I would like you to meet....

This darling little 7 yr old boy is my 3rd child. I wish you could all meet him. I wish you could see his spirit. I wish you could see his beautiful, kind heart. I wish you could see his attitude.

Ya see...the Lord gave us this 3rd child after many, many long months of trying and then finally the good news came one March morning back in 2000. I cried. I cried some more. And, then I got sick as a dog for nearly 1/2 the pregnancy. We were convinced.....actually my husband was convinced....that this baby would be a girl. I had not been sick with the other 2 boys.

But, deep within my hearts desire, I secretly wanted another boy. Call me crazy. But....this guy came into the world laughing and smiling and has never stopped. He is the greatest kid alive! :)

His attitude, 99.9% of the time, is joyful, fun, easy going, happy, plays well with others, not bossy, laughs alot, enjoys the little things throughout the day, and LOVES to be played with, wrestled with, hugged on, kissed on and simply just "enjoy life" as much as he can.

This child of mine teaches me alot about attitude.

Philippians 2:5 says, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus."

I've got an area in my life where I need a serious attitude adjustment. Any time something remotely odd, difficult, bad, or annoying happens in this area of my life.....I get on a big ole bandwagon that is not pretty. It may just be something that I wrestle with in my own mind and heart or I may share imy difficulties in confidence with a dear friend. But, this area of my life needs a BIG TIME ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT!

I want to be filled with the Spirit of Christ in all things....don't you??

We are empowered with the Holy Spirit within us, so why don't we act like it?? If something is heavy in your heart, difficult to deal with, or you simply want to see some things get done.....then in the Name of Jesus....and filled with His Mighty Power......CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE and possibly even make the situation better!!

This is all about me on this one. I want an attitude of Christ. I want to be more childlike....just like that darling boy above. I hope he never outgrows these fine qualities that God gave him.

Have a great day! And, be filled with the Spirit! There are no bad attitudes there!

Hugs and blessings~

Fran

How is Jesus the center of your home???

Well...I sure hope you had a great weekend! The weather has been BEAUTIFUL here in West TN and it is my language.....I love the sunshine and warmer temps....its good for the soul I do believe! Even snuck in a big ole Sunday afternoon nap.....I'm tellin ya....nothin like it!!





Ok, a few weeks ago, I asked for ways your family has Jesus in the center of every day living in your home.....your answers were SPECTACULAR!!! So....here is a list of your comments. I hope that someone will come across this blog and find something new to do within their home.





I'm all about Jesus being outside of a box. He's way bigger than 2 days a week. He's everywhere y'all. Enjoy the fire out of Him every single day!!!


1. Ok I am not an expert but we talk about God in everything we do.He is our life and in our home.We say things like "did you see the amazing sunrise God made for us this morning?" "What was your favorite color in the sunrise that He painted for you?"When we have a conflict we ask "Would that have made God happy? How would He have wanted you to react?" We have scripture that we apply it to as well.There is a great book and mommy guide that we have used to help us in this area as wellIt is by Ginger Plowman and the book is called "Don't make me count to three!" and the guide is called Wise Words for Moms.



2. The best thing you can do as parents for your children is to love one another. Let them daily see the love you and your spouse share for one another, and for the Lord. Show them love in action.

3. At every opportunity, we have tired to 1) point out qualities in our children that were similar to those of Jesus...our daughter is very compassionate, for example. And we would talk about how Jesus had compassion on the unlovely...the beggars, the hurting, etc. and 2) we tried to get them to see that if a friend was mean or said/did hurtful things, that there is probably something going on in their lives that caused them to react/act that way and wouldn't it be the right to do to respond as Jesus would.

4. As we fold laundry, we pray for the person that will wear the piece of clothing we are folding. If we are all folding together, it's a sentence prayer, if I'm folding alone, I pray a little longer! :)We talk about the sunrise, the sunset, the food we're eating, the friends God has given us, whatever we are doing we incorporate God into it. I'm finding that the more we do this, the more the girls do this on their own...The biggest thing has been during our quiet time. For so long, I always felt like I needed to be totatlly alone for my quiet time. Um....wrong. God showed me that if the girls were up when I started to do my Bible study..then let them participate. So now, we all do our Bible study together..They have their own devotion guides and it's not adnormal to see all of us with a cup of coffee (or hot tea if you're under 13) with our Bible study. I wouldn't trade those mornings for the world. It's so precious...

5. I have 2 Bible verses written out & posted on our frig. If there is an argument or unkind thing said, I make them tell me what our verse says & how that hurts God's heart. We also are working on learning Bible verses with sign language. Little kids are such sponges and can learn so easily, I'm finding. Plus, it goes into their hearts. Lastly, growing up I remember making sure that our family ate together every night & we talked about EVERYTHING! My parents made sure that everything was open grounds as long as it was said with respect...but in everything they pointed us back to the cross & to Jesus. Through that family time we saw the love of Christ.

6. We make sure that our kids understand the 10% of everything they get goes back to God who ultimately gave it to them.


Ok...that's enough for now. I'll post the rest in a week or so!! Y'all have some GREAT things that you are doing in your home. Keep it up!!

Now, have a blast with Jesus this week. Find Him in your busy day. And, praise Him in every situation that comes your way. He's for you...not against you!! He loves you dearly and you are His beloved!!

Hugs and blessings~
Fran

I was and am so much like that horse.....

I sat in the middle of 100's tonight at a football stadium. I wasn't watching football. I sat and had God speak to my broken heart and assure me of His unfailing love to me.

How did He do this??

Through a beautiful 2 yr old colt and this unfamiliar trainer to the horse named Lew Sterrett.

Y'all....there is no way that I can begin to repeat the powerful message this man shared tonight.
I can tell you that we are exactly like that beautiful but wild buck that He trained.

The theme that spoke to me over and over again......TRUST.

This darling colt was just as happy as he could be in that big ole pen eating that yummy football field grass. He didn't ask for that guy....the "Horse Whisperer," to come into his life and start messing with him.

But he did. He came in and befriended this handsome colt And, it took time. Lots of it. It took more patience than I would ever have. IThis horse was not real happy with the fact that this stranger came in and started messing with his world. It took baby steps that built this trust. These steps, from the trainer, never showed frustration or a desire to give up on that colt. No matter what that colt did.....the trainer never got aggressive or forceful with this baby.

That colt would get mad and run off. He would pout. He would fight against whatever the trainer was trying to do with him. But.....

He began to trust that man. He began to go back to him. He began to trust him with every detail.

This colt had NEVER followed commands. This colt had NEVER had a blanket put on his back. This cold had NEVER had rope placed on him to teach him harnesses. This colt had NEVER been saddled. This colt had NEVER had a person ride him. This colt had NEVER been anything but a young horse completely untrained. His world was being rocked!!!

But...with the same kind of love and patience as our Heavenly Father gives us on an hourly basis, this wonderful, gentle man gave this untrained colt the proper instruction and love that it needed. Time and again.....regardless of the colts reaction or behavior.

I am full of all those emotions this colt had tonight.........

Fear, rebellion, distrust, selfishness, pride, arrogance, etc. etc.

I need to know that God is so much bigger than my mind can make Him. He will never leave this wild untamed child. I might need to kick and scream, get frustrated and be full of my own ways and desires.....but it won't last. I gotta turn back to my trainer. I need to let Him do His timely and perfect work in my life......even when it is scary, hurts, or seems completely ridiculous. I have to break my will before Him.

HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING!

This horse went from broken to trained in a very short period of time. Mr. Sterrett did a beautiful job and by the end when he began to ride that colt......I was just in tears.

Lord, increase my trust in You. I do not trust You with all things and my heart is broken and hurts. Please give me a spirit of trust and complete love for you.....in every single life situation.

Our Father is simply perfect and a complete gentleman. He would never throw His heavenly arms up in the air when we go back to our own ways and our own desires. We can run. We can kick our back legs. But, our Father will never, ever, ever, never walk away from us.

He's in the business of patience. Just like Mr. Sterrett. And....it works.



Train me Lord. KEEP training this messed up girl.

Back to the land of the living!!

Just a quick HELLO! and thanks for all your sweet comments and prayers as I battled through that terrible disease called the flu!

Absolutely the worst thing I've had to fight in a very long time. Don't wish it on any one.

My brain is just now getting back to normal. My energy level is all but none and my stomach is completely messed up for all sorts of strange reasons. So, hows that for thrilling?!

I am going to see a "Horse Whisperer" tomorrow night through our kids school, that I plan on writing about, so you'll have to come back Tuesday night for the low down. This guy takes a wild horse....right in front of our eyes....and will train him, establish trust, break bad habits, build character.....the whole nine yards.

And....of course all this parallels the way our Heavenly Father teaches us wild bucks down here on Earth. Pretty cool huh?!

Have a great day. And, again...thank you for your thoughts and well wishes. And...HALLELUJAH for Tamiflu. I'll endorse that product any day.

Blessings~
Fran

Some sympathy please

I'm in a mode of being fever free so I'm using my time wisely.....

Let's blog!

Let's seek out some sympathy from the greatest girls in the world!

I think I am the one lone case in TN right now that has come down with the flu!

Yes...you heard me right...I have the flu.

The "cold" that I began fighting yesterday is way worse. Its the stinkin flu.
I have never felt such intense pain in all my life. I even took a bath with the hottest water possible and still had chills all over me. Thats sick people.

So...I'm asking for some prayers. For me. For my entire family. And, if I don't live through this torture....please know how much I love ya! :)

Good night!

I think I may have issues with my friends...

Y'all,

Work with me for a second. Or, maybe humor me for a second.

And....please don't think I'm weird. Weird about these cows I keep talking about and am obviously obsessed with! :)

It's Wednesday morning and it's my Bible study day at my house. However, most of the group could not come.....there is only about 9 of us when we are all here....so, when 2/3 of us couldn't be here....I had to make a decision to take a week off and resume next week. That was hard for me to do.

So...I have enjoyed the quiet morning at home. Fighting a cold. Enjoying the must needed rest that I have been craving. Just not in the form of a cold though.

For several Wednesdays in a row....a certain group of "girls" are showing up in my yard. And...here they are ready for a Word maybe?? Some encouragement from me??
A little "talkin to" from their pesky woman neighbor that runs outside every time they get this close???

I don't know.

Here are the girls today....

Momma


Daughter


A Momma and a daughter


After annoying them by taking pictures and telling them how precious they are....

I told the "girls" to get along today....I told the "girls" to enjoy the beautiful day God has given us......I told the "girls" to be nice to one another....I told the "girls" to include the one that is a little different than the rest...



Who said these cows don't teach me anything??? They remind me of the simple things every single Wednesday they show up for Bible study.....

Is this coincidental?? I don't know. I think God and I are having a little fun together through them. They won't be around for long. The owner, Mr. Smith, will sell them all soon. I'll probably shed a tear when I realize they are gone and gone who knows where.

So....I came back inside and enjoyed a little study time with this precious woman!!!!



Ms. Beth taught out of Revelation and showing us examples of our Alpha and Omega God.
We see that He is the one "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."
(Rev. 1:8)

Our God is the Almighty One of our "is" right now. Don't get hung up on the "was" or the "is to come." Let Him be the "is" of our "is" right now. Don't spend all your efforts and thoughts on worrying about the future that hasn't even happened yet.
Let Him be the Almighty of your "is" right this second.

He is an "is" kind of God!

Hallelujah!

Have a blessed day....no matter who your friends and teachers are....cows are great friends! Ha!

I've clearly got issues.

Hang in there....

Hey all...

I'm a little grumpy today. I'm grumpy because of something going on our life that I need for it to be over.....

It's called SCHOOL. Yuck.

Ya see....once baseball season kicks in and our weekends are jammed full.....I DO NOT want to do school anymore. I'm done. My momma brain is worn out.

I want to throw in the towel and say..."We are finished. We're done, thank you very much. It's been a good year, but we're gonna step out a little early. We're busy now. Have a great Summer. See you in the Fall."

Hello???!!! Can't do that.

If you are a little weary in something, please don't give up.

If you are weary with a child, a job, a situation that seems to never get better, a relationship that seems to be stuck, a family member that is lost, a staleness with life, or simply just sick of school....

DO NOT GIVE UP!

The solution is simple.....

Go before the Throne of Grace and ask our Heavenly Father for a daily renewal of mind, body, and spirit......to move on.....to move forward.....renewed energy.....a new focus.....

I can rub off on my kids and before I know it....they have "checked out" of whatever it is that I've "checked out" from. That ain't good.

Stand firm. Be strong. Pray often. God will quickly fill you up with exactly what you need.
He'll see you through. He just does. He just will.

Isaiah 40:31 says this..."but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

How refreshing that is. I need to pray this over myself and in more areas than just my simple desire for school to be out.

Where are you weary???

I wanna soar like an eagle with Jesus!! I know you do too!!

Blessings and strength~
Fran

I took a leap of faith....

Hey girls....

I love me some "God Stop Friday!" Thank you, sweet Patty, for hosting this for us each week.

It does my heart such good to come by and read what sweet things God has done in peoples lives. He is a detail God and I love seeing Him at work. It increases your faith doesn't it??

Ok....

I have been thinking, studying, listening to, many things about walking by faith and not by sight.....going into the unknown places with God......just "going there" with Him bc you love Him so much.....and completely trusting Him to take care of life and stuff......

Well, I was so passionate and fired up about the last 3 sessions of Beth Moore's "Wising Up" that taught on being the Godly wife and momma that He wants for us, that I, in a heart of Jesus passion, sent out a mass email to others and begged them to come join the fun and wisdom from this study. This was something completely separate and different than my "normal" Wednesday morning Bible study group.

Well....today was our 1st session on being the Godly wife that Beth taught on. I really didn't know who would come, and I did ask them to forward the initial email on to others that might be interested. I was so excited this morning that I knew I had done the right thing. I knew that God would bring some women and bless our time. How could He not?? We were in the Word! :)

So....just want you to know that if you have a moment of love and "out of the box" thought that involves bringing someone closer to Jesus in their daily walk, that you just jump out there in that water with Him. He's your life perserver. He'll take care of it all.

I'm so blessed and grateful for those amazing young women that came today. I'm praying that the seeds planted with be watered and hearts, lives, marriages, and families are changed.

"Change us Lord. Change us."

Enjoy the weekend friends. Take a leap of faith if He's calling you to do something for Him.

He's with ya!! Glory, glory to God!!

Hugs and blessings~

Fran

Some Siesta help!!

Hey girls!!

Something is brewing in my heart and I feel like God is speaking to me deeply about a certain "thing." So, I thought I'd ask you precious friends for some help and advice.

I am on staff at my church and absolutely love what I do. I am the Director of Children's Ministry. I feel called to not only be the person that is over the children's ministry, but also their parents. I mean...the two go together don't they??!!

I also have a heart for women and leading Bible study. So, if you could split me down the middle, 1/2 of me is all about growing our kids toward a love for Jesus, and the other 1/2 of me is all about growing a momma's heart toward a deep love for Jesus.

Deuteronomy 6:7 says, "Impress (commandments) them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

So, give me some ideas to pass along to other parents, within my church and through Bible study, of ways you do just this.

How do you impress Jesus in everyday life upon the hearts of your children??

Tell me all the creative things you do in your home or if you don't have children yet tell me what your parents did with you when you were a child.

I cannot wait to hear what you have to say!! And...believe me...I'll be passing it along!! Thank you in advance and may Jesus be the center and the pulse of your home!!

Blessings and hugs~

Fran

Being in the middle

Wow! What a beautiful day! I sure hope your weather is as nice where you are as it is here.
I'm almost tempted to "layout!" That tickles me to just say that little phrase....takes me back in time! How about, "sitting outside" and listening to those precious cows in my backyard talk. They are up to some kind of conversation. Wish you could hear 'em! :)

This is short and sweet and just something for you to think about. I've been chewing on it since church yesterday.....that's the sign of a good message isn't it??!

Place yourself in a position as the middle child.

Who are you looking up to as your mentor???

Do you have a mentor?? Someone that you talk to regularly for life advice, spiritual advice, family advice?? This person just needs to be far enough ahead of you in their walk that they can guide you and help you and support you and love you.

If you don't have a mentor.....please begin to pray for God to place one in your life.

And....who is behind you??? Who are you shepherding or mentoring along the way???

My heart is deep into this concept right now. Find yourself in the middle if you can.

Ask God to strategically place people and opportunities where you can be mentored and then you can be a mentor to someone else.

Its exactly what God has called us to do. He wants us in the middle. He wants us to encourage others and teach others as well as be taught and encouraged. As a woman, I love this scripture and it takes on more meaning for me every time I study it....

Titus 2:1-5 says..."You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worth of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. They they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

Being in the middle is a good thing!! Pray to find yourself there.
Blessings~

Some Sunday fun.....

We are so happy now!!

They looked A-M-A-Z-I-N-G last night and we acted like fools watching the game!!

GO TIGERS GO!!!

God Stop Friday!

Genesis 1:20 "So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field."

Scroll down below and read about my current tenderness to God's creation. :)

Enjoy the beauty around you. He is marvelous. He is in all things. I give thanks today for Him and the work He is doing in every single one of our lives!

Isn't He just the coolest?! May He be the delight of your heart.
Blessings y'all~

The coolest view today...

Y'all....I wish I could somehow add sound to this post, but I'm not wanting to do the video thing and upload it and I think if I tell you to add some "mooing" sounds to your imagination, you can do just that!!



When we moved into this house in January, we acquired some beautiful cattle in our backyard.

They do not belong to us, but they might as well. I've fallen in love with some cattle people!!


I have learned their rhythms, seen them run, watched them protect their babies, and today have seen them all but in my backyard!! This is the closest they have been to me.



Here is my new love....

I have talked to them. They don't respond very well. I tell them how pretty they are. I tell those mommas to take care of their babies. I tell them to enjoy each day! :)

I love these animals. It might seem weird to some of you. But, learning about them and getting "to know" them has been so much fun this week. The owner has moved them to the pasture directly behind my house so they won't be here forever. They'll move onto greener grass soon I bet.

I'm gonna enjoy them while I have them!

I hope whatever you have been around today...people or animals....you've truly enjoyed them too! :)

Blessings from the South~

A Secret Life....

How about a secret life with God.....just for you. Just between you and Him. And, you don't tell anyone the details of your time with Him. Can you have that secret life??

Of course you can!!

A secret life with God looks like this....thank you Angela Thomas and this teaching from her study, "Living Your Life as a Beautiful Offering."

Matthew 6:1-7 tells us to give, fast, and pray in secret and God will reward us.

That can be hard for us women. We like to do things and tell people what we are up to, what God might be up to in our life, or to simply just say how cool things are once we have done something. Maybe it's just bragging on God. Oh....and how I think we should sing His praises and give Him a shout out when He deserves it. But.....

Can we have a secret life, a secret place that goes on just between the two of us???

That's a challenge for me. Not to have the time with Him, but keep it to myself? Some of that may be hard for me.

When we go to our secret place with God......

1. He will restore our souls. 2 Timothy 3:6-7 tells us about weak-willed women. They may learn all the "stuff" but you can't tell by their lives, their hearts or the attitudes they have.

2. We will have power when we have had time in that secret place with God. Humble yourself before Him, pray hard, and He'll give us power through the Holy Spirit. When we have had our conscious cleared during that time alone and away with Him, we are empowered!!! We can handle anything, in the Name of Jesus, that comes our way.

3. When we have been in our secret place with God, our hearts will be tendered to Him and we will be storing up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). We don't need to put forth all our energy into worrying, but instead spend time with Him in that secret place and our hearts will begin to follow Him. What does your heart reflect?? What is my heart following??

4. Matthew 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom, and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Seek him first. Seek Him in every situation. Seek Him when we feel as if we are free falling and nothing is under us. He will catch us. We must trust Him. Spend time in that secret place with Him. And, if your kids disrupt that time....that's ok....they need to have that visual of mom being in prayer, face down, before the Lord. Hard times might be on you, but when we are in the secret place with God, heavens blessings will break through.

Do you have a secret place where you can go and be with Him?? Are you humbled before Him and know that apart from Him you are nothing and can do nothing???

Jesus spends a lot of time talking about what to do in secret. Read Chapter 6 of Matthew on your own and ask God to give you the desire to have a secret place with Him where you can just be with Him.

Having a secret life with God will be blessed and rewarded. Jesus tells us that in Matt. 6:6.

Get you a secret place and secret times between you and God!!! He'll bless you deeply.

Hugs and blessings~