And then we cheered and cried and cheered again

For those of you visiting this blog from the Proverbs 31 Devotion that ran today... welcome! This post ran on March 31st and will give you the update on the situation she faced at that time. After reading this post... you may want to click here for another update that I just posted today. Thanks for visiting!

On Friday Ashley's fever spiked to 103. It was time to talk to her about the reality of scratching from her State Gymnastics meet. We snuggled up in my bed together, watched an amazing episode of DateLine, read your prayers filled with love, and then I broached the discussion about not going to States.

Immediately, she said, "I'm not giving up yet. Let's see what happens tomorrow."

Saturday, she did seem to rally a bit. Reluctantly, I agreed to let her compete. Before we left to drive out of town, her Dad sat Ashley down and had one of those "life talks" that will go down in my book as one of the greatest moments of our parenting adventure so far.

His deep, warm voice spoke gently, "Ashley, your mom and I love you and are already proud of you... no matter what happens with your scores. If you wake up tomorrow and feel bad, don't push it. If you compete remember what we've talked about all season:

1. Build a solid foundation by practicing hard. You've done this.

2. Leave it all on the floor. Give all you can and hold nothing back.

3. Focus on what's in front of you. Compete on bars and then leave it behind. Go to the next event and focus only on that one. Just give you all to each and every event...eventually, it will all come together.

4. Wrap it all in good sportsmanship. Who you are is more important than what you are.

And with that we were off. As I drove, I couldn't help but think about how much Art's words could be applied to my life as well.

Now, I wish I could report that Ashley had the kind of State Meet she wanted. But she didn't. She had a nasty fall on beam, a severe asthma-like attack from not being able to breathe during floor, and an out of bounds bobble on her vault.

It is tough when you have the drive of a champion but a sick body that simply won't perform the way your mind's eye wants it to. So, on one hand it was a hard day.

On another hand, it was a fabulous day. Ashley did exactly what her Dad told her to do. She worked hard, she gave her all, she focused on what was right in front of her at each event, and wrapped it all in good sportsmanship.

She placed 5th all around. Her bars and her floor scores helped her team take first place. She cheered on her team mates... most of whom had amazing meets! And she qualified for Regionals!!! Only 42 girls go to Regionals from our state. She was number 36 out of 42 to qualify.... whew!

So, it was a fabulous day. Not because of what she won or lost but for a new building block of character that settled into place.

Thank you from the bottom of my tired little heart for all your prayers!!!

And I have to give a quick shout out to a bloggy friend whose daughter competed with another team alongside Ashley. So, to Stephani thanks for your kind words of support and for your prayers! To Maddi- you are a beautiful gymnast with an even more beautiful heart. Great job. Can't wait to rock the house with you in Chattanooga!!!

Refusing Tizzy's Invitation

I have been up most of the night with a sick child. Fever, coughing, aching, can't sleep a wink kind of yuck has hopped on my Ashley. Yes, this is the same Ashley that is supposed to be competing in the North Carolina State Gymnastics Meet this weekend. And yes, this is the same Ashley you prayed for two weeks ago who competed with a sinus infection and earache.

She has been healthy and feeling great for a week and a half now... but yesterday things just sort of fell apart.

The State Meet is the pinnacle meet where the girls who will go on to Regionals are chosen. I know in the grand scheme of life, this pales in comparison to many more serious matters. But, in her little world this is a really big deal. One that she has worked hours upon hours to prepare for and now her body is too weak to attend today's final practice.

To a mom watching her little girl in tears over this, it is certainly a recipe for getting all worked into a tizzy... as we say in the south. But I am making a conscious choice to refuse Tizzy's invitation and instead embrace whatever it is God is wanting to teach us in this situation.

Trust is the word of the hour.

But sometimes trust is an awfully big pill to swallow. Especially when it means taking a completely different route than what you were expecting. That's why we must often choose to trust despite our feelings.

I feel the best thing would be for Ashley to experience a miraculous healing this morning, run off to practice, have a stellar meet, and rejoice in the fruit of all her hard work this year. But this is highly unlikely. So, when this isn't possible, I could feel hurt or even let down by God. I can't stand to see my child suffer. Why did she have to get sick on this weekend? Yes, it would be so easy to get all worked into a tizzy for sure.

So, I'm making the choice not to go down the questioning God path. I am choosing to trust God and stand on his promises. Proverbs 3: 5-6 remind us... "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight."

As I got up, still exhausted from lack of sleep, I uttered the words, "I trust you Lord. I trust your plan. I trust your goodness. I trust what you can see and I can't. I trust you with my girl, her hopes, her dreams, and her disappointments. I trust you with it all Lord."

For I have walked with the Lord through enough disappointments to have learned that His path is the best path. When we ask Him to take a certain turn that we think looks so good and He says no... it is for our good.

His "no" could be for our PROTECTION... protecting us from something we can't see. Maybe this sickness is the very thing God is using to protect Ashley from attending today's practice and getting severely hurt. Maybe she won't even be able to compete at all this weekend. And maybe that is His protection as well.

His "no" could be for our PROVISION... providing something so much better than what we thought was the best thing. In our minds the best thing would be for Ashley to compete feeling her best. But she had her best meet this entire year, with a sinus infection and ear ache. Who knows? Only God... so whether she competes or not, we are certain of His provision.

His "no" could simply be part of the PROCESS of growing Ashley closer to Himself... when we are weak, only then can we truly understand how He can be our strength. Whether that is strength to compete or strength to let this dream die, I pray she embraces this part of the process of growing closer to God.

The last time she competed, you were all so gracious and posted prayers and Scriptures for Ashley to read. She sat in the little hotel bed and read and prayed through everything you wrote. It encouraged her heart, more than you can imagine.

So, I am asking again.

The comments are for her today, whatever wisdom or prayer you'd like to share.

And if this situation speaks to your heart, though your circumstances might be different, we'd love to spend time praying for you as well. So, just let us know.

Muffin Top Diaries, Part 2

Dear Bathroom Scale,

You are no longer my friend. There are two fundamental rules to being my friend and well... you've officially messed things up.

First, you have been saying unkind things to me lately. I mean hello... I visit with you regularly every morning. I invest time in our relationship. I'm quite considerate of you. I work out and watch what I eat... kind of. All I need is a few words of encouragement. A few I tell you... is that too much to ask?

But no, during our last month of visits you just keep being rude and flashing numbers that quite simply bum me out.

Secondly, you can't seem to keep a secret to save your life. Those brownies I ate 2 of yesterday... okay maybe more than 2... but I asked you to keep that a secret.

But noooooo, missy prissy, you just had to tell the whole bathroom this morning about the upward movement of the numbers.

I really wanted to like you. But, alas I think we must break up.

I'm moving on to bigger and better things.

No, wait, not bigger... smaller and better things.

Yes, and if I ever find them, maybe we can be friends again.

And then part of my heart walked outside of my body

"Oh no, not the Camellia bush," I gasped as I opened the front door to little hands full of heart shaped pink petals.

"Mommy, look at what I've done for you. I only used the flowers on the ground... not any from the bush."


It was hard to believe that the pathway of pink pedals could have only come from the fallen blooms. But I held my tongue and smiled at the beautiful display that stretched before me.

Much later in the day, my son's friends came to pick them up. They were going out. I didn't want my boys to go out. I didn't want them to get in a car with other boys and drive away.

Though I trust them, it is still much more comforting to know they are just in the other room playing video games or watching basketball. I wish this was the definition of going out. I wish my frozen pizza seemed more appealing to them than the food at the restaurant where they were headed.

I followed them to the front door with the normal speech they can all repeat with me word for word. They know what I am saying is as much to comfort my heart as it is a reminder for them.

"Don't drive too fast... wear your seatbelt... be home on time... and most importantly remember who you are."

As they walked down the front walkway and over the delicate pink petals, I called out to the one driving and added one last thing, "you are not just driving off with my son, you know. You are driving off with part of my heart."

He called back, "I got it Mrs. T. I'll take care of your heart."

With that they were gone.

And then I loved that Brooke had scattered the delicate heart-shaped petals at the front door. I picked one up and examined how perfectly heart shaped it really is. I was amazed by the color, the texture, and how something so complicated could come from such a simple looking bush.

I smile at both the Creator and His creation.

When I can't control everything around me, everything around me seems to be a reminder of just how in control God is.

Because we are fancy y'all

Some people go to the Beach for Spring Break...

where on the sand they can bike.

Some people schedule cruises to take...

where there are exotic places to hike.

But other people aren't lucky at all...

their Spring Break isn't like those.

They only get to go to the mall...

and explode coke bottles with packets of Mentos.

Warning... this is obviously done by highly trained professional stunt people. It is not advisable for mere mortals to try this experience at home... unless of course y'all as fancy as we are.

* An added tidbit of sheer fascination... since several of you asked about this, here is a website that you can bore your kids to death with the scientific reasoning that this explosion happens. Also, you can google for better directions on the how to but just so you have it at your finger tips... here you go:

* Get Diet Coke... (we tried regular Coke and it was not as good.)

* Get the mentos I showed you above... not the fruity kind

* Go in a wide open outside space... unless of course you like sticky messes sprayed all over your house.

* Take the mentos out of their package and put them in a rolled up tube of paper that fits the top of the two liter Diet Coke just right

* Open the Coke, put an index card over the opening, position your paper tube containing the mentos stacked in a straight line directly over the opening. Then pull the index card letting all of the Mentos slide into the bottle.... and RUN!

Once Upon a Time

I very clearly remember being a little girl and staring out the front window of our house. I counted on my tiny fingers how many years I had left before I would be grown. I then closed my eyes and imagined what my life might be like...

Who would love me?


What would the man look like that would kiss me and call me his wife?


Would I be able to have children?


What would they look like?


What would I be when I grew up?


Yesterday I stood at the front window of my house and peeked out at all that had come to pass. And this is what came to mind...


"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory..." (Ephesians 3: 20-21)




Thank you Jesus...

though at times it can be messy and chaotic...

though at times I feel like I am being stretched to my limit...

though at times the decisions they make, sometimes break my heart...

though at times they wear a shirt they borrowed from a friend that advertises a company that I don't like... ahem... Jackson where is that nice pink polo you wore to church today?

though my attitude doesn't always reflect thankfulness...

today I pause...

and I say from the bottom of my heart...

This is more than I could have ever hoped or imagined for.

Urgent Request for Information

Hi Sweet Friends...

I am trying to find families that watched us on the Oprah Show and were inspired to adopt from Liberia as a result. If that applies to you or anyone you know, will you please post your contact information in the comments section below.

Thanks so much...

Brain Blips, Mishaps and Feelings of Failure

Matthew: 7:24-27, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Do you know what amazes me about these Scriptures? Both the person doing right and the person doing wrong experienced hard times. In both cases the rains came, the streams rose, and the wind blew and beat against the house.

Just because we are Christians living out God's principles for life, does not mean we won't face difficult circumstances. The difference being a Christian makes is how the difficulties affect us. If we are hearing and heeding God through our prayer time and reading His word then we will be able to stand strong in the storms of life. Our faith will not be shaken and our identity will not be rattled.

I once heard my pastor lament to my husband that sometimes he only feels as good as his last sermon. I can so closely identify with his comment because as a friend, wife, and mother sometime I only feel as good as my last interaction with someone close to me.

A friend tells me I hurt her feelings and suddenly I feel like a bad friend.

I forget to take the cookies I signed up to bring to the church nursery and suddenly I feel unreliable and disorganized.

My husband asks me where his passport is and when I can’t find the file suddenly I feel like a wife that can’t be trusted.

When hard times come and beat against our stability, we must be determined to hear God’s words and put them into practice. Then nothing can topple our peace, security, or true identity.

Dear Lord, thank you that my identity does not have to be determined by the circumstances of my life. Help me to hear your Words, put them into practice and stand firm on your truth.

Because He is Risen... I can rise up past my brain blips, mishaps and feelings of failure to sweet victory. Happy Easter sweet bloggy friends.

Tell me about the hope that you have...

Hello friends~
My dear friend Lysa is still 'pooped' from yesterday, so she asked if I would write for her today...

Several years ago someone asked me about the hope that Christians have. "Explain hope to me. Why do you have to hope?" he questioned, "I'll never understand that."

I will never forget that conversation as long as I live. I was not prepared with a noteworthy answer. I hesitated and then rambled a rather feeble reply.

And I promised myself afterwards that it would never happen again. I wanted to be able to explain the hope that I have with ease.

What is hope? Why do we hope?

I think for me, hope looks forward and upward.

When we are in the midst of a troubling situation, we often find ourselves functioning breath by breath. But thanks to even the smallest glimmer of hope, breath by breath will turn into hour by hour. And thanks to that glimmer of hope, hour by hour will eventually turn into day by day. And thanks to hope, day by day will eventually turn into week by week.

I want hope. I need hope. I look for hope in every situation.

In the context of the hope of Jesus Christ, it is not a wishful, whimsical, weak word at all. It's a confident assurance.

Hope is the assurance in the One who did not stay in His grave!

I love Christy Nockels' song - The Glory of Your Name
"There is nothing in this life that can take the place of...
One life
One love
One power to save us all
One Hope
One truth
One Glory in it all..."

Romans 8:24-25 "For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."

Please click on the word 'comments' below, and tell us about the hope that you have...

Lysa and I look forward to reading your replies!
Holly

And then they had to do another school project

Okay, so now we've moved past the planets and we are on to studying the human body. If you missed our mishap with the last project we had to do... click here.

If you are all too familiar with the planet that got eaten, ahem... you simply won't believe this.

There are many cool body parts to get assigned to study and create a clay model replica of. But we get the one system that requires one to read and study this book:

Yes, Brooke was assigned the Digestive Track. Needless to say, we did not use cupcakes or any other food in this project. We used clay...

Did you know that a typical adult has over 5 feet of Large Intestines and 20 feet of small intestines? No wonder I have a muffin top for heaven's sake! I've got 25 feet of tubing that I'm trying to squeeze into those jeans of mine!

We also had to make a poster. I think the stomach we have here is a bit out of proportion. But then again... maybe not.

We have worked hard making all this ya'll. But I guess it would be tacky to say we're pooped.

Congrats to Janet for winning my Fear-Less, Thank-Full CD!

I'm Raising the Next Dr. Phil

Besides his charming good looks, this man boy of mine is brilliant. He gets his good looks from my side of the family and his athletic ability from his Dad. But his brains are all his own.

I have been quite intrigued over the past 4 1/2 years by the fact that my two adopted sons never argue with each other. Seriously, I have never seen them say a cross word to each other much less have a fight.

(Now before unrealistic pictures of perfection start dancing in your brain... remember I have 5 kids and the rest more than make up for their brothers in the arguing department... have mercy do they ever!)

So, I asked Jackson about this. I wanted to know how he and Mark get along so well.

He simply replied, "Mark and I have an understanding. If he is doing something that gets on my nerves I say 'I don't like that. Don't do it anymore.' And then Mark will reply, 'Okay.' "

I have spent years trying to understand the complicated nuances of relationships and in one quick sentence my 19 year old son has given me such clarity.

Kind of reminds me of that Bible verse in Psalm 19:14, "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."

Lord, may that be so for us today. And if you could just give me half the uncomplicated clarity that my son has with relationships, I'd be ever so grateful!

And finally last week's contest winners of Karen Ehman's organizational book are:

Jai

Beth

Tiggerdaisy

CONGRATS GIRLS!!!

I'll announce the fear CD winner tomorrow--- so we can spread out the fun! It's not because I'm not organized enough to do it right now... really!

Inspiration in the form of a 12 year old

Emergency Room visit at 1 am on Saturday- $200

Antibiotics and pain killers to ease a sinus infection and throbbing ear- $65

Gas to drive to Athens, GA in the middle of tornado warnings and hail storms- $85

Hotel bed to pray yourself to sleep in- $75

Program in which to record your daughter's scores at the National Gymnastics Challenge- $3

Seeing my baby smile at the end of the day-

priceless

Before we went to bed on Saturday night, Ashley sat at my computer and read every single one of your prayer comments. Her heart was so touched and encouraged. Then before we left for the meet on Sunday morning, we read each of the Scripture verses you suggested.

We talked about trusting the Lord even when you can't trust your body, your shaky confidence, or your track record this year. We knew whatever was to happen on this day, it would be the Lord carrying her.

Ashley has had a rough competition season this year. Level 8 gymnastics is tough. Especially if your equilibrium is off, your ear is throbbing, both of your big toes are split and bleeding, and your sinuses are infected.

Despite my pleadings to sit this one out- Ashley wouldn't hear of it. "I just got to try Mom."

And try she did...

Psalm 121: 1, "I lift up my eyes to the hills where does my help come from?"

"My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth."

"He will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber..."

"The Lord watches over you- the Lord is your shade at your right hand..."

In this picture Ashley's coach is telling her there was no reason at all that she should have stayed on that beam after her back walk-over, back hand spring connection. But we know why... the power of prayer sweet sisters!

"The Lord watches over you..."

"The Lord is your shade at your right hand..."

"The Lord will keep you from all harm..."

"He will watch over your life." Psalm 121

And then my sweet girl who has not won a competition all season, took the Gold Medal for First Place All-Around.

Thank you for your prayers from the bottom of my still pounding mother's heart.

Oh... and I promise I will post the winners of last week's drawings tomorrow. Pinky Promise.

Prayers needed please

Hi Sweet Bloggy Friends...
If you are looking for the Swap and Hop... scroll down to yesterday's post. Many great ideas and well worth the surf on the net.

I'm writing this quick post to ask you to please pray for my daughter Ashley. She has a sinus infection which she just got antibiotics for yesterday and then spent most of last night in the Emergency Room with a severe ear infection. All of which would be quite manageable except that she is scheduled to compete in a big gymnastics meet tomorrow morning at the University of Georgia.

Her mom wanted her to sit this one out. But the drive in her little 12 year old soul isn't cooperating. So, we are in Athens, Georgia where she is scheduled to flip and flop with a hurting ear and messed up equilibrium.

Slightly problematic. The perfect recipe for a heart attack for her mother.

On top of all that, Athens is currently under severe weather warnings. As I write this hail balls are falling from the sky and tornado warnings are being issued.

I guess you could say... when it rains- it pours- cats and Georgia Bull Dawgs.

Please oh please--- if you have a moment or two or even ten to pray for her safety and encouragement now and at 8am tomorrow morning, I would be so very appreciative.

Organized or Not--- Swap and Hop

Oh yes Ma'am... time for another Swap and Hop. Today's theme--- organization.

But based on a few of your comments from earlier this week, if you don't want to share an organization tip, you can still participate. You can share where you hide things when company comes.

So, here's the deal...

1. Put something on your blog today about organization... or your lack thereof. Pictures are great but just telling about a good idea is fine as well.

2. Feel free to capture the button above and post it. The button is not required but please do link back to this post on my site so others can enjoy our fun.

3. Once your post is ready, come back to my site and sign up in the Mr. Linky box below. You may want to put your name and then a one or two word description of your organization idea in parenthesis. For example: Lysa TerKeurst (organizing jewelry)

4. If you don't have a blog, you can leave your organization tip in the comment box. Even if you have a blog and do the Mr. Linky--- still leave a comment. I will be drawing 3 WINNERS from the comments and the links to get an autographed copy of Karen Ehman's new book, "The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized."

I will announce the winner of my CD from yesterday's post and the three winners from today's post on my blog this weekend. Have FUN!!!

Here's my tip:

If you have a tangled mess of necklaces and bracelets here is an affordable solution: a jewelry board! I can't take credit for this... it's my organized friend Debbie's idea.

These are black framed bulletin boards that you can find at Walmart or Target. We simply placed plastic pushpins in spaced out intervals and then hung the necklaces and bracelets in place. I have two jewelry type belts hanging on the wall beside the boards. All of this hangs on a wall inside my closet. I love it!!!

Now, for the place I hide things if I'm in a pinch and company is coming... the upstairs hall way. Oh dear. Shhh... don't tell anyone.

Fear-LESS Living... Part 2

To those of you who have popped over from the Proverbs 31 Devotion today- welcome! Feel free to leave a comment below even if you are not a blogger. To do so, click on the word "comments" below and select the anonymous button after typing your comment in the provided text box. Be sure to leave your e-mail address so that we can contact you if your name is drawn.

Today I am giving away a copy of my message on CD called "Fear-LESS, Thank-FULL." This message breaks apart 2 Timothy 1:7 and teaches how to truly live your daily life without fear. To enter simply leave a comment below.

Whenever any of my kids have a bad dream, they know they can always find safety and security by calling me near. Sometimes I'll make my way to their room and climb in bed with them. But more times than not, they want to make a pallet beside my bed. Something about mommy and daddy being "near" quiets their soul and calms their heart.

How like our Heavenly Father when we get entangled in fear as well.

A popular verse people like to quote on fear is found in Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

I love this verse. But I have to be honest... this verse once troubled me. I can't just pull myself up from my bootstraps and say I won't be anxious when I am experiencing fear.

It's like a parent simply walking to the doorway of child who has had a bad dream and saying, "Don't be anxious," and then walking away. That child would not feel comforted. They don't just need the words- they also need the soothing presence of their parent as well.

That's why this verse should never be quoted outside the context by which God gave it to us. You see, there are four very powerful words that come right before the , "Do not be anxious" part.

Philippians 4:5 ends with, "The Lord is near." And because the Lord is near... we don't have to be anxious. When I put this verse in context and see that God promises to be right with me and right with those I love with the verse takes on a whole new meaning for me.

It's His PRESENCE plus His PROMISE that dispel my fears and anxious thoughts.

And we must also look at the words that are wrapped behind this verse as well. Philippians 4:8 instruct us, "Finally brothers, 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." In other words, God instructs us to PARK OUR MINDS on that which is true and right and worthy of praise.

Oh how hard this has been for me at times. I can have such a run away mind where I focus on my fears and blow them way out of proportion. But this PARK YOUR MIND concept has been huge for me. I consciously make my mind park on God's truth.

When I feel fears start to haunt me, I start quoting all the scriptures I have memorized dealing with fear. I quote them slowly and intentionally, I claim the truths contained within, and I verbalize my belief in God out loud.

Many of you know that Holly and I run each morning together. I drive over to her house and we run the streets of her neighborhood. About a year ago, Holly heard me talk about parking your mind on God's truths and decided to record some of our favorite Scriptures on her back door... the door that her family and friends most often use when going in and out of her house.

So, each morning when I arrive for our run I see in huge bold letters, "Park Your Mind" written across her door in permanent marker. Then all kinds of Scriptures are written all over that door reminding us of God's power and God's presence.

I am convinced the more we fill our minds with God's truths, the more crowded out our fears will become.

So, is your favorite verse on fear? In the comment box below, leave your verse and the Scripture reference. And then check back later today to read through all the assurances of God's presence and promise.

Maybe make your own PARK YOUR MIND SPOT in your home. It could be a door like at Holly's house or a basket filled with index cards that you place beside your bed. Whatever works for you is great. And if you want to share your PARK YOUR MIND spot in the comments along with your verse- that would be wonderful as well.

Also, I wanted to give you a quick update on an e-mail I got from Sumi yesterday. If you didn't read yesterday's post, you can scroll down and see her story. But ladies our prayers literally carried Sumi yesterday... please keep praying.

Here is what she said, "Lysa, I went to Walmart for the first time today and it was so hard pushing the empty cart past all the aisles I had visited with Jenna and remembering all our conversations and games in the store. As I left, I thought to myself: I should be falling apart right now. But I realized that I wasn't...because of all the prayers going up for us. Truly, the prayers of others have been carrying us, and your post today enabled so many more to pray - I can feel it! So, thank you."

Truly ladies... the Lord is near... with both His presence and His promise.

And one last reminder- tomorrow is our "Swap and Hop" with an organization theme- Show or tell us about one organized thing in your house.

It will work just like the Recipe Swap and Hop from last Friday except this Friday... I HAVE GIVE AWAYS. So, be thinking about how you want to get your post ready for tomorrow.

I'll put the Mr. Linky system up tonight. Sweet Blessings Sisters!

Fear-less Living

I have been bombarded recently with the stark reality of people's fears coming to pass. I have a friend dying of brain cancer. I have another friend who is nearing retirement who just found out they have been swindled out of their entire life savings. Three blogs that I've read this week have told the tragic story of losing children... one to SIDS, one to an accidental drowning, and another a baby dying just before being born.

My heart absolutely breaks over these losses. I have walked in the valley of grief where the questions float about like snowflakes and the ground seems to tilt and shift making you tumble about. I can remember not quite knowing what was up and what was down.

I can remember being angry at others carrying on with normal activities. I never thought normal would be a description for my life, my thoughts, my actions, or my routines ever again. I hated normal and yet I craved it all at the same time. Memories of my sister- my beautiful, beautiful sister taken so young, would flood my brain one minute and elude me the next. As much as the memories comforted me they were also a stabbing reminder of my loss- our loss- our great, great loss.

Some people say that when your loved ones are taken from you, you will wish for one more minute or one more day. I was more selfish than that. I wished for one more lifetime where tragedy and disease were banished and where my little princess of a sister could dance through our lives for so much longer.

And wrapped in these starks realities we all hear about, is fear.

To live with a constant dread of fear is not really living at all. It places your heart in a place of grief before it is time. Fear wraps a vibrant life in a black cloak of dread and steals life's joy.

We should be a realistic people but not a fearful people. Reality is that we've all been assigned a certain number of days to live. Reality is realizing that each day is a gift that should be fully embraced and appreciated. Reality is that God's vision of our life is not limited by time. Right this minute God can stand in the day we were created and He can stand in the day that will be our last. He is with us yesterday, today, and He already stands in tomorrow.

And in each minute to come God calls out for us to remember and to trust and to believe: "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 victorious right hand (Isaiah 41:10.)"

Those aren't hollow words of a nice quote. There is fear defeating power and security and comfort and connection with God Himself in those words. God Himself comes to us personally when we are afraid. Even when we can't process what life throws at us, He is still a trustworthy God. He is not dismayed by what happens.

He loves us so much that in His wisdom He has allowed what his power could have prevented.

I didn't come up with that line.

Our sweet bloggy friend Sumi did. Her husband said it and then she repeated it, “We still believe that somehow he allowed something in His wisdom that he could have prevented in his power.”

And the fact that Sumi can say this, write this, believe this and be comforted by this after having just laid her precious 3 year old daughter into the arms of Jesus, makes me know that every part of this passage in Isaiah, including the last few words, is absolutely true: "He will strengthen you and help you. God Himself will uphold you in His victorious right hand."

And so for today, I seek to crowd out fears from my mind with the life giving, security restoring words of both my Lord and my friend who has faced her greatest fear and still believes.

Sumi, our prayers, our tears, our thoughts and our love are with you.

May each of us embrace today not with fear but with great thanksgiving of what is right in front of us, right now.

More Than Just a Good Bible Study Girl

What does truly living for God require?

I once had a checklist that I thought was the secret to becoming the person God wanted me to be:
... pray

... read my Bible

... go to church at least once a week

All of these things are good and very necessary. But these actions should be the means and not the end to spending time with God. I can't just do these, check God off my to do list, and then rush to face my day hoping that somehow I'll now be a better person.

These things should usher my heart into a place of expectation. When I pray, read my Bible, hear a sermon at church, I should leave from doing these things with eyes wide open looking to experience God personally. Knowledge is good but experiencing application of that knowledge creates life change... in both me and those I encounter.

And I certainly can't get tripped up with the lie Satan uses to hold too many of us back in our walk with God, "I'm not perfect enough to really expect to experience God."

Being a Christian can’t be about being perfect. Perfection is an impossible stance that makes hypocrites of us and skeptics of the watching world. Being a Christian that wants more than just a plastic religion to hang a piece of their identity upon will involve a shift from trying to be perfect to becoming perfectly surrendered to Jesus and the pursuit to simply follow Him.

Isn’t it interesting that those were Jesus’ words to invite people into an understanding of what living for God requires? Over and over Jesus simply said, “follow me.”

Matthew 4:19"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

Matthew 9:9 "As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him."

Matthew 10:38 “and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Mark 1:20 “Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.”

Mark 2:14 “As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.”

Mark 8:34 “Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

John 8:12 “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

John 10:27 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

John 12:26 “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

Is it overkill to see in black and white Jesus saying follow me all throughout the Gospels? I don’t think so. These verses have been in front of most of us our entire Christian existence and yet for too many of us their powerful simplicity has escaped seeping deep into our hearts.

Jesus says this is the beginning to the kind of life He wants for us. This is the very thing that will give our lives meaning and lead us to our purpose. This is what will usher us past having Biblical knowledge into having experiences with God Himself. After we spend time reading God's word, praying, and listening to a sermon, we should get up and ask ourselves, "So what? Now what?"

So what?--- Why is it important that I know this right now?

Now what?--- How can I personally apply this to my life so that it makes a difference in how I think and act?

In taking it that one step further... we can then follow Jesus not by just having knowledge about Him but by personally getting to know Him.

For the more we follow Jesus the more we get to know Him. The more we know Him, the more we love Him. The more we love Him the more we want to obey Him. The more we obey Him, the more we experience life with Him and through Him. The more we experience Jesus in our every day lives, the more we become a beacon of light to lead others to follow Him. And so the cycle goes. And the world is changed. Just like Jesus asked us to do...

God, may it be so everyday of our lives.

Cold Hands- Warm Heart- in Wisconsin

Do any of you have any clue how cold it is in Wisconsin? I know for those of you who live in or near this beautiful, snowy state... I will get no sympathy. But for those of you who are all toasty warm this Sunday morning, just know it is freezing elsewhere.


Holly and I got up Sunday morning and ran a 5K race here at the retreat we are doing for Elmbrook Church! According to Holly's very official assessment of age estimation, she thinks we came in second in our age category. I was too busy dry heaving during the last hill to much care about where we placed. We ran with snow banks to our left and to our right and did I mention it's slightly chilly here?
And yes, I wore "The Jacket" again. No, not while running silly. I wore it speaking... again. It might just become my official speaking uniform. Love me some TJ Maxx!

Here are Beth Mazzone and Laurie McIntyre with Holly and I. And below this, I am standing with Beth Lia. They were a great team to work with.



I thought I would share some pictures from the weekend and ask that you pray for the many ladies that gave their heart to Jesus last night. Again, many beautiful hands went up when I gave the invitation. And again, it made my breath catch in my throat and tears spill from my eyes.



Christy Nockels from Watermark was here leading praise and worship. Amazing!!! Someone told us we look like we could be sisters. I will take that compliment and carry it with me for a while. I also had several people tell me that I look like Angelina Jolie. No, sorry not her... they said Linda Carter. Wonder Woman from the 70's... I won't be carrying that one in my pocket. Maybe I should not have worn those red tights, blue pointy headband and thick gold bands around my wrists. I mean if you are going to be told you look like someone, do you really want it to be someone who looks like they run around in a bad throw back to the - throw back to the early 80's- aerobics outfit?


Sigh.


We have one more session this morning and then we'll be traveling back to places where the air doesn't slice your skin open. Okay, so I exaggerate, but seriously. While I might not have liked the weather here, the people more than made up for it.


And a few last details to share...


Amy Brooke is a having a contest over at here place. Not only that but this sweet sister compiled all our recipes from this weekend's Recipe Swap and Hop into to an organized Word Document. So, head on over to her place, register for her contest, and maybe if you are really sweet in your comment she just might e-mail you the "Bloggy Friends Recipe Collection."


The Recipe Swap and Hop went so well that I thinking of doing more swap and hop days. So, this Friday, I will host an "Organizing Swap and Hop." That means you share will share your best organizing tidbit.

Don't be nervous sisters... just organize something this week and tell us how you did it. If you really want to be fun, load a picture or two. I'm going to show you how I organized my necklaces and bracelets. It will be fun. So, put your thinking cap on and we'll do that on Friday.

Have a great rest of your weekend... see you tomorrow. I'll be reporting live from places with normal temps... did I mention that it is really cold in Wisconsin?

Recipe Swap and Hop

This is the thing about cooking dinner. You work and work and work and work. Then with a few scoops here and few servings there, it's gone. All your hard work either eaten, spilled, or stored as a leftover that might be discovered weeks later in an unrecognizable state.

Making dinner has to be about something more than just the food. For me, it is drawing those that I love to the very center of our home... the kitchen. And it's in this room that one can feel the pulse of my family.

So I want to be a little more excited about the privilege to cook for those I love. And that's where you come in. I'm in a recipe slump sisters... and from the comments you left yesterday it would seem I've got company in this here slump.

That's why we are doing a little Mr. Linky fun today with swapping recipes.

Here's how to participate if you have a blog...
Sign up using the Mr. Linky prompts in the box below. Be sure to link the specific post that contains your recipe. Once you post your recipe or recipes on your blog please put a link back to my blog so people can keep visiting the others who are listed.

If you do not have a blog...
Feel free to write your recipe in the comments section below. You can get to this box by clicking on the word comments below and checking the anonymous option. But please leave your name in your comment so we know who you are and who to give credit for your yummy recipe.

Now for my contribution:

I am giving you two recipes... one recipe is for those nights you actually have time to cook and the other is for those nights you simply don't have much time.

Anyone up for breakfast for dinner??? Try my family's favorite Breakfast Casserole!

Yankee Spoiler--- (My kids beg me to make this!)

1 cup cooked grits (1 cup water and 3 Tablespoons of "Quick Grits")
1 3/4 cup milk, heated in the microwave
1 stick of butter, melted
4 eggs, beaten
1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1 lb. Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage, browned with grease drained off
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients except cheese. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Top with cheese. Bake at 325 for 45-50 minutes. YUM!!!

Now here is my no time Recipe...

Chef Boyardee Pizza from a box.

Yes Ma'am that stuff is addictive and is probably the reason I had to write "The Muffin Top Diaries." Oh dear.

Happy cooking sisters!

My Recipe Slump and a slight confession

Okay... so several of you asked for photos of our little Space Odyssey cupcake extravaganza. So, here you go. Now, for those of you who have really good eyes you will notice that Mars is resting securely in it's proper alignment. I shared yesterday how it had in fact gotten eaten. Well, I'm coming clean sisters. I took some writer's liberty with that one. It was not actually Mars that was missing....

It was this beloved planet...

But I'm sorry, I just couldn't say that someone had eaten (insert this planet's name). Do you see the problem here? Who named this planet after all? Have mercy!

Okay enough of that for Heaven's sake...

I am thinking of doing something fun for tomorrow's post but I need your help with it. I am in a little bit of a recipe slump. Since we have quite a community going here, I thought it would be fun to see if anyone is interested in some kind of recipe linky thing. I could put a Mr. Linky thing up tomorrow and you all could link your site to it if you have a favorite recipe to share.

I know Amy B. is planning a contest over at her place which would be fun for you all to see. And Lelia C. has a Bible Study she will soon be starting that some of you might be interested in. Maybe some of you have some things going on as well. So, this would give you a chance to give a recipe, get some recipes, tell other's what you have happening, get a little more traffic, and all get to know each other a little better.

So, what do you think?

Houston, we have a problem...

If you felt the universe tilt slightly out of whack yesterday, I will go ahead and apologize. Someone ate the planet Mars.

Yes, and that was just one of the crazy things that has happened to me this week.

You see, Ashley had to do a creative model project showing the placement of the planets around the sun. We used iced donut holes placed on the end of wooden skewers that were inserted into cupcakes. Everything worked beautifully until someone ate most of Mars. I imagine we will be getting a call from NASA any day now. Until then, I am looking for a DNA kit on eBay. I will discover who did this to the universe. Prayers needed and appreciated.

My Internet and both phone lines leading to my house were all cut and out of commission. I don't think the phone company much cared about my need to blog, check my e-mails, or my pleas on behalf of my daughter having a major project due. And they really didn't care about my admission that I didn't even know how many planets there are much less the proper order of said planets. All of the aforementioned facts REQUIRE one to have a working Internet service.

Of course Holly was very helpful when she told me to just remember the ROY G BIV acronym for the planet order. Ummm... I think that is for the colors of the rainbow but since both the planets and rainbows have to do with the sky, I gave her kudos anyhow.

But the world tilt didn't stop there.

The upstairs toilet decided to overflow... no... spew and gush in a very rude manner. My daughter started screaming. I ran to see what on the earth all the shrieking was about and as I ran into the bathroom someone body slammed me. Seriously, one minute I'm the stellar hero and the next I am a crying victim. Okay... so actually no one body slammed me but it sure did feel like it. I slipped on the wonderful mixture of dried hairspray and unmentionables being upchucked from the porcelain throne.

As I lay in the muck and mire, stunned from busting my head, toe and fanny... all I could think was just how far I'd fallen from that stage I was just on this past weekend. Hello... remember me? Cute jacket girl? You will all be relieved to know I was not wearing the jacket during this bathroom incident.

And then to top it all off... my husband thinks his gym bag was stolen from his car today. But the strange thing is, they took his smelly shoes and iPod but left his wallet???

I'm wondering if it didn't get stolen but rather slid underneath something somehow. After all, the world did tilt today.

Prayers needed and appreciated.

God is in the Bathroom!

A few weeks ago I was at the Chick-fil-A convention along with 3000 others employed to this wonderful company. My husband affectionately says he, "flips chicken for a living." But let me tell you, it is the best chicken I have ever put in mouth. One of their past marketing slogans was, "Taste it and you'll love it for good." So true.

Anyhow, the Chick-fil-A conventions are more like revivals than business meetings. God's presence is there. This year was no exception as many of the speakers challenged us to pursue God like never before.

After one of the sessions I bee-lined it to the bathroom like any woman filled with too much coffee, water and diet soda who had been sitting in a meeting would. By the time I made it to the bathroom, there were women everywhere and quite a line had formed. I waited my turn and finally a stall opened up. I didn't see who had just exited that particular stall but I wished I had when I got into the stall and realized the person there before me had left her conference notebook behind.

I didn't want to just leave the notebook in the stall so I looked around the bathroom for someone who was empty handed indicating that possibly they had left their book. When I was unsuccessful at finding the owner in the bathroom I flipped the book open to see if it had a name written inside.

The book opened up to a page that caught my eye. I wasn't trying to be nosey but I immediately saw the words "ministry to women" and knew I had to read whatever was written on this page before looking in the front for her name. Basically what the owner of the book had written was that this would be the year that she finally wanted to get intentional about pursuing the ministry to women God had placed on her heart.

Wow! As I exited the bathroom, I ran into a dear friend of ours who works at the Chick-fil-A corporate office. He was headed in the direction of the main desk Chick-fil-A had set up to handle things for the convention participants. I asked him if he would turn the book in to the people at that desk. I then hesitated before I handed him the book and quickly told him what I'd seen written inside. "I think I'm supposed to write a note inside and tell her I could help her- do you think that is strange?" He said he'd wait for me to do just that.

So, at the risk of having this woman think that I was a total nut case, I pulled out my pen and simply wrote off to the side, "I might be able to help you with this. Call me if you'd like- Lysa TerKeurst with Proverbs 31 Ministries." I then wrote in my personal cell number and handed the book to Mark.

Days went by and I never heard from anyone. The conference ended and I never heard from anyone. Almost a week went by and I still never heard from anyone so I'd just about forgotten about the whole thing. And then the call came.

What transpired next was so exciting as I could tell that God Himself had arranged this divine encounter. To make a long story short, my new friend Tracey got the confirmation from God she had prayed fervently for, through one little note. We were both simply blown away. Here is what Tracey had to say about the whole thing:

Lysa,

I was completely freaked out when I saw your note in my book! It was like God had written me a personal note to tell me that He loves me and that He knows the desires of my heart and that no one else is going to make this happen but Him. My heart was racing, my hands started to shake and I could not hear anything else that was going on in the room! I honestly just stared at it in disbelief for quite a while. What are the chances that out of 1500 women at that conference and hundreds of bathroom stalls that I would leave my book in one that you would stumble upon? Then, on top of that, what are the chances that you would open to the very page that I had written my vision on and read it??

It was truly a supernatural arrangement. It confirmed to me that God has not only placed this desire in my heart, but He will go to great lengths to see it fulfilled! There is no stopping me now!! I have been through several months of great heaviness and now I know what it was all about. Something GREAT is right around the corner. Just within the past week, after speaking with you, God has begun to open up doors like you would not believe. (well, I guess you would!) Thank you for your obedience in writing the note and for being such an inspiration!

Tracey

Romans 8: 28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Do you feel a tug at your heart to do something but have been uncertain about pursuing it? Why not ask God to reveal Himself to you in the coming days and confirm exactly what He has for you. The adventure that follows just might simply blow you away.

And for those of you coming to She Speaks... Tracey will be there. And if she leaves her notebook in the bathroom again, why don't you leave her a note this time. Smiles!

Jesus, New Friends, Beautiful Hands and TJ Maxx

Hi Sweet Friends... I am adding to this post. For those of you popping over here from the Proverbs 31 Devotion that ran today, I will have the cool story about God arranging details to make sure we know we are chosen and loved on my blog tomorrow. So, please come over for another visit. For now... here's what I was up to this weekend...

What a weekend we had at McLean Bible Church in Tyson's Corner, Virginia. They had 1700 women show up for their conference, "Turn Down the Noise." Here are Holly, Meredith (our assistant for the weekend), Sue (the Women's Ministry Director at McLean, and Wendy (conference planner extraordinaire!)~

Here are the women praising the Lord. What a beautiful thing to hear so many women lifting up their voices to Jesus.

Oh my...1700 women is a really big crowd! Can you see my knees knocking up on that stage?

What a joy to meet some many sisters in Christ. Even some of my bloggy friends!!!

Hey, isn't that a fun jacket I have on? Meredith picked us up at the airport wearing it. So my first words with Meredith were, "It's so nice to meet you... now where did you get that jacket." When she replied, "TJ Maxx, $25." I squealed, "Let's go!" Seriously ladies... if you have a TJ near you... this is quite a find.

Is this not one of the most beautiful Pastor's wives you've ever seen?
And she is just as beautiful on the inside as well!


Holly and I loved meeting Meredith. She is a hip, fun, Jesus loving, blog reading, fashionista girlfriend. When she picked us up at the airport my first question was about the jacket... have I mentioned that I really like that jacket? Then my second question was about her story. She told me that she had given her life to Christ the last time I spoke at McLean. I was so touched... amazed... filled with absolute joy. Listening to her share how her life has changed and how her family's life has changed made me know that I want to continue telling others about Jesus as long as I have breath in my body.






We worked hard that is for sure... but what an amazing time we had. Friday night after sharing my story, I asked if anyone in the audience wanted to make a decision to follow Jesus.
Hands, lots and lots of beautiful hands went up all across the church. What a sight. What an amazing sight. Thank you Jesus. And thank you to all the ladies I had the honor to meet a McLean. It is a weekend Holly and I won't soon forget.