A Time of Worship

Around our house a time of worship is what happens pretty regularly! With a Worship Pastor for a husband and father we tend to hear a lot of music! Well the other morning Caleb and I both woke up with two different worship songs in our hearts! Caleb was awe inspiring to me! He is 6 and can already hold a tune and has such a connection to his Heavenly Father that he wakes up overflowing with his love! What a beautiful sound to hear!
Above you will find a playlist of worship songs. If you can, get in a quiet place today and just listen! Love on your Heavenly Father today! Be blessed and have an awsome day!

Love you all so much!
Joy :)

The Bacholorette

First of all, I have to get this out in the open... I watch the Bachelorette....I know, I know, you expect more from me.....What can I say, its one of my numerous guilty pleasures! I can't help it, people fascinate me; I just have to know how and why they make decisions, and how they follow through on their ideas and emotions. But one thing that never ceases to amaze me on this show is that no one ever refuses the rose when they are one of that week's chosen few. I just can't get over this fact... I was single once, er...for an unbearingly long time (or so I thought then.) I just don't remember life working out like that for me. Every guy I chose automatically chose me back? I don't think so. I mean, what are the odds? Since when are relationships so one-sided? You take a girl or guy (that can't find love on their own, I might add) and put them in a room full of 30 members of the opposite sex and every single one of them falls in love with the one. That's just crazy! I'm thinking every single girl in the country has auditioned for that show! But it got me thinking... about how one sided our understanding of relationships tend to be in this world.

I think, sometimes, we spend so much time worrying about the likelihood of the uncreated God loving such frail, insignificant, and messed up women as ourselves, and forget that there is another side to the coin. We assume that if this great love could somehow be true that we have no response other to love Him back. But there's a catch....we have this thing called CHOICE. I do think that if we could ever really wrap our minds around the love that Christ has for us then we would be more likely to choose him back, but what about those days when our plight in this world hazes the clarity of our understanding? What then? Do we still choose to love Him back? Even when it doesn't seem like He loves us at all, when we view our circumstances through our earthly eyes? You may be quick to answer "Yes! Of course!" but would a reality tv show centered around your life make that decision obvious to others? Sadly, I have to say that my spoken words don't always paint the picture of my love for Christ.

My desperate plea for us is that we move past trying to simply accept that God could possibly choose us and focus with all of our efforts on choosing Him back! So as cheesy as it may sound, Yes, Father! I will accept this rose! I will accept the redeeming work Your son did on the cross and I will accept the righteousness that comes with it! Not only do I accept your love, but I choose to love you back! I will love you with my time, my energy, my words, and my actions. Thank you for choosing me first, so that I have the opportunity to choose you back!

"We love because He first loved us." - 1 John 4:19

~Laura~

My Junk Drawer

I have a drawer in my kitchen that I like to call the "junk drawer". If anyone was to ever open this particular drawer and saw what was inside I would be mortified to say the least. I keep all my coupons, many of them outdated, ads and anything else that I don't know what to do with tucked away inside. Instead of taking the time to either find a permanent home for it or just simply throw it away, I stuff it in the junk drawer. Only to have to deal with it later when either I can't open it or everything inside crinkles & tears from overstuffage.

The past few weeks I have been doing my yearly clean out of the house. This somewhat, annual event started because I decided it was time to clean out the infamous junk drawer (this lead to cleaning out every drawer, closet and room in the house). It was overstuffed and ready to explode. I found stuff I had been looking everywhere for, I found stuff my kids had been missing, I found stuff that should've been throw away a long time ago and I found stuff that was quite useful.

All this cleaning out has made me stop and reflect on my own life. Do I have an internal junk drawer? Do I have things in my life that I don't want to deal with or am afraid to face so I just throw in the drawer only to have deal with it later on down the road? Would I be mortified if anyone saw what was really on the inside of my drawer? In a moment of honesty I would have to say yes to all of these questions. I am a stuffer. Often times I cram and stuff until "my drawer" is ready to explode and I become so un-useful for all intents and purposes. I put on my best apprearance that everything is just fine and dandy. You know you can only hide your junk for so long.

While I have continue my annual clean out, I have also begun to clean out the other junk drawer in my life. I am letting God reveal new and sometimes painful things that I have stuffed, hoping they would never resurface. He has extended the borders of my comfort zone and now I am on my way to feeling refreshed and renewed. As I continue on my journey I find great refuge in one of my very favorite passages in all of God's Word.

"Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the
inmost place: Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit
within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to
sustain me" Psalm 51:6, 10~12

Hold onto this truth and know that today God is standing there with arms wide open, waiting for you to lay all the junk you have stuffed and carried around for years at His feet. He's waiting to love on you. He's ready to restore your joy and peace. Just stop and let Him!

~Kazia~

Enough Said!

This last week life seemed to be dumping only bad things on me. I started to wallow in it but God directed me to this scripture. Once again I had to shake my head and start chuckling to myself. God won't let me wallow in the muck and mire. He's got too much for me to do to get side tracked from what's important.

2 Corinthians 4(NIV)

Treasures in Jars of Clay

1Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

13It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 14because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. 15All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Enough said!!

~Debbie~

Ready. Set. Go.

Follow these simple steps:

1. Take a deep breath
2. Place a genuine smile on your face.
3. Say this out loud, “Lord, I’m Yours.”
4. Believe with all your heart you do not face this day alone.
5. Declare this…

Lord, may all that I say and do be a reflection of you. Whatever this day brings, I will face it knowing that you are with me. Today, this day, I know that I am beautiful, made in your image, a daughter to the King. Father, I am so in love with you and oh so thankful for your love for me.

Now ladies… go and have a fantastic~productive~joy-filled day. Walk with your head held high and your heart surrendered to the King.

My heart overflows for each of you.
~Terica

Next Generation Leader

"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." James 1:19-20 (NIV)

This verse comes to mind in my life alot! If you know anything about me at all you know that most of the time I'm not afraid to speak my mind. Growing up my thought process was "If you don't like me for who I am than that's your loss," "if you don't want to know the truth then don't come ask me." I was the one that told you the truth, sometimes even if you didn't ask for it.

Needless to say this sometimes got me in trouble. Other times it actually served a purpose. The other day Nate and I were talking about my willingness to be bold and he tells me I just need to be careful and think about things before I say them. So I thought about that and realized that more times than not I do think about things before I say them. I am more careful than I think I am. I'm just not afraid to walk in the light of Christ knowing that in the times when something truely needs to be said I know full well that He is going to speak through me. You also need to know that I have never claimed that it was Christ who spoke through me in the times when I was wrong. I don't always get it right, but I don't fear getting it wrong either. I have always been very confident in this part of me, but here's the honest part. For the past couple of years I have begun questioning this. I wonder if I hurt more than I help. I find myself on the outside looking in alot, because I seem to be the only one with this opinion or this concern. I struggle with the demon of self-doubt!

How can others not see what I see?
Why am I the only one willing to speak up?
Am I the one that is in the wrong?
Have I really not heard God on this?

So many questions! Where are the answers? I got my answer last week! I am part of the incredible staff at New Life and we are reading a book called Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley. This is what I found:

"A leader is someone who has the courage to say publicly what everybody else is whispering privately. It is not his insight that sets the leader apart from the crowd. It is his courage to act on what he sees, to speak up when everyone else is silent. Next generation leaders are those who would rather challenge what needs to change and pay the price than remain silent and die on the inside."

Upon reading this I realized I truely am a NEXT GENERATION LEADER!! I do not have to keep silent! I am who God truely made me to be! Don't fear who you are! Stand firm in the one who made you!! Love on Him daily!

13-18If with heart and soul you're doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you're still better off. Don't give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They'll end up realizing that they're the ones who need a bath. It's better to suffer for doing good, if that's what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That's what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others' sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God.

1Peter 3:13-18 (The Message)

Blessings to you all!!

Joy :)

GLOW

I woke up this morning with a heavy heart for the women of NewLife and of the area we live in. I can't describe the burden I feel when I witness the effect that this world has on the spirit of any woman in my view. I'm not talking about physical appearance or aging. I'm talking about how you look at someone who puts their faith in the uncreated God, but yet something behind the exterior just doesn't glow like it used to. Sometimes we lose our glow because a loved one is in need of healing, sometimes because there is true strife in our own home, sometimes because we feel like we will never get it right or measure up. Let's take a look at some scripture that I feel applies to our situation.

In Genesis 37 we get to follow the life of Joseph, who for various reasons was strongly disliked by his 11 brothers, one of which was certainly jealousy over a special robe that their father had given Joseph because of his love for him.

18 "But they saw Joseph in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.... 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the richly ornamented robe he was wearing- 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern."

Why is it that rather than just killing him where he stood, the first thing they did was to strip him of his robe?

Because his robe was the symbol of his father's love and favor on his life. Just like our unexplainable joy is the symbol of our Father's love and favor on our lives. Satan is simply irritated and jealous for our robes of joy, so his first attack on our lives is to neutralize us by taking away the most obvious connection with our Father in heaven.

Fortunately for us, our robes of joy are not something that Satan can take away from us without our permission. Ladies, I beg of you, hold on to your robe with white knuckles! Don't let it slip away without your notice! Too often we allow the pressures and hurts of this world to affect our spiritual wardrobe in a scary way without even realizing it.

For those of you fighting to hold on to your glow, keep fighting. For those of you who feel like you can't remember the last time you saw that robe hanging in your spiritual closet, I urge you to remember your first love. Spend some time in his beautiful, life-giving, presence. When Moses spent time face to face with God, it was said that his face shone with light for some time. Trust me ladies, life doesn't seem so grim when you view it through the reflection of a little glow!

For those of you who don't know, B'LoveD is hosting something really exciting this October...GLOW, our B'LoveD retreat! We are so excited and overflowing with expectation about what this amazing time with our awe-inspiring Father is going to do in our lives. We hope you will join us October 7-9, at the NYLO Hotel in Las Colinas. You can find more information HERE. But be sure to register soon, deposits are due by July 11!

I love you ladies, and I pray for your infectious glow on the world around us!

~Laura~

He's Still Working On Me......

In previous blogs I have mentioned that I have two precious little girls. They keep me on my toes daily. Brooks and I are constantly teaching them and showing them the difference between what's right and what's wrong. We have to work with them daily on things that are necessary for them to learn and grow. Things like don't touch the hot stove, don't climb on the table, don't hit, don't pull hair, don't play with scissors, don't talk to strangers, but do share your toys, be respectful, clean your room, play nice, etc.... It seems our work is never done.


Today as I was loading the dishwasher I became quite frustrated with my 18 month old. As I was carefully loading the dishwasher, she was carelessly unloading it. She grabbed everything she could get her hands on, including the knives. No matter how many times I told her no and gave her a little swat she continued to take the dishes out and play with them. My patience was growing very thin.

In the midst of this aggravation God suddenly dropped an old song that I used to sing in Sunday School in my heart. Here are the words. They are simple, but oh so true:

"He's still working on me. To make me what I ought to be. It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars, the sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars. How loving and patient He must be. He's still working on me."


Funny how God uses random things to get our attention. Today he used a silly little song I haven't heard in years to get mine. The moment I began singing that song I realized that the same holds true for me. He IS still working on me. There are things that He has been working on for years and there are things that He has only begun working on. Truth is that even though there is pain in growth, I hope He never stops. Because when He works, I learn and learning brings change and change brings growth. If I am not growing than God is not working.

I wonder where He'll take me next??? I can't wait!!! But in meantime I hold onto this truth:


"Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus; And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:6, 9-10

A Work In Progress

~Kazia~

Continually Pray Without Delay

In NewLife Kids this week the lesson main point was Continually Pray Without Delay. If only the kids could learn this lesson at an early age. I thought back to the many times that I have heard this point taught or preached over the years. Believe me there was many more times than I can count. I’m ashamed to say that so many times in my life I have heard a sermon title and thought “Oh, I know that” or “Not again”. Why don’t I instantly think that God might be trying to tell me something I may KNOW but not be DOING????

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT) says: “Never stop praying”. I remember as a young person wondering how in the world this was possible. Doesn’t God know all that I have to do in my day? Things would never get done if I never stopped praying. Oh how misinformed I was!!! I was spending too much time in busy work, most of which did not HAVE to be done, when I could have been resting in God’s peace and accomplishing so much MORE.

Colossians 4:2(NLT) says: “Devote yourself to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart”. My day goes so much smoother with an alert mind and a thankful heart. I don’t dwell on wrongs but I am looking for good when I keep God on my mind at all times. I see through clear eyes – not eyes filled with dismay, disgrace, and all the dirt that earthly eyes see with. As I live my life in close communion with my Father God it is amazing how differently my days go and how much more I accomplish. Don’t think that God is asking too much of you when he says “Never Stop Praying”, He is wanting what is best for us and knows that if we live in a constant state of prayer we will have more joy, peace, and accomplish so much more than when we try to live life on our own.

Let today be the day that you begin your life living in a constant attitude of prayer.

~Debbie~

Live*Laugh*Love

Three simple words…yet the reality of them is not always so simple. When life is balanced, it’s easy to live them out. Almost effortless…they just happen. Yet, when life turns into a freight train, you can be so focused on survival that there is no time to laugh and little time to love.

So how do we acquire balance? If your life is like mine busy is an understatement. Our family theme song is “Entry of the Gladiators” the icon of circus music. There are many occasions, as we pile in and out of the truck from one stop to the next, someone finds humor in the hustle ‘n bustle and will start to sing da da dadada da da da da da. While our silly little family joke definitely lightens the mood there is something much more powerful that sustains us.

Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” You see, I have found that my world can be spinning rapidly out of control but my God is the constant in the chaos. When my eyes are focused on my Father, it doesn’t matter how crazy and insane my days are. I simply have everything I need to make it through that day. But, when my eyes focus solely on the tasks ahead I’m overwhelmed. I’m defeated before I even begin. Too often we live our days that way. Girls, I don’t know about you, but I much prefer the outcome with my Father’s help.

No doubt, life can get messy. We have seasons of calm and seasons of hurricane force winds. There is a song by Hillsong titled “Desert Song” and I find myself singing these words often: All of my life, In every season, You are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship. So you see girls, regardless our current life season, we don’t have to be shaken. We can stand firm. We can find humor in the chaos and love in our Father. Balance and harmony can be achieved in any season of life when it’s a life living for their Savior. Stay focused. Laugh a little and love a lot. You are His beloved.

~Terica

Author Unknown

Now that I have found You, I know what it's like to be loved fully, deeply, immeasurably. I have never been loved by someone so completely, so intensely. I am perfectly accepted, perfectly loved, perfectly understood and perfectly cherished for everything that I am.

You tell me the things that You would like me to change in my life, and You help me work on them. I never feel condemnation or criticism from You, only the most perfect love.

I don't have to cover up my faults or weaknesses, because I know You will view them with compassion. You cover them with Your love; You accept them through Your forgiveness. Then You take my hand and we move on, together.

All of these and many, many more, are the precious reasons that I love You, Jesus.

Author unknown

Read this and thought "these words are amazing!" Oh how I love my Jesus!!!!!!!!

Have a very blessed day B'LoveD!!!

Joy

Pouring In & Pouring Out

I woke up this morning dreadfully missing one of my favorite people on the planet. I have been so blessed over my life to have come in contact with some amazing mentors, and one in particular, that has poured so much into my personal life. I really have no idea where I would be if she hadn't been there to mold me, shape me, and challenge me. I had so many mindsets that needed to be broken, so many character flaws that needed to be balanced out, so much passion that needed to be tempered with wisdom. I praise God everyday that He saw fit to give me someone in authority over me that cared for me so much more than was required of them. Someone who carved out countless hours to ask the tough questions, to listen to stories that I'm sure made her want to quit bothering with me, and to model an amazing life and marriage before me. I knew, at the time, that I was lucky to find such a precious tool for His kingdom, but I had no understanding of just how rare of a gift God had given me.

I heard a message not long ago about this topic of mentoring that really made me think. It was about Joshua, Moses, and Caleb. Jude Fouquier, associate pastor at The City Church in Washington, shared that everyone needs a Moses or a Mentor (someone who is pouring into them), everyone needs a Joshua or a mentee, (someone they are pouring into), and everyone needs a Caleb, a best friend. I think that most of us do a great job of finding friends that are somewhat on the same level as far as their walk with Christ, however I also think that we do a great job at shying away from putting ourselves in the other two roles. We are afraid of giving someone the authority over us to be our mentor. We often want the "freedom" to do things when we want and how we want, but we also are afraid of coming up short of the expectations our mentors would surely have for us. These are normal fears but are minuscule compared with the treasures awaiting those who are brave enough to put themselves in this submissive role.

We also shy away from situations in which we could pour out into others. We are too insecure to admit that we have something worthwhile to offer someone else. And even if we do realize the what we have to give, we often hold ourselves back from speaking it out for fear that our heart would be misconstrued for criticism. Now I'm not talking about walking around giving your opinions on everybody's life in your view. I'm talking about prayerfully committing to walk someone through a stage of their life that you have been through yourself.

I feel like it is a major strategy of our great Enemy to keep us from putting ourselves in these vital roles. Refusing to seek out these people in our lives simply separates us from the body of Christ in a way that leaves us feeling alone in our battles. Ladies, I know it seems like our plates are full before we even start thinking about embarking on relationships like these, but I urge you, those that mean the most to you would greatly benefit from the personal growth that you will experience on both sides of the spectrum.

If you don't even know where to start to find relationships like these, start with prayer. God is faithful above all else. Pray that He will open your eyes to the people around you that you need to get to know a little better so that He can start to develop one of these dynamics. A simple check to identify your mentor is to think about what struggles you are currently walking through that you would like to overcome, or ministry areas you think God has put on your heart to pursue, then think about people that you know that have been through your struggle or is someone you look up to in the ministry you identified. And likewise, to narrow down someone you could pour into, identify the things in your life that you have been through, (and come out of!) or would like to go deeper in a specific interest you are already involved in. As you start to pursue God about these relationships, He will start to give you an unexplainable heart for those that you are meant to share with.

I can't wait to see how this kind of true discipleship can empower us to become the daughters, wives, mothers, sisters, friends, grandmothers, healers, leaders, teachers, and most importantly Christ-followers that we were meant to become! Be brave, Ladies! Ask God to show you who He has placed in your lives for such a time as this!

~Laura

Spoiler Alert

Are you the kind of person that likes to know the outcome of something before you begin it or are you the kind of person that gets really angry when someone spoils the ending for you? Me, I like knowing what is going to happen before I invest a whole lot of time and emotions into something that may of may not disappoint me when it's all said and done. I must know if
I am going laugh, going to cry, going to be angry or going to be excited and prepare myself accordingly. When it comes right down to it, I guess I really don't like surprises. This is why I secretly love a good spoiler alert.

I know that sometimes it is impossible to know how something is going to end, but in one case I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt what the outcome will be. You know why? Because I have read the end of the book and what I found out was incredible.

***Spoiler Alert*** If you don't want to know how it ends you may not want to keep reading. But rest assure it is all really good news!!!

We win!!!! The Enemy is defeated and destroyed and We are triumphant and victorious. If you are a Child of God you are without a shadow of doubt, 100% guaranteed a victory. Despite all of the pain, sorrow and suffering we will face, we can stand firm in knowing that in the end we are victorious. We will inherit the kingdom and live eternal life. Doesn't that make you want to do the happy dance? It does me. I win! I win! I win! Winner, winner chicken dinner!!! Hello Win Column!!! And the winner is.....ME!!! Sorry, I got a little carried away but I never win anything and I stand to inherit God's Kingdom. How marvelous is that? Truth is when you put all of your faith and trust in God and give him full control you CAN'T lose.

Know today that God loves you and He has pre-ordained you "The Winner". Now it's time to stand firm and walk in your victory! Name it and claim it! It's yours!!!

~Kazia~

For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory." Deuteronomy 20:4

It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them. Psalm 44:3

Blessing of Love

This past Thursday was our four year anniversary. When I think back to the day of our wedding it fills my heart with joy. I couldn't wait to walk down the isle look into his eyes, see the smile on his face, and marry the man of my dreams. It brought happiness, anticipation, smiles, hugs, and love. There was so much going on that day besides the feelings and emotions. The adrenaline going through me kept a smile on my face. I wasn't nervous or scared, I never questioned if I was making a mistake, I knew he was the one. I couldn't wait to say I do!

Now 4 years later and lots of growing and changes, I still feel the same way. I can't wait for him to walk through the door after work, I look forward to his kisses and to hold his hand, it makes me smile every time he calls just to say hi, I love how we start and end everyday looking at each other, I need his hugs, and we have fun sitting on the couch watching TV or venturing out and trying something new. We laugh together, finish each others sentences, it's like we complete each other.

My husband is not only the love of my life he is my best friend. I can just sit and stare at him or watch him work and he still simply amazes me. He is so smart, handy, tough, but oh so sweet and lovable. He is an amazing man of God. He leads his family with authority and wisdom from the Lord. I could never describe how much I love him or what he means to me. I feel like the luckiest women in the world when I think of what a blessing he truly is. Sometimes, I can't believe he chose me. I thank God for Blessing me with such a wonderful man. God knew exactly what he was doing when he put us together, I don't know why we ever doubt Him.

We are about to start a new chapter in our lives. I can't wait to see what God's plan is in the years to come.

Tiffany

What's wrong with me?

Have you ever thought about how often you ask yourself, "What's wrong with me?" I ask myself that question when I can't find my keys, when I disagree with my husband, when I feel like I let someone down, when I'm late for an appointment or lose something I know I put in a good spot. The list just grows daily.

In thinking about this it dawned on me that each time I think this question, I am telling myself that something is wrong with me. Then I try to figure out what is lacking in me. What it is that I need to change in me. Why I don't measure up.

I truly do not believe that God wants me to think badly of myself - after all He created me. Psalm 139:14(NIV) says "... I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." I have often over the years told kids that "God does not make junk" Why then am I so ready to believe that there is something wrong with me? Why do I not accept myself for the woman that God fearfully and wonderfully made? One reason is because I have an enemy, Satan, that wants me to think so little of myself that I will not become all the God has created me to be. If he can get us to take our eyes off of who we are in Christ and focus on our flaws; then we spend all our time trying to hide or to figure out how to correct our flaws.

The next time you begin to think something is wrong with you don't allow Satan to have his way. Instead begin to speak God's thoughts about you. They are the truth. Stand on the promise of who you are in Christ. You are chosen, holy, and dearly loved. Discover and embrace our God given design and accept that we are the way we are because it's all part of His plan. Are we perfect? NO WAY. All of us have strengths and weaknesses, but remember you are "fearfully and wonderfully made" - Just like God planned.

Do not allow thoughts of doubt or self criticism rule your day, instead look to your creator, the one who knew you in your mother's womb and ask him what he thinks of you.

Psalm 25:4-5 Show me your ways O lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior and my hope is in you all day long.

~Debbie~

Authority

David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

When I read this passage of scripture, taken out of the book of 1 Samuel 17, the story of David and Goliath, there is one word that resounds over and over in my spirit. Authority.

David stands against his enemy in the fullness of God’s authority. Declares it, fights with it and believes it. There is not an inkling of doubt in that passage. No army could defeat Goliath but one man, standing firm in his Lord with a few rocks and a sling shot, brought the giant down. David was a man who believed in his God and therefore stood unshakeable in His authority.

So, what level of authority do you fight with? As I have been asking myself this question over the last few weeks, I have had to take a brutally honest inventory within. I am at war. With my flesh, emotions, daily circumstances. As the battles have surfaced, I have felt a question ever so sweetly rise in my spirit, “and how big am I now?” As I have honestly searched for the answer, sadly I have come up with varying conclusions. I found that sometimes He was small, others about a medium and occasionally large.

Funny, depending on the circumstance the belief I had in my God waivered. Oddly enough, if I believe in something for someone else there is no limit to what He can do. When it’s something about or for me all of the sudden my God shrinks. This is not acceptable. So, I have found that as I determine within to believe that my God is who He says He is and can do what He says He can do my belief becomes unshakable. For as long as I have trusted Him, He has never abandoned me. I will fight with full authority. I will fight to protect my belief in how absolutely humongous my Father is. I will believe my Lord and Savior over all outward and inward circumstances.

Ladies, sometimes we need to stop and remind ourselves just how big our God is. And ask for His forgiveness for thinking anything less. Everything and anything that stands up against Him, becomes a tiny speck. A grain of sand compared to His vast existence. Rise up, walk, fight, and take rest in His authority.

~Terica

Colossians 3:12-17 (New International Version)

12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

A spoken word for myself today!!! Have a very blessed day Warrior Women!!

Joy

Past the Pain: Guest Blogger Cassi Rinehart

We have been doing rotations of the leaders speaking to the students at U-Turn for the last few months. Scott has had one of the leaders share their story the first Wednesday of the month and this past week it was my turn. I have spoken to the students before and while I will always get nervous about getting up in front of people, I was not too worried about it. Little did I know what God was going to lay on my heart to share and how that was going to rock me to my very core.

When God starts to meddle in your past, it is rarely pleasant but it is always productive. I was out driving around, thinking and praying the other night when God revealed how a choice I made on a night, years ago, was affecting my life today. The area that God decided I needed to deal with that night was private and very painful, I had to face some regrets and failures that I had tried to forget. Through mercy and many tears on my part, I finally began to allow wounds from long ago heal. But healing was only the beginning of my journey.

As I began to pray about what to speak about God kept bringing that night to my mind. “Ok, I thought, what did I learn I could share with the kids?” No matter how I tried to spin it and wiggle around it, I knew simply sharing lessons learned was not what God wanted of me. God was trying to tell me that I needed to talk about that painful night many years ago, my bad choices, the consequences I experienced and most importantly how God took care of me through all of it, but I didn’t want to hear any of it. I was willing to talk about most anything but THAT! He had healed me and that was great. I would share my wisdom, my joy, but not my pain, that was private. How could God expect me to get up on stage and talk about details of my life that not even my best friend knew? I was terrified that people would judge me for my past. What if no one saw me quite the same if they knew this about me? But God wouldn’t leave me alone and finally I gave in.

Last week I stood in front of a room full of teenagers and shared the story of one of the most painful nights of my life. I was still scared but I was obedient to what God wanted me to do and something amazing happened. No one looked at me any differently, no one judged me but that wasn’t even close to the best part: lives were changed! God used my pain to change other people’s lives. Through my obedience, students reached out for healing. I hate the think about what might have happened if I kept it to myself? If I had been too scared to speak out and share?

We all have something that we don’t want anyone to know. We all fear being judged and found lacking. The thought of rejection is enough to silence most people. I think God is calling each one of us to a place where we can share that one thing in our lives we know can change the future for someone but have been too terrified to do anything about it. Regardless of what that one thing is for you, today is the day to stop letting fear keep you from sharing what you know God wants you to. You never know when your yesterday is what changes tomorrow for someone else.

Isaiah 54:4

Don't be afraid—you're not going to be embarrassed.
Don't hold back—you're not going to come up short.
You'll forget all about the humiliations of your youth,
and the indignities of being a widow will fade from memory.

~Cassi

Guest Blogger ~ China Wells

Hello ladies,

I'm your guest blogger for the day. This is a big honor for me so thanks for the invite from my beautiful and sweet sister Kazia. Back in the fall I went through an extremely difficult time personally. I think most of you probably know because Kazia I'm sure had you praying for me which by the way I really appreciated and felt. Reed and I lost our first baby which was a very hard thing to go through. The cool thing however was he and I grew closer than ever, but the best thing of all is my faith and relationship with my precious Savior grew stronger. It was a bittersweet season of loss, growth and learning.

In the midst of it my ladies Bible study here in Denver decided to do Beth Moore's study Believing God. I've done it before but this time was special. God really begin to speak into my heart that I really need to trust and believe everything He tells me He is going to do and fulfill. It played right in with the whole baby thing. Also, for about 2 years the Lord has really been consistently speaking to me that as women we need to really begin to put our armor on and rise up and fight this battle. We need to be Warrior Princesses.

A few weeks ago I was there in Keller and attended the Beloved event were Terica spoke. Everything she said was speaking directly into my spirit and lined up with what the Lord has been telling me for 2 years. "Believe Me, Believe Me Believe Me"............that is what He consistently keeps saying and also we have got to be warriors along side the men out there.

That night I felt the Lord say............"these women need to hear the word I gave you about being warriors". Then along came this invite from Kazia to be a guest and I thought here is the time for you all to receive the word.

"A Word for you from the Lord to A New Generation of Believing Women":

The Lord is raising up mighty warriors. Warriors that have never been seen before. For generations the enemy has successfully kept you down with many lies, but it is time to rise up and say no more. You are like Rosie the Riveter. You can do it!!

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Gal. 5:1

It is time now to stand up against the kingdom of darkness that is around and before you. Stand up and say no more. Take that reproach off and say no more will I wear this. No more will I stand paralyzed walking like a defeated woman through the cycle of slavery and defeat. Stand firm against the attempts of the enemy to keep you in that cycle.

He the enemy sees what you are -- what you could be -- and fears you greatly. His job is to keep you from realizing all you can be and all you can do and all you are and therefore wants you in the circle. But no more should you give in to him and stay.

The word says "Wake up O sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you." Ephesians

Overcome him by your tenacious will to no longer stay in your desert but to come full circle and step into your promise land. Be the warrior and Rosie the Riveter that God is calling you to be. Stand strong ladies!! Be very bold for you have such a hope. Speak to mountains to move. Speak out to the darkness and spread your light. Shine forth. It is written: "I believe, therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we believe and therefore speak. I Corin. 4:13

"They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." Rev. 12:11

Do not shrink from death or the battle. Some things in you may die on the battlefield but know that is ok because He is there on that field with you. Wear the scars of the removed reproaches like a soldier would wear the "Purple Heart". You are a mighty warrior child. You are a mighty warrior.

God is raising up His army. “It is God who arms you with strength and makes your way perfect. He makes your feet like the feet of a deer; He enables you to stand on the heights. He trains your hands for battle; your arms can bend a bow of bronze. He will give you His shield of victory, and His right hand sustains you; He stoops down to make you great. He broadens the path beneath you, so that your ankles do not turn." Psalm 18:32-36

Do Not Shrink Back, Do Not Shrink Back, Do Not Shrink Back!!! Live out your victory, live out your calling my sisters, live it out. Remain spiritually tenacious (pg. 177 study guide Believing God).

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints." Eph. 1:18

Believe Him and Live It Out!!!

Thanks for inviting me Kazia and thanks to all of you ladies out there who are fighting alongside of me. It is an honor to call you "sisters in Christ".

Love to all,

China Wells

An Update

I went to the Dr. yesterday for my 4 week check up. I am 13 weeks pregnant now. Heading into the 2ND trimester and I'm feeling great! All of the yucky symptoms are gone and my energy level is slowly going up! Praise the Lord!!!! I am still really hungry ALL of the time and all I want is Mexican food. We got to hear the baby's heart beat again. What an amazing thing to hear. It's so hard to believe that there is a baby, a human growing inside of me, I have a had a hard time wrapping my mind around it. Through the power of our Almighty God life is being created.

I'm so thankful God gave us this miraculous gift.

Tiffany

Time Spent Gardening

Are there any gardening friends out there? I started out with great zeal this spring with cleaning flowers, planting new flowers, and once again attempting my hand at growing vegetables. Well, so far so good. Nothing has died - YET. I even have a few green tomatoes. We will see if they ever turn red. There are many days when I really have to talk myself into going out to water everything. It seems like it takes forever and on top of everything else in the day - sometimes I pass till tomorrow. Then I go out and apologize as I over water the next day. Oh well, I'm trying.

This last week as I looked around the flower beds by the pool, it seemed like weeds had just about taken over again. How does this happen? They grow so much faster than the flowers. I remembered passing by a few without taking time to bend over and pull them when they were just starting up. Hmmm... probably should have taken care of them while they were small.

Well, the other morning I could look at the weeds no more and headed out early to remove them. I got down and started pulling. Wow, there really was more than I imagined so I spent quite a while down on my hands and knees. Funny how it works that God speaks to us when we are on our knees in his creation. He reminded me how much easier it would be to get the weeds out when small and not rooted deeply in the soil - to take time daily to check as the weeds pop up and get rid of them before they multiply.

How many times in life do we let little things grab hold and take root in our lives that are outside of what God wants for us. We ignore his Spirit as it checks us to stop. We get involved and bogged down in bad choices and it becomes a way of life and sometimes it takes us a while to see the effects of these choices and then we cry out to God for deliverance and wonder why he seems so far away. If only daily we took time to spend in God's presence allowing him to be the master gardener that he is - pruning us and watering us so that we grow to our potential in him.

Proverbs 4:23 (NLT) Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of
your life.
1 Chronicles 22:19 (NLT) Now seek the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. . . .

Help me Lord to walk with you DAILY and allow you access to all areas in my life to prune and shape as only you know how to.

~Debbie~

Something Tangible

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6

As I think about the different seasons of my life, I can recall a certain song or scripture that I held on to that seemed to be the theme for that particular time in my life. As of late, Philippians 4:6 has been my anchor…and I remind myself of its meaning daily.

There are many things that happen in our day to day lives that could easily uproot and derail us…circumstances that could cause us to worry and become anxious. Believe me; I’ve been living the evidence of that statement for the past several weeks. I love that this scripture directs me right back to the One who can handle it all. There is no reason for worry to infiltrate my thoughts and take over. Not when the One that I can spill my heart out to created the very universe I exist in. I can trade my anxiousness, doubt, self-doubt, concern, fear…and the list could go on and on for peace, rest, tranquility, balance, and His list goes on and on.

I am so in awe of our God. That he would love us so much, he gave us His spoken word to hold on to…something tangible that enables us to fight the very real enemy of our souls. I have ammunition at my fingertips that stops worry dead in its tracks. As I have utilized the meaning of this verse, I love how my thoughts transition from what I’m going through to what He has done for me. And I fall in love with Him all over again.

~ Terica

Turning it Over!!!!

I must admit that in all the craziness this summer has already brought on us I forgot about posting my blog!! This week and every week from here on out for the next couple of months are covered with baseball. My Caleb man made the All-Stars and it is a huge time commitment for all of us! Understand, I couldn't be more proud of him! In making the All-Stars we have to purchase a whole new uniform, so today we were out looking for baseball pants that would fit him! In the midst of him yelling at me because he didn't want to try pants on and he just wasn't going to get any new pants, or for that matter, he just didn't care, the fury was beginning to build up inside this momma! And then it happened! My little E-man reminded me of what we are living for and who we are living for! He began to see the song One Way! The words go a little something like this:

I lay my life down at Your feet
You're the only one I need
I turn to You and You are always there
In troubled times it's You I seek
I put You first that's all I need
I humble all I am, all to You

One way, Jesus
You're the only one that I could live for
One way, Jesus
You're the only one that I could live for

You are always, always there
Every how and every where
Your grace abounds so deeply within me
You will never ever change
Yesterday today the same
Forever till forever meets no end

One way, Jesus
You're the only one that I could live for
One way, Jesus
You're the only one that I could live for

You are the Way, the Truth and the Life
We live by faith and not by sight for You,
We're living all for You

Understand he only knows the chorus, but Caleb piped in with the bridge! You are the Way, the Truth and the Life, we live by faith and not by sight for You, we're living ALL for You!!! If only I had woken up this morning with this on my mind maybe, just maybe, things would have been a little different for me today! It's nothing like having your 5 and 6 year old remind you how important it is to turn your day over to God first thing in the morning! Since the dressing room incident, things have been quite a bit different. Caleb got some pants, we went to Hobby Lobby without incident and I am writing my blog! Turn your day over to Him first thing and He will see you through!! Thank you Caleb and Ethan for being mommy's rock today!

Joy

Pinch Hitter Jesus

This morning God has spoken to my heart that I all too often turn to God only after I have exhausted all of my earthly resources. Part of it is I was raised to be independent, not to have to rely on others to make my life worth living, but what does it say that I extend that same thought-pattern to God. Why do I try to do everything within my own power and then if that doesn't work out I go to the big guns. Scott always gives me a hard time that I will never admit when I have made a mistake, which I return with "I made the best decision I could have made at the time with the information that was available at the time, it's not my fault if I didn't have all the information!" Yeah, I know, it's that bad. But you know who does have all the information? You know who does have true 20/20 vision across all time past, present, and future? You know who does know what decisions will and will not work out? The Jesus I turn to in a pinch, that's who. But that same Jesus that I trust when things are bad should be the same Jesus that I turn to BEFORE things get bad. Our God was not just the God that rescued the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, but also the God that led and directed their path through the desert when they were free from immediate danger. Now I am starting to wonder if I have brought unnecessary drama to my life because God wanted so desperately to be a part of my thoughts that He had no other choice but to bring hard times since I was bound, bet, and determined to 'save Him the trouble' when I could 'handle' things without Him. What I wouldn't trade to have all of those moments back when I had an opportunity to walk through everyday life side-by-side with the Author of my faith, but I just missed it.

A long time ago, in my 9th grade Sunday School class, we always did prayer requests at the end of every class. One day, one of my classmates raised his hand and asked that we pray that God would provide him with a new toothbrush as his was getting old. Now this student was by no means poor, so I looked up, expecting to find a huge grin on his face, delighting in his apparent joke, but he was not joking. My amazing Sunday School teachers jotted down his request and when the time came delivered a heart-felt plea for the boy's provision. I remember being dumbfounded. I remember thinking, just tell your mom to put it on the grocery list, what does God have to do with that? Oh if only I had the faith of this boy. I have no doubt that God will provide for me when my back is against a wall, or that he will be my rock in times of pain, but how much more faith does it take to know that God cares enough to be there when His presence is not 'required'? How hard is it to believe that my life is worth his glance when my only need is a simple toothbrush, when there are so many other hurting people in this world?

Beloved, our God is bigger than we give him credit for! His love is more pervasive than we could ever imagine! Our God is not a Pinch Hitter God! He wants to be involved in even the most simple of requests. He truly does love us, with a more perfect love than we will ever be able to understand. God just when I think I have faith, I realize it is time to cry out to you again, "Lord, increase my faith!"

Lord, every inch I grow closer to you I gain perspective on the miles of your love that I have yet to know. Help me to begin to understand the love and wisdom you desire to pour out on my often closed heart. Lord pry the doors to my heart open! Knock the dead and hard areas of my heart off that you may grow them back with your overflowing life! Increase my faith in you to the point that I trust you in all times, the good and the bad! Teach my ear to be sensitive to your beautiful voice. I love you, and praise you for your ever-constant provision.

~Laura