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7.30.2009

Check, Check, Check

Hair dryer and hair products? CHECK.

Make-up? CHECK.

Acccesories? CHECK.

Capris? CHECK.

Cute flip-flops? CHECK.

Painted toes to sport the cute flip-flops? CHECK.

Cell phone so I can call my new bloggin' friends and meet up with them? CHECK.

Camera to take pictures of new bloggin' friends, as well as Kay, Beth, and Priscilla and whatever else may need to be documented with a picture? CHECK.

Bible, Bible bag, journal, and pen? CHECK, CHECK, CHECK, and CHECK.

Open heart ready to hear a Word from the Lord? CHECK. AMEN and HALLELUJAH!


Come, Lord Jesus, and speak a Word over your servants. Tune our hearts to hear You and our lives to obey You. May we leave Greensboro, NC changed, refreshed, renewed, and on fire with a greater passion for You. Amen!


Off to Deeper Still- see ya in a few!!!


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7.29.2009

Deeper Still Conference


I am so siked about the weekend. Tomorrow I leave for the Deeper Still Conference in Greensboro, NC. There's just nothing like gathering together with thousands of women lifting our voices to heaven and digging into the Word as His servant's boldly proclaim the Truths of Scripture. Nothing like it, I tell ya- nothing!!

I'm curious, will YOU be there? If so, I would love to try to connect with you sometime during the weekend. Leave me a comment or send me an email and we'll work on getting together.



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7.28.2009

Foundations Co-op

It's that time of year again- time to get out those school books and get to workin'. Can I just tell you that I'm totally pumped about this year. Yes, this is our fourth year of home schooling and yes, all the other years have been great, but this one is going to be so much different.

Last night I met with a group of women with whom my family will be joining for co-op this year. These ladies are not only passionate about home schooling their children, they LOVE them some Jesus and it's shows. Their love for the Lord is evident in their organization and planning, in their smiles and laughter, in their creativity, and in their prayers. My time with them was such a blessing to my heart. I've prayed for three years now for a group like this and the Lord saw fit to bless our family with the Foundations Co-op this year and I pray for many years to come.

So what will we be doing?

As a part of Foundations Co-op we will study through:


Our writing class will consist of activities and assignments I have put together; i.e. journaling, creative writing, sentence and paragraph structure, reports, etc.
We will meet every Monday for co-op. There are field trips, science projects, parties, yearbook signings and the like already on the calendar. A friend earlier today said change is coming- well, Victoria, change is coming and it is good!
I'm still prayerfully deciding on math curriculum for both kiddos and a reading/ phonics curriculum for my first grader. If you have and suggestions, I'm all ears.



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7.23.2009

At the Well- To Have & To Hold

Communication has been an area my husband and I have had to work on a great deal in our relationship. In the early years of our marriage, he was not a talker in the least and I could go from one extreme to the other- silent treatment for days on end or cut him to the core of his soul with my words. We inflicted a lot of damage upon each other because we didn't understand how powerful our words, or lack there-of, were in the health of our relationship.

Join me over At the Well to read the rest of today's devotional.


At the Well Blog Button

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7.21.2009

SNAKE!!!

The kids had been playing all morning in the back yard around a pile of wood; not a care in the world, not a fear, not a worry. Having decided to build a wooden castle, they began moving and restacking the logs. I had just sat down on the swing to do a little reading when I heard a shriek of terror come from behind me.

“SNAKE!” screamed my six year old son.

“Mom, there’s a snake under there!”

Hurriedly I ran to where he was. “Where is it?” I asked him.

“Right there, right there!” he said jumping up and down.

Instructing him to back up, I went in for a closer look. Sure enough, right there underneath the log he had just picked up, lay a snake as still as a statue waiting for a little hand or foot to get close enough for him to strike.

Immediately I grabbed the phone and called my dad. After describing to him what the snake looked like he told me it was a copperhead and said he would be right home to take care of it.

Within a few minutes he drove up. Now, if it had been me I would have gone right over to see the snake, but he chose first to arm himself with the tools he needed to kill this very poisonous snake. Ready with some kind of hoeing contraption he rounded the corner headed to the wood pile.

I walked over to the pile of wood and pointed to where the snake lay motionless. One by one, he began removing logs from the pile in order to clear the way so he was able to get a good look at the snake.

Dad lifted the snake from underneath the log and sat him out in the open. As the snake stretched its body to full length, my dad talked with the kids about the importance of staying away from snakes. He explained to them that this snake was extremely poisonous and if it had bitten them, it could have possibly killed them. “Snakes are very dangerous,” he said. “Whenever you see a snake, you need to go the other way,” and with that he killed the snake.

After all the commotion, I sat down in the swing and it hit me how close my kids were to being bitten by this snake. They had played right beside it all morning. They had moved logs all around it. They had stood right beside it and had even reached their hands down by where it lay coiled up.

As I thought more about my children, I couldn’t help but think about the serpent who lies in waiting prepared to strike out at us when we least expect it. The enemy, Satan, greatly desires to wound and destroy the children of God. So many times we go about our daily lives unaware the enemy is even close by. We involve ourselves in activities that appear to be harmless. We move this log and pick up that log making our lives into what we desire them to be, never realizing the enemy could be just steps away waiting for the perfect time to strike causing our world to come crashing down.

Our logs could be a number of different things: an unhealthy relationship with someone who is not our spouse; an addiction to pornography, alcohol, prescription drugs, or an illegal substance; an eating disorder; an anger issue; and the list could go on and on. What we must realize is this- the enemy is waiting; he is waiting for that perfect opportunity to render us ineffective for God’s kingdom.

So what do we do? How do we protect ourselves from the enemy?

~When I saw the snake I knew it wasn’t your average garden snake; I knew it was dangerous and could quickly strike and do lots of damage. You and I must know and understand who the enemy is and that he desires to harm us. We must be alert at all times watching out for his schemes and traps.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks
about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
1 Peter 5:8, NKJV

~Before my dad went to the wood pile where the snake was, he armed himself with the tools he needed to kill the snake. We, too, must arm ourselves for battle with the proper tools before we go into battle against the enemy.

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having GIRDED YOUR WAIST WITH TRUTH, having put on the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTOUSNESS, and having SHOD your FEET WITH the preparation of THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; above all, taking the SHIELD OF FAITH with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the HELMET OF SALVATION, and the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT which is the word of God”
Ephesians 6:10-18a, NKJV (emphasis added)

~When I saw the snake my first thought was to call my dad. I knew he would be there right away to protect us from the harm the snake could do. Precious one, never forget that you can call on your Heavenly Father at any time and He will come running to help.


“He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.”
Psalm 91:15, NKJV

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7.09.2009

Summer Reading Fun...

I've recently been reading "The Hole in Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns. I must tell you this is an extremly powerful, very convicting, eye opening book. Not really knowing what to expect as I flipped open Stearns book, I was literally brought to my knees as I read the words he penned on the first two pages. Today, I would like to share those words with you. As you read the following excerpt I would encourage you to take an introspective look into your heart as you ask yourself this question, "Is the inward transforming work of the Holy Spirit brought about by the death, burial, and ressurection of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, making itself known in the way I publically live my life?"

"What does God expect of us? That's what this book is about. It's a simple question, really. But is the answer so simple? What is the Christian faith about? Going to church every Sunday, saying grace before meals, and avoiding the most serious sin- or does God expect more?

I am a Christian- perhaps you are too. But what does that mean exactly? To even be Christians, we must first believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. That in itself is no small idea. If it is true, it changes everything, because if Christ is God, then all that He said and did is deeply significant to how we live our lives. So we believe. But God expects more.

And so the question, "What does God expect of me?" is a very profound one-not just for me, but for everyone who claims to follow Christ. Jesus had a lot to say about it. Yes, He did give us deep insights into the character of God and our relationship with Him as well, but He also spoke at length about God's expectations, our values, and how we are to live in the world. So how are we to live? What kind of relationship are we to have with a holy God? What is God asking for, really, from you and me? Much more than church attendance. More than prayer too. More than belief, and even more than self-denial. God asks us for everything. He requires a total life commitment from those who would be His followers. In fact, Christ calls us to be His partners in changing our world, just as He called the Twelve to change their world two thousand years ago."

Stearns goes on to say, "being a Christian, or follower of Christ, requires much more than just having a personal and transforming relationship with God; it also entails a public and transforming relationship with the world. If your personal faith in Christ has no positive outward expression, then your faith- and mine- has a hole in it. Embracing the gospel, or good news, proclaimed by Jesus is so much more than a private transaction between God and us. The gospel itself was born of God's vision of a changed people, challenging and transforming the prevailing values and practices of our world."

Is your personal faith in Christ having a positive outward impact on the world, or does it have a hole in it?

"Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works is dead."
James 2:17, NKJV

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Excerpts taken from Richard Stearns book, "The Hole in our Gospel", pages 1 & 2. Thomas Nelson Publishing Company

7.03.2009

Summer Reading Fun


Looking for something great to read over the holiday weekend while you sip your iced tea and relax in the hammock. Check out the July issue of Exemplify. The theme for this month's issue is the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5. You can find my marriage article on pages 9 & 10.


Enjoy and Happy Freedom Day!!!!



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7.01.2009

WFW

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For more Word Filled Wednesday photos visit


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