So Long, Insecurity

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:

1. Saved from herself (Insecurity is a twisted from of self-interest)
2. Entitled to truth (The more we live withdrawn, the darker our thinking becomes)
3. Clothed with intention (We can't be weak willed women)
4. Upended by grace (Grace is the only thing that we can give away that we can also keep)
5. Rebounded by love (We are loved by God regardless of our pasts)
6. 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

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:

1. 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.
2. 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)
   
3. 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

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

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

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

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

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.