"You have taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book? Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me."

"All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful, yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."

Sign the Linky below if you are posting your responses on your blog. Remember, link to your post, not your homepage, for ease in surfing...Also, please link back to the Bible Study in your post so others can locate it....Thank you!!

Blessings on your brain and heart as you meditate on His word! :)

The past few weeks, I have been trying every conceivable way to limit drinking Diet Coke. You have no idea how painful this has been for me. Diet Coke makes me very, very happy. Because I can barely remember my own name anymore from the formaldehyde, aspertame, and other nutritious ingredients, I have decided I am going to limit the number I drink in a day. Here are a couple of things that are helping me do it:

1. I love canned drinks so I have only been refrigerating the two I am alotting myself in a day. I don't like D. Coke on ice so I am less likely to drink them if they aren't ice cold in the fridge.

2. When I do drink one, I force myself to drink twice as much water as the Diet Coke. Did I mention I absolutely hate water? My own warped sense of nutrition tells me somehow this dilutes all the cancer causing agents in the DC. And besides, shouldn't it be obvious drinking filtered sewage is so much better for you?

3. I only drink 1/2 a can at a time because, Egads! This plan is actually working! I never dreamed I would say this, but my beloved sodas are beginning to taste so sweet to me now that, [GASP], they aren't quite as good any more therefore I don't drink as much at one sitting. Now, I didn't say I like water more, just DC less. Soon, I'll dehydrate if I don't find an acceptable liquid alternative.

Don't know if any of the rest of you are detoxing, but if you are, hopefully what works for me will work for you!

Go check out Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer for other great WFMW tips! :))

My little girl and I (she's four) have this silly little game we play. I start by saying, "I love you more than chocolate!" to which she answers "I love you more than chocolate, too!" She then will say something like, "I love you more than Barbies!" and I'll repeat it back to her. We played yesterday and here's what transpired:

Me: "I love you more than KitKats!"

Her: "I love you more than KitKats too!"

Her: " I love you more than a pretty flower!"

Me: " I love you more than a pretty flower too!"

Me: " I love you more than a great pair of shoes"

Her: long, uncomfortable pause. " Umm. I love you more than that mirror."

Me: "WHAT? You don't love me more than a great pair of shoes?!"

Her: "Sorry, mom..."

And I guess what broke my heart the most is that in this season in her life, a great pair of shoes to her is a pair of $3 Flip Flops from Shoe Show...But a warning to you future suitors? You'd better have a fat wallet or a grandpa named Minolo Blahnik, cause Shoe Show ain't gonna cut it for long with this girl...

BTW - She told me she was kidding, and she really meant it.

I think.

If you are lucky, and I mean lucky in the "blessed by God" kind of way, you have one set of friends like our Chuck and Julie. Ones you can wear your pj's in front of and talk for hours about everything and nothing. Ones with great kids with whom yours get along perfectly. Ones who raise a spiritual bar for you and cheer you on until you clear it only to raise it a bit higher the next pass.

Chuck was one of Luke's professors in college and through nothing short of Divine favor, his wife Julie and I became fast friends. There was no shortage of tears when Luke graduated and we had to say goodbye to one another. They have visited us in the past, but a missionary appointment for them and several subsequent moves for both our families have prevented us from seeing each other for 8 years.

I was SO excited to find out Chuck was speaking at a conference in N. Carolina and their path from Louisiana would take them directly through our neck of the woods in Alabama. A few emails and phone calls later, and we had ourselves a slumber party scheduled!

We had the most fabulous visit....here are just a few highlights from the trip..

1. The tooth fairy fee for 2 teeth? $4
Two boys who'd kindled an immediate friendship pulling the exact same tooth on the same night? Priceless.

2. A 4th of July Pool Party and Homemade Peach IceCream? $10

The Icecream maker tipping over in the car spilling the unmixed ingredients into the carpet of the Suburban? Priceless.

3. One Redneck Party Pack of fireworks - Cost $35
Whooping it up on the 4th in true Alabama style? Priceless.

4. Great Mexican food with your friends. Cost: $40

Our dignified, brilliant scholar/theologian/author, college vice-president friend karaoke singing, 'Old Black Train' with his boy - with a sombrero on his head? Priceless.

5. Package of pastel hair clippies for my little girl. Cost: $3

The same dignified, brilliant scholar/theologian/author, college vice-president friend sitting in our floor and letting that baby girl put all those clips in his hair? Priceless.

6. One pair of walking shoes? $60
A fast walk complete with lots of girl talk with one of your best friends in the world? Priceless.

6. Too much time passing between visits? I can not count the cost.
The promise to never let it happen again? Priceless.

We love you Chuck, Julie and kids! Words can not express what your friendship means to our family. You make us want to be better.

Thank you for gracing our home and our lives......We miss you already!

My friend IRL Deedra has started a great challenge over at her blog, NSpiredbyFaith. The basic idea is to set goals towards a better you and have a community of accountability and encouragement to help you meet them. Some goals may be health-oriented, others spiritually motivated. Every girl knows the areas she needs improvement!

My personal goals are these:

1. Stepping up in the area of study and writing. I want to set aside periods of time each day where this is my focus. Now obviously this will fluctuate depending upon my life at the time, but a girl has to have a goal to meet it!

We've had houseguests this week so I have failed miserably in this area...but watch out Monday! :) As for our company? If you are lucky, and I mean lucky in a 'God opened the sky and blessed me for no good reason' sense, then you have friends/mentors who raise the bar for you, who make you want to be better, and fan to flame the call of God on your life. Chuck and Julie are some of those friends for me and Luke and these few days with them and their precious kids have easily been the highlight of my year! We have not seen them since 1999 though we have remained in touch. I can't wait to tell you all about it...but that's for another post..

My Goal for next Friday? Finish my NT term paper and final exam. BTW - I made a 90 on my second exam. Not as good as the 100 on my first one, but it covered 11 units of study versus 4 so I'll take it! It is still an A! :)

2. Walking/Running 5 days per week - Check! Walking with a girlfriend is so cathartic. I walked with Deedra and Jenny a few days and Julie joined me on Thursday. If you possibly have opportunity to start your day with a prayer walk and praise/worship music, I promise you will be the better woman for it. Weight loss is not my ultimate goal here, but I am excited to say since I started this I have lost 5 lbs! :)

Goal this week? Keep it up with the 5 day walk/run but run more. I am up to running at least 2 miles of my 4 miles. I do this in intervals but I can tell my endurance is getting much better and even though I am not losing tons of weight, I can see some muscle tone returning. I also am going to add an ab workout three days per week.

3. More water, less Diet Coke *sigh* - I actually went on a Diet Coke fast last Saturday and was absolutely dizzy/drunk all day long. So, my diagnosis? Diet Coke must be good for me, else I wouldn't feel so yucky when I quit drinking it! For now, I am trying to limit it to 2 a day. I've done pretty well here and I am drinking much more water which I absolutely hate but I suppose I'll survive.

Goal for this week? Continue with 2 DC's a day...choke down water when possible....

4. Be showered and dressed each day by 10 am. Now unless you are a SAHM, you have no idea what a feat this really is. Especially in the summer when your house if full of kids begging for little things like food and affection. I know from FlyLady example that I feel much more ready to tackle the day when I can answer the door or greet my husband for lunch in something other than my sweaty walking clothes.

Have done pretty well here too, but mostly again because company was here....it is 11 today and I am ready except waiting on my pants to dry..:)


I hope you are setting your goals and attaining them.....I also pray that we put as much emphasis on our spiritual fitness as physical fitness. I am so proud of Deedra for setting this example!

Have a great weekend!

Come on over to the cafe' to read A Joyful Noise to see how one of my favorite people worships our God.

In my determination to be a godly mother, I have prescribed a daily dose of "Leave it to Beaver" for the children. In my opinion, there is no better show on television with the number of 'teachable moments' as this one. And June? She rocks. Can you even imagine vacuuming in a dress and high heels? Or making pot roast with all the trimmings on a Tuesday night? Yes, ma'am. June had it together and Ward was the better man for it.

Now I know 'ole Beaver could get himself in some messes and he and Wally could get in some huge fights, but underlying it all was a love and devotion I am trying so hard to instill in my boys. Every person on the planet needs to know at the end of the day there is one person who is on their side, will have their back, and loves them in spite of their faults. That's the kind of love Beaver and Wally have. *sigh*

Now yesterday's episode was a perfect example. Beaver had forgotten about a birthday party. Wally searched the neighborhood until he found a very muddy Beaver and brought him home to get ready. Ward dashed Beaver to the tub while June ran out to buy a gift. Beaver put on a suit and went to the birthday. (A suit to a birthday party? Are my boys the only ones who have never in their lives worn a suit?)

The show closed with an evening scene where Beaver had to scrub the tub from all the mud he had left while taking his bath. And here is the good part. Wally didn't want him to have to do it alone so he got down beside him and helped him. Be still my heart! Firstly, a boy scrubbing the tub? Secondly, another boy helping him without compulsion....?? I immediately turned to my oldest, Einstein and said:

Me: Einstein, that is what I was trying to get across to you in the car the other day. See how Beaver is scrubbing that tub? See how the older brother jumped in to help him even when he didn't have to? See how great friends and brothers they are? Don't you think you guys could try some of that?

Einstein: Yeah, right mom. Don't get your hopes up. This show was like, in the 50's, and from what I've heard, everything was PERFECT in the 50's..

As opposed to the millenium when moms do not cook and clean in heels. Or have matching aprons with every dress. Or yell to get their kids to clean their rooms.

A lot.

And you know, I've decided that is okay.....We may have some clutter. I may clean in my sweaty running clothes and not shower until lunch. The kids may beat the daylights out of each other. Though our household is not "50's Perfect", I know it is a home filled with love for God and one another.

Maybe not a scrubbing the bathtub together kind of love, but it is love nonetheless.

After a particularly horrid trip to Wal-Mart with all four of my children in which they fought, pushed each other to the floor, and knocked things off shelves all before passing the greeter, I decided it was time to have a 'Come To Jesus' meeting on the way home.

I explained to the boys (the baby girl wasn't involved as she more than once reminded me that she 'was bein' really good, mommy') that the Bible says if you do not love your brother whom you have seen, then you can not love God whom you have not seen. My rant continued with how they should 'be best friends' and take up for one another if someone outside the family is picking on them. I then told them my only job on planet earth was to make sure they loved God and one another... "and if ya'll DO NOT, what kind of mother does that make me??!! Does anyone understand what it is I am trying to teach you??!!!! "

Big Daddy (#3 boy - he's 7) said: "Yes, I know what you are trying to tell us....THAT WE ARE GOING STRAIGHT TO HELL!"

(Hey, he said it, not me! But the more I thought about it, I decided to let it play out for a minute to see if this could possibly work to my advantage.)

And at the mention of the word Hell, it all broke loose in my car. Have you ever wondered what 'wailing and gnashing of teeth' sounds like? Me too.

Not any more.

Apparently, mentioning Hell to a group of boys who have been brought up in church their whole lives hearing about that terrible place can be quite a traumatic thing - especially if one is suggesting they may be headed there because they cannot keep their hands to themselves at Walmart.

Before I knew it, the boys were repenting and promising to be kind to one another if each other would 'just quit being so annoying!' The peace treaty only lasted about four days, but those days were bliss.

If your summer is going anything like mine, and your Walmart trips sound at all similar, you are more than welcome to use the aforementioned tactic...I don't believe it will be in any James Dobson manual anytime soon, so you'd better get it here while it's hot....

FYI - School starts August 9th.

"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord He is God; it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture." Psalm 100:1-2

There are many things about my life as a Preacher's wife I consider atypical, however my Sunday morning seat on the 2nd pew, piano-side is about as predictable as it gets. What is unusual, however, is the motley crew of fellow worshipers who surround me. Along with my own children, my area has attracted many other young'uns - mostly boys. This past Sunday, there were thirteen of them. Yes, you read correctly. Thirteen boys on the front two pews. Thank the Lord for Children's Church!


There is one boy I particularly enjoy sitting with because of his love for worship. When the song director announces the page number in the hymnal, he immediately hands me a book to find the correct song for him. No one sitting near this fifteen-year-old during the song service can help but feel they are in the presence of angels.

The reason? Michael is deaf and mute.

Now obviously Michael is unable to form the words to the worship songs, but what he vocalizes instead is a, 'Woo, Woo, Woo' to the vibrations he feels from the speakers. This past Sunday, the congregational hymn was, 'The Star Spangled Banner'. As we neared the end, I thought to myself, "This is the part where we should all jump out of our seats and cheer. After all, we throw our hands in the air at a ballgame..Why not the Baptist Church?"

Michael must have sensed what I was thinking because at the end of that song he YELLED, 'Woo, Woo, WOOOOOOO!" That's all it took. I cried. Then I patted him on the back which is my way of letting him know he is special and I love him dearly. He just grinned and said, "Memen". His word for 'Amen'.

Amen, praise the Lord, Hallelujah, indeed!

As I thought about Michael's joyful noise, Psalm 100 immediately came to mind. I looked up the phrase 'a joyful noise' in my trusty Lexicon and discovered these meanings: "to split the ears with sound, to sound a trumpet, to shout with joy or for joy."

And then Michael's worship made more sense than ever. A joyful noise is not a word but a shout! There are times when no words can fully express the joy in our spirit, the depth of our grief, the praise of our graciously redeemed souls. There are occasions when the song of our heart is comprised of only one prolonged syllable, exhaled to the Only One who can translate. Just as the Spirit knows how to pray for us when we can not voice His will, I believe He sings the song to the Father we can not. And what a beautiful song it is.

Until that child can say the name Jesus, I believe 'woo hoo' will do.

Now it is time to pass it forward...Here are my five:

The second award is the Rockin' Blogger Award. I posted my response to Linda and Lisa who hooked me up with this one, but here are the girls to whom I am passing it forward:

Deedra at NSpiredByFaith - It is one thing to talk about 'being a better woman', (whatever that means to you) but another all together to do something about it. Deedra has started Fit4Life Fridays at her blog that challenges us to set goals and work towards attaining them. I know Deedra is working on hers because we run into each other at the walking track in the mornings! Let me tell you, it is some kind of dedicated woman that will get a 1-year old out at 8 am. Thanks for this challenge, Deedra!

Amanda at Baby Bangs - Because I have a feeling we would be great concert friends. There is nothing like throwing off the shackles of age and motherhood when it is time to throw down with your favorite praise band. I do believe Amanda is looking forward to David Crowder who is pretty rockin', but MY CASTING CROWNS (squeal!) are coming to Huntsville in October and I am sooo going to make an idiot out of myself. I can not wait!

Melody at Kids, Cakes, Dishes, Laundry - Because she can make a cake that looks like a uterus. Do I need to say anything else?





Colorado Dreaming - Because SHUT.UP. Have you seen the pictures of her land in Colorado? She says that someday she hopes God will let them have a ministry there. I have news for you, dear. God already lives on that land complete with MILK and HONEY. He is just waiting on you to get there!


Okay...I think that does it! I have linked more in this post than all other's total, may your authority increase! :)) Again, thank you girls who sent these awards my way and for those I passed it on too, let me know when you pass yours so I can take a look!

Have a great weekend!

Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee and Lisa at Lisa-Writes have both graciously bestowed the Rockin' Girl Blogger Award upon me. Do you have any idea how awesome I think this is? For someone who ceased being cool in 1989, to be considered in the least bit Rockin' throws me right back to the days of Prince and legwarmers. I feel like I should flick my lighter and sway.

Linda's remarks were these:

The Preacher's Wife - where Lisa, with really great hair, I might add, regularly inspires and entertains me. And forgives me (I hope) for failing miserably at a certain Bible study.

Hair?? Did someone say Hair? I've got your hair right here:

Can anyone say 4 inches on top? Exactly? And how about those back bones? I've not seen those since kid #2.

Lisa #1 said this:

The Preacher's Wife - Her name is Lisa. She is the mom of four. She lives in Alabama.In a small town no less, not too far from here. She's a Bible teacher and speaker. Evidently she and I have been living parallel lives and it took the great blog world for us to meet. If I rock, then so does she.

Ya'll, this is sooo Star Trek...The whole parallel universe and everything...:)) One day, and it has to be soon or I'll go nuts, I'm going to meet this girl. I've got this crazy feeling we'll be great friends. :))

Thank you so much girls for the nomination....Ya'll rock!

And I know, I am supposed to pass this on.... I am working on that...We are having company Monday and I have absolutely GOT to go scrub some more baseboards and clean out my fridge right.this.minute. I promise I'll fulfill more of my obligations tomorrow. I still need to get with Iris and Christine on the Blogger Reflection awards they sent my way.

Ya'll are just blessing my socks off! What a great feeling to be behind on collecting awards! :))

P.S. I'm DYING to see your 80's hair...we've gotta do a party on that one, okay? If you are in, let me know and we'll set it up...:)

Much love to you, girls....Be Back Soon! :)

I can never get over how quickly Thursdays roll around and how much my Thankful list can evolve from the week before...

Here are just a few things for which I am grateful:

1. College friends. Luke and I have talked to two different sets of friends from college this week...One of which is coming to visit us for a few days next week! I am so grateful there is nary a place in the USA I could travel and not have a friend there. I am BESIDE MYSELF over our upcoming visit...I'll tell you all about it when it is over..:)

2. All your encouraging comments on the 'I AM' study. You girls truly make a girl want to love Jesus more and learn more about Him...Thank you for blessing me by participating.

2. Early morning walks and a husband who lets me take them before he goes to work. This is such a great time for praise/prayer/worship and when I am about to speak or teach, a way I can talk out loud to make sure things flow like I want them to...And, while the kids are out of school for the summer, a girl needs a few minutes in the morning to collect herself before the madness of the day begins.

3. Provision. God knows.

4. My friends Iris and Linda who have given me awards for which I have yet to respond by post. I AM WORKING ON IT! :)) I've been working like mad trying to get some projects done before our friends come to visit, so the blogging has been weak..:)

5. Ball season is over....we finally have our evenings back! Not that we are any less busy, but now at least we have a little more choice in our activities. We were tired and I was ready for it to be over...I say that now...The fever will be back full force before long.

6. Our churches upcoming missions trip to Montgomery, AL. We went to this area last year and received much more of a blessing than we gave. I can't wait to go back!

I know as soon as I post this, I will think of many more but I'll save it for next time.....

For more Thankfuls, go see my precious friend, Iris, at Sting My Heart!

I accidentally stumbled across the best way to scent the drawers in my dresser. I have never really cared if I had scented drawers, but when this happened I decided I loved it!

I had changed the Plug-Ins cartridges and somehow one ended up in my drawer. The fragrance was sooo good and it was an unexpected indulgence having my 'unmentionables' smell so nice. I think this is a great way to recycle those little cartridges when they are no longer strong enough to scent the room...I also have begun putting them in my boys' sock drawers. Their feet can use all the help they can get :)

Recycling Plug In cartridges, Works for me!

For more WFMW, go visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer...

It seems that my darling Einstein has sufficiently replaced the evil of The Vacation Shirt with the good of the Happy Shirt.

Tonight, all the kids were playing outside and apparently the Princess got her foot stomped by Squid. The screaming commenced and Einstein, being the peacemaker that he is, swiftly took off the football jersey he was wearing and put it on Princess. He then convinced her it was the Happy Shirt and when she wore it, she had to be, well, happy!

Oh my gosh, it worked! She ran in, grinning from ear to ear showing me how Einstein had given her The Happy Shirt and she felt all better! Can you even believe that? Do you have any stinkin' idea what I go through on a daily basis with that girl's drama and all I had to do 4 years ago was buy a Happy Shirt?

Just wanted to let you know I am SO going to put the Happy Shirt into production....You can have your own Happy Shirt for the low, low price of $39.99 + S&H. (patent pending)

Shoot, I may even sell enough to pay for my laptop..:)

Ya'll, my computer is seriously tired. I never noticed we had much issue with page load speed until I started blogging and now it seems like it takes forever stinking ever to get from one page to another. If you think I am snobbing you on commenting on your blogs, I am SO not trying to...It just takes 3 hours to get to everyone in my sidebar much less you new girls I am loving to read. Feedblitz is looking better and better but I miss commenting with that...Luke and I are also competing for computer time on a much larger scale as we both are frantic to get our sermons/Bible studies typed, complete school work, and work in a friendly game of Luxor when the addiction mood hits.

So, I've decided to start saving my money towards a lap top...This may take a while seeing as I have no job or anything so technically, I do not have any money to save. I should say that Luke will start saving money for me a laptop though he may not totally be aware of this yet...I do have a birthday and Christmas coming up so maybe I can find some justification in there somewhere.

What I need to know from you is, do any of you have laptops you are in love with? That are lighting fast and don't weigh 50 lbs? That are easy to plug in to a printer? Will I need a separate printer or is it just as easy to hook in with the one I have for my desktop? If so, please tell me about them. I don't know anything about all the Gigabytes and Mhz stuff or cd write speeds...I just need someone to tell me what I need to get that works for you....Once I figure this out I'm going to get an idea on price so I can start collecting Luke's change and writing my grocery checks for $20 over...You know the drill...

This sister in need thanks you in advance for all the yummy technical advice I just know you are going to send my way! :)

My new friends at Lisa-Writes and Morning Song have tagged me for a 'Favorite Restaurant' Meme...These are supposed to be local favorites but there are honestly not five restaurants in my town. I thought I'd depart from the rules just a bit and tell you my favorite restaurants in some of the towns we've lived or visited. Maybe some of these will end up being close to one of you!


1. Mi Casita - located where I live now. This is the hands-down best Mexican restaurant ever....Mario is the owner and we are totally on a first name basis. He also let's me practice my broken Dora the Explorer Spanish on him...What is also great about him is I can call and say, 'We are on our way from church with 20 people' and he'll clear everyone out and within 10 minutes have our table ready...He also gives my kids free cheese dip and puts extra mushrooms on my chicken burrito...Mario rocks!

2. Boonie Mae's - Batesville, Mississippi. We lived in nearby Clarksdale for a few months while we were on missions assignment with the North American Mission Board and this meal was a gift from the Director of Missions there....He and his wife even kept the kids while we went! (Only Einstein and Squid at the time.. :) This place has the best rib eye I have EVER put in my mouth. It was wrapped in bacon and had some kind of scrumptuous spices on it. The atmosphere was wonderful...I hope we'll have a chance to go back someday!

3. High Point - Monteagle Mtn., TN. This is only about an hour from where I live now...We went here for my birthday last year...This place is so cool and mysterious! The restaurant is in the 1930's mansion of the gangster Al Capone's mistress which he had built as a hideout. There are secret tunnels for easy escape during police raids. I had a dish called the High Point Oscar which is filet with crab meat and bearnaise (sp?) sauce....i'll never forget it...fantastic!!

4. Cumberland Gap Tea Room, Cumberland Gap, TN - This area is beautiful...in the Tri State area of VA, KY, and TN....We lived in Pineville, KY for 4 years while hubs attended Clear Creek Baptist Bible College. These are our years in a proverbial bubble...easily some of the best of our lives....Anyway, enough sentiment, The Tea Room specializes in Prime Rib and is located in an old bank building...you can walk a bit down the street in the town and feed enormous trout in a stream...lots of fun for the kids...I miss this place too...

5. Uncle Ernie's - Panama City Beach, FL - This is where we vacation every year both in the summer and in October with some of our best friends (no kids allowed) If you love seafood, this is the place to eat it...This restaurant sits on the water in the old city of Panama...I am a crab cake girl and these are the best I have ever eaten, anywhere.....

Hope you have a chance to visit one of these!! I take my food seriously and you will not be disappointed with any of these meals...:))

I've seen this meme around quite a bit so I won't tag anyone, but please jump in if you want and tell me if you do so I can link you!

Have a great Saturday!!

I will never forget the day the Preacher and I were in the obstetrician's office and the sonographer announced the news, 'It's a Girl!'

'That's impossible. We don't make girls", I said. However, after seeing three boys on an ultrasound, it was utterly apparent this was no male child I was carrying.

We left that office and immediately began daydreaming about what she would be like. With three older brothers, we envisioned her wearing blue jeans, pushing Hot Wheels through the dirt, and spitting. Yes, our girl would be a tomboy because how could she possibly be anything but?

Fast-forward five years. Picture a pink bedroom with a pink fairy comforter. Open the closet and see clothing in every conceivable shade of , what else, pink hanging intermittently with various Disney Princess and Cheerleader costumes. Find every Barbie ever made, except for Tanner the Dog which I have just not been able to bring myself to buy. Yet.

The Preacher and I have got ourselves a Drama Princess. We are still uncertain where she came from and are not altogether convinced there wasn't a switch at the hospital. How, oh how did we end up with a girl who sleeps with lip gloss? Where did we get a child who has already proclaimed she is ready to meet her Prince Charming and could we just go ahead and drop her off at his castle? When did it become possible in my testasterone-filled house for a 4-year old to prefer fashion accessories over a toy weapon?

With that said, I told ya'll I let her buy a shirt at Target for $1.75 while we were on vacation. I was sooo proud I was getting out of buying her something extravagant for her 'vacation prize' and as I said, clothing is better to her than a toy any day. I should have splurged because that $1.75 shirt has cost me roughly $988 in therapy bills thus far.

Little Princess is pretty ticky about her couture. Things have to fit 'right' and 'match' and heaven forbid you try to take a shirt from one outfit and put it with pants from another. Oh no, ma'am. That is simply not done. I am pushing to buy this $1.75 shirt so I convinced her it was the same color blue as the rhinestone butterfly on a skirt she already had. After very thoughtful consideration, she agreed that yes, that sounded like it may work. I bought the shirt in XS thinking I had the perfect, cheap gift.

The Shirt has spaghetti straps which are adjustable with buttons. It also has a little jacket which fits over the whole deal. Princess decides she doesn't like the jacket but the problem is, without the jacket, the shirt is a bit big around. It is nothing adjusting the straps can fix, it is strictly a circumference problem.

She decides if we put a paper clip on the straps it will tighten it enough so it will be 'Right' because her clothing, it has to be 'Right'. We try the paperclip. Not Right. She then decides that we may be able to tie the straps around her neck. Her instructions? "Make it a whole lot of tight and a little loose."

???What??? What in heaven's name is a whole lot of tight and a little loose?? (Sounds like a bad joke with the punchline: A Baptist in a bar...hardy har)

Apparently, I still do not know because no amount of tightness or looseness was making things 'right'. She whined and flopped and tugged at this shirt. She cried as she posed in front of the mirror to see just how she looked while she was doing it. SO - I made her take the shirt off which should have made her happy, but the wailing got even louder until I finally had to threaten to throw The Shirt off the balcony. When the screaming commenced, I popped her little fanny, put her in bed, and dared her to say the words 'my new little shirt' again.

As I was walking out of the bedroom I heard, in the tee-niniest voice, 'I want my little shirt'. At this point, I can't decide whether to throw myself off the balcony or The Shirt. I was seriously leaning on the former.

So I told ya'll this to have you guess what just happened to get left at the condo? Accidentally on purpose? I'm thinking it will be a great gift for our friend's granddaughter who we rented from.

So far, she has no idea...Say a prayer for both of us because one more mention of The Shirt and one of us is going down.....

And I'm afraid it is going to be me.

Go visit Iris at Sting My Heart to read other Thankfuls or to participate yourself!

Have a blessed week! :))

Hey Girls!





As we begin today, let's take a moment to regain our context.

In Lesson 7, we found Moses on the 'west side of the wilderness' asking God the very important question of 'who am I, but more importantly, who are You?' God re-introduced Himself to Moses as 'I AM' or 'Yahweh', a Name of God that had not yet been revealed to the children of Israel. By giving Himself this memorial name, God forever established His faithfulness to His covenant people in times past, present, and future.

Too often our identity is found in a material possession or social status. When asking ourselves, 'Who am I?', be certain the answer is bound in the heart of Christ. He is everything we can not be and sufficient to fill every needy place. He is beautiful, all-knowing, strong, self-assured, and so much more so we do not have to be! When our lives are entertwined with His Spirit, we will never have to long to be more than we are, for HE IS. Praise Him!

In the beginning of Exodus 4, Moses is still at the bush continuing his dialogue with God. Thus far, the Lord has been gracious in continuing to assure Moses of His presence for this huge undertaking. God continuously refers to the Israelites as 'His people' which incidentally is the first time they are referred to in this way. God promised the Patriarchs He would make the Israelites into a great nation while in Egypt. Referring to them as 'His people' was yet one more fulfillment of this covenant.

In my own imagination, I almost feel Moses getting more nervous as God tells Him he has to go to the elders of Israel and tell them about his meeting with God. Exodus 4:1 gets us to the heart of the matter, "What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, 'The Lord has not appeared to you."

And there it was - all the old fear, rejection, shame rearing its ugly head. Everything Moses had shoved down for 40 years was now staring at him right in the face and demanding action. Moses had tried to help the Israelites once to which they ridiculed him with the response, 'who made you ruler and judge over us?' How do you recover from that? Most of us would do exactly what Moses did. Run. Hide. Shove it down and pretend it never happened. The problem is, whatever your 'it' is will revisit you. It is only a matter of when.

God continued to exhibit great patience with Moses. 'What is that in your hand?', He asked. The staff Moses held was an object of irony. In the hand that once held a prince's scepter now rested a shepherd's crook which symbolized all that was detestable to Egypt. 'Throw it down, Moses', God said. Moses obeyed and watched in amazement as the staff became a serpent. I am taken with the fact the serpent was the Egyptian symbol of sovereignty and most Pharaohs wore a serpent at the forefront of their headdress as a display of their absolute authority. This meaning was not lost on God, I can assure you.

What did Moses do when the serpent appeared? He ran, just like he ran from Egypt. He fled from his failure, his shame, his sin. And yet God stopped him and said, 'Take that snake by the tail, Moses.' Girls, there is only so much time we need to spend dwelling on our past failures, shames, and heartaches. The God who allows despair has also ordained a deliverance. Hear the following quote from Alistair Begg of Truth for Life Ministries (LOVE HIM!):

'Some Christians are sadly prone to look on the dark side of everything, and to dwell more upon what they have gone through than upon what God has done for them. Ask for their impression of the Christian life, and they will describe their continual conflicts, their deep afflictions, their sad adversities, and the sinfulness of their hearts, but with scarcely any reference to the mercy and help that God has provided them.'

There comes a time when it is necessary to overcome our fear, stop wallowing in misery, and embrace the experiences of our lives for what they are - a tool for the wonders of God. Why? 'So they will believe God appeared to you'. I have met so many amazing women in my life who have experienced great tragedy. They have lost children, suffered abuse, experienced divorce, overcome drug addiction and yet through their testimony, I know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob appeared to her or else she would be locked away in an insane asylum. Stop running from that serpent and take it by the tail! Use it for God's glory and watch as Satan becomes impotent before the Holy One of Israel.

I gave you 1 John 2:14 as a key verse because it is one God used mightily in my life the past two weeks I have been on blog break. I have to confess to you I have been so overwhelmingly tired and have been seeking God's guidance in prioritizing my life and laying down things He has not ordained for this season. When I would pray about the blog, a small voice would whisper, 'You don't have to do this to yourself, you know. You started blogging on a whim and you can quit just as easily. It's not as if anyone out there is real. They won't care if you drop out.' I am ashamed to say it took a minute to recognize whose voice it was. (Please don't be offended by the 'they aren't real' statement...realize it was Satan putting this thought in my head...get mad at him, okay??! :)) I asked God to show me if He wanted me to quit, to lay aside the computer for awhile. And then, I got home from vacation and had the most amazing emails from you. Notes that asked questions, encouraged, reflected on what God is doing in your lives through this study and immediately I knew that you ARE REAL and that for some amazing reason, God has put us in this wonderful community together to hold one another's hands as we find the courage to hold forth our own unique 'staff' as a display of His Wonders. What we have in our hand is our own Truth and Jesus said, 'the Truth will set you free'. Our freedom is not only for our sake, but also to aid in the deliverance of others. 'Therefore, strenghten the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.' Hebrews 12:12-13

So, during that time of prayer and reflection, God bound up my heart and confirmed to me that indeed, He ordained this writing ministry for these days and that one benefit to me is to teach that He is enough to carry me through days of discouragement. I find this blog to be a blessed 'obligation' which forces me to be faithful to my study and fan to flame my heart for ministry. You girls, YOU VERY REAL GIRLS, are what keep me going and I thank you so very much for that.

So, in conclusion, I continue to write to you, my dear girlfriends, because you and I are strong, the Word of God abides in us, and we have overcome the evil one! Rejoice in that! It is time to take that serpent by the tail, go back to our people - our circle of influence - and say to them, 'The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has appeared to me. He has delivered me,He can deliver you, and I'll walk beside you while He does it. Now come, I'll show you the way home.'

Praise you, Lord, for so mighty a rescue.

Let's think about that in our Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever been in a situation where you had to 'go back' to a place of shame or ridicule? How did that make you feel?

2. Is there any circumstance in your life that still has you running for cover? Share if you feel comfortable.

3. When is the last time you felt like an overcomer?

4. If you have not yet taken the serpent by the tail, are you willing to stop running, take hold and trust God to transform it into a tool for wonders?

5. I would like for you to write down this statement based on 1 John 2:14 somewhere you will see it often this week: "I am strong, the Word of God abides in me, and I have overcome the evil one." Memorize it. Say it over and over until you believe it. Will you do this?? Most of the time, there are no right or wrong answers, but on this one, I'm expecting a 'yes'!

Blessings on you as you continue this study!! I am crazy about you girls!! :)) Leave your link if you are posting your responses on your blog and don't forget to go visit one another!

As if the new truck were not enough, I got an email Sunday evening that left me in a lip lock with my computer screen.

A few months back, I submitted a story to Tyndale Publishers for a Chicken Soup for the Soul-styled book called, "Soul Food for Women". I can barely believe I am typing this, but I just received a tentative acceptance from the editor saying if her submission makes it through the final editing process at Tyndale, then my story would be in a real live book!

DID YOU HEAR THAT!??! SOMETHING I WROTE MAY BE IN A REAL LIVE BOOK!!

Okay, I'm disabling caps now...

I may have just jinxed myself by even telling this news so early on, but I couldn't contain myself. I am supposed to get final word about whether the story will be included sometime in July...I'll keep you posted...Please say a little prayer it makes it! :))

For those of you who have been around here for a while, you've heard me talk about The Preacher's beloved truck, the Blue Goose. Now you have to understand that though Goose isn't the most lovely vehicle in town, hubby loves her. She has been faithful and most importantly, paid for. There has never been any mistaking when he has been visiting about town or running some errand here or there because the blue of this truck commands attention. 'There goes The Preacher', passers-by will say and he will happily wave back forever in awe that God has blessed him with a ministry that allows him to meet people where they are and simply love them. Hubs enjoyes the pulpit but he is happiest beating the bushes whether it be to cut someone's grass or lend an ear to a soul who just needs to know there is someone who cares. He does care, ya'll. More than you can imagine and it is just one of the reasons I love him so.

But, I can also safely tell you there is no amount of sentiment that would prevent Luke from trading in the Goose for this:




Now hold on to your seats for this one...



We got home from vacation on Saturday and though we were sad it was over, we were excited to get back to church the next morning. It was Father's Day and at the end of the service, our wonderful deacon chairman A. called Luke and me to the stage and proceeded with telling us through tears how much he loved our church and family. (I can assure you the feeling is completely mutual.)



He then called out R., the deacon who had played the 'We Got You a New Truck' joke only to present hubs with a shiny TOY Ford. A. asked R. to come to the stage because he was going to have him formally apologize before the congregation for that terrible incident. Now Luke and I are a little uncomfortable for this dear guy because we adore him and have hoped this fiasco was long behind us. But upon coming to the stage, R. pulled a key from his pocket and asks us to go outside of the church...



We walked outside with 200 people behind us and this truck is what was waiting for us. It is a brand new Chevrolet Silverado, paid for even down to the tags. Luke and I immediately burst into tears and we haven't really stopped yet.



I told the crowd then and I'll tell you now - when you bless my dear husband, you bless me. When you encourage him, you encourage me. When you tell him you love him, you've loved me. He has never owned a new vehicle in his 40 years and to say this is an overwhelming gift just doesn't do the matter justice. I am absolutely swollen with pride to see my preacher finally have a vehicle that people will want to ride in instead of calling to say, "Let's go to lunch. And by the way, I'll drive". Seeing his face was like seeing a boy again - and you know how boys like their toys. He is absolutely smitten with his.



This morning as I walked, I put the iPod on shuffle and asked God to ordain my praise and worship. Oh did He ever. Every song was one of thanksgiving to the point I had to stop and raise my hands while crying my eyes out. I know the guy who was unloading stock into the grocery store not far from my walking track was thinking I had lost my ever loving mind but that just has to be okay today. I have a lot to be grateful for. My God continues to take my breath away so if that means I've got to raise my hands to him in front of a stockboy from time to time, so be it.



To my church family - Thank you will never be enough. How do we express to you how much we love you? How much you have made us feel like we have always been a part of your lives? How much we feel like you've always been a part of ours? How can you know how much we praise the Lord because of you? We will never be able to say enough or do enough to convey our gratitude but we'll never get over trying. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this indescribable gift.

2 Cor. 9:10 - 11 'Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread
for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the
harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all
liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God."

Vacation 2007 is officially over and the time has come to return to a life that no longer consists of lying on the beach with the sun on my face and sand between my toes while the ocean waves provide the perfect backdrop to hours of Alistair Begg Podcasts. *Sigh*

No matter how hard getting ready for vacation may be, or how loud the yelling in the car, or how much gas it takes to get a Suburban to Florida, it is sooo worth it to see things like this little moment of tenderness:



Isn't it what vacation is all about??? :)

Come over and read, 'As Waters Gone By', to see how the book of Job addresses this issue...

It's a lesson we all want to learn from the creek bank!

I have missed you all tremendously on my break and can't wait to see you again on Monday the 18th! :))

'A what?' you say? That would be a BLog-BrEAK...Put those words together and you can conclude that things are going to be a bit BL-EAK around here for the next bit.
The reason? I have 3 weeks worth of activity which must be completed in ONE. I'll never get it done if I am on the computer! :)

Before I take my temporary leave, I'd love your suggestions on something...(thanks for the book recommendations by the way..I'll be reading for 6 months:)

When we go on vacation Saturday (yaaayyyy!) we are going to be cooking in the room for all but 2 nights and I need some recipe inspiration...We will be in a condo so we can't grill, but I would love to hear about some of your favorite, simple, family-night meals.

Also the 'I AM' Study will be on a break as well. I am a girl who knows her limitations and there is simply too much to do for me to study like I need and want to. Ya'll don't leave me! Hang in there and it'll be back real soon. If you would like to read ahead, the next Lesson will in Exodus 4. We'll talk about God taking 'what is in our hands' and using it as a tool for wonders. We'll also touch on 'the secret lives of women'..Intrigued? I hope..God has a lot to say about a clear conscience...If you have noticed I have digressed a bit from my original outline, it is only because there is just too much rich material in Chapters 3 and 4 of Exodus to skip over! I'll update the outline when we are out of Chapter 4...

SO - with all that said, I am going to make my kids take a bath and put some clothes on (if I can get them off the sofa), wash 14 loads of laundry (I'm not exaggerating), get ball uniforms ready, pack for vacation, clean my disgusting house (dishwasher is broken so I'll be using manual labor on that chore), clean my disgusting car, and finish decorating my VBS room. And oh yes, my class will appreciate it if I somehow work a bath in for myself sometime today. I chose a nice walk and prayer time this morning over a shower..:) It was well worth it...

I'll check back in, so please don't forget to leave me some good recipes! :))

Blessings on you, girls!