Time for some cute!

I have to show this! My mom & dad sent this to me this morning! See that itty bitty Spiderman - its really my 3 yr old niece, Madi! This girl LOVES Spiderman! When we had the Princess Tea - Sophia wanted to dress up, while Madi wanted to go as "Spidergirl Princess!" - she loves him! Well, the hunt has been on for a Spiderman outfit & with it not being near Halloween - it hasn't been as easy as you might think. I guess the mission was accomplished - because there she is - in all her Spiderman Glory inside of her papa's closet! How cute is she!!!!

Things I learned this week

I've seemed to have other things to say the past few weeks (or months) - but I wanted to look back at things I've learned, noticed or experienced the past week:

*A 3 day weekend is just what is needed sometimes - a extra day of sleep!

*Dont ever lock a Labrador Retriever in a room while company is there when they want to get out! It'll end up costing you! For us - its going to cost us a new room of carpet that our Lovely Lab pulled up trying to CLAW her way under the door!

*I'm now a Pampered Chef fan - loving the Stoneware!!!!

*Having someone pray over you & hearing words that only the Spirit could put in their mouth is soul-shaking!

*Watching a friend hurt & suffer with life decisions is heart breaking & makes you feel helpless

*Watching the LOST Finale has me even more confused but even more excited for next year!

*There's nothing like spending time with friends & their families - especially when they make you feel like a part of their own family!

*With the countdown being under a week for a visit from Julie & the baby, excitement levels are getting HIGH!!!!! (I cant WAIT to get my hands on that baby!!!!)

*People take for granted their feet - because let me tell you - when they hurt & it hurts to walk - you'll realize how nice it is to have feet that give you no problems!

*Are we seriously at the end of the 5th month? Didn't the beginning of the year just get here?

Forgetting?

I saw this story in a book I'm reading called "How to Forgive...When you don't feel like it" by June Hunt. Its a few words, but they hold a big punch.....
_________
Clara Barton, the Founder of the American Red Cross was reminded by a friend one day of a vicious deed someone had done to her years before. Clara had been deeply wounded by the incident. But when it was brought to her attention, she acted as if she was completely unaware of the hurtful attack.
"Don't you remember it?" her friend asked.
"No," Clara replied & paused. "I distinctly remember forgetting it."

All of us struggling with forgiveness need to burn this phrase into our minds: I distinctly remember forgetting it!
_________

....what an example of Christ Clara was to her friend - or even more to the person who had wounded her. To imagine that God forgives us the same way when we seek repentance! Oh - That we could learn to look at forgiveness in the same way!

The Blessed Sock!

When I got my Ambrosia yarn - I knew I had to make some beautiful socks - something with a pattern - something different. Looking online, I noticed that EVERYONE was doing the Monkey Sock & looking at how cute the pattern was, I thought - that's what I'll do too!

Well, I'm used to working with the HUGE balls of Opal or the big skeins that when you make some long socks, you still have a quarter of the skein left. The Ambrosia - a little different. I started the Monkey pattern & while the repeat calls for 6 before you start the heel, I thought, I better not push this yarn - there's not alot in one skein (& I had only bought 2 skeins). I just did a repeat of 4, did the heel & turn & started to work the rest of the sock. Oh my - I started getting nervous. I'm not even half way & I notice my yarn is looking awfully thin! I couldn't even make myself work the sock because I was afraid I was going to run out of yarn. And I HATE to "frog" anything (rip it out) but my fellow knitting friends told me - this yarn is too nice, you'll have to rip it out to make it again for your foot.

So what does a person do? Yes - I combined my 2 loves once again - God & my knitting! I started praying! Ricky was laughing at me because I kept telling him "God will multiply". This led to some interesting conversations between the two of us. Ricky said, "Isn't that a waste of a prayer?".....My response - is any prayer ever a waste? And then I ran across this verse:

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers & requests" - Ephesians 6:18

HA - I showed Ricky that & said, "see - all kinds of prayers....that means Yarn too!"

Well, lo & behold....I finished my sock! With the one skein! It worked out perfectly - they fit like a glove & I just consider them my Blessed Socks now! (Notice in the picture - the extra yarn laying on the side - that was ALL that was left! Talk about getting your money's worth!)

Now, I think I would have survived & nothing horrible would have happened or I wouldn't have questioned God about not answering my prayers if I ran out of yarn - but it did make me happy to think that I can go to God over anything - even something as minuscule as making yarn multiply. Isn't that what God wants us to do? Come to him over anything? Let Him be involved in every aspect of our lives?

Even though it sounds weird or dumb to someone else - I was High-fiving God when my sock was finished! Thanking God for ALL the blessings in my life!

Now onto the matching sock!

Feeding off others

Have you ever noticed? When kids get together - the energy level goes up in them! It doesn't matter if they are tired, grumpy, just wanting to lay around - when they get in a room with other kids that are running around - doesn't everything change? Its like someone hit a switch. Their energy goes up, they are off & running & you have to force them to leave their friends!

When you're around people who are fun & love life, & just laugh & enjoy things - dont you notice that no matter how bad a mood you are in, you end up right along with these people? You are just like those kids - your mood changes - you are instantly lighter, finding humor in things that just weren't too funny a few minutes ago - you end up feeding off of people & the energy & mood that they put out.

That got me thinking how important it is to have people to hang around that love the Lord! The people that treat others like they should, or the people that find happiness in the easy things of life - the people that encourage you & pray for you - the people that lift you up even when you are at your lowest!

I have to say - I am extremely blessed with people in my life that Love the Lord - & more importantly, let me feed off their attitudes! I can't imagine where I would be in my life without them! Thank you Lord for all the "good company" I get to be around!

"Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character" - 1 Corinthians 15:33

More importantly above it all - do you keep company with God himself? We need to always feed off of Him & His word.....be good company for others - encourage others character!

Heartbreaking

OH, how my heart is just aching this morning for the Chapman Family!

For those of you who know me personally or maybe even just through the "blog world" - you can know that I have always been a Steven Curtis Chapman fan! I am the self proclaimed "#1 FAN!" - this man & his family just are an amazing family of Christ & His love. The music Steven has created & shared touches so many people. I think I even posted on the last time I saw him in concert & how his sons were playing in the band - & I can remember when they would come out on stage as tiny tikes just to say hi!

And the latest concerts, it wasn't the original 3 kids - it was the newest 3 kids - it was cutest little Asian girls you've ever seen. With the adoption of these girls & the spotlight put on international adoption, Steven & his family have just kept on living the life that God calls us to do!

Then the news this morning that the youngest daughter was killed in an accident by the teenage son - oh, its just heartbreaking!

The first thing that came to mind - its like I know these people! The Chapman family has always been so open in sharing their lives & what God does for them. I follow Steven's blog (which is on the side) along with his wife's blog (which is also on the side) & it also has links to their childrens blogs. Its like you actually know these people & then to hear this - I was crushed for them. Do you know how many people the Chapman family has touched? I bet they are surrounded by so many & yet probably feel so alone at a time like this. I know their faith is carrying them & WILL continue to carry them through - but we, as the body of Christ need to pray for their family.

Thats what hit me - someone I've never met personally, someone I've never spoken two words to - why do we feel such a strong sympathy for this? I think because we are all God's family. When someone in our family hurts, we hurt. So this morning, I can't imagine the hurt that they are dealing with as the immediate family - but I know so many Christians around the world who have been touched by their gifts are hurting with them.

Pray for the Chapman family for peace & comfort!

Thank you God that we can pray for those we never met & know that you will be there to comfort your children!

Stephanie's Hope

OK - the word is officially out so I can share a little bit now about the awesome project that has been created! Its called "Stephanie's Hope Scholarship Fund". This whole project has just been the coolest thing to see come together.

I'm going to give you a little back story of it all, but feel free to check out the blog & watch out for updates on what's happening & events that will be scheduled.

We were coming up on the dreaded anniversary dates & Ryan, Amber & I were just not looking forward to all the memories that were going to be swarming us. Then, I got a phone call from my awesome friend, Lynn. She told me she was preparing supper when this vision hit her. It was a vision of a dedication of Steph's life. A way to look at this time we were coming up on & to not be dreading it, but to look at it as a future, a hope! Lynn shared with me what she envisioned & asked if I thought it was something that the kids would be on board with. Immediately, the dread I was feeling myself had turned into something so exciting! I knew the kids were going to love it as well!

The vision that we believe God had given to Lynn is the bases for this Scholarship Fund. Stephanie had the biggest passion for missions & to just help the world! Help anyone really! But the larger picture for her were the people who had so much less than we did. Steph's ultimate dream was to travel to Africa herself & to just "hold those babies"! She didn't get to fulfill that dream herself but now, with this Fund, we are hoping to send others out into the Mission Field - to be a blessing to someone so they can be a blessing to others!

So this video was created as a quick introduction to the Fund & to highlight just a little of who Steph was & the hopes of this project. I know we so badly wanted all the kids involved but with short notice, Ryan & I were the only ones available to jump in front of the camera. Amber in on a MUCH NEEDED vacation with the kiddos (Hello Mickey Mouse!) & Nina & Rollie are far away - but we're hoping as events get closer, we'll see more & hear more from the all the kids - & some great words from the cutest grandkids too!

So, for those who haven't seen it - here is the video! It was hard to get in front of camera & try to put Stephanie in a few short words & what this would mean to her - words cant even describe really - but I think it all turned out pretty good! Thanks Barry for the awesome editor that you are!!

And of course, we are excited to see this project grow, not only as a dedication to an incredible woman, mother, wife, & friend - but we are excited to watch God work through it & for all the glory & honor to be given directly to Him!

Encouragement!

I was talking to Ryan the other day & he said, "Hey, did you know that Joel Osteen is going to be here on Sunday?" - I had no idea! Well Ryan had two tickets & was going to take his friend & fellow youth coach , Joe with him. I couldnt let them have all the fun so I asked Joe's wife, Erica, & my dear friend & fellow youth coach, if she wanted to go. Of course, I couldnt let the better half miss out either so Ricky was up for it too!

It always amazes me to go to a Christian concert or an event like this where there are over 11,000 people in one room just praising God & worshipping together - its a great sight & a great feeling to be in the middle of it. Can you imagine what Heaven is going to be like? WOW!

But Joel had a great message on Encouragement and the power it holds for you & for others.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore, encourage one another & build each other up"

I LOVE the topic of encouragement. I love to be able to encourage people & to see their face light up when they know that someone believes in them & of course, its always a wonderful feeling when someone encourages me as well! But it was a great reminder of how much encouragement means to some people.

Joel had the statistic of people in prison - 75% of them had one time or another had a family member who told them they would end up nowhere, or in prison - & there they were! Would it have made a difference for someone to speak into them encouragement & to say, "You are going to make something of yourself" - do you think it would have made a difference? I believe it would have! People need to know that someone is behind them, rooting them on!

A cute story he told - a man would go up to children & tell them that he had the ability to pick a winner! And he would get a child, walk around them, look them up & down, have a facial expression of taking notes to himself & just pondering this child. At the end, he would look at them & say, "I can tell you, 100% assurance, you are a winner!" - the child's face would light up & run back to their parents & tell them "I'm a winner!" - at that moment, they probably felt like they could do anything. Could you imagine the things that child could do if every day, they got that affirmation that they were a winner!!!

Now think about how much God tries to encourage us! With friends, guidance, His Word - so much encouragement to keep us on the road of fighting - to believing in ourselves that we are His child & we can do anything that He leads us to! He is that man walking around us, eyeing us up & down, & looking at us & saying "I can tell you, 100% assurance - You are a winner!"

So I challenge you to encourage someone this week! Give a word, a note, a phone call, an email - something that would encourage someone in your life! Let them know that you are behind them - that they can make it through whatever life is giving them - that they are a child of God - that's all it takes to be the best winner of all!

Happy Heavenly Birthday

Happy Heavenly Birthday my friend! You are dearly missed!

OUCHIE!

Can you believe how high gas is right now? I can remember the good ole' days when I started driving & gas was 95 cents a gallon! Now, I'm not that old - it really wasn't that long ago - but the difference between 95 cents a gallon compared to $3.91 a gallon - you'd think I lived through the Great Depression or something - I wonder what gas was then, now to think of it!

Its sort of scary when you now have to "budget" in where you are going for the day & to try & get everything done in one swoop so no back tracking. I use to drive a huge Ford Explorer (which I loved that car!) - when my car went on to scrap-metal Heaven, I got what I thought was a smaller car. Yes, its smaller -but man, the gas tank must have a little gas-fairy with a straw that just drinks it up the minute it gets poured in! Am I the only one feeling the crunch at the gas station? OUCHIE!

But I did get this link this morning which tells you where gas is the cheapest around your home or work - so take a look. If it'll make my gas bill $50.00 a fill up instead of $60.00 - I'll look at it!

I'm ready to get my dad's horse & just saddle him up!! Is Hay cheaper than Fuel?

Throwing Stones

I was just reading my latest book & it mentioned the story of the woman that was getting ready to be stoned. They took her out to Jesus & knew they "had" him since she was caught in adultery & the law said she had to be stoned. If Jesus didn't agree, he was going against the law & they loved this - another set up in trying to trap Jesus! When would these dorky people ever learn?

Anyways - this story just makes me want to cry because you can see & feel Jesus's forgiveness in it. But first, he's writing in the sand where she's laying at his feet. Wouldnt you love to know what He wrote? Was it a note to her? Was it some sins of the men that Jesus already knew? Was it just a cute little picture? What was it? We'll have to ask that in Heaven.

But what hit me today when I read it was when Jesus says in John 8:7 - "If any of you are without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Then there he went writing on the ground again.....

I was thinking though - who was that first person who threw down his stone & walked away! What was going through his mind? The Bible says its the older ones who walked away first & we can only imagine its because they had more sin under their belts - but they should also know the law too - they should have felt they should have stoned this woman - but they turned away. What made them do it? Did that person realize right there who Jesus was? Dont you wonder what happened to him after he left that scene? And what if one person started throwing stones anyways - do you think most would have followed suit since we do live in a world that follows the crowd? But someone took the first stance to drop their stone & walk away, until everyone just followed, dropping their stones & leaving!

There's someone else I want to talk to in Heaven! Maybe Jesus even wrote this man's name in the sand? Oh - so many questions to find out! Glad we'll be there for eternity!

A Princess

Oh - the day could not have been more fun! Our church on Saturday had a Princess Tea for little girls, age 3 yrs old up to 5th grade, to come & dress up, play games & make cute Princess crafts & have a nice little lunch tea at the end of the day. It was just so "lovely"! Little girls were all decked out in their best Princess gear & tiara's were everywhere! It was great to watch, because it's not even the little girls that were enjoying it. All the mom's, sisters & aunts that came were just as into it as the little girls!

I know for me - being able to dress up & to play the role - it was the funnest thing I've done in a long time! And being with other "grown up" Princesses - all of us enjoying the day - it just made the day even better.

The idea, which is something that I always have loved - is to remind these little girls - that no matter how old they are - they are truly a Princess - the Daughter of the King! What a fun way to show it & to remind them of this!

It was even better for me because I got to have one of my girls with me - Lindsay was dressed up as Alice in Wonderland - her favorite character! It was so cute because she isn't as "known" to the little girls - there hasnt' been a huge Alice reissue lately - but by the end of the day, one of the little girls that was at her table - I asked, "Who's your favorite Princess" - & she looked at me with all the seriousiness a 5 yr old could have & said "I love Alice in Wonderland" - Lindsay must have done a good job!

Another part of the fun - we got to decorate our own tables for each Princess! Well, for me - being a Beauty & the Beast collector for YEARS, I had to choose what to bring & NOT to bring. There was actually some serious discussion between Ricky & I on what to take, but we narrowed it down. It was funny because someone asked me - "Is your room empty today" -I told her, "Actually, it didn't even make a dent!" - so now I'm excited about what I can do for next year & the decorating! Tons of options - tons of ideas! (Excuse the water bottle & keys on my table too - oopsie! - Not part of the decorations!)

As for me - anytime I can act like Belle, I'm all for it! I even had the "Beast" with me - but he had to make an early exit as some of the kids were a little freaked out by him. I asked them, "Dont you know the story? He turns out alright in the end!" But they weren't buying it! And I have to say a HUGE thank you to Christy & her mommy for re-vamping up my dress & making it a TRUE, dancing & twirling Belle dress! I think I may have to put it on weekly & just twirl in my living room with the video!

So - now, we're gearing up & thinking of ideas for next year - how can it be bigger, better & more fun? I can't imagine, but I'm looking forward to it!

And like I've told many friends lately - if you are ever having a bad day & need a little bit of cheering up - you can borrow my dress & twirl in it - you CANT have a bad day when you're twirling in a sea of floating, yellow material! Try it! You'll understand!

Jesus waiting

Last night at my Bible Study group, someone mentioned the best image she has of Jesus. It is the image of Jesus sitting on her couch every day, just waiting & watching, longing for that time where they can sit & talk together.

It made our leader, Bridget, think of a story from the book "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" - she found the book & read it. This isn't exact, but the heart of the story.

A woman went into her drawing room & noticed Jesus sitting there. She asked why he was there & he said he wanted to take the time to talk with her. She would come every day & sit & talk & they would pull out the Bible & he would share insights about the stories in the Bibles that she never realized where there. She would be able to tell him anything & find comfort in his reactions & thoroughly enjoyed every minute she spent with him. She looked forward to the times they had together, alone in this room.

Life got hectic & she soon would miss one day, then another & she just had a hard time getting back to the room for her time with Jesus. Then one day, she noticed the door was open a little bit & there was a fireplace roaring. She looked in & saw Jesus was still sitting there in a chair just looking in the fire. She asked him if he had been there this whole time waiting on her. He assured her that he was there, sitting & waiting. She felt horrible & asked for his forgiveness for neglecting him. He sincerely forgave her & asked her to come sit so they could talk again. He then told her that he wasn't there just for her - he was there for himself as well.

The point of the story showing that Jesus died for us to have fellowship with us - its that important to him. Important enough to lay down his life! We think we need to read the Bible, or study, or pray for our own benefit - but have we ever sat & thought about Jesus wanting to communicate with us?

Is Jesus still waiting on you to talk to him?

Too many projects?

I get so excited waiting for my Knitting magazines that I subscribe to. Why? The idea of MORE projects! Its not like I dont have a dozen sitting on needles waiting to be finished already, but its seeing what I can keep an eye out on yarns then & just the goal of doing a whole new project that gets me excited.

So, my Interweave magazine came in - & since they are quarterly, its always a celebration when I see my husband carrying it up the drive way in with the mail. Forget the bills, forget the credit card offers (why are there always at least a few in each day's mail?), forget that I could be a winner in Publishers Clearinghouse - my Knitting Magazine is here! LLLAAAAAA - that's the sounds of angels voices.

Imagine my disgust when I got my magazine & like a little kid on Christmas morning, started tearing through the pages - what's here? what's the coolest look? what can I envision me in or a friend or relative a new gift for Christmas? none of the above - NOTHING - every project just looked so BLAH to me! First of all - its supposed to be the summer patterns. Most of the stuff was in browns or dark, drab colors - plus, they weren't very pretty patterns. I was just so let down!

And I know someone, somewhere was so excited when they got their magazine & absolutely LOVED every pattern - it was probably their favorite magazine EVER - but not me, not these patterns, not this time around!

So, I figure this just gives me time to work on my unfinished projects for the next 3 months until the next magazine comes out - maybe this is a good thing- God stepping into my knitting & saying "Finish what you've got!"

And how many times do we do this with our Spiritual Life? We want to do so much, get involved in so many things and what happens? Some of the other things we were originally involved in (like the projects that haven't been finished) get neglected - dont get the attention that it should. It could end up a beautiful masterpiece if it were finished - but something else catches the eye & lures you away. So sometimes, we have to take the time to look at what we originally started & finish it and THEN its time to move on.

But then God is so good - because the next day, my Creative Knitting Magazine came in & I'm in love with at least 5 patterns - LLLAAAAA - the voices of angels are rising again! But I did learn my little lesson & I am making a point to finish at least 2 of my projects before I start another one! Hey - that's progress!

And by the way - these pictures are all from the latest magazine - is it just me? Or are these just not that pretty? And I for one do not want or NEED big circles going down the front of my chest & stomach.....no thank you! UGH!

Happy Spiritual Birthday

Today is one year ago that me & my friend were baptized together. I'll never forget the date - it was 05/06/07. We had always talked together about the first time we were baptized & how many times we've failed in our Christian walk. We knew that God forgave us for things but we always said we would love to get baptized just as a sign to God that we were truly sorry & we wanted to do an outward sign to Him for that. Our goal was always to go to a river during the white water rafting trip our church put together & baptize each other. We never made that trip. When Steph got the news that time was running out for her, she wanted to go ahead & do this. She wasn't strong enough to baptize me & she also wanted her family with her to support her as she went into the water as she didn't have the strength to lean back & then pull herself back up, so we got to fill the baptismal up with people.

It was such a neat day with the whole church praying with Steph & then we got to go back & get ready for the baptism. Steph was weak & needed help getting ready, but we were still as giggly as school girls, laughing at the smallest things & just enjoying our friendship as we always did. We didn't sit & concentrate on how sad the situation could be - we just enjoyed each other & the sign we were giving to God & the acknowledgement that we would be together for eternity in the end.

When it was over with & we were back getting changed - I'll never forget it - she told me she was so glad that we were finally able to do this & she said "We'll remember this for the rest of our lives". That was 11 days before she passed away.

We were able to go out & celebrate with family & friends about the day & see so much joy in Steph's face - it was a great, bittersweet day.

So here we are a year later....

Worth the wait

Oh man - the Casting Crowns concert was last night & it was so completely worth the wait! We have seen Casting Crowns in concert 3 times previously & am excited each time we get to see them. We had gotten Ryan a ticket for his Christmas/Birthday present & he loves Casting Crowns as well, but has a new passion for Leeland who was opening up the concert. After seeing them myself - I am their newest fan. First of all, because man, this group can sing! WOW - especially the lead singer, Leeland Mooring. Second, I love them because the dude is the cutest little red head & if you know me - I love my little red heads! Third - Holy cow! Leeland looks just like a young Steven Curtis Chapman in the face! Put a 80's mullet on him & the clock would turned back to see Steven himself standing there! But man - their music says it all! I highly recommend Leeland to anyone who hasn't listened to them before! They're going to be huge one day - count on that!

And then, Casting Crowns comes on stage. I have to say as well - we were in the 4th row - the best seats in the house to me & it was amazing. The set alone was just beautiful with the old time curtains & chandeliers hanging - it was just a beautiful set. Then add all their talents & it was just fantastic!

We did hit a sad moment - right as we walked in, Ricky said, "Man, I miss Steph" - which I know he was thinking, I was thinking & of course Ryan was thinking - Steph never missed a concert with us! So we get in & they started singing "Praise you in the Storm" which Steph considered her theme song. When the words came up, I just felt the water works hit my eyes & looked over & Ryan's heart was bursting at the seams too - that was rough - but by the end, man, we were Praising God for all the mercies & love He is so faithful to give - getting us through the storms that we too go through each day. It was a very emotional moment!

Then, there was the most amazing painter who was painting the most spectacular painting during the songs "Voice of Truth" & "The Word is Alive" - oh - how cool to see it come together. How talented some people are - & how they use that talent to Worship the Lord - the coolest!

And imagine this - the whole group took about 20-25 minutes to come out & pray over the audience - it was just the neatest thing - to see them sitting up on the stage passing down a microphone, each offering a specific prayer over each one of us in attendance - it was amazing! What other concert can you go to & have the artist take the time to give the audience some Blessings? Most "big time" artist want all the glory for themselves - that's whats so cool about Christian Artist - they wanted to take their gifts & bless everyone there & all the while, giving God the glory - it was a Spirit Filled Freedom Hall - let me tell you!

And finally, we are proud to say, It's a girl! Casting Crowns is such a proud sponsor of World Vision & really on a mission to get fresh, clean water to some countries where people die over the smallest things that can be cured with fresh water. Well, with most of our small group at the concert, we all said - lets do this together - so we headed out to get our "child" - we now have a little girl in Jerusalem named Welae Kamal (I wish I was at home so I could scan her picture for you all) We got on phones & called other members of our small group to let them know that we have a new family member to pray about - I can't wait to get in contact with our new family across the world!

The thing I found out last night - World Vision use to do commercials but they understand that there is so much on TV now, people just turn their eyes to the sight of the needy anymore - or they think its not legit. So instead of wasting money on the TV media - they have put their finances into Christian concerts knowing that the people of God will step up & take care of the problems of the world - how cool is that!!! I can't tell you how many people I saw walking around with a folder in their hand with their new family member's name & information! Can you imagine how many people around the US has joined in this JUST from the Casting Crowns concert? Oh - the difference we can make when we join together!

So, this was probably one of the best weekends I've had in a long time. Got to spend time with friends all weekend long, laugh until my stomach hurt, learned some MONKEY BALL (darn Stage 10), got to dress up like Belle (can you believe it - I have NO pictures so I'll just have to explain it all on the "official" Princess Tea day), got to worship the Lord with thousands of others & then, I got to come into work late today - extra sleep after a weekend like I had - God is SO good!

2nd time a charm?

Well, after having my hopes up & excited about the Casting Crown concert back in March - & then it was canceled due to 9 inches of snow - its time to get excited again! Its actually this weekend - Sunday to be exact & I'm getting all excited all over again. I'm happy now too that its going to be in the Spring time so when we leave, its not going to be freezing cold with snow everywhere like it would have been in March - God is so good! And the anticipation has been building up even more. So - here's hoping some freak snow storm doesn't come through this weekend!

And just to let everyone get to appreciate Casting Crowns - here's one of my favorite songs of theirs "East to West"

National Day of Prayer

Here we are - the National Day of Prayer. At first, I always find it funny that there has to be a day set aside for this - shouldn't everyone be praying every day anyways? But then, I realize that this sets a time where we can all join together & pray for the same things - & lift our voices as one! How God must enjoy hearing all the prayers at one time to Him!

I'm excited because I know my home church is offering the sanctuary to be open all day - from 6 am to 8 pm - for prayer time & people there to be available to pray with you! How cool is that! I'm praying myself that people who dont normally step out of the box of praying boldly will take advantage of this day & the places available & really feel the power of prayer work through them.

So I hope you take a moment throughout your day to pray for our Nation, the election that is coming up, the guidance of our country, our neighbors, our military & ask for God to continue to bless us, in which He so graciously does every day!