A Flea in My Pantyhose!

Well tonight is Wednesday night. I had missed a couple of the lessons in the last Bible study that I was in and didn't complete it. Do you ever get aggravated, let's be honest, when God's conviction just nags at you like a FLEA IN YOUR PANTYHOSE! Well he doesn't fall down on his job, but oh how I fall short. Well, missing 1/2 of the last Bible study really bothered me and it was nothing more that God convicting me of that! Back in the saddle again tonight though and what a wonderful lesson!

Started taking Beth Moore's "A Beautiful Mind" and the main point I got of tonight was

ARE YOU PROJECTING AN OLD FEAR ON A NEW DAY

Whoa Nelly! She acts like she knows me or something! lol But seriously, what she was talking about is how we get burned one or two times in a situation and then we expect that same result or reaction every time, so we never do get anything different out of life and experiences. How many times do we fail at something or have someone disapprove of something and instead of continuing to try we just tuck tail and run! She talked about FEAR.

1. Fear of the Past, that because of what has happened or hurt us in the past, that we cheat our self out of the future because we won't try again. That we don't give others a chance to change and react to us differently. If we are in God's will, it is our responsibility to continue to try time and time again.

2. Fear of Saying Yes, we are so afraid of not being the "best" at something from the very start, that we won't try something because of our PRIDE and INSECURITIES and not wanting to look bad or foolish or fail in front of someone else.

3. Fear of Saying No, being able to learn the difference in when it's time to say yes and when it's time to say no. We CANNOT do a 1000 things at once to glorify God! Pick and choose.

The last thing that I thought was powerful tonight is that she said that women claim responsibility and investment in WAY more that they are actually responsible and have an investment in. I interpreted that into times that I get all upset and bothered about something that I truly don't "HAVE A DOG IN THAT RACE" with! I think it is a women's nature to take things personal, but many things that I let get me upset doesn't even have a whole lot to do with me. lol :D

I just thought it was an "awesome" night and truly gave me alot to think about in my life! We claim each day as a blessing from God, do we waste it by not stepping out in faith because of what has happened in the past? The enemy, which can come in the form of many things (people, food, situations etc.) tries to get you to quit, by reminding you of your past failures and things that happened before.

What a wonderful message I would have missed tonight, confirmation that God wanted me in fellowship with him tonight! Thank you Lord for pursuing me when many times I seem to be running from you! Hope all have a "blessed" rest of the week and weekend!

Give As Freely As You Have Recieved!

"Give as freely as you have recieved!" Matthew 10:8

Well, have you ever had one of those moments where you were trying to teach someone else something and the Good Lord decided that the lesson is for you! Woo Wee! Tonight was one of those nights. As Pat and I sat at the bar and was doing a nightly devotional with the kids, it was obvious that the lesson was for me much more than the kids. The devotion tonight basically asked if you felt like some people were ugly to you for no apparent reason, do you feel like you can't do anything right, do you feel like people are just against you at times? In a nutshell, do you carry a chip on your shoulder at times. Oh mercy, I knew I was in for it then. The devotion then went on to read, what have you done for others to expect something good in return? Hmmm! It went on to say that alot of times all we can focus on is how others don't make us happy, make us feel good, or do things that we agree with or benefit from. It basically said that we should try not focusing on these things and simply put, get out there and start doing good things ourselves for no reason and it is His promise that we will in turn receive. I think I've heard this before, I think it means, IT'S NOT ABOUT ME! lol What a good message for the beginning of a new school and church year! I think for me he wants me to react in a positive way, when people expect me to get mad. That he wants me to close my eyes to all the negative things that I tend to focus on with people and situations and notice the positive. And if I'm really honest, I would want people to focus on my positive and not on my srew-ups. (Goodness knows I have plenty! lol) He has opened my eyes tonight to the fact that I shouldn't expect from others anything more than I am willing to give them!! That phrase in itself is sooo powerful! Well, I'm definitely not perfect and by all means a work in progress, but via the Big Man, I am going to try to concentrate alot more on giving and not focusing quite so much on receiving. Gonna try and be a little better Christian, Momma, Wife, Daughter and Friend! Again, hmmmm!

Gotta love trying to teach your children a new lesson! lol, lol, lol, lol :D

The End is Here...

Well, it is here! It is officially the end of my summer vacation.

It doesn't even seem like summer any more. Well the heat has definitely let us know it is summer, but I have memories of June and July lasting for eternity. I think it is simply a sign of getting older. Those lengthy months have turned into wild and crazy weeks of nonstop doctors checkups and running, running, running! lol :D

I have also spent the summer washing clothes. It is as if it has been one nonstop load that never quite gets done.....

Oh well, once again, just some more of the facts of life.

You see, even on a day that has elements in it you could have lived without such as the mess and being sick, if you look closely you can see that the blessings far outweighed the wrinkles!!

It is truly a day to rejoice!

I got to attend a baby dedication service this morning where seven sets of parents stood before the church promising to raise their children in a way that was pleasing to God. This just warms your heart that these parents acknowledged that our children are simply "on loaner" from our Heavenly Father and we can't be successful without him holding the reigns. It is also a reminder of days that weren't so long ago, where I stood before the congregation and promised to do the same. Sitting back, it gives me a minute to reflect on how well I am doing keeping the promise that I made myself with my babies. I then got to listen to my baby girl sing special music. Another gift that God has blessed me with to remind me just how much he loves us. And then as I got home and was dismayed at not feeling well and the mess that sat before, I checked Facebook and read that FBC has another "Godfilled" Sunday morning and night! and that God was setting fires in the hearts of his people! We had a wonderful Sunday morning last Sunday that was filled with baptisms, people walking the aisle and families joining. Today we have reports of youth and children being baptized and tonight of our youth reporting on their trip to Missionfuge. I hate I wasn't there, but it just makes you want to jump up and scream and rejoice!! God is truly good! It is such a wonderful feeling to see him at work and igniting fires in the heart of his people, ESPECIALLY in our youth! I am like Jill, I just hope that we can stand behind them and keep them on fire and what better way for us to do this than by keeping our fire burning and leading by example. Well, I can't think of a better way to end a summer than with the blessings that God has given me today. Thank you Lord for opening my eyes to the blessings that this day has brought and not getting caught up in the little things that don't matter.