Tina Johns

Job's New Friend

2012-01-28T11:25:00.002-05:00

Job 32:1 thru Job 34:37

We had a new character step forward today that we did not even know was there listening to Job and his friends banter.

Elihu is young but wise beyond his years. I kind of like this new dude. One reason is because I feel he is the only one who was really listening to Job's words and heart because he is the only one who quotes Job verbatim.

Elihu gives insight in chapters 32 and 33 illustrating through three examples the meaning if Job's suffering.

Job 33:14 he says, For God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it. Then he illustrates three ways that God may speak to a person and to Job.

#1 Through dreams and visions (Job 33:15). Job thought that the dreams he had in the night were examples of divine torment (7:14). Now Elihu is gently suggesting they might God's speaking to Job.

#2 Through the chastening of sickness (Job 33:19-22). Job lamented his suffering, feeling that it was an example of how God hated him (16:9). We know that was not the case.

#3 Through the voices of a mediator or a friend (Job 33:23-25).

Elihu's major point here in chapter 33 is that God may be trying to get Job's attention through his current condition.

We are seeing how Elihu is intelligently interpreting Job's dilemma in a way that will ultimately lead Job to see things differently.

How many times has God tried to speak to us through our situation to teach us, stretch us, and mature us but we were so tuned into our suffering that we tuned God out?

Our reading ended today with Elihu telling Job, ...you speak angry words against God.

God is the one who is for Job and yet Job is speaking against God. Elihu tells Job he is speaking out of ignorance and his words lacked insight (34:35).

Job has had so many voices speaking to him that he cannot hear the one voice that matters most, God’s. Elihu is a voice of reason. We all need friends like that, people who do not just tell us what we want to hear but what we need to hear.

I want to give you a way to know if someone is a true friend in your life or not. Ask yourself this question, Am I a better person because of their presence in my life?

Another great question is, Is someone else a better person because of my presence in their life?

We have almost come to the end of our time with Job and his friends. I really hope we are learning to view our troubles in life a little differently.

When we go through hard times let's ask ourselves... What is God teaching me? How is this making me a better person? How can I use this time wisely?

When our perspectives are correct, we can walk through almost anything. And a little help from our friends goes a long way.

So let's allow our prayers today be to hear God's voice through our friends, our dreams, and even our sicknesses.

Hope you have a great Saturday friend,

Not a Fair God

2012-01-27T12:46:00.002-05:00

Job 30:1 thru 31:40

Today was Job's final speech before God comes on the scene. Well, actually, God has always been on the scene listening in and Job is about to find that out.

Did you notice that Job is still focused on himself?  He shares one last time how horrific his suffering is and then he gives his final protest of innocence; forty verses full of declaring how he has been just, fair, giving, honest, and trusting throughout his life.

In Job 31:4 he says, Doesn't he see everything I do and every step I take?

It's as if he is saying, God, haven't you seen everything I have done? You know that I do right by everyone. I am a good person. I have done nothing deserving of this suffering.

Tina Johns Translation: If you were a fair God, I would not be going through this because I have done nothing deserving of this.

My theology may be off here and I may be putting words in Job's mouth but that is not my intention. This is just what I am gleaning from our verses today.

With that said, I want to agree. God is not a fair God. If God was fair and we all got what we deserved, we would have to pay the price for our own redemption.

But thankfully, Mercy and Grace came down for me and for you.

But God's mercy is great, and he loved us very much. Though we were spiritually dead because of the things we did against God, he gave us new life with Christ. You have been saved by God's grace. Ephesians 2:4-5

I am saved not because I have performed good deeds. I am nothing. And my works are worthless. I could never do enough for God to pay the price for my sin and shame.

Let's read on...

You have been saved by grace through believing. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8

We struggle with just accepting this gift so much because all throughout our lives we were rewarded for doing good. We got stars in kindergarten for learning our ABC's. We got money or ice cream from our parents when we brought home A's and B's in middle school.  When we studied hard and furthered our education we got rewarded with great jobs.  And on our jobs when we excel we get rewarded with a promotion.

In life our success all boils down to how hard we work. But with God that's not the case.

The next verse in Ephesians says,

It was not the result of your own efforts... Verse 9

So it does not matter how good we are or are not, we will never be able to earn His favor, grace or love. You cannot earn what has already been given.

So God's unfairness can be explained like this...

It's like going to kindergarten and getting stars on your first day before you learn anything.

Or getting ice cream and money before coming home with a stellar report card.

Or getting a job you don't have the education for and a promotion you never worked for.

No, God is not fair and for that I am eternally grateful.

It does not matter how good or bad my works are I still get the greatest of gifts, eternal life and salvation.

And because I have those gifts, it makes me want to do everything in my power to work as hard for the Lord as I can. Not to be deserving of the gifts I have, but to be a good steward over them.

On Monday Job is going to get God's take on all this.  He has listened in long enough and if Job feels humbled now, he better hold on. He's about to be called into the principal's office.

Days Gone By

2012-01-26T16:14:00.001-05:00

Job 26:1 thru 29:25

I had one of those, Well, back in my day, conversations with my daughter a couple years ago where I was explaining that when I was her age there was no internet, no texting, cell phones, or instant messaging.

Her response, How did you survive?

Survive I did. As a matter of fact, looking back I see where life was so much simpler.

Job did some looking back today too. But not only did he look back at the years gone by, he was longing for those years (Job 29:2).

He said in verse 7, Those were the days.

Some of us have a painful past and our memories are consumed with occurrences from 10 years ago.

On the other hand, some of us have a past reminiscent of Job's, filled with prosperity, life, and hope and today our hearts are consumed with longing to go back to our Those-were-the-days days.

But if we look at Job's speech in chapter 29 we see him getting a little self-focused.

From verse 2 through 25 he uses the word 'I' 16 times, 'me' 9 times and 'my' 7 times. He was thinking only of himself with no knowledge of what was going on in the heavens. He had no idea what God was planning for him. He was just self absorbed thinking only of his great past that is no longer in existence.

But you know, life is not all about us. It is not all about whether or not I get to spend my money on me, or going where I want to go for dinner.

When we are so focused on ourselves we forget where our focus should be and that is on God.

Now I have to say in Job’s defense, he has lost almost everything, his sons and daughters, his livestock, his homes, and his health so if I were him I'm certain I too would be longing for the past.

And today if you find yourself in the same boat with Job sailing through the stormy seas of life I have a great scripture for you...

But forget the past and do not dwell on it, it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19

Job has no idea God is about to do a new and great thing for him. He could not perceive it. And sometimes we cannot perceive it either.

But when we can't perceive it, that's when we just have to believe it.

You have no idea what is going on up in the heavens on your behalf. But God is getting ready to do a new thing in you and for you. And if you can't perceive it, just believe it.

You will never move into your future until you are willing to walk away from your past, whether it was good or bad.

Job is reliving the greatness of days gone by. In order for him to move forward he will have to quit looking back and look to where he is going.

Mike Murdock says it like this, Start using your imagination instead of your memories.

Job's past was good.

His present is bad.

But his future is going to be great.

And like Job, our eye's, or should I say I's, have to be focused on God or we will not be able to see our new thing.

I don't want to miss one thing God is going to do for me.

How about you?

Getting by with a little HOPE from my Friends

2012-01-21T10:35:00.000-05:00

Job 8:11 thru Job 11:20

I hope there were many things that just leaped off the pages to you as they did me as we read more from Job today.

I want us to take a moment and contrast the words of Job’s friends Bildad and Zophar.

Here are some of the words of Bildad in Job 8 starting in verse 11.

Can papyrus reeds grow tall without a marsh? Can marsh grass flourish without water? While they are still flowering, not ready to be cut, they begin to wither more quickly than grass.

The same happens to all who forget God.

I am always forgetting things. If I don’t write something down, I will not remember it. But the things I do remember are things that are important to me. I don’t ever forget when my house payment is due, or that February 6th is my birthday (hint, hint).

So the fact that people forget God says that somehow He no longer was important to them.

The hopes of the godless evaporate.

I am struggling here because I want to dig out the word hope for you soooooo bad. Please, at some point take time to look up the word hope and study it out in the scriptures. Let me just say, Christ is our hope (1 Timothy 1:1) and those who forget God, lose Hope.

Picking up in verse 14…

Their confidence hangs by a thread. They are leaning on a spider’s web.

Those who forget God and lose hope have nothing strong to anchor their lives to. When one little issue arises they have nothing stable and strong to secure them.

They cling to their home for security, but it won’t last. They try to hold tight, but it will not endure.

Material things will not fill the void in our lives forever. Homes, cars, possessions are just hollow and empty.

The godless seem like a lush plant growing in the sunshine, its branches spreading across the garden. Its roots grow down through a pile of stones; it takes hold on a bed of rocks. But when it is uprooted, it’s as though it never existed!

The thought of leaving this earth and not making a mark, that is scary to me. I don’t ever want to have the look of God on my life. I don’t ever want to seem to have a relationship with God. The thought of that makes me want to lay my life before Him every day, every moment and say purge me out of me God so that only You remain.

Now, I want us to now look at Zophar’s response in Job 11 starting in verse 13.

If only you would prepare your heart and lift up your hands to him in prayer!

Remember, they are assuming Job has forgotten God and when Zophar is saying this to Job he is not being passive. He is trying to shake Job with his words.

Get rid of your sins, and leave all iniquity behind you.
Then your face will brighten with innocence. You will be strong and free of fear.

I love If-Then statements in the Word of God. I would love to dig that one out for you too but just remember every action has consequences, good or bad. This action is a good action.

You will forget your misery; it will be like water flowing away.

Bildad spoke of what happens to those who forget God, but Zophar is speaking of what happens when we remember God; we forget our misery.

Your life will be brighter than the noonday. Even darkness will be as bright as morning.

Having hope will give you courage. You will be protected and rest in safety.

Ah, here’s the word hope again. Having Hope (Christ Jesus,Col 1:27), will give you courage, protection and rest.

I am sitting here breathing that in. I need courage. I need protection. I need rest.

I need Jesus.

You will lie down unafraid, and many will look to you for help.

Job is going through some stuff. I have a dear friend who went through some stuff too. She was so amazed how many women sought her out for advice and encouragement in their own lives. She never announced, Ok, I survived this, come to me and I’ll help you survive too.

We all watched her go through her stuff with hope. And people want hope. And she gave them her Hope.

I pray today when we come through our stuff like Job, that we will never forget God. But that our misery will be like water flowing away, and all that remains is...

Hope.

Restless Nights

2012-01-20T10:44:00.000-05:00

Job 5:1 thru Job 7:21

Aren’t you beginning to feel the depth of the pain in Job’s life right now?

It is so consuming for him that in chapter 6 and verse 4 he says, Lying in bed , I think, ‘When will it be morning?’ But the night drags on, and I toss till dawn.

Have you ever had a night like that where your mind is just bombarded with questions, concerns, anger or worry; sleepless nights where you just pray for daylight to come?

This is where we see Job today but we are going to gain so many truths from his life and struggles.

After yesterday and today's readings I hope you are seeing that Job’s trial, and every trial of ours for that matter, has two purposes in operation: Satan’s and God’s.

Satan’s purpose here was to use the pain of Job’s illness to make him physically and mentally weak. Next, he wanted to use his friends to try and convince him he must have sinned and is deserving of his predicament. Lastly, he wants to use the silence of God to assault his spirit and to break his faith.

But God’s purposes are to teach Job some truths that he may have never learned otherwise, to deepen Job’s trust and faith in God and to provide an example for all who suffer through the ages that God is always in control of everything.

My friends, the purpose for suffering is not always punishment. The purpose for our trials is never because God wants to deny blessing and grace. Sometimes it’s to give us a real experience of God, who He is and what He’s like.

His purpose is to lead us to endurance and stronger faith and trust in Him. And, when all is said and done, ALL will see that God, He is the Lord and He was, is, and will forever be in control of every situation in our life.

But there might be a few restless nights in between.

Don’t resist God.

Rest in God.

Job does not see this yet, but...

God is in control.

Hello Job

2012-01-19T08:15:00.001-05:00

Job 1:1 thru Job 4:21

We are turning a corner today. Job is going to be our new friend for the next 13 days. We are going to know a lot about him by the time we reach chapter 42 and verse 17.

The first thing we learned today was that he was blameless. How can that be because we know there was only one perfect person and his name was not Job? And he's not born for another couple thousand years.

When you study out the word blameless you will find out it means here that Job was a man of integrity, just as the rest of the verse stated.  (The word perfect is used in other translations as well.)

So we see Job is an upright man. A man that honored and reverenced God and stayed away from evil.

Note, it did not say that evil never came to him, it said he stayed away from it.  It was a choice he made and it is a choice we have to make.

We also learned that Job was quite a wealthy man so I'm sure he had great influence in the land. Why is that a big deal? Because when he loses everything and everyone, but one nagging wife, the world was watching.

People probably expected to see him blame God, curse God and walk away from his God. But what did they see?

Job worshiped.

Only someone who is in close fellowship with God could do that in a time of such loss.

We also see another character come on the scene today and that is Satan, the Accuser. The name is so fitting isn't it?

Satan, the Accuser comes to God and God says, Have you noticed my servant Job? He is blameless- a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.

Here is what I want to say as we end our precious time together.

Are we living a life that would get the attention of God? Would He have enough confidence in our lives to say, Have you considered my servant (insert your name)?

I know what just happened, the Accuser just hopped up on your shoulder and whispered, No. Because you are not good enough to get the attention of heaven.

And he's right. We are not good enough and will never be good enough. But Jesus was.  And His blood covers our sin and our shame and you and I overcome not because of who we are, but Whose we are.

I have read the back of the book and I don't want to give the ending away but I just have to...

Revelation 12:7-12

And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony...

Yes!! And Amen!!

God has made us more than conquers (Romans 8:37) and we will soon see if Job is one too.

See you back here tomorrow.

Faithful and Just

2012-01-18T08:35:00.004-05:00

Genesis 47:28 thru Genesis 50:26

We have made it all the way through Genesis and today we lost two great characters of the Bible, two men who held a great steadfast belief in the God of Abraham. I will miss Jacob and Joseph.

We also read one of the greatest scriptures we often hook our prayers to in difficult times.

Jacob is dead and the brothers are fearful that Joseph is now going to take his revenge on them. After all this time, their past is still haunting them.

Joseph reassures them all is forgiven and says in verse 20, You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.

What the sons of Jacob still could not see was that Joseph's rejection drove him to his destiny.

His brothers hated him, intended to harm him, but God turned it to good, for all of them.

There will be a point in everyone's life when rejection will come. As hard as it can be, don't take it personally. God may be pushing you into your destiny.

Keep your head up and guard your heart because you will have plenty of chances to become bitter. And know this, that if God is for you, it does not matter who is against you.

Joseph had a choice, forgive or take revenge.

Today you may be faced with that same choice. Or even more difficult, you may be faced with the choice to forgive yourself of the thing you did to another.

Either way, God is faithful and just forgive us, we need to be faithful and just to forgive others, including ourselves. 1John 1:9

I want to leave you with this- Did you notice in verse 25 that Joseph said, When God comes to help you and lead you back...?

The God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and (insert your name here) is not an If God but a When God.

So don't worry about your rejection, heartbreaks and disappointments because when God comes He will help lead you into your destiny, and it will all turn for your good!!

Which we are about to see in the life of Job starting tomorrow.

Wrongful Imprisonment

2012-01-15T06:36:00.000-05:00

Genesis 40:1-23, 35:28-29, 41:1-57

We often reference the difficult times of life as feeling as though we are in prison. Maybe it’s because we are feeling trapped, bound and chained, and have lost all hope.

Whatever the reasons, if we are honest, some of our prisons are of our own making… but some of them are not. Someone who can relate to the latter is Joseph. He knew exactly what the words wrongful imprisonment meant.

I'm not going to recap his entire prison story but I do want to point out for us today that he did not waste his time while doing his time.

Yes, he truly was a victim but he chose not to live like one and continuously honored God in everything.

And it was through his lonely years of slavery and then imprisonment that he learned...

God is faithful when others aren't...

God will never leave you when others do...

God never forgets you when others have...

No matter what excuses you could use to take a back seat in life, honor God, even in dark days, for He's the only one with the power to not only bring you out, but elevate you to heights you never dreamed possible.

Not just for your sake, but for the sake of others as we will learn tomorrow.

So my thought for you today is this, redeem the time no matter where you’re doing it.

God's faithful.

God's here.

And God's not forgotten you.

But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him His faithful love. Genesis 39:21

Lion of the Tribe of Judah

2012-01-14T06:13:00.008-05:00

Genesis 37:1 thru 38:30, 1 Chronicles 2:3-6, 8 & Genesis 39:1-23

Today was so much easier, wasn’t it?

I love to study the life of Joseph. He is a picture of Christ, our redeemer. So much so I am struggling with what not to write because we could stay on these verses of scripture digging out truths until the cows come home, or sheep in Joseph’s case.

I may come back to Joseph a little later. But one of his brother’s is where I want to focus today.

Did you notice how quickly Judah ran away? We seem to have a lot of runners in this family don't we?

I am sure watching the pain of his father day after day only reminded him of all they had done to Joseph. Jealousy is so deadly in more ways than one.

So Judah leaves home, marries and has three boys and what did it say about them?

The first one, Er was wicked and because of that dies.

The second, Onan was selfish, and dies because he was not about to have a child with Tamar so Er’s name could live on.

Judah left home hoping to find peace, hoping to leave his past and heartache behind. But sadly, his life was only more wrenched with pain.

With only one son left he sends Tamar back to her father’s with no intention of giving his third son to her. That was the worst thing that could have ever happened to a woman. Her value and future was wrapped up in her ability to marry and give birth to sons.

So we see her with no future and no hope so she devises a plan to get Judah to sleep with her. He does. She’s pregnant. He finds out. And what a great convenience it was for Judah. Now Tamar has committed a crime. She will be stoned. He will be free from his obligation to her.

So he thinks.

Did you notice that when his staff, seal, and cord were brought to him he was asked, Whose are these? It is such a great picture of how God only confronts us and never condemns us.

This was a crossroad for Judah. He could have answered with a lie about his wrong doing and in essence ran away and tried to hide, again. Or he could face the truth of his sins for the first time, in a long time.

Proverbs 28:13 says People who cover their sins will not prosper. But if they confess and forsake them, they will receive mercy.

We see that both Tamar and Judah found forgiveness and mercy that day. And God is going to work a great purpose through both of their lives; things that they could have never imagined.

Not only does Tamar give birth to one son, but two sons.

God is the only one who can bring blessing from deceit, disaster, and disillusionment.

God took what was meant for evil and turned it not only for Judah and Tamar’s good, but your good, and my good too.

I know you may be tired of reading about descendants. But humor me with these three verses.

Matthew 1:1-3
1 This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham:

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Judah and his brothers.

3 Judah was the father Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar), Perez had Hezron, Hezron had Aram...

All the ancestors of Jesus are listed in Matthew from Abraham all the way to Joesph and Mary. But did you catch that in verse 3? From Tamar and Judah’s one-day-stand came the Promised One, the Messiah...

The Lion of the Tribe of Judah!!

So, don't ever think your sin is so great that greatness can't come from you. God, the Holy of of Israel, is waiting on us to just confess our sin so He can take what was once a disaster and turn it for our good too.

Lineage of Grace

2012-01-13T09:06:00.006-05:00

Genesis 36:1-19, 1 Chronicles 1:35-37, Genesis 36:20-30, 1 Chronicles 1:38-42, Genesis 36:31-34, 1 Chronicles 1:43 thru 2:2

Wow. Today’s reading was a little tough.

We read about some descendants. And then we read about some more.

After I finished our reading I went to find a study Bible to see if it had a little nugget I could share with you regarding all of Esau's descendants.

I did not find the Bible I went looking for, but I did find something else. My grandmother’s Bible.

As I opened it up I saw where she had recorded all of my ancestors, the dates they were born, and the places they lived.

It was my family tree. My ancestors. My history.

I am so blessed to have a Godly heritage. I know not everyone does. But my grandmother was truly a woman in love with her God. She talked it and she walked it, so much so that when I was 11 years old I was moved to ask for her Bible when she passed away. It was the Word… her Word she lived her life by.

October 30, 2006 she went home to be with Jesus. A few months before she left us, she called me into her room and reached down and picked up her Bible and gave it to me.

I remember it like it was yesterday. She was so happy to finally pass it on to me.

I opened it and read these words that were penned by her on November 18, 1984 (the day I shared with her I wanted her Bible).

Tina,

Always live just as the words in this precious book says. And be sure to meet me in Heaven.

Ma

I miss Ma. I miss hearing her yell Whoopie!! when her beloved Braves hit a home run.

But mostly, I miss hearing her bring every one of her family members every night to the throne room in prayer. What Godly woman. What a heritage.

You too are blessed if you have parents, grandparents and great grandparents who passed on the love of their God.

But if you don’t, then YOU can be that voice for your family. You can start today and leave a lineage of grace for your descendants. And they too will point back and remember how you were a woman, or man, who was in love with their God, still making an impact long after you're gone.

p.s. Does anyone have a Kleenex?

Moving On

2012-01-11T15:27:00.003-05:00

Wow, have we had a roller coaster ride over the past few days in our Chronological readings or what?

So much happened...

-Esau sold his birthright because he was hungry. Man our stomachs can get us into trouble can't they?

-Isaac lies about Rebekah being his sister. Like father, like son.

-Jacob deceives his own father and steals Esau's blessings. There was so much regarding that one. I'll just say one thing on this and move on. Abraham made a decision based on what he felt instead of what his head was telling him. If something in your life feels wrong, most likely it is wrong.

Moving on.

-After Isaac blesses Jacob instead of Esau, Jacob flees for his life.

-He goes to his Uncle Laban's home where he works for him for the next 20 years. There he marries Laban’s two daughters, Leah and Rachel and has many children. And all the complexities that go along with marrying two sisters... well there just isn't enough space on this screen to go there.

So... (taking a breath) we land on today's reading.

Poor Jacob. He had worked so hard building another man's wealth. He is soooooo ready to get out on his own. It was just time for him to move on.

Have you ever been there? Have you ever had to make a tough decision to move on?

You see, it was all good for Jacob for a while, but things started to shift. Laban's sons began grumbling about Jacob and even Jacob could sense Laban's attitude toward him changing (Genesis 31:1-2).

So Jacob packs everyone up and sneaks away. When Laban discovers this he pursues him.

God stepped in though and warns Laban to not harm Jacob. And today we read where they made a treaty to live in peace. Laban made a wise decision, wouldn't you agree?

Here’s a lesson we can learn from Laban… We need to live in peace with our family, friends, and enemies to the best of our ability.

Sadly though, there are those times you will just have to leave it all behind, draw a line, walk away and move on. That can be tough. But if you remain where you are not supposed to be, that can be tougher.

I remember in my twenties going through my first real conflict with some individuals. My dear mother-in-law gave me this scripture and I have tried my best to live by it ever since.

Do all you can to live in peace with everyone. Romans 12:18 (NLT)

How much sweeter life is when we can agree to disagree and love one another in spite of our shortcomings.

Not to mention, the world gets to see a glimpse of Jesus when we truly love one another on that level. John 13:35

And that my friends is what we are called to do.

So, if God is calling you to make a peace treaty today, remember Romans 12:18 and let it be the light that guides your steps to reconciliation. And if reconciliation does not happen, you can move on knowing you did all you could to live in peace with everyone.

Pathway to Blessing

2012-01-10T17:31:00.004-05:00

Last night I had the awesome privilege to speak to some ladies who are a part of Women on Mission in Mayo, FL. One of the things they do is serve others throughout the year with various projects, so my talk revolved around the aspect of serving: why we serve, what it means to serve, where our focus should be when we serve.

I shared with them these verses in Philippians concerning Christ…

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11 NLT)

Mark tells us in chapter 10 that Jesus did not come to be served but to serve. If anyone in all of creation had the right to live in the grandest of houses, eat the finest of foods, dress in the latest fashion, it was Christ and yet he gave up His rights, humbled Himself, and took on the position of a servant, and was obedient even to the point of death.

But the story didn’t end there. Paul tells us in the verses quoted above that because Christ obeyed, therefore, He was blessed.

His pathway to blessing was paved by His obedience.

In our Chronological reading yesterday, God told Isaac in Genesis 26:2-7 that He would bless him, not because of what Isaac had done, but because his father Abraham obeyed God’s commands.

This lets me know that tomorrow I won’t be the only one affected by my obedience today but my children will be as well.

So remember the next time you feel a holy nudge from God that your blessing is tied to your obedience. And not only your blessing, but your family’s blessing too.

And by the way, because Christ obeyed, we have received the greatest of all blessings!!

Let's pass it on.

Mad Hatter's Tea Party

2012-01-08T22:02:00.003-05:00

Last October the Leading and Loving It North Central FL team hosted an awesome group of pastor's wives and women in ministry from 6 different churches in the area for a special night of ministry and fun designed just for them.

We had such a blast that I absolutely cannot wait to get together with them again!! We are planning... We are preparing... We are praying... Basically, We are just pretty stoked because this time we are hosting a TEA PARTY!!

Now, I know what you are thinking... and trust me, this is not your grandmother's tea party.

This is a Mad Hatter's Tea Party!!

So if you are a woman in the North Central FL area whose hubby is a pastor or you yourself are in ministry then put Saturday, January 21st, 5pm on your calendar and don't be late for this very important date!! For if you are you will miss a great time of activities, scripture, conversations, and a short word all purposed to help you live everyday in your passion and God-given dreams.

To RSVP click here.

We also invite you to click here to learn more about Leading and Loving It.

Can't wait to see you Leading Ladies soon!!

Mount Moriah

2012-01-07T18:15:00.003-05:00

A couple interesting tidbits to add to our Chronological Bible reading today…

In Genesis 22 we read the account of Abraham taking Isaac to Mount Moriah to sacrifice him. I love Abraham’s faith in this story! You see it quite vividly when he says to his two servants, Stay here… The boy and I will travel a little farther… and then WE will come right back.(v.5)

Although God asked Abraham to sacrifice his promised-by-God son, Abraham had no doubts that somehow, someway, he was coming down from that mountain with his son... alive. No wonder Abraham is called the Father of our Faith.

Another little interesting fact to keep in mind as we continue our reading... Mount Moriah will be the location where the temple will be built in Jerusalem by King Solomon and to this day is the holiest of sites in all of Israel. We know it today as The Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Mark and I standing on the Mount of Olives and behind us is the distance is the Temple Mount.

It is also believed that the Ark of the Covenant is buried on the Temple Mount right where we are standing in the picture below.

And to bring today's reading full circle, Isaac was not sacrificed on Mount Moriah that day, but God’s one and only promised son will be. But we have plenty more reading before we come to that. :)

So just some things to add to our reading today.

I pray you are enjoying it as much as I am!!

Week One Readings

2012-01-01T07:18:00.001-05:00

Welcome to day one of our reading!!!

For those of you who have committed to read through the Bible with us this year but have yet to receive your Chronological Bible, here are our first week's readings.

January 1- Genesis 1:1-3:24


January 2- Genesis 4:1-5:32
              1 Chronicles 1:1-4
               Genesis 6:1-22

January 3- Genesis 7:1-10:5
            1 Chronicles 1:1-7
            Genesis 10:6-20
                1 Chronicles 1:8-16
                  Genesis 10:21-30
                  1 Chronicles 1:17-23
                  Genesis 10:31-32

January 4- Genesis 11:1-26
               1 Chronicles 1:24-27
                 Genesis 11:27-14:24

January 5- Genesis 15:1-17:27

January 6- Genesis 18:1-21:7

January 7- Genesis 21:8-23:20
                  Genesis 11:32
                Genesis 24:1-67

Remember, we are reading the Bible chronologically as the events actually occurred. Thus the reason why there seems to be so much jumping around.

I pray you enjoy this amazing journey through the Word in 2012!!

Happy New Year and Happy Reading!!

Last Post for 2011

2011-12-30T11:10:00.005-05:00

I pray you had a wonderful Christmas break!

2012 is right around the corner and anticipation is high regarding all the possibilities that lie ahead for each of us.

Now is the time that many who participate are writing out their New Year's Resolutions.

We like resolutions because we want to be challenged, we want to grow, we want to find ourselves at the end of 2012 better and wiser people.

So here is one somewhat simple yet life changing challenge you can take along with myself and many others- Reading God's Word in it's entirety this next year.

The One Year Chronological Bible is our book of choice and I love that it is written in an easy to understand translation (New Living Translation) and it breaks down the daily reading to about 15 minutes a day. Now that's doable!

So if you do not have one you can click here to order it or you can download one onto your smart phone or tablet here.

I pray you all have a prosperous, God filled, and Happy New Year!!

And thank you for reading this blog this past year. Your support and comments have blessed me more than you know.

Much love,

p.s. For those waiting for their Bible to come in I will post on Sunday the first week's reading so you can begin reading with us and not fall behind. :)

I'm Still Standing

2011-12-29T14:16:00.002-05:00

What do you do when you plan, strategize, pray, and believe for things to happen... and they don't?

Well, when this year began 363 days ago I was certain there were a few things I would see major changes in during 2011. Some of those things were personal to me, and some of them were dealing with where we live, and some were dealing with our church.

It's a good thing I am not a betting person because none of them, I repeat, none of them came to fruition over this past year.

A personal goal I set...

Didn't happen.

Moving closer to Alachua and our church...

Didn't happen.

And a church building ready to go up that we so desperately need...

Didn't happen.

So, what do you do when you have done all you can and nothing seems to be working the way you had hoped?

Remember, Redirect, and Reflect.

#1 Remember- Things could be worse. I know it is such a cliché but it is so true. I am alive to have another year to work on my personal goals. I have a home that I love and a car to drive to Alachua everyday. Our church is filled with the most giving, caring, and loving people who weekly take our temporary home (a school cafeteria) and turn it into an amazing sanctuary where countless lives, marriages, and homes have been changed.

#2 Redirect- Paul said it best... No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3:13 & 14 (NLT)

Your past is in the past and nothing can change it. But you can change or redirect your focus to what is ahead.

#3 Reflect- Ok, this is the one time I am going to say it's ok to look back. So, go ahead, look at the past and examine it by questioning whether or not some of the reasons your plans didn't morph into reality were due to anything you could have done differently. If so, make the changes needed to change the outcome of your situation.

But what if you have already done all you can do and still nothing changed?

Then stand.

We often quote this scripture to ourselves and others when we feel like we aren't seeing results from our prayers or our labor, Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:13 KJV

How many times in life have we let everyone know we no longer wanted to participate in something by saying, I'm gonna sit this one out.?

Sitting is so much easier than standing, fighting, playing, working, or believing. But simply put, you will never win in life by sitting.

So, if at the close of 2011 you find yourself like me with goals not yet achieved, moves not yet made, or buildings not yet built, keep standing because our God is a god of timing not time.

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)

Like this year for me, next year we may and we may not see our hopes, our dreams, or our prayers come to fruition, but I pray we'll always...

remember the good,

continually redirect our energy to what's ahead,

and no matter how tempting it is to sit, keep standing.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

2011-12-20T09:01:00.001-05:00

My sheep know my voice and a stranger they will not follow. John 10

To this day I can walk in a room teeming with people, conversations, and laughter, and piercing though all the noise a clearing of the throat can be heard, probably only by me, and in that moment I know my dad is here.

After 18 years of living with and being raised by my parents I have learned my father's voice and can still know when he is near, even when I can't see him.

This last week of Christmas we will be surrounded by the sounds of laughter, conversations, music, cash registers, and unwrapping of gifts. Still in all the noise our Father is near.

He's always near.

He's near to the brokenhearted. Psalm 34:1

And...

He's near to all who call on him. Psalm 145:18

Over 2000 years ago we were so far from God that he sent His Son to us, to walk with us, to teach and train us, to redeem us, so we could be... near.

And although we might not see God in the noise this week...

our Father is near.

He's always near.

Do you hear what I hear?

The Final Countdown

2011-12-18T22:38:00.002-05:00

Christmas Countdown

Although we have known for months that Christmas was coming, and we have made our lists and checked them more than twice, still over 40% of us have not completed our holiday shopping.

So with the final countdown underway I thought I’d share a few tips that may help you ease the stress this week when it comes to finding those perfect last minute gifts.

#1 Make it yourself
Most of us are baking cookies, specialty breads, and holiday candy this week. Buy a cute little goody box or tin (Wal-Mart has them for a great price) and give the gift you know they will enjoy.

Homemade granola is some of my favorite things to give. Place granola in a little clear glass container and add a red ribbon. You’re done! The recipe found here is pretty close to the one I make.

Here's one a dear friend gave me last year. It was so cute and quite delish!!

#2 Give a service or experience
Make gift certificates for baby-sitting your friend's kids or for detailing your spouse’s car.

If you have a specialty like cooking fabulous meals or cutting hair, those are also great things to offer on a gift certificate. Get creative and think outside the box. If you do your gift will definitely be one of a kind and VERY much appreciated!!

#3 Shop your closet
There are two schools of thought here for me. One is that if you just received a new gift you know you will never use, then by all means pass it along. If, and only if, you feel the person receiving the gift will appreciate and use it.

The second school of thought for me is this, I personally LOVE to receive 'pre-owned' gifts that have meant something to the person passing it along to me. Some of my most prized possessions were handed down to me from family members and I can’t think of anything I would rather have to remember my loved ones by.

So if you give something of sentimental value to you, make sure you let the recipient know where you got it from, how long you owned it and why you have loved it so much. They will forever cherish it!!

#4 Embrace gift cards
I love that you can now purchase gift cards to anywhere in your very own grocery store. No more running to 10 different places!! Usually near the checkout is where you'll find a rack full of the most popular retail shops, online stores such as iTunes & Amazon, and restaurants. So as you finish up your grocery shopping this week pick up that last minute gift for your uncle, you know, the one who already has everything.

And my last couple of tips for this week…

Breathe…

Don’t stress about the things you can’t change…

Breathe…

And remember, the most important things in life are not things.

Enjoy the last week of our 2011 Christmas Season!!

Merry Christmas,

To Face Unafriad

2011-11-25T06:30:00.005-05:00

Last night numerous people gave up sleep and the comfort of a warm bed for just a chance to purchase that perfect gift for their nearest and dearest at rock bottom prices. Some succeeded, some failed. But in all their attempts I’m sure everyone felt the same emotion… stress.

As this time of the year brings Joy to the World it also brings fears to our hearts and mind. We fear getting all the shopping, cooking, and decorating done… having enough money to pay for Christmas… making it through the next few weeks without any major meltdowns from the kids… or ourselves.

I can’t help but think how stressful Joseph had to feel the moment Mary looked at him and said, I think it’s time.

With no hospitals to take her to or rooms in the inns his thoughts had to bounce from this can’t be happening now to this baby deserves more than to be born in the filth and stench of a stable to I am such an inadequate husband and father.

But Mary, the Bible says, treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart (Luke 2:19). Although she held Christ in her arms that night, she held Him closer in her heart.

So as we move into the greatest and last season of 2011, like Mary let’s purpose to focus on the greatest gift and treasure we will ever receive or give, the only gift that can fully satisfy, the only gift that can give peace in our frazzled lives, they only gift that is the perfect gift.

And instead of decorating all the rooms in our house this year, let’s decorate our lives with kindness, joy, patience, peace, and love for others.

In John 14 Jesus tells his disciples these two things that I think will help us enjoy this most wonderful time of the year…

Don’t let your hearts be troubled, Trust in God, and trust also in me… I am leaving you with a gift- peace of mind and peace of heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. (John 14:1 & 27)

We can face unafraid the plans we have made if we take time to do what Mary did on that first Holy Night… treasure and ponder...

Jesus.

Merry Christmas,

The Greatest Book Ever Written

2011-11-13T10:19:00.004-05:00

Alarming but true... For the most part, many church attenders only read the Word once a week... Sundays as they follow along with the Pastor.

We love God. We serve God. We try to obey God. But the one thing that helps us the most in our daily walk with God (reading and learning His Word) is the one thing we seem to do the least.

We all at one time or another have struggled to set aside time to read the one thing that can change everything for our good.

Sometimes our list of Important-Things-To-Do can be so backwards.

We find time to shop, watch our favorite shows on the greatest of high def TV's, read our favorite authors, spend time with the greatest friends. All of which are VERY important, especially the first one. (smiles)

I have always said, You make time to do what you want to do.

For instance, you might not be an early bird, but you let your favorite purse go on sale at 5am and you'll be the first in line (and I'll be right behind ya).

Or let the first day of hunting season roll around and you'll easily get up at 4am to head to the deep, dark, scary woods (and I WONT be right behind ya).

But seriously, what does all this have to do with reading the Word?

So glad you asked. Really I am.

For the past two years CCA and many others have gone on two 365 day journeys through the Word. This year we are finishing up Solo: An Uncommon Devotional a great devo that teaches you to absorb and mediate on scriptures, communicate with God, and live out the Word daily.

It has been a great experience thus far and we are not finished yet. But we have come to the time of year when I announce what we will be doing for the next 365 days so everyone can begin to prepare and order their books.

With much prayer and consultation, I have decided for us to go back to our very first book for our 2012 daily reading, The One Year Chronological Bible written in the New Living Translation.

There are three reasons why I feel this is what we need to do again…

#1 Since we last read through this Bible CCA has had many new people attending who did not get to participate in 2010 and are so hungry for more of the Word.

#2 As with many first-of-the-year-commitments, quite a few people began strong reading through the Bible, and I want to give them another opportunity to finish what they started. It's a great feeling of accomplishment when you turn that last 1668^th page knowing you read every last one of God’s words to you.

#3 Because this particular Bible is written in chronological order it reads more like a novel than just 66 separate books placed in one big book. And the New Living Translation is one of the easiest to read and understand. So with these two things coupled together I know it will help anyone who struggles to read the Word on more than just Sundays.

So, will you join us January 1, 2012 as we commit to15 minutes a day of reading THE GREATEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN?

CCA, if you would like for us to order yours, please email info@ccalachua.com to let us know how many you will need. The cost is $15 each.

If you do not attend CCA and would LOVE to journey with us, you can order your Bible by clicking here.

Now I'm off to write out a Christmas list, or two... Tis the season to be preparing.

p.s. These make great stocking stuffers too.

Christmas in October

2011-10-25T16:13:00.019-04:00

Last Friday night we hosted our very first Leading & Loving It North Central FL meeting and it was a HUGE SUCCESS!!

Thank you to Lori Wilhite and her team for the great leadership they provide through Leading and Loving It. It is a great honor to be a part of encouraging, inspiring, and ministering to ladies who share the same calling of either working in ministry, supporting their husband/pastor, or both.

Our theme was Christmas in October and the main point of the night was to prepare our hearts, minds, and spirits for the dazing days fastly approaching, also known as The Holidays.

I shared with all the ladies how we can face unafraid the plans we have made this year. I also shared how we can wake up on December 26th completely satisfied in Christ knowing we allowed Him to center us over the previous 25 days.

Of course we began with a fun Christmas get-to-know-you game to which we found out not one lady there had ever made Figgy Pudding. I guess it is just one of those things that we'd rather sing about than eat.

We followed that by a fabulous meal and one more fun game where 6 ladies paired up, and using only one of their hands had to wrap a Christmas present together. The winning team received some Holiday Bath and Body Works products. (Nothing says Christmas like Winter Candy Apple. LOVE IT!!)

Next we ate some amazingly glorious desserts and mixed it up by moving to different tables based on everyone's name tag theme (snow flakes, candy canes, or Christmas trees) for a time of discussion. This allowed the ladies to really get to know each other and hopefully make a few new friends.

During this time we discussed topics related to Christmas. It was quite interesting to hear some of their favorite Christmas movies, holiday traditions, and what gets them in the Christmas spirit.

Then our topics for discussion got a little more serious as we shared how we can stay healthy, mentally and spiritually, while ministering to others. What great wisdom and advice the ladies were able to impart and glean. I know that many ladies lives will be forever changed as they continue their work in ministry with this new knowledge. EXCITING!!

As we closed the night out I asked my mother-in-law Pat Johns (who has been in ministry for almost 40 years!) to pray over every lady, their homes and their churches. Not too many dry eyes after that. :)

A great time was had by all 16 ladies representing 6 churches in the North FL area and we can't wait until our next meeting on January 21st!!

If you would like more info about Leading & Loving It N Central FL just click here.

More great pics from the night...


Christmas 'Candy Bar'


Raspberry Tea and Flavored Water

Turkey Croissants w/ Cranberry Mayo, Pasta, Broccoli, & Pistachio Salads and Pumpkin Muffins


Our accessories for pictures THANK YOU Caley Porter and Maggie Lizotte for all your help!!!! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night,

Letting Go

2011-10-13T09:49:00.000-04:00

I've had multiple conversations lately with people who are going through some stressing times. Nothing too tragic or life altering, just situations where they are unsure where to go and what to do.

From today's reading of my Solo Devotional I posted this on Twitter and Facebook:

We will never complete by our own efforts what was begun by God. Let go, & let God do it.

And I added this in my comments:

One thing I have learned over the years is that when I am trying to run and control it all, I end up stressed & frazzled and I delay the end result. But when I release the control, I have peace and I get to experience God's powerful love for me when He moves the mountains I would never even be able to climb. I have not perfectly mastered letting go... but I'm better at it then I was. :)

Trying not to get too consumed with the what if's in life is easier said than done. But know this, whatever you are facing today, God will never let you walk this road alone. Jesus died so you could live in peace free from all fear and anxiety.

The Bible instructs us to be transformed by the renewing your mind (Romans 12:2). So when those thoughts of fear and even death come in your mind, exchange them for God's life-giving truth.

Here are just some of the truths you can use to transform your mind and thoughts today:

Matt 6:25-27 & 34 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matt 11:28-30 Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly.

Luke 12:25-28 Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can't even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don't fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?

John 14:27 I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Psalm 55:22 Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

And here is my prayer for you today...

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all. 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Much love and many prayers for you today,

4 Dimensions of Leadership

2011-10-10T22:25:00.003-04:00

Last week I shared this with our leaders at CCA and I wanted to pass it along to you. Even if you don't lead a team, these 4 dimensions are things we all can apply in our everyday, influential lives. Even if the only people you influence are your kids at home, this is for you!

I listened to a teaching last week that as soon as I heard it I knew I wanted to share it with you. It was on the Four Dimensions of Leadership.   Most likely you and I are strong in one of these areas but to be the best leader we can be we will need to be effective in all.

The first one is Self Leadership- This starts and ends with you. Self leadership means you take ownership and responsibility for your growth as a leader. I am well aware that most of us are strapped for time each day, and investing hours to deepen our leadership learning just is not possible. So here is one book I try to read every day that gives me a short lesson on leadership allowing me to easily glean and grow, The Maxwell Daily Reader, 365 Days of Insight to Develop the Leader Within You and Influence Those Around You.  It takes me about 3 minutes to read each day's lesson.

Second is Managerial Leadership- This kind of leadership is managing everything that is getting done. This is one we are all probably good at and let me assure you managing is vital because if we are not overseeing and inspecting the job of our teams things can easily begin to unravel. We need to consistently take a step back, review our processes, inspect the work being completed, and allow God to use us to see any tweaks that need to be done.

Thirdly, Visionary leadership- If this is your strength you naturally give hope and a picture of the future. The visionary leader always gives the why behind the what when they lead their teams.

Example: Visionary leaders don’t just tell their people not to park in the grassy area by the cafeteria, they also explain to their teams why we no longer park in that area. Here’s the why: Although it is convenient for us to park there, we are growing and we need that space for overflow for our guests and for our people who can’t walk the long distance from the parking lot each week.

When your team understands the big picture they are more than happy to comply to requests being made and it makes them feel valued when you share details instead of just instructions.

And our last one is Spiritual leadership- We need to be praying and investing in how our teams are growing spiritually in their relationship with Christ. You, as your team’s leader, are a spiritual influence to them. A couple ways to care for your team is by sharing encouraging words and verses through email or on the days you lead and let them know you pray for them and if they need anything you are there to serve them in any way possible, not just on the days they serve the church. This is called pastoring your people. They will love you and appreciate you more when they know you are not just concerned about what they do, but who they are becoming.

So to recap, Self Leadership is modeling, Managerial Leadership is giving direction, Visionary Leadership is giving hope and big pictures, and Spiritual Leadership is giving care.

And when we lead in these four dimensions we are well on our way to becoming the great leader God’s called us to be.

Wonder-Fall Food

2011-10-01T17:46:00.007-04:00

As much as I LOVE Fall and love baking Fall goodies like these I have nev-ah ev-ah ventured into the wonderful world of the beloved Butternut Squash... until now.

So today with all this wonder-Fall weather I thought I'd try my hand at roasting this amazingly delish veggie to go with my favorite salad for this time of the year, The Scotto Family Autumn Salad with Apples.

So here is what I did... I just peeled the squash with a quite large potato peeler, then halved it, took out the seeds and diced it into about 3/4 inch cubes. Mixed them with a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper and a little Brown Sugar and layered it all on a sheet pan and roasted at 375 degrees until done.

Now let me just add a little disclaimer... This is not a recipe I found, but one I have made up. At the time of this posting the Butternut Squash was still in the oven. So not even sure it's going to be good.. praying it is! I'll come back and let you know the results.*

Now on to the salad. Those who know me well know how much I LOVE salad. I am not sure why, I just do. When I saw the Scotto Family make this on TV one morning last year I just knew I had to add it to my recipe collection. That very day I purchased the ingredients and made it. Hope you like to too!

Ingredients

1/2 cup walnut halves

6 to 8 ounces crumbled gorgonzola cheese (I am using feta cause it's what's on hand)

2 packages baby spinach, washed and dried

2 heads bibb lettuce, separated into leaves, washed and dried

2 to 3 ripe apples (preferably Gala) skin on, halved, cored, cut into lengthwise 8-inch slices

1/4 cup sun dried cranberries

1 cup apple cider vinaigrette (Recipe Follows)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place walnuts on cookie sheet. Bake until lightly toasted, crisp and smell rich, about 10 to 14 minutes.

Put baby spinach and bibb lettuce in a bowl. Lightly dress with vinaigrette so that everything is slightly coated. Season salad with salt and pepper. Plate it up and garnish with sliced apples and sun dried cranberries, nuts, and cheese; serve immediately.

For the apple cider vinaigrette:

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup excellent quality extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup opal basil leaves or regular basil, cut into thin ribbons

In a small bowl, add Dijon, honey, and apple cider vinegar. Mix together with whisk then stream in extra virgin olive oil whisking all together. Add basil.

Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

I pray you all are enjoying this weekend. Get out there and try some new Fall recipes... even if you have to make one up.

Life's an adventure made for us to live to the Fallest!! (I know, bad pun) Smiles

* The results are in... It was AMAZING!!

Leading & Loving It

2011-09-21T16:01:00.003-04:00

This is something I have wanted to do for YEARS!!! I have even conducted meetings with other women in ministry to plan and strategize for this.

But it just never seemed to be the right time… until NOW!!

A few months ago I was so thrilled to see one of my fav ministries for pastor’s wives and women in ministry Leading & Loving It come up with the fabulous idea to initiate local chapters. To which I quickly signed up to lead the Gainesville, FL area.

It has taken a few more months of God’s timing for it to come to fruition but I am so pleased to announce that Leading & Loving It North Central FL is finally here!!

So, what exactly is L&LINCF? I am so glad you asked!! It is a community that connects, encourages, and supports pastors’ wives and women on staff in ministry in the North Central Florida area.

If you have served in ministry any length of time you know it is one of life's greatest joys but at times it can become very difficult to navigate life, marriage, children, home, AND ministry. L&LINCF is here to rejoice with you in your victories and be a source of strength in your difficulties.

So if you are a pastor's wife (lead, youth, worship, children, etc.) or you yourself are in ministry, join in ladies and let's do life together!!

We have a Facebook group page you can join by clicking here.

Also, we will be hosting our first bi-monthly meeting on Friday, October 21st in Alachua, FL entitled Christmas in October.

I know, it’s not Christmas yet, and I promise we are not trying to rush it, but from Thanksgiving until New Years Day leaders in the church are serving more, sharing more, giving more, and attending more parties than we do all year long.

And we can get stressed, Stressed, STRESSED.

So this will be a night of fun, surprises, gifts, an elegant dinner, followed by a time of focusing our hearts and minds on Jesus... our savior, our rock, our strong tower, and our peace... as we embark on this most wonderful, and sometimes crazy, time of the year.

If you would like to register for our October meeting and/or you would like more info on L&LINCF click here and more information will be sent to you.

Again, this is open to any lady whose husband is in ministry or she herself is in on staff in ministry in the North Central Florida area.

I hope to see you there!!

Growing & Connecting Spiritually

2011-09-12T23:13:00.009-04:00

A question was posed to me from a wife in our church that I wanted to share with you today along with my answer.

Q.
How does a husband and wife grow and connect spiritually?

A.
This is an excellent question that few couples think to ask. Many Christian couples never realize that those who travel together spiritually are usually well equipped to handle life’s difficulties because they are learning to tackle them as a team.

Of course everyone believes the best way to grow and connect spiritually is to have a set time each day that you and your spouse can sit down, read your couples devotional for the day in your couples devotional book, you know, the one with the picture of the oh-so-in-love couple on the front. And then have deep, introspective dialogue followed up with praying for one another.

If you and your spouse do this, I think that's awesome!! And I mean it.

But the truth is for most of us it is not our reality. Conflicting schedules or maybe an unwilling spouse may keep you from this. So if you have said, Yea, right, to the ideal then you’re in good company because most of the other Christian couples on this planet do not do this either, including myself and the hubs.

Does that mean Mark and I are bad, less spiritual, or guilty for not making time daily for a devo-date?

No.

And neither are you. Sometimes it really is an impossibility and/or your spouse may find it difficult to connect and share in this way. And that's ok.

I have learned that growing and connecting spiritually is not about a shared devotional life but a mutually devoted life. So don’t feel bad, or think your spouse is terrible because they don't want to sit with you each day in this type of setting.

So let me give you a couple things that Mark and I have found that allow us to grow and connect spiritually... sometimes daily, and sometimes not.

One is sharing with each other things we have discovered while reading a great book or studying scripture. Of course he being someone who shares the gospel every week he’s in the Word unearthing truths continually. And yes he shares these findings with our church on Sundays, but he shares and discusses them with me first which allows us to grow and connect spiritually as a couple.

And the same for me when I am studying. I had a revelation last week that I shared with him and after seeing the look on his face, I’m pretty sure he’s going to use it in a new message he’s working on.

I'm always happy to assist. (Insert smiley face here)

Another way we have connected and grown spiritually is just spending time viewing God’s handiwork and sharing how amazing God is. We sit in our front yard and watch this every night that we can.

And our discussions always find their way back to God’s greatness, God’s vastness, God’s ability to run this whole universe and yet still hear every prayer we have, heal every hurt we have, plant every seed of promise we cling too, and cast every dream we hold dear.

God is so indescribably awesome.

Now, I do understand that you may have a passion for God and your spouse may not.

So what do you do when you are willing to connect and grow spiritually and your spouse isn't?

#1 You need to pray, and don't preach. Preaching never works. But God does. So pray to God about your man instead of preaching to your man about God. Let God do the thing you cannot.

Which leads to point two...

#2 You cannot change your spouse, but you can change yourself. You cannot make them grow and connect spiritually with you but that does not mean that you still can’t grow and connect to God. And often times when you improve your spiritual life, it will produce a desire in them to improve as well.

I know life and marriage is not easy. Please know I am praying for each and everyone who reads this today. There is an enemy who would love nothing more than to destroy your marriage. So I pray these insights will help you as you travel the sometimes bumpy road of marriage.

I would love to hear your thoughts on growing and connecting spiritually as a couple. Do you find it difficult? Have you found a method that works for you? Leave a comment below or email me at tina@ccalachua.com. I ALWAYS love hearing from you!!

Much love,

Taking a look back

2011-09-05T10:27:00.002-04:00

There is a reason a car has a very large windshield and a very small rear view mirror.

We need to have our eyes focused on where we are heading.

We need to only glance at what's behind.

This past week two incredible opportunities opened up for CCA that are more than amazing. I shared with the hubs that for me this week has been the most exciting week of CCA's 3 year and 4 month life.

It's the most exciting not because of these two opportunities but because the two opportunities have caused me to glance back in CCA's rear view mirror.

I invite you to reflect with me for just a moment.

In April of 2008 we walked into a small room to about thirty people to share with them the vision of CCA.

This is a picture of Mark praying for us and CCA that day.

Those 30 have turned into 230. Yes, CCA has grown, but more importantly, the Kingdom is growing!

In April 2008 we began this journey with only a dream and a prayer, literally. So we began to purchase banners, sound equipment, nursery supplies, and even a pulpit.

Today we have 15 beautiful acres and soon we will be breaking ground on our first building.

Those few necessary supplies are about to turn into a 15,600 square feet ministry facility.

This past April we had over 2000 people on our property for the largest Easter Egg Hunt in Alachua. And next year the city, who by the way has hosted an annual hunt for the past 28 years, wants to discontinue theirs and join in on ours.

In November we will graduate our 2nd class of Men of Honor. Over thirty men’s lives will never be the same.

Countless marriages have been restored.

Countless jobs have opened up.

Countless prayers have been answered.

Countless friendships have been formed.

Countless people have come to know Christ as their savior.

As I prepared the congregation to give yesterday, I shared with them that this was all made possible only because we have been faithful to give of our time, our talent, and our tithe and offering.

We have been faithful with little and God has turned it into so much more in only three short years.

This is why I told Mark last Wednesday this is the most exciting week in the life of CCA. Because I took time to reflect on all God has done through a small yet faithful group of people.

My eyes are set on what’s ahead, but my heart is so full because of what’s already behind.

If God has done all this in three short years, I can’t possibly imagine what the next three will hold.

CCA, get ready, because I believe God wants us to do so much more than we could dream possible.

Always remember, with God nothing shall be impossible. (Luke 1:37)

I Love My Church,

Leading in your Strengths

2011-09-01T13:02:00.005-04:00

I have learned that to be a good leader you can never stop learning. Here is one thing I have learned and emailed our leadership team at CCA today. Hope it helps you too if you lead a team on your job, in your church, or even at your kids school.

A huge factor to leading well is to focus on your strengths and assign your weaknesses to someone with that strength.

Often times we think when we find that weak area in our leadership we need to focus and spend our time working to improve that area. But when you do this you are neglecting the things you do right and are leading from your weak spot. Therefore you are minimizing your potential success.

So what's the solution? Staff your weak areas. Example: If you find it very easy to get a big picture for an event but find it difficult to think through the details, delegate that to someone on your team that can handle the logistics.

I used to feel guilty because as a leader I thought I should be able to 'do it all'. Then I realized I don't expect others to be able to do it all, so why should I think I could. I was trying to be perfect. I'm not.

I discovered we were more successful as I enlisted people who were gifted in my weak areas because #1 we were all working from our strengths and #2 not just one person was passionate about the cause, many were.

So set your priorities and focus on your strengths and delegate the rest. You will find your life less stressful and your projects more successful.

It's all about Perspective

2011-08-24T20:41:00.005-04:00

Your perspective has the power to change everything.

We all know to be healthy means you need to eat good well balanced meals and get moving.

This week I started working on the get moving part by walking. Exercising is not on my Things-I-Just-Love-To-Do list as I am sure most likely it's not on yours either. So as I laced up the tennies Monday I said to myself, I don't want to do this.

And it was true, I didn't. But after I changed my perspective I did.

I realize at that moment (and it was probably God whispering this in my ear) there are many people who would LOVE the opportunity to walk if given the chance, even if it was just across the room, but due to health or other issues can't no matter how badly they desired to.

So I have changed my perspective from, I don't want to do this, to I get to do this.

And I found that it actually makes me kind of even like doing this.

What is it in your life today that you really, I mean REALLY, don't like to do but find yourself needing or having to do it?

Change your perspective about the thing and you'll find it much easier to do the thing you must do.

Here are a couple examples to help a sista out:

Change, I really don't want to wash up these dishes everyone left in the sink, to, I am so grateful I have a family that loves me and I love them, even when they don't clean up after themselves.

Change, I hate my long commute to work each day, to, I am so grateful I have a job to drive to when so many out there are in need of one.

Change, That person I serve with at church really rubs me the wrong way, to, I am sure I can get on others nerves too, so help me Lord give grace to others as others have given grace to me.

Change, I don't want to deny myself the fatty, delish food on the buffet and opt for the lean meat, steamed veggies and salad, to, Tomorrow I will be proud I made the tough decision today and stayed committed to my healthy eating plan.

Perspective, it has the power to change everything.

A Little More Structure

2011-08-18T16:17:00.006-04:00

A continuation from yesterday...

Here are two things in my electronic world that brings a semblance of order to my life.

#1. Myself and most of the staff at CCA use an online program called Action Method which can be referred to all day long from any computer, iPad and smart phone. It’s basically a to-do list on steroids. If there is ANYTHING that I have to do, it becomes an action step in my Action Method. And it gives me great pleasure every time I get to click off a completed step. It helps me feel accomplished as I move through the day.

You can also send someone an action step and once they complete it, Action Method let's you know. Worth checking out if you have to delegate tasks often.

#2. Every day I do two things to my emails. I delete any email that I will never need again like an ad for a one day sale at JCPenny. And if I do need to keep a certain email, I have 34 files on my Gmail account where I file them away so I can refer to them again if need be.

If an email requires me to do something, I create an action step in my Action Method then I file the email, unless I really do need to refer to it in the next day or two, then I will let it hang out in my in box a little while longer.

OK, so here is how I do my email filing system... Let’s say your child is on the high school football team, you would create a file that says Tiger Football and every email you receive from the coach, parent or school regarding Tiger Football would go into that file. This eliminates you searching forever through hundreds of emails for that one email with the new schedule in it.

You could have a file for anything from your bills to recipes. THIS has been one of the greatest assets to my daily routine because most of my communication with the people I serve at CCA, businesses I have frequent contact with, and even my Life Group members is through email. With this system of files I stay well organized and can refer to any email quickly. LOVE IT (in my singing voice)

So I hope these past two posts have given you some ideas to help bring some routine, peace, and structure to your daily life as your family embarks on this new school year.

Enjoy your last weekend of summer,

Structure and Routine

2011-08-17T18:53:00.001-04:00

An unpredictable and chaotic life will create insecurity and anxiety. This is one reason I always LOVED school starting back up. It always brings back structure and routine to life.

Times for vacations are over, lounging around with a good book happens less often, and things start to revolve around schedules and calendars more.

I learned many years ago that it is very important to set-up, establish, and protect your daily routine in order to have success in life. And I don’t mean climbing a cooperate ladder.

Success to me means having groceries on had to feed my family a healthy and delish meal. Clothes are clean and ready to wear. And peace is reigning in our home because we are organized and able to adapt to any last minute changes in plans. And being in ministry, changes occur all the time. But success in said areas don't just happen. They require forethought and planning.

So here are some of the things I do to bring structure in my life.

First I start by get up at 5am and exercise for one solid hour. NOT!! I really do wish I did this one though. So let us begin again shall we?

#1. See what is the biggest challenge for you and work on that. Due to my hectic schedule for me my greatest challenge is planning out our meals and having the supplies on hand to prepare them. So the one thing that helps me in this area is always having something in the freezer I can heat up.

How I do this is by making a double batch (one for now and one for later) of anything that can be frozen like my spaghetti sauce, deer roast, or soups. This is a huge blessing if you already know you will arrive home late due to kids practices and you need something fast. Just remember to take it out of the freezer the day before and let it thaw in the fridge.

#2. I have one day of the week designated for cleaning house and I only deep clean on that day. Unless of course company is coming over. We wouldn’t want them to see how we really live now would we? (grin)

This is hard for me too because I like things nice and clean. BUT, I choose to have a life more. So yes, my house could be spotless 24/7 but I refuse let the fact that it’s not bother me. But please don’t think it is a pigsty, it’s not. I just choose to overlook the dust in the corner until my next cleaning day. This allows me to spend time with my family, enjoy some down time, or go to a movie without the guilt of thinking, I really should be cleaning right now.

#3. Even though I may not deep clean in between my designated cleaning days, I do however wipe down counters and furniture when needed. This keeps everything from getting too bad. My fav thing to keep under my bathroom sink is Clorox Wipes. After I dress for the day I can pull one out of that yellow and white container, wipe away then throw away.

Don't call me crazy, but I also keep a package of Pledge Wipes in my top dresser drawer. If my bedroom furniture is getting a little too dusty during the week I can give a quick wipe down without having to walk to the kitchen to grab by bottle of Pledge and cleaning rag. But again, I leave all my deep, time consuming cleaning for one day a week.

#4. I make my bed EVERYDAY. It takes about a minute to do this but this one thing makes all the difference in the world for the overall look and feeling of serenity in my room. I may have a pair of jeans that need putting away or books that need straightening up but as long as my bed is made it makes it all ok. Conversely, if everything else is clean and put away and yet the bed is unmade, it all looks chaotic.

Another benefit to my #4, there is nothing like crawling into a comfy made up bed every night.

#5. Before I walk out the door each morning I make sure the pillows and cushions on the couches are fluffed and in their proper place. At the end of the day, walking in and seeing everything in its place makes coming home so much sweeter.

There are more things that really enable me to have some means of peace and structure in my life and move more easily throughout my day and I will expound on that in the next posting. But for now I hope some of these things help you as you prepare for the 2011-2012 school year.

If you have some tips you would like to pass along, please click on comments below and share the love. :)

Lifetime Memories

2011-08-15T21:43:00.002-04:00

Fifteen years ago this week my mother and I took my son Tyler to buy new clothes for his very first year of school.

He was so excited.

I was so excited for him.

After a wonderful day of shopping for shirts, shorts, socks and shoes we stopped by a friend’s house on our way home for a short visit.

As we were saying our goodbyes my son, wearing his new school shoes (it’s important to add that), looked at the tempting pool in the back yard and starting running toward it as if he was going to do a cannon ball right in the middle of the shimmering sea of blue water, and just before he ran out of concrete…

he took one final step…

and jumped right in the middle of the pool, new shoes and all.

We stood there stunned at what just happened.

He came up from under the deep shimmering sea of blue water stunned at what he just did.

Of course laughter ensued. What else could we do? We knew his intention was to stop. But his feet did not listen to his head. It is a memory, a good memory, that will last in our minds for a lifetime.

Some memories aren’t as good though, and sadly they too will last in our minds for a lifetime.

Sunday night I finally got a chance to go see Cowboys and Aliens. I’ll give it a C on the grading scale. It definitely won’t make it on my I-gotta-see-that-again list. I was hoping it would be as good as the previews implied. It wasn’t.

But anyways, there was a line in the movie where the dying preacher, (there’s always at least one in every western movie) looks at the loner, rebel, ‘bad-guy’ and says, “It doesn’t matter what you did yesterday, it only matters who you are today."

Great words for anybody, cowboy or not, to live by.

We will never wipe away our bad memories of yesterday, but what we do today can add good memories to our tomorrows.

Memories may live in your minds forever but how you live out the rest of your life can speak louder than any whispers from your past.

Today, Tyler has completed all his schooling growing up in the process (literally overnight I have to say ) and has become a responsible working young man (that was hard to write, this mom sometimes wants him to be that cute 5 year old again).

The past 20 years of my life are filled with so many memories of him and one day he will have a wife and kids of his own making memoires that will last him a lifetime too.

So just some quick words of advice…

If you are a parent, cherish every moment you have with your kids this school year and purpose to make memories to last a lifetime with them and take LOTS of pictures, even when they say, “Oh, no! Here she comes again with the camera.” One day when they are older they will be glad you did.

At least that’s what I keep telling myself. (smiles)

Just Wanted to Share

2011-06-30T10:17:00.003-04:00

I have a friend who is going through a really tough time. This morning I Facebook'ed her a short word of encouragement and thought I would share it with you as well...

Dear Friend,

This verse is for you today. Read it. Pray it. And then ponder it all day believing that God's Word, THIS WORD, is true for you!

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Philippians 4:6-7 (Message Translation)

I pray that word is a blessing today to you too!!

Much love,

Final Answer

2011-06-21T10:42:00.004-04:00

Today we wrap up this little series of blogs on marriage. For the past few posts we have been answering the question, What does your husband need from you?

So far we have looked at these answers…

Build him up and believe in him

Respect him

Be his wife and not his mom

Protect Him

Pray for him

Although we could really look at countless answers to this question, today we are going to look at one final answer…

Continue to Work on You

If your spouse is growing spiritually, maturing, and drawing closer to God then that is all the more reason for you to be.

If your spouse is not growing spiritually, maturing, and drawing closer to God then that is all the more reason for you to be.

News Flash... you will never be able to change your mate. And as a matter of fact, God never asked you nor expects you to.

I wrote this post last June and I think it fits quite well here.

If you are anything like me and many other humans on this planet, you are a list maker. I have a To Do list that is always being added to, and when I’m lucky, subtracted from. I make lists for everything like groceries, chores for my kids, and of course those honey-do-lists.

Lists. Lists. Lists. I love them.

So today that is just what we are going to do… make a list.

Every marriage has its troubles. Every one of us has things that we wish we could change about our spouse; things that we feel make it impossible to live with our husbands at times.

You know, like never picking up his clothes off the floor. Nasty habits like blowing his nose at the dinner table; never willing to have long intimate conversations. Or maybe he forgets your anniversary. Or he's tight with the money or he's not even concerned with the money and you’re doing it all.

So stop right now, pick up a pen and piece of paper and draw a line down the center of the page from top to bottom. I want you to write out on the left side of the line every one of those issues that make you have to love him with the love of Jesus cause your flesh just won't allow it.

Remember we are not doing this for a husband bashing session. Our end goal is to make your marriage a success and you will never conquer what you won’t confront. And you cannot confront what you do not identify.

Take your time. I’ll be right here waiting on you when you’re done.

Ok. I hope you did not jump ahead of me and write on the right side all the positive things about your husband like good provider, loving father and never late for dinner.

If you did you are going to have to erase it. What I now want you to do is beside every issue on the left, I want you to write out your response to it on the right.

Do you pout?

Maybe nag?

Get angry?

Go ahead and complete your assignment.

Now I want you to take a pair of scissors and cut the paper down the middle. Rip up and throw away the left side: your husband's side.

Now look at the right side. What do you see? A record of petty behaviors, shameful practices and destructive responses?

You can do nothing about the left side of the paper you threw away. You will never change your man. But you can do something about the right side of the page. You can change you.

Take your list and pray over each reaction and ask God to give you wisdom, strength and guidance as you work on you in this marriage. Remember, nothing will ever change around you (like your marriage) until something first changes in YOU.

No, this is not a cure-all for those nasty little habits of your husband. Most likely he is a good man, not a perfect man, but a good man. And ladies, let me just tell you, we are far from perfect ourselves. But those trivial little annoyances of his won’t seem as annoying when we respond to them with the right heart and attitude.

Again, you will never be empowered by God to change your mate, but if you will take your focus off his weak areas and focus on yours you will have a strong marriage no matter what issues you face.

And all the wives said, AMEN!!

Although this pretty much wraps up this series of answers, next time I will share with you two last things I have learned how to navigate in my marriage. Two things that all of us at sometime or another will have to manage.

I want to leave you with one last thought today that really hit home for me the first time I wrote it...

If you want the man of your dreams, be the wife of his.

Until next time,

Answer Number 5

2011-06-16T10:07:00.002-04:00

What your husband needs from you...

Answer number 5

Pray for him

If you are not covering your man with prayer, then who is?

Do you struggle building him up and believing in him when you do not feel he does the same for you? Pray.

If you find it hard to respect him sometimes when he acts disrespectful to you. Pray.

“Be his wife and not his mom!?!? He needs to grow up!!” No, you need to pray.

Is protecting him the last thing you want to do because you feel no protection from him? Pray.

Our first reaction in these negative areas is to begin preaching at our husbands, you know, hell fire and brimstone kind of preaching. You are not God, and you will never change him with this tactic. You will succeed in causing him to resent you though.

James 5:16 says, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous wife avails much." (emphasis added)

Someone once said, No prayer, no impact. Little prayer, little impact. Much prayer, much impact.

But most of our prayer time is spent in reactive praying instead of proactive praying.

When things go wrong, then we pray for them to turn right.

When we get sick, then we pray to get well.

When our kids are acting crazy, then we pray for their sanity (and ours).

And when our marriage is falling apart, then we pray for it to be put back together.

So I want to give you a link to 31 days of proactive prayers for your husband. I want to encourage you to print them out and pray them along with the verses provided each day. (Click here to read and print the prayers.)

No, there’s not magic pill for your marriage. But praying does produce miracles!!

No one else on this earth will touch the heart of God for your man like you.

And your husband NEEDS you praying for him.

Let him know you do.

Answer Number 4

2011-06-15T09:00:00.003-04:00

What does your husband need from you?

Answer number 4...

To Protect Him

And a big way to protect your husband is by doing the things stated in Answers 1-3, Build him and believe in him, Respect him, and Be his wife not his mom.

Because if you aren’t the enemy will send someone to him who will.

There’s something so amazing that God has given us women, it’s called an intuition. Let me give you a great illustration of this.

Brian invited his mother over for dinner. During the course of the meal, Brian's mother couldn't help but notice how beautiful her son’s roommate, Jennifer, was. She had long been suspicious of the relationship between Brian and Jennifer, and this had only made her more curious.

Over the course of the evening, while watching the two interact, she started to wonder if there was more between the roommates than met the eye.

Reading his mom's thoughts, Brian volunteered, “I know what you must be thinking, but I assure you Jennifer and I are just roommates.”

About a week later, Jennifer came to Brian saying, “Ever since your mother came to dinner, I've been unable to find my beautiful gravy ladle. You don't suppose she took it, do you?”

Brian said, “Well, I doubt it, but I'll send her an e-mail just to be sure.”

So he sat down and wrote:

Dear Mom,

I'm not saying that you 'did' take the gravy ladle from the house, I'm not saying that you 'did not' take the gravy ladle. But the fact remains that one has been missing ever since you were here for dinner.

Love, Brian

Several days later, Brian received an email back from his mother that read:

Dear Son,

I'm not saying that you 'do' sleep with Jennifer, I'm not saying that you 'do not' sleep with Jennifer. But the fact remains that if Jennifer is sleeping in her own bed, she would have found the gravy ladle by now.

Love, Mom

As a woman we just know things that are not known. And when you sense something in your husband’s life that just doesn’t seem quite right, address it with him, immediately.

Not in a motherly I’m-getting-on-to-you and your-crazy-for-not-seeing-this-too kind of way. But in a wifely I-feel-something’s-not-quite-right-about-this-situation and I-want-to-protect-us kind of way.

Maybe his job just seems to be pulling him away from the family, friends, church and God.

Or maybe he has a lifelong friend who he loves to hang out with but when he comes home he’s very negative and judgmental for a few days.

Maybe it’s a woman who seems to be hanging around more than normal and although your husband can’t see through it, you can.

When you see an area in his life where the enemy is trying to get in, you need to bring it to his attention… and don’t wait. If you do it could be too late.

For years I didn’t bring some things to my hubs attention because I didn’t want to look jealous, obsessive, or like I was making a bigger deal of something than it really was.

Today, I don’t care what I look like.

I care more about my marriage and my family then me looking crazy. So I am quick to say when I feel something’s not quite right here.

You may question, Well, what if I end up being wrong? But I say, What if you end up being right? You just saved yourself and your family a lot of heartache.

Please don’t take this and all of the sudden become the police in your marriage. That will drive him away from you fast.

Just be aware the enemy is out there and when he comes to attack he does not come waving a red flag yelling, OK. I’m here and I have come to wreak havoc in your home!

No he comes subtle and elusive. That is why the Word instructs is to, Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. (1 Peter 5:8 MSG)

There is nothing on this earth I treasure more than my family. And I will protect and guard it at all costs.

Secret number four, your husband needs to feel treasured and protected by you.

Let him know he is.

Answer Number 3

2011-06-14T10:04:00.002-04:00

What does your husband need from you?

Answer number 3...

He needs you to be his wife, not his mom.

If you treat him like a child, he will act like a child. If you treat him like a man, he will act like a man.

It is sad how many men today did not grow up with a father, a real man, that taught them how to be a man. Too many men were raised lovingly by their moms, good moms, caring moms, but women cannot teach a boy how to be a strong man, that has to come from another man.

Then when said man marries, it becomes easy for him to allow a wife to lead. It’s all he knows.

If over the course of your marriage you had to be the man so to speak, be the leader in your family, it is now your responsibility to step down from that position and hand over the reins to your husband. I know he may be growing into the leader, and he might not be quite there yet, but he will never make it there if you are always stepping in and not stepping down.

Yes, he may not be as good as you at some things, but how will he ever learn if you do it for him. It doesn’t mean you can’t help, remember, we are his help meet, but he is the head of your home. And God is the one who set Him there. So when you honor your husband in this way, you are ultimately honoring God.

If you want a man you respect, then you have got to continue to give him the space and time to grow into the priest and leader of the home. He can’t be the King of the castle if you aren’t willing to get off the throne.

And here's a little secret revealed about us women, whether or not you recognize it, over time you will lose respect for your husband if he is not the leader.

Let him know he is.

Answer Number 2

2011-06-13T06:32:00.005-04:00

What does your husband need from you?

Answer number 2…

Respect

How do you show him respect? By appreciating him. Being considerate of his needs, all his needs. Being courteous, honoring, and adoring toward him. And by making him feel special.

Another little secret... he needs to feel special too. :)

Let him know he is.

Another great way to respect your husband is to never criticize him before friends, relatives, or anyone. Criticizing husbands is often a popular coffee-time subject for girlfriends, but you must resist any pressure to join in. It is much better for our husbands to hear our praise second-hand instead of repeated criticism.

Also, respect him enough to never criticize him in front of your children. When you do this, over time you will destroy your kids respect for him and for you. Abolish any comments such as: Never on time, just like your father, or Wasting money again; what did your dad buy now?

Remember that in many ways it is the wife who sets the emotional tone of the home. Children and husbands pick up a critical spirit quickly and use it in self defense on each other. This judgmental attitude firmly closes the door to mutual warmth and love. The healing ointment of praise mixed with appreciation heals and encourages healthy, emotionally stable feelings.

Another way to show respect that I learned over the years is by asking my husband things instead of telling him things. When I was a stay-at-home mom, many times my husband would come home from a long hard day at the office and I would tell him, We’re going over to my parents for dinner.

I never once stopped to consider the fact that he had been away from home all day (I on the other hand have been cooped up all day with two kids) and maybe, just maybe, he has been dreaming all day of just coming home and relaxing, not loading up and heading out the door again… with two kids in tow.

Of course my mom is a great cook so he was always happy to go. But it showed him honor and respect when I started asking him if he wanted to go instead of telling him.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to him and you'll be well on your way to a happy, well balanced home... and marriage.

Answer Number 1

2011-06-11T22:53:00.004-04:00

If you missed the intro to this series click here.

Today we are looking at our first answer to the question, What does my husband need from me?

Build him up and Believe in him

Your husband needs your loving affirmation. So, let’s look at a couple ways to do this.

#1 Praise your husband for who he is and what he does well. Minimize the rest. For example, learned to focus on the finished quality of your husband’s home repair projects, not the months he took to complete them. (grin)

#2 Show appreciation for the great moments you have when he’s at home with the family instead of complaining about the countless hours his job may require him to be away. Remember, he’s working hard not just because he may love his job, but as the man of the house he knows it’s his responsibility to provide for his family. And his job is the way he does this. Thank him for that.

#3 Understand the daily pressures faced by your husband that leaves him physically and mentally drained when he comes home. Learn not to join forces with today’s competitive world that tries to tear at his weak points. Husbands need to find their praise and admiration waiting for them at home, regardless of the shape in which our busy overworked society leaves them each day.

#4 The devil and the world are right there telling him everything he cannot do and why he cannot do it, he needs you to be the one telling him why he can.

And let me leave you today with a little secret, he cares more about impressing you than anyone else.

Let him know he does.

Hope to see you back here Monday for answer #2.

Hope you're having a blessed weekend!!

Introduction

2011-06-10T10:02:00.005-04:00

If you missed the last post that sets up this one, click here.

So this was the introduction for the ladies. Hope you enjoy this series of posts. :)

Usually at some stage in life we will come to the point of asking ourselves, Why am I here? and What really is my purpose in life?

As women, to answer these questions we have to go back to Genesis. We know about the story of creation. God spent 6 days creating; day, night, land, seas, plants, animals and finally man. And God said, It's all good.

When the realization came that all the animals had a companion to share and do life with, and Adam, the supreme of all earthly beings did not, God said...

It is not good that man should be alone; I will make for him a help meet fit for him. Genesis 2:18

God recognized a dilemma, created an answer, and that answer is you and me. We were created to love, support, and to help those in our lives meet the goals God has given them. And if you are married this means your husband first and foremost.

OK. For all you ladies out there wanting to scream at me, But what about my goals in life? What about all I want to do and accomplish?

Here's your answer, But let your first care be for his kingdom and his righteousness; and all these other things will be given to you in addition. Matthew 6:33

How do you care for His kingdom? By living the way He subscribes. And in this case it means having divine order in your home and being a help meet for your spouse first. And like I told the ladies Sunday night, What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you. In other words, all these other things will be given to you in addition.

Now that we know our purpose and why we're here (to be a source of stability, comfort and help allowing our husbands to accomplish all God has set before him) then here is our next question we need to understand the answer to...

What is it that my husband needs from me?

I have six answers to this one question. Join me tomorrow as I share the first one with you.

And if you did not get a chance to register to win a free copy of the very book that has helped me more in my marriage than any I've ever read, click here. I even added a picture of me at my wedding shower for you.

Try not to laugh too hard at the hair. :)

A Woman After God's Own Heart

2011-06-07T15:55:00.007-04:00

For those joining us from Friday's post, at the end of this post you will have the opportunity to register for the give-a-way.

I had the pleasure of meeting with an awesome group of women last Sunday night. These women are married to some of CCA’s finest going through this year’s Men of Honor class.

The wives and I will meet 3 times over the course of the 8 month program their hubs are participating in. These men are being stretched, guided, encouraged and challenged by my hubs monthly. It is a very intense process these men go and grow through.

We all know that in any marriage it takes two to make it a success. Two to commit to each other, two to love each other, two to overcome each other’s faults, two to forgive, and two to grow into men and women of honor and integrity.

This is why I am meeting with the women. Even though the men are the ones who signed up for the course, if the women aren’t seeking God, gleaning from the Word, and being compelled toward growth then it will be a one sided success.

I am excited because over the course of the next few days I want to take my notes from our first meeting and share them with you too!

In the next post I'll share the introduction but today I want to share with you a GREAT book I read years ago that helped cultivate my heart to become the wife/mom/woman of God I am today. I still have a lot to work on but I can honestly say this book has guided my steps through some very slippery slopes these past years.

All the ladies there Sunday night received one and I would love to give one to another lucky lady.

It makes such a great gift for any Bride-to-Be too!!

And with it being the season for weddings, if you leave a comment and share with us a great gift you received or gave as a wedding gift I'll add you into the drawing for a chance to win this awesome book!

Much love :)

p.s. Here is a picture of me at my wedding shower with one of my fav handmade gifts from my grandmother. You can read about something else very special she gave me here.

All you need

2011-05-09T10:55:00.002-04:00

Every Thursday morning myself and a group of ladies have been meeting to journey together through a great study called Made to Crave.

While watching the video session last week I saw something I had never seen before.

The teaching for this particular week was centered on the truth that all things may be permissible, but are they beneficial?

Another truth was centered on how easily we forget the magnificence of God. And a great example of this is how He was so faithful to deliver and sustain the children of Israel from 400 years of Egyptian bondage...

BUT, how quickly they forgot the magnificence of God- how sustaining and delivering He had been in the past- which led them to doubt He could do it again in their future.

In Psalm 78:11-22 we saw them in the desert demanding "the food they craved" but God did not supply their demands, He met their needs.

Every morning He rained down manna, enough for each person but only enough for each day. The next morning, they got up, and went out, and received again what they needed to sustain them for one more day.

Here was what came to me as we studied this last Thursday, there was a daily dependence on God. God set it up so that in order for them to make it through another day, they first had to come to Him... Come to His provision.

And it is still that way today. His word tells us that His mercy is new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). But if we don't go to Him each day to receive it we are certain to go through our day malnourished.

Day after day of this and you will eventually get weak, and eventually our spirit man will die.

Now, each morning when you get up you don't feel like you are about to die (spiritually or physically) of starvation. So it is easy to skip breakfast. We feel fine. We feel we can make it on our own power and strength stored up.

But if you were to go for extended periods of time not consuming life giving food (spiritually or physically) life will come to an end for you very quickly.

This is what the children of Israel knew and feared. They were in a dry, hot, devoid of any life desert and death would certainly be eminent if food was not provided, and provided soon.

Some of you know exactly how they felt. You are in the desert of life where it is dry, hot, and devoid of any life and if something life-giving is not provided for you soon you will not make it.

You're tired of mirages in life. The thing that promise fulfillment but leaves you even more empty and more disillusioned.

God's answer for you is manna so to speak. You need to daily depend on God. You need to daily run to His provision. And if we would be really honest, we already know this.

But schedules, car pools, deadlines, errands, ball games, relationships are all vying for every precious second pulling us in way too many different directions and we won't take the time to center our lives on the One who gave us life.

I shared with the ladies last week in our group discussion a statement I recently read, If the devil can't make you bad, he will make you busy.

Too busy to take time to rest and recalibrate.

Too busy to take time to cultivate your marriage.

Too busy to receive daily from God everything we need to sustain us through our over scheduled lives (which is a topic for another day).

If you will choose each day to go to God, go to His provision, you may not receive all you want, but you will definitely receive all you need.

I hope this helps you a little today and you will begin to run to God daily. It maybe hard at first to get into the routine. But after a while you will begin to realize that His daily bread really is all you need.

How magnificent is that?

I want to be him

2011-04-19T16:41:00.004-04:00

I want to be that man with only a bicycle and a back pack.

Really, sometimes I do.

As the hubs and I were making our daily commute to Alachua this morning we passed a white haired man riding his bike on the side of the road and just for a moment I envied him.

He seemed to have no responsibilities.

Not a care in the world.

No place he had to be.

No needs he had to meet.

And in that split second I wanted to be him.

I even laughed out loud when the thought raced through my mind at the speed of life.

When we are overworked, stressed, and tired it can easily seem appealing to want a carefree life. If this is where you too find yourself from time to time then number one… you need to rest. I need to rest.

Often times though we resist rest. And what we don't recognize is when we refuse rest, and choose to resist, we are focusing on the fourth letter in that little word resist… I.

But when we take the focus off ourselves, off our to do list, off of thinking the world will fall apart if we are not there to hold it all together, then we can enter into that place of sweet rest.

Second thing we need to do is learn to say that small word with a positive impact, no. No is usually a negative word, but when we choose to say no to some good things to have time for the best things (God, family, ourselves) then the effect it will have on our lives and the lives of others will be not just good, but if I may quote Tony the Tiger, GRRREAT!!

Yes, it would be nice to be the man on the bike from time to time, but I sure would hate to miss this life of purpose God has called us all to.

Stay rested.

Stay focused.

Because when fatigue walks in… your faith will walk out.

Christ did not die for us to have a faithless life but a faith-filled one.

I pray you are pondering His life and death this week as I am. Let's not waste one single second of the life He died to give us, even if the second is filled with His sweet rest.

Made to Crave

2011-03-29T14:17:00.003-04:00

Do you think about food way too much?

Do you have less physical energy than you wish you did?

When life is not sweet, do you turn to something that is?

Do you feel like your struggle with weight and/or food is something that you will always have?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then I would love to invite you each Thursday morning to the Epicenter, 14906 Main St., Alachua, Fl, for a six week study called Made to Crave.

God made us to crave Him, but all too often we satisfy that hunger temporarily with food, TV, shopping, etc., only to be left wanting and craving more.

Only God can fulfill our every hunger. Only God can satisfy our deepest desires. Only God can empower us move this mountain in our lives.

So if you would like to join a great group of ladies who are desiring to be healthy and spiritually whole in this area of our lives then I invite you this week to our first session of Made to Crave at 10am.

Let's break the I'll do better tomorrow. My life is so stressful I deserve this dessert. cycle as we move from pieces of cake to a life filled with peace and grace.

For more information or to sign up email info@ccalachua.com.

Loving my God,

Something New for CCA

2011-03-23T12:26:00.001-04:00

If you were unable to make Monday Night's Meeting I would like to share with you a new opportunity.

Last Thursday I met with a few ladies for a "Test Meeting" to get their input and to work out a few things on something that has been in my heart to do. I am very excited about what we came up with.

Every Thursday morning from 10am until Noon any and all ladies are invited to attend a one hour Bible Study followed by one hour of working on service projects for the church and/or community. The meetings will be held at the Epicenter.

Last week I shared in our study about a Heart that is Devoted to God and gave the ladies two memory verses, Proverbs 3:5-6 and Proverbs 4:23. I would like to encourage you too to put these verses to memory.

This week we will continue the thought How to Become a Woman after God's Own Heart. In a couple weeks we will move into the study Made to Crave. Click here to read all about it. I will also be making the Made to Crave study available soon at night for those who may work during the day.

Please email me with any questions you may have tina@ccalachua.com and if you are free on Thursday mornings I would really love to spend time in the Word and in service with you!

All my heart,

Where the Sermon Begins

2011-03-15T21:18:00.003-04:00

I filled in for Jay last Sunday for our Huddle. I love our Huddle times each week because it’s the time we get all our team leaders together and focus them mentally, encourage them spiritually, and inform them of any changes in our service structure that day allowing us to have a win in every department.

I had the privilege to share with our team the amazing time we experienced at Unleash this past week. We took 17 staff and leaders to New Spring Church in Anderson, SC for a one day church leader’s conference.

As we traveled home Friday, Mark posed these questions to everyone, What impacted you most about Unleash? What nugget are you taking home with you?

I wrote down each of their answers and I want to share them with you as I did in our Huddle Sunday.

-The overwhelming excitement of their people to see us was amazing.

-They were very humbled by the fact that we came to their church to learn.

-If you asked any volunteer (and by the way they had over 600 working that day) a question regarding the church they could answer it. They cared enough about their church to know what was going on in their church.

-If you gave them a piece of trash to throw away for you they said 'Thank You', when we were the ones who were appreciative.

-You felt no stress or strife among the workers because you could tell they were well prepared for the day… mentally, physically and spiritually.

-They demonstrated a genuine love… all day long. Not just early in the day, but all the way through the day until we left their campus, they were smiling and eager to serve us.

These are just a few of the comments our leaders made on the bus ride home but ALL of our leader's comments had the same theme.

You see, we attended 2 main sessions together and then had the opportunity to take part in 21 break-out sessions. My observation was this, the comments made were not about the awesome word and teachings that went forth (and it was awesome); it was the experience that impacted our leaders.

The sermon did not begin when Perry Noble took the stage to minister, the sermon began in the parking lot at 7am with every one of their volunteers, and the sermon did not end until we left at 5pm that afternoon.

CCA, we know our church is not about us, it’s about the people who have not yet experienced what we have. Each Sunday we get the chance to create an environment for those who are lost to come and hear about Christ that saves.

Our sermons never begin when Mark takes the stage, it always begins when the first guest steps foot on the school campus. Mark shares the sermon on Sundays, we get to show it!

And when we continue giving them an amazing experience worth talking about, they will continue returning, allowing us more opportunities to share Christ with them... and the people they bring back with them!! Just as we will take 100 more people back next year to Unleash. I hope you're one of them!!

If you serve at CCA in any capacity, thank you. Thank you for being a vital part of the body of Christ. We are His hands and we are His voice to a world that is lost and searching for something that is real.

Christ is real. And He is realized through us. What an honor.

I Love My Church!!

Inspired

2011-03-11T06:14:00.000-05:00

Our CCA volunteer leaders inspire me!!

They only get so many days off from work each year and 13 of them elected to take 3 full days of their vacation time to head with us to South Carolina to learn how they can better serve CCA each week... each week AFTER working 40 or more hours for someone else that is.

There is no greater fulfillment in life than making a difference in someone else's. And they know it, not just intellectually, but experientially.

So today they will travel home with us. Home to husbands, wives, kids, jobs, responsibilities AND come Sunday they will be the most excited, loving, caring, serving people at CCA... Not just because they had a life altering experience at Unleash...

Because that's what ALL our volunteers live to do.

Loving God, Loving People and Serving Others... It's how CCA rolls!!

I Love My Church...

and ALL it's peeps!!

And the Winner Is

2011-02-28T07:45:00.001-05:00

Did you watch the Oscars last night?

I did… some of it at least.

This formal ceremony, where awards are presented to recognize the excellence of professionals in the film industry, is one of the most prominent ceremonies of the year.

But of course, most people watch not because they want to see if their favorite movie wins the most Oscars. No, most of us watch to see what everyone chooses to wear on Hollywood's biggest night.

If you watched the Red Carpet Pre-show then you know that EVERY director, actor, costume designer, writer, and cinematographer was asked the same question…

Who are you wearing? Of course we know what they mean, Who is the designer and creator of your gown and your jewelry or your tux?

The Oscars is a night that is just as much about appearance as it is the film industry.

I love what God says to Samuel when he's looking at David's brothers to anoint one, or so he thought, as King, Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7

You see, what they were wearing last night had no affect on the performance they gave in the films they were nominated for, and yet the world was judging them not based on their talent, but on their looks.

In 1 Samuel 17 we read where King Saul placed his armor on the young shepherd boy David to go out and fight the giant of a man Goliath.

King Saul gave David all the things that a soldier needed to defeat Goliath when he placed his armor on him. But David wasn’t a soldier. He was a shepherd.

He didn’t fit into the soldier’s clothing. He was a shepherd and if he was going to win the battle, it would be as a shepherd.

When David was himself, he succeeded.

And the rest is history.

Lesson, if we want to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives, then we should wear the clothes that God designes and provides for us. We should be the people whom God has called us to be.

I remember when my children were little, each morning before school I would lay out their clothes for them to wear. I never left it up to them. If I had they would have worn their favorite shorts and flops in the dead of winter.

I was wiser (and still am I might add) and I knew what they needed. And trust me, there were days they did not want to wear what I had picked out for them. They had their own ideas of what they should wear. Yet thankfully, their mom won those little battles.

God is wiser. He knows what we need. He knows who we need to be. He laid it out for us long before time (Jeremiah 29:11).

Now let me ask you, who are you wearing?

A little shepherd boy armed with only with a stone, stood before a giant armed with a sword...

And prospered.

And when you wear what God has planned, when you live the life He called you to live, when you just be you, you will prosper and you will succeed… even when you shouldn’t.

Going to the Chapel

2011-02-18T09:39:00.006-05:00

Tomorrow at 5pm I will be attending a second wedding in 8 days.

I so love to purchase that perfect gift that fits each bride and groom. Last night I found the sweetest spring cake plate that I pray my niece and her soon to be hubs gets years of enjoyment out of. Of course, he'll love what she puts in it and she'll love just looking at it.

Ahh, young love. It's so sweet. So fresh. So new.

Those of us who have been married a while know that after the wedding comes the marriage. And statistics prove most brides and grooms spend more time preparing for the wedding than they do preparing for the marriage. The wedding is a one day event, but the marriage is a daily journey with many seen and unforeseen events.

I was looking through the cards last night for the perfect one (yes, I can admit I have a perfection problem). I want to share its inscription with you today because it's a great reminder of how to make our marriage last a lifetime.

And we all need these little reminders untucked in our hearts from time to time.

How to Make

A Beautiful Life Together

Reflections on Marriage for the Bride and Groom

Let love be your shelter.

The world is noisy and confusing at times,

so make a home that is a haven,

a peaceful place where you can listen to your hearts and savor

the comfortable closeness you share.

No matter how busy your days may be,

make time for yourselves.

Hold hands. Unwind. Surprise each other.

Find little chances each day to show

you're grateful to be partners,

to be friends,

to be married.

Life is not perfect.

You will make mistakes, but each time

you will meet life's challenges together,

you will grow wiser, stronger,

and surer of your love.

Cherish your yesterdays.

They are irreplaceable souvenirs

of your journey through life.

Make memories that will bring smiles

and sighs whenever you look back.

And look back often.

Look forward, too.

Dream together. Plan together.

Make promises to keep.

Believe in your tomorrows,

because tomorrows are what

forever is make of.

To make love last,

put each other first.

That is the way to make a

beautiful life together,

the kind of life you

both deserve so much.

So, tomorrow I'll be going to the chapel, with perfect cake plate and perfect card in hand, to watch Angel and Seth say their I do's.

And I pray on their 20th year of marriage they will be as happy and blessed as their Aunt Tina and Uncle Mark are on ours.

Resolutions or a Real Solution

2011-02-01T14:16:00.004-05:00

Today is February 1st. Thirty-one days ago we started out 2011 with excitement filled with all the new possibilities of what the next three hundred and sixty-five days held.

Many of us made resolutions. But as statistics will prove out, most of us do not stick with them.

The problem isn't that we lacked having good intentions, but rather a failure to have good solutions.

We can make resolutions all day long. They are just words. But did we make real solutions to go along with our resolutions?

Without a solution your resolution is just merely wishful thinking.

Just think how your life can be transformed by December 31, 2011 if you choose today to write out some workable solutions.

Write the vision and make it plain. Habakkuk 2:2

Do you have a vision for your future? If you don't I promise the enemy does.

I don't what to give him any place in my life. Ephesians 4:27

I pray you don't either.

So, today is a new day... The old has gone and the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Take time to pray and ask God to give you His plan and vision for the rest of 2011. Then write out some real solutions and next steps so that when you come to the end of this year your heart and mind won't be filled with regrets about what could have been.

But rather you will be filled with joy, energy and the strength to take on anything 2012 throws your way.

Off to write some real solutions,

The Missional Mom

2011-01-28T09:49:00.003-05:00

For some crazy reason over the past few weeks I have really been processing this thought, "Oh how I would raise my kids so differently if I had the chance to do it all over again."

Tyler will turn 20 and Chrissy will turn 18 this year. I can't even comprehend that. I was 17 when I got married and 18 when I had Tyler so they are already at the age I was when I threw myself into adulthood topping it off with wifehood and motherhood. All at the ripe old age of 18!

When I was in school, not so long ago I might add, researching for a paper meant that you would have to go to the library, dig through countless books for the info you needed, then dig through your purse for a dime so you could copy that one page enabling you to take it home where you would write out BY HAND your paper.

Computers are not cheap but the ease in life they and the Internet afford can not have a price tag placed on them.

I say all this to say that if I was raising my kids now, the wealth of information out there and the ease of obtaining it would for sure have changed the way I raised my little (well, now big) darlings.

Please don't misunderstand, I raised them the best I could. As my parents did me. And your parents did you. I turned out ok. You turned out ok. And I know my kids will turn out ok.

But as I told my son the other day, I don't care how well he may think we raised him, as a parent you will always think you could have done better.

Anyway, my point in all this is to say, yes, if I was raising my kids today, there are so many great insights out there into raising Godly, missional kids that I for sure would add a few more things to my instructional repertoire.

And here is one of the them... The Missional Mom by Helen Lee. Like I said, getting great information is only a matter of a few clicks on a keyboard and this book came to me because of a weekly newsletter I subscribe to at ChristianityToday.com.

I have not been able to put this book down, and my kids are already almost grown and gone. But the truths, insight and great ideas are so rich that I will for sure use them to help other moms, and one day the moms of my grandchildren. (Oh dear, am I really getting that old? Yeah, I didn't think so either.)

So if you are a mom who truly wants to raise children with a Godly vision for their life, then this is a must read.

And for those of you planning on starting a fam soon, don't be surprised if this book shows up on your doorstep in the near future compliments of Aunt Tina. (smiles)

Not Guilty

2011-01-27T10:54:00.004-05:00

I'm sick.

Literally.

Three days after returning from our amazing pilgrimage to the Holy Land I started feeling my chest get congested. And for the next four days I had the typical cough and runny nose.

But then came Wednesday... the day I realized I had a full blown case of the flu. I felt like, well, let's just say I felt BAD.

I was home alone all day, feeling really bad, and seeing all the things in my home that needed to get done but I had neither the drive or energy to do them.

I wanted someone to come home and do nothing but take care me. Love me. Prepare dinner for me. And share my affliction with me.

Me. Me. Me. Blah. Blah. Blah.

But instead yesterday afternoon my son came home from work and shared with me that the branch of military he's researching just informed him they do not recognize the high school he graduated from...

My daughter was texting asking to come home from something we place a high importance on...

And to top it off I'm feeling sicker by the moment.

But what was making me feel even worse was the way I was internalizing my kids "issues" and allowing them to make me feel like a failure.

I chose the school for my kids.

I place a high importance on the event my daughter was asking to come home from.

So today I have had to realize that life is not all about ME.

The fact that that particular branch does not recognize my son's diploma may be God shutting that door. The other branches do recognize it.

My daughter's life is not mine. She is not going to agree with me about everything and is not suppose to.

And today, my new meds seem to be working and I plan to get to those things I couldn't yesterday.

So if you are feeling yucky today... or a little guilty over things out of your control, don't.

If you are a Christ follower, and you truly seek Him first in all things, then know that He's got all things under control.

And what may seem to be your surprise is usually His plan.

So today let's take Romans 8:1-2 to heart...

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free... (AKJV)

If Christ broke the chains of guilt in our lives, then let's not be the ones to shackle ourselves all over again.

The free never ever need to feel guilty.