I am going to live Rejoicing!

My weekend plans were a bit spoiled by Tropical Storm Beryl. I did make these Kale Chips and enjoyed them while watching one of my all time favorite movies, Secretariat!

Here's part of what makes it one of my favorites!

What's your favorite rainy day movie?

In my own little world...

...it hardly ever rains!

But lately, it seems everyday is a tropical depression! If you've had a conversation with me in the last three weeks, I'm pretty certain I have mentioned Satan's attack on my life. But this is not about the devil. This is about me! Well not exactly, but I wish it was...

You see, the past three weeks I've just wanted to give up. Give up on my job, my church, my youth group, my business, some of my friends, most of my family and just stop, stop everything that I've been doing. Whoa! Did I just say that out loud? Well, the scary thing is, my husband said the same thing yesterday morning. Now if you know either of us, you are probably already thinking, "give up? you don't have that in you". Well the truth is, that's the truth! We aren't built that way and neither are you!

After this Sunday morning conversation with my husband about "giving up", we plugged in a Joyce Meyer CD series called "I am Determined!" on the way to church. The next four days continued to be a challenge. Then the craziest thing happened. Here's the short version:

Coming out of a committee meeting at church, my pastor and I noticed someone walking down the road. It was around 8:45 pm, so it was dark. We hung around in the parking lot chatting and suddenly heard a very loud banging sound. "BANG! BANG!" The person we saw walking was trying to break out my car window with the two of us standing 100 feet away! I was livid! For the next hour, we dealt with K-9 officers, police reports, the whole shebang! Before it was over, we were laughing about it, but I still felt violated.

The weird thing was that the next day, I woke up relieved. The weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders. I can't explain it, but its as if that one final attack from Satan was the deciding factor for me. You see he banged and banged on my window and it never broke. The door is bent and the window is scratched but the "barrier" never broke!

For weeks Satan banged and banged on my life, I was bent and scratched, but I never gave up!

Joyce Meyer said, "People who are called to greatness meet great challenges. He (God) never promised us it would be easy. In fact, He guarantees us adversities in His Word. He also promises to be with us through difficulties, to fight on our behalf, to strengthen us to overcome any obstacle we confront, and to give us the ability to overcome them under one condition— that we never give up."

In my own little world, it hardly ever rains,
I’ve never gone hungry, always felt safe
I got some money in my pocket, shoes on my feet
In my own little world
Population: me

Truth is, it's not about ME!!

Catching Up: Mission 2 Honduras...

...I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. - Ephesians 3:7

I have been thinking for weeks what this post would be like and its just so much to wrap my head (and my heart) around.

It's so hard to describe a trip like this where people will really get a sense of what it was like.

Imagine 20 or more women and a few fellas aging from sixteen to sixty-something, teachers, students, homemakers, accountants, clerical administrators, business owners, all joined together by the bond of Christ, in a land where very few of us knew the spoken language.

A land with little electricity and no indoor plumbing.

A land with few paved roads.

Imagine communicating solely through the love of Christ.

Imagine a land where the people love one another above all else and are hungry, starving for the message of hope, love, peace and redemption that you are carrying in your heart.

Imagine having the opportunity to give a child who came to school with no shoes on her feet not just one pair of new shoes, but two.

Imagine a land where the husband labors in the fields all day for about five dollars or less a day, the wife cooks a simple meal from scratch on an open fire and does the laundry out back with a wash board, and the children wander the mountainsides, sometimes miles to and from school on their own.

Imagine hearing a young girl, 10 or 11 years old say, "thank you for showing us attention and making us feel special".

Imagine seeing a young man, 16 or 17 stopped on the side of the road reading the Bible you just gave him.

Imagine knowing that even though you have lived all of your life in sin, God would give you this blessing and use you to build His Kingdom!!

This trip was all of these things and so much more....

"Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ" -- Ephesians 3:8

Independence...

...what does it mean to you?

This is one of my favorite holidays. Summertime is here in full force, which I love, high temps and all! My favorite thing about the 4th, of course the fireworks!! I just can't miss them, its simply not an option. I hope to share with you sometime this weekend a childhood memory of how I did miss the fireworks once and was scarred for life.

Fireworks are just a great symbol of patriotism to me. When I see them, I am immediately reminded of the National Anthem, "the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there."

The 4th is also a time when I think about our freedoms and independence. The greatest freedom we have is the freedom to worship our God. In this great country, and yes it is great, I can leave home and travel to a church to praise and worship my Heavenly Father anywhere, anytime. I can tell others of my faith in Him, publicly, even on Facebook, I can share my beliefs on the clothes I wear, my jewelry, with a fish on my car and a cross on the rear-view mirror, all with no fear of being persecuted by my government.

This year in particular, I recognize that it is to our soldiers that I owe this freedom. They are in other countries, countries where Christians are persecuted and killed, fighting for my independence, my freedoms, the greatest of which is to worship and praise my Savior.

To all soldiers and veterans, I say thank you. Thank you for giving me and everyone of us the freedom to know and worship the Almighty Creator.

I'm excited that I will attend a festival to honor Veterans this weekend as I pursue the "American Dream", yet another great thing about this country. My friends and new business partners at Anytime Fitness in Starke invited me to be a part of their booth at the VetFest Musicfest in Waldo this weekend! I can't think of a better way to celebrate my independence, helping my friends as they, too, pursue the "American Dream" and helping others find or regain their health through nutrition and exercise! Together we are going to lower the obesity rate in Starke and surrounding areas!

The Vet Fest Musicfest will be held on July 2-3, 2010 at the Classic Cafe and Dixieland Music Park in Waldo, FL (Friday starting at 2 pm and Saturday starting at 10 am and lasting till 11:30 pm both nights! There will be 2 full days of Live Entertainment, Food and Drinks, Fun, and so much more. Don't miss this amazing time. Proceeds will benefit the Major Alan Rogers Scholarship Fund at the Santa Fe Community College. Major Alan Rogers was a classmate of my husbands.

Anytime will be offering some amazing pre-opening deals at the festival:

No registration fee

Your choice of either FREE months at the end of your membership agreement
Or
Unlimited FREE tanning for the duration of your membership agreement

The membership agreements are either 12 months or 18 months.

If you go with the 12 months membership then you get 2 FREE months at the end of the term.

If you go with the 18 months membership then you get 4 FREE months at the end of the term.

Also, the first 100 members will get a FREE Anytime Fitness T-shirt.

So come out and support our veterans, enjoy some great live music, and stop by to see us!

Attitude is a decision...

...rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; - Romans 12:12 (NKJV)

We've all heard it before, "Attitude is everything"; "Your attitude determines your altitude".

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the word "attitude" means "an internal position or feeling with regard to something else." Other words often used as synonyms are: "disposition, feeling, mood, opinion, sentiment, temper, tone, perspective, frame of mind, outlook, view, or morale."

I found this article from Dr. Ellen Duke in my Inbox recently:

Choose Your Attitude

Although we don't yet fully understand the mind/body connection, we do know that a positive attitude can:

• Help improve mood, self-esteem and sense of well-being

• Decrease depression, anxiety and hostility

• Lessen pain and other bodily symptoms

• Speed recovery

• Enhance immune function

• Extend longevity

We also know that to a great extent, our attitude is determined by how we decide to think about events. This "self-talk," whether positive or negative, is so powerful that it determines not just our emotions, but the condition of our physical and mental well-being as well.

Three simple action steps to help optimize your emotional health:

1. Acknowledge that you're in control. The great thing about your attitude is that it's yours. You cannot control what others say or do, but you can control how you react to it. Simply put, no one can put you in a bad mood unless you give them permission!

2. Be thankful. Put things in perspective. You are alive, something that billions of those before us cannot say. You have food, shelter and safety. Something that millions alive today do not enjoy. Appreciate your countless blessings!

3. Don't worry about the small stuff. Remember what's important, and ignore the little things. Focus on the larger picture and you'll find less frustration in your daily interactions with others. The things that matter most are your health and happiness and your family's health and happiness.

This prompted me to wonder what the Bible says about attitude, as I believe the Bible is the best and most trustworthy "self-help" book available to us all! I think Dr. Dale A. Robbins sums it up best in his article, "Check Your Attitude":

How To Develop Good Attitudes

1. Identify and Repent of Bad Attitudes

Acts 8:22 "Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you."

2. Submit Your Attitudes to God

Bring your attitudes into obedience to God’s Word. Apply discipline to your thought life — submit your thoughts to those of Christ’s. A good attitude is a matter of faith, disregarding your feelings, with a determination to embrace God’s outlook and disposition.

2 Corinthians 10:5 "casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..."

3. Equip And Feed Your Attitudes

Dwell on the things that God’s word tells us to — those good and virtuous things. If you dwell on the negative, your attitude will reflect the same.

Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy; meditate on these things."

Now, one of the best attitude quotes I've read recently, "When life gives you lemons, throw them back and demand chocolate!" Now, that's attitude!

Go out and make it great day, because, yes, the day is what you make it! may God bless you all!

10 Principles of Prosperity

Last night, I witnessed what I consider to be one of the greatest honors in my lifetime. Our oldest daughter was baptized! I can just imagine the joy and a host of angels singing in heaven, rejoicing that another soul has been dedicated to our Lord! I can remember the feeling of relief and security I, myself, felt at the time of my own baptism and I am overjoyed that she is now feeling these same things! She will be on a journey of joy, but it will not be unclouded by temptation from Satan. It may be that he chooses to work harder in her life now than ever before, but now she has the power & the authority of Jesus Christ as her weapon! Praise God!

I wanted to share part of the sermon that the minister shared last night because it was a great message. He pointed out that we all struggle with some form of addiction, maybe we don't see it as such, but do all have something that adversely affects us. Consider this as the definition for addiction and I believe you will be able to point out at least one in your life:

"An addiction is a persistent behavioral pattern marked by physical and/or psychological dependency and tolerance that causes significant disruption and negatively impacts the quality of life"

The 10 Principles of Prosperity

Understanding the 10 principles of prosperity and applying them to your life are the first steps in your recovery from addiction.

1. If God’s against it, so am I.

• Galatians 5:19-24

2. Every sin has its origin in your heart.

• Jeremiah 17:9; Proverbs 4:23; Romans 13:14

3. It is easier to keep the heart clean than it is to clean it after it has been defiled.

• Proverbs 22:3; Proverbs 6:27-28

4. You cannot fight a fleshly appetite by indulging in it.

• Ecclesiastes 5:10; James 1:14-15

5. Small compromises lead to great disasters.

• Luke 16:10; Matthew 6:24; Romans 6:16

6. Those who do not love the Lord will not help us serve the Lord.

• John 5:18-20; Proverbs 25:15-16

7. Our sinful habits do hurt those who follow us.

• Romans 14:7; 1 Corinthians 10:23, 24

8. It is not possible to fight a fleshly temptation with fleshly weapons.

• II Corinthians 10:3-5; I John 4:4

9. We lose our freedom to choose when we give in to temptation. The consequences of our choices are inevitable, incalculable, and up to God.

• Proverbs 5:22; Proverbs 20:17; Proverbs 9:17-18

10. God balances guilt with blame. Accept the blame for your actions, and God will remove the guilt.

• John 1:9

My life has been touched by addiction in many ways, my own and those of loved ones. You can be delivered from these strongholds in your life. Prayer is a powerful thing and that's where it starts.

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Resources found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction and http://www.ruhammond.com/_mgxroot/page_10766.html

They call me Mimi...

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. - Psalm 127:3-4

In case you didn't know I'm a Mimi! Yes that's right a 34 year old "grandmother"! Yes, it's just barely possible, but this is just one of the many joys brought into my life by my amazing husband and "our" children.

The children that call me "Mimi" are a true blessing from God. I love all three of them more than I would have ever dreamed possible. There's just nothing sweeter than hearing, "Thank you for dinner Mimi!" "I love you too Mimi!" "Mimi, you are beautiful!"

Meet my sweet babies:

"I love you best.
I love you most.
I love you high.
I love you low.
I love you deep.
I love you wide.
I LOVE YOU THIS MUCH!"


"I love you this much" by:Lynn Hodges & Sue Buchanan