me to go meet some people while grocery shopping. I brushed up on my Spanish speaking skills and found out this ladies sister may just be the person I've been praying for to do some work I need done.

Silver lining. A good night sleep can make a lot of things better. A fresh start. Sometimes you may just need to go to bed, or take a hot bubble bath. On those days where you may be trying to think of your "highlight" as we do every night at the dinner table, "What was your highlight for the day?" The days where you internally are searching and thinking to yourself, "I didn't have a highlight today! I just want the day to end." 

Tomorrow is a new day. In retrospect, you may be able to find silver lining to your melt-down day. :) Did you meet someone who will be able to help you on something? Did you get a book recommendation of an area you need help in your life?

Not finding any silver lining to your melt-down day? Can you find a book to help? In your prayer time, ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to the book you need to read to help in an area you may be struggling. It's amazing that our weaknesses are someone else's strength. Can you utilize someone else's strength? I read 43 pages in one sitting (rare for me) this morning because what I view as an area I'm growing in knowledge, is someone else's strength. They can help me in my growth!
Ultimately, trust in the Lord. Commit yourself, your day, your strengths, your weakness, your pile of laundry, the dishes in the sink, the cheerios under your kitchen table to Him. Lean on Him to help you figure out how and when to do what you need to do. Hope confidently in Him and His ability to provide the people and resources for you to do your job with excellence. 
TODAY have EYES TO SEE. Be on the look-out for the resources you need, a book or person, a podcast or audio that the Holy Spirit will place in your path to help you! As you read the book or listen to the audio, you will breathe a sigh of relief as you think, "This is JUST what I needed! There was silver lining in my melt-down day after all."

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Victory vs Frustration - You CHOOSE!

John 16:33 - I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]
John 17:15 - I do not ask that You will take them out of the world, but that You will keep and protect them from the evil one.  
Having run in Christian circles for many years, amongst good "church people," I have often heard someone say something like, "Well, we just live in this world, we're going to have trials and tribulation. We're just going to have to get through these hard, troubled times." Have you heard something similar? It almost sounds like as a Christian, it is a license to live and wallow in despair and have the "oh, whoa is me" attitude.

In the Greek, "the world", in John 16:33 is described as the following:
kosmos - the ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ
Jesus here in John 16 is reminding us that he has OVERCOME the world! He is also telling us how we SHOULD be living since we are IN HIM. We are called to live in peace & confidence. If you look at the word kosmos, in the Greek, it's living alienated from God, BUT as a believer, that is not us! We do not live alienated from God. Jesus doesn't leave us in a place of tribulation, trials, distress & frustration. JESUS says, "BE OF GOOD CHEER!" Jesus wants us to not focus on what the world, the kosmos, has to offer, but what HE HAS TO OFFER. I believe Jesus does not want us to focus on the kosmos living, but in the fact that on the cross Jesus defeated, he OVERCAME the kosmos living! Jesus is telling us to BE OF GOOD CHEER.  He conquered the world! He defeated the world! He wants us to walk in confidence, to be courageous, knowing the battle out there amongst the enemy is already OURS! We have already WON because Jesus fought the battle and came out victorious for US!

What does that mean to YOU and I? What does that mean for our every day living? It means don't focus on the tribulation that "the world" may live in, but focus on what Jesus TELLS US to focus on, focus on whatever you are about to pursue, focus on the VICTORY! If you are in a trying time at work, take your eyes off the tribulation, and put it on the victory! Believe & confess victory! Jesus even conquered this battle for you! Whatever this battle is for you, Jesus already defeated it for you!

Instead of:
trials, tribulation, distress & frustration

CHOOSE:
COURAGE, CONFIDENCE & CERTAINTY!

Put your FOCUS on the VICTORY that is already YOURS! Jesus did it just for you, so CHOOSE to put your focus on what Jesus told you to focus on, being of GOOD CHEER in the VICTORY!



  

Thursday, May 15, 2014

The Speed of Your Harvest is Determined by….

Psalm 127:1a -  Except the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it...
Proverbs 18:16 - A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men. 
What was the last thing that the Holy Spirit directed you to do? Have you done it?

The speed of your harvest is determined by the speed & diligence of your obedience.

Have you, like so many, looked around you, looked at your life and felt frustrated? "This is not where I want to be. I am not happy." Like the moment in the movies that shows the person standing there, but everything around them seems to be spinning. 

The speed of your harvest is determined by the speed and diligence of your obedience.

What is is that the Holy Spirit has been leading you to do, but you just haven't gotten around to it? Is it waking up an hour earlier in order to read your Bible and have your quiet time before getting ready and leaving for work? Did the Holy Spirit instruct you on a discipline that you need to establish in your life? If you are a writer, maybe it's writing 4-5 days/week, but you just haven't gotten around to it yet. If you feel called to paint, are you painting? If you feel led to paint a certain amount of days/hours, are you being obedient to it? If you are building or developing a new business, has the Holy Spirit led you to do a few specific tasks to get things off the ground? Are you being quick and diligent to obey, are you consistently following through on those actions each day?

I know for me, sometimes when I am taking time to listen to the Holy Spirit, I get a very specific plan in how to do things, when, for how long, etc. Other times, I get a "just do it" plan. 

Your obedience is tied to your harvest. When you close your eyes and envision the perfect life, doing the things that bring you joy, you are envisioning your dream life. And your dream life CAN happen. But living that dream life, is tied to your obedience. If you've felt led to paint five days per week (but maybe haven't been making the time to do that), maybe the Holy Spirit is setting you up to be able to sell your works which will bring you to a place where you can paint full time, in that house on the beach, all day long if you want. The Lord may have things He wants to get to you, but it is often tied to our obedience to follow through on the instructions He has given us. Those instructions that will lead you to the good life, your dream life. 

So friend, I implore you, be quick to obey the full instructions of the Holy Spirit. He knows the end result. He knows how you are going to take possession of your promise land. He knows the result of your obedience is good. Now it is your job to follow through. Obey quickly and with diligence so you can get to your dream destination, so you can live your dream life!


Sunday, May 11, 2014

#267 - MOM, You Are Enough Just As You ARE!

Happy Mother's Day! :) If you are a mom, today's blog is devoted to you!
Proverbs 31:28 - Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied); and her husband boasts of and praises her...
Lets just say, yesterday was one of THOSE days! Many of you mom's out there maybe able to relate if you have young kids, but even for those mom's with older kids, this is for you! If you can hang with me until the end of the post… there really is a message for you! :)

Day in the Life…
It was Tyler's Day of Rest, which we both highly value our Day of Rest. The day that we can just have "me-time" to unwind, recharge & not do ANY work. The kids and I were going to HEAD OUT to run errands, always an interesting thing with 3 kids 4 years old and under, but we wanted to give dad some space & quiet. (AS I write this, on Mother's Day, Tyler went upstairs to check on Trinity, who is 2, as she was just waking up…. never a good sign when you hear bath water running. Uh-oh!)

Anyways… back to yesterday… I'm going to try not to go into too many details of our interesting day yesterday, but you have to know everything to really appreciate the whole picture!!! We started getting ready to head out around 10:30.

  • Before leaving, I had to change Tyler Jr TWICE. Our kids walk in DIVINE health in Jesus name, but some things were going around at pre-school, and Tyler Jr had the squirts. #possibleTMI
  • Tyler and Trinity were playing, and Tyler Jr shoved Trinity down, so he got a spanking. (We do time-outs a lot, but if it is something mean or deliberate, or something they know better, they get a spanking). 
  • Loaded Tyler Jr and Trinity up in the van while I'm finishing their summer schedule at the kitchen table (one of our errands - to go pay MyGym) and packing Timothy up. The door leading to the garage was open and the van door open so I could see and hear (and load Timothy right in). All of the sudden, I hear a very loud RACE CAR (van) ENGINE REV'ING! Tyler Jr had come to the front seat and was playing with nobs, and pressed the gas. This was not the first time this had happened and he was told NOT to do that, probably the 4th. I screamed b/c it scared me, Timothy immediately started crying because I was loud and the van was loud. Then I went out to get Tyler Jr. He knew he was in trouble. I brought him inside and we sat down (as Timothy is still crying). Now Tyler Jr is crying, while apologizing, "I'm sorry mommy. It will never never happen again." As a sanguine child, he always is soooo remorseful when he does something wrong. BUT, in the past the "never never happen again" doesn't always play through and truly "never happen again." As we were sitting there, I told him, "Tyler Jr, I'm going to pray and ask the Holy Spirit if you need to get a spanking for this. What you did is VERY dangerous. When you play with nobs in the van, and press on the gas, that is VERY dangerous." My flesh didn't want to spank him (because he truly did look very remorseful), but as I asked the Holy Spirit, he said yes. This was the 4th time! Need to connect the BUTT with the BRAIN! So… spanking #2!
  • Upon waking, Trinity took off her diaper and got poop smeared on her carpet, bed, sheets and door. Lovely. She was given a warning. 
  • We FINALLY left the house around 12:30!
    Do you ever have days where you FEEL like how Trinity
    LOOKS in this picture?!
  • Got back home, I laid Trinity down for her nap & went back in her room about 15 minutes after she was in there to check on her. She had taken off her diaper and got poop smeared on her carpet, bed bumper pads and rug! SECOND TIME in one day! If this wasn't about the 4th time this week….. but this time I followed through on the warning and she got a little spanking. My 3rd spanking of a child for this day! (I rarely have to spank, so this was quite an exception day!)
  • PRAISE THE LORD - we got a last minute babysitter (after the day I was having, I needed out!!) for a date night. She got to our house and said the neighbors door was wide open and their dogs (3 of the 5!) were out. 
  • I went outside to see if Ms Patti knew her door was wide open. As I was in our driveway, getting ready to go holler for her, the white poodle came barking at me. I decided NOT to go to her door because their big boxer was barking and I was getting "chased" by the poodle. Then, while in my driveway, the poodle jumped up on my hamstring and BIT ME!!!! BIT ME!!!(which is now black and blue).
REALLY?! Could the day get much more interesting?!?! 

Crying in my closet, partially from pain, partially from exhaustion, partially because my post-baby body I couldn't find anything to wear. I just wanted to get out of the house.  We left, went and ate (while in line, I got a phone call asking if Trinity had a diaper on when she went down for her nap - b/c it was off and poop everywhere - 3rd time!!!) and went to see the movie, "Mom's Night Out." 
At this point, I just wanted to unplug my brain! As long as my kids ate something for dinner, ANYTHING, popcorn, candy, chips (I didn't care) and went to bed before I got home, I would be happy! 

So… the movie was GREAT!!!! SOOOOO funny!!!! Tyler even LOVED it! It was OUR LIFE!!! The mini-van, the mom cleaning only for her house to get destroyed just hours later by kids, the mom escaping into her closet to get a break and hide while eating chocolate! I thought, "This is MY life!!!" 

When we chose the movie, I didn't know it was made by some of the same producers of Facing the Giants, a great Christian movie. SO, WHO KNEW that during a movie, I was going to be so ministered to and reaffirmed that GOD made me to be a mom, and despite the chaos at times, the messes, I was JUST ENOUGH being me! I even cried twice during the movie. 

Then… when we got home last night, looking at a card on the counter that I was getting ready to mail, I remembered. A few months ago, a girl I know was hit by a drunk driver and her 2 year old son Josiah was killed. ……………………………………………..
…………………………………
……………………

It sunk in. And I thanked God. She would give ANYTHING to be cleaning up poop off the carpet. She would scrub the poop with tears of JOY! If only she could do that. My Timothy's middle name is Josiah. Timothy Isaac Josiah McCart. 

So friend, despite whatever chaos may be going on in your life… maybe you've even had days like my day yesterday…. despite it all, God loves you and sees you! You ARE good enough! You were made to be the mom of your kids! And even on the roughest of days, the days you want to go hide in your closet and eat chocolate, THAT'S OK! God loves you and sees you AND you are a GREAT mom!!

I decided for me, I'm going to enjoy this time. I'm going to stay in the moment. I'm going to THANK GOD for the opportunity to be the mom of my kids, poop and all! 

What are YOU thankful for on this Mother's Day? I would love to hear your thoughts!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! 

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