Ha...- what?!!

So how does God speak to you?  I love having these kinds of conversations with girlfriends and with last week being LOVE week – my birthday - Valentine’s Day – and Bible Studying/Prayer time with a circle of awesome ladies – it was the perfect time to focus on God’s whispers!

It's been almost 2 months since my fingertips have played here; but I’ve thought about writing a blog post since I was away with my hubs for my birthday.  Yet, somehow, my personal writing time has been interrupted often with one set of 2 year old hands.

Do you ever wish there was more time in your day?

Honestly, just as the season here is beginning to change, I feel God is preparing me for a season of change.  He whispered recently and I thought I would share…with intentions and hopes that maybe by you reading this blog, it will tune your ears to His own whisper for you and your path. 

With the recent move our friends made about 2 hours away; my hubs thought it would be a great birthday gift to wisp me away to visit them.  He reserved a room for us at a historic hotel located in the town square. The hotel was named after a nearby river, the Hassayampa River…say that 10-times fast-ha!

Here is an amusing photo my hubby took of me in 4 different places in the lobby…it was beautiful inside, with both a touch of old and a touch of new!

Hassayampa is an Apache Indian word that means “the river that loses itself.”  The river apparently is 100 miles long but at a point it disappears beneath the surface only to reappear down the way. 

As I sat in the lobby reading about the history and the fact that the hotel itself opened in 1927, but then for a time closed down and the rooms served a different purposes for a while…a boarding house, a radio station and an interim campus for the College

A burning sensation filled my heart as I read this…

Then I remembered

1-  A Prayer

2-  A Memory

3-  A Quote

4-  A Word

In addition, to remembering that I had been praying and asking God to direct my efforts and my time these days and to show me where to focus my energy; a flash of memories from these past few years came before me:

1-A circle of women God brought before me to pray with and for me

2-A fresh new gift from God to write for the purpose of encouraging not only my heart, but other women’s hearts.

3-Our moving to a new home/new community/new church, now almost 2 years ago.

4-The surprise-special birth of our third son and the current two-year old training that is consuming my heart at this present time.

I then remembered a quote from John Maxwell that I know was at the heart of what a dear friend shared with me recently:  Learn to say no to the good, so you can say yes to the best.

And last but certainly not the least, I remembered God’s Words in Isaiah 43:18-19 that seemed to be whispering over my heart as it pertained to my personal writing. 

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  

See I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  

I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

With that, sweet bloggy-Princess Path girlfriends I believe God is nudging me to flow onward for a time…focusing on some other things before me…maybe soon to re-appear like the Hassayampa River further down the path. 

Until we meet again here…keep seeking – keep going – keep walking down that Princess Path that God has for you!

Even though you may not see me in this cyber realm, you can trust that I will still be walking; hand in hand with the One who whispers so beautifully and I seek continually- but not perfectly to guide my heart.  And who knows what God has in store…like the Hassayampa River my writing may reappear. 

Merry Christmas!

Neighborhood Christmas Party

Light Parade & Santa

I have really been intentional about keeping my focus at home this month of December while my husband finished his Master's and two of my boys celebrated birthdays as well as preparing for this wonderful Christmas Season.  Here are some fun pictures from the month...

Go PACK!

Decorating our tree

Gingerbread House Making

Mission Women KNOW event

Neighborhood Christmas Party

Birthday Celebration #2

 Company Christmas Party

Ugly Sweater Party with friends

My oldest 12th B-day

Lit the fireplace while we watched "It's A Wonderful Life."

and time to light the fire place and enjoy some more family time.  Merry Christmas!

Visit a special blog I wrote today at Girlfriendit here.  Peace-Love-Joy to you and yours my bloggy-friends!

Scar or Birthmark?

Photo found here:
http://blogs.babble.com/famecrawler/2010/12/27/
drew-brees-scar-isnt-a-scar-at-all-its-a/

I don’t watch much television these days…really I just don’t know where I can fit it in?!? 

However, over the long weekend, I did catch a program that highlighted some celebrities.

My boy was hooked into watching it because Quarterback, Drew Brees was on the show sharing bits about his life. 

I was walking by the TV with a load of laundry and Brees’s words compelled my soul and caused my feet to plant into the carpet at that moment.  Normally, I said I don’t watch TV, but at this moment I planted myself right in front of it and my families’ voices echoed behind me “Mom!”  As my sudden intrigue undoubtedly blocked their view. 

Brees was talking about the scar on his right cheek; and I have to giggle a little bit because I am not a huge fan and never noticed the scar before; but I did at the beginning of the show and was thinking he must have suffered a good hit during the previous week’s game. 

Did you know about Drew Brees’ scar on his face?  If you didn’t, like me, we are not alone.  Check out this clip of Brees on the Oprah show back in 2010.  Oprah thought he had lipstick on his face-ha!

While I was being encouraged to move my feet away from the TV during this program Brees’s words about his scar stuck to me. 

We all have scars, don’t we?  They may not be physical scars – maybe they are emotional scars that we can’t see but we know that they are there. 

Brees acknowledged that we all have something and said, “I don’t want to have it removed; it’s a part of me (referring to his birthmark/scar).” 

Really?!?  Now that is perspective!

I thought of how much energy I have expended in my life wanting to remove my scars.  Scars from previous relationships, scars from past abuse, scars from mistakes I’ve made…all scars that I wish were not there. 

Why not wear them as part of me?  Why not wear yours as a part of you? 

No need to hide them…just let them be. 

For, like Drew Brees said, we all have something! 

And I think of many in the Bible who had scars that they just let be.  Take Peter for instance who wore the scar of denial three times.  I bet he can relate to my desire at times to remove some scars – for the Bible says he wept bitterly after his denial.  (Matthew 26) 

Whether it is a scar that we were born with, a scar caused by our own mistakes or a scar caused by the negligence of another…if we surrender it all to Jesus- we are justified freely by His grace (Romans 3).  And we are saved by His grace, (Eph 2). 

May we accept it all for what it is and let our marks be...

“How you made me is amazing and wonderful. I praise you for that. What you have done is wonderful. I know that very well.”  (Psalm 139:14 NrIV)

Thankful for Hats - "Hats Off" (or ON) for Jesus!

It was nearly time to head out the door and my to do list that day had encroached on my time needed to wash my hair before a meeting that night. 

I have been so out of the public “Thankful” loop this month; but if I was posting on my blog and FB page continually like many are doing this month, I would have posted:  

"So thankful for this hat my hubby bought me and this fall weather enabling me to wear it tonight since I really need to wash my hair." 

As I drove away to make my meeting, I thought for just a second—

How dirty my hair was but how fabulous I looked in my hat…I say this with humble confidence.  And remembering that I am just a simple girl, trying to balance a life that matters in my home for my three growing boys, my husband and also pouring into others because Jesus loves me…and you!

Could my dirty hair being covered with a fabulous hat be similar to us coming to God with all of our weaknesses, imperfections and insecurities and still being upheld and shining for Him?  (shine like I did that night in my hat-ha!)

For, “a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. “ (Romans 3:21-22)

I continued to chuckle to myself on the drive with God and asked Him, “Why am I feeling so awesome in this hat?”  And I sensed this feeling from God that it is and awesome feeling to be upheld in His righteousness…

I felt an encouragement come over me from the Lord—and this experience is better than any loving comment from a girlfriend…

”Don’t take personal anything or anyone who points out your imperfections…for I have covered you!”

Have you listened to the Girlfriendit podcast about how NOT to take things personal?  You can download it here. 

I felt as if God played before me on my 20 minute drive a brief synopsis of times I had taken things personal and gotten discouraged because of others and things like my dirty hair-ha!

He reminded me briefly of discouragement and minor set-backs because of:

*Projects/assignments overlooked 

*Disapproving looks or comments

*Not hearing back from that proposal

*Jealousy in previous ministries and gifts being buried

Then as I continued to drive and pay attention to traffic of course; it was as if God turned my inner-thought focus to the fact with every discouraging act that God brought to the forefront of my mind that resembled my dirty hair in need of being remedied with a cute hat; was covered with its own glorious hat….

*A project or two may have been overlooked—but there were some that were accepted.

*With a girlfriend’s once disapproving look in the past that I left unchecked…I was later able to call her out on it and clear the air and many more girlfriends have appeared with encouraging glances.

*I may not have heard back from a proposal…but I am hearing loud and clear to keep going!

*For those times I have felt my gifts were buried; there are more times that God has brought others to help me find and use my gifts – all for His glory!  And jealousies will exist but I need not take them personal...but shall pray and guard my own heart from them.

Do you have something similar?  Is there a similar hat in your closet that you can put on today when it is time to rush out the door?

Let’s rejoice in the LORD and learn from His example to not take things personal…Girlfriendit shard 5 Great Tips Here....

AND yes, let’s thank Him for hats!

Forever Reign in Our Hearts - Live Well...Finish Strong!

I’m having trouble keeping up with my writing this week after falling behind last week due to various things…

I began to ponder a little bit about falling short…falling behind…

How do you handle things when you fall in some way?

Do you have a group of girlfriends ready to help you when the weight or the pressures of life creep in?

This past weekend, I thought it was fitting to cheer my girlfriend and surprise her by cheering her on the last leg of her 60 miles.  She participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the cure.  When are you most vulnerable to fall-quit-give up in your journey?  Is it at the beginning - the middle - or the end?

I am reminded of Bill Hybel's words during the Leadership Summit 2012.  Hybels asked a question pertaining to taking a team from ‘here’ to ‘there.’  The question is when are we most vulnerable to quit and doubt and be discouraged - at the beginning - the middle - the end?  The answer was in the middle; but I have to say it is not so much for me.

Maybe, I am weird and outside of the norm, but it is something like this for me...I am most vulnerable when I am ALMOST there:

Can you relate?

As a believer in Christ, I want to be surrounded by others who are going to spur me on and encourage me in the Word.

I know we are not perfect-but can we wrap ourselves in the love of Jesus and turn away from things that do not breathe life in our beings and relationships. 

Is there something God is calling you to turn away from?  May you turn now-so that you don’t fall later.

This past week my kids' school was lined with trees wrapped with red-ribbon and I felt as if God was reminding me that we are loved-more precious than these trees that now look so ‘special’ with red ribbons on them. 

We have been given so many gifts-gifts that may not have a red bow on them, but gifts that breathe life into a world that is dying. 

I sang yesterday with my church family “Forever Reign,” and I caught myself crying out to God in between the lyrics…Do you every do that?

We sang, "The riches of your love will always be enough…."

And I cried out quietly to myself...

"Oh Lord, I know your love is enough-help me to live and act as if it is enough.—

You can check out this YouTube video with the song and lyrics here.

Then as I was reading this blog, I read these beautiful words: 

Jesus did not die on the cross just to get us out of hell and into heaven. He died on the cross to get Himself out of heaven and into us! That is resurrection life – and the very place where we get our enough!

May He in you be ENOUGH this week.  Let's live well this week and finish strong girlfriends!