Super Bowl Gospel Commercial

No stain is sacred. God's grace is like Tide. :D

All You People Listen Up!!!!

Photo by imagerymajestic

My soul is letting out a guttural groan. I close my eyes as I feign a display of patience, I'm really just tired.

As I've been milling around in my mind, and praying about this ministry that God has seemingly placed on my heart I am becoming increasingly frustrated with a lack of good material and connection out there for single women.

Married women, I love you. I love your children, I love your husbands, I love all the crafty things you do to make a home for you and your family. I think your precious. In my heart of hearts I am jealous of you.

I would like everyone to know that, despite the fact that I am single, I am not 12 years old, nor am I a high school graduate, or in the middle of my college years. I am too close to thirty to say I'm pushing it, I have my masters degree and have been taking care of and living by myself (not very well) for almost ten years! I am not ugly, nor am I social outcast. I do not hate men. My singleness is not a choice I made. Nor do I want someone to condescendingly suggest that it is a blessing.

 I don't go out and party hardy on Friday and Saturday nights. It's hard to have a "girls" night because most of "the girls" are taking care of their children, or making dinner for their men.

I love my married friends, but it is increasingly hard to keep in touch with them because they can't set aside 30 minutes to an hour for a conversation.

I know the heart isn't there, but I am so frustrated with a weird implication that because I'm not married, I am somehow not grown up, or I'm less mature than a married woman who is a decade younger than me with children of her own.

I am tired of reading things about singleness being "a gift" of the holy spirit...which actually isn't even biblical. (Read What Paul is NOT Saying)

I am sick of married women my exact age telling me that I'm "still young" or "you've got time" and "don't wish your life away" or "being married isn't exactly all you think it is."

I don't complain too much about being single. I would much rather be single than dating, though I would much rather be married than single. I have come to accept singleness as a season in my life. It is a refiners fire I am walking through.

I found this little gem to be hilarious...because in a twisted way...I find it to be a little true.

Now I don't mean to insinuate that I am anywhere near as awesome as Neil Patrick Harris, :P but I AM suggesting that while other women are growing as wives and/or mothers I'm growing as well. I don't have any more or less growing to do. It's just my time to grow through a different means that God wants me to experience for whatever reason. 

Well, I'm instituting Single on a Sunday...once I figure out how this link-up party thing works.

I am asking - nay BEGGING all of the single women in the online Christian community to come forward and bring us encouragement. Show us your struggles. Share your craftiness and your cooking expertise, your homemaking prowess, your single woes, growth and joys. 

All you Single Ladies I need to know you're out there...and you're not between the ages of twelve and twenty one!

Lent 2013: Longing for the Lover of Your Soul

By Jonathan Fitch

Have you ever been in the point in a relationship with someone, that when you are separated by miles for a small chunk of time, all you can think about is the day you get back to see each other?  You call each other in every spare moment, you stay up late whispering how how much you miss each other, even though you just saw each other yesterday. It's not the time you have spent apart, or the inability to speak with one another, it's the fact of the impossibility of seeing each other face to face at your own leisure. It's the worst/best feeling you have ever experienced.

I would like to tell you this lovely story of a man who has fallen in love with a woman, a woman who is broken, undeserving of such a man, a kind of Cinderella or "Pretty Woman"

So this is love.

So this is what makes life divine I'm all aglow, And now I know The key to all heaven is mine My heart has wings, And I can fly I'll touch ev'ry star in the sky So this is the miracle that I've been dreaming of So this is love   that (GOD) gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 ESV)   He fell in love with you. He made you a promise of marriage.  This is going to be the most amazing marriage you can ever conceive. Your husband will never have a reason to tell you he is sorry, because he will never mess up. He will NEVER do anything selfish and only think of your goodness in every decision he makes.  In Jewish tradition, in order for this man to be accepted by your Father, he has to offer up a price for you. It is an insult to offer too little for you.  Is the offer of his very life enough for you?  It's enough for your Father.  And with a cup of wine, your engagement is sealed.   And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the (promise) , which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:27-28 ESV) The price is paid.        After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:28-30 ESV)   And in His death, he has combated the world of darkness and evil and conquered it.   But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:20-26 ESV)  After that battle was won, he returned to tell you he must go away again, to prepare for you a home.

According to Jewish tradition, your bridegroom must go home to his father and prepare a home for you. You must wait until Our Father says it's ready for us and then you can spend all eternity with him. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? (John 14:2 ESV)   Since I began celebrating Lent a few years ago, I have tried to be intentional about how I celebrate the Lenten season.  Lent is a time of fasting, of prayer, and of alms giving in preparation for Easter, the return of the bridegroom to the church.  The Lover of our Souls has conquered death, has returned to this earth to prove His fulfillment of His promise to us and will come again to judge the living and the dead.  When we speak of the dead, we usually speak of the dead and buried. But sometimes we can be dead in spirit, we have no hope and no freedom. We belong to the world. Slaves to it.  But Christ has paid your bride price.  You don't have to belong to the world any longer. You've become alive in Christ!  Easter is a celebration of your marriage to the King of Kings, and His journey to prepare your home for you! In his love we have a hope and freedom.  You do not have to do anything to win his love. He already loves you. You already belong to him!  So in this time of preparation, in the time of anniversary between meeting your lover, and your wedding day. How do you celebrate? What do you want more than anything when your anticipated the return of your lover? What do you do in the anticipation of seeing him? Part of what I will be doing for lent is participating in the bloom book club on incourage.me Prayer: Finding the Hearts True Home by Richard J. Foster. (You still have time to join them if you wish.)

When you are waiting and longing for your lover, what's more comforting than communicating with him?

Excerpted from

A Prayer for a Gospel-saturated Grace-inundated Lent

                                                         by Scotty Smith 

     And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.” Mark 2:19-20

"For the next forty days we have the privilege of focusing our hearts, surveying your cross, and preparing for the greatest of all celebrations: Easter—the foundation of our hope and the fountain of eternal joy. What a great opportunity and gift.

For your glory and our growth, we ask you to inundate us with fresh grace in the coming weeks. We don’t want an ordinary Lenten season, Jesus. Saturate it with the gospel; overwhelm us with your daily mercies; stun us with your steadfast love—the only love that will never come to an end. It’s all about you, Jesus, it’s all about you what you’ve done for us, not what we promise to do for you.

 You’re calling us to repentant faith, not penitent doubt. We’re a betrothed bride, not a berated people—those upon whom you’ve set your heart and lavished your love.

Indeed, Jesus, we begin Lent today anticipating our wedding, not our funeral, for you’re the loving bridegroom who died to make us your cherished bride. The work’s already done; the dowry has been paid in full; the wedding dress of your righteousness is already ours; the invitations have been sent out; the date has been secured; and you’ll not change your mind! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Over these next forty days intensify our hunger for you, Lord, and ignite our longing for the day of your return—the Day of consummate joy, the wedding feast of the Lamb. In light of that banquet, we choose to deny ourselves (fast from) certain pleasures for this brief season. But we’re not looking to get one thing fromyou, Jesus—just more of you. Fill our hearts with your beauty and bounty, so very Amen we pray, in your holy and loving name.

Let this thought govern your life: Jesus Christ came to betroth a people to himself at the price of his own blood. If I am a part of that betrothed people by faith in Jesus, he will come to me (and all who believe in him) and say, “Come, O faithful bride, enter into my gardens and into my chambers and learn now for eternity what the dim shadows of earthly pleasures were all about.

                                                                                                                      ~John Piper

See the full sermon here. 

Wonder Woman

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
(Ephesians 6:13-18 ESV)

When I have read this scripture before I kind of glaze over it thinking "Oh! Boy stuff!" But today as I read it, knowing hundreds of women with Hello Mornings we're reading it right along with me, I tried to imagine a woman putting on the belt of truth. And I came up with the image of wonder woman. Well then I got a little curious about wonder women. Where did she get her powers? What does she fight for?

Wonder Woman apparently was originally made of clay and was practiced in her strength and amazon qualities. She came to the United States to fight the war and crush evil. 

I'm cool with that. 

But now, O LORD, you are our Father;
we are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
(Isaiah 64:8 ESV)


He has molded you as clay.


Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
(1 Timothy 4:7-8 ESV)


Train yourself.  It's time to put on your Wonder Woman suit.

Bare

This is my first time linking up with Five Minute Fridays on Lisa-Joeb Baker's website. She gives a prompt every Friday and you get five minutes to respond to it. No editing. No planning.

Today's prompt is Bare.

GO

I don't really know how to write this on a bare white piece of paper. It's exposed, clean, ready to be written on. Ready to be marked up. The potential to be destroyed. The potential to be amazing.

Isn't that what happens when we bare ourselves to the world? Our naked, vulnerable bare selves. Our selves without makeup, without photo touch ups. Our selves ready to be hurt, ready to be loved, ready to be...me.

God made us these precious souls. And we spend the majority of our young lives burying them under mounds of...words.

Stop

Freebie Friday

Really Really Ridiculously cute Items from Blooming Homestead. Guest posted on Skip to My Lou check out this cute Freebie and Marie's Tutorials.

Download Here

Just One Thing February Faith

 For the next 30 days my "One Thing" is to Carve out my morning schedule to spend time with the Lord.

I am tweeting in with my group at Hello Mornings. I'm working my way up to waking up at 5am *whoo!*

We are reading Job and you can link up with them on facebook too if you want. Check it out!

I'm also joining Ann Voskamp at "A Holy Experience" to memorize Romans 1, 8 and 12 over the year. I'm trying to catch up right now...I'm about 2 weeks behind...but it's only two verses a week. So it's not too bad.

Check Ann out here

God's changing me.

Chosen Chapters 50 to Conclusion

Flu is gone! Yay! 

We're done With the Book! Yay! Celebrate With a Feast courtesy of Ginger Garrett 

Just on Time for Valentines Day!

Perfect for book clubs or for entertaining friends, this Persian dinner can also create a romantic dinner for two, should you find yourself wooing a king. Menu Flatbread with Cucumber-Dill Dip Herbed Feasting Rice Chicken in Pomegranate Sauce Roasted Lamb Kabobs with Mint Rosewater Cookies The Persian Dinner Recipes: Persian food is a wonderful combination of exotic flavors and easy preparation. You’ll find the flavors are cool and mild with sweet hints of fruit and pleasant herbs. This menu will serve eight. If you wish, you may halve the recipes to create a romantic dinner for two. To recreate the mood of Esther’s feast for Xerxes, be sure to have plenty of candles burning. Sprinkle a few rose petals across the table in remembrance of her beloved rose garden. If possible, set the feast on a low table, and invite your guests to recline comfortably on cushions as they eat. Flatbread Many grocers carry flatbread in the bakery section. If you can’t find a Middle Eastern flatbread to enjoy with your feast, it’s easy to make your own. 1. Simply purchase whole-grain pitas, and cut each one into four triangles by cutting down the middle in an “x” pattern. 2. Next, place pieces on a cookie sheet and roast at 250 degrees for 10 minutes, or until firm. Do not allow these to brown, as they will dry out. 3. You can give them a quick drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle these with garlic or onion powder before roasting if you would like a bolder flavor. But not too much—you wouldn’t want a repeat of Cyrus’s flatbread in the market! Cucumber-Dill Dip This refreshing—and healthy—dip is meant to be eaten with flatbread. You can also enjoy it with your roasted meat and rice. 1 (32 ounce) container plain yogurt 3 cucumbers, peeled and diced into small pieces 1 clove garlic, minced 2 shallots, finely chopped 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped coarsely 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper Directions: 1. In a medium bowl, stir together all the ingredients. For best flavor, make this the night before and refrigerate. Herbed Feasting Rice This rice is a delicious accompaniment for chicken or beef. Use fresh herbs if you can. This rice may be made the day before and reheated before serving. 4 cups uncooked long-grain white rice (may substitute jasmine rice if preferred) 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 bunch fresh dill, chopped  1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped 2 cups fava beans (may omit if your grocer doesn’t carry them) 1 teaspoon ground turmeric (or to taste) 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or to taste) 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper

Directions: 2. Cook rice according to package directions. 3. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer on lowest heat for 5-10 minutes, or until well heated. If you have crispy rice on the bottom of the pan, this is considered a delicacy and served to the most favored guest. Chicken in Pomegranate Sauce This makes a beautiful presentation right from the pan. Pomegranate molasses can be ordered from your grocer, or is often found in whole foods and specialty stores. Save a few whole walnuts for a garnish. 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, chopped 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, each cut in half lengthwise 1 cup finely ground walnuts 1 (10 fluid ounces) bottle pomegranate molasses Directions: 4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and stir-fry until soft and transparent, then remove them from the skillet. 5. Add chicken breasts, several at a time, and brown them on each side. Set them aside until all 8 have been browned. This will not cook the chicken thoroughly, but will seal in the juices before you cook the chicken again. 6. Place the ground walnuts into skillet. Turn heat down to medium, and cook for 5 minutes, or until they are a rich brown color. 7. Place chicken and onions over walnuts in the skillet. Pour over this the pomegranate molasses. Turn heat down to low, and cover the skillet. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until chicken is cooked through. Before serving, arrange chicken in a starburst in the pan, and sprinkle a few whole walnuts in the middle and along the sides. Roasted Lamb Kabobs with Mint These kabobs are also delicious made with beef. To make preparation even easier, simply buy pre-made kabobs from your butcher, and prepare using the marinade.

Kabobs: 2 pounds lamb or sirloin, cut into large cubes 1 package cherry tomatoes 1 onion, quartered 1 green pepper, cut into thick wedges Marinade: 1 (8 ounce) container plain low-fat yogurt  1 onion, finely chopped  1 teaspoon dried mint flakes, available with in the spice rack at most grocers (do not use mint extract) Directions: 8. Create kabobs, alternating meat with vegetables. 9. Combine all marinade ingredients and spoon over each kabob. Marinade 6 hours, or overnight. 10. Heat grill to high, then return to medium-high heat. Grill each kabob, turning as needed, until the center cut of meat is grilled to desired degree. Rosewater Cookies Rosewater adds a delicate Persian touch to any pastry or cookie and is the perfect ending to your feast. Rosewater is available from cake and pastry shops, or at specialty and whole foods stores. Orange water may also be substituted for a delicious Persian variation. 1 cup butter 1 cup oil 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup powdered sugar 2 eggs 4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons rosewater 11. Cream butter, oil, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar. Add eggs and rosewater and mix gently. 12. Combine flour, cream of tartar, and salt and stir thoroughly, then gently stir into creamed ingredients. 13. Drop in small teaspoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet lined with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, but do not allow to overly brown.

Author: Ginger Garrett is a novelist with a passion for exploring the lives of biblical women and understanding how their ancient stories impact our lives today. Ginger also enjoys writing nonfiction for women and teens. Beyond writing, her interests include supporting The For Pete’s Sake Foundation, a nonprofit that raises awareness and funds for children with Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome. You can learn more about Ginger’s books, including her newest NavPress novels, by visiting her at her website:

CHOSEN BOOK CLUB CHAPTER 50- Conclusion

A few guidelines while participating in this book club

How to participate in a discussion
1. Watch your language! Try to avoid words like "awful" or "idiotic"—even "like" and "dislike." They don't help move discussions forward and can put others on the defensive. Instead, talk about your experience—how you felt as you read the book.

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2. Don't be dismissive. If you disagree with someone else, don't refer to her as an ignoramus. Just say, "I'm not sure I see it that way. Here's what I think." Much, much nicer. 

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3. Support your views. Use specific passages from the book as evidence for your ideas. This is a literary analysis technique called "close reading." (LitCourse 3has a good discussion of close reading.)

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4. Read with a pencil. Takes notes or mark passages that strike you—as signficant or funny or insightful. Talk about why you marked the passages you did. 

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5. Use LitLovers for help. Check out our Litlovers Resources above. They'll help you get more out of what your read and help you talk about books with greater ease.

(Discussion tips by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online of off, with attribution. Thanks!)

We'll conduct this discussion in a similar fashion as the bible study. I will post a series of questions. You can use them as a jumping off point for the discussion. Answer any you like, or none at all and come up with your own comments or questions.

At what point do you believe Esther’s feelings for King Xerxes became authentic instead of forced? Do you believe love is a purposed decision or a feeling over which you have no control?

When Esther had to confront King Xerxes with his error and beg for the life of her people, why do you think she chose to feed and dote on him for two nights first? Would you have chosen this strategy?

Have you ever had to confront someone who was much more powerful or influential? What happened? How did you feel?

When Xerxes trusted Haman as an adviser, how did the kingdom suffer? When Xerxes chose Esther and Mordecai as his closest advisers, how did the kingdom prosper? What insight does this give you in picking your closest friends?

In reviewing Esther’s life, what do you think served her better: her faith or her beauty? If you could choose between having great faith or great beauty, which would you choose, and why?

Is the ending satisfying? If so, why? If not, why not...and how would you change it?

Has this novel changed you—broadened your perspective? Have you learned something new or been exposed to different ideas about people or a certain part of the world?

Fear Not

When looking at my "God-Sized" dreams that have been manifesting themselves over the past month, I face certain doubts.

I'm always afraid of being "found out." I'm not qualified enough to begin a women's ministry. I'm not organized enough to be a good mom. I'm not strong enough...I'm not smart enough...I'm not skinny enough...I'm not... I'm not...

How much of our lives do we spend trying to hide our imperfections? We buy big houses to mask the fact that our families are broken. We put on layers of makeup and spend hours on our appearance to hide how insecure we actually feel. We make up excuses for our messy cars. Post only successes on our facebook walls and our blogs. Smile when we feel like crying. Say we're fine when our hearts have been torn to pieces.

So to be honest, I am not fine every day. Frequently I live from day to day, feeling like a complete failure and not wanting anyone to know it.

On Sunday, I introduced my idea of beginning a women's ministry to one of the elders at the church. I was sure he was going to deflect me, tell me that it had been tried before and it had failed.

But he didn't.

Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Prov 16:3 NIV

One of my favorite lecturers, Bobbett Buster says "Face your fears, there your creativity lies."

If we commit our plans to the Lord, if we are seeking to do His will, it doesn't matter how many bible verses you have read, how charismatic you are, how sinful you have been in your past...your "I'm Not's" don't matter anymore.

I think of Moses, terrified to return to Egypt.

God will speak through you my friend. You will ALWAYS fall short of your calling. When you are called to do things greater than yourself, you can be sure that God is about to display His glory through you.

In the movie Prince Caspian, Aslan suggests that Caspian is a King of Narnia, Caspian responds " I do not think I'm ready." Aslan replies, "It's for that very reason, I know you are."

fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Find your freedom in that. 

Facing the Impossible

by Chris Schroeder

There is a story in the Canterbury Tales about a king who takes a wife from a pig farm. She is so grateful to him, and so in love with him, she does everything he asks and serves all of his whims. When he takes their babies away from her he tells her that it is for the good of the kingdom, she agrees with him and lets him kill them. Eventually he takes everything away that he has given her and sends her back to the pig farm.
Years later the king is throwing a ball for the new queen he is about to marry. He commands that the pig farm girl come back to the castle to be one of the head servants at the ball. The pig farm girl complies and returns to the castle.
At the end of the story the king introduces the girl to the princess, and her brother, and announces that they are actually the pig farm girls children and that her dedication to the King has won her back her crown and back into the kingdom with her family.

When I think about Job, I think about this story, I think about me, I think about all of us.

When working through this tale, one of my high school students asked me what the girls deal was? Why did she put up with the King? I thought for a moment and said, "Yeah, the King seems to come off as a real jerk, but did he have the whole thing planned when he took the farm girl as his wife?"

She thought about it for a moment, "Well...I don't know. He had something planned when he took away her kids."

"Do you think he always loved her?"

"Yes."

"Who is changed by the end of the story? The king, or the farm girl?"

You see, the farm girl was always a good and faithful servant. The King was always the same man, but the heart of the farm girl; what she knew about herself, and what she knew about the King is what changed.

I struggle with this a lot. I feel as though God either strips things away from me, or asks me to give everything up once I feel like he has restored everything I once had.

I cannot say that I am a good and faithful servant. I cannot say that I don't grow angry with God and ask him why He does this to me. "If everything is in your control, and I am trying the best that I can to do what I need to do to pay my bills and get through my days here on earth, why does it have to be so hard and seem so impossible?"

I don't know what is impossible for you. Maybe it's impossible to pay your bills and feed all the little ones around you. Maybe it's impossible for you to get out of bed in the morning because your body is so wracked with pain. Maybe it's impossible to find a job or face terrible work conditions...Maybe you feel as though you cannot go on another minute, let alone another day...

As the Genie says in the movie The Return of Jafar "Don't worry Abu, he's a Genie, and Genies can't kill anyone....*cough* *cough* but you'd be surprised what you can live through."

Maybe like Job, the Lord favors you, and you are blessed, you have no troubles filling up your gratitude journal, or tithing with a peaceful heart. Maybe you go to work everyday looking forward to it because you have a good boss and you are paid fairly.

But in a fleeting moment, you can be struck down with sickness. A home can go up in flames, someone can swipe your debit card, or steal your identity. You can lose a loved one. Nothing is certain in this lifetime, but all things will come together for your good, the glory of the Lord.

The King gave, and took away. The Lord gives, and takes away. (Job 1:21 Paraphrased) Everything belongs to Him. And when  the things you hold dear begin to slip through your fingers, and the last thread of hope you have to hang on to is His promises.  Go to the banquet to serve at the table of the King. Hold tight good and faithful servant, your heart is being changed for your good and His glory.  If you do not find your reward in this life, you will find it in the next.

You have a job every morning that you wake up. Put your feet on the floor. Wash your face. And ask Him,  "How can I serve you today?" 

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
(Matthew 6:33 ESV)

Celebrate Love

  This Valentine's Day, I'm celebrating real love — love that protects and love that defends.

       

America prides itself on being the land of the free, but many of its children still live in captivity. The National Center For Missing & Exploited Children estimates that over 100,000 children in the U.S. are trafficked and exploited annually.

We can do something about that.

I'm helping Love146 this Valentine's Day so they can hire an additional social worker who will work to protect thousands of students in U.S. schools.

Support real love this Valentine's Day by making a donation to my page and help protect children who are at risk.

If you can't make a donation at this point, help me reach my goal by sharing this page on Facebook and Twitter! 

Or, even better, send an e-mail to friends you think might be interested in contributing and include a link to my page!

Thanks so much for your generosity!

Please help me support Love146 by making a donation through my page. Even a small donation will help me achieve my goal! The process is fast, easy, and secure. Thanks so much for your support.

Please also visit the Love146 page for more information and ideas for conducting your own awareness events around Valentines Day.

Creating a Place of Rest

Many faiths hold fast to a process of meditation and practiced prayer. Though we are called to pray and meditate, I have discovered in the most recent portion of my life, that I have never been taught to meditated, to fast, or to pray.

I desperately look for places where I can be alone. Without clutter, without the internet or cell phones, or people. Just quiet, and the presence of the Lord.

Sometimes my heart yearns for a quiet church with open doors, where I can go and pray. In college we had chapels in every dorm which were fairly easy to get into. But in real life, most churches lock the doors when no one is there. It's not that I don't know that God is always with me, it's that I long for a space for just me and God.

My uncle is a priest, and sometimes, when we would visit him, we would stay in the rectory. I loved the calm of the uncluttered walls and simply made beds. (Although I LOVE my pillows)

I spent a week on a silent retreat. Alone. I was afraid of the monotony of it, but enjoyed virtually every minute of my days there (until the day before the last day I broke down in a panic attack worried that no one would have been able to reach me in case of an emergency.) Life went on. Everyone was fine. All I took with me was a bar of soap, tooth brush/toothpaste, shampoo, a few theology books, my bible, a journal, some pens and scrap booking supplies, a few changes of clothes, a tea pot (which I inadvertently donated to the retreat center) food for the week, a wooden cross, a bouquet of flowers, a digital picture framed loaded with friends, family and other lovely images, and a vase.

I spent my days on a Mediteranian diet, fasting in noise, company, and technology.

As I was reading Tenney's book Finding Favor with the King the other day and I was wondering at the place Esther might have found to pray.

When I lived in Los Angeles, amid the incessant lonely crowdedness, I found sanctuary  in the garden of a small chapel in a cemetery. I found calm there. When I asked the questions I thought were so impossible and infuriating-the things that seemed so unfair to me-God seemed to answer me in the bits of nature that was bustling about me. He made me laugh of the rediculousness of my angry questions thrown at him. "Yes, Sarah, nature does have drama too, do you see that squirrel chiding what he doesn't even see?" "Yes, Sarah, I will provide for you, do you see the bird rooting food from the ground?"

We constantly have noise blaring. We escape into music land, t.v land, or the land of drink, or work, or the internet, and yet we rarely first think to escape into the land of God.

I'm moving into a new home soon. (Yay!) Only my bedroom will be mine. But I would like to create a sacred space there. A space set a part for me and the Lord, without clutter, or distraction. A prayer closet if you will. A place of rest and sanctuary. A place to learn meditation. To fellowship with the lord.

Do you have such a place? Is it in your home or a found space? Where do you go to be alone with God?

Carve out time for the Lord.
Carve out a special place for prayer away from all other distractions

Below I am including some links for ideas to create this resting place.

Prayer Friendly Home
Purpose of Place
Christian Meditation
Prayer Room Pinterst Ideas
Creating a Prayer Space at Home
How to Make and Take A Retreat Place

Jigsaw Puzzle

  

by Samuel Kaylor

When I look back at my life, no longer able to get out of bed, no longer able to write or talk, I hope to have a record of the giant jigsaw puzzle that I call my life. As I reflect on it, I hope that in the end, every piece of the puzzle fit perfectly together-except for the edges, that just so happen to connect to other puzzles belonging to other people that God granted me the privilege of touching.

I took  an acting class I took when I was in LA. The last day I attended class the instructor gave us a homework assignment. He asked us a series of questions; “What are you passionate about? What matters most? What drives you? Is there something you love or hate about yourself that drives and motivates you? What do you love about life the most? What do you enjoy doing the most? What do you hate about life or people the most? What drives you crazy? What do you want to do about it? What do people always say you’re good at? What comes easy for you? What do you want to leave behind? What Legacy?” At the end of class he said “Live a Full Life so that others can work through their lives through you.” I drove home tumbling these questions around in my mind. They were like the “HeartX-Ray Questions” that my church in Kansas City had encouraged us to answer. Mark, my acting instructor constantly drove home the point that God made us into a perfect package made to do His work. We just needed to figure out what that package was. 

What do the pieces to your puzzle look like, even if you can’t see the whole picture?

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

(Romans 8:28 ESV)

Freebie Friday: Valentines Luv

This is SO (RE)diculously cute!!! If I had a hubby (I don't think I'd call him my hubby) I would SOOOOO do this! Design Is Yay! You make me so very happy.  :D

click here to download