Life is Good

And the Winner's Are.................

2012-01-18T16:56:00.000-05:00

I was originally going to give away three copies of Mary Snyder's book, "God, Grace and Girlfriends: Adventures in Faith and Friendship. But since I only had 4 ladies that commented, I am giving each entrant a copy of her book!

Tracy, Kaleena, J. and Beth, please email me your mailing address and I will send your books! Congratulations and thanks for participating!

Cindy

Time for a Giveaway!

2012-01-11T13:14:00.000-05:00

It is with great excitement that I offer this giveaway! My friend Mary Snyder has written a wonderful book, God, Grace and Girlfriends: adventures in faith and friendship. I knew that New Hope Publishers was going to provide me with two copies to give away, but I was so excited for Mary that I ordered two copies of her book, (one to keep and one to share) as soon as it was available on Amazon! So in addition to the two copies from New Hope I will give away an additional copy.

If you're like me you have probably prayed for God to send you godly girlfriends. This was also a heartfelt prayer of Mary's. Listen to her words: "Women everywhere, in all walks of life, are looking for girlfriends they can depend on. Friends who will stand by them, friends they can laugh with, and friends they can have an adventure with. True-bue, dyed-in-the-wool girlfriends. Whether you're in college or retired, a stay-at-home mom or an empty nester, a single career woman or a working mother, you likely can identify with this heart cry of women everywhere: "Lord, send me girlfriends!"

All you have to do is leave a comment and I will draw the names of the three winners on January 18th.

Let the girlfriend adventures begin!

Abolishing Christmas

2011-12-23T11:42:00.002-05:00

So much has been made in recent years of Nativity Scenes, Christmas Trees, celebrations, caroling and the like being an offense to those who don't believe. While we are to tolerate their beliefs, there is no tolerance for ours.

Everyone is entitled to their beliefs. That is what is so wonderful about this great country that we live in, the diversity. But nowadays diversity doesn't apply to Christian beliefs. We are expected to keep our beliefs to ourselves, separate from the world around us. We are to maintain a "wall of separation" between church and state. That phrase by the way does not appear in the Constitution even once. Our forefathers intended that we were to have freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. They didn't want the government to impose a religion on anyone, but for individuals to have the freedom to worship as they saw fit.

In years past this censoring of all things Christmas upset me to my core. And it still does but not to the same extent. People can try to take away every Nativity, Christmas light, decoration and every last vestige of Christmas. It will not change the fact that Jesus, the Savior of the world, was born in Bethlehem, a tiny helpless baby born of a virgin peasant girl.

The Word became flesh; God in human form, came to save the world. My belief or your unbelief does not change Him one bit. He is Who He says He is. People can try to wipe out every last trace of Jesus but He will still exist. Some things are true whether you believe in them or not. And there is only one Truth.

Merry Christmas!

30 Days of Thankful - Day 30

2011-12-01T00:06:00.000-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful that God has brought to mind so many blessings that I have to be thankful for. I tend to take my blessings for granted but I want to live each day intentionally thankful.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 29

2011-12-01T00:03:00.000-05:00

In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for snow! It didn't stick, didn't last long, but while it was falling it was absolutely beautiful. Thankful that we get to experience God's awesome creation.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 28

2011-11-28T16:05:00.001-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for the posts that I see on Facebook that build each other up. Thankful for people that care about others.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 27

2011-11-28T16:00:00.000-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am again thankful for the gift of family and time spent together this Thanksgiving Holiday. I am so blessed.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 26

2011-11-26T13:51:00.000-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for Alexis and for God bringing her into my son's life.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 25

2011-11-25T12:55:00.000-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Thanksgiving lunch at my parents' home

Today I am thankful for time spent with family as we came together for Thanksgiving lunch and dinner. We always have way to much food, lots of laughter and wonderful memories.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 24

2011-11-24T10:00:00.001-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today is Thanksgiving and I am thankful that I get to spend time and have lunch with my children, my parents and my mother's brother and sister and her family. Then we will have dinner with my husband's family. I am thankful for the gift of family and for two meals.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 23

2011-11-23T10:00:00.001-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for running water. I have hot water to bathe in and clean water to drink. I take so many blessings for granted. There are so many that don't have clean water to drink or to bathe in. Open my eyes Father, to the needs around me.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 22

2011-11-22T16:11:00.000-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for the gift of a new little life! Welcome to the world Jonah Samuel Jenkins! He made his debut at 7:56 a.m. weighing in at 9 lbs. 11 ozs. and is 20 inches long! Such a miracle.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 21

2011-11-21T10:34:00.000-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Today I am thankful for my Uncle Benny. Benny was stricken with polio as a child which left him with some physical disabilities. But through his adversity his love of the Lord has been evident in his life since my first memory of him. He has been one of the greatest examples of what it means to be a Christian and has influenced so many people in his path.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 20

2011-11-20T10:18:00.001-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful that my baby boy is home for the week of Thanksgiving! He goes to school 5 hours away from home so we don't get to see him as often as we'd like. We are so glad he is home.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 19

2011-11-19T10:00:00.002-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for my father, who turns 79 today. He has a wonderful sense of humor and our home was always full of laughter. He is a wonderful father, who taught us by example that we have an obligation to help anyone in need. He served our country in the Air Force for 21 years and taught us that freedom is never free. He disciplined us when we needed it, but always in love. I am thankful and grateful for the his godly examples on earth that pointed to our Heavenly Father.

Happy Birthday Daddy. I love you.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 18

2011-11-18T11:53:00.000-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am just thankful. I am overwhelmed at the goodness of God.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 17

2011-11-17T19:22:00.000-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for my little town. I am blessed to live in an area that is one of the most beautiful places on earth!

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 16

2011-11-16T11:21:00.000-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for good friends. They laugh with me, cry with me and hold me accountable. I am also thankful for those friends that I may not know that well or in person, and those that I have reconnected with through blogs or Facebook.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 15

2011-11-15T19:39:00.000-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for a warm, dry house, food when I am hungry and clothing to keep me warm. Lord, please open my eyes to those around me that may not have food or shelter. Help me to be Your hands and feet.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 14

2011-11-14T13:25:00.000-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for the rain and for the nourishment it provides the earth. I have also learned to be thankful for the rain and storms in my life. Without them I could never appreciate the Sun. Or the rainbows.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 13

2011-11-14T12:23:00.000-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

This past weekend I met my four sisters-in-law, mother-in-law and our daughters at the Mall of Georgia for our annual girls weekend. We all live about an hour and a half from there, so it is a great place to meet. I am thankful for these ladies, (which was my thankful for day 12) but as I drove to and from, I realized how I take transportation and my travel for granted.

Today I am thankful that we live in a country where we have freedom to travel as we wish, without having to show "papers" or stop at armed checkpoints, and good highway systems and vehicles to get us where we are going. We can travel from city to city and state to state with no hassles.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 12

2011-11-12T10:00:00.002-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
I Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for my four sisters-in-law, mother-in-law and nieces. We are on our annual girl's weekend and as usual we are having crazy fun. Our oldest niece has been with us from the beginning and this year all the newly married daughter's and daughters-in-law have joined us in the craziness! Thankful for girl time!

Me and my sisters-in-law

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 11

2011-11-11T10:00:00.003-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am so thankful for those men and women who serve our country in the armed forces, and for those that served in the past. They are underpaid and taken for granted. Those in the field sometimes go without food, shelter and comfort to get the job done. They sacrifice time with their family to go to places that you and I will probably never see, all in the name of freedom. They are the watchmen on the walls, sometimes giving the ultimate sacrifice of their very lives for my freedom. I will forever be in their debt.

Somehow, thank you just doesn't seem an adequate expression. But thank you to my sister who is still active duty Air Force. And to my father who is retired Air Force. Both served in harms way. And thanks to all of you who served past and present. You are the true heroes.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 10

2011-11-10T10:00:00.002-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

I Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful that God is a God of second chances. I am thankful that even though I was the worst of sinners rebelling and running from Him, He never gave up on me. He picked me up, dusted me off and set me on my feet again!

I am eternally thankful that there is absolutely nothing that I can do that will make Him love me less, and there is nothing that I have done that is so terrible that He will not forgive.

I am thankful that when I confess my sin, He puts them behind his back (Isaiah 38:17), treads them underfoot and hurls them into the depths of the sea! (Micah 7: 19)

I am so thankful that we get a daily do-over. Or sometimes in my case, even an hourly do-over! His mercies are new every morning! (Lam. 3:22-23)

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 9

2011-11-09T06:30:00.001-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

Today, I am thankful for God's Word and for a weekly women's Bible Study that I have been a part of for the past eleven years. This is a diverse group of women of different ages and at different stages in their lives.

His Word is Truth and I am so thankful that I can dig into it with this group of ladies.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 8

2011-11-08T06:30:00.002-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

Today I am thankful for seasons. I am fortunate to live in a region that experiences 4 distinct seasons every year. My favorite season of all is Fall. And may I just say that God has really been showing off this year? It has been one of the most beautiful that I can remember. The leaves have had spectacular colors; reds and golds that absolutely make me so happy. I love watching the leaves fall and carpet the ground with their beauty.

The older I get I am also thankful for the seasons that God allows in my life. Some of them have been hard but each one is for my benefit, even if I can't see it at the time.

October, 2011

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 7

2011-11-07T12:25:00.001-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

Today I am thankful for my health. After a nearly two year battle trying to figure out what was wrong, I am thankful to God that He has restored my health. Being reasonably healthy most of my life, it is something that I took for granted. But after my illness, that is a mistake that I will never make again. Thank you Lord.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 6

2011-11-06T06:30:00.002-05:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

Today I am thankful for my daughter's in-laws. I began praying for my children's spouses when they were very little. I prayed that God would bring them a godly mate that loved the Lord even more than they loved my child. And I also prayed that their in-laws would love them like they were their own. God answered that prayer for my daughter. She is blessed with a wonderful family of in-laws. They love her like she is a daughter and she loves them. I couldn't have hand-picked anyone better. Thank you God for the blessing of the precious Jenkins family.

The Jenkins family

30 Days of Thankful - Day 5

2011-11-05T06:30:00.002-04:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

Today I am thankful for my sister. I am so blessed to have her as a sister and a friend. I am thankful for her love and support. She has an awesome sense of humor and can make me laugh like no one else. I miss her and can't wait until she retires and moves closer to me! I am thankful for her husband Bob, my favorite brother-in-law, and her stepsons Kirk and Connor.

Sharon and Bob

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 4

2011-11-04T06:30:00.005-04:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

Today I am thankful for my wonderful parents. I am thankful that they love the Lord and brought us up in church. They have been married for over 50 years and are a great example of what a covenant marriage should be. I love you Mom and Dad. Thank you for everything you've done for me.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 3

2011-11-03T06:30:00.003-04:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
I
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

Today I am thankful for my children, Caitlin and Manning. They were both high risk babies, but after 5 months of bed-rest with Caitlin and 4 months of bed-rest with Manning, God allowed us to be their parents. And we are blessed. It has been such a joy watching them grow into adults. We also welcomed another son, Jody, into our family when he married Caitlin. He too is a blessing.

Caitlin and Jody

Manning

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 2

2011-11-02T06:30:00.006-04:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

I am thankful for Robert, my wonderful, awesome, handsome husband. He has loved me for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. He is kind and compassionate and has loved me unconditionally for the last 28 years.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful

2011-11-01T20:06:00.003-04:00

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

In this month of Thanksgiving I want to develop an intentionally thankful heart and spirit. Every day in November I will post something that I am thankful for. I want to be intentional about thanking God, not just in November, but every day of the year.

I am thankful for my salvation and the provision that God made for us through His only Son, Jesus.

What are you thankful for today?

Happy Anniversary

2011-08-27T20:23:00.000-04:00

Today my man and I are celebrating 28 years of marriage. Several times in the last couple of days we have heard something like. "wow, you don't hear of people being married that long any more. Congratulations!" And no, nowadays you don't. Satan is really doing a number on marriage.

For whatever reason, when we were newlyweds we made the decision that divorce just would not be an option. However, I told him that all bets were off if infidelity were involved. My 23 year old naivete thought that this was the worst thing that could happen in a marriage. I couldn't even begin to fathom the ups and downs as we started out.

I really wish that I could sit down with young couples who are getting married and have a little talk with them about marriage. I would tell them that undoubtedly, marriage is the hardest thing that they will ever do. And you think you love each other now, but you have no clue how that love will be tried and tested and grow exponentially over the years. And that the person that you are madly in love with can also be your biggest irritant at times. And unless God is present in your marriage, you can't do it on your own.

I would tell them that true love is your husband holding your hair back from your face while you throw up for the 100th time because you are pregnant. Or holding you in your arms while you both sob uncontrollably because you lost that precious life that you were carrying. Or holding hands while you wait on the results of a medical test. Or gazing in wonder into the eyes of your baby moments after you've given birth. Or holding each other as you bury someone that you love.

As my newlywed daughter is fond of saying, "love is a choice. You have to make the decision every day that you will love your spouse unconditionally." Wise words for someone so young. I would tell them that their marriage is hard, but it is worth fighting for.

Happy Anniversary honey. I love you.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

2011-05-07T16:33:00.000-04:00

Me, Mama and my sister Sharon

It couldn't have been easy as a twenty-one year old newlywed to pack up and move from Georgia to New Mexico, away from your family and friends, to make a new life, especially one where the Air Force dictated where you would live.

It couldn't have been easy, giving birth a little over nine months later, with no family present. I can't even imagine what I would have done if you hadn't been with me for the births of my children.

It couldn't have been easy, pulling up roots every few years and moving to a new place and still being far away from family.

It couldn't have been easy to be at home with two little girls while your beloved was away defending our country; in harm's way, with little or no communication. And I know it wasn't easy to receive that phone call, letting you know that there had been an "incident" involving his flight crew. They couldn't tell you who the survivors were, or if indeed anyone survived. I can't imagine the waiting until you knew something for certain.

It couldn't have been easy raising a rebellious teenager, who wanted to do things her way.

I know it wasn't easy. And life can be messy sometimes. But you handled it with God, and with grace. And you were such an example of what it means to be a Christian mother and a strong woman. You taught me that a relationship with Christ, prayer and Scripture are the most important things in life.

Thank you for loving me always, even when I was difficult to love. Thank you for showing me what it means to be a Christian by example. Thank you for teaching me how to be a wife and mother.

I love you Mama,

The Resurrection Story (Part 3): The Tomb is Empty!

2011-04-24T06:00:00.007-04:00

The Resurrection

¹ After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

⁸ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them,“Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

I know that my Redeemer lives, do you?

The Resurrection Story (Part 2)

2011-04-23T13:43:00.000-04:00

The Guard at the Tomb

⁶² The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. ⁶³ “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ ⁶⁴ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

⁶⁵ “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶ So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

Matthew 27: 62-66

The Resurrection Story (Part 1)

2011-04-22T14:55:00.000-04:00

Judas Hangs Himself

¹ Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. ²They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.

³ When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. ⁴ “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”

⁵ So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

⁶ The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷ So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. ⁸ That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. ⁹ Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty silver coins, the price set on him by the people of Israel, ¹⁰ and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”^[a]

Jesus Before Pilate

¹¹ Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.

¹² When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. ¹³ Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” ¹⁴ But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.

¹⁵ Now it was the governor’s custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. ¹⁶ At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. ¹⁷ So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” ¹⁸ For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.

¹⁹ While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”

²⁰ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.

²¹ “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.

“Barabbas,” they answered.

²² “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked.

They all answered, “Crucify him!”

²³ “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

²⁴ When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”

²⁵ All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”

²⁶ Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

²⁷ Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. ²⁸ They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, ²⁹ and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. ³⁰ They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. ³¹ After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

³² As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. ³³They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). ³⁴ There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. ³⁵ When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.^[b] ³⁶ And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. ³⁷ Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. ³⁸ Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹ Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”

⁴¹ In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ⁴² “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ⁴⁴ In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus

⁴⁵ From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. ⁴⁶ About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi,^[c] lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”^[d]

⁴⁷ When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. ⁴⁹ The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

⁵⁰ And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

⁵¹ At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. ⁵² The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³ They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

⁵⁴ When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son^[e] of God!”

⁵⁵ Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. ⁵⁶Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

The Burial of Jesus

⁵⁷ As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. ⁵⁹ Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. ⁶¹ Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

Matthew 27: 1-61 (NIV)

Red Is For The Blood

2011-04-19T11:48:00.000-04:00

We had the privilege this past Sunday of being led in worship by the Andrew Brown Band. They are amazing and I wanted to share the lyrics of this song written by Andrew. He had been on a mission trip in Africa, speaking with a little girl about salvation bracelets. She was explaining to him what all the colors in the bracelet meant and when she came to the red one, she said, "this is the red one. It's for the blood of Jesus. And it's my favorite." He said: "it's my favorite too". He wrote this song when he returned home. It's a beautiful song and perfect for this Holy Week. You can find them on iTunes.

Red Is For The Blood

Who am I

That You would know my name

Come and die

To take this sinner's place

Give your life

To save this broken race

I am Yours

Here I stand

At the Cross where You bled

Covered in love

Covered in red

Red is for the blood

For the love

For the mercy pouring down

For the One

Took my nails

Took my sin

Took my crown

It's for the Father

Who would NOT give up

Until this one was found

It's for the blood of Jesus

Red is for the blood

It's for Your blood

You have eyes

To see what I can't see

Search through time

To the heart of me

Crucified

To set this captive free

Now I'm Yours

Here I stand

At the Cross where You bled

Covered in love

Covered in red

Red is for the blood

For the love

For the mercy pouring down

For the One

Took my nails

Took my sin

Took my crown

It's for the Father

Who would NOT give up

Until this one was found

It's for the blood of Jesus

Red is for the blood

It's for Your blood

©Andrew Brown

Happy Birthday Caitlin!

2011-04-04T16:50:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Caitlin! I can't believe that it has been 24 years since you entered the world and became the center of our universe.

We were beside ourselves when we found out that you were on the way. After one miscarriage, we were anxious and worried. I was on bed-rest for five of the nine months that I carried you. We prayed so hard that I could carry my pregnancy to completion and deliver a healthy baby. And we did. God is so good. You were and are such a blessing.

We were immediately smitten, and it took all of 5 seconds for you to wrap your daddy around your little finger. You were his princess, and you still are. You were so precious and we took delight in everything that you did. You were such a joy and your personality was larger than life. You kept us on our toes and you kept us laughing. We never had the least bit of trouble out of you. If you ever did anything that maybe you shouldn't have, your conscience would get the better of you and you would immediately confess.

It has been such a privilege to be your Mama and to watch you grow into the godly young woman that you are today. You've had my heart since the moment I met you.

Happy Birthday. I love you so much.

Good Speaking, Good Music, Good Friends

2011-04-02T15:25:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday I had the privilege of accompanying my friends Leah Adams and Kristin Adams (no relation) to North Metro First Baptist Church in Gwinnett County. Even though I had to get up in the middle of the night to get ready, I wouldn't have missed it.

Leah spoke at their Ladies Bible Study Spring Luncheon on the importance of Bible Study. As always, her talk was wonderful and pointed straight to Jesus. I enjoyed spending some time with the ladies of North Metro. Please check out Leah's blog; she is a gifted Bible teacher and speaker.

Leah speaking

The special music for the day was performed by a beautiful young lady Ele Gilliland (pronounced Ellie). She has a beautiful voice, but the most amazing thing is that she is only 13 years old! And beautiful inside and out. Cindy Morgan (yes that Cindy Morgan, Dove Award winner Cindy Morgan) has written a few songs for her. She sings in her song Your Girl : " I found my place in this world when I became your girl". So true. Our identity and purpose comes from God alone. I expect that we will be hearing a lot from Ele. You can find the song Your Girl and her CD on her website. You'll love it!

Beautiful Ele

Cute as a button, right down to her sequined converse sneakers!

After we left North Metro, we went to the Mall of Georgia for a little retail therapy. We didn't buy a lot, but had a blast just being girls. We did a lot of laughing. I love my friends. They are my Aaron and Hur, holding me up, supporting me with their love and prayer.

Me, Leah and Kristin. Love these ladies!

It was a blessed day.

Love

2011-03-11T17:40:00.001-05:00

Robert, the love of my life!

I just wanted to give a shout out to my wonderful hubs. I have been under the weather for several months and he has been a wonderful care giver, unselfishly taking care of me. He has prayed over me, posted Scripture throughout the house and just loved me the way that Jesus loves me.

Thank you baby. I love you.

Name That Newsletter

2011-02-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

Calling all you creative types: Our Woman to Woman mentoring ministry at FBC needs your help naming our newsletter! Go to our Woman to Woman blog and give us your ideas.

"Stuff"

2011-02-16T12:15:00.000-05:00

I love the words to this song This is The Stuff by Francesca Battistelli. Too often I let little annoyances steal my joy. The words of this song remind me that I need to acknowledge my blessings daily. Have a wonderful day and remember how BIG you are blessed!

"This Is The Stuff"

I lost my keys
In the great unknown
And call me please
'Cause I can't find my phone

This is the stuff that drives me crazy.
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately.
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed

This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I've got to trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I might choose
But this is the stuff you use

45 in a 35
Sirens and fines
While I'm running behind

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed

This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I've got to trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I might choose but this is the stuff You use

To break me of impatience
Conquer my frustrations
I've got a new appreciation

It's not the end of the world

This is the stuff that drives me crazy.
This is the stuff
Someone save me
In the middle of little my mess
I forget how big I'm blessed

This is the stuff that gets under my skin
And I've got to trust you know exactly what You're doing
Might not be what I would choose but this is the stuff You use

This is the stuff You use

Got To Give It Up

2011-02-08T14:04:00.001-05:00

I was recently diagnosed with food allergies, specifically to milk, eggs and almonds. I typically consumed those foods on a daily basis so now I have to stop and think about what I can and can't eat. Milk and eggs are in almost everything. Lactose is present in most medicines as a filler and as a binding agent! I can't have cream in my coffee. No cheese or butter. No cake. (I will probably mourn the loss of this the most!) No more Chick-fil-A strawberry milkshakes!

I can approach this season in my life in several ways; I can totally ignore the allergy, eat what I want and itch like crazy, I can totally focus on the foods that I have had to give up and have a woe is me attitude, or I can focus on being thankful that the doctors figured out what was wrong with me and that there are still plenty of foods that I can eat.

Oh Father, help me daily to focus on what I have, not on what I don't have or what I've had to give up. I have everything in Jesus. And He is all that I need.

The Check is In the Mail

2011-01-26T06:00:00.001-05:00

We live in an amazing age. The technological advances that we have made in the last 100 years can boggle your mind if you really think about it. We fly on gigantic birds of steel, the physics of which I cannot grasp (not that I can really grasp the physics of anything). We travel in little metal boxes over miles of super highway. We can surf the world wide web and find information on most anything, whether good or bad. We can purchase whatever we want with a couple of clicks of our mouse. Yes, technology can be a wonderful thing. Until someone "borrows" our information and uses it as their own.

We have been the victims of credit card fraud several times. We have no idea how it happens. If only those that do this would use their genius for good instead of evil, but that's a story for another day. Recently at a pharmacy I ~~wrote~~ tried to write a check for my medication. It was denied. DENIED. Apparently my husband's driver's license number was tied to an account that isn't ours at a bank we've never used. Someone wrote a bad check for $27.20 in 2004. Somehow seven years later they have tied it to our account. So now any store that uses TeleCheck won't take my check. Even though the clerk at this pharmacy knows me, she couldn't accept my check because the computer told her not to. The burden of proof is on us. And so begins the arduous process of trying to prove that we are who we say we are and we did not write the said check.

We have faxed copies of our driver's licenses. We also had to fax a copy of our social security cards. And now I have to send a voided check as further proof. So far they haven't asked for our blood types but who knows, it could be the next requirement. If someone did not steal our identities they now have everything they need to do so. Arrrgh. It's the little stuff like this that makes me crazy.

What if we had to prove our identity to God? What if every time that we wanted to talk to Him we had to verify that we are who we say we are.

It might go something like this:

Me: Hello God it's me Cindy

GOD: Who?

Me: You know me Lord, you created me. I'm your child.

GOD: You can't be my child. A child of mine would spend time talking to me and reading my Word. You spend little time with me. And you whine about little petty things. And you got really mad at a car that almost ran you off the road the other day. You don't show mercy or grace and frankly you have a bad attitude lots of the time. A child of mine knows that I have shown them much mercy and they are quick to be merciful to others. They are thankful and do not incessantly complain.

Me: But God I promise it's me.

GOD: I will need two-forms of identification please to confirm that you are who you say you are.

God does not keep up with us by our social security number. We aren't some nameless, faceless number. We don't constantly have to prove ourselves to Him. His Word tells us that He knew us even before He formed us in the womb (Jer.1:5) He loves us so intimately that he knows the number of hairs on our head (Luke 12:7). He holds us so tightly that we are engraved in the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49:16).

You are precious to Him. He knows your name.

Gone Visiting

2011-01-22T14:40:00.000-05:00

You can find me over at my friend Lisa's blog today as a guest for her Ladies On a Mission series. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

High Maintenance

2011-01-17T21:57:00.006-05:00

I have a confession to make: I am high maintenance. My husband has said that for years. Of course I told him that he didn't have a clue, that he was oh so wrong. But after recently reviewing the "stuff" I took on an overnight trip to my daughter's, I had to agree. Dang it.

I like make-up and put on plenty every day; foundation, blush, eye shadow, mascara. I use special face cream and an eye cream that claim to prevent aging and wrinkles. (They aren't working.) I need special cream for my very dry skin and for my recently diagnosed eczema. I have fine hair so I have a special shampoo and conditioner to prevent limp locks and special mousse to try to plump it up even further. And I like to use my own hair dryer.

I need several prescriptions for various things. A pill to regulate my thyroid, one to regulate my hormones (my husband makes sure that I never run out of that one), two pills and two inhalers for my recently diagnosed asthma. I look like a traveling pharmacy.

And then after I spent an hour removing the sequins from a shirt because I was afraid that they would irritate my skin, I had to face the music. I am definitely high maintenance. (Why, you ask, did I buy a shirt that I would have to alter anyway? It was on SALE and it matched a sweater that was also on SALE, but I digress.)

I was telling this to an old friend and she agreed about my being high maintenance about some things. But she said that in the area of friendship she thought I was a cactus. I asked, "so you think I'm dry and prickly" ? She laughed and explained that even though we might not talk every day, she knew that she could call on me for anything at any time. We know that we are friends and we don't have to baby our friendship, we are real with each other and there's nothing high maintenance about it.

I can accept the fact that I am high maintenance in the grooming department. But I don't want to be a high maintenance kind of friend. They can wear you out with expectations and you will ultimately fail them in some way. But I especially don't want to be a high maintenance kind of Christian who can't worship on Sundays if the right type of music isn't playing or because I feel like someone in the church has hurt my feelings with some slight, whether real or imagined. I don't want to be the kind of person who feels like God has failed or forsaken me because my circumstances have taken a turn for the worse. I have to admit that I have felt this way in the past. But God will never fail us no matter how our circumstances might change.

And aren't you thrilled that we serve a God who isn't high maintenance? We don't have to be in a particular type of dress we have to wear to approach Him. We can worship Him in a variety of ways, there are no prescribed rituals or formulas that we have to perform in order to worship Him. We can go before His throne with our petitions at any time. He never sleeps and will never turn us away. We don't have to live in fear of not being good enough. Jesus' death on the cross made us good enough. He won't reject us if we are having a bad hair day, or because have wrinkles or if we don't measure up to the world's standards. We don't have to work for His love. His Word tells us just how simple it is :

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13

Praise His Holy Name!

A Friend's Giveaway

2011-01-14T23:47:00.001-05:00

I'd like to tell you about an opportunity to enter a drawing for a Bible Study written by my blog friend Mariel. Go here for the details and to enter.

Take a Look

2011-01-13T07:00:00.002-05:00

I would like to invite you to my friend Adrienne's blog. She is doing a series of posts about the life of Job from a book that she is reading entitled, Let God Be God by Ray Stedman.

I pray that you will be as blessed as I have been by her insights.

Time to Say Goodbye

2011-01-11T15:58:00.001-05:00

I stood in the driveway bawling my eyes out as my youngest headed back to college. He's a sophomore so it isn't like this was the first time he was leaving for school. I don't know why I was so emotional. Maybe because he had been home for a month and I was going to miss him. I never have been good at good-byes.

But as we go into 2011 there are some things I'll be happy to say good-bye to. Desk drawers that are over-stuffed with "stuff"; closets bulging with clothes that I can no longer wear. I don't know about yours, but my home just has too much stuff! And I'm determined to get rid of that stuff and be careful not to accumulate more.

I am also ready to say goodbye to a few other things too. I desperately want 2011 to be the year that I draw closer to the Lord and get to know Him better. So I'm going to have to say goodbye to anything that hinders me from spending time with Him. Some of these things are good things. But I'm going to have to choose the Better Thing. There's also no room for old thoughts that will hinder me from a closer walk with Him; doubt, fear, anxiety, bye-bye! Hebrews 12:1 tells us:

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles...

I must replace the old with the new. No more room for doubt, fear or anxiety to cloud my thoughts. Philippians 4:8 says this is what must fill our thoughts:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.

This time I think good bye will be easier!

Life is Good,

Cindy

'Twas the Night Before CHRISTMAS

2010-12-04T06:00:00.001-05:00

This is a beautiful version of the story 'Twas the Night Before Christmas by my friend Victoria Bierman Jenkins. I pray that it will bless you as it has me.

'Twas the Night Before CHRISTmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
None of God's creatures were stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In truth, it was Christ's birth that had put them there.

God’s children were nestled all snug in their beds,
Unlike the baby Jesus, with no place to lay His sweet head;
Mother Mary and Joseph, and some shepherds perhaps
Watched over our Savior as He peacefully napped.
When up in the sky there arose such a clatter,
That three wise men grabbed the best gifts they could gather.
Away to the Messiah they flew like a flash,
To see our Redeemer in the flesh at long last.

The star in the sky gave off such a glow
Shining with the luster of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to their wondering eyes should appear,
But the stillness of the star showing they must be near.
It's unclear how long they traveled, but it was quite a bit,
Still they knew by the star's pause that this must be it.
Three gifts they brought to little Jesus when they came,
And they rejoiced as the angels had as they praised His name;

"Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom He favors!
To the top of the mountains!
To the bottom of the sea!
Our Savior is born to save both you and me!"

As God's children sleep, safe in their beds,
Both Father and Son watch over their heads,
Loving them enough to number each countless hair,
We've no way to earn their love, but every way to share.
Giving gifts as the wise men did is a fun tradition,
As long as the point of Christmas never goes missing.

Deck the halls and trim the tree,
Hang the stockings and dance with glee.
Share the joy of CHRISTmas which no wrapped gift could match,
Tell of the Babe wrapped in cloth who brought us freedom at last;
A bundle of joy lying in the manger,
Sent to save us from unspeakable danger.
His life for ours, what an amazing gift!
He was born so that man might no longer perish!
His life was as pure as the day He was born,
As He taught us the greatest lessons we'll learn;
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love,
Don't try to be pleasing to man, but to God above;
Build on the Rock and not the sand,
Keep an open heart and an outstretched hand.

So many people are in need this Christmas,
Let God use you to fulfill their wishes;
Give as you've been given to,
You provide for others and He'll provide for you;
So speak of His Word, and get straight to His work,
Always giving Him the glory since it all came from Him first.

Remember, it's God's children in this world that are the light,
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

And The Winners Are...........................

2010-11-15T17:21:00.000-05:00

Today's the day to announce the four winners of From the Trash Pile to the Treasure Chest: Creating a Godly Legacy by Leah Adams.

So without further ado, the winners are:

Marilyn in Mississippi from Walking in Truth

Tiffany from Tea with Tiffany

Vivian Childs

Cindy from Consider it All Joy

Congratulations ladies! I will have your books in the mail by Thursday, November 18th. Thank you for entering the drawing.

It's Give Away Time!

2010-10-25T06:00:00.001-04:00

In honor of my friend Leah I will be giving away four autographed copies of her Bible Study, From the Trash Pile to the Treasure Chest: Creating a Godly Legacy.

This excellent Bible study will help us examine our legacy and guide us in creating a godly legacy that will honor God.

All you have to do to enter for the drawing is to leave a comment. I will choose the winners in a very scientific way; your names will be drawn out of a hat by my sweet hubby on November 15th.

What kind of legacy do you want to leave?

A Good Connection

2010-09-22T07:00:00.002-04:00

My Blackberry was on it's last legs. The screen would freeze, making in difficult to use unless you turned it off and then back on several times a day. I am not technologically savvy at all but I decided to get a new Android phone that is really cool. My niece works for our wireless carrier so when she brought me the new phone, she and her brother gave me a thorough tutorial. Very soon I was familiar enough with the phone to do all sorts of cool things. However, I failed to learn how to retrieve a call! After several missed calls I finally got the hang of answering a call. By now you have probably figured out that I am not always the sharpest crayon in the box.

Today in Bible study during Leah's prayer, one of our ladies' phone rang. She had forgotten to silence it. She managed to silence the call and then another ladies' phone rang. She silenced her call as well and we had a little giggle during our prayer. As Leah was praying, she thanked the Lord that he never silences our calls. I am so thankful for that. He always takes our calls. He never mutes us. He never sends us straight to His voice mail. He never screens our calls even when He sees on His caller ID that it's me. Our calls to Heaven are never dropped and there is always a good connection. He is "on call" 24/7. His network is always available. He can "hear us now". Praise Him with me that He always hears our prayers.

"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all you heart." Jeremiah 29: 12-13

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3

Life is Good,

Cindy

Hoarders

2010-09-15T23:41:00.002-04:00

Some of you may have watched the television show Hoarders but I had never seen an episode until last week. I was flipping through the channels on Labor Day hoping for a Criminal Minds or NCIS marathon but instead I happened upon Hoarders. And I was mesmerized. And heartbroken for the hoarders.

The A & E channel defines it like this : "Compulsive Hoarding is a mental disorder marked by an obsessive need to acquire and keep things even if the items are worthless, hazardous or unsanitary." Some of the hoarders have had some circumstance in their life that triggered their disorder. I was amazed that some of the homes had gotten to the point that they were uninhabitable. The hoarders are embarrassed and overwhelmed. Most of the houses had gotten so bad that the hoarders had no clue where to start and seemed hopeless. Some of the hoarders did not realize that they had a problem. Families had been torn apart by the hoarding. The only way for a compulsive hoarder to change is through therapy. It was so easy for me to be judgmental and disgusted. But like I said my heart was broken.

The Holy Spirit began to whisper that we as Christians can be hoarders too. What? Did I hear you correctly Lord? While we may not hoard possessions we can sometimes hoard our emotions.

We hoard forgiveness when we fail to extend it to someone who might have wronged us.
We hoard mercy when we fail to show compassion to others.
We hoard patience when we are easily annoyed by others.
We hoard joy when we let our circumstances dictate how we feel.

When we hang on to these things instead of sharing them with others we are basically hoarding Jesus! Jesus paid too high a price for us to keep Him too ourselves. I don't want to be a hoarder. How about you?

Different Denominations (and I'm Not Talking About Money)

2010-09-07T18:20:00.000-04:00

Our church just began having a contemporary service in our Fellowship Hall on Sunday mornings in addition to our more traditional Sunday morning worship.   W.I.T.H or Worship in the Hall wasn't a change in theology, but a different style of worshiping the same God. It is an amazing worship service and it got me to thinking about different denominations and the different ways that people worship the One True God.

I think it's really neat that we as the body of Christ can choose how we worship and belong to the denomination of our choice. It would be boring if everyone were alike. Some prefer chocolate, some vanilla. And so it is with worship, we have different preferences.

Sunday morning before last I turned on the television to hear a popular Atlanta pastor as usual before leaving for church. I couldn't find him, so I settled for a different channel and different pastor. I never did find our his name because I was listening from another room as I got ready to go to church. But it was a very interesting explanation of denominations.

He surmised that different denominations possibly existed in the Old Testament. I know what you're thinking, probably the same thing I was; huh?   After the Egyptian Pharaoh released the Hebrews after 430 years of captivity, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments and other laws. He later gave him detailed instructions on building a sanctuary or Tabernacle for Him so that He could dwell among the people. The Israelites were divided into 12 tribes and each tribe set up camp around the Tabernacle, the position of each tribe's campsite had been determined by instructions from God to Moses.

Each of the twelve tribes had different standards or banners that they flew over their tribe. Even though they were all Jews and they had all been enslaved in Egypt there were differences in each tribe. Every tribe had a set of values; personal values, traditional values and core values. Personal values could be shaped by circumstances in their lives, their jobs, etc. Traditional values were held by each tribe, and came from traditions that had been passed down from the families in the tribe from generation to generation, like what dishes they ate their Passover meal on, whether they watched the Passover football game, etc. (I'm just kidding. But you get the drift.) And core values are the values that they all held as God's chosen people.   These core values were absolutely non-negotiable. "You shall have no other gods before me, You shall not make for yourself an idol, You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, Honor your father and your mother, You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not give false testimony, and You shall not covet".

We who are Believers have our own set of personal and traditional values. Some of us are quiet in our worship, and some of us clap our hands. Some of us like the old hymns and some of us like the new praise songs. We are Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Catholics, and Lutherans to name a few. But our core values are the same. We are followers of Christ. We believe that Jesus died once for all, taking on our sins and on the third day rose from the dead, giving us eternal life and preparing us a place with Him in Heaven.

Putting on My Armor

2010-08-29T15:57:00.002-04:00

Hello again. It has been forever since I've seen you! I've missed you. I had no intentions of being away so long, but God had other plans. This has been a hectic year. In March and April I battled the flu for a month and in May our daughter got married. In my last post I told you that God had me in a place of quiet rest to recover from all the excitement. I really didn't expect my rest to be an extended one, but in July I came down with what the Doctor thought was bronchitis but turned into pneumonia. The symptoms lasted over a month and then I was diagnosed with asthma. That explains why it was so hard to get over the flu and pneumonia.

I have to be honest with you, while I was going through the flu I began to feel so defeated. I don't think I had ever felt that bad and it got to the point where I wondered if I would ever feel better again. And even though I knew that it wasn't the truth, I even felt like God had forsaken me. Those were lies straight from the enemy himself. When I got sick with pneumonia I briefly entertained those lies again.
Both times when I was sick, I was unable to sit up and just generally felt lousy, not even like reading. So I let my Bible reading and my Bible study lapse. Big mistake. One that I will never make again.

Today in my Bible study on Covenant, I read Ephesians 6. I have read this passage many times, but today God showed me something new. Kay Arthur says: " The word "struggle" in Ephesians 6:12 is the Greek word pale. It is a wrestling term - meaning to throw to the ground and hold there. Could this be why so many who profess Jesus find themselves pinned to the ground by the Enemy?" That is exactly how I felt! I realized that during my illnesses, I had not put on the FULL armor of God. I had select pieces on, but not the full armor. My feelings were due to something that I had not done. God had not forsaken me, I hadn't done my part. Listen to me my sweet sisters, we cannot function at all unless we are FULLY armored! We cannot stand firm against the enemy's schemes without God's complete suit of armor. We cannot resist his lies unless we are fully armored. It is impossible to stand against his evil ways without His complete armor.

Ephesians 6:10-17 (New International Version)

The Armor of God

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Rest

2010-07-10T00:20:00.001-04:00

Hello friends! I have missed you all. But for the last several weeks God has had me in a place of quiet rest. A place of rest in Him. After the flurry of activity leading up to my daughter's wedding I was ready for ttanquility, both physically and mentally! The Lord had me to refrain from any blogging or blog hopping in this season. I was just supposed to be still in Him.

I've been able to read 6 books so far this summer, something I haven't done in a while. I am one of those readers that gets completely and totally lost in my book and can't put it down.

I also began a new Bible study that I am enjoying greatly, From the Trash Pile to the Treasure Chest: Creating a Godly Legacy by my very good friend Leah Adams. Perhaps you've heard of her. Leah is in the process of final edits and it will come out in the fall.

Anyway, I've missed you. So tell me, what has God been up to in your life?

We Are Blessed

2010-06-02T12:43:00.001-04:00

After many months of prayer, planning and preparation, the time finally came for our daughter's much anticipated wedding. The week leading up to the wedding had proved to be typical weather-wise for May. It rained off and on nearly every day with afternoon thunderstorms. Saturday morning it looked like more of the same. The day dawned overcast with dark clouds. I had prayed for no rain because although the wedding would take place under a covered pavilion, it was quite a hike to get there and even being shuttled on golf carts the guests were bound to get wet. I prayed for God's favor, but we knew that it was in His hands come rain or shine! By mid-morning the sun was out and it was a beautiful day. And we experienced the unmerited favor of the Lord.

Caitlin was one of the calmest brides I have ever seen. She woke up that morning beaming, with the biggest smile on her face. We had a couple of minor emergencies; one of the groomsman's tux pants didn't fit and he had to make the two hour drive back to Men's Wearhouse to exchange them. They wouldn't meet him halfway. The zipper on one of the bridesmaid's dress malfunctioned. Through all of this Caitlin was cool as a cucumber. She commented that it didn't really matter what happened because at the end of the day I will be Mrs. Jody Jenkins. I think a nuclear blast could have occurred and it wouldn't have fazed her. Here she is getting ready with her bridesmaids.

The weather was still beautiful when it came time for the ceremony. My heart was so full of emotion. My little girl, now a grown woman beginning a family of her own. Walking down the aisle on the arm of her daddy.

The ceremony was so sweet. They were married by the Youth Minister at our church. He and his wife were such an important part of Caitlin's spiritual life and she couldn't imagine anyone else marrying them. Instead of lighting a unity candle, they chose to enter into a Salt Covenant. It indicates a binding contract, uniting their grains of salt for eternity. Then they took communion as their first act of worship together as a married couple.

One of the most touching things in the ceremony were the unashamed tears of one of Jody's brothers and of Caitlin's brother. I hadn't seen my 19 year old son cry for a very long time. But his tears flowed freely. He said, "I'm just so happy". Here's Jody and his brother Toby.

We are so blessed to have gained another son. He loves my daughter with all of his heart and we love him. We also love his family and had such a good time with them as our families were joined together.

Here are a few photos from the reception:

I didn't have the presence of mind to take any pictures, so thank you to all of you that sent me pictures. And thank you for indulging me and letting me share our special day with you.

Life Is Good,

Cindy

Waiting

2010-05-14T00:18:00.001-04:00

But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear me.

This is my grandpuppy A.J. Recently I got to puppysit while his mommy and daddy went to their premarital counseling.

He sits at the door eagerly waiting on his people to come back. I try to get him to play and he will for a little while, but he knows that they will return for him and he anxiously waits by the door so he won't miss them.

He made me think about waiting on the Lord. Am I eagerly waiting to hear from Him, eager to see what He has for me each day? Am I watching in hope, knowing that He will hear me?

Life is Good,

Cindy

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T22:57:00.003-04:00

On this Mother's Day, I am so thankful for my precious Mother. She was a beautiful example of what a godly Mother should be. She is a prayer warrior and I remember her studying her Bible daily. Thank you Mom, for taking care of me, and loving me always, especially those times that I am hard to love. Thank you for being a wonderful role model and giving me the tools I needed to become a mother myself.

My mother, my daughter and me

And thank you to the loves of my life. Life with you has never been dull, motherhood was a wonderful adventure. You've made life interesting and have kept me on my toes. You are fun and funny and I am blessed to be your mother. I love you both so much.

Life is Good,

Cindy

So Long, Insecurity

2010-05-03T00:45:00.020-04:00

On April 24th, my friends Leah, Kristen and I joined about 10,000 other ladies at First Baptist Church in Woodstock, GA and 300,000 worldwide to hear Beth Moore speak on her book So Long, Insecurity. Yes, I am slow but it has taken me this long to process everything. It was wonderful day of worship and fellowship with old friends and new. I am ready to say goodbye forever to my insecurities. They have taken up too much space in my life

Here are some of the points of the day: A Secure Woman is:

Saved from herself (Insecurity is a twisted from of self-interest)
Entitled to truth (The more we live withdrawn, the darker our thinking becomes)
Clothed with intention (We can't be weak willed women)
Upended by grace (Grace is the only thing that we can give away that we can also keep)
Rebounded by love (We are loved by God regardless of our pasts)
Exceptional in life

We traveled to Atlanta the day before the event for some girl time. I hadn't seen Kristen for several months and there was a lot of catching up to do. Kristen had never been to Phipps Plaza and so we decided that it would be a good place to get a bite to eat and do a little shopping.

We then met a group of Siestas at Pappasito's for dinner. I knew a few of these women through their blogs but hadn't met them in person. It was a great time with about 30 ladies. And the Mariachi Band!

Our friend Kristen

Karen, Leah and Abby

Tammy

Lora and me. I was so excited to meet her. I feel like I have known her forever. I also met Yolanda and Georgia Jan, but failed to get a picture of them. I was so excited it's a wonder I got any pictures at all!

And no Mexican dinner is complete without a Mariachi Band!

He Knows Our Name

2010-04-16T15:01:00.012-04:00

For the past month, I have battled the flu, a sinus infection and an allergic reaction to two different types of medication. I don't remember ever feeling quite that sick in all of my nearly 50 years. I was sick enough that I couldn't do much of anything but I didn't even feel like doing my Bible study for several days because I was in the bed for the better part of two weeks.
Because I felt so bad, and because I was not immersed in the Word I allowed the enemy to just come on in and have a field day in my mind. And doesn't the enemy just love to kick us when we are down? He brought up my past, my fears, my failures and it was a dark and scary place. He wants to keep us in captivity, confined in a small place. But Psalm 18:19 and Psalm 31:8 tells us that God wants us to inhabit a spacious place.

Our Bible study group just completed a study on Ruth; Loss, Love and Legacy by Kelly Minter. As I felt better and was able to finish this wonderful study the following points stood out and I felt that God wanted me to share them with you. When Satan, the accuser tries to condemn you for your past history, remind yourself and the enemy of these points:

Our history doesn't have to read like prophecy. God can redeem anything from our past. We are redeemed through Christ. Jesus was the ransom used to buy us back from the clutches of sin. He bought back the rights to our past and all its failures. He can turn all our failures into something useful for His Kingdom. With Him there is full redemption (Psalm 130:7). Praise God, our heritage is not a deal breaker for Christ.
He has summoned us by name (Isaiah 43:1). He knows us in a personal loving way. While others may label, judge or condemn us because of our names or lineage, our names hold no negative associations for Jesus. Kelly Minter says, "Because I know as women we are plagued with insecurities and pasts that haunt us, I can't pass over this striking symbol of what Christ has done for each one of us and how He knows our full names." It doesn't matter what name the world calls us. God has a new name for us! (Rev. 2:17)
God can use us regardless of our history or our circumstances. Look at Ruth, a Moabitess, a foreigner, who God used in a mighty way. Consider Rahab, a prostitute. She's listed in Hebrews 11 in the roll call of faith. And in Matthew 1 both women are listed in the genealogy of Jesus! Kelly says, "This should give us tremendous hope that God can delight in using us, no matter our culture or histories."

Life is Good,

Cindy

Mother-Daughter's Day Out

2010-03-20T16:48:00.006-04:00

On Friday, my daughter took me to downtown Atlanta for a fun day at a cute little spa where we got a pedicure and a manicure. She had purchased this treat for me as a Christmas gift when she found an online special for a 75% discount on their services. So not only did we have a delightful time, she didn't have to spend a lot of money on it! That made it even better. The spa had only been open for a few months and overlooked a water fall spilling into a small pool, which made it all the more relaxing. It was a gorgeous day, with lots of sunshine. Spring came out to play that day!

We are smack-dab in the middle of preparations for her May wedding, so it was a nice diversion from wedding details! I have enjoyed all the planning for the wedding, but it was nice to relax for a little while without having to make any decisions except for what color to polish our toenails!

This was probably one of the last days that we would spend together just hanging out before she becomes a married woman. I couldn't help but remember her sweet childhood and look in awe at the wonderful young woman that she has become. It was a bittersweet day. When I left her I thought of all the marital wisdom that I wanted to impart before her big day.

As I reflected, I hoped that she looked at her Dad and I as good role models for marriage. We aren't perfect and our marriage is far from perfect, but we made a choice 26 years ago that we would give it everything we had.

Here are the things I want to share with her regarding marriage:

God has to be invited into the marriage in order for it to work.
Your husband is the head of the family.
Marriage will be one of the hardest things you will ever do, it takes work.
You have to love your husband above yourself.
Never go to bed angry with each other.
You will have arguments, this is inevitable.
Be forgiving, don't hang on to little hurts.
Your husband is only human.
You must show him respect. It is one of the most important things to a man.
You have to choose to love him every day, even when he leaves the toilet seat up.
Marriage is wonderful.

Domestic Diva

2010-03-07T14:15:00.029-05:00

I have a confession to make: I am not a domestic diva. More like a domestic disaster. And I am not like the Proverbs 31 woman. I so want to be. I am so scattered that I will begin to clean in one room, go to another room for something I needed and then find something there to distract me, so that I just sort of wander around aimlessly from room to room, wondering why I am there and wondering why every room in my house is messed up.

And don't even get me started on cooking. I have never enjoyed cooking. My mother and sister have always been fabulous cooks and they enjoy it immensely. When we were little girls, I would always beg not to have to cook, but would promise to wash dishes instead. It isn't that I can't, I just don't like it. Somehow, I think the love of cooking skipped my genes or something. My husband used to say that when I called my children for dinner, they immediately went and got in the car. I take a lot of good-natured kidding from my family about my lack domestic skills.

When I do cook it's usually good, but more often than not, something goes wrong. One night after it had snowed most of the day I decided that we needed something warm and comforting for dinner on this cold winter's night. My husband loves my homemade chicken noodle soup so I decided that it would be the perfect meal for the night. Soup and a yummy cake of cornbread. I got out my ingredients and was already anticipating how delicious it was going to be. Then I realized that I had everything I needed, except the chicken. Chicken noodle soup with no chicken would simply be noodle water and my man is a meat and potatoes kind of guy and I knew he wouldn't go for vegetarian noodle soup. So I reverted to Plan B; sandwiches. But the night just called for something warm so I opened a can of Campbell's™ Cream of Mushroom soup to go with the sandwiches. It's good soup, but I decided that I could tweak it a little to make it taste more homemade. I added some cheese and a shot of worcestershire sauce and a few other things and was delighted with my creation. Until Robert and I actually sat down to eat it. I added too much worcestershire sauce and it was very strong. And it wasn't very good. But Robert ate it anyway, he's good like that. He did have one comment: "That's why Campbell's™ makes their soup the way they do, because it's edible". It didn't even hurt my feelings. I know it was bad.

One time not too long after Robert and I were married I attempted to cook chicken livers in the oven. It was a fiasco. It was a disaster. But Robert ate them anyway. The dog took one sniff, turned up his nose and walked away. He was having no part of this meal.

Then there was the time when Robert asked me to make him a strawberry cake. And being a good wife I was more than happy too. I baked the cake, (it came out beautifully by the way) and was letting it cool before I iced it. He wanted a piece right then so he pleaded with me to go ahead and ice it. I tried to explain to him that it really needed to cool before icing but he just couldn't wait. So I made the icing and iced it. Of course the icing wouldn't stay on the hot cake very well, but it didn't matter to him. He finished his cake and closed the cake up in it's container. By the next morning the cake had grown hair. Apparently because it hadn't cooled properly and then was completely covered it caused some sort of mold to grow. Imagine our surprise. Robert couldn't wait to tell his family. That happened over 25 years ago, and they still like to remind me of it.

Or the time that I caught the oven on fire while I was cooking cornbread. I could go on, but I just don't know how much more you could bear to read. By now I am sure that you are so mortified and embarrassed for me that I'll just quit there.

Aren't you glad that we don't have to be perfect or even good to come to God? If that were the case none of us would stand a chance. Look at Psalm 130:3: If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? (NIV)

Jesus took our sins and nailed them to the cross. If we confess our sins God doesn't keep a record of our mistakes and blunders. He won't remind us of something we did 25 years ago. Micah 7:18 and 19 says :

¹⁸ Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy.

¹⁹ You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot
and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

Oh, and by the way, Proverbs 31:15 says: "she provides food for her family". It doesn't say she always cooks for her family. Could she have possibly gotten take-out sometimes like I do? Maybe there is hope for me yet.

Care to share some of your kitchen disasters with me?

More Thoughts on Worship

2010-02-25T12:05:00.016-05:00

In my last post I revealed an embarrassing incident that God used to speak to me about how we let things hinder our worship. That particular day it was an article of clothing for me. God let me know that worship has everything to do with the condition of my heart and I alone am responsible for my worship experience. God is always the same. I'm the one who gets distracted.

For the past few days, worship has been on my mind. The Holy Spirit kept bringing up the word circumstances. We are to worship God regardless of our circumstances, not just when things are going well and we feel like it.

In Genesis 22 we find Abraham on the way to Mount Moriah to sacrifice his only son Isaac. He tells his servants that he and Isaac were going to worship and they would come back to them. Abraham was facing the most difficult thing a parent could ever imagine, giving up a child, and yet he still trusted God enough to worship Him. He didn't let his circumstances keep him from worship.

In 2 Samuel 12 we know that after David learns of the death of his son, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Difficult circumstances.

Daniel 6 finds us in Babylon. The government officials were determined to get rid of Daniel for good, so they convinced the king to issue an edict that anyone who prayed to any god or man other than King Darius should be thrown into the lions' den. Even though Daniel knew about the decree, he got down on his knees and prayed to his God as always. Daniel knew that this could land him in the lions' den. Death is a pretty dire circumstance. He worshiped anyway.

In Acts 16 we find Paul and Silas. They had been severely beaten and thrown in jail. We see them in their chains, yet they were praying and singing hymns to God. Worship in the worst of circumstances.

This past weekend we learned of some difficult circumstances that someone close to our family was experiencing. It rocked our world. We were heartbroken for them and my husband and I shed many tears for them. We had a choice to make; we could stay home from church on Sunday and wallow in grief, or we could go to church and worship our God who is bigger than any circumstance. We chose to worship. We were able to give the circumstances to Him and in return we had His assurance that He had everything in the palm of His hand. We came away refreshed, with lighter hearts.

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; Psalm 29:2

How Firm a Foundation

2010-02-13T17:31:00.011-05:00

I will never forget that particular Sunday morning. I was going through the normal Sunday morning routine preparing to go to church to worship my Jesus. It was a pretty ordinary day until I remembered that I had purchased something new called Spanx. Spanx™ are a type of undergarment designed to reshape you.The saleswoman told me that this “foundation garment” would change my life! So I decided that this would be the morning that I would reshape myself and have a life changing experience.

With eager anticipation of a new and svelte me, I carefully pulled the undies out of their package. Out came something so small that it looked like a pair of footless tights that belonged to a toddler. Good grief! How in the world was I supposed to get into these tiny little things? I was not going to let their teeny, tiny size deter me from my goal! So with much determination, I began the life changing process of getting into this fashion miracle.

I put one foot in, then the other. So far, so good. I managed to pull the garment up to my shins and then it quickly became apparent that I was going to have to really work to get them up any further. So I began to hop and pull on the Spanx™ at the same time. It kind of reminded me of the potato sack races we used to do in grade school. Finally, I was getting somewhere. I hopped and pulled, and hopped and pulled, and was making great progress. Just as I had almost achieved the impossible, the unthinkable happened. My feet got tangled up and down I went, sprawled out in the floor, the perfect picture of grace. A quick word of advice: NEVER try new undergarments on Sunday morning without giving them a trial run first!

While I was lying there trying to catch my breath, Robert walked in, looked at me lying in the floor and said, "We are going to be late for church". And then he turned around and went out to the car to wait for me. Ummm, thanks for the concern honey.

By this time, I had worked up quite a sweat with my little hopping and pulling aerobics. I was also having a hard time breathing, due to the constriction of the Spanx™. And then wouldn't you know it, I had to use the restroom. Oh. My. Word. So I began the arduous process of removing the Spanx™. And then it hit me; what in the world would I do if I had to use the restroom during church? What if I couldn't get them off? And seriously, it really was hard to breathe. All these things started rolling around in my mind. I was so focused on my uncomfortable predicament that I totally lost focus on what the day was all about.

And then an amazing thing happened. The Holy Spirit said, "This garment would hinder your worship." Wow. The Sovereign God of the universe used something goofy that I had done to teach me a lesson on worship. I had become so concerned with my uncomfortable garment that it would have been impossible to keep my mind on why I was going to church. My discomfort would have been my primary focus, not Jesus. He reminded me that worship is at the heart of my relationship with Him. It has to do with the condition of my heart. And if my heart is divided and distracted by other things I cannot possibly worship Jesus in the way He desires to be worshiped.

Is there something that is hindering your worship? Ask God to point it out to you. We owe Him nothing less than our undivided hearts.

Life is Good,

Cindy

Prayer for a Friend

2010-01-11T03:13:00.003-05:00

I am asking for your prayers for a precious friend that has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her name is Krista and she is the wife of our Youth Pastor at First Baptist. You can read about what she is going through on her blog.

I have had the privilege of being with Krista on many youth trips in the past. She has a wonderful sense of humor and we have spent many hours laughing together. She is facing this battle head on, still with her sense of humor intact.

Her surgery is scheduled for January 20th. Stop by and visit her blog and offer her your encouragement and prayers.

Second Chances

2009-12-31T23:30:00.008-05:00

I wish I had kept an accurate count of the number of people I've heard lately that said, "I can't wait to begin a new year. It has to be better than the last one."

What are your expectations and wishes for this new year? Does it mean a second chance, a fresh start? Do you make New Year's resolutions, only to give up on them by the end of January?

Every new year, actually, every new day is an opportunity to start over. We can begin each day anew with a clean slate. We don't have to wait 365 days until the next new year rolls around for a fresh start or new beginnings (Lamentations 3:22). Our Heavenly Father is the God of second chances. He extends daily an unlimited amount of mercy and grace. Just ask Moses, Jonah, Rahab, David and Peter. Second chances. Or me. He reached down into my pit of sin and plucked me out of the mire. Second chances. He sacrificed His only Son for me. And for you. Second chances.

He pardons our sin and forgives our transgressions. He has compassion on us, treads our sins under His feet and hurls them into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:18). A hymn I remember singing from childhood goes like this, "Grace, grace, God's grace, grace that is greater than all our sin." Thankfully, God's grace is immensely greater than my sin. Second chances.

This year the only resolution I will make is to live daily in the extensive grace that God lavishes on me. And I will praise Him and thank Him that He is the God of second, third, even hundredth, chances.

I pray that your new year will blessed and that you will know the God of second chances.

If God Had a Cell Phone

2009-12-02T17:44:00.007-05:00

This afternoon I got a text message from my son. He was just letting me know that he was drinking a bottle of water that had been bottled in our hometown. He was sitting in class and apparently it was less than interesting, thus the compelling need to text me immediately.

Texting is the primary way that my children communicate these days. After Manning's text I started thinking about what it would be like if God had a cell phone. What if your cell phone company offered you a plan with daily texts from God?

If God did have a cell phone, I believe his number would be Jeremiah 33:3. "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." I imagine some of His texts might read like this:

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you" Jeremiah 1:5

"For I know the plans I have for you" Jeremiah 29:11

"I have loved you with an everlasting love" Jeremiah 31:3. And these are just from the book of Jeremiah!

Fortunately, we can hear from God daily just by picking up our Bible. His Holy Word in its entirety. It addresses every problem that we might encounter. It brings peace and comfort when we are troubled and rest when we are weary. We can go straight to the throne of God with any request or petitions we have.

God is waiting to speak to you daily. Just listen for Him.

Cleaning My Closets

2009-11-09T11:29:00.003-05:00

For some reason since our nest is now empty, I have felt compelled to clean. And I do mean compelled. I have thoroughly cleaned and purged almost every closet in my home. It was long overdue and it felt good to get rid of things that are no longer needed. There were years of accumulated "stuff" in the kids closets. Old clothes and old toys that could be used by other children now.

During this time I began a new Bible Study with my small group. Funny thing, this study by Jennifer Rothschild, "Me, Myself and Lies" deals with cleaning out my thought closet. I had no idea that my thought closet was so full of junk. Our thought closets are crammed with thoughts from our past, lies that we have told ourselves. This has been a difficult study, in that it makes you confront any wrong thoughts that you have. Thoughts that come from ourselves and not the Truth of God. But in its difficulty, my thought closets are being cleaned and purged.

So I'm getting rid of the junk and replacing it with God's wisdom. Taking off my self-imposed labels and replacing them with God's.

We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 NASB

Seasons

2009-10-28T12:37:00.015-04:00

Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year. I love everything about it. Crisp, cool mornings. Falling leaves that blanket the ground. The sky seems bluer, the air cleaner. I love it!

Just like the earth goes through distinct seasons, we too have seasons in our lives. My husband and I are now empty nesters. It has taken a little time to adjust to having both of our children gone. It is a new chapter in our lives and we have determined that we will enjoy it, for that is what the Lord has been leading up to for all these years. Raising children that weren't ours in the first place, but a precious gift from God. It is God's plan that your children grow up and lead their own lives. Some days are easier than others though. It's tough to give them up! I think it's tougher on the Mom. It's hard to shift gears from being the caretaker, peacemaker, boo-boo kisser, problem solver, cook, maid and all the other hats that we Moms wear to having so much less of a mothering role. They still need me, but in much different ways. It's hard to step out of the way and let them find their own way.

Our daughter graduated from college.

Then two weeks later, our son graduated from High School.

We moved our daughter from her apartment in her college town to another city and college. Then we left our son at school and headed to the beach to catch our breaths for a little while

Our daughter got engaged and we immediately began making preparations for a May wedding.

Trying on dresses, decisions about flowers, colors, food, etc. It has been fun and oh so special.

During this time my sister and I gave our parents a 50th Anniversary Reception. It was nice to be able to celebrate their long marriage give something back to them for all that they have put into our lives.

Four days later I met my sister in Denver for some much needed sister time. She had to attend a conference for work and she asked me if I would like to come with her. Of course I said yes. We attended the musical "Wicked" and it was fabulous.

The weather was great while we were there. It was sunny and beautiful and we walked all over Denver. We ate lots of yummy food. One of the highlights of my trip was being able to meet a fellow blogger Holly, from Crown Laid Down for lunch on our first day in Denver. She was a delight and I was truly blessed to be able to spend some time with her. Of course I forgot to take a photograph of her.

This was the view of the Rocky Mountains from our hotel room. It was a great trip and I hope to go back very soon.

Thank you for indulging me. I didn't mean to write a novel. I just wanted to share what's going on in this season of my life. I have missed all of my blogger friends. I haven't forgotten about you. You have been in my thoughts and prayers and I am looking very forward to catching up with all of you.

Fear

2009-09-06T13:50:00.007-04:00

For the past couple of weeks I have had several things rattling around in my head that I felt like I needed to post. I have tried, but they inevitably ended up as drafts. The words just didn't come out right. Then I finally realized that it was because it wasn't what God wanted me to say. I'm not always the sharpest crayon in the box.

I'll have to admit that it really isn't something I'm comfortable sharing. I just tend to be the sort that keeps things to myself. Then I read Leah's post over at The Point. And the conviction was even stronger. God wants us to be transparent. He wants me to be transparent.

I will have to be honest with you, for the past several weeks I have absolutely been in the strongest grip of fear that I can ever remember being in. I became ill with some sort of virus that lasted about three weeks. Soon after that a young woman in our tiny little community was abducted. On the very same night there was also an unrelated murder. And a high speed police chase. We rarely experience serious crime in our small town, much less three events all in the same day. Then I read on the internet about a horrific car-jacking incident that ended in the deaths of a young couple. There are so many victims. So much evil. And our country is changing before our eyes, on a downward spiral. The list goes on and on. Turn on the news for five minutes and you'll be overwhelmed by all that is taking place. Combine the physical illness with all of the above and I became a basket case. And before I knew it, there I was paralyzed by fear. The fear that our community is no longer the safe place that we thought it was. The fear of not knowing what in the world will happen to our nation. The fear of something happening to my family. Fear begets more fear. And I am ashamed that I feel this way. It has been a struggle. Proverbs 29:25 tells us that, "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe." I have let my fear of man become a snare. The enemy knows our weaknesses.

I know that God is Sovereign. I know He is always in control. I believe it with all my heart. That's why this has thrown me for such a loop. But I know that God did not give me a Spirit of fear. So I am clinging to Isaiah 41:10: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

It's Tough Being a Woman

2009-08-19T14:50:00.003-04:00

The Lord made it clear to me in the Spring that I was going to begin a fast from blogging. I thought He meant just from my blog, but He made it clear that I was to abstain from reading, commenting, etc. I love the blogs that I follow but I was spending more time in the blog world and less time with Jesus. So He saw to it that I got my priorities back in order.

I was also able to spend lots of time with my sweet children this Summer. We are now officially empty nesters. I miss them terribly, but I am excited about this new chapter in all of our lives.

Last week I began Beth Moore's Bible Study on Esther. I have enjoyed it so much already and I've only just begun. But it got me thinking about all of the hats we as women have to wear. And it is tough being a woman.

But I think the hardest thing about being a woman is other women. We tend to measure ourselves by the yardstick of others. At least I do. We compare ourselves to other women. What they wear. How good their children are. What their husbands do or don't do. And like my friend Leah says, "we Christians tend to shoot our wounded". Many times I have needed so badly to share something going on in my life but fear of ridicule or being fodder for gossip has prevented me from doing so. Christian women are some of the first to fire. I am including myself in this.

So, because it's tough to be a woman, let's try extra hard to show compassion to our Christian sisters. We are the body of Christ. Sometimes life can be hard and we need each other.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean for my first post to be so somber. That's what I get for thinking. Thanks for listening to my disjointed ramblings.

Taking A Break

2009-06-02T09:06:00.002-04:00

Hello my bloggy friends. I miss you. But I have felt the Lord pulling me back from the blog world for a season.

I am entering a new chapter in my life! My daughter graduated from college and two weeks later my son graduated from high school. It's time to rest for awhile and enjoy the summer with my family.

I pray that all of you have a wonderful summer.

New Life

2009-05-15T11:21:00.006-04:00

A few posts ago I showed you this picture:

The eggs have hatched into three little baby birds! Their nest is sort of out in the open close to our garage so I was a little worried that they might not make it, but despite our vehicles coming and going and the monsoon-like rain we've had for ever, they are growing well. I don't know why I was worried. His eye is on the sparrow, and the baby cardinals too.

Here they are, right after they hatched. They were mostly just little balls of fuzz.

Here they are three days later, resting after they've eaten. Look at their little wings. God's detail is amazing.

Clouds

2009-05-14T20:14:00.004-04:00

These clouds took my breath away and reminded me of this Scripture:

......" He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind." Psalm 104:3b

Graduation Day

2009-05-10T19:52:00.013-04:00

On Friday afternoon my husband, son and parents and me travelled to Rome, Ga to celebrate Mother's Day with my daughter Caitlin. We had a wonderful dinner at Sassafras and then we went to her apartment for a wonderful White Chocolate Raspberry cake from Honeymoon Bakery.

I received a beautiful flower arrangement and the movie Bride Wars from my children, and my sweet husband gave me beautiful Pandora earrings with three interchangeable charms.

But the main reason we went to Rome was to attend our firstborn's graduation from college. I still cannot believe that our little girl is now a young woman.

For the last four years, Caitlin has attended Berry College. It is a beautiful school with approximately 26,000 acres. While driving through the campus you will spot all sorts of wildlife. The Whitetail Deer are too numerous to count. On several occasions while walking to class Caitlin has had baby fawns come right up to her.

On Saturday morning the graduation festivities began at 10:30 with a Baccalaureate Service. The Scripture reading was Psalm 121 which they consider "The Berry Psalm". The Chaplain's address was titled "Choose This Day" and was taken from Joshua 24:14-15.

At the Baccalaureate Service

Graduation at Berry is traditionally held outside on the lawn of the Library so that there is unlimited seating for family members. Because of all the rainy weather in Georgia over the past couple of weeks a decision on the location of the ceremony was not made until after the Baccalaureate Service. Finally the decision was made to hold graduation outside and then immediately after that it started pouring. So the decision was reversed and the ceremony would be held inside at The Cage Center, the new athletic facility. And wouldn't you know it, it didn't rain another drop until graduation was over.

Caitlin and her brother Manning.

Caitlin received a B.S. degree with a major in Bio-Chemistry. She will begin Nursing School in the fall.

So go forth sweet baby. The world is yours. And always remember the plans He has for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans for a hope and a future. We love you very much.

Life Is Good,

Cindy

God Is Never Late

2009-05-04T13:20:00.009-04:00

I have waited with much anticipation for Spring to show itself at my house. While everything is blooming all over the county, for some reason Spring has been slow to come to my house.

It seems like I have been waiting on more than just Spring lately. Answers to long standing prayer requests. Unresolved health issues that won't go away. I know that I am not the only one. There are many who seem to be waiting on God. It is easy to get discouraged at times. When you are in pain and the answers don't seem to come.

This quote from Beth Moore's "Wising Up" sums it all up: "God is never late. He misses a few good opportunities to be early, but He is never late." So if anyone out there reading this needs some encouragement, please know that God is always on time. He doesn't work by our clocks or schedules. His way is perfect. Isaiah 55:8 and 9 tells us: "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

And like Spring, He will show up when His time is right and in His perfect way.

Something to Think About

2009-04-19T18:03:00.006-04:00

Ever since I came upon this quote I have been unable to get it out of my mind. While we as Christians may not be the greatest single cause of atheism, I can't help but wonder how greatly we have contributed.

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."

Brennan Manning

What do you think about this quote? I am interested to hear your thoughts.

He Is Risen

2009-04-12T09:36:00.004-04:00

It had been two days since their beloved Jesus had been mocked, beaten and crucified. Praised with palm branches waving one day and treated as a criminal the next. How quickly things had changed.

The chief priests and Pharisees had gone to Pilate and told him that Jesus said that after three days He would rise from the dead. So Pilate gave the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first. He told them to make the tomb as secure as they knew how and they put a seal around the tomb and posted a Roman guard outside.

On the third day, both Marys went down to the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled back the stone and sat on it. Then the angel told the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said.

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid, yet filled with joy, and ran to tell the disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to Him, clasped His feet and worshiped Him. (Matthew 27:62-28:9)

Christianity is the only religion that serves a living God. Jesus is alive. He loves you and desires to have a relationship with you. If you have not yet done so, ask Him into your heart and life to be your Savior.

Praying that your Easter is blessed and that you will always be amazed and grateful for the empty tomb.

A Dark Day

2009-04-10T11:52:00.004-04:00

When I woke up this morning I couldn't help but think about what it must have been like on this day 20 centuries ago in Jerusalem.

Just the day before, Jesus had been tried illegally on trumped up charges by those who feared and hated Him. He was then beaten mercilessly, most of His skin stripped off by the instruments of torture wielded by the Roman soldiers.

And if that wasn't enough, He was crucified like a common criminal. And then He died. Strange things began to happen. A deep darkness covered the earth for several hours in the middle of the day. Evil thought it had triumphed and it blanketed the land. The curtain of the Temple was torn in two. The earth shook and the rocks split. Tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. (Matthew 27:51,52) Can you imagine being a citizen of Jerusalem and experiencing these strange things? Would you be terrified? Would you be like the Roman centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus and immediately know that Jesus was in fact who He said He was, the Son of God?

Can you imagine being a follower of Jesus, a friend who saw Him on a daily basis? Can you imagine standing under the cross looking up at your beloved Jesus? What they must have been feeling! Can you feel their despair? Their anxiety? The raw grief that gripped their hearts? Life as they had known it had forever changed. How could they go on without Him?They couldn't fully understand. It was beyond human comprehension.

That evening, Joseph of Arimathea, who had become a disciple of Jesus, asked Pilate for Jesus' body. He took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. Can you imagine how gently he treated Jesus' precious, broken body as he prepared it for burial. Then he rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. (Matthew 27:57-60). But this was not the end. Stay tuned.

And the Winner Is.......

2009-04-04T00:13:00.004-04:00

My sweet husband was almost asleep but kindly got up and drew the winning number.

Congratulations to Bren at Seeking Grace on the Narrow Path! I will mail your Crazy Love book as soon as I get your contact information.

Scripture for the Week

2009-04-01T10:23:00.005-04:00

My Scripture memorization theme continues to be on guarding my mouth. I plan to stay with theme until I have control over my mouth. I could be on this theme for a long time.

Here is my memory verse for the week:

He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity. Proverbs 21:23

Keep learning the Word of God.

My First Giveaway

2009-03-28T15:19:00.005-04:00

My friend Channy leads a small group of our youth on Wednesday nights. Recently they have been studying Crazy Love, Overwhelmed by a Relentless God , a book by Francis Chan. She recommended the book to our Bible Study group and oh my goodness!

This is an excerpt from the back cover: "Does something deep inside your heart long to break free from the status quo? Are you hungry for an authentic faith that addresses the problems of our world with tangible, even radical, solutions? God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn't working harder at a list of do's and don'ts -- it's falling in love with God. And once you encounter His love, as Francis describes it, you will never be the same.

For quite some time I have felt something in my soul that I just couldn't put a name to. Like I didn't have this God thing down pat. Oh I love God with all my heart , I believe in Him and I believe Him, but maybe there was something more; that I needed to go deeper. I wasn't content with where I was with God. And it didn't have a thing to do with God. It was all me. I am not the only one who has felt this way. My friends Leah and Channy were talking to each other recently about these same feelings. Channy termed it restlessness. That is exactly what I have felt. A restlessness to take my relationship with God to a deeper level. You see He is already there, has always been there. He's been waiting for me! That just astounds me. The Sovereign God of the universe desires a deeper relationship with me.

This book is incredible. It will change the way that you view God and the way you view how He feels about you. Leah, Channy and Spence are facilitating an online discussion group on Crazy Love here if you would like to check it out.

So that brings me to my giveaway. Yesterday while I was in LifeWay, the Lord prompted me to give a copy of Crazy Love away. I pray that it will bless you as much as it has me.

If you would like to be entered into the drawing for Crazy Love please leave a comment by Friday, April 3rd. Make sure you leave contact information. Here's the highly scientific way that I will pick the winner: the first comment will be number 1, the second number 2, and so forth. My sweet hubby will then draw the winning number out of a hat and I will get in touch with you and will send your copy of Crazy Love the following week. I hope you are impressed by the high degree of professionalism that this drawing will entail.

Watching My Mouth

2009-03-23T13:35:00.005-04:00

My Scripture memorization continues this week with another verse that pertains to my mouth. I love this one. It lets me know that I have God's help in watching what goes into as well as what comes out of my mouth. And I need a lot of help so who better to ask than GOD?

Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. Psalm 141:3

I have truly been blessed by learning Scripture and hiding God's Word in my heart and only wish that I had begun this years ago. However, it is never too late to begin. I pray that you are being blessed as well.

A Facelift

2009-03-18T12:15:00.006-04:00

I have had several people comment that they liked my new look. I have to give a shout out to Patty and Holly at Crown Laid Down Designs for the facelift.

If you want a complete blog makeover or just a little tweak here and there they can do it! Their button is on my sidebar.

I love my new look and am sorry that it has taken me so long to give them proper credit. Thanks Patty and Holly.

Memory Verses

2009-03-15T16:46:00.002-04:00

I have felt the Holy Spirit leading me to memorize Bible verses focusing on my mouth. Specifically, what words come out of them for obvious reasons and because I am trying to lose weight, what goes into it. Does anyone else have trouble with your mouth?

I love the Word of God and I desperately want to apply it to every area of my life. So for the next several weeks my Scripture memorization will be all about using my mouth wisely. My next verse isn't really about what goes in or comes out, but it fits perfectly with the theme. It is all about consuming myself with God.

"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him." Psalm 34:8

Lord, help us to learn Your Word, and to hide it in our hearts. Help us to apply it to every area of our lives.

One True God

2009-03-12T23:28:00.004-04:00

I heard this song for the first time this afternoon . Apparently I have been hiding under a rock. But I had my praise on in the drive-thru line at the bank. A beautiful description of our God.

Mark Harris - One True God
From the album Windows And Walls

I don't have a God I can put on a stand
Or a God I hold in the palm of my hand
I have a God that's holding me
And I don't have a God that I can create
In the place I live with the money I make
I have a God, He made everything
So I don't need a temporary man made deity
When I got the real thing I got the real thing

He's the Lord of all the earth
The maker of all things
He alone is the one true God
Kingdoms rise and fall
But even through it all
He remains The one true God

I don't have a thing that I got on my own
I don't have a care that I carry alone
But I have a God who's carrying me
I don't have sin that He doesn't forgive
And I don't have a heart that is worthy of His
But I have a God who still loves me
So I don't need a temporary man made deity
When I got the real thing I got the real thing

Who is this King of Glory
The Lord strong and mighty
Who is this King of Glory
The Lord strong and mighty
Who is this King of Glory
Who is this King of Glory

Label: Provident Music Distribution

Road Trip

2009-03-09T17:12:00.016-04:00

While we were in San Antonio we took a little road trip to Gruene which (as their website says) is conveniently located between San Antonio and Austin. I love to go there if I am in the area and thought I would share some of my photos with you.

We had lunch at the Gristmill Restaurant which I love. It is situated on the banks of the Guadalupe River and they have several decks for outside dining.

The entrance to the Gristmill Restaurant.

A black squirrel was dining there that day as well.

But my very favorite place to go in Gruene is Buck Pottery.

Here are the beautiful pottery pieces that I have collected from Buck Pottery over the years.

I fell in love with the Texas Mountain Laurel. It is full of beautiful purple blooms that smell like grapes.

Promotion

2009-03-08T18:02:00.020-04:00

On February 25th my parents and I flew to San Antonio to participate in my sister Sharon's promotion ceremony. She has been in the Air Force for 21 years and was recently promoted to Colonel. She asked me to give the invocation and my parents to change the rank on her shirt.

Her husband Bob and her stepson Conner and her boss Colonel Naomi Lawless changed the rank on her jacket Colonel (Ret.) Laura Alvarado was the Presiding Official of the ceremony.

Colonel Alvarado spoke on the importance of being a servant leader and how Sharon served those that worked for her. She spoke of Sharon's many accomplishments in her Air Force Career. Then Sharon spoke to us for the first time as a Colonel. I cried through her speech too. She might be a Colonel, but she is still my little sister and I am so proud of her.

Sharon's husband Bob, our Dad and Mom, Sharon, Conner and me.

Congratulations Sharon! I love and miss you.

Stuck In San Antonio

2009-03-02T21:14:00.002-05:00

I am sitting in the San Antonio airport waiting for my plane. It was scheduled to leave at 6:33 p.m. It is now 8:15. My parents and I came out to participate in my sister's promotion ceremony(more about that later). Yesterday our flight was scheduled to leave at 12:33 p.m. It was delayed due to the bad weather in Atlanta. It was repeatedly delayed several times and we got an update hourly. We actually made it on the plane, but before everyone could board, they asked us all to get off of the plane. Finally after waiting for five hours they decided to cancel the flight. The Atlanta Airport was closed. If we actually made it onto a plane and took off for Atlanta, there was no guarantee that there would be a gate to accommodate us. We might have to sit on the runway for several hours with no food or bathroom. Or we might have been diverted to another destination like Birmingham. There's nothing wrong with Birmingham, but we would have been stuck there as well. So here we are again. Waiting. But the word that keeps running through my mind is provision. It was one of the subjects of my Bible Study last week.

We are studying our functional idols in "No Other Gods". Sometimes we find it hard to turn loose of our functional gods because of their provision to us. We must rely on God and God alone to meet all of our needs. In Genesis 22, God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his only son. Abraham didn't know all of the details and assumed that God would raise Isaac from the dead. He knew that God's promise of making him a great nation was made possible with Isaac. He told Isaac that God himself would provide a lamb for sacrifice. But God provided a ram. God's provision isn't always what we think it will be or should be. But it is always the best for us. We have to give up our functional gods and the provision that we think we have with them. God's provision for us is perfect. Sometimes we can't see the perfection of His provision until later.

So I am thankful that while God didn't provide a plane for us yesterday, we had a place to stay. We called my sister and she picked us up again and we went back to her house. His provision kept us from sitting on a runway for several hours. His provision gave me an extra day with my sister. His provision is perfect.

Rose-Colored Glasses

2009-02-16T18:25:00.001-05:00

I am in the fifth week of our study by Kelly Minter titled No Other Gods. If you will recall with me, this study is all about recognizing and dealing with the idols in our lives. We can make good things in our lives our idols, but they are idols nonetheless and we can't worship God and serve idols at the same time.

At this point in our study we find ourselves around the campfire with the Israelites after they have been brought out of Egypt. Remember that God had delivered them from the hand of Pharoah. They had seen their God deliver them from the horrible plagues that affected the Egyptians. They had seen their mighty God part the Red Sea. He went before them by day in a pillar of cloud and by night in a pillar of fire. God even provided their food by giving them their daily portion of manna.

Even though the manna was provided by God Himself, they were be sick of it. They began to crave meat. The Amplified Bible says,"the rabble among them began to lust greatly for familiar food"(Exodus 11:4). Rabble means the "collection of grumblers". There they were, sitting around the fire reminiscing about the good old days. When they were still in Egypt. "They remembered the fish they ate freely in Egypt and without cost, the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic." v.5

Without cost! The Israelites had been enslaved in Egypt for 470 years. They had seen Pharoah throw their male babies into the Nile River to be eaten by crocodiles. They had been mistreated for 470 years. Their enslavement had cost them plenty.

God decided to give them what they wanted. He sent them the meat they longed for. Quail as far as the eye could see. He gave it to them until they were literally sick of it and it disgusted them. Psalm 106:15 says, "He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their souls."

Kelly Minter says: "We deceive ourselves when we think our gods will bring us anything but leanness of soul. In the Israelites' case, they were offered the minimalist diet of manna so that their souls could feast on the Lord (remember, He didn't want them to live by bread alone). Instead, they craved the richness of quail while their souls starved."

I am so quick to criticize the Israelites. How could they reject their God given manna? How could they forget that God had delivered them from Egypt? I have been to Egypt and I wanted to get out as fast as I could! They had the very presence of God with them all the time in a cloud by day and fire by night. Yet aren't I gulity of doing the same thing? God generously provides for me on a daily basis. He gave His only Son for me, so that I could live forever with Him. His presence goes with me always. His spirit dwells within me. But I grumble. I want what I don't have. I am like the rabble among them. Looking at the past through rose-colored glasses. Trading His provision for my leanness of soul.

This is the desert. It is dry and barren.

And this is the promised land.

Sisters, God wants to bring us out of our deserts and into the beauty that He has for us. Oh Lord, I pray that we can turn loose of those things that we think are good, the things that we hold so tightly to. Bring us into your promised land. We want to trade the leanness of our souls for the Fullness of You.

Life is for the Birds

2009-02-13T17:25:00.007-05:00

It is very unusual for me to post twice in one day, but 5 minutes after I got home from seeing Priscilla Shirer last week ( I am serious), I was stricken with a tummy bug and didn't feel like checking my email or blogging for the better part of the week.

I am not sure why, but it seems like God has been speaking to me through birds lately. If you remember, in November I mentioned that a heron stopped by the lake to visit us.
Then when we were at the beach we got to see buzzards and hawks up close and personal.

So imagine my surprise when my husband rushed in and said that he saw what appeared to be a large Bald Eagle flying over the lake! I didn't get to see it so I prayed that the Lord would send it my way and just as I was finishing my post about Priscilla Shirer, the Lord prompted me to look out the window just in time to see the suspected eagle. It was a very large bird with a white head and white tail feathers. I watched it fly out of sight and then immediately looked up Bald Eagles on the internet. Here is what I found: HABITAT & RANGE: Bald Eagles live near large bodies of open water such as lakes, marshes, seacoasts and rivers, where there are plenty of fish to eat and tall trees for nesting and roosting. Bald Eagles have a presence in every U. S. state except Hawaii. Bald Eagles use a specific territory for nesting, winter feeding or a year-round residence. Its natural domain is from Alaska to Baja, California, and from Maine to Florida. Bald Eagles that reside in the northern U. S. and Canada migrate to the warmer southern climates of the U. S. during the winter to obtain easier access to food, especially fish. Some Bald Eagles that reside in the southern U. S. migrate slightly north during the hot summer months.

I had no idea that bald eagles were in Georgia, much less in my back yard! I am praying that it will come back so that I can get a picture and a closer look.

God continues to amaze and delight me. I don't know why I am so surprised when He does.

Going Beyond with Priscilla Shirer

2009-02-13T16:21:00.011-05:00

Last Friday and Saturday I had the privilege of hearing Priscilla Shirer speak at Roswell Street Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga. She is an incredible speaker and teacher and she is so gracious and approachable. She leaves you wanting more of Jesus.

She gave us the 5 P's of Hearing God Through the Bible which Leah @ The Point detailed here. She also spoke to us from the book of Jonah about the interrupted life. Our Lord loves to interrupt our lives; He doesn't follow our plans. His are so much better! Here are 4 principles from the story of Jonah about how we should respond to life's interruptions:

The interrupted life is the privileged life: God extends an opportunity for us to participate in His plans.

The interrupted life is the significant life: Our search for significance comes when we put aside our own will. He gives us the cure for the search for insignificance.

The interrupted life is the challenging life: All of the power, glory, grandeur and authority of God reside in us. If God gives us a different or difficult challenge, He will equip us.

The interrupted life is an accountable life: He expects us to respond to what He asks us to do.

When we respond in obedience to God we get the following things:

We get a second chance. (or third, or fourth, etc.)

We get the presence of God to go with us.

We get an exceedingly great opportunity.

We get divine anointing.

When we submit to God we get supernatural results.

We tend to try to humanize God and think that He is a Big us. But He is so much better than us. If you ever have the opportunity to hear Priscilla speak or to do one of her Bible Studies, please take the opportunity to do so. You will be greatly blessed.

The Problem With Idols

2009-02-06T12:13:00.005-05:00

We are on week four in our Kelly Minter study on idols in our lives, No Other Gods. Remember that an idol is something other than God that we serve, or that masters us.

Idols can be anything from anger, bitterness, jealousy, to an addiction. Almost anything in our lives can turn into an idol. Even something that isn't necessarily bad or wrong. We can make idols out of good things. We can elevate our families to a position above God. We can even put our church activities above God.

Why do we choose idols? We can choose them our of a perceived need in our lives. We can choose an idol because of pain in our lives. We can choose an idol because we think God is being silent and we need to help Him out. The reasons are endless. As are the idols.

God commanded us in Exodus 20:3 that we are to have no other Gods before Him. If we serve other gods, our hearts and minds cannot be fully on Him. Our idols will lie to us, steal from us and ultimately harm us.

I think at some point in everyone's life we have wanted something very badly and thought that our lives wouldn't be complete without it. But the biggest problem with idols is that they can't satisfy us. How many times have we gotten something we badly wanted, material things, a relationship, etc. and still our souls still can't be satisfied? The only thing that will ever satisfy us completely is Jesus. Not our families. Or things. Or status. Just Jesus.

Life is Good,

Cindy

Buzzards at the Beach

2009-01-28T15:17:00.019-05:00

This week's edition of What I Am Learning is actually what I learned last week! Better late than never, right? (Please note, the title is not a reference to myself or anyone else in this post!)

Last week my husband and I were fortunate enough to accompany our very good friends Leah and Greg to Amelia Island. We stayed in a beautiful beachside condo and this was the view from our balcony. It was so peaceful and quiet. It was nice to be able to rest for a few days.

However, Leah looked out one day and this is what we saw:

Two red-tailed hawks. We see them a lot where we live, but I just never associate them with the beach. And then she saw this:

After much debate, we finally decided that yes, these were indeed buzzards and not some weird beach bird that we had never seen. I see these occasionally at home too. But never at the beach. It was the strangest thing. (So now you know that my post title was not in reference to Leah and I.) After the buzzards dined on their beachside delicacy, they flew over to the lawn of The Ritz Carlton which was next door to us. And apparently had a show down with one of the hawks.

And then they decided to sun themselves. Can you imagine paying a premium price to stay at The Ritz just to look out of your window and see buzzards on the lawn? Even though there are negative connotations that go along with buzzards, they really were quite impressive to see. God's handiwork is something else.

As you know by my previous posts about what I am learning, my Bible study group is doing the study No Other Gods by Kelly Minter. We have studied how false gods can become functional gods and some of the reasons why we have idols. This week we are studying how our false gods lie to us. On day three Kelly said this: "The lies that circle our false gods like buzzards will try to convince us that redemption is wrapped up in our idols, but it will never be so." Talk about show and tell! God used a visual reminder to go along with my Bible study that day. Wow!

On Saturday night, Leah spoke to the ladies of Amelia Baptist Church. She spoke on our legacy as Christian women. She caused us all to really examine just what kind of legacy we will leave

behind. What kind of legacy do you want to leave? Everything we do and say, how we act and react effects everyone around us. I want my legacy to reflect Christ.

Life is Good,

Cindy

Keep on Learning

2009-01-20T18:58:00.003-05:00

I have been praying for those of us who have committed to learn Scripture this year. I pray that at the end of 2009 our minds will be renewed by His word that has taken up residence in our lives.

My verse for this week is Matthew 6:33: "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (NIV)

Keep up the good work.

Life is Good,

Cindy

Confronting My Idols

2009-01-16T15:46:00.006-05:00

As I told you last week I began the Bible Study "No Other Gods " by Kelly Minter. It is about confronting our modern-day idols. And I told you that I had several idols in my life. Good grief!
I feel like I have really been smacked around and this is only week number two.

I am also facilitating Beth Moore's study on Proverbs "Wising Up Wherever Life Happens" at my church on Wednesday nights. No, I am not an over achiever, I just really need a lot of Bible Study. You know how when God is really trying to get your attention about a particular matter every verse you read or study you do fits together? And it becomes abundantly clear that He is speaking to you? Well on Wednesday night our study was on our heart. So not only do I have idols in my life, I also have an ailing heart which goes hand in hand with huge idol in my life.

In "Wising Up" our lesson was on the Heart of Wisdom. We are to inspect our hearts for ailments and to "guard" our hearts. (Prov. 4:23). One kind of ailing heart is the anxious heart.

Beth says: "The Hebrew word for anxious literally means " 'to bow down like prisoners before their captors." (NIV Application Commentary, p.344) She goes on to say that all anxiety is rooted in control. I never felt like I was a control freak, I just always felt out of control. A prisoner of circumstances beyond my control.

As far back as I can remember, even when I was a little girl, I was anxious about nearly everything. I worried needlessly about things. And still do. But I am very good at hiding it and it has never been so bad that I needed medication to control it, and I have never had a full-blown anxiety attack. But it is always there. A constant anvil hanging over my head. Even when there is no reason to be anxious, I am anxious. So God is forcing me to look at this and figure out why. I have to realize that I am not in control God is. And I am not God. And it is exhausting trying to be God. And I do not want to be a prisoner bowing down in captivity to my idols.

This week in "No Other Gods" Kelly Minter reminded us of the story of Sarah and Hagar from Genesis 16:1-15. You know the gist of the story. God had promised Abraham that he would have a son. Sarah was barren and because she was getting older, instead of waiting on God to do His thing, she felt like she had to help things along by insisting that Abraham sleep with her maidservant Hagar. Kelly says, "Many of us run to idols because we are convinced they will bring us what we need. During the era in which Sarah and Hagar lived the ability to bear children was essential. It was viewed as a need." Personally, I think Sarah's desire to help God sprang from the anxiety that she must have felt in her inability to have a child. How many times have I reacted out of my anxiety like Sarah did? I think I "need" something and I try to fix that need. I get tired of waiting on God and try to help him out. Unfortunately too many times. He does not need my help.

I have to be honest, it is not easy to come face to face with my idols and look into my ailing heart and deal with the junk that's in there. It has been painful at times. But I think that God allows painful lessons because they are the ones that stay with us forever. God is so good. He wants me to clean out all the junk in my heart and in my life. To throw away the idols I have been hanging on to. He wants to be the only God in my life.

Life is Good,

Cindy