On My Mind...

So yesterday I woke up and was like, "Life sure has been smooth lately." Oh my word, mistake number one! I should have known better than to think such a thing, because, most certainly, what happens? We usually eat those words with a big, fat spoon! I wouldn't necessarily say that I had to eat them in the worst of ways, but God sure did deal with my heart. I was feeling pretty prideful, I have to admit. I have kind of had the mindset that I am finally at a place that I want to be. I really don't care what anyone else does anymore. I feel pretty much at ease with all I have on my plate right now - no more of that feeling that I should be doing more because that is what everyone expects of me. I don't care about not being included on everything, which if you've read my blog long enough, I really struggle with feeling left out. I also have felt like I've finally been the wife and mom I had lost a while back. I was just feeling all nice and proud of myself. Well, that was until yesterday...

Jeff has been preaching messages the past few weeks on our Passions. The series has been great, and really, if I had to pick, last week's message was my favorite, but it was this week's message that got me shaking...well, jumping....out of my comfort zone. It was one of those times that before I went in the doors of our church yesterday that I was already feeling that God was trying to get my attention. He was calmly whispering to me, "Don't get comfortable." I didn't realize the full impact of the words until Jeff's message yesterday. He preached on the Passions of the Church. In a nutshell, it dealt with our expectations. For those of you who read this that may not know me personally, I am generally a person with high expectations. I can't stand being around people, even, that can't dream big, or see past their nice little boxes to live in comfortably. I am a dreamer. My dreams rarely disappoint either. I dreamed of a godly man to marry. God answered. I dreamed of being a mother. God SURE did answer (four girls!!). I dreamed of leading women to love their husbands, families, themselves, etc. God has answered time and time again. And THAT, right there, is where I feel him tugging to answer me again. It's time to up the ante. It's time to kick it up a notch. I have not lowered my expectations for this area of ministry, but they have just remained like this --------------------------- consistent. I do NOT want to be consistent here. I want to see women's lives changed and marriages/homes walk in victory. God has called me to do that. To talk about it here seems so serious, but really the journey is loaded with fun and fellowship. It is true, though, it is loaded with a lot of deep stuff, too. That is where the last part of Jeff's message comes in. We, the Church, should be a place of Healing. We need to be restoring lives, looking past the junk itself, to the possibility of deliverance. We need to stop talking about what people are doing, or NOT doing, and begin to wrap a arm around them and hold them up. I have these expectations, people, but I, like you, am content to remain stagnant and unmoving. Well, not today. Today I choose to live in the possibilities that this day, and the days after, will be mindblowing...lifechanging! I don't even like to be all serious here on my blog, but I will not remain shallow here, either. God deals with me all the time and I don't tell a soul, thus leaving God and me the only ones in the know. Well, now you know. Know you can extend a hand of accountability to me. Know you can pray for BIG things to happen in my life, as I pray happen in yours. God doesn't want us walking to the same Ho-hum drum. He wants us "jumping, leaping and praising Him." He wants us dancing the dance of our lives today! Which music are you going to choose?

Butterfly Treehouse

When it came time to make lists for Christmas presents this past year, my daughter, Avery, wasted no time. She knew exactly what she wanted. Her list was very specific. This is not the norm for my third child. She takes 15 minutes to decide which candy she would like from the check-out line at the grocery store (much to the dismay of those waiting in line behind us), so having her return her list to me so fast made me know she had already been doing some serious thinking. At the top of her list I read "Butterfly Treehouse." What? I had never heard of it. I was impressed that she could write Butterfly Treehouse.

Allow me to digress... this is also my child that would practice writing random words when she was learning to first write, using anything from copying books to magazines. One day she brought me a piece of paper saying "Bud Light." Needless to say, I was a little taken off guard...shocked, nonetheless. Where in the world would she learn to write something like that? I walked in the kitchen to find a grocery store flier open to, you guessed it, an advertisement for Bud Light! From that point on, I was a little more observant of how Avery was practicing her writing.

Ok, back to the Treehouse...It was really all I heard about for weeks, but Santa didn't know where to get one, and happened to mention the dilemma to Aunt Missy, who promptly replied, "Let me take care of that for you." Santa, not thinking clearly - not thinking about the brownie points that would be won for her favor from Avery - replied, "OK, great! That would be special for you to give her."

So, for the last few weeks, we've been growing butterflies at our house. We had to order caterpillars to come in the mail. Really! I ordered caterpillars in the mail...paid $3 for 'em even! They arrived in a cup that looked suspiciously like a "sample" cup at the Dr.'s office, if you catch my drift, so fittingly enough, we put them in the bathroom because they have to grow in the dark, cool room. Anyone that came to our house was pretty much grossed out - Aunt Missy included. She had issues going in there with caterpillars looking at her. Whatever!
It became a daily ritual for Avery to come home and check on them, watching the different stages of growth.
One day she proudly proclaimed, "Mom, Dad, they have grown their crystals!" That'd be chrysalis for all you science fans! They were really very neat to watch.

Well, a couple of days ago, guess what happened? We had transferred the caterpillars in their chrysalis to the actual Butterfly Treehouse, and low and behold, we had real butterflies people! It was amazing! To be brutally honest, though, it was also...well, also...ummm....GROSS! Things are shed, gross colors come off. It was really disgusting. Something so beautiful and ladylike could be so yucky to watch become that way. Thus, the point of this story. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." It is just like us. We go through a lot of "yuck" in becoming like Christ. He takes us, gross and all, and makes something lovely and wonderful out of us. I am rejoicing in that today. I have been purging some old stuff out of my house, reorganizing, getting rid of a lot of stuff that is holding me back from living in freedom. It is amazing how crowded our lives get, but thankfully there's hope to see a new day, a new start.


Don't know what it will take for you today. Maybe you need a good dose of cleaning out...please, don't let your mind wander here. Get rid of some stuff that is hindering you. Make a decision today to do whatever it takes to walk the path God has for you.

Loving Well

Ummm...sound familiar? If you went on Aroma's Ladies' retreat last year, this will be very familiar to you. Has it stuck with you? Have you been reminded of it from time to time? I love the message of the title because it is timeless. There are some things that just don't get old. For me, it's the laughter of my children, the smell of honeysuckle, certain songs or holding hands with my husband when we go out on a date. It's the Word and the "never gets old message" it shares each time I open it, hear it preached or incorporated into song. The message of the Gospel is Love. It's because of that love that God sent His Son, Jesus, to save us through His very own death. The day it gets old is the day I need a good old slap in the face! It is through God's love that we learn to love well. I have firsthand witnessed this message penetrate some of your hearts. I have seen this love change you and motivate you to love more and love more better (I would correct my kids for saying it that way, but hey...it fits here!). I am convinced that we have complicated the message of love to others. We have taken away the beauty of its simplicity and even cheapened it with strings attached and conditions. We have forgotten the little things that caused us to love in the first place and become too busy, too self involved and too serious! Today, I encourage you to take time to realize the little things, those special little somethings, that mean love to you. I have a feeling that you will find that when we return to that first Love (our Father), you'll see the little things that show love much clearer. It's then we'll love well, love hard and love strong. And, the great news is, it doesn't stop there, because when we do those things, we'll see prayers answered, hearts mended, marriages rebuilt, new relationships established, churches grow, families stronger, and the list goes on and on. Determine today to allow God to teach you to love well. Ask Him to remind you of commitments you made - maybe at retreat last year - to love well, and if you are falling somewhat short, don't give up...dig your heels in the ground and get to it!
I pray as you ladies prepare to go on retreat this year that you are already allowing God to soften your hearts for what He has to show you. You are going for a reason. You may not know it yet, but this time can be the start of something really big in your life. Write down what you think He's laying on your heart so you can write down when He answers your prayer for those things whether it be on retreat, or after we return. God will answer your prayers. We are excited to take this journey with you. If you need us to pray for you, please let us know!

Retreat Money Due Sunday!

Update...If you did not pay your retreat deposit of $35 on Sunday, you may either drop it by the office between the hours of 9:30-1:30, or you may give to Barbie George next Sunday, 25th. Thanks for your cooperation!

If you have signed up for Ladies' Retreat in April, your first deposit of $35 is due on Sunday, the 18th. Please make sure that you give your money to Barbie George by this date. We have broken down payments for you so you can have your $100 paid the day we leave for retreat. Here is your payment schedule:
January 18 - $35
February 22 - $25
March 22 - $25
April 19th - $15
**You must have your balanced paid before traveling to the cabin on April 24th.

***In the event you have to cancel, your balance must be paid off OR you must find your own replacement.
****You are, of course, welcome to pay entire balance off at any time, but please give it to Barbie George as she will be in charge of collecting all monies.

Thanks so much for your cooperation in making our retreat a fun and smooth one! Can't wait to go!

Thankfulness

Just a quick THANK YOU to everyone that helped make This Night such an impactful night. From hostesses to servers, from speakers/singers to those who attended, last night was hopefully "a Night of New Beginnings" for many of you. I truly believe that God is challenging us all to look more intently for Him in each and every detail of our days. There are opportunities and circumstances each and every day that stare us right in the face and we just walk on by. Hopefully, last night was a renewal for you...a recommitment to decisions made, and most of all a "step on your toes" challenge to maybe get rid of whatever it is that is tying you down and keeping you from wholeheartedly and unabashedly serving God to the fullest!
Thanks so much to Heather Cassidy for her willingness to share something - for the first time in public- with us that would challenge us, but would also be a time in her own life to take what circumstance God allowed to occur in her life and use it for good in your life. You may not fully grasp the depth of how incredible it was that she was even standing up there before us at ALL! She was a miracle standing before us, and yet God puts them before us each day and we don't even see it. So, I challenge you today to go beyond what YOU see, and see what GOD sees.
Let's hear your comments and testimonies about THIS NIGHT. What did God speak to your heart about?

This Night

"This Night....A Night of New Beginnings"
Monday, January 12 - 6:30pm
Speaker: Heather Cassidy, teacher from Lyman Elementary
Music: Shannon Foster
Menu:
Chicken and Bacon Alfredo
Italian Salad
Broccoli
Bread
Cheesecake in Raspberry Sauce
Tickets: $10

If you haven't gotten your ticket yet, you may contact one of these hostesses, or you may buy on Sunday, January 11 at LifeSong before and after the 10:27 service:
Amy Hickman/Bonnie Moody
Barbie George/ Beva Bailey
Eulala Pace
Allison Taylor
Brenda George
Kim Hall/Jennifer Stephens
Kim Adam/Missi May
Donna Black
Misty Fogel/Jackie McAbee
Sheldon Pettigrew
Brandi Cole
Jane Blackwell
Lynn Lyda
Amanda Patton
Laura Miller

New Year's Challenge

Hey Ladies...I would like to present you with a challenge, but you have to be completely serious about it if you decide to take it on. Take time to read the LPM blog (Beth Moore's blog) to read all about the challenge that I'd like to pass on to you. I have prayed for years and years for God to send me an accountability partner, and last night I received an email from a very dear friend of mine in another state. She had decided she wanted to participate in this challenge and wanted to know if I would be her accountability partner. I still long for someone that I live nearby to be accountable with in life, but I cannot tell you how excited I am to begin this journey with my dear friend - a journey that will take us on a ride together for an entire year! I had read the challenge posted on Beth's blog, but just hadn't taken the time to give it much thought, so I am so thankful that God sent my friend to tell me about it and used her to encourage me to do it.

If you decide to sign up on Beth's blog, I would love to know about it so that I can be praying for you this year. Just post a comment here and let me know if you are participating.

May your New Year be one that you stick to the new commitments you make. Most of all, may you see God take you places you have only ever dreamed of going with Him.