His Word Sunday

Words are very powerful.  That childhood song about Sticks and stones and words never hurting couldn't be more wrong.

Did you know just with your words you could offer someone healing?  You could change the course of their day just by what you say!

Proverbs 12:18 (ESV)

There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 12:25 (ESV)

Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

Wise words can bring healing and a good word can make a person glad!

Today as you head off to church, or start your week... look for ways to bring healing and gladness to those around you.

Now before I close this post, I know some of you may be thinking, "Yeah.  Okay.  But what if I'M the one who needs the healing and the gladness?!"

We've all been here.  Put yourself in a place today, this week, where you know you will receive wise & good words.  Go to church this week.  Listen to uplifting Christian songs on the radio.  Read your Bible.  In other words, plan or position yourself around those people who you KNOW will be encouraging to you.  That's where you're going to find healing and gladness for your week to come.

In the mean time, know that I'm praying for you!  I'm praying that the Lord sends His ultimate healing and gladness to your spirit!

I love you all dearly!

The Ultimate Ornament Exchange

Tonight I'm attending an Ornament Exchange party with the ladies from my church.  We do this every year and it's one of the highlights of the Christmas season.

We all bring our favorite holiday snack, play some fun party games, laugh & giggle like school girls - and then go home with a sweet reminder of our time together. (I still don't know what food I'm taking... any suggestions?)

As I was shopping for my ornament this week, I started thinking about the history of Christmas ornaments. Why do we hang these beautiful creations on our tree?  So I did a little research and I love what I learned.

One of the symbols of the Christmas tree is life.  Winter can be a harsh time, most things go dormant, it's cold & wet and gets dark earlier.   The evergreen tree symbolizes everlasting life and gives us the hope of the Spring to come and a time of renewal.

In the 15th century the Germans brought the tree inside the home and began to decorate it with fruits & nuts, food items that typically grew on tress.  Once again to point to the new life & hope that would be waiting for them in the Spring.

Eventually these food items were replaced with candy, paper streamers, and especially things that would give off some sort of light!  Things like metal shavings (our modern day tinsel), candles, and glass that would reflect the light!

This was so much more than bringing a little sunshine into the house - but rather it symbolized the Light of the world who gives hope beyond measure to everyone!

Tonight I'm going to take a small little ornament that symbolizes hope and light and likewise I'll go home with an ornament of my own to remember this very special night with friends.

But today as I was praying over our time together, I thought about the ultimate "exchange" that happened with the Light of the World so many years ago.  The Lord knew we would experience harsh and dark times in our life.  He knew we would need more than the hope of Spring, but rather hope for our very lives!  So He sent His Son to die for us all.  And in "exchange" for His life, we give Him ours.  We let Him be in control of all that we say and do - and as a result, we can have light and hope from which to live!

So this year, as you exchange gifts and perhaps even ornaments... 

remember the ultimate exchange that was made for you 

and let it transform your life with a beautiful hope!

Christmas Movie Time!

I love this time of year!

I love how my house looks all decorated to the hilt.

I love the smell of my Holiday Cheer Circle E Candle.

I love sneaking in presents and finding creative hiding places for them all.

I love baking things like Christmas cookies, my grandmother's Texas Trash, cheese balls 

(okay only 1 of these involves actual baking! LOL!)

I also really love all the fun Christmas movies;
and I don't even mind watching them over and over and over!

It seems as if it's not really Christmas until we watch the following:

It's A Wonderful Life

The Christmas Story

The Polar Express

The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

This year... this one has been one of my favorites!  It was definitely a childhood favorite and now I'm LOVING sharing this movie with my kiddos!




I also love the old versions of Rudolf & Frosty the Snowman!

What are your favorite Christmas movies?

If you're here from iFellowship... WELCOME!

I hope you grab a cup of your favorite beverage

and hang out with me a while!

Leave me a comment, so I'll know you came by

and know that I'll be by later to visit you as well!

"Candy Cans"

It seems like everywhere we go we see Candy Canes.

Our neighbors have large plastic ones lining their porch.  When we go to the bank, they offer them to my children.

We even have them in our Advent Calendar to help us count down the days to December 25th.

You might think they would get tired of them and wish for something a little more exciting than a red and white curvy stick!

However, my 3 year old little boy LOVES THEM!!!  And for the time being he calls them "candy cans" instead of candy canes.  It's just adorable!

The other day he shouted with absolute glee, "Yeah, candy cans!" - and in that moment I thought, "wouldn't it be cool if I could find the energy to say "I can" all from a piece of candy!"

You know, things like this:

"I can finish the laundry today."

"I can handle potty training today."

"I can be one of those super patient and creative Mommies."

"I can smile in spite of my current circumstances."

Wouldn't that be fantastic if we could find the will, the energy, and the strength to say & do these "can-do" things all from a small piece of candy?!

To read the rest of this post come & join me at Seeds of Faith Women!

His Word Sunday

Victory

"W" 

(a win)

Success

These are just simple words meaning you made it!  You won!  You beat the enemy!

We all need a victory, a win in our every day lives.  We press on to overcome - to overcome evil, to overcome weariness, to overcome wanting to give up, you name it  - we all have our areas where we need to overcome.

This morning I found the key to overcoming.  You already know this and did I... but we should never get tired of hearing it again and again!

1 John 5:3-5 (ESV)

For this is the love of God, 

that we keep His commandments.  

And His commandments are not burdensome.  

For everyone who has been born of God 

overcomes the world.  

And this is the victory that has overcome the world

 - our faith.  

Who is it that overcomes the world 

except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Then just for good measure...

Psalm 124:8 (ESV)

Our help is in the name of the Lord, 

who made heaven & earth.

Go.  Fight.  Win!

The Good Stuff

"We just missed each other."

This is something my husband & I say to one other either when we're in the middle of an "intense discussion" or as we're resolving a conflict.

Another way to say this would be,

"We just were not on the same page." 

or

"I totally misunderstood where you were going and took offense."

or

"Oh!  Is that what you were trying to say?!"

As we were talking about something the other day, we had one of these moments.  We were on the same page and then somehow we missed where the other one was going with their words. Facial expressions and body languages didn't help the matter either.  Mainly because we were trying to have this conversation while doing a million other things!  Never a good combination.

The good news is we always take time to bring every "missed step" to complete resolution.  We never sweep things under the rug to resolve later.

The even better news is as we were working out our missed steps... we stumbled upon a really neat thing.  We're calling them "gifts of information."

So often in relationships - not just marriages - we bring bits of information (how our day went, a neat conversation or email we got during the day, etc) to one another almost as if they are a gift to the other person.  Our "wrapping" of this gift is how we tell "the story".  Perhaps we want to tell every tiny little detail, or perhaps we want to tell the ending first and then go back and fill in the details - it's your story, your information, your wrapping!

Too often in our crazy busy lives, we don't give our full attention to these "gifts" and by accident we devalue the gift and the person talking.  It would be like saying, "Sure... you can give me a Christmas gift - but don't bother wrapping it and you can just leave it on the table and I'll look at it later."

When what we're missing in all of this is the "good stuff".  My husband and I have found a renewed way to really take in what the other is saying at the end of a busy day.  We have a renewed understanding that these times indeed are "the good stuff of life" and to not take them lightly!

I heard this song this week and thought of our new "gifts of information"....

What was your "good stuff" this week?

The Peace Exercise

"Lord, I just need some peace in my life!"

"Lord, I need to get some rest, will You help me fall asleep?"

Have you ever prayed either of these two prayers?  As I flipped through my journal this morning, I realized that I ask the Lord for "peace" in one way or another... ALOT!  Either in the midst of a crazy busy day, or a for a difficult season He has me walking through, or just in general for my spirit.

It's an easy thing to pray for - but then what do we "do?"  Is there something we can physically do on this side of heaven, while we wait for His peace to come and fill us?

Do we stand really still and wait for some sort of heavenly version of fairy pixie dust to fall upon us and bring this much anticipated "peace"?

Recently I was talking with my Mom about rest.  She struggles with sleeping at night and I believe she has found a secret in finding peace and rest in the Lord and I want to pass it along to all of you today.  She made herself do this "Peace Exercise" the other night when she couldn't sleep and before she knew it - she was resting peacefully in dreamland!  You might even say this exercise did a better job than the Sandman or counting sheep!

I must admit - before sharing this with you - I'm not sure I could do this or at least get as far as she did.  However, I'm taking on the challenge.  Don't worry.... I'm not creating a "challenge" for us all to join in on or link up to at the moment... but I might some day!

The Peace Exercise

Start in Genesis and think of as many verses as you can from each book of the Bible.  

Don't worry about complete & total memorization, just do the best you can.  

For example: (wow!  Am I really going to be that vulnerable here... I promise I'm not cheating and looking these up!)

Genesis:
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

Exodus:
The Ten Commandments

Leviticus:
(hmmm..... this was a lot about the Law & the many many sacrifices which were required)

Hopefully you get the idea.

Try to think of as many verses or passages from each book of the Bible.  Just so you know... my Mom made it to about First or Second Samuel before she got stumped - and by that time she was sleepy and fell right into a blissful peaceful sleep.

I don't think it was by coincidence that she fell asleep pondering on the word of God!  I believe when we recall the words of the Lord they will (He will) fill us with peace and rest.

I'm going to start doing this Peace Exercise myself!

  

When I'm driving down the road and the backseat is louder than I can handle...

When I'm cleaning the house that never seems to ever get completely clean...

When I can't sleep at night...

When all I want to do is yell or cry or try to make sense out of all that's going on in my life...

This is a crazy busy time of year!  Really from Halloween to New Year's there's always something going on... and I know for me, I'm going to need this Peace Exercise!!

How about you?  Want to join me?!

If you're here from iFellowship... WELCOME!

I hope you grab a cup of your favorite beverage

and hang out with me a while!

Leave me a comment, so I'll know you came by

and know that I'll be by later to visit you as well!