:

Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman

2009-01-20T12:54:00.005-06:00

This study is going to rock our worlds, girls!!!

Check out the trailer by clicking on this link: http://www.emedialink.com/view_video.php?viewkey=28e61124e13181db7774

What's in a Name?

2008-11-12T08:58:00.000-06:00

I don't know much about the Hebrew tradition or language. But I do know that names in the Hebrew culture are always significant and mean something. There many Hebrew names for God, all meaning different things. Elohim, Yahweh, Adonai, El Shaddai, etc.

There is one name, Immanuel, that is significant and one of the names given to Jesus.

Isaiah 7:14 - "Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive, have a son, and name Him Immanuel."

Matthew 1:23 - "See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated "God is with us."

Immanuel....God with Us! That excites me.

Last week, President-elect Obama named his Chief of Staff. What's his name you ask? Rahn Emmanuel. He's Jewish. His name is a Hebrew name. And his last name? God with us! The realization of that brought a calming to my bones. And I have to admit, I kind of chuckled when I realized.

Have a great day!

Election 08

2008-11-05T08:11:00.001-06:00

Well, the election is over. I must confess part of me is joyful in simply knowing we will not hear anymore about it. I'm worried for our country but God tells us in His word to "not be anxious about anything but bring everything thru prayer and petition to His throne". I have done that every time I feel anxiousness rising up in me. This I know to be true....He is the One and Only True God. He is on the throne. He is victorious. His ways are higher than ours. My job is not to understand, my job is to trust and obey.

Below is from the Living Proof Ministries blog posted this morning. While reading it, I felt a calming and encouragement. I pray you do the same.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008
A United House
To my beloved Sisters who I esteem so highly and consistently find to be part of the solution to our problems in the Church rather than the cause,
Please join me in praying for our President-elect Barack Obama, his wife Michelle, and his precious daughters, Sasha and Malia. Go with me before the Throne of our sovereign God and ask Him to grant wisdom from above to President-elect Obama and the indwelling presence and power of Jesus Christ. In the words of the Apostle Paul, "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior..."
Please also join me in the active and deliberate pursuit of unity and purity in the Body of Christ at this historical time in our country. I implore you in Jesus Name to have zero tolerance for prejudice whether it is regarding party-affiliation, color (whether you are Black, White, or Brown), economics or the like. Disagreement is not sin. Prejudice is. Satan has plotted events and planted attitudes that, should he be successful, will result in havoc. We must not stand for his schemes or cooperate in a single way. We would severely displease God and invite untold chastisement upon Christ's Church in our nation. Speak clearly to your children and graciously but emphatically draw a line in your work places and social circles regarding your stand against prejudice of any kind.
"Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, 'Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.'" (Matthew 12:25) A united house stands. A divided house falls. The devil has much to gain. But he also has much to lose.
We are the Body of Jesus Christ and we have an opportunity to show His character. This is our watch. We stand for what is right not from our feet but from our knees.
I humble myself before you and make these pleas under such bold direction of God that I could not resist it nor disobey it. He made it a fire in my bones.
I love and esteem you so much. Shoulder to shoulder, Dear Siestas. Let's leave not one inch for the enemy to come between us.

Be Blessed....
MC

The Dark Knight

2008-07-21T08:57:00.000-05:00

So, I went to see The Dark Knight at midnight on Thursday. This is probably...no....IT IS one of the best movies I have ever seen. There are so many angles and perspectives in this movie. It's full of spiritual applications. I'm planning to go see it again in IMAX but for now, here are some things I remember thinking during the movie.

1. No wonder the Joker is psychotic. If I looked like that, it would drive me insane too.

2. The Joker reminded me of Satan. Joker was out to destroy everyone and everything for the sake of destruction. Not for money or fame but to watch people suffer. He wanted to test the limits of humanity and pit person against person by putting people in the most desperate of situations. On top of that, he was manipulative and coniving....A LIAR!

3. There is a great scene in the movie with Batman and his servant. I won't give details but I will say that Batman is struggling with something really throughout the whole movie and his servant offers wise advice. He says "They may hate you for it but that's what makes it a sacrifice". I thought of Jesus. He was hated and despised by men. He had to sacrifice for our sake and while some of us love Him, others hate him.

More thoughts coming after viewing #2!

Much Love,
MC

Jazmin is 3!

2008-07-12T10:08:00.000-05:00

In just a bit I'm headed off to my niece Jazmin's 3rd birthday. I can hardly believe she is 3! She's gotten so big!

In honor of her 3rd birthday, here are 3 things I love about Jazmin....
1. She is demonstrative and expressive. You never wonder how she is feeling.
2. She plays hard, laughs hard, and cries hard. Lives life to it's fullest!
3. She is built to be a future cheerleader/gymnast. :)

Jazmin then...
baby shower
2 days old

And Jazmin now....

Happy Birthday my sweet Jazmin! Love, Aunt Mimi

Dolphins....

2008-07-11T12:47:00.000-05:00

I saw the strangest thing on tv last night. On this show, the lady believed in dolphin energy. And if that's not enough that she is a representative on earth for the dolphins to tell others what they are feeling and want. To top it all off, she and her husband hold "meetings" in their home where they try to tap into the dolphin energy to guide them.

One group member in the meeting was trying to decide which career path she wanted. The "Dolphin Lady" (as we'll call her) wrote down on a paper plate what she felt the dolphins were guiding the group member to do. The group member wrote on her own paper plate her desires. Both plates were then turned over and placed on the ground and the group member stood on one. When the group member "felt" the energy she was instructed to say "activate energy" and if she was feeling pulled down while standing on the one plate that meant it was not the right decision for her.

She was instructed to flip over the dolphin's plate and whatever was written on it was the career she was meant to pursue. When she flipped over the dolphin plate it said "Dog trainer" and y'all she was so upset. That's not what she wanted and she was just looking for guidance....that's what she said.

Part of me was laughing hysterically at these people then part of me began to feel very sad for them. I even said out loud, "Yes, you are searching for something but I can guarantee you won't find it with dolphins". How absurd is humankind becoming? Just a further reminder there are people who don't know the greatness of our God and need to be told.

He is the Creator of everything....including the dolphins but He wants His own relationship with us. He is jealous for us and the only One who can guide us in the way we should go. He is the only life giver and if you are searching for something today, it's Him you are searching for whether you realize it or not.

"This is what God the Lord says - who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what come from it, who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk on it."Isaiah 42:5

Be Blessed........MC

2008-07-03T16:54:00.000-05:00

Enjoy this great video and amazing song! Travis and team sang this song at Deeper Still...love it!

4th of July Fun....

2008-07-03T16:36:00.000-05:00

Just want to wish everyone a happy 4th! I hope whatever your plans that they include some time telling the Lord how grateful you are to live in this country with the freedoms we have.

At Deeper Still last weekend, Kay Arthur spoke a wake-up call message about the moral state of our country. While listening to her speak I remember feeling very sad in realizing how far we are from the God who has given us our freedoms. Be grateful and don't forget Him. He is our reason.

I'm heading to my family's 9th annual 4th of July Pool Party tomorrow. Will post pics soon.

Much Love,
MC

Let's make a deal....

2008-07-01T22:28:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone...

I figured something out and I had to let you in on it. I'm what some people call "strong willed"...I like to think of it as determined. :) Basically what this means for me is that if I think someone is telling me what to do, I do nothing. I don't want anyone to have control. No one except Christ.

So, that being said, I'm not going to say that I'm going to blog on such and such day. Clearly, this doesn't work for me. Apparently, I'm my worst enemy and if I tell myself to blog tomorrow, it probably won't happen. From now on, it's Spirit led blogging for this girl!

Have you ever got to the end of your day and had so many thoughts swirling in your head you could hardly stand it? Tonight is such a night for me. I'm still trying to digest Deeper Still in Atlanta this past weekend. It was a lot to take in and I am still in awe of Him at this moment. I kind of like it here....being in awe. But, it drives me crazy to have so much to say but no energy to write it. Or type it. I'll type it soon but we won't name a day. We all know how I am about that now.

Hope your day has been great!

Much Love,
MC

Catching Up..

2008-04-14T21:17:00.000-05:00

Hey all...
I feel like I've been out of the loop for a while and out of sorts. What can I say...life happens. :)

I just returned from San Diego last night. I went for work to a Living Proof event. Of course, it goes without saying it was awesome! Aside from the fact that San Diego is a GORGEOUS piece of this country, the event was amazing. Beth taught from Psalm 139. She made 8 major points. Over the next week, I'm going to share each point and thoughts from each. I hope these will be encouraging to you.

In the meantime, you can go to her blog and check out the recap.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Much Love,
MC

But the Lord....

2008-02-25T09:25:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a refreshing weekend and you're ready to get back at it this week.

This morning, actually, not even 5 minutes ago, I was sitting at my computer thinking about the Lord. And for some reason, He puts these words in my mind..."But the Lord". Maybe it was prompted while I was reading an email regarding our upcoming Presidential election and one of the candidates. There seems to be tons of emails going around about one particular candidate. I think I've had it up to here with hearing about him. I must confess, it does scare me what I read. But who knows if it's true. Some people are up in arms about him and worried he will win. It was while reading this email, the thought hit me, "But the Lord." In this madness of a political race, when I feel myself getting scared and worried about the next leader of our country, the Lord gave me these words, "But the Lord".

But the Lord...

is in control
knows what's going on
is in control of the election
knows the one who will win and will allow it to be so
is the true Ruler
is mighty in power

We seem to forget He is in control of everything, even our politics. Not only in matters of politics, but in life, as believers we are called to not worry. We are called to pray and let the Lord have our anxious thoughts. We are called to trust Him. In the madness of life, hear Him as He speaks these words over you and every situation and circumstance, in every area of defeat in your life....BUT THE LORD. Your circumstances, society, culture, other people say one thing that may discourage or upset you, BUT THE LORD says something different. Allow Him and expect Him to work a miracle in every situation in your life. He is the only one who can. He is the maker of heaven and earth. Nothing is too difficult for Him (Jeremiah 32:17). Give Him some praise!

Much Love,
MC

Stepping Up - Session 2

2008-02-18T10:08:00.000-06:00

Last night was a great group time, girls!!!

I'm so thankful for each of you and the ways you are pursuing our great and mighty God....and for the ways He is pursuing each of us! Seek Him this week. I'm praying we will each be aware of His unseen hand at work and we will be a group of ladies who shout for joy and fall face down when appropriate.

Crystal, we are praying for that day when you see Layne facedown in his room. :) After all, kids learn from their parents. What a great thing for him to see. I'm convinced those are the things the Lord burns into the minds of children. Awesome!

Remember to celebrate our Passover....and to do your homework!

See ya next week.
Much Love,
MC

Starbucks Lessons

2008-01-11T10:24:00.000-06:00

Starbucks lessons

I just got into work a little bit ago from my morning Starbucks run. On some mornings (not as many as it used to be), I’ll run by Starbucks for a grande, non-fat, no foam caramel macchiato. At least, that’s the drink at the moment. A couple of years ago, I went to a Starbucks on West End that is in a chain of stores. This is before they built the “drive-thru” Starbucks on down West End. Shortly after that one was built, I neglected my original Starbucks stop due to limited parking and made my way down the street to the drive-thru Starbucks. I really have no idea why I went to that one because I rarely ever use the drive-thru!

My original Starbucks stop was great! The employees came to know me by name (and drink). They always engaged the customers in conversation. It felt very personal in there. I liked it! Warm and inviting! Kind of like the old show “Cheers”….where everyone knows your name. When I started going to the one down the street, I kind of missed my friends at the original Starbucks. The ones at my new one weren’t as friendly. I made do for a while because it was quicker.

This morning, after not going to the original Starbucks for over a year, I stopped in. As soon as I walked in, one of the employees spoke to me and he immediately noticed I had braces. Then he mentioned I hadn’t been in in a while. He actually noticed! The barista this morning was a lady who would call me by name. We would have small talk in the mornings. She saw me and immediately remembered who I was. We had our usual small talk, as if I was in yesterday.

We can learn a lot from my Starbucks friends. They are characterized as friendly and kind. I believe my Jesus was the same way. The kind of guy who, after not seeing you for a while, wouldn’t make you feel guilty but welcome. Believers and church families should be this way. So often a church family is guilty of making others feel condemned if for whatever reason they aren’t involved in the life of the church for a while or even if they miss a few Sundays. This only makes the person feel worse. When we see someone we haven’t seen in a while, the best thing to do is to greet them with a smile and let them know we have missed them, that we are glad to see them, and pick up where we left off. There are many people who think their presence doesn’t make a difference. They think if they are or are not present, no one will notice or care. And when or if they do decide to show back up, they are afraid of what others may say to make them feel small for not coming. How about making each other feel comfortable? How about making each other feel like they never left? We, as humans, have a need to know we are significant and that we matter. What if when others encountered believers and the church they knew they do matter to not only us but to Christ Himself?

I am thankful I’ve grown up in a church family who can be characterized by kindness and love, not condemnation and judgment. They notice when someone isn’t present and they notice when they are. They remember names and interesting things about each person. It is a welcoming place where I, and others there, know that we matter.

After my experience this morning, I think I may go back to my original Starbucks. After all, there’s no place like home. J

“They will know you by your love…..” John 13:35
“No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love has been brought to full expression THROUGH us.” 1 John 4:12

They will see God when they see His love through us!
Have a fun weekend!
MC

WAGOH Christmas Sock Swap 2007 - Part 2

2008-01-09T10:28:00.001-06:00

WAGOH Christmas 2007 Sock Swap

2008-01-09T10:07:00.000-06:00

Our second annual Christmas Sock Swap with a game of spoons thrown in for extra fun! Enjoy!

Part 2 coming up..........

WAGOH Fall Retreat 2007 Part 3

2008-01-09T10:00:00.000-06:00

WAGOH Fall Retreat 2007 Part 2

2008-01-09T09:58:00.000-06:00

More pics......

WAGOH Fall Retreat 2007

2008-01-09T09:47:00.000-06:00

So, these are some pics from our WAGOH Fall Retreat in the BEAUTIFUL mountains of Blue Ridge, GA. The Lord could not have delighted us more by keeping the vividly colored leaves on the trees for us to see. Ah, what a gorgeous drive there and stay in the mountains. Our cabin was appropriately called "Almost Heaven". I'm already anticipating next year!

More pics coming.....

The Planner

2008-01-08T08:58:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!!!
One of my resolutions this year is to blog more. Clearly, that's a much needed one seeing as how the last time I blogged was in October.

So, here's the first blog for 2008. Enjoy!!

I’m a huge planner. Those closest to me can tell you this and its possible strangers can figure that out about me within a short time. I not only enjoy planning parties and get-togethers but I often stress out if my day isn’t planned out with what I’m doing, where I’m going, when I’m going, how I’m going to get there and what I’m doing after. Pathetic, I know. But, in my short 28 years of living, I’ve learned that life isn’t a plan I create and carry out. I can attempt to plan out my day and/or life exactly how I want it to go but, it will never work out according to my plan. I have never met anyone who said their life turned out exactly as they thought it would. Most often, it’s quite the opposite.

As I’ve experienced different things through Crosspoint, church, college, etc., I’ve learned its ok to be flexible and go with the flow. I didn’t say it’s ok to be unprepared. That would be unwise. Life is an experience to be lived each day, as prepared as we can be. There are times when something complete blindsides us. Something happens that was definitely unexpected or unknown to us. How can we be prepared for these times? Ah, this is where our faith comes in strong. When we find ourselves in a situation we are not prepared for, we know our Heavenly Father is more than prepared and equipped for it. He graciously gives us what we need when we need it.

He always has a plan! And we know His plan will be accomplished, regardless of what we do or don’t do. He has a day to day plan for us and plans beyond those. So many people don’t embrace His plan for their life or accept that His plan may be different for someone else. They would rather stay in their box, in their comfort zone, and judge and criticize others who don’t necessarily fit into their plan. What if God’s plan for the person you are judging is different than what you think? What if He is taking someone else on a different path than He took you? In my quiet time this morning, I was reminded how creative our God is. This world is a testimony to how creative He is and the creative, different plans for each person’s life also show off His creativity.

He calls us to love Him and love others. We are to love others where they are in life at the moment, not when they get to where we think they should be or when they become the person WE think they should be. That’s not what Jesus did. He loved and continues to love others right where they are in life. I want to be like my Savior. He didn’t waste His time judging. He used His time each day to love God and love others, to experience all this life has to offer. Very few people embrace this on a daily basis. I know a few people who do! What an encouragement and challenge they are to me. One such person is a very special person in my life. I have never known him to say an unkind, judgmental or critical word about anyone. Even when things in his day don’t go the way he would like them to, he always manages to say he had a good day. He doesn’t worry about things or get upset over stupid, minor things. He’s one I can look to as an example for someone who really does live and experience this life.

I’ve said before -- I’m all about the experience of things. I don’t know about you but I want this experience of life. Of daily living, really living! And it’s possible through love and faith. So, let go of your plan and grab onto God’s. It’s much better that way, anyway.

"This is the day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it" Psalm 118:24

This is how it works....

2007-10-26T10:41:00.001-05:00

Some of you know I'm laid up in the bed sicker than a dog. I've been sick since Wednesday. My throat was killing me, my ear ached like crazy, and Wednesday after I got home from church I discovered I had a temperature of 102. By Thursday, it decreased to a whopping 101. Thankfully, my doctor didn't have to see me and he called me in an antibiotic. I loathed the thought of getting out of the house. I've just wanted to lay in bed for the most part.

But, I get bored! So, I did a little housework here and there and caught up on some reading. Then, the Lord whispered to me, "This would be some great QT with me". So, there will be another post forthcoming I'm sure of what the Lord teaches me.

Isn't this how it works?! It takes being sick or some tragic event to cause us to slow down or even stop. Our culture is one that doesn't believe in rest. We must keep going and going and going. And when we don't feel like going anymore, we go to Starbucks, get a Venti Mocha and go some more. Sometimes, we feel guilty if we just say NO to some things. Saying yes all the time definitely helps in the going all the time. As a result, we are constantly tired, worn down, and not effective for the body of Christ. And have you noticed, our kids are this way too? Many kids today are constantly on the go. They don't know what it's like to spend a night at home doing whatever.

Let's vow now to be a people who do not conform to the culture but we cause our culture to conform to our schedule. Let's start saying no to some things before the Lord causes our body to say no for us and we end up in the bed sicker than a dog!

Have a restful weekend!
MC

P.S. Those of you who attend WAGOH, it will be at my house on Sunday. Don't worry...I will sanitize EVERYTHING so no one gets sick when they leave.

Update....

2007-09-25T21:35:00.000-05:00

WAGOH is off to a fantastic start for the Fall 2007. I get more thrilled each week to be participating together in a study like Daniel. What a life impact it can have if we will allow it to. God is so good, isn't He?

I have several blog posts I am working on at the moment. Bear with me as I tweek and do more tweeking to the posts.

Our Fall Retreat is scheduled for Friday, November 16-Sunday, November 18. I hope everyone can make plans to attend. I'll be sending out a letter soon with information.

I hope you are all having a great week! Much love to each of you sisters.....You are a blessing!

MC

WAGOH :: FALL 2007

2007-08-21T12:33:00.000-05:00

WAGOH is back after a few weeks of break for the summer!

We are excited about getting back into our Sunday night groove.

Sunday, August 26
5:30 p.m.
Misti's Home

Fall Bible Study Kick-Off & Cook-Out

We will begin the Daniel Study by Beth Moore. Go to lifeway.com for more info on the study. Books will be available for purchase on the first night. Our study will culminate with a Fall Retreat in Gatlinburg in November.

Don't miss it! Hope to see all of you there!

His,
MC

Back to Camp!

2007-07-10T20:21:00.000-05:00

It's been 4 summers since I worked camp. Now, I am in Alexandria, Louisiana working a Christian Sports Day Camp for Inifinity Sports. And this week, my body is reminding me even moreso how long it's been since I worked camp. Every muscle is sore right now. But, I must confess...I LOVE LOVE LOVE Camp! Those who have worked camp before know what I'm talking about. But, I can't explain to anyone else to the extent I want to. There are no words.

So, this is a meager attempt to explain my week. Some of you will recall I worked a Christian Sports Camp through LifeWay called Crosspoint for 3 summers. This camp is much like that except for a few differences. One difference is Infinity Sports camps are held at churches, in parks, apartment complexes and other places. It's more mission minded than Crosspoint. At CP, numerous churches brought their kids to camp at a college campus where the kids stayed overnight. Infinity Sports Camps go from 9-4. The number of people on my team is 5. At CP, there were always at least 15-20. Needless to say, we don't have as many sports as CP (12 sports) but, it's intense and very fast paced. I've been so tired, I've had to ask others what day it is. Something about being at camp makes you lose track of time...and days! The kids do 2 sport times a day. We coach their sports and teach them in Bible Study.

Something for me that is different between Infinity and CP is I coached Volleyball. I went to many volleyball sport times at CP but never coached it. Praise Jesus He's given me the gift of teaching so I looked over some lesson plans and created drills for teaching volleyball. My second sport time I coach cheerleading and gymnastics. Those two things are right up my alley.

The kids at the church (Calvary Baptist) are great! They have been discipled in the Word and that is evident by their responses during Bible study. Calvary is a church who's priority is kids. They understand the weight kids ministry carries in the life and future of the church. Instead of building a new sanctuary, they built a new wing onto their church for "Children's World" and the "Chi Alpha" house ( what we call the frat house). I heard several people there state how important kid's ministry is to the future of the church and the heartbeat of this church family is serving. It is very evident in the way they do things and the attitudes of the volunteers at the church. They are very modest and humble as a church family which probably explains why the Lord continues to bring people there. They had over 1,000 kids in VBS. Amazing!!! He is so good!

What I love about serving is no matter how tired you are, Jesus continues to be my strength. He is my energy. He provides to those who are following His plan for their life. I am so thankful.

I will post a part two with more camp details later. For now, here's a pic of my volleyball sport time and another of my cheer/gymnastics sport time.

Blessings....MC

Happy 4th!!!

2007-07-06T14:05:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a fantastic 4th!

My family has a fun pool party every year. After the pool, we head down to the Titans stadium to tailgate until the fireworks. Here's some pics from the day.....

Life's Mess

2007-07-03T12:46:00.000-05:00

Once again I found myself with a messy room on my hands. I’m not talking about a little mess here and there, but a huge mess. One that you could hardly see the floor kind of mess! More clothes out of my closet than in my closet kind of mess! Those who know me are accustomed to my room not always being neat and tidy but even this would have been a shock to them.

Eventually I did clean up my room and it looked normal once more. But, before that, while lying in the mess one day I began thinking about the mess in our lives. Or, should I say, messes. And how messes in our rooms can be compared to messes in our lives. A mess becomes a mess because we get lazy and don’t want to pick up a smaller mess everyday. It seems to me that if I would have picked up in my room everyday and spent even 15 minutes on it, the mess would not have been so bad. But, like the rest of you, I lead a busy life and I’m doing good if I get up to be at work on time, much less, clean up my room. By the time I get home I either have something else to do or I’m ready to go to bed. So, when do I have a chance to clean the mess???

We allow ourselves to grow accustomed to the mess. We learn to make a trail through the clothes on the floor. We have a routine of moving the clothes off our bed at night so that we can sleep and then back on the bed during the day. We don’t make it a priority and ever deal with it.

It is definitely easier to make a mess than to clean it up. Before we know it, we have one huge mess on our hands due to the smaller messes we neglected, which can be a bit overwhelming! Often times, we’ll just shut the door to our rooms (and our mess) so that no one can see. There seems to be some kind of shame that accompanies a mess in our room, or lives.

You have all experienced going to someone’s home and often times one of the first things they do is shut the door to a messy room. Or they say, “Don’t mind the mess” or “Don’t pay attention to my mess”. As if people will think badly of us because we have a mess going on in our room. And as if no one else on the planet has a mess going on in their home. Usually the response from the other person is “My mess is just as bad or worse” Why do we always think our mess is worse than someone else’s? And there are those who act like no one else has ever had a mess as bad as theirs…almost like they take pride in it.

So, we can try to shut the door and hide our mess and we can even develop a routine around it so that we don’t have to deal with it. But eventually, we will have to do something about it. The truth is if we would admit that we have a mess on our hands, someone may help us clean it up. Lord knows, the mess is not going to go away. We will have to clean it up! Sometimes, we need help with that part.

The other night in the midst of my mess in my room, one of my friends was over. I had warned her of the risk she was taking by stepping into this mess. But this is the kind of friend who doesn’t mind the mess and she loves me, mess and all! She started helping me clean up and before I knew it, we were finished. We all need great friends who are willing to step inside of our mess with us and help us clean. We need friends who are willing to have a “below the surface” relationship with us and we need to be that for someone else. So many times we are guilty of only letting people go so far into our lives that they are unable to really help us. We are afraid of being vulnerable, open and transparent with those who love us most because we have allowed ourselves to believe that if others, even those who love us the most, really knew “the truth” they wouldn’t love us anymore or we would feel ashamed.

Sometimes, we don’t take the time to step inside of someone’s mess with them to help; we would rather just stand on the outskirts. The only way our friends are able to step inside our mess and help us is if we let them. We have to open the door to our mess, we can’t slam it shut or apologize for the mess. For there are many times when our messes are opportunities for us to grow closer to Our Heavenly Father and to each other.

So, take this opportunity to be thankful for something as silly as a mess. At least we have things to make a mess. Many people around the world would love to have a mess to clean up rather than live in their bare and empty homes. Allow someone close to you to help you clean it up. And when it’s all done, get ready because another one will be coming your way.

WAGOH :: Women After God's Own Heart

2007-06-20T10:17:00.000-05:00

WAGOH Small Group

I'm blessed to be a part of a small group that meets on Sunday nights called WAGOH. (Thanks Lisa for the fantastic name).

A small group of us began meeting 2-3 years ago for weekly Bible Study in homes. The Lord has taken us on a different path and challenged us to do some things different these days. We now meet at Starbucks on Sunday evenings. We are usually 8 girls strong and we have a blast!

I have learned so much from them! A few of them I've watched the Lord work amazing wonders in their life. He is so good!

So, this is a shameless plug for my small group...WAGOH...we are seeking after Him...the TRUE life giver. We invite women of any age to join us for this time of laughter, learning, and enjoyment!

Sunday nights @ 6:00 pm
Starbucks on West End
Let me know if you have any questions.

The Microwave Method

2007-06-19T21:40:00.000-05:00

The Microwave Method

I decided I was going to make a cake the other day. The dish I was going to cook it in can be put in the microwave to “bake” a cake. Or, you can do it the “old-fashioned” way and bake the cake in the oven. Clearly, the microwave takes less time, 13 minutes to be exact. I was really hungry for a cake right then but in that moment, the thought occurred to me the cake will taste much better baked in an oven than a microwave.

Have you ever had pot roast that has cooked all day long? My Mom makes a pot roast this way that will make you “smack your granny” as we say here in the south. I have had the pot roast already cooked that you put in the microwave to heat up but nothing tastes as good as the pot roast that has spent all day cooking. Or the homemade yeast rolls that take hours to rise before you can bake them.

A lot of what makes these things taste so good is the anticipation of how good they will actually be when you eat them. And if you have ever experienced any of the things above or others like them, you know what I’m talking about. These things were definitely worth the wait.

I started thinking how our lives these days are operated by the “microwave method”. We want everything as fast as we can get, which means it is usually devoid of experience, well, at least joy. We want relationships to go from the acquaintance stage to friendship and then to romantic relationships in a matter of days. We want to get out of school as quick as possible (if anyone knows how this can be done, please let me know). We want to hurry up, get married, and have kids before we are truly ready. We watch buildings and houses built in only a matter of months, sometimes weeks. We want to lose weight and get in shape in 6 weeks or less so we have surgery or take a pill. We want to get rich quick so we play the lottery. We want a tan so we go to the tanning bed. We want to pay a bill so we go online instead of putting it through the mail. Our society has a hard time waiting. I am one who wants to experience things to their fullest. I don’t believe my life was meant for the “microwave method”. I don’t know about you but I can’t take the pressure of having to, for example, make certain decisions in a split second. I can’t do things that way. My closest friends will tell you I will go somewhere to eat, shop, vacation based solely on the experience I believe I’ll have when I get there. I want great experiences! I go to Starbucks because I like the experience I have there, which has become an addiction but, I digress.

In the process of our rush, we miss the full experience. I have known others who, while waiting for “the right one”, date different people. There isn’t anything wrong with this, but in the process, they sometimes give away little pieces of their heart, so that by the time they get married, they don’t have their whole heart to give. They end up missing out on the full experience of what marriage is meant to be. I believe the Lord can redeem the lost time if they turn to Him and ask Him to. But those who don’t are missing out. The old saying goes, “Good things come to those who wait”. That is true. But, I’d like to add “joy, happiness, full experience” comes to those wait. I don’t just want good things. I want great things. If we have to wait for good things then you know we must have to wait for great things too but, I’m thinking it will be more than worth the wait. And I’m thinking that I am worth the wait. That’s what my heavenly Father says anyway.

He wants to give us, those of us who call ourselves born again Christians, great things! IF…and here’s the important part….IF we will wait on Him. Wait on His timing. His way. His words. His direction.

And let’s not forget that we learn many lessons while waiting. Sometimes we make mistakes; we get impatient and make bad choices. But I still believe during those times He teaches us lessons and gives us great things because He loves us so much. He wants to give us even more great things if we will turn our faces back to Him and turn back to waiting on Him, trusting that what He has for us will be more than worth the wait! And those who are followers of Christ have a “heavenly” reward to look forward to but, we have to wait on Him for that. That’s one thing we can’t rush!

The Bible is filled with Scriptures about waiting. Seems human kind has had a problem with it for a while now. One of the most popular is Isaiah 40:31, “Yet those who WAIT for the Lord will gain new strength…”. This means that if you are waiting, that’s good. But who are you waiting on? Are you waiting on the Lord? If so, take courage, your strength will be renewed to wait as long as He needs you to! Don’t get in a rush. Take your time. Enjoy and savor this life.

So, I ended up baking my cake. That’s right. I BAKED it in the oven on Monday night for 45 whole minutes. Let it cool completely because anyone who bakes knows the secret to icing a cake is letting it cool completely. Put my crumb coat on it Tuesday night and WAITED a while before putting the final layer of frosting on it. What did I do in the meantime, while I was waiting? Enjoyed this life! I plan to have a piece tonight and I know it will certainly be worth the wait. Especially if the “sampling” of the frosting is any indication.

Welcome to Live Laugh Love

2007-03-11T20:25:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the "Live, Laugh, Love" Blog!