L O V E ....

NO CLUE what the connection is between this photo & what I am about to blog! however, earnestly praying .... is a part of my LOVE ... and doing it! I'm reminded when Peter was in prison (Acts 12:5) and the home group (aka Life Group) met to pray ~ earnestly! I bet they kneeled, paced, sang, cried, yelled, whispered, pleaded, wailed, begged, recited Name above all NAMES, promises, glory stories! ~ all to God! Whew ... to pray earnestly for our beLOVEds. Our passionate prayers move the heart of God. (James 5:16) Oh to be a prayer warrior ... that must be it ... PRAYER does impact the flow of history!! imagine ~ being a history maker!  I'm praying!! wanna join me sometime? have a great weekend!! all because of Christ, m

LEMONADE ...

Wonderin' where O' where is a hot summery day to make fresh squeezed LEMONADE!! oh and when life gives you lemons, brew some iced tea and squeeze a fresh wedge in your tall glass!! one O' my favO'rite thingys to do!! join me sometime, any ole time!!

WORD of God ... speak

If you know me, you know I get juiced about the B.I.B.L.E! Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth ~ and any way and many ways I want to get my young ladies in AWANA Club excited about God's Word too! Maybe I'm teaching just to myself  .. anywho ~ I Tim. 4:16 "Watch your life & doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself & your hearers." It's not about a check list, a to-do list, lQQk at me kinda thingy ~ but all about Jesus and your relationship with Him. Oh how I want you to fall so passionately in love with your Creator! On a side note, I enjoy using the ABC's for teaching/learning whatever!! and one o' my favO'rite things to do is list the Names, attributes and characteristics of either God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit. I will do this in prayer time, sitting at a doctors office, driving ... and I'm going to use it tonight in teaching that the Bible is our resource book for life!! just sayin' have a great day! m

HoLIday .... darlin' D home with me!!

okay ... not often darlin' D has a holiday; yay! today was one of them.  Off to breakfast ... a bit of running here and there ... shopped for a dress (found one!) .... and a day with my man!!
Remember that my "word of the year" for 2011 is weLLneSS ...and what a journey it's been ~ psst ... it's the 52nd day of the year!!  I have NEVER been so motivated, disciplined, and to more doctors in 52 days!! There is a checkoff list when you turn 50!! Soooooo I am taking time with the many items on the list!! Now add MIL for me ~ yep! I will be a MIL in March! Addiding Tosha Thomson to our beloved READER clan. And... never ever thought I get to 'help' with the wedding plans, I must say I am blessed to be apart of it all!!
I have been taught 'SHAPE' several times in my life ~~ especially in Lesotho, SA .. and it popped back up ...so with that in my mind, body, heart & soul, I am working on my "SHAPE"...both physically and spiritually and they are both tough areas to conquer. Basically, they will never be conquered..a definite work in progress...but key word is PROGRESS...and that I am making, I did try on smaller sizes today ~ but not as small as I had wanted ... another day to move forward!

Now, let me admit, changing my diet was not a big change for me because I  have been following WW since July 9th, 2010.  Kinda stuck as of December ... but motivated to head toward WELLNESS and continue on this journey. Happy to say, investigating some things to 'jump start' to loss again.

Back to SHAPE...on the spiritual side of things..and PLEASE do not let this part frustrate you or make you want to click over to another blog..because like I have always said..IT IS NOT ABOUT RELIGION, but about 'doing LIFE together' and relationships!! ...you can apply what I am saying to everyday life!!
Shape stands for
Spiritual Gifts....
Heart.....
Abilities...
Personality...
Experience!
and it is what you do with your shape that not only matters...but makes a huge difference in your life and the life of others!  Go ahead and get M.A.D. ~ Make A Difference!!! daily even. For one candle (your light) may light a thousand ...

Heart = interests, passions & desires  ~ what do you like? dislike? what would you do for FREE? what motivates you, excites you???
"As a face is reflected in water, so the HEART reflects the person" Prov. 27:19

Keep me in your prayers ~ for wisdom, decisions, and traveling to here & there and everywhere in March!

glass cutting ...

this intrigues me! glass cutting ... do you know what I could do if I could teach myself this?!!! Speaking of teaching self thingys .. what do you want to teach yourself? I'm learning lots too! If any of YOU know how to do this, please please educate ME! and the last pic is of a 5 NOT 4 but 5 way stop .. I've never seen this in my life!! have a blessed day

Surprise .... SURPRISE!!

oh my oh my!!! what a surprise ~ I mean SURPRISE!! early 'tis AM my phone received a TXT. (CL's I am 3 hours behind you timewise!) anywho, with all the hussle & bussle ~ traveling here & there ... I am blessed with a SURPRISE trip to ST. LOUIS to hang with the CL's ~ attend a bridal shower ~ chit & chat and all that! to celebrate my birthday!! YaaaaHooooOOoooooo .... packing will be tricky .. but it ain't about the 'stuff' ... it's about holding hands (tightly) and hearts (gently)!!! happy Friday

I find refuge ....

Psalm 46: 1-2 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear." (NSRV)

thank YOU ~ Georgia Pacific

Pebble Beach at the Pro Am Golf tourney .... we were 'guests' of Georgia Pacific. WoW! In person this place is magnificently gorgeous. We had so much fun ... saw many many golfers. Thank you Kevin Costner for taking time to autograph my program. And the scenery was breathtaking .. right there on the ocean. We stayed in Carmel ... oooo la la ~ and ate exquisetly (sp?). Walked and shopped around O' course!!

Life Lessons .... OR should it be conversations with God?!!

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?  Yes! to all of the Q's ~~

 Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. Okay .. let's go Lord .. but I can't really get away ~ can we just talk and 'figure' things out here?

I'll show you how to take a real rest. Lord, I so want rest .. and I also need guidance, directions ... and just ability to get things done! Will You help me with all of that too? Am I being selfish asking for this???

Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Lord, I want to learn from You! I want to see how You do it ... You mastered it all and without sinning! Lord, thank You for YOU!

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I can't even imagine .. but You tell me YOU can show me!!

I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Lord, I think YOU think I am waaaaay stronger than I truly am ... I told You that I'm tired, worn-out, confused, even dazed ... and more!

Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (mumbling ...) okaaaay ~ it's a deal! I yearn to be in Your company ... I can't wait to read what Paul is going to say in Acts (my reading plan stopped yesterday and I am so eager to get there today! KWIM?) I want to learn from You ... living freely seems so hard ... and lightly? I'm thinking about being 'blameless' at the moment b/c You call us to 'live' blamelessly NOT to be sinless! (duh! b/c NONE of us are sinless!) and lightly??? a bit clueless here but still I'm getting it and agreeing with You ~ okay .... it's a deal!! I know, I already said that .. I tend to repeat myself to get self to hear it!!

-JESUS in Matthew 11:28-30 MSG

doing LIFE together with JESUS ... what about you??? talk later!! oh and just for clarification: the verbage in blue is the real me thinkin' & talkin'

L O V E ....

Happy Valentine's Day ..... not about Hallmark at all ~ ALL about God's love ~ for YOU, for me & the world!!!      Love.  
If you want to change something and are not sure what to start with...think about healing your heart and then opening your heart because there is a whole lotta love to give and receive and you do not want to miss it!! (it is tough work but totally worth it....).  Thought =  "My words affect my heart...and my heart affects my words..."    pssst here's an open window of my life ~ yesterday my heart was troubled and my words were totally unkind .. and I blew it completely by opening my mouth!! Yep! I did ..... soooooooo, ALWAYS  remember to refer to these often forgotten rules of LOVE...

"Words BUILD up and TEAR down so THINK before you speak..."
T - are you being TRUTHFUL..Don't be brutally honest, be CLEARLY honest. (there is a difference!)
H - make sure that your words are HELPFUL
I - are you being INSPIRATIONAL
N - is what you are saying NECESSARY
K - are your words KIND

LOVE people with KIND words because KIND words transform worry into JOY (yippee!) "Worry will rob your happiness but kind words will cheer you up" Proverbs 12:12

LOVE people with HONEST words...because honest words make us feel loved. "Speak the truth in love.." Ephesians 4:15

LOVE people with CAREFUL words...because if we use communication as a battle field, we will always loose."Watch your words and hold your tongue. You will save yourself alot of grief" Proverbs 21:23

LOVE people with BUILDING words because building words encourage learning..."Pleasant words promote instruction" Proverbs 16:21

today I choose to L O V E ... and I have many many, even tons of reasons to LOVE ~ because God first loved me!!!

life is messy!

We live in a world that's broken, confused, sinful to say the least jam packed with opinions, media, crap and a whole bunch of other stuff!! that subliminally works away at our authentic hearts, mind ~ yes, even souls and often leads us to conform to TRYING to live like this....  we were NEVER to be ~ you know, obsessed, stressed, totally controlling, manipulating (wonder if a man created that word?!) ... and perfect..in place...keeping up...looking good...just right and eventually, whatever we focus on ends up controlling us.  DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM SAYING.  It ain't right ~ was never meant to be that way .... & then just when we are fooling ourselves (and everyone else) that everything is just peachy,  the bottom of everything drops out...   the sky starts to fall, the stock market crashes, gas prices go up, the price of gold goes sky high but we only wear silver so we can't "cash" anything in, grief and sadness abound all around ...you get the picture...

and we are faced with the bottom of a pit.  which reminds me ~ if you ever get the chance buy Beth Moore's book "Get Out of the Pit" ~ it will TRANSFORM YOU LIFE!! When we "seem" to have failed at what the "world" thinks we should be doing, we are so consumed with disappointment, fear, guilt, bitterness (another truckload of "fill in the blanks" here, too!) we find that we have lost complete focus in everything, or just about everything.  and then Word of God speak!!! 

"Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down..."   Proverbs 12:25 

and life looks like this:  broken, messy, mixed up, spilling out (insert big "sigh" sound effect)   BUT

listen....right now, I am the BOSS of YOU.....When you have gotten to this point, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE (speaking from experience here) YOU have just GOT to STOP and jump off of the merry-go-round (don't worry, it is sand underneath so you are not going to get hurt...stop "putzing" and just jump)  and yes, "putzing" is a word, I think!    anyways...  (oh and BTW, I am preaching to ME right now!)

STOP nthinking about what the world thinks and START listening to what GOD is saying, duh. (it really is that easy!)  and be blessed when those angels on earth call to say I'm praying ... I'm standing in the gap with you ... when you hear that sound, or think that thought ~ YOU know it was God saying .... I AM!

Once you have jumped and stopped....  now you can LOOK, LISTEN, & LEARN all that He has in store for you.       YOU can not do this for anyone else but YOU.  If you are doing this for someone else, um, it ain't gonna work. YOU need to be READY.... alerting ~ waiting for your Groom to take you into His everlasting arms.  REST!  & then ... it is time to get READY.    It is time...to change your thought process for YOU..to change your mind for YOU and by all means change your focus for YOU, because YOU are worth it. It is TIME and YOU can do it...because  WELLNESS is that important ~ God so loves YOU (& me!) and .... we are SPFer's (Strong Powerful Females!!)  

"God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of POWER, LOVE and Self-Discipline"   2 Tim 1:7   repeat after me ... remember what God shows you in the dark is meant to be lived out in the light!!   The University of Pain stinks ~ yet, I think my cracked vessel kinda shines these days.  and that's where we LEARN ... what are you learning thru your life? share it, see God's hand in it all ... love Him more today than yesterday.  Oh and when you can't utter the words ~ sigh, for the Lord hears our groans, even our moaning ~ and turns them to God's ear ... and whispers "see, she's trying & she's ours!" God so loves YOU & ME!!               xoxo, m

our children .... and faith!

Within my children's lives I witness so much ~ their vulnerability, their strengths, weaknesses, desires and growth ~~> to faith.  In and through all of 'that' I recognize my own fragility, vulnerabilities, strength, weaknesses, dreams/desires, growth and faith. In their innocence, we are reminded that life is meant to be lived with curious and joyful abandon. GO BLOW BUBBLES!!  Accepting uncertaintys and knowing God is for us, not against us and He promises to NEVER ever EVER leaves us. (I know that I know that I know ... Bible Building Blocks!) As a mother may I always be a protector and prayer warrior that evolves into a mentor for my boys. It's just the beginning ... what a LIFE God gives us to totally honor Him in ALL WE DO. Guide me in the ways to keep my boys focused on the 'main thing' .. you know, keep the main thing the main thing!! Lord, hold them in your peaceful embrace so they are not overcome by loneliness, fear, stress, or danger. Let them dream and live with You dear Lord guiding the journeys. FAITH .... 

You say ____ & I say ____

Potatoe or Potawtoe (pronounced Poe-tah-toe)!! It don't matter ... but I must tell you all photo 2 is a delish dish of potatoes (choose your pronunciation!) and one WITH onions and one WITHOUT onions. Why do you ask? Just Life Group doing life together ... and we knows YOU!! KWIM???!! just a laugh among us all. (Pssst ~ darlin' D doesn't like 'em either!!) I one the other hand, enjoy a good onion ~ vidalias, sweet TX 10's, purple, scallions, green, ...
and the first photo ... LOVE IT!! saw this in a store ... and it totally made me smile ... I play a game in my head (don't comment on that one!) with the Names of Jesus ~ no sweeter Name than the Name of Jesus (go on and sing if you want to!) ... sometimes, I even run thru the ABC's with the Names of Jesus (try it!!) ..... aaaaahhhhh. oh & BTW, happy Friday!!