Seriously....the love I have for this blog community is really indescribable. Y'all encourage me, teach me, make me laugh, make me cry, make me seek Him more, and make me so glad I started this crazy thing ONE YEAR AGO!!!!!
Oh, yes. Today is my blogaversary. One year ago, I birthed, "Blessed by Him." And, it has been the best ride.....thanks to each one of you.
I have real friends here. I am so blessed in so many ways and you are a part of His blessings over my life.
Well, what should we do to celebrate the big day???
Throw a party ??? (I so would if we could all get together)
Wish I could send you video greetings, but I can't (camcorder dead)
Well, I think I'll just list a bunch of off the wall, crazy stuff "about me" for you to get to know me a little more. And....no, it won't be a 100 things. I'm not patient enough to think that through!
1. I'm sitting here in hotel room in Atlanta. Braves game last night. Braves lost. Boo Braves!
2. My middle son, who is only 10, is on his 1st away from home trip with friends.....Destin no less.
3. My hubs and I will celebrate 14 yrs of marriage the day before I head to SA for the Siesta Fiesta.
4. My oldest turns 12 this month. WHAT??? EXCUSE ME??? No way!
5. I absolutely love my coffee first thing in the morning....and then any time thereafter is good too. Addiction was always a problem for me.
6. I grew up in the church but did not know Jesus until I was 26 yrs old.
7. I had my 1st two boys 15 months apart.
8. God grabbed me then because I might have lost my mind that 1st year.
9. Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis TN turned my life around and introduced me to HIM through a Moms Bible study. I was amazed, in awe, and in love before I could articulate it.
10. I'm in a season of life with Him that I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing. I love my job at the church, but wonder if I should be doing more.
11. I'm crazy about kids and women studying God.
12. My favorite color is orange!
13. My favorite thing to do with women is laugh, encourage one another, and do Bible study together!
14. My husband and I are both tall. He's 6'2 and I'm 5'9 so we have 3 tall boys.
15. My youngest son makes me laugh all day long. And, he has the coolest hair around.
16. God broke me of anger and short temper issues. PRAISE HIM! It is an ugly thing.
17. I absolutely love our dog, Bailey. She is a miniature schnauzer and is at the puppy hotel while we are gone. :(
18. I love good food.
19. However, my entire family so dern picky. Makes it very hard to feed them.
20. I got some new pj's the other day. I love them and want to wear them all day long.
21. I could spend HOURS in Lifeway.
22. Wish I would read more. I have this thing about sitting down and feeling like I should be up doing something.
23. Want to read "The Shack."
24. Love mint chocolate chip ice cream. Reminds me of being a kid.
25. 20th HS reunion is in October. DON'T WANT TO GO! And, I really don't think I am going to be able too.
26. We ordered room service for the 1st time with kids last night. You would have thought we said we are going to Disney World as soon as we leave here.
27. My heart breaks for the homeless, hungry, and hurt world.
28. I want to make a difference in the life of someone else. Someone did that for me and I came to know the real Jesus.
29. I miss Bible study. I've been gone for 2 weeks with baseball and I feel LOST.
30. I have to wash my face before bed. Actually, I have to be clean before bed.
31. This coffee from the hotel is not nearly as good as mine at home.
32. THATS IT!!!
Have a great day. Not in church today because of being out of town. Feeling kind of funny.
Praying for each of you today.
hugs and blessings~
Fran
Sunday, July 6, 2008
I could not have imagined....
Monday, March 3, 2008
This is not about a show or person....its the concept.
Did you happen to see this show last night???
I cried like a big ole 38 yr old baby. And, loved every bit of it. Thank goodness I missed "Extreme Home Makeover--Home Edition" because I'm pretty sure I would have been completely wiped out by the end of both of those shows.
God wired me with a heart of compassion for helping others, for truly caring deeply about others, for wanting good things for everyone, for hurting when others hurt, for rejoicing when others rejoice. That can be good and it can also be too much sometimes.
Like last night for example.....I wanted to call Oprah and tell her to sign me up and let me help them. I WANT TO HELP THESE PEOPLE!! I WANT ON THE BIG GIVE!!!
If you didn't get to see the show last night....please watch it next Sunday at 8pm central.
It was absolutely beautiful.....regardless of people getting "kicked off" or maybe "eliminated" is a better word. These people were helping change the lives of other people.
Y'all....that is who we are.
That is what we are called to do.
That is what Jesus expects us to do.
It IS better to give than to receive.
We are supposed to help our fellow man.
Ecclesiastes 4:10 has been something I've been talking and teaching to our children at church about. And....its so very simple.....if someone falls down, we are supposed to pick them up.
Falling down can look like 101 different ways.
I hope that you are intentionally working for God's kingdom every single day. What are you doing today that will make an eternal difference in the life of someone else???
Its a big question. What are you doing to make an eternal difference in the life of someone else??
I can get so caught up in just every day life and totally miss opportunities to make a difference.
Give Big to God's Kingdom people!!!
It's a blast when we do it!!! No matter the deed....we will sow what we reap. And, personally, I want a GIANT harvest for Him. (Gal 6:7)
I love you Jesus. Show me ways to help others today. I want to make a difference for you!
I want to Give Big for YOU!!!!
Deut. 15:10"Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you do."
Blessings dear ones~
Friday, February 29, 2008
Yeah baby its Friday!!
Friday, February 8, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
The devastation is devastating....
This is an arial view of Union University's dorms.....devastating.
How do I thank you for the prayers?? My heart is so tendered by your true care and concern for Jackson and the destruction that took place Tuesday night from the tornadoes.
Please continue to pray for daily recovery and clean up efforts. I have taken a garbage bag filled with clothes that a family threw together as they stood in the night after the tornado. Their home is GONE......gone completely. They have the clothes on their backs. They managed to find random things and put in these garbage bags.
Myself and others are washing the clothes for them, but we are also finding cards, pictures, etc that are so personal for this family inside the garbage bags. I have just cried each time I see this family's pictures and their personal belongings and realize that their life is completely upside down.
Our things are just things.....oxygen breathing life is life. Noone was killed or injured in this one particular family. But sometimes the "things" that we hold so dear are so dear to us........cards from your children, letters from your spouse, pictures of your life together as a family......sports, birthdays, weddings, births. This is important to each of us. I hold a small part of this family in my house that they probably don't even realize I have! Daddy will be thrilled that I found his hunting license! :)
Life will go on.....we come together as the body of Christ and extend the hand. We do so because we want to and it is who we are. God will bless these families and our community in a great big glorious God kind of way. He just will.
Keep praying friends. My heart is grateful and full of love for His people right now.
Blessings and peace with you today~
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Things can change in a matter of a minute
Hey sweet friends....
Would you please pray for my community as we have endured horrific damage from tornados last night?
Our home was spared. We did have baseball size hail, but in comparison to those that we know that have lost EVERYTHING......we are just fine.
So, please pray for this area of West TN and ask God's people to come together in such a force to help rebuild lives that are just shattered right now.
He is our refuge in times of need. I praise Him even in these storms. I thank you for your prayers and your sweet hearts for the body of Christ.
Blessings~
Saturday, February 2, 2008
All dressed up....
We had a big party to go to last night and we got dressed up people!!! Hubs is in a tux girls and isn't he the cutest thing ever???!!!
My boys were like "Mom....we've never seen you like this before?!" Um....no they haven't.
It was fun and I thought I'd share this once every 14 yrs event of being all dressed up.
We had fun. Have a wonderful weekend. Enjoy those families. We are blessed.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
It was just so sweet for me......
Let me just say that God was there for ME this weekend! He was there to meet with me and 65 other ladies from church and speak something so personal over our lives. It was our first overnight retreat for the women of our church. I was so excited. And, I was scared to death.
But, He held me in His hand. He spoke such peace over me before I spoke. That came completely from Him bc I was truly shaking at one point and thinking "how in the world am I going to get through this?" He even gave me complete joy while I shared my testimony of how God settled this wild buck down and changed her heart completely.
It was scary to think of me exposing a part of my life that I had not shared with many people at all. And, when I say "many" I think 2 people know the full deal history of where I had been and how He truly saved my life.
So, to get up there in front of 65 of "your church girls" and expose so much.......almost had me throwing up in the ladies room! What if.....
they don't like me any more?
they don't see what I'm trying to offer?
they miss the whole point of what I was hoping to share?
But, I believe with all my heart that God showed up in His glorious way and truly gave me the story to tell at that given moment. He was present with me. He was felt so deep within my heart. It was like He just placed His arm around me and said..."Go on and spread the Good News.....that is what I have called you to do right at this moment."
And...it was time to begin. But, 1st a prayer from my precious prayer partner, Carolyn. Of course I got teary-eyed. We have prayed 100 times together. We've spiritually grown together. We've experienced signifcant growth in our passion for Jesus. There was not a better person to pray for me. Thank you Carolyn. May His mighty hand continue to guide and strengthen you! I hope you have many "Carolyn's" in your life.
I did my thing and honestly I don't know what I said. I followed my notes, but added in a whole bunch of stuff that probably made our retreat leader very nervous. :) You know, the whole time issue thing that they want to follow! But, I went exactly where my Savior took me for that amount of time and I loved the laughter, the reflections, the scriptures that mean so much to me now, and believing that God spoke hope and encouragement to at least one woman in that room.
I give Him all the glory and praise for the work He does in my daily life. I give Him such praise for the Resurrection Jesus that He is. I am in awe of what He did in my life. He is utterly amazing to me how He can change hearts and lives COMPLETELY AROUND!
He was there this weekend. I thank you for your prayers. My sweet friends here at home, my best girls here in blogworld, and our sweet Heavenly Father held me up. I'm overflowing with love and gratitude for you all. Truly. I'm different through Him and through you.
A few pix with some of the girls.....and, you never take as many pix as you would like. Oh well. You can look around the website of where we were here. Talk about an amazing Christian camp for kids. Truly amazing. Thank you Victory Ranch. I wish I could go work there. :)
We had a blast hanging out together. I laughed so hard I cried at times. I loved being with some new friends and my old friends. I loved experiencing God in very different and personal ways at one time. I can't wait for next year!! I had a complete blast with y'all. It went by way too quick.
And, to my church girls....I smiled over you and gave thanks for you as I fixed my cereal tonight and waited on my electric blanket to warm up! (wink wink)
Have a great time with God in ALL things. He blesses me beyond words.
Friday, January 25, 2008
I'm so excited I might throw up!
Thank you Patty for starting this wonderful time of reflection each Friday. Ok, now......
How's that for a "what she gonna talk about" title?! But, its the truth and let me share!
You see, I'm an anxious person by nature. I don't worry about everything, but I know how to worry about some stuff. In this particular case, if God has called me to do something and it's completely out of my "norm" with Him.....then I'll do it bc I'm quick to obey, but the process with Him can get me so worked up.....
I MIGHT THROW UP!
I'll wrestle with Him in my Spirit and go round and round with feelings of inadequacy and "I can't do this Lord" that I'm sure He's just stomping His Holy foot saying "YES YOU CAN! WORK WITH ME FRAN!" Finally, I break my will and we settle into this groove.
My home church is having its 1st ever over-night womens retreat at Victory Ranch and I was asked to be one of the speakers. Well, 4 months ago it was all great and fun and exciting. But, then I went through that spell of "I can't do this Lord" and now we have finally settled into a groove of peace, love, gratitude, and just pure joy to be with Him and my friends this weekend. I do believe I'm prepared to step out of my norm this weekend.
Now, I will be nervous. I will. But, its more of an excited nervous. My sweet friend, Teresa, "AKA Anonymous" in blogworld, and my dear friend Stephanie have been praying for me and with me. The power of prayer and friendship is powerful people!!! I have seen, heard, and felt God through these women. He has shown Himself through my friend friends (the non-imaginary type) and I don't think I will throw up! HALLELUJAH! That would be awful people.
I thank all of you who have commented and prayed for me. You are all the real deal girls and I cannot wait to spend eternity with each of you.
Pray for our retreat this weekend. It's called "Holding Fast in the Fast Lane!" We want to recover our life and be with Him and His restoration power. Our scripture is Matthew 11:28-30 out of the Message.
I'm humbled before Him today. I have an overflowing heart for Him today. I cannot wait to see what He has to show me while I'm gone.
Thank you for the prayers. He's utterly amazing.
Blessings~
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
The house!
Ok, you sweet bloggy friends....y'all have asked for pix of the new house and I'll share these with you. Please keep in mind, we aren't completely settled but we are absolutely in love with this new home. I have prayed hard in this home. I have prayed that it be the place where we "remember our memories" and where my boys will remember "growing with Jesus." So.....
the kitchen as you come through the back door....
this fun little area in the kitchen....
The den....this is where we hang out....with the infamous tv that we had a moment of silence for. ESPN never looked so good for these boys! Or looks like Disney is on now.
The living room....we'll never use it....we do when we have a lot of people over.
the holiday room....i mean dining room....and, use your imagination...
Y'all this is my favorite!! The view from the backyard and patio where I'll have my time with the Lord everyday!!!
I think you get the idea of our new home. I did take pix of my bedroom but then that felt weird so "no go" with that. :)
Have a wonderful day friends! I know we all feel the same way about this crazy thing called blog friendship, but y'all are truly dear friends and I wish you could just come over and we could all just talk and laugh and talk and laugh. I guess we'll have to wait til August huh?!
Blessings~
Friday, January 11, 2008
God Stop Friday!
Well, our sweet bloggy friend, Patty, has started this and I absolutly love sharing what God has shown me, taught me, revealed to me! This was a sweet one for me. I went to visit a little girl in the hospital yesterday and she has been so sick. This has been several weeks long and beginning to make me very anxious for this family. I literally could not imagine the fear that they had felt. I cannot begin to get my mind around the prayers that have been lifted for this sweet child and her family. It was really just beautiful to think about, even in the midst of such uncertainty. The body of Christ can come together in some HUGE powerful ways when someone is in need.
Well, Wednesday morning, a prayer group had been praying for this child and for her healing. And, y'all I'm talking, BIG healing. Miracle healing. When the group was praying for her, she got up and went to the cafeteria and began to eat her breakfast. THIS WAS HUGE PEOPLE! This was her healing and her turning the corner. HALLELUJAH!She will be completely healed and restored. She just will. I saw her with my own two eyes yesterday and the progress that has been made in one week......well, its prayer. And, its God doing His glorious thing in the lives of this family and many, many others.
Don't ever minimize prayer. You pray and you pray hard. He's a glorious God! Thank you Jesus for your power. And, your unfailing love. You are just amazing!
Blessings~
Saturday, January 5, 2008
And, I say.....
Oh girls!!
Your prayers for this move are carrying me every second of every minute right now!
Can I say peace?! I have had such peace and strength that I cannot thank you enough for lifting me up! I give God the glory for carrying me! I just love Him.
Bless you sweet friends. I'll post some pictures in a few days.....or not, that might seem kinda weird. I will post a pic though of my hubs new flat screen on the wall though.....we just kind of stared at it while it sat on the floor fresh from the box! :) It was a moment to behold!
I love y'all. We are doing well. I've missed reading your blogs and will catch up soon. I was completely overwhelmed with love and gratitude for your prayers this weekend.
Joshua 24:15 "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
Blessings my friends~
Monday, December 10, 2007
December pictures and some randomness
I am going to share some complete randomness with you today that includes some favorite pictures and scriptures. I hope this will bless you as you have stopped by to read what I have to say.....And, let me start with my Christmas card scripture from this year that is powerpacked in one beautiful sentence....
John 1:14 says, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."
WOW! That is huge, and beautiful, and very cool. I can't get my mind around what the Father has done for each of us. I love you Jesus! Happy Birthday my Savior!
Now, onto some randomness and I hope it brings you Christmas cheer as you may feel crunch time, overwhelmed, stressed, sad, depressed, or frustrated. May His presence come in and do things that only our Savior can do.
A few days ago I wrote about my 3rd sons birthday and wrote that he is complete joy to our family. I found this scripture and it blessed me as I thought about my Dylan and I pray it blesses you if you have children..
Psalm 23:25, "May your father and mother rejoice, may she who gave you birth be joyful." Dylan, I rejoice over you, sweet one.
Ok, now onto the other December birthday we have....my hubs!! His birthday is 4 days after Dylan's. And December birthdays are really difficult by the way. So, if you are planning a baby...try November or January. I almost forgot hubs! I wish y'all could have seen my kitchen the day of his birthday....I was cooking up a storm for dinner and even did a giant brownie birthday cake because thats the one thing we all love....ovens were smokin and I was a little frantic...those of you that know me, know that cooking dinner AND a birthday brownie cake is requiring a lot of me.
But, you do it out of love for your family. And, I'm thankful for my family.
Psalm 95:2, "Let us come before him with thanksgiving...."
Also in that same week of 2 birthdays, was our annual Christmas parade. Well, our church does something very cool, I think. We have a hot chocolate station and we pass out free hot chocolate to anyone and everyone. It is a beautiful act of love and kindness to share with others. We simply say, "Have a very merry Christmas."
It was so much fun. It gives me complete joy to give to others....even a cup of hot chocolate. And, then to see some of our own precious children pour and serve to others. That brings a tear to this eye! So, here we are.
Ephesians 6:7, "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people..." 
Me and hubs at the parade!
I just love this family right here...oh, do they have a fabulous testimony!
And finally, my dear friend Carolyn and I rode to Victory Ranch which is just north of where we live. Victory Ranch is a christian camp in the Summer for kids but during the winter season they do all sorts of things. This January, this is where our church is having its first ever overnight retreat for women! I am beyond excited! Whenever I have gone to an overnight retreat, I'm changed for life. I desperately want all the women from church to come. I want them to come get away with Jesus. I am praying for God to make a path for them to come. It's hard for us mommas to get away. He will bless the socks off us though. Because thats what Jesus does when we gather together in His name! So, these are some pix that I took of that day. I can't wait. And, for all you prayer warrior friends out there who are outside of TN, would you please pray for the event? Thank ya!
I want to be a Proverbs 31 woman. And, I need time away with Jesus to accomplish this. 
Yes, this is a buffalo. There are many to greet you when you enter in the Ranch. 
This is where we get fed! How cool is this?!
And, then it was time to go. See ya in January Victory Ranch! I just love the name.
It makes me want to spell it out...V-I-C-T-O-R-Y
Psalm 60:12, "With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies." You go God! You trample down anything that is not of you in my life!
Bye, Victory Ranch.
If you are in need of some hope right now, this is one of my absolute favorites:
Romans 15:13, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
God is awesome. He can do things we cannot do on our own. Give Him everything. Trust Him with everything. He's in the business of hope, love, peace, healing, joy, salvation, restoration, grace, mercy and a million other things.
May God's presence and love be more real to you than you have ever experienced.
Merry Christmas~
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Remember, I'm all about gratitude this month
I hope you won't be sick of hearing all the things I'm thankful for! And I have a feeling as fun and easy as this is now, it might be a little tough as we get to the end of November. I sure hope this doesn't get old or too hard, but it sure is possible. HA! And, it may not stay in the real meaningful stuff either. I could be writing posts about how much I love and am thankful for McDonalds french fries and Starbucks (not together)....and that's not what I want to do! Meaningful, Fran, meaningful!
Ok, I feel like since I started the month by writing about my PRECIOUS CHILDREN (see below) then I should follow up with my even more PRECIOUS-ER HUSBAND! He would love that I used the word "precious" as an adjective to describe him. But, he is deeply precious to me. Let me say that he is most handsome and full of such wisdom and grace. Yes, a manly man can be filled with grace. And also a great, big, kind heart. Oh, how I love who he is and how he ticks. For keeping this somewhat interesting and not bore you to tears by reading about someone you may not even know.....LET'S DO THE LIST!!!
5 Reasons in random order why I love my man and am forever grateful for him:
1. He knows that we shouldn't talk too much in the morning...we just kinda say "have a good day, see ya later, bye" and get to the coffee which is way more important at the moment! I fill up, he leaves. Have a good day, honey. I love you.
I can then call him an hour later and we will just talk, talk, talk. Caffeine is good for our marriage.
2. He doesn't think I'm crazy over the fact that I am SOOOOO cold natured and my body completely aches when it gets below 50 degrees and I'm whiny and wishing that Summer was back. He just listens and then probably calls me things like "Grandma or crazy" when I'm not looking. And, maybe rolls his eyes too. So high maintenance, I can be, when it gets cold. He's already had to put the heating blanket on our bed. Ya know, the one that only heats one side. Sad, I know.
3. He is completely generous with his gifts to me and our children. He gets this from his dad. He watched his father be so kind to his mother when it came time for holidays and birthdays. He will go "all-out" for me and I think he really enjoys being able to do that and see me ooooh and aaaaah over the gift. He really does have the concept down of "It is better to give than receive." You don't ever have to wonder if he'll remember or if he'll come through with a good birthday or anniversary present. I love that. But, even better, he will give anything to anyone to help them out. "It is better to give than to receive." Again...he's got it.
4. He is the BEST, BEST, BEST daddy to these 3 boys we have. He will go all out for them too. And I'm not talking "stuff." He will coach, work on, encourage, help, teach, show them anything they are doing and working on or learning. He is completely patient with them and will spend HOURS with them. I'm done after 5 minutes. He's much better at this than I am. I have him beat on helping with school though, but everything else, he rocks! Go, dad, go!
5. He is the head of our household and sets such a beautiful example of someone who pursues the Lord, loves his family, works with integrity and excellence in all things. He is a magnificent man to have at the head of our family. God put him in my path at the most perfect, beautiful time. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was the one. He is gentle, kind, fun, funny, and so easy to be around. He can hang with anyone. I just love him so.
"Thank you, Jesus, for bringing Chip into my life. He is most dear to me and my heart and my life. I pray that I can show him and tell him how grateful I am for him. The gifts he brings to this family are immeasurable. He is everything and more. I thank you for him. Bless him, bless our family. We give you all the glory for the work you do in our family. It is You whom we serve. Thank you, Jesus, for this man in my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen!"
And here's a picture of my darling guy with one of the boys..... 
Thank you for reading about the most amazing man I know. He's pretty cool. Give thanks today for that someone you love!
Blessings~
Fran
