Things that make you go hmmmmmm......

I think that is the name of a song from clearly the '80s, but I can't come up with it or who even sang it. I wish I could have it as an option to click on and listen because we all love a good "blast from the past!" Maybe I'll add it once I do extensive research and find it. :)

Ok, I've seen so many of ya'll do something similar to this over the months that I entered blogworld and I too want to give it a try. Could be good or could be totally stupid. Its causing me to be still and really think about many, many things that make me go hmmmmmmm. So, forgive me if its completely stupid or if I seem to be all over the place. I tend to do that easily. I'm praying for some clarity as I type this now. Feel free to move on to the next blog if you wish.

Here is a list of things that make me wonder or go hmmmmmmm.
1. Very important one here, but why is McDonald's coke so much better that anyone elses? Do they get different more fizzy, carbonated coke than other places? If I'm dying for a real coke, then why is McDonald's the ONLY place to go?? Truly, there is no other coke better than McDonalds.

2. According to my 9 yr old who HATES thunderstorms, why do they come in the middle of night and totally mess up your sleeping pattern or even where you are sleeping?? Because we are known to have kids coming down to our room at the slightest sound of that middle of the night thunder. Can't get 'em up for school though. Lord, will you please move thunderstorms to 10am?

3. Why can I not go to sleep at night without taking a shower or bath first? There is something weird to me about crawling into bed with all that daily grime on me. I know....its probably strange. Needless to say, between morning hygiene and nightly hygiene, I'm one clean girl.

4. What will heaven be like at our 1st glimpse when we die?? I have been stuck on this thought lately because of deaths surrounding me. What will we see?? What will Jesus look like?? There are millions of people all over the world dying at one time. What does the "process" look like. I just wish someone could come back and share with us a glimpse of heaven. I know scripturally what Revelation says, but I want to hear it from someone. Just so curious.

5. Why can't I go to the grocery store and just buy one of everything?? I always need so many things, but I manage to scoot in and out with the minimum. I can't just go in there and get all of it. I think I have issues with grocery shopping. Maybe because I can't stand it. I have 4 others to feed other than myself and they are all very different in their eating habits and I can't stand it. Of course its their fault and not mine. :)

6. Why can I not manage to get simple things done around this house?? Its not hard. Its not even that time consuming. Yes, I work and that usually becomes my excuse. But, if I don't clean out some drawers, ya'll may have to visit me at the "home." I don't know why this is even coming up again. I have been battling this crazy thing since Summer. Hmmmmmm....Lord, let me do this on Friday when i'm not working. Please Lord give me the strength, focus, and desire. PLEASE LORD!

7. Lastly, why do I still love all the reality shows all over tv?? I will watch all that stuff on VH1, MTV, CMT.....you name it. I'm almost 38 yrs old. Am I trying to keep from really growing up??? I sit and watch and feel like I am one of them.....age wise. I'm SO not. I love reality tv. I think I might need to move on.
But, I'll wait til after February and my birthday.

Hmmmmm......I know this was huge, mind blowing stuff. I think these are all quirky things that make us who we are. And thank you Jesus for all the quirky things you poured into my DNA. I really do kinda like myself. Actually, I love my relationship with Jesus and how He can do an "Extremem Makeover!"

My family, my life, my loves

Hi sweet friends! I have spent several days this week thinking long and hard about "life." I mean the BIG questions of life as a wife and momma. A fellow Christian, Bible studying mom, and tremendous woman of faith lost a lengthy battle to cancer this week and has left behind 4 children and an amazing husband. And when you follow someones journey of life and now death, you find yourself spending a lot more time thinking about who and what matter most to you and where your time is spent. And.....I am recommitting myself to my family, my relationship with Jesus Christ, my church and my friends.

I want to truly leave a legacy of faith and love for my sweet family and that takes time, love and a committment to give them my best. I need to slow my bootie down and really focus on them. I mean let the "things" go in the house if my kids are wanting to just be with me or talk with me or just play with me. I'm seeing that it gets less and less as my kids get older that they want to play with me. I don't hear my 11 yr old asking me to go throw a baseball or football with him!!

So, I am praying for God to speak clearly to me each and every day as to what my focus should be and where my time is spent. Go back to the basic question....."Is that really important RIGHT NOW?" I don't want this short time with my children to be over one day and I feel like I did not give them my best. I won't be perfect. But, I do want discernment and awareness to their needs. And then give them my best and all of me. Who knows, maybe I will get out there and throw a baseball and football with some boys that can take me down! We would laugh and have a ball and whats so wrong with that??!! I just love my family and I just love my life and I just love the many blessings God has given me right now. I'm gonna show my gratitude by lovin the fire out of 'em all!!

Thank you Jesus for my hubby and my sweet Dylan!!



My oldest, Clay, and I look and wonder, where is the time going??



Tyler, I love you dearly!!


I know you love your families and the people closest to you. Make time for them and tell them often how much they mean to you!! Life is meant to be lived and lived to the fullest.
Have a blessed weekend.....

Part 2 from Deeper Still....A Fresh Word

Thank you Jesus for your patience with me and all you have to show me, teach me, and reveal to me because I am not one to sit still and on some days even work well with you! Well.....on most days I am moving at 100 mph and through this race of daily life I am really trying harder and harder to be still and sit still. It is just so hard some days to wake up with Him on my mind and then not quickly "move on" to the stuff on the to do list. And go hours without Him. Oh, forgive me Lord when I don't give you the time or even the heart that you most deserve.

But, every now and then I'll get an AMAZING lesson or teaching through someone else or simply between me and the Father that is just too wonderful and I must try to articulate well enough for you to get a glimpse into the teaching. I wanted to share with you a very important lesson that I "relearned" recently in Nashville from the wonderful teacher, Kay Arthur....again, thank you Jesus for your patience with me. I really wonder how you don't get completely sick of the same lessons over and over!!

TOPIC: SIN!
Yikes....It's just a booga-boo sometimes to get to the real meat of sin and what happens when we sin. Growing up in the church, my depth perception of sin was mainly the "biggies" like murder, adultery, dishonoring mom and dad, etc. We sure don't set out to commit sin. But, it happens in many ways and on many levels. And it happens every day with all of us. Yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck.

Ok, lets think about this in our adult, grown up world. If we don't deal with our sin, it is going to take us farther down a road that we never and I mean never expected. Look at 2 Samuel Ch. 11 where David sleeps with a married woman and she becomes pregnant....YIKES! Well, long story short, David kills the husband. I don't think he thought murder would occur when he slept with a married woman. Yep, that sin took him down a road he never expected. It is never cut and dry....lives get messed up and stuff happens. I think we can all put ourselves in a situation when our sin took us down a road we never wanted to travel.

Ok, did you know that when we sin we willfully despise God?? I can't handle that thought. But, when we put other things, people, and what we do with our time before Him, we are falling short of His perfect standard. Now, we won't ever be perfect on earth, but sin is sin is sin is sin. There are no levels of sins. A sin is a sin. Kay Arthur said something that just struck a nerve with me....she said that we can spend all sorts of time doing all sorts of things but never take the time to go into His Word. Well, that just made me sad. I am 100% guilty of doing just that. Why do we put so many other things before Him?? Isn't He the provider of all??

Ok, When we are tempted to sin, it is never more than He can bear. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that "when we are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." NOTHING is too big for God. And, He does forgive us and love us the same. HALLELUJAH! He can get us out of the mess. But, we need to go to Him and His Word and see what He can tell us.

Ok, Sin will find us out. How true is this. Why do we think we can hide?? It will come out some how, some way. Our precious God knows and really, that is what should grieve our hearts when we sin. Number 32:23 tells us that "you may be sure that your sin will find you out." I don't like that thought either. There is something about knowing on the front end that you will get caught that will almost keep you from doing "it" in the first place. Must keep that perspective.

Ok, last point on sin....Sin will cause the enemy to blaspheme His name. When we sin, it gives Satan a chance to beat us down and out and cause us to believe that our God is not the one we claim to love and honor. Can't you hear the lies he tells us?? "If your God loves you so much and you love Him so much, then why would you go and do a crazy thing like_________________?" That just gives Satan a chance to make us question our belief and love for God. Nope....I will not allow Satan to get into my belief system. My God is faithful and just. His ways are perfect. Now, go away Satan when you start trying to play those games!!

You know what?? When we are weak, we have the most power! That is when we just fall to our knees and say, "Jesus, I need your love now and I need your love BIG!"
We go after Him in our weakness. We must learn to go after Him always, but in our weaknesses....that is where we find our strength in Him.

I don't want us to hang our heads and feel defeated. I want us to realize that in the midst of sin, our God loves us just the same and He treasures us. His heart is broken when we sin, but He loves us the same. We must see sin coming and turn the other direction. We must learn to seek His strength and forgiveness when we sin and let Him heal our hearts. We must let Him do a mighty work within us so that we will truly turn from that sin. Sin is inevitable on planet Earth. I pray daily for the strength and love of Jesus to fill my heart so I might not sin against Him. And when I do, I fall on my knees, seek His face and confess my sin. I praise Him for His patience with me and for His desire to see me walk closer and closer with Him. I love Him dearly and am in awe of what He does for me.

And for those of you who have been praying for Kim in Arkansas.....she is hanging on. I pray daily for her peace and comfort. She is a woman of remarkable faith and I pray that I had an ounce of that faith. Keep praying for Mark and her four children. Blessings to you all and have a wonderful week with God. I'm so thankful for Him. He truly blows me away. We never know what our life holds, so I want to spend all my time, focus, and energy on Him. He has done an amazing work in my life and I won't turn my back on Him now.

Love to you all....

WHY? WHY? WHY?

I sit here on Thursday evening and just filled with such raw emotion of WHY? Why Lord do people get sick...I mean cruelly sick....the kind of sick that has just eaten away your entire body and the pain is just too much for one precious woman to bear?? Why does this same woman show faith that I can't even put words around?? Why did she go to her radiation appt. last week and look at her two friends and say "I am so blessed!?" Why does she have to leave behind 4 children, a sister who also has cancer and a husband that must try to raise 4 children on his own??

Why Lord we ask???!! It's just NOT fair. Its not fair for a million reasons! Its not fair that her life is so sick here at the end! Its not fair for her family!! Its not fair that her mother managed to survive this disease but now her daughter is so, so sick. Its just NOT fair!!!

I'm so sad. I'm so angry. I'm so "everything!" My heart is ripping to shreds for this woman and her family. Lord Jesus, I know you are with her because we do know that. But, Jesus, please give her all comfort that she can have. Jesus let her be awake enough to say words to her babies for the final time. Let her speak love to her husband for the final time. Lord, let her speak assurance over her family being left behind. Lord, she is our hero right now. She has shown the most beautiful faith I think I've ever seen in someone. Lord, I pray that through Kim we can become such beautiful women of faith. We want that faith all the time and in all things....good and bad.

We praise you Jesus in all things.....and through my tears, I praise you for this sister in Christ.

Prayers Needed..

Hey sweet friends...
I am asking for your prayers for a dear "Beth Moore Bible study girl" named Kim in Arkansas. Her story is just too much to share, but within that story of cancer you'll find the MOST AMAZING woman of faith. She has faith that we would all hope to have and want desperately but somehow we don't have in day to day healthy living.
What is about dying that awakens our faith??

Kim is in her last days if not hours. She has an amazing husband, Mark, and 4 children that are suffering. I ask for your prayers to be that of peace, comfort, God's love and presence, but for Kim to cling tight to her faith and not be overwhelemd with the pain that is surrounding her body.

Thanks for praying for Kim and her family. Her blog is www.kimsprayer.blogspot.com
Lord Jesus, let us surrendar ALL to you and GIVE you everything we have. Lord, fill us up with an immeasurable amount of faith. We need you God always.

I praise His name even in the storms of life.

Part 1....The fun!

Ok everyone....Can I hear a HALLELUJAH?! God was in Nashville this weekend with 22,000 women at "Deeper Still" and it was truly amazing, breathtaking! With so much on my heart I want to share..I'm doing this in 2 parts. I need to show you the pix of the stuff and then I will try to articulate the highlights from the teachings in part 2.

So...here goes part 1. Shopping at Green Hills mall after a FABULOUS lunch at the Cheesecake Factory...and my precious friend, Lesley, modeled this Wizard of Oz belt and it was $40.00!!!! Come on!! Its horrible!!



Ok, my other precious friend, Carolyn, coveted this adorable sports car....



We are caffienated up before we head to the hotel and the event....the thrill was there!! I could hardly stand it! I'm in the middle, Lesley and Carolyn are my precious buddies!



I bet you have seen the picture already of the sea of women...i won't post that....but 22,000 women with bibles in hand waiting for the doors to open was a beautiful sight. I know the heavenlys roared! But, once we were settled into section 116 (perfect seats) I took several pix and this was the 1st picture of the FABULOUS praise team....ya'll rocked!!



Ok, Mandisa was just too cool....of course she sang "shackles" and I almost cried...it was just too much to hear her tell her story and sing with such love for Jesus. She is amazing!! She just tore it up!



Ok...here she is...our beloved, Ms. Beth!!! Girls....she is truly an AMAZING vessel.
She worshiped Jesus, her man Keith was there, she brought the WORD home on Saturday after the totally gifted, Priscilla, brought it home. I don't know why I didn't take a picture of her....guess I forgot. She was too good though. So, precious Beth coming down the stairs and me wishing she'd walk right up to section 116! You go girl!!



The final hour...the most hillarious, laughed til I cried, too, too awesome panel discussion with the 3 women...and funny girls, Beth and Priscilla, roll in with their wheelchairs, neckbraces, arm slings to totally join Ms. Kay in her pain...Ms. Kay is healing well from her broken ankle/foot....what a wise, wise woman she is.
And, let me just say the panel discussion left Beth Moore speechless at one point and literally laying face down on the floor "kicking and screaming" with laughter.
Let's just say I felt sorry for the few men in the arena at that time! This picture is before it got WILD!!



Final praise and worship....PLEASE DON'T END!! NO...NO....NO!! And, who knew Ms. Beth had her some Beyonce in her.....I wish the picture showed her gettin her groove on with her fellow sista, Priscilla!!



And, it did come to an end. I just felt Jesus everywhere and all around and I think I am officially addicted to His word right now. I just love Him so much!! Thank you Jesus for the most fresh word. You blew me away!




And, my new favorite CD from Travis....we are singing in the sanctuary, shacklin, and waving hands and praisin us some Jesus!! i might've blown a speaker out in the car!! Thanks Travis for another unbelievable time of praise and worship. You and the team are just crazy for Jesus and we love ya!



Ok...that is just a few pictures from the event. Let me just say it was truly a gift to be at this event and to feel the presence of Jesus in 22,000 women is almost too much to take in sometimes. Our God is truly an AWESOME God and He blessed me beyond measure this weekend with my friends.....all 22,000 of them. So, my thoughts will come together and I'll post part 2 within 24 hrs....more so for me and hopefully you can get a nugget or two as well!! Love you!

Oh so smart....

Well,
Perhaps when you read this I am sitting at the feet of Beth Moore, Kay Arthur, or Priscilla Shrire soakin up some WORD from Jesus!!! Not that I'm all that smart (title of blog), but I am gonna sit "Still" so I can go "Deep" with Jesus this weekend in Nashville. If you are completely unsure of my "smartness," refer to the previous post below.

I cannot wait to get home and share pix and tell stories and share what Jesus did this weekend. It's gonna be a blast.....He's orchestrated the whole thing!! That just makes me wanna shout....HALLELUJAH!!

Have a blessed weekend....

Time to get Wise....

Ok....can I just scream from within and say....I'm going to Deeper Still on Friday! I just cannot wait! Do you realize that I will get to meet some of the most precious encouragers/friends for the 1st time?! There is such an amazing group of Christian women that write the most amazing posts in this blogworld and then they will comment on my post and all of a sudden you look up one day and you feel like you have 100 new BFF!! There is just nothing like Christian friendship.

Isn't it just too cool that our God has invaded the world of "blogland" and has connected people from all across the country? Some of us are hooking up Friday in Nashville to go "Deeper Still" with our Savior. This is a women's conference that has 3 amazing teachers, Beth Moore, Kay Arthur and Priscilla Shrire.....and lets just throw in some amazing praise and worship music and honey, I don't know if I will want to leave!! It's just "home" for me to be able to attend these conferences .....and in the presence of 1000's of believers.......HOLY SCHMOLY! I truly cannot wait.

As I have been thinking, praying, and spending time in scripture this wonderful, long weekend....the Holy Spirit just flat out laid something down for me....I guess you could say, "Jesus laid the law down in my heart!" He has told me over and over and over....."Fran, its time for you to dig in so deep into my Word and let it be life to you on a daily basis." And when I say this, I mean He wants me to move past the normal, routine, daily devotions, routine of normal prayers and go "Deeper Still" with Him. He has been speaking to me over and over again about really knowing....I mean really knowing His Word and bringing it to life for me on EVERY situation with my life. But, can I be honest and say that I don't give Him near the time He deserves.

Well, this is not a new revelation for me. I guess you could say that I know this already....I mean we can't stay in the same place forever....1st of all, Its boring and 2nd of all, you don't go anywhere. Well...I am not one to sit still, but I think He's sayin...sit still and let go of some stuff that seems important or very well is important, and spend some time with me right now!

Oh my gosh! I feel like I'm about to jump on a roller coaster with Him and I'm ready for the take off. Its one of those moments with me and Him that He is as close to me as my hubby is or my kids are....He is here and we are about to take to the scriptures on a daily basis on everything that we do and everything that we have going on and we are going on one heck of a thrill ride!! I JUST CAN'T WAIT!!!

Proverbs 24:3-4 "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures."

I want our house built on God's wisdom and filled with beautiful treasures from Him.
That wisdom is going to begin with an intentional, daily, and maybe even a different walk for me, but I am ready to begin. I think I can do it. I hope you will begin or renew a journey of wisdom with Him. The treasure is there waiting.

Oh, how I love Him! I'll let you know how the journey goes. Wanna go??!!

Blessings....