Come Out, Come Out....Wherever You Are!!!

Have you ever lost a child? Have you experienced that moment of panic and terror when you realize that you no longer know where your child is? Well, being the mother of eleven, one of the worst fears I’ve had has been losing one of my kids. Thankfully, I have done very well and never lost one of them in the store; I tend to lose them at home. This article is about the day that we lost Emma our baby girl.

Emma was not quite a year old when we moved into one of our older homes. It was in a rural area and for the most part we were alone and I had no worries. The backyard was fenced in and it was a safe neighborhood in which to live. She was just toddling around so she couldn’t go anywhere too quickly, but Emma turned out to be our little Houdini.

For some reason Emma has always had this need to hide. I don’t know why? But she loves to get in a closet, close the door and just sit there. One day when she was not quite two years old, I sent her out back to play with the other children, so I could finish rearranging the living room. I thought her to be safe out there at least for a little while. Little did I know that my worst fear would come true.

The children had only been outside for about half an hour when Mari-Elyzabeth came running into the house. She had a panicked look on her face as she ran to Emma’s bed room and then to bathroom and finally into the living room where I was standing. She said, “Mommy have you seen Emma?” to which I replied, “Well yes, she is in the backyard playing with the other children.” She ran to the backyard for a bit and returned with a very upset look on her face. She then informed me that no one could find Emma anywhere. She was not at the swing set, not in the clubhouse, nowhere, she had just disappeared!

Not being the kind of person to panic at the first moment, I very quickly walked to the backyard and called, “Emma, ready or not here I come,” I figured this was just a game of hide-n-seek gone very wrong. After searching the backyard, and the entire house, the front yard and the neighbors’ yards, I began to panic. By this time I was at the point of calling the police, when we heard that sweet little voice in the house, “Mama, I find the kitty! Count Mama! Count, and find me!”

“Emma come out Mommy needs to find you, I am missing you very badly please come out and give mama a kiss.” This usually works, but not this time, instead, I heard a very loud “No! I hiding, you find me!”

We began the search of every closet, and cabinet in the house. Only to discover that little Miss Emma had gotten the cat and climbed into one of the kitchen cabinets. Of course it was the very last cabinet we looked in. We found her curled up with one of the kitties held tightly in her fat little hands, just waiting to be found. When we opened the door, she yelled, “Boo! You finded me!” and I began to cry with relief that she was lost no more.

With eleven kids there is never a dull moment in our lives. And I thank God for every one of them. I guess this story shows how in an instant our lives can change, but over the years I continue to learn that no matter what may come our way, God is always there for us. And even for some reason we try to hide from Him, like Emma....He finded us! ~Smile~



God bless you all!
Rise'

Hope to see you at my regular slot. Tuesday, May 4th!


Saturday's Blog: Pat our lady of wisdom returns with Part IV of "Just Let It Go"

I Get By With A Little Help…..

Hi Folks,

Well the count down is on! 4 weeks and 20 lessons to go, YIPPPEEEE!!!!! Do I seem excited, ecstatic, shivering with anticipation, no I’m good. We have a calendar that we are marking the days off. A good friend suggested that I buy Brandon a gift to celebrate the end of our first year "together". I think I will do something for him and then something for me. I am not sure yet so please send me some suggestions. I would really appreciate the help.

This blog however, is not about the school year ending rather about how if it were not for the support received this year it would have been difficult. You are saying to yourself I read the other blogs and there were some difficulties, yeah well without support it would have been worse. In Ecclesiastes 4:12, King Solomon in his wisdom writes “A cord of three strands is not easily broken.” When I have help in home schooling and in anything in life really I am able to overcome the hardships and pressures. I want to take a little time and share and also thank those who have been a huge support throughout this first year of home schooling.

One of the first days of teaching this year was traumatic for both Brandon and I. We started our day at 9:30 and it ended at 5:00!!! I ended the day feeling exhausted and discouraged. I taught Math, Reading (which includes Phonics, Vocabulary and Grammar) Spelling, Composition, Art, Social Studies and Science. I realized I needed help so I put the bat signal out the window and in came my Dark Knight. Not really, I just asked Brian if he could teach Science. It only made sense, being a Scientist and all. After asking him I was a little concerned. You see Brian loves Chemistry and he loves teaching but he has only taught on the high school and college levels. He has often said teaching little kids is not for him. Don’t get me wrong he loves kids and they love him but teaching them is a different bowl of soup. In any case he accepted this challenge with glee. A little too much glee if you ask me. He began to prepare his lesson. It took me all of 1 to 2 hours to plan my lesson; it took him DAYS to do one Science lesson, DAYS! It paid off because when he sat down to do the lesson it had props, and power point presentation with animation and sound. There was background music and words and phrases flying and twirling in and out on the screen. OMG! What in the world! I was thoroughly impressed and I almost felt guilty for not being as elaborate with my lessons, I said “Almost.” The funny thing about it all was as blown away as I was, Brandon was not moved. His only concern was when Science would be done so he could go play or watch television. In Brandon’s defense Science was often done in the evening after dinner, not the best time to do school but a definite help to me, thanks Brian!!!

There are times throughout the week in which I need to go places. There are also times in which I need to get Brandon to and from Acting, Musical Theater and Visual Arts classes and due to having only one car it becomes difficult. At these times I get by with a little help (actually a lot of help) from my mom and my mother in law. I was just reminded of the Beatles’ song that says, “Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends.” This song sounds scriptural doesn’t? Although the next line says,” I get high with a little help from my friends,” I am not exactly sure what that means, it’s a little suspect. So now you’re thinking the Beatles, Cheryl, really? Yeah I know the Beatles and YEAH they are before my time! Anyway I was sidetracked. I was saying that the moms in my life really offer great support to me. I am not going to get into all the details now. The reason is next month is Mother’s Day and I would like to devote my next blog to really highlighting them. So for right now, thanks Mom and Mom Mackey!!!

Years ago when I left the Mental Health field in favor of Early Childhood people in the professional world looked at me strange. Their thoughts were you have a Master’s Degree and you are going to work in Child Care?! When I decided to leave the workforce in favor of coming home to be with my kids I received a few eyebrow raises. When we made the decision to home school I received some questions as to why, and what about socialization for Brandon and blah, blah, blah. I mean come on everyone knows that socialization is not a real concern until a child gets to be in like the 8th grade and that home schooled kids with the balanced life of school and activities socialize just as well if not better then their brick and mortar counterparts, Duh! Despite the questions and seemingly negative comments I have a group of family and friends who have supported me in this endeavor. They said things like, “That’s great, you go girl, work it out!” Some responded by asking me if I would home school their children, to which I responded with laughter (get my drift?). There are people in my life who have such faith in me that they are literally waiting for me to open up a school. And guess what? Both my sisters asked me to home school their sons next year who are both going into the 4th grade. I have friends who I know are praying for me for I sense strength and wisdom at times when I am too tired and frustrated to pray for myself. One friend in particular supports me with wisdom. She is a veteran home school mom. She gives me ideas and suggestions about what to do, as well as being a sounding board at times when I need to vent. I believe one of the best ways she has helped me is by giving me an opportunity to share my experiences with others. So to her and the rest of my family and friends I say Thanks!!!!!

Of course this would not be complete without acknowledging my ultimate support system, God the Father, through Jesus with the aid of the Holy Spirit. Without whom I could not do any of this. Please understand that because I put this last that it indicates the level of importance, by no means! I recognize that this is useless without God. To Him be the Glory, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!

There you have it, how I’ve gotten through this year and my life actually. My prayer for you is that if you do not have some one to lean on that God would send you help, be it a spouse, family member, friend, associate or simply through the aid of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10, “Two are better than one…For if they fall the one will lift up his fellow…” In Jesus’ Name Amen

Until we meet again, happy home schooling!

PS – Don’t forget to send me your “year’s end celebration ideas” for me and Brandon.



Hugs and Kisses,
Cheryl

Hope to see you in 2 weeks on Thursday, May 13th!


Friday's Blog: Rise' from the "Whampler Zoo" has a special blog for you!

Enjoying the Everyday Beauty in Life

Though this blog slot is for Single Women, what I’m writing about today is something all women struggle with from time to time. And that is being able to “Enjoy the everyday beauty in life”.

When I say, “The everyday beauty,” I’m referring to the fact that with each day we are gifted there is something beautiful about it or in it, if we look. Problem is we can go days without seeing any beauty.

By nature it is difficult to live in the moment and not worry about tomorrow. And I say this because in the Old Testament, God tried to teach the Israelites to trust Him each day by giving them manna on a daily bases. The instruction was to take only what you needed for that day (and an extra portion for the Sabbath) of course there were those who needed to make sure tomorrow was taken care of, so they took extra when they were instructed not to. As always there are consequences to be had for our disobedience and so not only did they still have to collect their portion the next day, they had a real mess to clean up on what they had called themselves stashing away. In the New Testament, Jesus tells us in the “Model Prayer” to ask the Father to give us this day (today) our daily bread. (Matthew 6:11) He also tells us in the “Sermon on the Mount” that God knows what we have need of, therefore stop worrying about tomorrow. So this is why I say that it is hard for our human nature to live in the moment because it has been a problem since the beginning of time. The truth is it started in the Garden. Eve just couldn’t be satisfied with the everyday beauty of her life and thus came the “Fall”.

I would have to say that in this day and time, it is harder then ever to focus on being in today. That part of us that wants to work it all out and have things in a neat little package is bombarded and inflated on a daily bases to strive for more. So when we are busy trying to get more, and be more, we usually end up not having the time as the old saying goes, “To stop and smell the roses!”

As single women we are often drawn to looking at the lives of others (the grass is greener thing) and finding discontentment because it provokes feelings that our lives are lacking or we are missing out. Take marriage for instance. If you have been a bridesmaid yet never a bride and each year more and more of the people you know are getting married, and it seems like God has forgotten you….after awhile you stop “Enjoying the everyday beauty in life”. Why? Because your focus is on what you want, what you think you should have, why God doesn’t love you as much, why is life so hard, why me and the list goes on. Everything you have or do would be sooo much better if you had a husband to share it with. There is no truth in this thinking, but again it is the MO (motive of operation) that our enemy has used for years to dupe us. He told Eve that God was holding out on her. He continues to tell us the same thing and like Eve, we continue to fall for that same old line.

The everyday beauty in life is usually not the big things. Most often they are the things we take for granted. The neighborhood I live in (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) has a great beauty about it; in fact there are tour buses that come to show off the gardens in the spring and early summer. The area I take my 2 mile walk in is absolutely gorgeous, and I’m very excited that soon I will get to smell the honeysuckle and much more. Every morning I get to walk I try to savor what each individual block has to offer me, but it wasn’t always like that. I have been walking in this neighborhood for 16 years, and I can remember a time in my life when I walked without noticing anything. Why? Because I was too preoccupied with tomorrow or distracted within that day. I would walk right pass all the beautiful front gardens and well kept homes oblivious to their charm and splendor. I didn’t necessarily enjoy how good the sun felt after a long winter. I hardly noticed how quiet the city was early in the morning or in the early afternoon. I ignored the fact that the Holy Spirit was with me, and there was an opportunity to talk to God versus grumbling in my spirit because “I didn’t have what I wanted.”

The truth is…..there is not a man on this earth girls who can make you appreciate God. And it is God who has given us life and the everyday beauty in it, is something we must choose to see. But I also want to note that “married” women suffer from the same issue of “not enjoying the everyday beauty of life” too. This is something that is common amongst women in general. Again, Eve fell for it and so do we as women across the board.

How do we stop letting our days go by without enjoying the beauty in them? By making a decision to look for the good no matter what! Hebrews 11:6, tells us that we must believe that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. When we seek to see Him in each day that we are given, there is a great reward in that. For one, it gives us a heart of thanksgiving. It helps us to focus more on Him rather then the things that are not so perfect around us. We complain less in our spirits, and hope has the lead versus doubt. Joy triumphs over sadness, and most of all……others (non-believers) begin to see there is something different about us. Something that sparks their curiosity? “What is it about her, why is it when we approach her with a complaint about another people she has a positive flip to the situation?” “I know that she has had a rough time of things, yet she always seems to be humming every time I walk past her desk.” We all have family and friends who are not saved and for them to know that things may not be ideal in your life, yet, you seem to always enjoy living, speaks volumes to them as far as God, and how great He is.

No one has a perfect life, but we usually find what we look for. So if we look for “trouble” then that is what we find. But if we look for “what is good” well…….

The beauty in your day may be as simple has sipping a good cup of coffee as you watch the sun rise. Or it could be that though you are in pain, you are still able to function on your own, and the freedom of not having to wait for someone to do for you is beautiful. On the other hand you might be dependent on someone else, but the beauty is, that someone loves you and takes very good care of you. It could be the birds singing outside your window this morning that woke you to a sunshine filled day. We all have different lives and it is up to us to see the beauty in each day.

Contrary to what the world projects and others say, there is a special beauty in the life of single people. Why? Because we are given the opportunity to serve God in a way that others cannot. If I were married, I would not have been able to have the ministry that I do. I could not have taken women into my home the way I have. It would not have been prudent for my husband. Even now, the schedule I keep and the things I do would not work for most married women. The point I am trying to make, is that we must strive to live in the now. What is good about now? What beauty is there in my today? Because tomorrow really is not promised to any of us, and to put your life on hold because you are waiting for something else, is not a wise thing to do at all.

My dear sisters, I pray that I have encouraged you to strive to enjoy every day that you open your eyes. That you begin to see the glass half full with more to come. That you will be so busy seeking the beauty in your life that you won’t have time to envy others or be discontent with what you have or don’t have.

Learning how to ENJOY THE EVERYDAY BEAUTY OF YOUR LIFE, takes commitment and work. So get to it!! LOL!!!



Blessings & Hugs
Ponnie

I'll be back with more on Wednesday, May 12th!


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

WALK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT!

“For we walk by faith, not by sight”.....
......2 Corinthians 5:7

Since the days of Spring are upon us…I decided to walk home from work. I was enjoying the time outside, breathing in the fresh air and the breeze that comes along with the spring season.

As I was walking home, similar to the lady in the picture above, I started to think to myself. Which foot do I start walking on?? I never thought to ask myself this question, but I did, LOL. I start walking with my right foot…Which foot do you start walking on?? I think this will have you getting up from your seat and finding out for yourself, LOL!! I have to share this…Isaiah, my son, was reading this paragraph and actually tried it out…it was funny to see, he starts walking with his right foot too!

After the funny thoughts of my physical walk, I started to think of my spiritual walk. My spiritual walk consists of walking forward. There is no benefit to walking backward. It will only take me toward my past. Who really wants to go back to the past, I know I don’t. Walking forward has many benefits. You can focus your eyes on what lies ahead. You can see (with caution) the stumbling blocks and use the detour road(s) Jesus provides. HE always provides you a way out of a situation.

Since I have been talking about walking, Peter comes to mind during the occasion when Jesus walks on water toward the boat and Peter asks to walk on the water toward him. He used his mustard seed faith to walk on the water. However, when he looked down to see with doubt in his eyes his walk; he started to sink in the water. That is why the scripture “For we walk by faith, not by sight” really came to mind.

I thought about this scripture and what it means in my life…It means to walk with my mustard seed faith, trust in the promises God has for my life and even if I don’t see the promises yet, KEEP WALKING!!! All Peter had to do was keep walking forward by faith and focus his eyes on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We all should learn from this example…walk forward in faith and focus on the Lord!

Walking by faith, not by sight is a process...always remember Jesus did not leave us alone to fend for ourselves, he left the Holy Spirit to guide us through the process. Thank you Lord!

Prayer
Lord Jesus, I pray for all the women who have read this blog. That they may increase their mustard seed faith and not lose sight of their purposes and promises you have for each and every one of them. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Bible Scripture Reference
2 Corinthians 5:7, Matthew 14:22-36

Dictionary Reference
The word “WALK” in the dictionary means to advance by steps, to come or go easily or readily, and to pursue a course of action or a way of life.

Bible Dictionary Reference
The word “WALK” in the Bible Dictionary means to roam, advance by steps, and to pursue a course of action or a way of life.



God bless you always,
Maria Guzman

Hope to see you on Tuesday, May 11th!


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







¡ANDAMOS POR FE, Y NO POR VISTA!



“porque por fe andamos, no por vista;”...
.....2 Corintios 5:

Ya que los días de la primavera están sobre nosotros ... decidí caminar del trabajo a casa. Estaba disfrutando el tiempo al aire libre, respirando el aire fresco y la brisa que viene junto con la temporada de primavera.

Mientras caminaba a casa, similar a la dama de la foto de arriba, me puse a pensar a mí misma. ¿Con qué pie empiezo a caminar? Nunca pensé que me haría esta pregunta a mi misma, pero lo hice, LOL. Yo empecé a caminar con mi pie derecho ... ¿Con qué pie tu empieza a caminar? Creo que esto te hara levantarte de tu asiento y descubrir por ti mismo, LOL! (Tengo que compartir esto ... Isaías (mi hijo) estaba leyendo este párrafo y, de hecho lo probé ... fue divertido ver, el también empieza a caminar con el pie derecho!)

Después de la idea divertida de mi caminata física, comencé a pensar en mi camino espiritual. Mi vida espiritual consiste en caminar hacia adelante. No hay ningún beneficio a caminar hacia atrás. Sólo me llevará hacia mi pasado. ¿Quién realmente quiere volver al pasado, sé que yo no? Caminar hacia adelante tiene muchos beneficios, usted puede enfocar su mirada en lo que se avecina. Usted puede ver (con cuidado) las piedras de tropiezo y el uso de la carretera desvío (s) Jesús ofrece. (Siempre te ofrece una manera de salir de una situación).

Desde que he estado hablando acerca de caminar, me viene a la mente, Pedro (de la Biblia) durante una ocasión cuando Jesús caminaba sobre las aguas hacia el barco y Pedro le pidió caminar sobre el agua hacia él. Él utilizó su fe, su semilla de mostaza para caminar sobre el agua. Sin embargo, cuando miró hacia abajo para ver con duda en sus ojos su andar, él empezó a hundirse en el agua. Es por esto la que la escritura “porque por fe andamos, no por vista;” en realidad vino a la mente.

Pensé en esta escritura y lo que significa en mi vida ... significa caminar con mi fe de semilla de mostaza, la confianza en las promesas que Dios tiene para mi vida y aunque yo no veo las promesas, sin embargo, sigo caminando! Todo lo que Pedro tenía que hacer era seguir caminando hacia adelante por fe y enfocar la mirada en nuestro Señor y Salvador Jesucristo. Todos debemos aprender de este ejemplo ... andar en fe y centrarse en el Señor!

Por fe andamos, no por vista es un proceso…recuerda siempre que Jesús no nos dejo solas para defendernos nosotras mismas, sino dejó el Espíritu Santo para guiarnos en el proceso. ¡Gracias Señor!

Oración
Señor Jesús, mi oración es por todas la mujeres que han leído este blog. Que ellas puedan aumentar su fe de semilla de mostaza y no perder de vista sus propósitos y promesas que tiene para cada uno de ellas. En el nombre de Jesús, Amén.

Referencia en la Escritura Bíblica
2 Corintios 5:7, Mateo 14:22-36

Referencia en el Diccionario
La palabra “ANDAR” en el Diccionario significa avanzar por pasos, venir o ir fácilmente o listo, y perseguir un curso de acción o un estilo de vida.

Referencia en el Diccionario Bíblico
La palabra “ANDAR”en el Diccionario Bíblico significa vagar, avanzar por pasos, y perseguir un curso de acción o un estilo de vida.



Dios te bendiga siempre,
María Guzmán

I DIDN'T GIVE UP!!

April 17th, I fulfilled one of my 2010 goals by participating in my 1st 5K and let me tell you, what an awesome and life changing experience!!

The race that I participated in was the Susan G. Komen Race (Savannah, Georgia) for the Cure whose primary focus is to raise funds dedicated to the fight again breast cancer in the world. On race day, there were 400 survivors present and approximately 4000 other participants to run and walk. The atmosphere was ELECTRIC!

So, I have to admit I went to bed the night before thinking I wasn’t going to go through with it. All of the negative thoughts were weighing heavy on me....you haven’t trained enough, you aren’t ready for 3+ miles, you are going to make a fool of yourself. Then, to top it all of...my sister…my support person...told me she didn’t think she was going to run either. I wasn’t going to do it without her! Nevertheless, I set my alarm clock...prayed for rain...and went to sleep.

I woke up the next morning really, really, REALLY wanting to do the race. I knew I wasn’t prepared to run the entire race but I was prepared enough to do interval running and if nothing else, there was the option to walk it. Even better, my sister called and said she wanted to do it too. YAY! I showered, threw on my pink ribbon t-shirt and headed for the race. (Oh by the way, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky...it was probably the most beautiful morning that we had so far this year).

When we finally reached the starting line, you could feel the excitement in the air. The music was pumping and you couldn’t help but to get hyped about running (imagine that)! It was great!
The best part of the race wasn’t the actual race though....it was the people that I met that have touched my life and inspired and motivated me in ways that I would have never imagined.

The first lady that I met long the route (during a walking interval) was a middle aged woman who walked in the race for the first time in 2009. She told me that last year when she walked she had completed treatment just a few weeks before not only for breast cancer but also for cervical cancer. She said it was difficult, she was tired and weak but she was determined to complete the entire walk...and she did. She is now a 1 year survivor!

There was another woman who I didn’t personally meet but she looked like she may have still been going through treatment....her hair was short and curly like it was just starting to come back....but she was out there and she was walking.

There was Ms. Louise...who appeared to be about 70 or 80...but she was there walking...and every now and then, she got a burst of energy and would even trot for a couple of steps…LOL (almost ran faster than me!!)

There were several out there like me...running a little and walking a little. There were people along the way encouraging them...”Come on…you can do!” “Just a little bit more”....”You are doing great!”

And then, there were the ones that I didn’t meet but their names were etched on signs on their friends and families backs. These were the ones who you had to imagine what their story was. The signs read...In Memory of...or In Celebration of. These were the true heroes!

Being amongst all of those survivors and warriors motivated me to hold on to my goals and to not give up. I am even more determined now to meet my birthday goal. It’s all about fighting for what you want, rising above your circumstances and never giving up. It’s all about living your best life possible and living a life of no regrets. It’s all about enjoying everyday that God gives you and taking nothing for granted.

So back to the race. I did complete the 5K course but I did not run the entire thing. I did run/walk intervals. I am still proud of myself though because I followed through with my commitment and I didn’t give up. I rose above my fears and pushed myself out of my comfort zone to try to achieve my goals. AND NOW....I am even more determined to continue running and continue training until I run the ENTIRE race. Success comes in pieces and not chunks, right?

Before I leave, I want to take this opportunity to remind you all to make sure that you routinely do your monthly Self Breast Exams. If you find a lump, see your doctor immediately. Also, if you are 40 or older, be sure to get your yearly mammograms. Remember.....Early detection/diagnosis means great prognosis!

The women wearing pink t-shirts in the top picture are all survivors of "Breast Cancer. I would have to say, "They have a lot to dance about!" The picture below is of me and my sister.


Until the next time,
Sasha

I will be back on Monday, May 10th, hope to see you then!


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

The Peanut Butter Stage of Life

Sometimes my life feels like the peanut butter squished between two pieces of bread: just sitting in-between everything. It’s sort of like everything was or is happening on either side of me; high school is behind me. Somewhere ahead there’s college and a career (hopefully) but I’m not there yet. I’m just sitting here… doing… well…. nothing really. Jobs are unheard of in Portland at the moment and, so, as you can imagine, the days began to drag by with nothing to work towards and no motivation to get me up every morning. The plus side: everything was simple. There can be very few conflicts to deal with when you’re just sitting squished between everything.

So I decided to ask God for something. I asked him to provide enough things for me to do so that I would be tired by the end of the day! Sounds weird but after a few weeks of not being able to sleep because of too much unused energy, it makes more sense. I was excited. Of course God would fill my days with “important” things like a nice job as a receptionist (still mad that that job went to the boss’ daughter instead of me) or a surprise trip to Paris to work with Peruvian missionaries (maybe someday) or… who knows… maybe even a really cute boyfriend somewhere squished in there (not even close to happening). I was excited. I had visions of myself prancing around in expensive, new high heels (bought with that nice paycheck I was going to get), going to work with all the grownups, talking on a silvery new blackberry saying good morning to gorgeous boyfriend as I, with the click of a few buttons book my flight to Paris! (In my vision I also looked like a supermodel all of a sudden).

But guess what. That’s not what God had in mind!!!!!! Can you believe it? Of course I couldn’t. My plan was picture perfect! He filled my days, but not how I was expecting. He said, “No, money is not important (I’ll provide what you need), looking like a runway model is not important (I made you how you are) and guess what? Going to Paris isn’t important for you right now (my plan for you is in Portland at this time). AND you don’t need a boyfriend to make your life complete! What is important, are you ready? What’s important are the people around you that I have placed in your life, right now and right here!”

He did fill my days. He’s filled them with millions of conversations over millions of cups of coffee and tons of hugs and tears and craziness! It’s still not exactly what I would have chosen for my peanut butter stage of life. It’s not all simple anymore. There’s conflict, and drama and worry. It takes all my patience sometimes to listen to others talk. It’s made me dig deeper into trying to figure out God and who he is and how he uses us. I don’t get it yet. But he answered my prayer: I am exhausted every night when I get home!



Blessings,
Lydia

Until Saturday, May 22nd, remember to allow the Lord to fill your days!


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

I Always Wanted To Be Free

I ran into a little bit of trouble when sitting down to write this blog, because I wasn’t sure what to write about? This morning I thought I had a clear cut idea of what I would write, but as the day progressed I realized that topic didn’t really pertain to my life right now. Then I listened to one of my favorite songs and I realized exactly what this blog needed to be about.

I always wanted to be free
'Til I was bound and then
I always wanted my own way
'Til I saw that I find my life when
I lose His

I used to think that me, myself, and I were all that mattered
But You've shown me all this world can give
Cannot compare to the joy that comes from
Giving away

You make me come alive
You make me come alive
I found the secret
It's only when I let go of what I want in this life
You make me come alive

These are a few of the lyrics to the song, “Alive” by Rebecca St. James. One of the many reasons that I love this song is because she talks about that moment when she realized how important God was, once she took a moment to stop thinking about herself. As creatures born with a sin nature, we are basically selfish and only care about what is best for ourselves in the long run. When I’m around my friends and we’re having a conversation, I constantly found myself thinking “Wow, this person is really hogging the conversation.” “Would you please stop talking about yourself?” Until I realized that I was doing the exact same thing. I’m one of those people who tend to get really annoyed when I’m talking and no one is listening, and that’s really selfish of me. Maybe they’ve got more important things to worry about, or maybe I’ve been hogging the conversation and their bored listening to me? But that doesn’t matter to me because what I am saying is important in my eyes. Does this sound familiar to any of you?

You may not have even noticed, but maybe you’ve been a little selfish lately. I’m kind of being selfish right now because my mom really needs me to write this blog and I don’t feel like doing it…sorry. LOL!! But, back to the point. Philippians 2:3 says “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” Now it says, we are to consider others better than ourselves….I’m sure that this sounds like a lot of fun to you right? No? REALLY? Okay, I agree, it doesn’t exactly sound like the most fun thing any of us would just like to do. The question would have to come to mind, “What can I do for me if I have to think about other people? That’s not fair!” But something that I’m beginning to notice is that, I feel a lot happier with myself when I am more concentrated on other people, and not my own selfish needs. God wants us to put others before ourselves, and to spend less time thinking about how to benefit me, myself, and I. Are you ready to do that? I’m not saying it is easy, but if Paul tells us not to be “selfish” then it’s something we should work at not being.

I hope that this blog was a little piece of encouragement for you to really take a look at yourself and, in turn, see if you are putting others before yourself…. All this world can give, Cannot compare to the joy that comes from, Giving away.



Until Next Time,
Tovah


I'll be back on Saturday, May 8th, until then, Peace Out!!


Saturday's Blog: Lyida is up "Eighteen"

Women of the World....Are We Really Free?

One thing I have come to see in my years of traveling, living in different countries and being exposed to many different cultures is that as women who are used to certain freedoms; we are really not as free as we would like to think we are. And if we are free to come and go and do as we please, “Are we really enjoying it?”

Several years ago, a company in the UK ran an advertising campaign for a new perfume called “Sheila”. They placed posters strategically at bus stops and around towns of a beautiful woman wearing the Australian cork hat (see the picture), as well as running ads in some of the papers and on some of the radio stations. By ad campaign standards, it was really quite a small one – yet the response was almost overwhelming, as the stores were mobbed by people looking for this new perfume.

The twist to all of this is……There never was a perfume called “Sheila” – it was all done to show the power of advertising, and boy, did it work! People were disappointed that there was no new perfume, but it sure made a lasting impression on me!

So I ask again, “Are we really free?” “Or are we enslaved to advertising and images more than we realize?” Take a good look at your wardrobe, your hairstyle, your food cupboards, your car… How much of what is in each place is there because it’s something you – YOU – actually wanted, and how much is there because you gave in to all the subliminal messages shot at us daily through TV, radio, newspapers, billboards and ad campaigns? Are you REALLY unhappy with how you look – or is it simply that our multi-media society dictates we should be a size 2, waif-thin, blonde bombshell - and since 99.9% of us don’t even come close to fitting in that category, we’re constantly trying to do things to make ourselves fit?

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not actually anti-advertising – although I am strongly against all the messages we’re sending to our young women that they have to conform to certain measurements / specifications to be considered beautiful. This message is worldwide to most women.

The DOVE Real Women (Redefining what real beauty is) Campaign is the best thing advertising has turned out in as long as I can remember, and is definitely the exception. It has something for every woman in almost every country and language. http://campaignforrealbeauty.com/

Advertising can be – is – a very powerful thing; we just need to be careful that we are not enslaving ourselves to it consciously or subconsciously and thereby giving up our freedom to choose, freedom to be ourselves, freedom to be the beautiful women God created us to be, just the way we are, just the way He made us – in His glorious image.

Whether we live in Europe, South America, Asia, Africa, North America, or Australia, as women there is a common thread of being told in order to be considered beautiful we must be a certain size, and look a certain way. That is not so because the beauty of this world is vain. The truth is…..I am a Beautiful Woman of God. I am a capable, intelligent, and a virtuous woman. These are things we have to remind ourselves of daily. These are the things that make us “Free” in Him.

By the time this blog is posted I will be in Europe, and I look forward to sharing the wonderful experiences I'm sure to encounter through my new job. Don’t forget to come back in May to see what country I will be writing from.



Blessings & Hugs
Esther-Marie

I will be back on Thursday, May 20th!


Friday's Blog: Tovah "Life as a High School Junior"

FREE FROM IT ALL!

Single working mothers come in all shapes, and sizes. We are very young and some of us are much older, but there is one thing we all have in common, and that is, there are days we wished we were FREE!!!

Over the years I’ve learned that as women we are not always as open and upfront as we could be for other women. I’m not talking about telling all of our personal business, but just being transparent enough to tell the truth that everything is not always coming up roses.

As parents we need to be honest about how we are really doing and or how our children are doing. No matter how smart or well behaved your child or children are, they are not perfect and they all go through growing pains. And when they do, we usually have to go along for the ride with them. ~Smile~

There is a particular MO (motive of operation) that our enemy has used since the garden, and that is to isolate us and then advise us. He did it to Eve, and since it worked so well, he continues to use that same MO, still getting the same wonderful results. As single working mothers it is easy to become isolated in our own little world or family. This is a good setup for us to begin to think that we are the only ones who have those days when we wish we were FREE! Free from the responsibility, free from the madness, free from the drama, free to do what we want to do, when we want to do it! Yes, there are days we just want to be FREE from it all. Why is that? Simply because being a single parent is not easy. But then parenting period is work, single or two parent household. It is work! And both scenarios have their pros and cons. I know married women who have become Believers after marriage with kids and their husbands are yet to come into the Kingdom of God, which does create its own brand of problems. I say this because often we feel that married women have it better than us. Not necessarily so. But in Christ we are all equal, and that is an important truth to remember on those days you feel like you could run away and never come back.

We may have taken different roads to become single mothers. It could have been the road of being a widow, going through a divorce, adoption, In Vitro Fertilization, and or just plain old poor choices. But in the end it really doesn’t matter which road you traveled to get to the place of single mom, as much as once you find yourself there, there is much work to be done.

I don’t know about the rest of you but there have been days in my life that I just wanted to scream, “I’VE HAD IT!!!” In fact I’ve done it in my heart of hearts even if not out loud. Most times when I find myself in that place, I am feeling overwhelmed, alone and very frustrated. It can be a gambit of reasons at the time and depending on what age my child is at the time, dictates the level of frustration. If you have teens or children who are tweens, you know that life defiantly gets more challenging, versus when they are 6 or 7 years of age. And when I would sit back and took a good look at what was going on, isolation or feelings of inadequacies often where the root of the problem. How many of you have ever experienced thoughts such as, “I’m such a bad mother!” From the show of hands I would have to say, “Just about all of us!” Or I’d start to feel sorry for myself and my life. “God, why me? Why does life have to be so hard?” “I try so hard, and it never seems to workout! Boo hoo.” But one day I felt free enough to voice to someone how I was feeling and why, and guess what? She was going through the same thing, and she was married. Oops!!!

This particular woman had a husband that traveled a lot for his job and her life on some levels looked a lot like that of a single mom. Though she did not have a paid job, she still had to hold down the fort so to speak. Our daughters were around the same age and as we began to talk about some of the behaviors and attitudes they were exhibiting, we begin to realize that this must be a normal stage for them at this age. But, since we were sort of isolated in our feelings, we had both been listening to the voice of that little lower level devil that has a tendency to sit on your shoulder and whispers doubt and unbelief to you. It looked like all our payers had gone unchecked as our girls seemed to be crazy, when in truth they were just testing the waters and stretching their wings. Also we were being a bit controlling when it was time to let go a little and really trust God a little more. But because we were afraid to voice how we were really feeling, our misconception of how things really were, began to get bigger than life in our minds. Boy were we both so relieved to know we were not alone and our kids were not losing their minds. And neither were we! LOL!!

As an inner city missionary whose ministry is women and children in crisis, I must say the Church and most church assemblies have really missed the mark for single moms. And single mothers are a huge part of the Body of Christ, yet……they are not looked after as they should be. I’ve been associated with many different churches and different denominations and I’ve seen this over and over. Single mothers need support. Sometimes that support is financial, but mainly it is spiritual. Single mothers need a safe place (a place were they feel free to speak what is on their hearts without fear of judgment or hearing their lives repeated as gossip) to gather and talk. Because what happens is, they find out they are not alone. They find encouragement and support. They are reassured that they are good mothers and that though life may be hard or difficult at this time, that raising children is but for a season and then they are on their own. And they also come to see that children go through stages in life that are normal for growth and maturity. It is very reassuring to hear that 4 out of the 6 women in the group are experiencing the same issues you are with their children. Then it becomes, “Wow, then it’s not just me…phew!! What a relief that is.” But most of all with this comes hope and encouragement to hang in there. Even if you are experiencing something that is really challenging, the others are there to listen, encourage and pray with you.

I want to encourage you as single mothers to find (or even create) a safe place for women to talk about being single moms. Don’t continue to carry the burden of single parenting alone. Psalms 1 tells us that there is safety in godly counsel. There are some of us that have raised our kids, or are coming to the end and we can help just as others have helped us. Once I knew that I was not alone in how I felt, I was more willing to seek an ear when things seemed to be crashing down around me or those old feelings of being inadequate reared its ugly head. I was blessed to have a mentor who still to this day, helps me see more clearly my relationship and responsibility to my youngest daughter. And she has guided me through the toughest part of single parenting and that is….Trusting God in all of it!

To be able to express the “truth” about how you feel, really will make you FREE!

Single parenting has its ups and downs just like any other part of life, but God has not left anyone out in His grace, mercy or love. Single mothers do not get a lesser portion; in fact He has made special provision for the widow and fatherless child. Also, He has promised to be our Husband (Ishi) see Hosea in the Amplified Bible.

Do not continue to suffer in silence. Start by not only praying for yourself, but begin to pray for all the single mothers you know and those in your congregation. It should be easier now that you know that you are not alone and others need prayer and encouragement too.




Blessings & Love
Ponnie

Thrusday's Blog: Esther-Marie our single "World Traveler"

It Began As Any Other Day.....Part II on the Battle of Cancer!

……..There is no way that I can begin to express the multitude of emotions that went through my heart and my mind as the doctor continued to say that Robert’s cancer would take far less chemotherapy than most cancer patients had to have. The doctor began to rattle off numerous names of the drugs that would be a part of his chemo and all I could do was sit there and think how much that seemed for such a tiny body. He then setup our first day of chemo, December 23rd. Two days before Christmas my child would undergo surgery to put in his port and then have his first round of chemo.

Up to this point we still had not told Robert or the rest of our children about the diagnosis. We decided we would sit them all down (once we knew what the oncologist had to say) and share with them everything at that time. When I got home, we called a family meeting. Everyone was present and we began to tell them what lie ahead for Robert but also for them. I will never forget the sound of the tears as long as I live. When I close my eyes I can still hear the brokenhearted crying for their brother. The biggest fear for them, of course, was the big question; “Would Robert die?” They had recently lost a special friend to cancer and this possibility was very real to all of them.

After reassuring them that the doctors were very certain that Robert would be just fine, we all sat down and had prayer over Robert, the cancer and our family. If you have never heard a child pray, then you have really missed out on one of God’s most wonderful creations. Even to this day when I hear them pray I still sit and cry at the faith in their words. When my children pray they pray believing that God hears them and that He WILL answer their prayers. After our prayers we all got up and spent the rest of the day together in the living room, talking and laughing trying to find a way to forget for a just a few hours that cancer had crept into our lives.

After a while we began to feel the financial stress of fighting cancer and buying gas was on the top of the list. The oncologist was on the other side of Atlanta and we had to travel 170 miles twice a week for six months. Gas was outrageous at the time and even though the Children’s Cancer Society helped us some, it was not enough. We thanked the Lord every day that we had insurance that paid for most of his medical needs. There were also a few medicines we had to pay out of pocket for, and with that added expense we barely kept out heads above water. At one point we had a yard sale and sold most of our precious things to bring in extra money for gas to get back and forth to the hospital. But God never let us down, no not for one moment.

When we were low on funds and needed groceries God supplied them through a most wonderful church family that just adopted our family to care for during Robert’s illness. If we needed clothes or anything God supplied it all! When Christmas rolled around we had nothing extra for Christmas presents for the kids. We sat our children down and explained the situation and that we were very sorry. Every child said, “That’s okay, we have to get Robert well first.” I was so proud of them yet so heartbroken that at such an early age they had to learn this hard lesson about money. But God was not done yet.

The following week, I received a call from a friend, her church wanted to help us out for Christmas. The very next day another friend called saying her church also wanted to buy gifts for the kids. And then the biggest blessing of all, the Joanna McAfee Childhood Cancer Foundation called, they wanted to help us on a bigger scale they wanted to know what the children wanted and they wanted to fulfill their wishes if at all possible. God in his goodness, never let us need for anything.

Finally the day came when the doctors were ready to redo the PET scan and see how the chemo treatments had affected the cancer. The oncologist was a bit concerned as he had begun to feel a lump in the area of Robert’s spleen. He informed us that if what he was feeling was a cancerous tumor, they would have to remove the spleen and Robert would then be put on radiation. He told me that Robert’s poor little body was so fragile at that time that radiation could in fact, kill him. But they had to try to get him well. Of course I then had a question… “How do you get cancer in a different place when you are already going through chemo?” I then found out that the chemo is specific to the cancer and does not stop other cancers from forming.

We chose not to tell our children about this newest development but to increase our prayers for our child. My friend Michelle suggested we bring Robert to her church and let them anoint him with oil and pray over him. We decided to orchestrate a major prayer for Robert on Mother’s day. We asked that everyone we knew pray at 11am that Sunday. Our family all went to Michelle’s church that morning, everyone wearing masks to keep out any germs. The Pastor called us up front and the church prayed over my son, they poured their hearts out over him, and many tears were shed that day, asking that God would touch his broken body and heal him. Two days later we went for the PET scan. To the doctor’s surprise (not ours of course) the cancer was gone! The spleen was empty of any tumors and the Hodgkin’s was gone!

In August of that same year, Robert was pronounced cancer free and in full remission. His little body began to heal and his hair came back in thicker and prettier than ever. This August will be our third year cancer free, two more to go and he will be considered cured of his cancer completely. He is one of the many wonderful miracles that God has showered upon us.

When I hear people say that God no longer cares about us or how can anyone know that God is even there? I share with them the many miracles our family has experienced and how I know God exists. I also share how I know that God cares about us, and how He not only cares about us to provide all that we need, He also cared that eleven children would a wonderful Christmas. How do I know that God has not forsaken us? I look in the eyes of my now fourteen year old son, who used to weigh 61 pounds all through chemo and today weighs 134 pounds and is stronger than ever. I look in the eyes of my children and as I listen to their prayers and yes, I know at that very moment that God is alive, and He’s still in control and answers prayer. It may not always be the answer we want but He always answers.

If there is one thing I hope you have gotten from this story, and it is… NEVER GIVE UP ON GOD…He Never Gives Up On Us!!



God bless you all!
Rise'

Hope to see you in two weeks. Tuesday, May 4th to be exact!


Wednesday's Blog: Ponnie's filling in for: "Single Working Mom"

CARS, CARS, and more CARS

Do you remember your first car? The experience of saving up for it, of picking it out, of driving it home for the first time, of showing it to all of your friends? I remember my first car. It was a 1994 Saturn SL2. It was a cute car. I made one mistake; I purchased it on payments, 48 months worth. Now I know this seems fairly normal, but over the years I have come to realize that normal is broke. So I have been on a journey to be weird. And my journey has led me to subscribe to the notion that you can have a car without a car payment.

How is this possible, you might ask? Saving up and paying cash. The problem that we have is a severe allergy to delayed gratification. OKAY, so maybe not everyone, but most do. Think for a moment how much you pay per month on your car. Now think about how much money you could save if you did not have a car payment. Why you could be a millionaire!

Here’s the 411 on car payments, per Dave Ramsey:
Recent statistics show that one-third of car buyers sign up for a six-year loan at an average interest rate of 9.6%. Among these buyers, the average price of the car is just over $26,000. This means that one-third of the cars you see on the road are dragging a $475 payment behind them.

The car dealer won’t tell you that your awesome new car loses about 25% of its value the instant you drive it off the lot. After four years, your car has lost about 70% of its value! What does that mean? After six years, you’ve paid almost $33,000 for a $26,000 car, which is now worth maybe $6,000. Not a good deal.

Here’s a new plan. What if you bought a cheap $2,000 car just to get around for 10 months? Then you take that $475—the average car payment—save it every month, and pay for a new car (with cash!), instead of giving it to the bank.

After 10 months of doing that, you’ll have $4,750 to use for that newer ride. Add that to the $1,500–2,000 you can get for your old beater, and you have well over $6,000. That’s a major upgrade in car in just 10 months—without owing the bank a dime!

But the fun doesn’t end there. If you keep consistently putting the same amount of money away, 10 months later you would have another $4,750 to put toward a car. You could probably sell that $6,000 vehicle for about the same price you paid 10 months before—meaning you now have $11,000 to pay for a car, just 20 months after this whole process started.

The bottom line with this exercise is simply this—what could you do with that $475 if you weren’t paying for the car every month? Anything you wanted!

Think about it this way: If you were to invest that $475 (remember, this is the average car payment in the U.S.) into a good mutual fund with a 12% rate of return, you would have over $100,000 in 10 years! At 20 years, you would have made $470,000. And at 30 years? That mutual fund would be worth $1.6 million!

The numbers will make your head spin, but it really just comes down to simple math. The less money you are spending on your car every month, the more money you have to put into other more important things: your kids’ college fund, your retirement, and paying off any other debt you might have.

If you’ll just follow this simple plan, your life could be dramatically different 10 years from now.

You can live without a car payment!



Peace & Blessings
Sharon

I will have more for you on Monday, May 3rd! Until then keep working your plan for financial peace and freedom.


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

Just Let It Go….Part III

Often when people come into the kingdom of God, there are changes in their lives that He makes immediately so to speak. For Princess, it was her drinking. As much as she loved to drink every day, her taste for liquor and beer was gone. She tried to continue out of habit, but she couldn’t get past the first sip. The good thing is she didn’t fight it; in fact she was grateful because the Lord replaced her love for drinking each day after work, with a love of reading her Bible instead.

Princess also had night blindness and didn’t drive after dark, but one night there was a family emergency and she remembers praying all the way there for God to help her see, and as she was parking she realized her vision had been corrected and she could see as clearly as she did during the day. That Wednesday, she started going to evening Bible study.

At the time Princess didn’t realize that these were great things that had happened in her life because she was lonely. She had to cut all her drinking buddies loose, and didn’t seem to find much pleasure in gossiping on the phone about others anymore. She wanted to talk to someone about what she was reading in the Bible and really didn’t understand. Her friends didn’t want to hear about Jesus, and they didn’t like the change that they saw in her. She felt isolated and more unloved then ever at this time, but in her heart of hearts she didn’t want to go back to the life that she had been living, she wanted to stick with Jesus and her new church family.

Like so many others who come to church looking for Christians to offer something different, she too was very disappointed in what she found. She found mean spirited and unkind people who said they loved the Lord. She found gossipers and could smell the liquor and breath mint mixture on people every Sunday morning, but she also had found a Pastor who loved the Lord and was bold in this love. He was fairly new to the congregation and Princess came at a time when there was going to be big change. So each Sunday she heard the Word of God in its purest form. Her Pastor was not there to please anyone other than God, and he preached for people to learn and change. He inspired her to read her Bible every day and even check behind him on what he was teaching. He was a most excellent teacher who taught with a fire and passion she had never seen before. Princess was blessed in the fact that she was a reader, because over the years God used that to fill her with so many good things about Him.

When did Princess become a person who loved to read? It was at a young age. She spent a lot of time in her room reading when growing up. It was a form of escape. She frequented the library, spent money on comic books, and had an aunt who supplied her with books. Her mother often punished her for the least little infraction and being sent to her room without supper and no TV was her number one punishment and being beaten. Being banished to her room for weeks on end was number two. I share this because in the midst of the chaos of her childhood, things were being instilled that would one day benefit her. Also because of some of the abuse in her life, Princess grew up to be a woman who would not allow men to physically abuse her. It was set, if a man ever tried to harm her, he was going down. When we get to the end of this series in 2 weeks, I will talk more about how there is good to be found in the midst of the rubble.

When the Wednesday night Bible study started to turn more into a mid week service, Princess started attending my Tuesday evening Women’s Bible study. That was almost 20 years ago. At the time she joined we were studying certain women of the Bible, and the greatest thing she learned in that session was that she no longer had to do it all. Like many women she had bought into the world’s system of “I can do it all, because I am Woman!” She didn’t have a clue that God had an order and that in His order of things, it was the man’s responsibility to be the head and not the woman. She didn’t know that she didn’t have to carry the weight of her world on her shoulders and smile while doing it. She saw that there was hope to put some of this stuff on God.

Princess never really got to make amends with her mother the way she had hoped. Her mother never told her she loved her even after Princess reached out to her mother in obedience to God’s command of honoring her. When her mother passed, Princess in a sense was very relieved that she would never be able to hurt her again. But at the time she didn’t know that this was just the beginning of picking through the rubble of their relationship. She thought it was done and she could now move on. But in trying to move on, she still dragged old hurts and wounds that had never healed with her. If you have ever worked in a hospital or been around someone with a wound full of puss that was draining, then you know there is an odor that is not pleasant at all. And if it is infected it can be almost unbearable. That is the way our infected unhealed wounds smell to the Lord. They stink! And when we hold on to this stuff, it just stinks up our lives and causes us to be offensive to those around us.

Life was still very difficult for Princess, because of the deep root of rejection instilled in her. She still felt very unlovable and didn’t trust God. Life had taught her that people were not trustworthy at all! It had taught her that she had to protect herself because no one else cared enough to do that for her. So over the years she had built a wall around her heart and lived in a house built out of pride. She will be the first to tell you how very proud she was and the things that God allowed in her life to humble her. Did it come over night? No, but the good news is that it did come.

Like many new Christians, Princess became a Jesus person. She read, and reread the New Testament I don’t know how many times, but she didn’t read or see the need for the Old Testament in the beginning. But after attending Women’s Bible Study, she began to enjoy the Old Testament and realized why she could never really understand Romans. She would often say how it seemed like Greek to her. Reading the Old Testament forced her to look at a God she was very distrustful of. A God who gave her such a mean and hateful mother. A God who allowed people to do such horrible things to her as a child. A God who created her so unlovable that no one wanted her. She had to acknowledge that she could no longer hide from Him.

Princess began the long road of learning to trust God. She never knew her father and since men abused her as a child, she found it almost impossible to understand God as a father. But since the Lord knows the most intricate parts of our makeup this was not news to Him, and she began a study of God has Husband. She had never been married, so this area was a blank slate. If you ask her today when it was she went from relying on God as her Husband to seeing God has her Father? She really doesn’t remember exactly, but in learning to trust God she was able to make the coalition between the two. And as her trust for God grew and she watched Him be true to His Word that He would take the ashes of her life and make them a thing of beauty, she begin to let go of her grudge against Him, her mother and anyone else who had ever hurt her. Princess found herself in the valley of compassion as she realized all that God had done for her in the midst of the chaos of her broken life. And in the valley of compassion, she found herself shedding tears for a mother who clearly was never happy or had peace in her own life. In the valley of compassion, Princess found the freedom to begin to let go….

In 2 weeks we will look at the valley of compassion and all that it has to offer in the way of letting go and being able to live the good life that Yeshua died to give us here on this earth.

My prayer is that the past few weeks have helped you to see that there might be areas in your life that need to be sorted through, and purged. And with that you now have a desire to let go of those things which have kept you in bondage and allow beauty to replace the ashes of your life.



Be blessed,
Pat

I will return on Saturday, May 1st.


Monday's Blog: Sharon will be back with her pearls on "Financial Wisdom" for us"

20 MINTUES A DAY…..Just For You!

Sunday after church, my girlfriend took me out to eat. We had a nice leisurely meal and plenty of good conversation. We covered God’s faithfulness, eating healthy, clothes, a new hairdresser and our nails. There was a lot more in there somewhere, it had to be. We were seated at 1:30pm and left at 4:00pm. LOL!!! But apart from God’s faithfulness there was something else that stuck out to me, and that was the conversation we had about our nails.

We started talking about our nails and I shared with her this new system I had purchased about a month ago on a shopping trip with my youngest daughter at the mall. The brand name is Déjà Vu and it’s manufactured in Israel with minerals from the Dead Sea. The system consists of a nail file, bottle of cuticle oil, body lotion and a buffer. What I love about this system is that it has made my rough, ridged nails very smooth. And they shine like glass. The lotion is fantastic, and I’ve been using it on the heels of my feet more than my hands. I take about 5 minutes each evening to rub the oil on my cuticles and do the buffing once a week. She shared that she had a similar system but was too tired at night to use it. That’s what stuck out. I hear this way too often from women. Because what you are saying is that you are too busy for you. Now granted my friend’s schedule is very full with working full time and all the other things she has on her plate, but she is single and does not have children, and if she is too busy then what about the women who are caregivers, married and have kids? Women who are responsible for others often put themselves last. And there needs to be a change in that mindset.

I could write a few more paragraphs talking about all the things that women do and why we so often put ourselves last, but I think focusing on inspiring us to make change is a better use of time. You already know if you are not making time for you and why.

On Wednesday I posed the question on our Facebook fan page “Share something you can do for yourself in 20 minutes” I did not get the response I had hoped for. I really wanted to see women write something they do that is for them, that doesn’t involve anyone but them. I wasn’t surprised though because once I offered a free subscription to a fashion magazine and women wrote me and told me they didn’t have time to read magazines. I think that is pretty sad. Why? We are inspired by reading and even a magazine that might take us all month to read can inspire us to try something new or make a change. Take a mirror test…..If you are frumpy or look neglected and un-kept, ask yourself “Why would someone else want your God?” How faithful a God is He if you look like you are in need would be their question? Some of us have let ourselves go to that point. And that should not be, so my prayer is that you will take a look at how you got there and begin to make change.

There is a great buzz in the air because it is spring. Women are talking about their gardens, spring cleaning, freshening up their houses, working on their curb appeal and so on. Well, what about you? It really won’t take much to make a change if you have been neglecting yourself. Even if financially you are not able to budget in a “professional” anything for yourself. That still does not leave you out or make it okay for you to be last or neglectful of yourself.

Maybe clothes are not your issue as much as your hair, skin, nails or feet. I would love to get a professional pedicure, but my budget says, “No.” But that doesn’t stop me from soaking my feet and, pumicing the dead skin off and painting my toenails. Most plastic dish pans will accommodate both your feet. They cost what two or three dollars at the most? If you don’t have foot soak, a little bit of bubble bath or shower gel will do. Treat yourself to a new color of polish, and go for it. There is so much that we can accomplish for ourselves if we just spend 20 minutes a day on us. Six times 20 equals 120. One hundred and twenty minutes translates into 2 hours. Wow, that is impressive if you are one who doesn’t spend any extra time on you. One night you could give yourself a facial. You can spend twice a week doing exercises to tighten up your stomach muscles or lift hand weights to firm up the under arm ding-a-ling. Soak in a luscious bath for 20 minutes and pumice your feet at the end. Twenty minutes is enough time to file and buff your nails or even pluck your eyebrows. It really doesn’t have to be about if you have money or not, it should be about you no matter what. You can read a magazine article in 20 minute that will inspire you to try something new. If you spent just 20 minutes each evening sewing an outfit for yourself, by the end of the week it would be completed. How often have we purchased material and never found the time to do the project? I’m guilty!

Maybe you are a person who has kind of lost your sense of style, if so, may I suggest you go to the bookstore and peruse the fashion magazines until you find one that speaks to you, and then buy it. Also if you have The Learning Channel please checkout the show “What Not to Wear!” It is fantastic, mainly because they teach you to dress and love the body you have. Here’s the website: http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/whatnottowear/whatnottowear.html.

Thrift shops in upscale shopping areas are another place to find good pieces. A new trend that seems to be really catching on is women are having clothing swap parties in their home. That will help you to get rid of those items that still have the price tags on them but you will never wear. You know the things that are 2 sizes to small but you bought for when you lose the weight you have gained. ~Smile~ There are consignment shops that buy clothing by the bag or trade off for items in the store. Spend 20 minutes in a thrift shop and put one outfit together for yourself. Then on another day spend 20 minutes picking out a new shade of lipstick or eye shadow. The sky is the limit, be creative. After all it’s for you.

As women, if we can’t take 20 minutes a day to love on ourselves then something is amiss, I do believe. No more excuses please. If you have eggs in the house then take one and use the egg white as a facial mask. Did you know you could do that? Well, you can. Here are a couple of links and a search for “Homemade Facials” http://www.stretcher.com/stories/980423b.cfm,
http://hmbeautyrecipes.homestead.com/SKINcleansers.html,
http://www.bing.com/search?q=recipies+for+natural+facials&src=IE-SearchBox&Form=IE8SRC. You probably have most of the ingredients right in your cupboard and fridge.

So again…..No More Excuses!

My dear sisters you are worth 20 minutes a day no matter what you do for others or how full your day is. I pray I have encouraged at least one person to start making room for themselves each day, even if only for 20 minutes.



Blessings & Love
Ponnie


Saturday's Blog: Pat our lady of wisdom returns with Part III of "Just Let It Go"

PAY ATTENTION

Hello Folks,

How’s it going? I told you I would let you if we made it to church on time. Drum rolls please, dddddddddd, NO! We did not make it to church on time but it was not because we were not ready to go. Brian was stuck in traffic and returned home later than expected. Okay now that we took care of that let’s get started.

So I woke up this morning to a beautiful day. The birds were chirping, and the sun was shining through the windows. Spring is in the air. If you live in the eastern part of the USA it feels more like summer is in the air. The weather changed abruptly and gave me “Spring Fever”. For the past couple of days I have not wanted to do anything that resembles work or rather schoolwork. Distractions have slowed our school day down not because of the kids but because of me. You see there is something about this time that makes me want to relax, chill, take it easy, cool out, fall back, you get the point. Oh check out my new slang phrase, fall back. I just learned this from my little brother. Just trying to stay up on what’s happening, LOL! As I was saying school is the last thing on my mind to do.

To give you an idea of how distracted I am, I started to daydream about cleaning out the pantry in the kitchen. Yes I was rearranging the Corning Ware dishes and the glass bowls in my mind. Trying to figure out where to put this new bread maker we just acquired. I even considered nixing school for the sake of cleaning Brandon’s room. Yesterday (which would be Wednesday) I had the great idea to do school outside, thinking that it would satisfy my need and the kids need to be outdoors. So I pushed my traveling desk and chairs out on the back deck, gathered all our necessary materials and sat down to work. It did not work out as I planned. The kids complained about the sun (we do not have an awning or any kind of covering on our deck). They were paranoid about the bugs; yes my two boys are afraid of bugs, go figure. The wind that was presently cooling things off kept blowing the pages causing Brandon to have to keep finding the correct page thereby causing him to be more distracted and me annoyed. UGGGGGH! After our spelling lesson we packed it up and came in the house.

It is easy to stay focused when it is cold and snowy out. I mean who wants to go out in the cold, not me. But now the weather is nice and there is about a month and half of school left and I am determined to be done on time. You may say, “On time? You’re home schooling, on time is when you choose.” I know, but if I do not set a date for the end of school we will be in school all year long. That would make for a very unhappy household. So our projected last day is May 21st. So I need a plan to stay on target.
Years ago my pastor gave us ABCs to developing a disciplined life. I am about to put these in to practice. As I share them with you maybe you are having the same issue I am or another issue with discipline so hopefully they will help you as well.

A – Admit you have a problem. My problem is I would rather go play than home school right now.

B – Believe God can help you. I believe what it says in Psalm 121, “I will look to the hills, from where does my help come from. My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.”

C – Confess your faults. I have not been wise with my time. I have been staying up much later than I ought and it has affected my desire to press through and get work done.

D - Decide in advance. I am going to bed at a reasonable time so I will be better prepared for my day. As I am ready to meet the demands of the day we can finish school at a good time and then spend some of the day “playing”. Also I will put things in place like field trips and the like for next year.

E – Enlist some support. Okay calling all you home school parents to pray for me that I say focused. Also if you happen to be my friend on Facebook and it is pass 11:00pm, shoot me a message to go to bed. On a more practical level I will ask Brian to hold me accountable.

Now that I have these in place the remainder of my year should go as planned. Okay when does doing anything with kids go as planned? Well maybe I will stay the course will little to no distractions. I cannot believe that my first year of home schooling is almost over. We will see if I survived by May 21st.

It is after 9:00pm and I need to start getting ready for bed, gotta put the plan in motion. Like usual I never want to close without praying….Father, thank You for getting us this far in our school year. Please help us to stay the course and to continue to press ahead. Give us strategies to make the remainder of our year an exciting and productive. We praise You because You are worthy of all praise, in Jesus’ name Am

Until next time happy home schooling.



Hugs and Kisses,
Cheryl

April has 3 Thurdays in it so I will be back on Thursday, April 29th! Hope to see you then!!

Friday's Blog: Ponnie has a special blog for the ladies...please stop in!