VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB...."Book 1" June 2010

The Yada Yada Prayer Group....

What do an ex-con, a former drug addict, a real estate broker, a college student, and a married mother of two have in common?

Nothing, or so I thought. Who would have imagined that God would make a prayer group as mismatched as ours the closest of friends? I almost didn't even go the Chicago Women's Conference--after all, being thrown together with five hundred strangers wasn't exactly my "comfort zone." But something happened that weekend to make us realize we had to hang together, and the "Yada Yada Prayer Group" was born! When I faced the biggest crisis of my life, God used my newfound Sisters to show me what it means to be just a sinner saved by grace......

Sisters….The Kitchen Table is happy to announce our first “Virtual Summer Book Club!” In fact we are beyond happy, at this point we are very exited about the entire thing. And we hope that you feel the same way and plan to join us.

This is how it works.
1. You pick a date and time and register by sending an email to: thekitchentable2010@yahoo.com
2. Place in subject : “Summer Book Club”
3. Make sure you put your name, city and state.
4. You will receive an email stating that you have been registered. And the call-in information for the call in center we will be using.
Make sure to put thekitchentable2010@yahoo.com in your address book so that our emails do not go into your spam box.
5. You will receive a weekly email concerning the book we are reading that month. Just a little something to keep you engaged and excited before we come together to discuss it.
6. You will receive a reminder email (with call-in info again) a couple of days before the book club meets.

There are only a couple of seats left so register as quickly as possible.

June: The Yada Yada Prayer Group (Book 1) by Neta Jackson
July: The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Down (Book 2)
August: The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Real (Book 3)

Day: Every 3rd Saturday
Time: 1.5 hrs

Cheryl: June 19th,
(3 - 4:30pm ET), (2 - 3:30pm CT), (1 – 2:30pm MT), (12 – 1:30pm PT)

Sasha, July 17th,
(3 - 4:30pm ET), (2 - 3:30pm CT), (1 – 2:30pm MT), (12 – 1:30pm PT)

Ponnie, August 21st,
(3 - 4:30pm ET), (2 - 3:30pm CT), (1 – 2:30pm MT), (12 – 1:30pm PT)

You can purchase the book on Amazon.com for $6.00, or I found it for $1.54 through a 3rd party on Amazon.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Ponnie on Facebook, the above email address or my private email if you have it.

Blessing from the sisters at the table!

DO NOT BECOME WEARY…….Part II

Good Morning ladies…just a reminder of the scripture verse from May 15th,…..Paul tells us in Galatians, that we are not to become weary of well doing. Yet as Believers it seems this is a very hard instruction for us to grasp or follow. First I would like to share with you how that scripture reads in the Complete Jewish Bible. 9So let us not grow weary of doing what is good; for if we don’t give up, we will in due time reap the harvest. 10Therefore, as the opportunity arises, let us do what is good to everyone, and especially to the family of those who are trustingly faithful. Galatians 6:9-10

One of the major reasons we become weary with God is that we feel He is not moving fast enough. We become weary (tired) of waiting on Him or for Him. In the Garden satan (I do not capitalize his title on purpose) implied to Eve that God was holding something back from her, and she believed him. At that point he realized he had a strategy that was going to work for as long as he had rule. So even today, his imps are telling us, “God doesn’t really care for you.” “Do you think He’s heard your prayers?” “He doesn’t want you to be happy.” “You really can’t trust Him to do what He has promised.” Lies, lies, lies!! We often forget that Yeshua (Jesus) told us that satan is the father of ALL lies. So since we know that he is a great liar, then why do we continue to believe him versus what God has to say? Could it be because we don’t really know what God has to say?

Let’s talk a little bit about God and relationship. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek after Him.” That is one of those scriptures with great promise. But we have a tendency to overlook the “diligent” part of the verse. Diligent: adj, hard working, careful and steady. The definition of diligent gives us great insight as to why we can so easily become weary (or tired) of waiting on God. It’s hard work and you have to be steady (consistent). So my sisters, it boils down to one very simple fact, do you believe God or not? Again, we have certain expectations of what God should do in our lives and when He does not meet that expectation, we begin to become disillusioned and weary. The truth is, God has an assigned date and time to deal with all situations and it has nothing whatsoever to do with our time frame. Why? Because He is God! He is all knowing about everything. He knows what we need, when we need it and just how much we can take. So when we are tempted to give into the temptation to give up, we have to remember that I Corinthians 10:13 lets us know that God gives us an out when temptation shows up. In other words, He (as always) gives us a choice. We can either grab hold of His grace (for the escape) or give in to the temptation and give up. It really is that simple.

As Ponnie wrote yesterday, too many of us don’t read our Bibles, and many of us who do are under the misconception that we are entitled to pick and choose what we want to believe and what we want to obey. Wrong!! Especially if you want to have a good relationship with God, obedience is a key factor. All you parents out there who have ever had a rebellious, disobedient child, know all too well what a turbulent relationship that is. And the last thing you are trying to do is reward them for their poor behavior. It is the same with the Kingdom of God. You cannot do what you want to do (be disobedient) and think that you are still entitled to the many blessings we are promised for our obedience. And if you do, then prayerfully you will now begin to see why you are having some of the problems that you are in you life. Just so that you can see what I’m talking about let’s just take a quick (I hope…LOL!) look at “Unforgiveness.”

We are commanded to forgive those who hurt us and use us, (see Matthew 5:44) yet, as human beings, we choose on a daily bases not to forgive others. Some days I become weary of listening to women go on and on and on, about what their mothers did or didn’t do 35 years ago! When are you going to let it go? This same scenario is played again and again but with different characters. It’s either their father, a sibling, old boyfriend, ex-husband, boss, co-worker, girlfriend, children and the list seems to go on forever. But what we fail to realize is that God means what He says. Period! Yeshua (Jesus) himself tells us……14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15 He’s saying that if we don’t forgive, then God won’t forgive us. Hum! This is a verse that many do not believe and I say that because if we did, there would not be so many in the “Body” living a life filled with bitterness and unforgiveness. The subject of unfogiveness could be a blog in itself, but we are going to move right along and save that for another time. ~Smile~ I just wanted to make a point of what it looks like when we pick and choose when we are going to obey the “Word” of God.

Trust is another issue we have with God. Or should I say, “Our lack of trust” is another issue we have with God. Verbally we are quick to say, we trust God, but the truth is we really don’t know for sure how much or how little until we are tried and tested. The Complete Jewish Bible uses the word ‘trust’ instead of the word “faith” in their translation. (Have faith in God = Trust God) Again we become weary (tired) of waiting on God to move in our lives, or we don’t like the direction things seem to be going. Why? Because we really don’t know God or His ways! Is He keeping it a secret from us? No! For many (please excuse me) we are just too lazy to read the Old Testament to find out who He is and how He operates. We all love that God is a God of love, but we don’t want to look at the fact that He is also a God of justice. And that translates into, “He is not a God that winks at our foolishness but for so long and He is not a man that He could lie and what He says, He means.” And everything He says is not wonderful and lovey-dovey, or without consequence. But there is a simple fix for this. Yes, I do use the term “simple’ quite frequently, and that is because there is a great simplicity to our relationship with the God head, (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit) it’s just that man as spent years making it complicated. And I want those of you who have fallen in the snare of things being so overly complicated that you have given up trying to understand, that it really isn’t that complicated and prayerfully you will start over with a renewed freshness. The simple fix is, read your Bibles, find a good Women’s Bible Study and begin to find out who is this God you say you trust!

If you want to live the purposed filled life of a Believer you cannot achieve that goal without reading and studying your Bibles. It just will not happen. And you don’t have to wait until you find a Women’s Bible study, because we do have the Holy Spirit of God, so jump in and pray to Him for understanding. We often forget about the great responsibility He has in our lives and the great resource He is to us. But it is He that is to instruct us, teach us, guide us and bring back to our remembrance those things we need to remember. But if we don’t put it in, He can’t bring it back because it was never there to begin with. Take a moment to think about how this works, envision Him as being our digestive system. We eat food (for substance), we read the Bible which is our spiritual food for substance. Our digestive system begins to breakdown our food into what is good for us and what will be waste and then it sends it to the different parts of the body. The same goes for the Holy Spirit. He sends our spiritual food the “Word” to the different areas in our lives that need nourishment and change. Some of us are on medications to deal with certain health issues we are having with our hearts. Well, the Holy Spirit will take the “Word” and use it to deal with your spiritual heart issues, such as lust, unforgiviness, envy, malice, deceitfulness, adultery, fornication, and disobedience. Get the picture?

Sisters, there are those of us who would do so much better in life, if our relationship with God was based on a better understanding of who He is. I pray that today I have given you food for thought on how to achieve that. As we move into the belief that God really does know what He is doing, we are not so fast to give up on Him. Will we still be tempted to do so? Of course we will, but being submitted to God, gives you the power to stand up against the devil until he flees. But stay in the “Word’ girls, because he will be back! ~Smile~

Well, it is time to go and in two weeks we will take a look at how “People” just get on our nerves and why we are so tired of them.



Be Blessed,
Pat

Hope to see you, Saturday, June 12th, when we will be finishing up "Not being weary in doing good."


Monday's Blog: "Book Club"

I DON’T WANT TO BE A WIFE! Part II

“What is a Eunuch?” Sandra asked David. “In today’s medical terminology, a Eunuch is a Hermaphrodite.” He replied. At first it still didn’t register, but then she heard herself screaming….”Noooo!! I want babies! I want lots and lots of babies!!” David tried to calm her so that he could explain that they would have plenty of spiritual children in the wilds of Africa. “Africa!” “Oh no David, I don’t want to go to Africa!” Sandra cried. “But Sandra, now that you are my wife; it is your place to support me in my ministry work,” David responded in a very mater-of-fact tone. One that Sandra had never heard before. “Why are we going to Africa David?” “What about your private practice?” (David is a pediatrician) “The Lord has called me to help the many sick children in the Congo.” was David’s reply. “I won’t go!” screamed Sandra. And David told her in no uncertain terms….”You will go because you are my wife!” Sandra began to sob, because this is not how it was supposed to be, this was not how marriage is supposed to be. She took one last look at David as she darted from the room, screaming at the top of her lungs….”I don’t want to be a WIFE!” That is when she jolted awake from her dream.

As Sandra leaned against the kitchen counter holding the cold class of water against her face, she had a great urge to pray (Something she had not been doing much of lately). Sandra fell in a big heap on the kitchen floor sobbing uncontrollably…. “Father, what is wrong? Why is it that I am not as happy as I used to be? Why is marriage and babies consuming my thought life? Where have I gone wrong?” When her tears began to subside, she could hear the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit, telling her that she had forgotten Proverbs 3: 5 & 6…Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. It had only been 2 months since that innocent lunch date, but the seeds planted that day took root and like most weeds, sprung up overnight.

I pray you enjoyed my little fictional story, but I do want you to know that for all the fiction in it, there was also a lot of truth; and I that’s what I want to talk about.

Like the character Sandra, there are a lot of single women in the Body of Christ, who are very content in being single until well meaning church folks (and family and friends) start ragging on them about, “When are you going to get married?” Also, there are quite a few women in the Body who are already struggling with being single and can’t seem to find balance and contentment and people inquiring “When are they going to get married?” only adds to their frustration. Now I do understand this coming from those who live by the world’s standard of thinking, but I don’t understand it from Kingdom people. If we believe that God is the “Author and finisher of our faith and lives” why would we ask someone when they are getting married or tell them it is time they get married? Is that not God’s business? When James tells us to be “Slow to speak” often we think about being angry and telling people off. But it means so much more than that. It also means, “Be so slow to speak that you have time to weigh what you are about to say and time to bring your thoughts into captivity of Christ,” which will help you not to say everything that comes to mind. It also helps us to speak in due season (when the time is right) and temper our words with love. And best of all, it keeps us out of trouble and conflict. Being slow to speak is an art which most of us have yet to perfect.

We cannot put all the blame on others though; we must stand up and accept that which belongs to us. There are many single women who have (on their own) sort of planned what their wedding will be like even though there is no guarantee that marriage is part of their destiny. This is a huge problem because the “fantasy” of the wedding somehow is all muddled up with what marriage truly is. Some of you sisters are looking at brides magazines, and there is no betrothal on the horizon. And this is causing you to beg God for a husband and be unhappy and discontented to say the least. So are you beginning to see the truth in Sandra’s character? I do hope so.

Too many of us want to get married so that we will have a license for sex. We want a dream house, and kids. We want to be a couple and be able to go to the “married couple’s retreats” to know that when the holidays roll around we are not alone. But most of all we want a sense of security. Sorry, but none of these are reasons to get married. Not even wanting to have kids. There is no guarantee you will have children. There are many married couples that do not have biological children.

Marriage is not peaches and cream. It is hard work, commitment and above all else obedience to God. And I don’t like having to say this, but I must, “There are too many daughters of the King who do not have a clue as to what His standard of a wife is.” It amazes me how so many people declare to be Believers, yet they do not read the Bible. You cannot know what a book says, if you don’t read it. And there is a vast group who does read the Bible, but has decided that they can pick and choose what they want to believe or obey. So this sort of puts God in a predicament. Since He set the position with Eve, that the wife is a help meet to her husband, and a gift from God, then how can He give a woman who does not trust Him, doesn’t know Him, and doesn’t enjoy the life He has given her to be a help meet to one of his sons? That’s just it, He can’t! So, my dear sisters, for all of you who have hopes of being a wife one day, I suggest you begin to see in God’s Word, what is the position and responsibility of a godly wife.

If you don’t know where to start, I do have a suggestion. I Peter 3: 1-2 (AMP) 1In like manner, you married women, be submissive to your own husbands [subordinate yourselves as being secondary to and dependent on them, and adapt yourselves to them], so that even if any do not obey the Word [of God], they may be won over not by discussion but by the [godly] lives of their wives, 2When they observe the pure and modest way in which you conduct yourselves, together with your [reverence [for your husband; you are to feel for him all that reverence includes: to respect, defer to, revere him--to honor, esteem, appreciate, prize, and, in the human sense, to adore him, that is, to admire, praise, be devoted to, deeply love, and enjoy your husband].

Every word that is in bold face, study them to see how they apply to God as your husband [Ishi]. Find out what it means to really reverence God? To respect Him, defer to Him, revere Him and adapt to Him? This study will take sometime to accomplish, but it will change your life and thinking. Because once you can submit yourself to God in these ways, you will be on your way to having the stuff it takes to be a help mate to one of God’s men. Because for one, you will depend on God and not the man. And you will be in a place to accept whatever path God has chosen for you. That may include a husband, and it may not!

I pray my dear sisters; I have given you food for thought and hope for the future our Father has deemed for you, His daughter.



Love & Hugs
Ponnie

See you on Wednesday, June 9th at my regularly schedule time slot.


Saturday's Blog: Pat "Words of Wisdom"

I Did It!

Hey Everyone,

Well… I did it! It’s over; my first year of home schooling is complete! WOOHOO, HALLELUIA, YIPPEE, HOORAY, THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKIN’ ‘BOUT! Can you picture me dancing around, jumping up and down ecstatically? Well of course I’m not doing it right now I’m typing but I am about to, hold on for a second. Whew, I’m back. For those who are not quite done for the year, please forgive me I am not trying to rub it in I am just really happy. This is the same feeling I had last year when I ran my first 5k, thrilling, exhilarating, exhausted and relieved. Now I need a vacation. Seriously, I need a break from my children, so for those of you reading this that know me and you know who you are, don’t be surprised when you receive a call from me. Don’t laugh, I am serious!

Anyway, you may remember a couple of blogs ago I was trying to decide what we were going to do to celebrate the year’s end. I still have not made a definite decisions on what I am going to do for me (I’ll share my options in a minute). For the children however we have a few things we are doing. First, we are having a pizza party tonight. I am going to make their favorite cookies, chocolate chip and I’ll probably let them stay up late (that’s if they don’t get on my nerves, LOL!). Second, next Friday which for you is tomorrow, we will have an Awards Ceremony with family and friends. It will not be fancy but we will give out some awards to Brandon and Christian for some of the hard work they did this year. Now I hear you saying, for real, yes for real. Awards seem to acknowledge and encourage and because they are not getting educated the “normal” way does not mean they should not receive awards. Besides if you knew the Mackeys you would say, “Yeah that sounds like something they would do.” Third, we will take them to the New Jersey Aquarium. My kids love any place where they get to look at animals and we have not been in awhile so they will really have fun, we might even take the ferry over, oooooh. Fourth and this is more of a maybe buy Brandon a game for either the Wii or his DS and get Christian a game for his Game Boy.

This may seem like a lot but I like doing for my kids and also they really worked hard. They had to overcome some obstacles. I mean come on they had this hard task master as a teacher who required, no, demanded, excellence! ~Smile~

So, what to do for me (and Brian)? Here are my options. Option1: Take a bus trip to New York City. There is a bus that leaves from Chinatown in Philly and arrives at Chinatown in New York that sounds like fun. From what I am told the bus fare is cheap, which is a plus. I absolutely love Chinese food and the kids will not be there. Option 2: Drive to the Baltimore Harbor and take in the sights. I love taking road trips especially with the hubby and I love seafood. Oh and the kids will not be there. Option 3: Stay in town, spend the day shopping going to eat at my favorite restaurant and take in a movie. This is good for it will not require a lot of money and the kids will not be there. Are you noticing a trend? Option 4: Spa day. Spending the day getting pampered sounds refreshing and the kids will not… well you know the rest. Option 5: Yes I have one more, geesh...spend the day under the covers, enough said.

Well whatever I choose I know it will be the start of a great summer filled with fun and adventure. Now don’t get me wrong we will do some schoolwork. A little math, reading and writing never hurt anyone. Don’t look at me funny he will spend more time having fun then working, trust me. ~Smile~

It has been so much fun spending time with you all at the “Table” discussing my first year of homeschooling. Next year will be even more fun, because I’m homeschooling, Brandon, Christian and 3 of my nephews. I will definitely need to recuperate this summer. I pray you have a fabulous and safe summer vacation.

Until next time when I will be talking about something other than homeschooling.



Hugs and Kisses,
Cheryl

I will be back on Thursday, June 10th. Hope to see you then!


Friday's Blog: Ponnie is not going to keep you in suspense any longer; stop by for Part 2 of "I Don't Want To Be A Wife”!

I DON’T WANT TO BE A WIFE!

Sandra could hear herself screaming, “No, I don’t want to be a wife!!” when she jumped up realizing it was all just a dream. Well, more like a nightmare. She sat on the sofa for a few minutes to get her bearings and wait until her breathing wasn’t so labored. Wow!! “What was that all about,” she thought on her way to the kitchen to get a glass of water?

Lately Sandra had been daydreaming quite a bit about having the perfect wedding. It seemed that up until then she had been perfectly happy serving the Lord and living the life He had given her to the fullest. But a couple of months ago while having lunch with two of her cousins and a mutual friend, (and after listening to all the talk about their husbands and one was expecting her first child), she began to feel as though she might be missing something? And to top it all off, they seemed to be telling her in what they thought to be a subtle way, “Girl, your biological clock is ticking, louder and louder!” Unbeknownst to Sandra, little seeds of discontentment, envy, and lies had been planted in her heart. A heart that she took great care to protect, because she realized early on in her Christian walk, what Proverbs 4:23 meant by, “Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. And here this harmless little lunch date would be the beginning of the end so to speak.

Sandra couldn’t tell you how many years it had been since she last watched a soap opera. That was one of the first things God cleaned out of her life when she came to Christ at the tender age of 21. She was addicted to them (and had been since she was 13 years old) to the point of taping shows while at work or school and spending all evening and weekends catching up. General Hospital was hot with Luke and Laura and All My Children with Phoebe and her shenanigans kept her on the edge of her seat. But her favorite was the one with the Buchannan Boys…yeah you know which one I’m talking about. But God wanted to spend time with her in the evenings and so He helped her to see that they were not beneficial at all. But at the lunch, the girls were talking about the soaps as if the characters were real people in their lives, and Sandra couldn’t believe that after all these years, some of the same people were still on and doing some of the same stuff. That little voice that kept telling her, “Peeking in on one of your old favorites won’t hurt anything!” was beginning to sway her thinking to agree with him. So, for the past few weeks (she now works from home) she was spending a precious hour of work time each day with her old love, “One Life to Live” and Bau Buchannan.

David and she have been friends for almost 3 years now. And it was a wonderful godly friendship. He was the brother she had never had, and he adored her because for once he found a sister-in-the-Lord who was not trying to snatch him up. He was so grateful to God for their friendship that he prayed for her every day. They both loved action movies, so when a bang ‘em up, shoot ‘em up or thriller came out, he would always ask her if she wanted to go. There wasn’t anything David wouldn’t do for her as long as it didn’t go against God. And the biggest blessing of their friendship was that neither one had looked at the other as a potential mate. They were just two really dear friends. But again that innocent lunch had now planted seeds that maybe David was to be more than just a friend. You see, the girls kept questioning her about David and wanted to know what was wrong with him and how come they weren’t taking it to the next step? She was offended at first, and quickly came to David’s defense, “There’s nothing wrong with him!” In fact he was a man who loved the Lord deeply. So then they switched things around and told her how dumb men are and that she needed to help him along in seeing that she was the one.

Poor Sandra, she couldn’t see the trap that was being set for her. Because if she had, she would not have given into the voice that told her to buy a couple of Bride’s magazines as she passed the newsstand on her way to meet a friend for coffee one morning. After spending a couple of hours that evening perusing through the magazines, she started to envision what type of gown would look best on her. Would she wear her hair up, add extensions, or cut it short? Did she want a veil or a crown? How many bridesmaids would she have and what would be her color scheme? Oops, she had gotten so lost in the magazines and her fantasy she was going to be late for her women’s Bible study. “Oh well,” she thought as she rushed out of the house.

Poor David didn’t have a clue as to what was going on, but he did notice that she was wearing more makeup and kept talking about how she needed to lose 20 pounds. Why? He didn’t understand any of it and just chalked it up to one of those “women things.” As far as he was concerned, things were the same as always between the two of them. But Sandra had now worked herself into a frenzy and with the help of her friends and the little voices that did not belong to the Holy Spirit; she was now convinced that God had chosen her to be the wife of David! And to top it all off, the soap she was now faithfully watching each day, was showing a wedding. One that had been trying to take place for a year (we know how they drag a storyline out) and finally after much drama it was going to happen. Oh my, poor Sandra was so sucked in that she rearranged an important business call so she wouldn’t have to tape it but could just sit there and soak it all in. It was all so beautiful and she even jotted down a couple of notes about some things that might work in her wedding. After the soap went off she was a little tired and decided to close her eyes for a few minutes and then get back to work.

Oh my goodness, her heart was filled with such great joy as her mother kissed her and told her how beautiful she looked. Yes, she was one of the most beautiful brides that ever walked down the aisle of “The Good Sheppard Chapel” in the Ozarks. The Ozarks! Sandra lived in Cleveland, OH, so why was she getting married in the Ozarks? Well, it really didn’t matter after all she was marrying the man of her dreams….David. “It’s time” her mother said, and gently pulled her toward the door. Her father was standing there with tears in his eyes as he knew it was time to give his baby away. Oh, how wonderful and real it all felt! As she walked down the aisle to her love, he stood there mouthing, “I love you! I love you!” Oh my, so this is how true love feels…thank you Jesus! They said the vows they had written to each other, and then the K I S S!! Sandra was 32, still a virgin and had never really kissed a man deeply and when David grabbed her in his arms and kissed her with all his might, she almost fainted! (Can you faint in a dream? I guess you can.) You see, though she was a virgin, her watching the soaps were starting to stir up things in her that had lain dormant. They were not quite the same as she remembered; they had way more sex scenes with half naked people then back in the late 80’s and early 90’s when she watched them. Again….that innocent little lunch.

Sandra was overwhelmed and overjoyed by the table that was piled high with wedding gifts and her cake was something to behold, but David insisted that they leave the reception early to go up to their honeymoon suite. She was so very happy that she had lost those 20 extra pounds when David picked her up to carry her over the threshold. What a beautiful room, in fact it looked just like the one she had seen in the soap she had been watching. Her heart was pumping with great anticipation of her honeymoon night. David sat her gently on the bed, kissed her deeply and said he had something to share with her. Sandra was all ears, because his eyes were gentle and she knew he could see into her soul, and now that she was Mrs. Amsterdam, it could only get better. “What is it my love,” she heard herself saying? David took a deep breath, put her face gently between his hands and said, “Sandra, I was born a Eunuch.”

Well, my dear sisters, you will have to come back this coming Friday (May 28th) to see how this all ends.



Love & Hugs
Ponnie

See you on Friday the 28th, for Part II.


Thursday’s Blog: more humor from Cheryl, “Diary of Homeschool Mom”

STAY CONNECTED WITH THE LORD AT ALL TIMES!

Hello Ladies!

One day, I saw a person using a cell phone with a Bluetooth (like the woman in the picture above). The person left the cell phone on the counter and walked away talking on the Bluetooth. The person was losing the strength of the signal and couldn’t hear the person on the Bluetooth and lost the connection.

I thought to myself, this is what happens to us with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We use our prayers and fasting (cell phone) with the scripture (Bluetooth). Jesus (on the other line) is listening to the conversation on the “cell phone”; you leave the “cell phone” on the counter and walk away talking on the “Bluetooth”. We are losing the strength of the signal (our direct communication with Jesus) relying on just the “Bluetooth” and we are losing our connection because we are putting the “cell phone” on the way side.

In order to stay connected, we need to stay connected with the Lord at all times by prayer and fasting, scripture (word of God/The Bible), silence and being still, obedience, praise and worship.

1. Prayer and Fasting – Prayer and Fasting is defined as voluntary going without food in order to focus on prayer and fellowship with God. You can also pray without fasting and fasting without praying. (Scripture reference: Matthew 6:16-18, Acts 14:23, Ephesians 6:18, 1Thessalonians 5:17)

2. Scripture (word of God/The Bible) – The Bible says that “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” (Scripture reference: 2 Timothy 3:16-17)

3. Silence and Be still – God speaks to us all the time, but the only way to hear his “gentle whisper” and to be silent and be still and listen. (Scripture reference: 1 Kings 19:11-12, Psalm 46:10, Mark 4:39)

4. Obedience – Obedience brings happiness to your life! Obedience shows we know God and follow his commandments. Being obedient is very important for your spiritual growth and maturity. (Scripture Reference: Proverbs 14:15, John 14:15, 2 John 1:6)

5. Praise and Worship – Praise and worship go hand in hand. Praise means to express admiration or approval for, and to express thanks and worship to God. Worship means to show profound religious devotion, and to have intense love and admiration. (Scripture Reference: Psalm 29:2, Psalm 96:9, Psalm 34:1, Psalm 100:2, John 4:23, Hebrews 13:15)

Prayer
Lord Jesus, I ask you to deposit in their hearts the hunger to stay connected to you at all times. I ask you to provide them strength to continue on this journey and help them focus on the purpose you have for their lives. I ask you all of this, in the name of Jesus. Amen



God bless you always,
Maria Guzman

Hope to see you on Tuesday, June 8th!


Wednesday's Blog: Ponnie, "Living Single & Loving It"



¡MANTÉNGASE CONECTADO CON EL SEÑOR EN TODO TIEMPO!



¡Hola Mujeres!

Un día, vi a una persona utilizando un celular con “Bluetooth” (como la mujer de la foto de arriba). La persona dejó el móvil en el mostrador y se fue hablando por “Bluetooth”. La persona estaba perdiendo la señal y no podía oír a la persona en el “Bluetooth” y perdió la conexión.

Me dije mi misma, esto es lo que nos pasa con nuestro Señor y Salvador, Jesucristo. Usamos nuestras oraciones y el ayuno (celular) con la escritura (“Bluetooth”). Jesús (en la otra línea) está escuchando la conversación en el “teléfono móvil”, deja el “teléfono móvil" en la mesa y sigue caminando se va hablando por el "Bluetooth". Estamos perdiendo la señal (nuestra comunicación directa con Jesús) dependiendo sólo de el "Bluetooth" y estamos perdiendo nuestra conexión, ya que estamos poniendo el “celular” a un lado.

Con el fin de mantenernos conectados, tenemos que estar conectados con el Señor en todo momento por la oración, el ayuno, las escrituras (palabra de Dios / La Biblia), el silencio, estar quietos, la obediencia, la alabanza y adoración.

1. Oración y Ayuno - Oración y Ayuno se define como; voluntariamente estar sin alimentos a fin de enfocarse en la oración y la comunión con Dios. También puede orar sin ayuno y el ayuno sin la oración. (Referencia Bíblica: Mateo 6:16-18, Hechos 14:23, Efesios 6:18, 1 Tesalonicenses 5:17)

2. Escritura (palabra de Dios / La Biblia) - La Biblia dice que "Toda la Escritura es inspirada por Dios y es útil para enseñarnos qué es verdad y para darnos cuenta de lo que está mal en nuestras vidas. Nos corrige cuando estamos mal y nos enseña a hacer lo correcto. Dios lo usa para preparar y equipar a su pueblo para hacer toda buena obra." (Referencia Bíblica: 2 Timoteo 3:16-17)

3. El silencio y estar quietos - Dios nos habla todo el tiempo, pero la única manera de escuchar su "voz suave" es guardar silencio, estar quietos y escuchar. (Referencia Bíblica: 1 Reyes 19:11-12, Salmo 46:10, Marcos 4:39)

4. Obediencia - ¡La obediencia trae felicidad a tu vida! La obediencia demuestra que conocemos a Dios y seguimos sus mandamientos. Ser obediente es muy importante para su crecimiento y madurez espiritual. (Referencia Bíblica: Proverbios 14:15, Juan 14:15, 2 Juan 1:6)

5. Alabanza y Adoración - Alabanza y Adoración van de mano a mano. Alabanza significa expresar admiración o aprobación, y expresar agradecimiento y adoración a Dios. Adorar significa mostrar una devoción profunda religiosa, tener un amor intenso y admiración. (Referencia Bíblica: Salmo 29:2, 96:9 Salmo 34:1 Salmo 100:2 Salmo, John 4:23, Hebreos 13:15)

Oración
Señor Jesús, yo te pido que deposite en sus corazones el hambre para mantenerse en contacto contigo en todo momento. Yo te pido que les de fuerza para continuar en este camino y ayudar a enfocarse en los propósitos que tu tienes para con sus vidas. Yo te pido todo esto, en el nombre de Jesús. Amén



Dios te bendiga siempre,
María Guzmán

It’s Time To Get Back On Track....

“Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest.” Proverbs 20:4

Here in southeastern Georgia, spring and its mild temperatures don’t linger around long at all. Summer quickly pushes Spring out of the way with it’s 85 and above temperatures early. Although the calendar may say that it is still Spring....the temperature says, “Hello Summer!”

With that being said, because spring doesn't last long here, I typically don’t get Spring Fever much....I head right into the Lazy Days of Summer!

Yes, I must confess that for the past few weeks I have been extremely LAZY! It’s not something that I am proud of at all....especially because I know that Proverbs 20:4 is true...”Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest”. I am so embarrassed to report that I have not worked out in almost 4 weeks, I can’t remember the last time that I have cooked a healthy meal....and even my times of devotions have been shortened because I chose the snooze button over reading. How will I ever reach my goals if I continue down this path?

I am already seeing the negative effects of my laziness....and I don’t like it! How did I get here?
I could come up with many excuses to explain what brought on this change in my behavior and some might be very valid....but I won’t. You know I could have kept this confession to myself but it’s time to come clean and hold myself accountable.

It’s so easy to fall back into old habits, old lifestyles - to return to what is safe and familiar. I’m sure I am not alone in this struggle. What is your struggle?...Sexual sin, puffing on cigarettes, lying and cheating, drinking every night, missing Sunday Services, not praying, profane language, anger issues......have I called yours out yet?

Matthew 26:41 says “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” We all struggle with personal issues....big and small. Thankfully, we have a Savior who knows our weaknesses and who is willing to help us during our times of struggle....we just have to turn to him and trust him. When we fall, we can get up and start again.

It’s time to get back on track....

So, it’s time for me to pull out and dust off those goals from earlier this year....time to review, modify and even make some new ones. Gotta get my focus back!

But first, I need to get out of this bed and stop being so LAZY!



In sisterly love,
Sasha

I will be back on Monday, June 7th, hope to see you then!


Tuesday's Blog: Maria will be bringing us, "Life Unscripted"

HE TAKES THE LEAD......

So I had a thought this week. Actually a friend of mine had a brilliant thought this week and I’m stealing it because it really made sense to me. I love ballroom dancing. I’ve been taking a class with some friends and it’s one of the most amazing, fun things I think I’ve ever done. I can’t help but dance to just about every song I hear (yes, very obsessed).

My favorite part of ballroom dancing is that, as a follower, I don’t have to worry about a thing! I just learn my steps and my partner just leads me where he wants me to go! It’s great (mostly because I have a special talent for running into people so it’s good that I don’t have to pay attention to that). I do have to pay attention to something though. Unless I want my lead to literally drag me around the floor, I need to pay attention to the small cues he gives me, telling me which way he’s going to go or what step he’s going to have me take. Is he going to turn his shoulder slightly to cue me to do a promenade? Or is he going to step back instead of forward? I can’t see ahead into what he’s going to do a few steps ahead. All I can tell is where he’s telling me to go right at that moment.

Hmmmm. Make you think of anyone? Maybe the leader who clears our paths for us and makes sure we don’t bump into anything too hard and get hurt? Or the incredibly cool guy who leads us across life’s dance floor (sorry, talking about ballroom dancing so I have to sound poetic). I suddenly had this idea of God as this leader in a waltz (or tango or whatever your favorite dance is, mine’s waltz ~Smile~). Oh yeah! I can’t tell exactly where he’s going to move me in the future! I can’t even control him but guess what? I don’t have to worry about that because he’s the one who sees the whole ballroom floor. He’s the one that sees all the obstacles I don’t see and (the fun part of dancing); he’s also the one who will move me into the really challenging steps to make sure I’m not hurt by the obstacles. I really don’t have to worry about a thing! I just listen the cues and do what he tells me!



Blessings,
Lydia

Until Saturday, June 19th, remember to allow the Lord to fill your days!


Monday's Blog: Sasha's up, "Beauty & Healthy Lifestyes"

Why Does Everything Keep Changing?!

Good Morning Ladies! Just to update everyone, I had a great time in D.C., it was a ton of fun! This week's blog is going to be short and to the point. I had to think for a little while on what I wanted to write about, particularly about what pertains to my life right now. I'm really glad that this school year is almost over, because it means that summer is right behind it! And my blog will have to be changed to "Life of A High School Senior" LOL! But seriously, as my mom has constantly told me, this has been a HUGE growing year and I thought that I would share a little bit about it with you.

Now when I say a growing year, I don't mean height wise. LOL! At 6 feet even I'm pretty sure that my growing period is over. But I would like to share with you a few things about this past school year. When I first started school in September of last year, things were pretty rough. Friendships were strained, relationships had changed, I wasn't sure how this year was going to turn out. It was definitely hard, I laughed some times, cried some times, and faced situations that I had never dealt with before, which was really scary. But, all-in-all, I'm really glad that this year happened. You know why? Because it helped me to grow spiritually and shaped me emotionally. I realized that my friends and I have changed a lot throughout this year. While I became closer to some friends, I had to make the choice to let others go.

One of the things that has been really comforting to me this year was that, while people are constantly changing, God never does. Numbers 23:19 says "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" God will never change his mind on how he feels about you, and he will never "outgrow" you. It was great to realize that God is never going to change towards me, and that he will always be my Best Friend.

Even though most of the women that read this blog all have at least a good 10 years on me, (LOL!!), I hope that this blog is relatable to you. Just remember that, God will never change, He remains the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. While friends may come and go, God Never Will. Have a great weekend!



Peace Out,
Tovah


I'll be back on Saturday, June 5th, until then, Peace Out!!


Saturday's Blog: Lyida is up "Eighteen"

VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB...."Book 1" June 2010

The Yada Yada Prayer Group....

What do an ex-con, a former drug addict, a real estate broker, a college student, and a married mother of two have in common?

Nothing, or so I thought. Who would have imagined that God would make a prayer group as mismatched as ours the closest of friends? I almost didn't even go the Chicago Women's Conference--after all, being thrown together with five hundred strangers wasn't exactly my "comfort zone." But something happened that weekend to make us realize we had to hang together, and the "Yada Yada Prayer Group" was born! When I faced the biggest crisis of my life, God used my newfound Sisters to show me what it means to be just a sinner saved by grace......

Sisters….The Kitchen Table is happy to announce our first “Virtual Summer Book Club!” In fact we are beyond happy, at this point we are very exited about the entire thing. And we hope that you feel the same way and plan to join us.

This is how it works.
1. You pick a date and time and register by sending an email to: thekitchentable2010@yahoo.com
2. Place in subject : “Summer Book Club”
3. Put in your day of choice, “Saturday or Tuesday” (sorry you cannot mix and match dates, if you choose Saturday, it will be the 3rd Saturday of each month)
4. Make sure you put your name, city and state.
5. You will receive an email stating that you have been registered. And the call-in information for the call in center we will be using.
Make sure to put thekitchentable2010@yahoo.com in your address book so that our emails do not go into your spam box.
6. You will receive a weekly email concerning the book we are reading that month. Just a little something to keep you engaged and excited before we come together to discuss it.
7. You will receive a reminder email (with call-in info again) a couple of days before the book club meets.

Please register as quickly as possible, seating is limited.

June: The Yada Yada Prayer Group (Book 1) by Neta Jackson
July: The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Down (Book 2)
August: The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Real (Book 3)

Day: Every 3rd Saturday
Time: 1.5 hrs

Cheryl: June 19th,
(3 - 4:30pm ET), (2 - 3:30pm CT), (1 – 2:30pm MT), (12 – 1:30pm PT)

Sasha, July 17th,
(3 - 4:30pm ET), (2 - 3:30pm CT), (1 – 2:30pm MT), (12 – 1:30pm PT)

Ponnie, August 21st,
(3 - 4:30pm ET), (2 - 3:30pm CT), (1 – 2:30pm MT), (12 – 1:30pm PT)

Day: Every 4th Tuesday
Time: 1.5 hrs

Ponnie: June 22nd
(2 - 3:30pm ET), (1 - 2:30pm CT), (12 – 1:30pm MT), (11am – 12:30pm PT)

Ponnie: July 27th
(2 - 3:30pm ET), (1 - 2:30pm CT), (12 – 1:30pm MT), (11am – 12:30pm PT)

Ponnie: August 24th
(2 - 3:30pm ET), (1 - 2:30pm CT), (12 – 1:30pm MT), (11am – 12:30pm PT)

You can purchase the book on Amazon.com for $6.00, or I found it for $1.54 through a 3rd party on Amazon.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Ponnie on Facebook, the above email address or my private email if you have it.

Blessing from the sisters at the table!

OUR STORY

In the classic movie All ABOUT EVE, Bette Davis says these famous words: “Fasten your seatbelts; it’s going to be a bumpy night!” That quote describes my experiences with Kaiya’s elementary and middle school years. Kaiya’s school career began in Christian private schools. In pre- Kindergarten, the teacher reported that Kaiya won’t sit still, she may have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and may need medication. I dismissed what her teacher said by thinking “She’s 4-5 years old. Do you really expect a 4 or 5 year old to sit still for hours at a time? I know adults that can’t do that!” By the time Kaiya reached the first grade, the teacher had concerns that Kaiya wasn’t keeping up with the kids in her class, her handwriting is awful (Well, so is mine! My mom has the pretty handwriting in the family. My younger sister and I obviously missed that gene), she won’t sit still, maybe she’s ADD (again?), and she pretends to be different characters during class time. When children are playing family, instead of Kaiya choosing to be the mom or daughter, Kaiya chooses to be the dog! I can laugh about this now but I didn’t think it was so funny then. I’m also well aware of Kaiya’s affinity to pretend to be different characters; she also created some of her own! I’ll save that story for a future blog, LOL! Out of all of her teacher’s concerns the ones that worried me was Kaiya’s inability to stay focused on class work and homework was a nightly struggle. You would think that I’m finished with her teacher’s complaints… Oops! I mean concerns, right? WRONG! She was also concerned that Kaiya pronounced “L” words with the letter “Y”. For example, the word “like” was pronounced “yike” and “yellow” was pronounced “lellow”.

It got to the point that her teacher insisted that we have an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting with special educators to discuss Kaiya’s lack of progress. At that meeting, the experts told her teacher: “Give her a break; all kids learn differently, she’s fine.” She was also evaluated by a speech therapist who said she’ll grow out of her problem and speak clearly as she matures. I was elated! As a parent, it feels good when experts validate that your child is “normal”. Nevertheless, Kaiya’s first grade teacher failed her at the end of the school year and recommended that she spend another year in first grade with her. I said, “She MUST be crazy, that AIN’T happening!” Kaiya was transferred to a different private Christian school.

Within a few weeks at the new school, the principal realized that Kaiya is bright and although she struggles with class work and math, she doesn’t need to be in the first grade. She promoted Kaiya to the second grade. Praise God! However, that school couldn’t keep teachers due to the small salary and from my understanding NO salary at times. So there was no consistency in her education and I transferred Kaiya to another school for the fourth grade.

Her next school was structured, but once again I heard: “Has she been checked for ADD?” from her teachers. The teacher also reported that Kaiya was playing with the boys instead of the girls. Kaiya reported to me that the girls wouldn’t play with her because she’s “bad” and always in trouble. Having my own experiences with the cliquish nature of young girls and grown women, my heart began to hurt. I asked God: “Why is school so difficult for Kaiya? Is it too much to ask to have a “normal child”? I don’t want Kaiya to chase after the boys who are starting to go through their “Girls stink” phase and I don’t want her to be mistreated by the girls. Please help Lord, Kaiya needs to do well in school and to make friends…. And frankly Lord, I need a break from the constant negativity about my child.”

My mother told me to read Daniel 1:17, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom (paraphrasing the King James Version) over Kaiya and to pray. My mother also kept the whole family in prayer. Thank God for a praying mother!

Things started to improve slightly for Kaiya at this school. Instead of seeing C’s and D’s with an occasional B, her report card had B’s and C’s with an occasional A! Kaiya continued with that school for 2 years until its untimely closing due to financial problems.

Here we go again, another new school… this time I chose a secular private school where children are encouraged to be different. Kaiya experienced some negativity from one student but she also made a few friends. I thought, “This may work!” Apparently Kaiya was “too” different for them, because teachers once again approached with the ADD, handwriting and class work concerns. A new concern was that she isn’t as mature as the other girls. From my observation, some of the girls in her class had diva attitudes, wore makeup and behaved like miniature grown women. I told them that if your definition of being mature is having an attitude, talking about having boyfriends and wearing makeup; I prefer Kaiya stay immature! At this point I was at my wits end from the years of hearing teachers say negative things, questioning her intelligence and her behavior in the classroom. I would like to say that I sat down, put my arm around her and gently said “Kaiya, I know you’re a bright girl, you need to show everyone else how bright you are. Please stop misbehaving, I love you! Sounds cute, but this is real life, not a TV show. This is what actually happened, I told her: “You’re in the sixth grade and it’s time to grow up! You can sit still, you can write neatly, and you can stop being so weird! (Oh my goodness, did she tell her child to stop being weird? Yes she did!) At our third IEP meeting, the experts once again said that Kaiya was fine. At this point I wasn’t so sure that I believed them myself but I continued to pray. Towards the end of the school year I searched for another school because tuition at this school was draining my pockets.

I’m sorry, but I must stop at this point. I hope that you will return in two weeks to read the EXCITING conclusion of how God saved a frazzled mother from losing it, and a daughter from hating school. God is truly awesome! ~Smile~



See you in 2 weeks,
Jennifer

I'll be back on June 1st, please make sure you stop by!



Thursday's Blog: The Summer Virtual Book will be promoted and have all the information you need to register. Make sure to secure your seat!

YES, I WOULD DO IT ALL AGAIN!

Rise’ had a severe asthma flare up when we did our 2 weeks “Spirit of Mother” and was not able to turn her blog in at that time but she really wanted to share this special time with us…..Ponnie

What do homemade cards drawn by little hands, breakfast made of peanut butter sandwiches, massages with stinky lotion, fingernails polished ten different colors, a favorite stuffed animal wrapped in a favorite blanket, and a dandelion flower in a cup of water all served in bed with lots of hugs and kisses have in common? If you guessed Mother’s day then you are right.

Every year this time I get the ever daunting questions of,” what do you want for Mother’s day this year mommy?” To which I always answer, “Lots of hugs and kisses, with a lot of very sweet, good children.” And then I hear the children all huff,” But that is what you wanted last year.”

One of my most favorite Mother’s day celebrations was a few years back. We had just learned that we had been chosen by a pregnant fourteen year old girl, to adopt her baby. I had been to a couple of the doctor’s appointments and had been able to hear our little Emma’s heart beat for the first time the Friday before.

Since we were saving for the adoption we didn’t have the money to play around with, so I had informed my family that all I wanted was a day of pampering and fun with the children. I was awakened early by breakfast in bed, fixed by my children that were at the time between the ages of 1 to 7 years old. Breakfast began with a parade of children, my youngest at the time, one year old Cassie, brought my tray, two year old Alexandria was next with a vase, then three year old Cora the dandelion flowers gripped tightly in her fat little hand, four year old Ely brought my fork, four year old Rachel, the spoon, four year old Isaac came in balancing a cup of some kind of Kool-Aid concoction made up of all of their favorite kinds (and in case you're wondering, Yes if you mix enough different kinds of Kool-Aid together, it will turn black!), 5 year old Jamie was honored with the plate, on it a peanut butter and jelly sandwich sprinkled with cake sprinkles and a dill pickle; then five year old Mari-Elyzabeth brought a small bowl of grits since it was breakfast, six year old Richard had the salt and pepper and the last but certainly not least, seven year old Robert brought in a hand full of homemade cards.

After choking down their thoughtful, yet not completely appetizing breakfast, I was allowed out of the bed, I was told to go directly to the living room where I was to get a makeover. My first thought was how bad can this be, they're all little and they can’t do too much damage, can they? WRONG!!

The first thing they wanted to do was rub my legs, feet, arms and face with lotion, at first my body absorbed all of it but after being rubbed down ten different times the lotion began to accumulate on my feet and legs. It just sat there, I had enough body lotion to allow me to slide to Atlanta and then back home again.

Next stop makeup, when they got done with my face, I can honestly say that a clown wears less during a performance. My eye brows were blue and brown ( it looked as if I had two black eyes.) then my blush, oh my goodness streaks of very deep pink went from my chin to my hair line above my cheek bones. My lip stick was a bright flaming red but I drew the line at mascara and eye liner, I wanted to keep my sight intact!

I should have known, however, when they came in with the finger nail polish that I was in trouble!! All ten of my finger and toe nails were each painted a different color. I had ten different shades of pink, red, maroon, purple, blue, and even orange. As Cora, my 3 yr old, at the time, said, I had rainbows on my hands and feet!

My hair of course, was last, after each child took a turn at brushing my hair, (making my scalp hurt for three days after ward) they began to put in tiny hair bows and pony tails. One thing I know for sure, no one ever looked as good as I did with my 50 tiny little pony tails and hair bows. To this day I wish I had taken at least one picture but it is forever preserved in my memory.

When I stood to go to the mirror, I nearly slipped on the lotion that had gathered on my feet. I literally slid all the way to the bathroom to take my first look, but instead of reacting with laughter, tears of joy streamed down my face, messing up my makeup up. The love that went into giving me that make over was so apparent in the proud little beaming faces that stood all around me.

So many doctors had told us, that these little kids were incapable of loving or trusting any one. We had been told that our adoptions would fail because we were adopting children that had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Bipolar, impulse control issues, mental retardation, ADHD, Autism, and the list goes on. Our children had been labeled unlovable because of the many disabilities and mental disorders yet my heart swelled with more love than I was capable of. I loved each one of my kids more than I ever thought it possible to love any one. Truth be told, in my heart I know that only God can love them more than I do.

In that one moment, I felt the love radiate off of their little faces; love that these children were supposed to be completely incapable of, and yet they had given me an entire day of pampering, talking, laughter and love. That Mother’s Day was the one that changed my life and my heart, I no longer looked at my children through the eyes of the doctors, psychiatrists, therapists and child welfare workers. I turned my children over to the Lord that day; I dedicated their lives to him. I asked him to make me the best mother I could be and to give me the patience of his servant Job, the Wisdom of Solomon and the Love of Christ. I told him I would raise my children to love him and I would prepare them for a life of service to him.

I cannot say we have not had our ups and downs, or that there have not been days when I truly wondered, “Why exactly do I have eleven children?” BUT I have heard that every mother has days like that. One thing I can say without hesitation is that if given the chance to do it all again, to adopt eleven special needs children and to teach them the love of God and the true love of a mother, I would very loudly proclaim YES I WOULD DO IT ALL AGAIN!



Blessings and Love
Rise'

Hope to see you in two weeks. Tuesday, June 1st to be exact!


Wednesday's Blog: Jennifer Spence "Single Working Mom"

Have You Had a Conversation With Your Money Lately?

Have you ever gotten to the end of the month and asked yourself, where did all of my money go? More important still, how many of us would be able to answer that question? Do you tell your money where to go, or do you wonder where it went? I hope these questions have you thinking. You need to know these things in order to stay on your path to Financial Freedom.

So we are going to talk about the importance of living on a budget, or spending plan, or cash flow plan, whichever term suits your fancy. Use whatever name you need to in order to make the task more palatable. I will use the term Spending Plan in hopes that the restrictive enigma attached to the word budget will not cloud your view and as a result you will be open to achieve a greater level of freedom through this particular discipline.

A Spending Plan is a plan of how much money you have coming in and where it goes. While I understand that Personal Finance is personal, think for a moment about how a business is run. How successful do you think a business would be if they did not track income and expenses? The same holds true for your Personal Finances. If you were an employee of a company called “You Incorporated” and you ran their finances the way you run your finances now, would you fire you? This is a rhetorical question, but not really. What could you be doing to better manage your finances? It all starts with telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.

I believe that most people’s apprehension with creating a spending plan is that they will not have money to do any of the fun things that they are accustomed to enjoying. While this may be partially true in that you will need to create boundaries where your spending is concerned, you are the master of your budget. And you can make allowances for fun money, or blow money, as a part of your overall spending plan.

Are you convinced yet of the importance of creating and living on a Spending Plan? OK great! So I would like to give you some homework until we meet again – practice the art of discipline by consistently balancing your checkbook. You may be thinking, this has nothing to do with a budget. But it does. This exercise will help you start the lifetime conversation that you will have with your money. This will give you a look retrospectively of where your money is going.

When we talk again in a couple of weeks, I will walk you through the elements of a Spending Plan and how to create and live by one.

Happy balancing! I’ll be talking to you!

Peace & Blessings
Sharon

I'll be back Monday, June 14th!


Tuesday's Blog: Rise'& her 11 kids.... "The Wampler Zoo"

DO NOT BECOME WEARY…….

Paul tells us in Galatians, that we are not to become weary of well doing. Yet as Believers it seems this is a very hard instruction for us to grasp or follow. First I would like to share with you how that scripture reads in the Complete Jewish Bible. 9So let us not grow weary of doing what is good; for if we don’t give up, we will in due time reap the harvest. 10Therefore, as the opportunity arises, let us do what is good to everyone, and especially to the family of those who are trustingly faithful. Galatians 6:9 & 10

In the course of a year I can’t tell you how many women I talk to on a daily bases, but it is quite a few. With teaching two Bible studies each week and the numerous counseling sessions, I do encounter a wide range of different personalities each week. And this is where I am gathering my opinion that there are way too many women in the Body of Christ who are tired (weary) and miserable (want to give up) in doing good. It saddens me, because this should not be! As servants of the Messiah Yeshua (Lord Jesus Christ), the last thing that should be going on in our lives is that we are miserable, because we serve Him. This has caused me to pray much and ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten me as to the problem? Why is this so prevalent among so many women? And the more I talk with women and the more questions I ask, the more I begin to see where some of the problems stem from. Today I hope I can help those of you who are feeling tired of doing good to see things in a different light and become reenergized to carry on and faint not or GIVE UP!

The spirit of weariness is vast and covers a lot of territory, but for this blog I just want to focus on our being weary with God and with people. This seems to be the top two problem areas.

I’m finding that most of us have an expectation that we can figure out (at least on some level) what God will do in our lives; which leads us to having a hard time living and walking in God’s time frame for things and we become impatient or just tired of the labor of it all. Mostly because we find that He is not meeting out expectations or we’ve read a book on the 10 steps of “How to get God to move in your life” and He hasn’t moved the way the book says He will, or He is just taking too long to change our situation, then we start to faint (give up) in our hearts.

I want to deviate a little bit for one moment. If you are one who reads the Christian versions of “How To” books, I employ you to stop for awhile. Probably some of you are gasping right about now, especially if you are the author of one. I mean no offense to anyone, but all these how to books floating around are causing many people to have problems with God. Prime example: PRAYER. Prayer is our way of communicating with our Father. You have to pray to be saved. You have to ask God to forgive you of your sins and accept Yeshua (Jesus) as your Lord and Savior. Okay, so now that we have established that prayer is essential in the life of a Believer, and it is our way of communicating, then why has man made it so complicated by writing so many books on how we are to pray? Just out of curiosity I went to Amazon.com and did a search on “Books on Prayer” it gave me 60,146 results…Wow! Then I searched, “Books on how to pray” and it gave me 608 results. Now I’m sure there are many more out there, but my question is Why would we need so many books on how to pray?

There is no “one fits all” in our walk with the Lord and especially in our prayers. Because most of these books lay claim that their way is the way to reach heaven and open doors. If you are a mother and you have more than one child, then you know all to well that no two children are the same and that you find yourself dealing with each child in different ways. You might have one that is very agreeable, another who is stubborn and one that is a daydreamer. To get the same message across, might take some very creative thinking and much prayer on your part. Especially for that stubborn heart! ~Smile~ Well, we are the same as God’s children. So how can a book on “how to” fit everyone’s personality and makeup? It doesn’t and there lies the problem. We become tired (weary of well doing) of trying to make things work as the books say they will. Because the truth that they leave out is….no matter how hard we try, we cannot and I repeat “Cannot” manipulate God into doing anything.

If you are new to the Kingdom of God or someone who struggles with prayer, I want to admonish you to take away all your time frames, restraints, steps on how to and just start spending time talking to the Lord. Yes, it really is that simple. And what you will find is a desire to sit and talk, but you will also begin to realize that you are communicating with Him all through the day. Getting up first thing and praying and being done for the day does not fulfill the instruction that we are to “pray without ceasing or pray continually” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV & NIV). We should talk to God throughout our day about everything. Am I saying, “Oh you don’t have to pray in the morning?” No! What I’m saying is, “Don’t be rigid about it.” Example, a young mother of 3 has read a book on prayer and it has instructed her to get up first thing in the morning at least an hour before everyone else and use that hour praying for her husband and family. Well, after a couple of weeks she just could not keep it up. Why? The life of a mother of young kids stepped in. One child was sick with a stomach virus and then the second, the third and before you knew it Dad was home sick too. By time she did get to drag herself to bed, it was not long before she was being summoned by one of them. But in all of this she began to feel guilty because each time she got up, the only prayer she could muster was, “Lord Help me!” or “Lord give me strength!” and “Lord, pleeeease don’t let me get sick!” But think about it…that was good enough for Peter when he was walking on water and started to sink and shouted…”Lord save me!” And it worked, because He did. “How to books” have a great potential to put people in a bondage that is manmade and not of God.

This young mother did not realize that she was praying more throughout the day then she ever had. Each time she administered any meds she prayed over them asking God to use them to reduce the fever. Every time she fixed toast or poured a glass of ginger ale she prayed it would stay down. And as she was on her knees (cleaning the vomit out of the carpet that missed the pail), she continually prayed for strength to get through this all. Her prayers where about the issues of her heart (concern and love for her family); and it became her strength as she talked with God and believed that He not only heard her, but gave her what she needed. Because in a few days, things started getting back to normal in her household. But by then she was guilt ridden beyond belief because she was still too tired from the previous week, to get up an hour early as her book said, “She must do.” So she just gave up, and found herself back to not really talking to the Lord, and feeling very guilty about it.

Oops, I’m running out of my space limit. Well, what else is new…LOL!! By now we all know that the Holy Spirit just doesn’t seem to let me cover it all in one blog, so we will have more to come. ~Smile~

Ladies, read your Bibles, find a good Women’s Bible Study, and read your Bibles. Ask God for wisdom (James 1:5) about anything you are confused about or need help on. My deepest desire for all women is that we are not living self imposed prison sentences or miserable in our walk with God. And most of all that we do not give into the temptation to GIVE UP!!

If you are one of the many who are living with the shadow of weariness hanging over you, I want you to start telling God how you really are feeling. For one He already knows, because He judges the heart, and two, once you bring it out in the open between you and Him, then you open up the door for His help and comfort in the matter. If you’re sick and tired of so and so, or this and that, then say it, because then you can begin to work on Why?

See you in two weeks!



Be Blessed,
Pat

Hope to see you, Saturday, May 29th. I will have more for you on "Not being weary in doing good."


Monday's Blog: Sharon is up "Women and their Finances"

Mother's Day

Mother's Day stirs up many different emotions in us. My own mother passed away from a heart attack at a relatively early age, but I think of her every day. I can still see her laughing until the tears rolled down her cheeks. She had a great joy for life and showered us kids and my Dad with her love. How I adored her!

Yet, I never had the desire to have children of my own and I knew from an early age that it was not part of my destiny. Little did I know how God would someday bless me with children all over the world. He called me into a ministry to equip children in Africa how to share their faith with family and friends. I've been blown away by God's amazing grace, seeing children coming to faith in Jesus and then leading others to faith in Him.

My journey started about ten years ago when I went to Kenya for a few months. The first time I knew that this is exactly where the Lord wanted me to be, was when I was sitting in the Church of the Good Shepherd on Ngong Road, just opposite the cemetery. It was a steaming hot day and I sat by a window towards the middle of the crowded church. A little boy climbed over a few pews and quietly came and sat right next to me. He softly leaned against my arm and just stayed there the whole time. I found it so reassuring. His parents waved from back of the church and they were as surprised by his unexpected welcome to a stranger.

Never will I forget in Lira, Northern Uganda, torn by civil war when Ruth, a 12-year-old girl came to faith in Jesus and brought her family to church. Through her witness her mother, father, brother and two sisters came to faith in Jesus. Then in November a few years ago in Southern Sudan our village came under an aerial bomb attach and I can still see the fear and confusion in the expressive brown eyes of Wajo. I held him in my arms and prayed for his protection always. Thankfully the bomb attacks have ceased in that area. I still sometimes lay awake in my bed at night thinking of the children there and praying for their safety.

I have seen the devastating effect of Aids in Africa and it breaks my heart to visit some orphanages where 80% of the children are HIV positive. The only consolation I have is knowing that Jesus went to prepare a place in Heaven for them, and by trusting in Him alone, they can all know for sure that they will be with Him in Heaven some day.

We were doing training in Mwanza, Tanzania, on the banks of Lake Victoria, and I had been away from home for a long time and I felt very lonely as I walked down a dirt road in a remote rural area. Then suddenly I felt a small hand reaching out to me. A little boy from the village down the road came and took my hand and said: "I walk with you, yes?" He seemed like a little angel to me. I took his hand and we went strolling down the road. Times like this I will never forget.... What a wonderful, loving Heavenly Father we have. He shows His love for us in such tender, loving ways.

When people ask me: "How many children do you have?" I hesitate to answer and think to myself, I really don't know exactly how many. But I do know that motherhood is a noble calling and I sure take my hat off to all mothers who sacrifice so much for their children. One of the greatest gifts a mother can give her children is to lovingly lead them to faith in Jesus.

Tovah and I (Ponnie) prayed with all our hearts that God would bless us with friends as we were preparing to go to Tennessee for a week to become an ordained missionary and be accepted to join the PEF (Presbyterian Evangelistic Fellowship) Missions. Tovah’s friend was named Lydia, and mine turned out to be Elise. She was and currently still is a member of the PEF family. She was as refreshing as a cool glass of water or a very hot day. Her warm and friendly manner was just what I needed, because I felt so out of place in a predominantly Caucasian Southern group of people and when she walked up to me and introduced herself I knew she was God’s answer. That was almost 6 years ago and though she lives in Florida and we don’t get to see each other much (which is going to change) she is a dear friend and a woman who loves the Lord and all He has to offer.

The picture below is of Elise and her husband Steven.

Elise will be leaving on Thursday, May 20th for South Africa for a 3 week mission’s trip. Please keep her in prayer and all that will hear the gospel of Jesus Christ preached at that time. If you would like to know more about Elise Stimpson go to pefministry.org. You will also be able to send her support or tax deductable donations through the PEF Mission.



With many blessing and love,
Elise Stimpson