Just too much to take in

I just love my church. I love the body of Christ. And, I was able to see her at her finest today.

Let me tell you what happened....

I'm sitting in 9:00 church this morning and we were told that we had some Hurricane Gustav evacuees coming to our town and they would be staying in our church.

125+ to be exact. That's not a small amount of people.

Well, about 15 minutes into the service, someone came in and told our pastor that "they" had arrived and we needed able bodied men to help unload and get them situated. 125 of them situated. There was an immediate sense of urgency and "what can I do?"

Ok, so some able bodied men jumped up and headed out of church and began the journey of accepting the 125 people into our home as guests.

About 5 minutes later, a church member came back into the service and whispered into the ear of our pastor that there were children without formula and bottles. I just happened to be sitting right behind him. And, my eavesdropping ears kicked in.

TOO MUCH FOR ME TO TAKE AT THAT POINT!!! DID YOU SAY BABIES ARE HUNGRY?

So...I jumped up and went straight into the gym.

The sight of people was almost too much to swallow. The tears immediately filled my eyes.
The lines, the people, the crying babies, the unanswered questions, the chaos. It was almost too much to swallow, but it was also the most beautiful thing I've seen in a long time.

The body of Christ was showing the love of Christ to these people. These evacuees barely knew where they were. It didn't matter who they were or where they were. We are here to serve.

A pediatrician in our church went to the clinic where he works and got formula and bottles for babies, cots were being set up, breakfast was up, out and being served, conversations with a momma of many children and one being autistic, seeing the open Bibles on cots with pens and paper alongside it, seeing the very young moms needing someone to just help them figure this thing out, sorting through the Red Cross info, getting items set up and available for the evacuees to get, realizing that we didn't have enough to get through the night, watching food go in minutes flat.....

You get the idea. It was a sight to take in. The visuals were unbelievable. The conversations with adults and children changed my life. Holding a crying baby that I so badly wanted to stop crying. She has colic. So much y'all. So much.

I wouldn't trade this day of love for all the money in the world.

"We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19

Its easy for me to show love to others. It's in my makeup. It's not that easy for others. But, we can all help and support these evacuees all over the U.S. right now. Please pray for them. This is big stuff. I've never seen anything like this in my 38 years of living.

I humbly lay my head on my bed with my favorite pillows and my full tummy and thank God for my safety. I also ask for Gods presence and comfort to be overflowing in these peoples hearts right now. They need Jesus right now. They need to know He loves them even during the most difficult times of their life.

It's a wonderful privilege to be a part of Christ's body and I pray we all find a way to serve Him today. Whatever you are doing, wherever you are, whoever you are with....please show the love of Christ to all those you meet. It is what we are called to do.

Hugs and blessings....

Some freedom please!!

Hey friends...
Ever since the fab teaching by Mama Beth....I have really had to take this one apart piece by piece. There were so many things that I just wanted to scream.... "HEY! Lets stay right here on this one and camp for awhile!" That didn't happen.

Usually when that does happen, I know I need to go back to it later and spend some time there.

Galatians 5:1 "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

Do you know how much and I how often I go back to that stupid yoke of slavery in certain areas of my life??? It gets on my LAST NERVE!! Some things I am free from...some things I'm just not. Anyone else out there??? Its exhausting isn't it???

"He came to set me free. He came to set me free. He came to set me free."

That is almost what I have to do. Say it over and over and over again. And, now, the 2nd part of that verse is my favorite. I definitely do not want to be burdened by that stupid yoke anymore! It is such a dern burden. Read that 2nd sentence again. Good huh??!

We can be free. We can. He came to set us free. Let's just do this thing once and for all. Let's live out that freedom.

We CANNOT sit back in passivity and let someone else pray for us, talk to us, encourage us again and again and again. People get sick of that. And, so do we. HE CAN CHANGE OUR LIFE. HE CAN CHANGE OUR GENETICS. HE CAN TURN US INTO A NEW CREATION!

I so badly want to walk in the fullness of Christ. I don't want to live a "less than Christ" life. He has a plan for me. I don't want to miss my calling and I sure don't want to miss out on anything He has in store for me.

So....remember, you are an heiress of God and the down payment has been made. He came to set us free!! I am marked with His name.

I'm done with the old. Let's usher in the new, Jesus! I'm so ready!!

WOO HOO!!!! Let the good times roll....

A smile

Lisa, Lisa, Lisa. Y'all, this Preacher's Wife, just makes me laugh and smile. And, this picture just makes me laugh and smile.

Ya see...we loved and laughed at the way Lisa held her hands while she took pictures of us.
And, as the days went on and the hours of sleep got less and less, it became funnier and funnier.

We did enter into the delirious phase people. Oh, but it was soooooo much fun, wasn't it girls?!

So, as I sit here and continue to pour over the millions of pix all over the web and facebook, I'm just smiling to my Alabama girl.

I am still unpacking our awesome teaching on "Inheritance" so more of that will come one baby step at a time. But, for now, a picture of my dear friend.

Thanks for all the smiles. Every single girl there made me smile. The body of Christ is a beautiful thing. Christ is all up in this internet thing isn't he??? Just try to explain it to a group of older ladies at the hospital! :)

Hugs and blessings~

1 Corinthians 12:12 "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ."

Break it down now....

Wouldn't you love it if I put in some MC Hammer in the background for ya???

But that would not be very Godly would it?? I am not feeling me some Jesus when I hear MC Hammer! But, I couldn't resist.

The word that Beth brought us this past weekend was SO HUGE that it needs to be broken down.

We have us an inheritance girls!!

Psalm 16 was our text for the weekend. Honestly, I don't know if I have ever read this Psalm.
I had nothing underlined in it prior to the weekend. That is probably a good indication that the Lord was going to speak a NEW WORD over me. Or at least a fresh word over me.

Vs 5 and 6 tell us ....."LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance."

Jesus Christ didn't ONLY come to save us. He is here to give us something too.

Excuse me?? You want to give me more Lord???

Romans 8:15-17 tells us that we are his children and therefore we are heirs--heir of God and co-heirs with Christ.

Excuse me?? I am an heir of Christ. Say that out loud a few times. Go ahead and say it.

"I am an heir of Christ."

We need to adopt a mentality every single morning before our feet hit the floor that we are an heir to Christ.

If we truly took this truth to the spiritual bank every day then we would not deal with ourselves cheaply. We have a responsibility to show the world who we belong to. And, when we do that....we are not boring people!! We are on a thrill ride of a lifetime. The world needs to see that.
Our inheritance is in Christ. We are His. Our inheritance is distinct yet different. Our inheritance is in Christ. This is a new concept for me. I am dying to tell you more!!


More on that tomorrow..... Baby steps. Remember, I said we gotta...

"Break it down now..."

One more time...I am an heir of Christ!!! Gosh that sounds delightful.

Oh...lets look at some more pix!!!

This was Saturday nights pajama party. Just can't link my love right now...this is Georgia, Stephanie, Fran, Boomama, and Lisa. We are in our pj's and Boo is not. So, please don't wonder what in the world I have on. Its pj's ok?

Lisa...where did you go?? You somehow didn't make this picture. Again...we are in pj's and BigMama has on the CUTEST jeans I've ever seen. I must find out where I can find them. Too cute. And, these famous bloggers are just as cute, funny, and sweet in person as they are on their blogs. Real deal my friends.

I so can't link all of ya'll right now since I slept a total of 8 hours all weekend so let me just take the cheap way out...Jenny, Georgia, Fran, Lisa, Bev, Lindsee, Abby!!! Love you girls. Miss you already!!

Me and Steph. Did we do some laughing or what??? My face hurts and my stomach is so sore.

Eating at this restaurant was one of the funniest times. Just think of "the prayer." Oh my!!

This was Amanda opening a baby gift that some of us girls gave her. It was the softest thing on this planet and was yellow with giraffes on it. We had it embroidered to say..."Shhh...I'm taking a siesta" I think their faces tell it all.

Of course we all know who these amazing women are!! Weren't they just so fun and funny and serious and smart and real??? I tell ya...that was one cool time. This was at the Siesta Fiesta "meet and greet" after the conference. We asked Melissa how she does her gorgeous hair. We asked Amanda how we could pray for her. We asked Beth 2000 questions from makeup, to what your day looks like, to raising children. We love you all Moore girls. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us and take pix!

This is me and Kim. Oh, how I miss her!!! Would you all just move to TN and make this easier?

Bless you Kim for ALL of your hard work. I can't ever thank you enough.

This is me and that darling, Melinda. Y'all...she is just as beautiful in person as her blog. Oh, what a joy for me to hug her!

Ok, that's enough for now. And, I haven't even told you about the AMAZING word we got this weekend. Gosh it was good. Amazingly good.

Thanks for the prayers everyone. Keep praying. Stay thee behind me, enemy.

Hugs and blessings....

Too tired to speak...all pix!! We love you SA!!

A slice of heaven

We are here!!!

Just a quick hello and to let you know that we are sooooo tired but having such an amazing time.
The 1st "hello's" were amazing and I wish were on video to post. There were some amazing hugs, tears, and screams. It has been AMAZING!!!

Here are some fun pix....

Patty and Kim in the van that almost made me sick thank you very much....



The official "siesta van!"



Group shot...please notice the sign behind us.....excuse me?? Where did we just eat???



These were the beans at the restaurant....these don't look like TN beans!!



Lisa AKA Preachers Wife entering!!!



Me and Bev!!



Y'all..we are having a ball and laughing like you wouldn't believe!! Praying for you and keep praying for us!!

Hugs and blessings~

What on earth do I say??? So stinkin excited!!!!!

UPDATE TO ADD: Flowers from my hubby! It's our 14th anniversary today! So sweet my man is!

So much is on my mind as I sign off from the blogworld for a few days....let me keep it short and sweet and to the point....at least I'll try any way!

**My husband is very capable of doing my "job" for 4 days while I'm gone, right?!

**My children will survive won't they??

**The pets will be fed and watered and loved on, right??

**I am about to embark on a spectacular event in San Antonio with people I do not know!!!

**God is up to something that I am anticipating in a way I've never known before.

**I also know there might be some difficult things going on in my heart as He speaks a word over me through our precious teacher, Mama Beth. I'm preparing for that.

**I will make some friends that I know I'll be friends for life with.

**I'm thanking Him in advance for the weekend with these women and for our teaching.

**I'm ready Lord. I'm ready to soak every ounce of You in. Change me, Lord. Let's do this thing!!!

I'll be taking my laptop with me and posting pictures and some fun, funny, and serious stuff along the way. I need y'all to be there with us so what better way than to put up as much as I can as quickly as I can.

Love you all dearly. Thank you for the prayers! I so wish you could all come. This is a glimpse of heaven....I just know it.

See you in TX girls!!! Don't forget your ticket to get in!

Big hugs and big blessings~

What to do with this anxiety

Well my friends...a lot going on this week, but I bet we could all say that huh??

I can sit here and be worrying, worked up, stewing on something, anxious in my stomach, blah blah blah just as quick as anything. Hours and hours can go by before I begin to realize what I'm doing. Or maybe I should say not doing.

Being busy with life, kids, family, jobs, friends, responsibilities is just what we do these days. These things can bring us complete joy and they can also bring loads of stress on us too.

So...what does scripture have to say about anxiety??? I hope to show you something new that you may not know.

Now, back to that 100-fold blessing God has in store for us.....which can all be found in Luke 8:8-16. How do we get this 100-fold blessing according to this scripture??? One more thing that Ms. Beth taught us in Louisville is this....

Vs. 14 tells us that we can become busy worrying about our lives and focusing on the pleasures of the world.

ISN'T THAT ALL OF US????

Worry, worry, worry about our lives and focusing too much on the pleasures of the world....yep...that can be so me!

Did you know that anxiety chokes the word right out of us?? Chokes us!!!!

Verse 14 actually says this..."The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches, and pleasures, and they do not mature."

Let me just say this was me today in church. I was sitting there worrying about some Sunday school stuff that was coming up next. And, I had just told y'all the other day in another post that I would actually try to hear the word. That I would receive the word. That I would NOT be distracted. That I would get my Spiritual ADD in check.

Wouldn't you know....as soon as I uttered the words Satan said to me, "Sure you will." And He won.

What if we spend all this time in Bible study, having quiet time, attending church, and all that worry is still just taking over our lives?? I know it can with me.

Philippians 4:6 tells us "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Ummmm.....I think the scripture says give EVERYTHING to God when we are worried.

Ok, all of this we know. We know that prayer is the cure for anxiety. Why is it so hard? What if it does not immediately go away like we asked it to do??

Something the Lord keeps telling my stubborn heart over and over again is this....

"When we worry, we are not bowed down to Christ."

Think on that one a bit.

"When we worry, we do not have it bowed down to Christ."

1 Corinthians 5:7 tells us that God's riches are very different than the worlds riches. He speaks promises and blessings over us. Did you know that before the foundation of the world He also said "Let there be Fran?" What a beautiful thought when you put your own name in that sentence. Go ahead...say it out loud. :)

If you are worried about something today....I know I bet we can all probably name a few things....then spend some time in prayer and completely put it under the feet of Christ and His authority.

I pray that He take that pain of worry and turn it into full blown passion for Him and the amazing power of His Word.

Stop the choke today!!!!!

Let Him bless you with the promises He desperately wants to give.

Be blessed friends. He loves you so much. He died to take that worry for you. Give it to Him.

Hug and blessings~

Just a couple of things...

Its Friday y'all and all I can think about are 2 things.....

1. We survived the 1st week of school!!! HALLELUJAH! Middle school is delightful. Yes it is. Remind me of that in a few weeks. :)

2. I'll be in San Antonio this time next week gearing up for the fabulous Siesta Fiesta with all my bloggy friends and our beloved teacher, Beth Moore. Excited is not a strong enough word.

Ok...moving right along.

I just returned from my walk and God shared a couple of things with me. One through a fabulous Keith Urban song, called "I told you so."

Aren't you so glad that God doesn't sit around and say "I told you so" every other minute of our life when we mess up?? Thank you Jesus for your unconditional love and mercy and grace. You simply amaze me. It hit me fresh this morning. I just love that.

Secondly, we might need to reinforce a classic scripture in our homes (ok, maybe mine). I love the King James version....even had to look up where it is bc I had no idea....

Matthew 7:12 "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Might be one of the most important scriptures we teach our children.

That's all for now. Have a great Friday. I need to spend some time with Him today. We got some junk to work out. I hope you find yourself thrilled with the presence and love of Christ today.

Hugs and blessings~

Dig the roots

And...as badly as I'd love to show you my new, fresh, cut and colored hair....I'm not talking about "roots" from my head.

Back to Luke 8 and the parable of the seed and the sower....Boy, this is such good stuff!!

#4 on the list of what to think about (and promised) when we are after the 100-fold harvest...

Dig the roots!

Excuse me??

A couple of things to point out...

My roots are as deep as I believe my God loves me. And, as a matter of fact...I need to know deep down in my heart that He lavishly and unconditionally loves me. (Eph 3:16-18)

Also, Luke 8:13 "Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root."

Y'all this has been me. Can be me any given moment.

I'll hear the word and even receive it joyfully, but there is no root to the word. NONE!

When we take the word and plant it firmly in the rich soil and let that root be firmly planted, guess what happens??

2 Kings 19:30 tells us that fruit will come from above.

Dig the root, fruit comes up.

Simple concept. Most important. One more time....

Dig the root, fruit comes up.

I'm going to do more than just joyfully hear the word. Its going to take root. Time to get my spiritual ADD in order.

Diggin the root with ya~

Not so good, Mom!

Why did I get so frustrated with this precious boy??? The one who really is the sweetest, wants the world to be happy, tries his absolute best at all things???!!!

Because momma just flat lost it last night. And, the sad thing is....I ALWAYS take it out on him.
The one I shouldn't take it out on....I do. Why is that?

Oh bless his sweet, tender, forgiving heart.

I'm convicted. I told the Lord today..."This is it. No more of this junk with him. We are done with it TODAY, Lord. TODAY!"

Its been a struggle our entire school life together...me and him. I should have the most patience with him, but I clearly do not.

I have turned over a new leaf today. Totally surrendering it to God. Again and again until it's completely g-o-n-e.

He's starting middle school and we are both lost as goons. I'm the grownup. I'm the grownup.

I love you Clay. I love you dearly and my heart is broken.

Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

Hugs and blessings~

#3 on the list

Back to my daily, chewable nuggets from Beth Moore in Louisville.....Have I said just how good her teaching was that weekend??? You can only imagine or you can think back if you were at the simulcast....

Luke 8: 8-16 Parable of the sower and the seed....wanting that 100-fold blessing for our families!

She told us to EXPECT THE TEST!!!

We will be tested to see if we believe the the word.

"Testing" means 2 things:

1. trials that can cause us to stand (Christ)
2. temptations that can cause us to fall (Satan)

We must have some Word hidden in our heart that we can quickly refer to and know when life hits us. We have to pray these scriptures over daily life. Or....quickly go find in the Bible and write down for you to have with you at all times.

Keep the problems and difficulties of daily life under God's authority at all times. This means for me....here lately...that I may need to submit again and again and again to Him. That's ok.
Give Him the stuff all day long when you are under trial or temptation. And...pray that scripture over the situation.

When I'm tested now....I can quickly go to God and give it to Him or I'll sit and stew and talk about it way tooooooo long. I'm learning....give it up quickly. Then....do the challenging part....get the word out and pray some God-breathed scripture over it.

Think about this....

"When God pours a Word over Satans dirt....it becomes soil."

Think about that. When God's Word is poured over the mess Satan is trying to dig up or go after within us.....He'll take that dirt and turn it into some rich soil. LOVE IT!!!!

Psalm 126:5-6 reminds us that in times of suffering we should STILL sow God's word through our tears. We will come out with joy. We will!!!

vs. 5 "Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy."

One final thought from the conference and the test....

The Word is never laying idle. He's proving it true to us. We need to be proved genuine so we aren't fake to others. Fakes drive me crazy!! We don't want to be that. People are looking right at us when the trials and temptations come.

BE WHAT YOU SEEM!!!

How's that for a word today??!! Even in the trials and temptations....keep sowing the Word.

He will NOT disappoint us!! Oh, He's fabulous!

Hugs and blessings~

PB and J and the 1st day of school

I just finished eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some Doritos in honor of my boys at school today. It was DELICIOUS! I'd never tell them I did this because they would completely think I was VERY CORNY!

I wrote last night about having a mixed bag of emotions going on inside my heart and my mind about school starting back. I still do......a little bit. But, it's much better.

I think it's much better because I've been praying Colossians 3:15 most of the day.

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."

I did some digging and found out that the very first thing Jesus said to his disciples after being raised from the dead was this.....

"Peace be with you!" (John 20:19)

Well, why would he pick "peace" and not something else. Maybe some joy or hope or love or something other than peace!! No....he picked "peace." Well....I needed to know that today. And, he ends the sentence with an exclamation mark. Must be important and also said with some boldness.

My oldest got out of the car today and headed to the land of the unknown....middle school....and I tried my darndest to give him some peace, but honestly....we both had 101 questions and I knew he'd eventually be ok even if we had no idea what we were doing......much less peace. I didn't have peace. Not complete peace. I guarantee you that he didn't have peace either as he walked into that land of the unknown. We both faked it pretty good.

So, I have spent my morning doing things I can't ever manage to find the time to do.....like take things upstairs that have been sitting there ALL SUMMER LONG....And, spending some one on one time with the One who can tend to this messed up heart.

And my heart has slowly turned from feelings of sadness and anxiousness to some intense peace.

Jesus wants us to have that peace no matter what our circumstances are. Regardless of how we feel, he has the Rx for peace. I think that is why he told his disciples, after the Resurrection, to have some peace. He knew peace would be hard. Always has been. Always will be. It's something we don't easily turn "on" when we feel scared or worried.

Go ahead. Just ask him for that peace. Simply ask him again and again and again. It is working for me today. I'm not going to give into what my feelings want to do.

It does work and I've also memorized Colossians 3:15 in the process. :) It's life to the soul people. Brings life to the weary and anxious.

Thank you Jesus for your Word. It is feeding me today.

Blessings and hugs~

Much more to come...

I'm a mix bag of emotions as I attempt to go to bed tonight. More on all this on Monday though.

All my little ducks head to school tomorrow and my oldest is off to middle school. WHAT??!!!

Regardless of the ages of our children, it's a new year. Change is happening all around them.

They are growing so fast. Priorities are before us. Newness is everywhere. I can't get my mind to settle down.

I'll write a whole bunch more about this Monday because I've got to spit it out of this mumbled jumbled brain of mine. Anyone into Tylenol PM?? It's my friend tonight, or I'll NEVER go to sleep!!

Say a prayer for all these kiddos starting school. Its a mix bag of emotions for everyone I think.

Colossians 3:15 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."

Hugs and blessings~

Bye bye Destin

I love you Destin...thank you for wonderful vacation!

More Word and more pictures

Ok...let's get us some daily challenging, chewable word from our beloved teacher, Mama Beth, as we continue to go into Luke 8:8-16.

the 1st phrase that I gave you that can help us achieve the 100-fold harvest for us and our families was...

1. treasure the wonder....you may read about it below.

The #2 phrase is...

2. Protect your heart

Psalm 119:10-11 says "I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray against your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."

And, how do we do this in reference to daily living and getting this 100-fold harvest??

She told us something that we probably already know, but maybe don't think of often. The devil DOES NOT want us in the word. He is here to steal and take away from us. Christ came so that we may have HAVE. Devil wants to take away. Christ wants us to HAVE.

Luke 8:11 tells us that the seed is the word of God. We probably know that already. But, what she told us was that every time we expose ourselves to the word of God, He has an accomplishment for us.

Did you hear that??

Every time we get into the word....He has an accomplishment for us. We are the generation for the here and now. Don't be looking for someone else to do the work you have been called to do.
You are IT. I am IT. We are IT.

So...when life begins to happen, remember the word. Let the word be your book for helping you in life.

I'll conclude by saying this....

"When the season of testing exceeds the season of believing, we are headed toward a season of falling."

May need to read that one again. And again.

Protect your hearts dear ones. She showed us that once we know scripture and have it memorized...envision holding your hand over your heart.

Memorizing scripture is key. Write a scripture you find in a devotion or through the Psalms or by just opening the book....and put it on an index card and take it with you until you have it memorized. You'll be surprised by how quickly you "get it."

Now...for some daily pix of our trip to Destin. I really may become a fugitive and hide out here.

I don't wanna go home. :(





Never too old to slide!!


That's all I got time for now...we are off to eat. Y'all...stay in the word and memorize it. It obviously makes a big difference in our walk with Him. It helps in this 100-fold promise that we are finding in Luke 8.

Hugs and blessings~

Just a few shots from heaven on earth!

The word can have 100-fold impact

One thing our beloved Bible teacher, Mama Beth, said on Saturday in Louisville that stood out for me was that exact statement in the title....

The word of God can have 100-fold impact on us and our families!!!

Luke 8:8 says "Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown."

Can you even imagine?? 100-fold crop for us and our families.

The million dollar question is....

What does it take to get that 100-fold impact?

Beth Moore shared with us 7 phrases that will help us lead the life of a 100-fold harvest.
I will share one each day for you to chew on. I will also share a beach picture from our vacation in Destin. Because....for me, the beach/Jesus/my heart all go hand in hand. :)

1. Treasure the wonder

Recapture the wonder of God. What makes you closer to the Kingdom of heaven and to Him?
Vs. 10 tells us that we know the secret things of Him and the Kingdom. Don't you love a good secret?? We will never get to the bottom of this most amazing book. He reveals something fresh, new, and 'just for us' each time we read it. He'll also give more to those who receive.

Let me say that again...

He'll give more to those who receive!!!

The same God who breathes a soul into Adam, can breathe the same breath into us. After all, scripture is God-breathed.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Don't you want to be thoroughly equipped??

She showed us in the original Greek language that thoroughly equipped essentially is saying we are "competently competent" and we CANNOT do our calling without His word.

Lets say that one more time....

We cannot fulfill our calling without His word.

Y'all this is me. I need His word. I knew that when I went to Deeper Still last year in Nashville that He was telling me..."It's time Fran. It is time to hit well below the surface. It's time for you to go 'Deeper Still' with me and let's do this calling together."

I pray that you think about what all this means and look back over the scripture on your own or here on my page. It's so simple, yet so deep, yet so meaningful, and so huge to our life.

I think it's time for us to all know the word. And, I mean really know it. I want that 100-fold blessings don't you??

Ok...a few pix from today in Destin. I just love this place. I'm so happy right now.

Never mind...blogger is not cooperating with pictures. I'll try again tomorrow. Regardless, know that I'm in the word while here...praying for each of you....asking Him to give me what I need to really know the word. I want to be competently competent.

Hugs and blessings~

only 751 more to go

I'm totally kidding...I think.

I probably won't post 751 more times about the Living Proof Live conference in Louisville this weekend, but if you see me sneaking in some "thoughts" on a parable regarding a seed and a sower, its probably related! :)

Let's just say that this weekend was amazing in 401 ways. I met 2 fellow bloggers in REAL LIFE, Brittney (why can't I find your blog and link you like a good friend would?) and Connie, and we worshipped, laughed, hugged, and loved every bit of our time together. It made me sad to leave. I want to be their real life friend all the time.

I did have some other friends from home with me so it was one giant party.

Here we are all together before the event on Saturday. We were on the FRONT ROW, if you haven't heard me scream that from TN, and it was just the coolest.

Meet my darling friends...(I'm in the black top on front)

Here is a picture of my bed that I slept in on Friday night....its a lovely rollaway bed and it had some "wooly" thingy that seemed like a "pee pad" for a child.



Ok...let me share my big word from Friday night....

Go get your Bible and look up Luke 8:8-16 (She had the Message version on the screen and read out of the NIV I think once she began teaching)

This is the parable of the seed and the sower.

The very beginning of Ch. 8 talks about the women there who were graced by God. They had a passion for a ministry they loved. These are women of means. Say that out loud...."A WOMAN OF MEANS!" They were women of substance!!!

This parable is about the people who were exposed to the Word.

We need to increase our confidence and competence in the word of God.

Let's have maximum impact in our daily lives because we know the word of God.

We don't want to just hear the word do we?? We want to truly know the word, retain the word, and have a 100-fold blessing in our life. Pretty impressive promise from God huh?!

More to come...chew on that...read that scripture again and again and we'll put the pieces together on how we can have MAXIMUM IMPACT because we know His word.

Hugs and blessings....

Why did I show you the picture of my bed at the hotel??

A tease

Girls...
Louisville was INCREDIBLE!!! Saturday, we got on the FRONT ROW people! Yes, you read that right. FRONT ROW!!! I totally gave God a shout out for the favor and love through a fellow blogger, Brittany. That sweet girl got to the church at crack o dawn and got us some awesome seating!

I'm off to bed. I'll post pix tomorrow and for the next 752 days I'll share nuggets of the most amazing word from our Mama Siesta!! Ya'll...she was amazing. God was there. It was beautiful and glorious and I could cry just thinking about it.

Hugs and blessings~
Fran

Some of this, some of that

Happy Friday y'all!!!

If you think to look at the time on this post....it's CORRECT!!!

That sweet puppy of ours, Pepper, came pouncing on my face at 5:00 am. And, yes...she is in the bed with me. The other night she fell between the footboard and the mattress. She just whimpered and cried and was practically standing straight up. She moves around alot at night, but she's still so small you can't ever feel her. She apparently got a little close to the edge of the bed!

She's beside me now. She's seriously chomping on some puppy food. Our other dog, Bailey, just looks at her like, "Ummmm....why is your food in my bowl." Don't ask either. The girl loves her big sisters bowl and Bailey is patient and tolerant of it all.

Here is our precious Pepper.....

I think I hear Pepper saying.."Play with me Bailey, play with me!"



And, the answer is...."I don't want to play. I'd rather go sit with that wonderful 'mom' I have!"



I was outside the other night and just kept thinking..."Thank you God for a wonderful week of VBS. Thank you Lord for these children." And, this beautiful sky was right beside me. He said, "It was my absolute pleasure."



I had asked you to pray for a little boy named Christian during VBS. Let me tell you about our Tuesday.

Our VBS is from 9-noon. He was not picked up that day and it was getting to be about 12:10. I was getting worried so I asked this precious 5 yr old little boy if we could call his mom. Now, let me tell you, this darling guy has NEVER been in our church before. I don't know them at all. They didn't come with any other kids. He was a true visitor to our church.

During the this time, Christian was so calm and so sweet. I kept thinking...there was no way my boys would have been so calm at this age if they were the last ones to be picked up. Anyway, we called his sister (he never mentioned mom) and she said "Oh, I'm so sorry. I have been at the Dr. all morning and the paperwork took too long and I'm just now getting my prescription. I'll be right there."

That was fine by me. I just wanted to make sure she wasn't in a car wreck or something and needed some help. Well, it got to be 12:50 and still no sister. So, I called again. I felt bad for calling again, but I did. Our town isn't that big so I was concerned that it was taking that long. She answered her cell phone and started apologizing again and again. She said..."I see the church now. I'm just 2 seconds away. I'll be right there."

Ok. I was just so glad that she was fine because at this point, you start thinking all sorts of crazy things.

She pulled in. She jumped out of the car and quickly met me at the door. She apologized 101 times and then looked at me dead in the eyes, all 17 years old of herself, and said...

"I have cancer. I had my 1st treatment today and it took so much longer than I thought."

My heart melted. I looked at that precious girl and asked what type of cancer she had and she has cancer that comes from HPV. I'm not up on my latest medical info so its either cervical or uterine cancer. She is so young to be going through this. We don't know where the momma is...they never said. Christian told us his daddy died. We don't know if this was recent or awhile ago. They don't have much at all. You can just tell. Their address is in a 'not so good' part of town. My heart kept melting. Is she doing all of this by herself???

I told her I would pray for her and that I would be anxious to see Christian again on Wednesday. That is when she asked me if our church had a shuttle service. Big gulp in my throat. The answer is "No, I'm so sorry. We don't." She told me that she had to get some work done on her car and she couldn't get him to the church. Big gulp in my throat again. I so badly wanted to say...."I'll pick him up. I'll come get him."

I hugged Christian goodbye and said "I'll see you Thursday!"

Oh Lord. Please take care of that family. They need so much Lord. They need so many things. I pray that Christian is safe and ok and will be able to come again on Thursday. I need to see those sad, but hopeful eyes one more time.

Well, he just would not leave my mind on Wednesday since I didn't see him. I just begged God to bring that darling boy back on Thursday.

After I had my morning devotional and prayer with the leaders on the last morning, I was standing out in the lobby area of the church and who do you think comes walking in??? Yes, he did. He was sleepy and half groggy, but my little Christian was here!! Thank you Jesus!!

His sister doesn't look at you much and seems uncomfortable and shy, but she took him upstairs where he needed to be. Then, our day began. And, Christian had one more day to be loved on and fed with the word of Jesus and His love.

The end of our day rolled around and we had all finished up in the gym with some pie throwing fun. The group that collected the most food items, for a ministry that feeds hungry children, was able to throw pies in the faces of two of our interns. How fun is that???!!! Not me....them!! :)

I saw Christian having fun, smiling, and taking every aspect of it in. His sister was there with her boyfriend watching too. She would smile every now and then. It came time to leave and I found Christian and hugged on him and told him I'm soooooo glad you came to VBS this year. He just grinned back and said nothing. I wished him luck in kindergarten and that was it.

The sister told me that her treatment is once a week. I told her that I would be praying for her. I don't know how she felt about that, but it was the honest truth. They walked out of our church and I knew right then that I may never see that child again. My heart melted again.

He had shown me all his "super powers" on Tuesday afternoon and I got to see the heart of a typical 5 yr old little boy. Everything about Christian is typical in being a 5 yr old, but everything about Christian is not typical in being a 5 yr old.

I'm not sure where his mom is. I'm not sure how recently his dad died. I'm not sure about anything in his home life. I just know that this sister needed a place for her brother to go for a few days and she chose our church. My heart melted. We could be so many things for them this week and it was a true joy and honor to meet that precious boy and his sister.

I'll always be praying for them. They are forever in my heart. It goes to show that you never know what is going on in a families home and in their lives. Whether you have known them for 5 minutes or 5 years, we should love them all the same. No judging. Nothing but love.

I'm mentally worn out after the week. So, I think I'll take a little trip North. Maybe go see this woman....

Yep. You guessed it!!! I'm heading to Louisville KY with some favorite gal pals and even meeting a couple of fellow Siestas!!! How cool is this??? Time for me to soak it all up!

God is everything to me. He taught me so much this week. Stay with Him girls. Stay in His word! I hope you have a fabulous weekend. I'm praying for you!

Hugs and blessings~