Early Riser

I got up extra early this morning!!! Woo hoo!! That is a MAJOR ordeal for me! I got to spend some time reading my bible and praying.. I took a nice long shower and washed my nappy hair.. and had plenty of time to get ready.. paint my toenails.. pluck my eyebrows. ... pick clothes off the floor and make my bed.. I even did a touch of cleaning. My dog was happy too.. he got to spend more time outside playing with my parents' cat. They love each other. They are so playful! It's so fun watching them interact. =) I just love my puppy dog. He is so spoiled. Anyway.. now I feel awake and ready to start the day with God's word on my mind and a prayer on my lips.. it's going to be a good day. I just pray that I can continue this habit. I guess it means going to bed a little earlier.. that is a whole other feat! Wish me luck!

Writing

I have been so zoned in.. I am giving a talk for an upcoming church retreat. I am set to talk about spiritual growth and the discipline it takes to get there. It's funny how God works.. this is actually something that I'm dealing with now. I'm working on it. All day yesterday all I could think about was that talk!! I had bits an pieces written out and different stories and scriptures that I wanted to share, but it had yet to all come together.. well.. with the help of one of my fav. songs.."You Were There" beautifully sung by avalon, It all came together! I still have some sections that are in need of being written, but i'm using that song to tie it all together and give it a punch! I am sooo excited to see what God will do through this. I am soo passionate about delivering this speech with the power of the holy spirit to guide me. I pray that my words will cut deep into the hearts of these ladies we will be ministering to over the course of the weekend. God, continue to give me the words and the wisdom to share with these precious ladies. May you begin to prepare their hearts even now for what they will experience over the weekend. You are God and you are there for everything that happens in our lives. I trust in you and depend on you for life. I know that you are with me and that you are guiding my focus. I love you Lord. Thank you for this opportunity.

Taking A Stand

The following is a poem written by Judge Roy Moore from Alabama. Judge Moore was sued by the ACLU for displaying the Ten Commandments in his courtroom foyer. He has been stripped of his judgeship and now they are trying to strip his right to practice law in Alabama ! The judge's poem sums it up quite well.

America the beautiful,or so you used to be.Land of the Pilgrims' pride;I'm glad they'll never see.

Babies piled in dumpsters,Abortion on demand,Oh, sweet land of liberty;your house is on the sand.

Our children wander aimlesslypoisoned by cocainechoosing to indulge their lusts,when God has said abstainFrom sea to shining sea,our Nation turns away

From the teaching of God's loveand a need to always prayWe've kept God in our temples,how callous we have grown.When earth is but His footstool,and Heaven is His throne.

We've voted in a governmentthat's rotting at the core,Appointing Godless Judgeswho throw reason out the door,

Too soft to place a killerin a well deserved tomb,But brave enough to kill a babybefore he leaves the womb.

You think that God's not angry,that our land's a moral slum ?How much longer will He waitbefore His judgment comes ?

How are we to face our God,from Whom we cannot hide ?What then is left for us to do,but stem this evil tide ?

If we who are His children,will humbly turn and pray;Seek His holy faceand mend our evil way:

Then God will hear from Heaven;and forgive us of our sins,He'll heal our sickly landand those who live within....

But, America the Beautiful,If you don't - then you will see,A sad but Holy Godwithdraw His hand from Thee.~

~Judge Roy Moore~~

The Southerner Test

Of course, everybody knows that the only things that make you a true Southern woman is to own a deviled egg plate and a set of iced tea spoons! If you don't have these, it doesn't matter if you were born in Atlanta, Savannah, New Orleans or Corpus Christi, you ain't Southern!

Southern women know their summer weather report: HumidityHumidityHumiditySouthern women know their vacation spots: The beachThe rivuhThe crickSouthern women know everybody's first name:Honey (or “hun” for short)Darlin'ShugahSouthern women know the movies that speak to their hearts:Fried Green TomatoesDriving Miss DaisySteel MagnoliasGone With The WindSouthern women know their religions: BaptistMethodistFootballSouthern women know their cities dripping with Southern charm:Chawl'stn S'vanahFoat Wuth (my favorite!)N'awlinsAddlanna (aka “Hotlanna”)Southern women know their elegant gentlemen: Men in uniformMen in tuxedosRhett ButlerSouthern girls know their prime real estate:The MallThe Country ClubThe Beauty SalonSouthern girls know the 3 deadly sins:Having bad hair and nailsHaving bad mannersCooking bad foodMore Suthen-ism's: Only a Southerner knows the difference between a hissie fit and a conniption fit, and that you don't "HAVE" them, you "PITCH" them._____Only a Southerner knows how many fish, collard greens, turnip greens, peas, beans, etc., make up "a mess." _____Only a Southerner can show or point out to you the general direction of "yonder." _____Only a Southerner knows exactly how long "directly" is, as in: "Going to town, be back directly."_____Even Southern babies know that "Gimme some sugar" is not a request for the white, granular sweet substance that sits in a pretty little bowl in the middle of the table. _____All Southerners know exactly when "by and by" is. They might not use the term, but they know the concept well._____Only a Southerner knows instinctively that the best gesture of solace for a neighbor who's got trouble is a plate of hot fried chicken and a big bowl of cold potato salad. If the neighbor's trouble is a real crisis, they also know to add a large banana puddin! _____Only Southerners grow up knowing the difference between "right near" and "a right far piece." They also know that "just down the road" can be 1 mile or 20_____Only a Southerner, both knows and understands, the difference between a redneck, a good ol' boy, and po' white trash. _____No true Southerner would ever assume that the car with the flashing turn signal is actually going to make a turn._____A Southerner knows that "fixin" can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adverb._____Only Southerners make friends while standing in lines, ... and when we're "in line,"... we talk to everybody! _____Put 100 Southerners in a room and half of them will discover they're related, even if only by marriage._____In the South, y'all is singular, all y'all is plural._____Southerners know grits come from corn and how to eat them._____Every Southerner knows tomatoes with eggs, bacon, grits, and coffee are perfectly wonderful; that red eye gravy is also a breakfast food; and that fried green tomatoes are not a breakfast food. _____When you hear someone say, "Well, I caught myself lookin'," you know you are in the presence of a genuine Southerner!_____Only true Southerners say "sweet tea" and "sweet milk." Sweet tea indicates the need for sugar and lots of it -- we do not like our tea unsweetened. "Sweet milk" means you don't want buttermilk. _____And a true Southerner knows you don't scream obscenities at little old ladies who drive 30 MPH on the freeway. You just say,"Bless her heart" ... and go your own way._____To those of you who are still a little embarrassed by your Southerness: Take two tent revivals and a dose of sausage gravy and call me in the morning. Bless your heart!_____And to those of you who are still having a hard time understanding all this Southern stuff, ... bless your hearts, I hear they are fixin' to have classes on Southernness as a second language! _____And for those that are not from the South but have lived here for a long time, all y'all need a sign to hang on y'alls front porch that reads "I ain't from the South, but I got here as fast as I could." Southern girls know men may come and go, but friends are fahevah !Now...... Shugah, send this to someone who was raised in the South or wish they had been! If you're a Northern transplant,bless your little heart, fake it. We know you got here as fast as you could

Welcome little Lizzie!

I'm so excited!! One of my very best friends, Ms. Kerri Murphy Sagraves, just had a new baby girl. Welcome to the World little Ms. Elizabeth Ann Sagraves!!! Kerri and Brad are already calling her Lizzie! So sweet. She has red hair, just like her momma. There were a few complications so they had to do a c-section, but Lizzie and mom and doing great! Kerri and Brad now have a prescious 5lb. 10oz. baby girl. I can't wait to go and visit my new little niece in Knoxville! I would go now if I could.

David's Story

I had such a refreshing weekend... (as my spirit and soul say ahhhhhh!!!!) Thurs. Friday and Saturday were a time of worship and word with Jackie Ashpole and her wonderful ministry team. I can't tell you how much these few short days changed my life and my outlook. Thursday night I had the privelage of a wonderful prayer warrior pray with me. She said that God wanted to grant all the desires of my heart and there will come a time when they all come together at once. Well praise God!! She also told me that God has something special for me. Then the next morning I enjoyed a powerful sermon about David. Jackie talked of how David was in God's will and under his favor when he defeated Goliath, but then he ended up right back where he started , at the gates of Goliath's hometown. He ended up there because of fear. He was running from Saul. Then the ugly beast called fear chased him further into a cave where he hid out from his enemies. David eventually came out of the cave to live in a land of peace alongside his family. This is where he was comfortable, it was the norm. He stayed there and was established there for many years. Eventually it was time for David to leave that comfort zone for Judah, the land of Praise. In Judah, David was again in God's will. He was a great ruler who honored God and is remembered by all to this day. David's story is so true of so many people even today. We are walking along.. happy in God's will having defeated that sin, or that fear. Then something happens where we voluntarily pick that fear back up and run straight back to that something that we had already defeated. We hide away in our cave of fear and allow it to keep us from God's will. Eventually we get the nerve to get out of that cave, but ease the transition by going into a land that is comfortable and familiar. This is where we are built back up and refreshed to do what God has called us to do. Eventually we must leave what is comfortable and take a step of faith, knowing that God's will must be carried out and know that he has been with us every step of the way. What is it that holds you back? I know I am very guilty of this myself. I'm ready for that step of faith into the land of praise. I feel it's right around the corner.

Discipline

I have been spending some time in some very special services over the past two days and have been challenged to dial up the notch in living for God. It started several weeks ago when I attended a service at Raleigh Assembly and the pastor talked about being a gatekeeper and watching how much you let in that is negative or not of God. He said the more you let in, the more it dims your light and gets in the way of hearing from and experiencing God in a fuller way. I was totally conviceted of the movies that I watch and even some of the shows and some music I listen to. I also want to watch more what I say and what I stick around when other people are talking about others. I can be quite guilty of negatie talk myself!

All of this has solidified more and more in these couple of services. I must discipline myself to spend a specific amount of time each day with the Lord.. just me and him. I need to change the way I spend time with him and the way I do things. I want to live a life poured out and only for God. I definately struggle with discipline. God help me to change these ways about me. Give me a vision and a plan as to how to carry this out. I love you. I know you have something special for me and the future is bright. I put myself in your hands.

Prayer= Action

Ok. So I had the girls over for bible study last night and we had a great great session with Beth Moore. We talked about faith. WOW!! My session notes were covered with extra notes that jumped out at me. I don't have my book in front of me to relay everything, but I will try and remember a few things that she said.
Faith is fighting the devil. We don't have to listen and agree with what he throws at us. Who are you agreeing with? If you are agreeing with the devil, you are agreeing with lies. He wants nothing more than to destroy you, but it's all through his words. He actually has very little power to actually do anything, he's all talk.
Prayer springs God into action, when we pray the throne of God creaks as he moves into action. Isn't that powerful!! Some things only happen because of prayer. When you get down on your knees and pray, you make the four points of an alter with your two knees and your two feet. That's all you need! I wish I could remember everything she said.. I may have to go over my book again and update tomorrow. =) These things I have shared today obviously especially stood out to me. OH!! She also talked about a bible study leader who challenged her group to write their petitions out on a notecard. She then instructed them to ask for this need to be met just once and then every time after that, thank God for meeting that need. Wow!! What faith! I want faith like that. What an inspiring woman. Never go to God without giving him thanks for the things he has already done. It will stir up your faith and serve as a reminder of his faithfulness. Praise God.
I can't wait to see what God does next. I am committed to being a throne creaker!!
Oh.. and one more thing I am excited about... the women's pastor here at First Assembly was asking for women to write letters and cards of encouragement to the women of the inner city neighborhood that our church ministers to each Saturday. I felt particularly prodded to do this. I then realized it would be a great idea to give the names and addresses to the girls in my bible study. They were enthusiastic about it and each took a name or two to encourage. We prayed over them. I am so excited.. this is exactly the kind of thing I wanted to get going in my bible study.. outreach. I would like to do even more! Praise God for giving me that idea!

Reality Bites- suck it up and deal with it like an adult!

OK. I just read an article about John and Kate, the couple from the TLC reality series "John and Kate Plus 8" In the article John Gosselin was saying how he tried to fix the marriage by going to counseling and working out some of the couple's problems. Kate would always refuse and place all the blame on him. You have put us into this mess, it's your behavior that has landed us where we are.. stuff like that. Well.. If you have ever watched the show, Kate is the one who put her husband down and made him feel less of a man. She would give him very minimal allowances for the week and treat him like he wasn't good enough. No wonder he went to other women and parties. She is refusing to see her side of things. She is placing all the blame on him!! Yes, it takes two to cause a marriage to crumble.. I believe that he definitely made some unwise choices, but you have to also take a look and examine yourself. Another thing that bothers me is that both John and Kate have expressed how much they want their kids protected and happy. The article also talked about how the kids have told him numerous times how they want their parents together and how hurt they are. Well.. if you sincerely want your kids to be healthy and happy, WORK ON YOUR MARRIAGE!! Those kids will never be the same after this. If you ask me, Kate is a coward! John has acted immaturely.. he's gotta keep fighting and continue to act as if he's still a husband and get his woman back. He needs to seek help from the church they supposedly went to! If I could just talk to them!! I know I don't have all the answers, but I've never been married, but I've seen people fight for their marriage and make it. If anything, they both need to grow up and get their head out of the money shaped clouds that they are in. I rest my case.

lazy weekend

I spent a lot of time with friends over the weekend. Friday night was a lovely evening of catching up with Wendy and Parul over fresh authentic Mexican food at Las Tortugas. umm umm!! Wendy enlightened us with an exciting story of being set up with what sounds like Mr. Perfect.. 26, law student with a job waiting in Nashville.. seems to love the Lord.. shoot. Great last name.. Ha! Yeah, that's a picky one. Anyway.. we ate and then conspired over walking at saddle creek over how Wendy will look and get to know Nashville a little better. This guy has given her the promise of taking her out in October. She hasn't actually talked to him, but she's got a promise. So how heavily does she actually weigh that? Humm.. It's hard to know. In my experience, most guys don't keep the promise and follow through. But there are some real men out there . I have met these rarities and they sure are hard to get over! Anyway... after we parted ways with Parul, Wendy and I went to my house and watched "Changeling" with Angelina Jolie. Great movie! It's a true story about a mother living in LA in the 20's who has her only son and only family member abducted. The cops return a boy to her several months later only to the mothers' detriment, it's not really her son. She ends up being manipulated by the cops to take the boy home and by the end is wrongfully commited to a mental institution. After she is released, another child confesses that he is helping his uncle abduct and kill young boys on a nearby farm. The whole scenario exposes the corruption of the LAPD. The lady never found her son. It's a very sad/intriguing story.

Saturday I worked at Chessie's with a temporary fill-in named Tammy. Tammy was a really neat lady. She is a Mary Kay director who is doing very well and has earned 6 cars! 6! My friend Candice had already planted the seed, and I decided selling Mary Kay would be a great way to pay off my debt more quickly and then possibly use it as my income in school. So... we'll see..

When I got home from Chessie's I decided to fix myself a pot of spaghetti and enjoy some more friends. I had recently bought season 7 of "Friends" and enjoyed quality time with them for the rest of the night. So entertaining! =)