The Plan I Have For You

Today I would like to introduce to you a very special guest blogger, Paige Barnes.  Paige is my cousin by blood and my sister in Christ.  I had asked her to share on my blog several weeks ago, and when God gave her the words to say, it was the same subject I was preparing to write about myself.  So enjoy her post, and then check out her blog for more!  Thank you, Paige for sharing. Sucker Punched  By: Paige Barnes Realizing that you have not been truly obedient to God is like a  sucker punch to the gut.  It's like you think you are making progress, and then God speaks to you. And this time you can hear him because you are  really  listening.  And He tells you that you are not being completely obedient to him. You are partially obedient, but that is not enough. He has called you to more. He asks for and is due complete obedience. It's not because God is greedy and needs it, but He desires for me to be his pure and spotless bride. H...

My blog has been silent for a couple of weeks.  I've spent a lot of time listening, intensely, to the call God placed on my heart more than two years ago.  Until now I have been able to shove it neatly back into that corner, waiting on this huge opportunity for everything to fall perfectly into place as I wanted it to happen. God has called our family to make changes this year.  We started off looking at a relocation, to make things logistically easier.  Instead change has been about awakening our very complacent spiritual souls and reviving the heart of our family.  We have been so guilty of "going through the motions" of life, living by a checklist of what needs to be done, then falling into bed exhausted at the end of the day with nothing left to give. I have been so incredibly blessed with a job that has fed my passionate desire to help people.  Its been an honor to know that every day I worked, I made a difference in the lives of people acro...

Back to school means shopping for new supplies.  Its always been a favorite time of year for my daughter.  As soon as the list comes out, she is begging for her trip to the store.  She carefully considers each item before making her selection. We were ecstatic to be chosen to review Dayspring's line of Back to School Supplies.  For me, it is an opportunity to send my kids to school with a little reminder of God's love while they are surrounded with the great big world.  For my children, they have cool school supplies that make a statement. We received the "Forever is in my Future" and "Jesus is my BFF" set.  As soon as the box was opened, the binders, folders and composition notebooks immediately disappeared straight to my daughter's backpack.  She was kind enough to share one of the notebooks with me. Her favorite thing?  The encouragement that comes from them.  The composition notebook has a cover full of scriptures and one line en...

I am honored to serve as a guest post for Candice at Lilly Through The Valley today.  Please visit her blog at http://lillythroughthevalley.blogspot.com/.   Candice is a mother to a special needs child, a Proverbs 31 wife, and writes a great Christian inspirational blog.  The great big internet makes it possible for small town moms to share the message of Jesus all across the world!  The more people who see our blogs, the more lives we can change.  If you enjoy what you are reading, please share it with a friend who may need it. Feel free to message any prayer requests you have on my Facebook Page .  Have a great day!

It seems only a short time ago God placed you in my arms, a tiny baby with big, beautiful eyes.  Time has passed so quickly.  Yesterday, as you prepared to go to your "dress up" lunch to celebrate the beginning of school with your friends, you took my breath away.  Standing before me was a stunning young lady, dressed in her beautiful dress and heels, makeup accenting those big green eyes and sparkling freckles.  The next few years will not be easy.  God gives us our babies to feed and nurture for just a short time.  You are now a fledgling, and we will attempt to teach you how to fly.  Just like the baby birds, you will make mistakes.  You will fall, and you will get hurt.  The hard part about being a parent is sometimes we just have to sit back and to watch. We want you to know that we will always love you, not matter what, and your heavenly father loves you, no matter what.   You will never be alone in this world! We want you...

Isaiah 43:1-2:  But now, this is what the Lord says—      he who created you, Jacob,      he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;      I have summoned you by name; you are mine. 2  When you pass through the waters,      I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers,      they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire,      you will not be burned;      the flames will not set you ablaze. I flipped open my Bible to Isaiah several weeks ago after reading this verse, shared by a coworker as he began his cancer journey.  They are words of hope, and words of courage.  They are calming words and a promise from God to take care of us during our hardest times. I got so excited as I thought about the examples the Bible of God's provision described here. ...

I have been guilty of being seen in public in my slouchy stretchy tees and shorts, along with no makeup and my hair pulled back...on multiple occasions.  You see I'm not a fashion diva, and honestly it pains me to take extra time to change clothes just to run to the big box store to grab something we need for dinner.  I dress for work and church, why shouldn't I get to be comfortable when I am on my own time? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you can't be comfortable or go without makeup.  I've seen women who are absolutely beautiful in their own skin.  Everyone is entitled to their time of pajama pants, although tucked in your cowboy boots at Pizza Hut while having dinner is a little outside the limits in my opinion. So while I was at said store, I ran into a stay at home mom,.  After scoping out her matched shirt and shoes,  makeup AND jewelry, I realized just how little I had put into myself.  Then as I was studying later in the evening, I r...