Happy New Year! and a Repost of my #1 Blog Post this Year!

January 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment
baptism

32 years ago today, I started on a journey with my Jesus. Yes, I accepted Christ on New Year's Day! And so this day is very special to me as I remember and give thanks for my salvation and my relationship with the Lover of my soul. Six years ago, my daughter who is now 12 prayed to receive Christ on New Year's Day as well. It seems only fitting today that I repost when my son, Ryan, started following Christ personally. "My soul rejoices in God my Savior!" Originally posted July, 2011 (my #1 post this year) "Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it you can be sure she'll call her friends and neighbors: "Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!' 10 Count on it--that's the kind of party God's angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God."   Luke 15: 8 - 10 (Message)  I will never forget the day that Ryan and I were riding down the road in the "Swagger Wagon,"  aka minivan, and we were discussing my nephew's upcoming baptism.  Ryan was four at the time and had many questions (not … [Read more...]

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From the Archives: How God Used the Food Network to Speak to Me

December 27, 2011 By 2 Comments
whatsyourstory

This is my #3 post this year. It is definitely one of my favorites as God used something very secular to move me spiritually. I find He does that often if I am seeking Him and His voice.  Ok, so I admit it.  I am a big Food Network fan.  There's something in me that enjoys watching others prepare gourmet meals.  Maybe I think that by watching, it will somehow magically change my cooking success or better yet, that watching it releases me from ever attempting such feats as a cook.  My favorite FN show is the Next Food Network Star.   So, I know the show isn't terribly spiritual.  But in a recent episode, God used the panel of judges' statements to finalists to remind me of some key spiritual truths. "You have so many parts of life that only you can talk about.  See where that leads you." Yes, this was said on the Food Network.  It moved me...spiritually.  It was if God was saying the same thing to me... "Why do you compare yourself to others?  Why do you wish for someone else's platform?  I have created you and shaped you just the way you are and you have a unique life story that only you can … [Read more...]

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Merry Christmas Message and from the Archives: 3 Ways to Identify Life Purpose

December 22, 2011 By 2 Comments

Merry Christmas, my friends! I am praying JOY for you this Christmas. Even though the enemy has come to steal, kill, and destroy, we have a VICTOR named Jesus who has come that we might have LIFE. And not just any old life...ABUNDANT LIFE. From my family to yours... Now, from the archives, the #5 post of the year... As I was preparing to write today's post, I googled "Living on purpose." I was struck by the results. Only two out of ten google results had anything to say about God. What does that say to me? That the world is searching for purpose, and they are finding lots of answers, but little truth. This not only saddens me, but it drives me.  It motivates me to share the TRUTH about living on purpose and with purpose. Yes, I agree with some of these self-help gurus that proclaim that living on purpose means finding what you really love to do and getting busy doing it. I also agree that living on purpose doesn't happen overnight, it is a process of honing your talents and your skills. And finally, I would also concur that we all have unique purposes in life and our passion encourages our … [Read more...]

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Reposting #6 Post of the Year: When Stress Starts to Strangle

December 19, 2011 By 2 Comments

I thought this post would be especially relevant today, given the fact that we are 6 days from Christmas. So, grab a cup of coffee or tea, relax and de-stress! Already read this post the first time around?  Then CLICK HERE  for a funny video by my son, Ryan...it is guaranteed to make you laugh. When Stress Starts to Strangle: eMpowering Mondays Stress isn't always bad for me. Sometimes stress motivates me and makes me productive. But then there are times when I feel its nasty grip around my neck and I begin to suffocate, panic, and give up. Last night was one of those times when I felt like stress was strangling me and taking the very life out of me. I sent a Facebook message to a friend of mine and it said something like this: Please pray for me right now. I think I am just tired and a bit overwhelmed. I had the opportunity to speak at a church this morning and that went well...but I have struggled ever since I got home. My house is a wreck, I have so many to-do projects, lots of writing to do this week, AND I am preparing to speak at our church's women's retreat this coming Sunday morning. Needless to say, I am not … [Read more...]

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Reposting the #3 Favorite Post of the Year: Different… In a Good Way

December 16, 2011 By 5 Comments
Photo by kkmmll17

For the next couple of weeks, I have decided to repost some of my favorite (and hopefully yours, too!) posts. Maybe you caught them the first time around. Maybe you didn't. I am blessed by your reading. I am blessed by your friendship. Different... In a Good Way In 2009, my daughter was 10 and I came across this very challenging blog written by Lysa Terkeurst.  "She Seeks the Uncommon" is a precious outpouring of Lysa's heart for her daughter, Hope. How she begs for Hope to be uncommon in this world. I was moved then in such a way to begin praying for my daughter, Bekah, as Lysa was praying for Hope. And for two years this word uncommon continues to be the descriptive adjective I desire for my Bekah. When Bekah was 18 months old, we were at the pediatricians office for a well child check-up and the doctor said to me, "Bekah is precocious." No, not precious (although she absolutely was), but precocious. Not wanting to sound baby-brained, I did not ask what it meant.  I did what any really smart mom would do.  I went home and looked it up in the dictionary. This is was it said, "having developed certain abilities at … [Read more...]

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