Best Fwends...

My friend visited me this past week from New York... This past weekend we went to see Beth Moore in St Louis...I didn't really get a good picture of Beth this weekend, but she delivered a very challenging teaching this past weekend.. Still processing :)

Me and my best friend at the conference...

My friend and I were blessed to go the conference with some younger women from my Small Group...Love that Britany (with the chocolate from the muffin still on her finger :)

A blurry picture of Travis and his praise team... Travis is one of my favorite worship leaders...

My friend and I at the conference (Day 1)

Me, Britany and Christina on the tram...

We went to TGIF on Friday :) We had an awesome experience when we got to tell a waiter about Jesus... PS. The waiter sang us a song after we asked him too. He blew us away :)

Us at the Crowne Plaza Hotel... Thanks goes to my hubby for treating us to this hotel :)

That's my Friend...

Getting ready to go to St; Louis...

My friend and I are reading through the book Radical, and it is "killing us" in a good way :)

My friend found my Bump-it...

After a year, we finally got to see each other... thank goodness for the phone during the in between time :)

Are you up for a Challenge?

Hey Dear Bloggy Friends...

I have fallen a little short with my "Movie Monday" posts as of late, but I will soon pick that up again. I have seen some really good Christian movies, and would like to share that information with whomever would like to read it :)

But onto the reason for today's post. Last week I was listening to Nancy Leigh DeMoss on her Revive our Hearts Radio program. She had a guest on the show (Janet Pope) that had memorized 14 books of the Bible and over 100 specific chapters in various books of the Bible (that info is what I remember...not exact numbers). I was so inspired listening to Janet's story, and as her interview went on I could tell the effect that memorizing scripture has had on her life. The Word of God was truly living in her heart and had changed the way she lived.

It was so beautiful and amazing when Nancy asked Janet if should would quote certain chapters from the Bible. I don't even think Janet knew that Nancy was going to ask her to quote the chapters that she had learned from memory. I loved sitting there listening to Janet read..no not read... quote God's Word from her heart.

Last week's radio shows challenged me to do the same thing Janet did. The challenge is overwhelming and seems impossible for me, since my memory is not at good as it used be... I wondered how I would even be able to retain entire books of the Bible from memory, but I serve a miracle working God and all I can do is to step out and try. Well, Nancy's ministry had a challenge to memorize the entire book of Philippians (4 chapters) by the end of the year (I think it is by the end of the year), so I decided to take the challenge. Not only did I decide to take the challenge, but I asked my best friend is she wanted to memorize the book of Philippians with me, and she was more than happy to join me in this task :)

My friend and I are well on our way to memorizing chapter one of Philippians. It has been such a blessing to try to memorize God's Word in this way (whole passages). I am praying that what I memorize will stick with me, and not fade away...more than that I am praying that God's Word will truly work its way into my heart, and then change my heart. I don't want to memorize God's Word, just to say I memorized it. I want it to change my life, and you know what... I think it will.

So is anyone out there in blogville up for the challenge of memorizing whole books of the Bible, or individual chapters? Let me know, so I can encourage you as you embark on this wonderful adventure. In Hebrews, God tells us that His Word is living and active... I sure do want His Word to be alive and active in my heart...Do you?

(Janet Pope has a book that she wrote to help you memorize scripture... I will be getting it soon. I think the title is "His Word in My Heart")

Book Sneeze (Thomas Nelson) Book Review/ 66 Love Letters...

I finally finished Dr. Larry Crabb's latest book, "66 Love Letters". I received the book from Thomas Nelson (now called Book Sneeze) to review, and 4 months later I am finally finished with the book. I normally don't take that long to review a book, but we moved into a new house and the book was about 400 pages long...I know stop making excuses. Actually, I think in the beginning of the book Dr. Crabb talks about how this particular book is not really one that you should pick up and read cover to cover in one or two settings. I too agree that it is best to go through this particular book slowly, and "digest" what Dr. Crabb is saying in this book. However, because I needed to review the book I did read the book cover to cover, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

The format of this book is different from Dr. Crabb's other books. I have read several of Dr. Crabb's books, and have loved them. Actually, Dr. Crabb's ministry of writing has had an impact on my spiritual walk with Jesus, so I was really looking forward to reading his latest book. Basically, Dr. Crabb writes this book as if he and God were having a conversation back and forth. Dr. Crabb read through the entire Bible and he wrote what he felt God was saying to him through each individual book of the Bible. He begins with Genesis and goes all the way to Revelation.

I will say at the beginning of this book I was a little hesitant because the book is written as if God was talking with Dr. Crabb about what is in the Bible. I get a little nervous when someone speaks for God, but as I read the book I took it more as this was Dr. Crabb's view of what he felt God was saying to him through each book of the Bible. In saying that, my favorite part of the book is how open and vulnerable Dr. Crabb was in this book. Basically Dr. Crabb is talking with God back and forth throughout the entire book. He pours out his feelings, the good, the bad and at times the very ugly. I was surprised at how many times I could totally relate to everything Dr. Crabb was feeling. Although he will never realize it, Dr. Crabb and this book helped me get through a spiritual dry place that I have been in for awhile.

My only advice about reading this book would be to remember that you are reading a man's book on what he feels God is saying through the Bible. It should not be taken as complete truth, but only the Bible itself. However, in saying that I do feel that much of what Dr. Crabb said in the book lines up with God's Word.

This is a book that has opened my eyes to many things in God's Word, and it has had an impact on my walk with Christ. I look forward to now turning to God's Word and learning for myself things that Dr. Crabb learned as He read God's Word. This book is a keeper, and I look forward to rereading it at a slow pace the second time around. I do recommend this book to other's looking to dig deeper into God's Word.

Expressing Himself

My oldest son, "Moose" is going through a stage where he posts notes on his door. Normally these little notes come when he has been disciplined by his dad or myself. Other times the notes show up when he is mad at his brothers. Click on the picture to read what they say...

My favorite note (I didn't take a picture of it) of Moose's read, "KEEP OUT... Due to Bible reading "

Those words just don't quite go together, do they???

Wise Words from my Middle Child

I know if I don't write this down, I will forget it and I want this memory to stick with me...

This past week, the boys and I were in the car and my oldest asked why people today do not live as long as people in Biblical times. I told him that after the flood God numbered the days of man and they would not live as long as people did at the beginning of creation. I then said something about Heaven, and if we truly realized how awesome Heaven was that we would not really want to be here on earth anymore. (I was talking with a friend about man's days and I said that after the flood God numbered man's days... well, I don't know exactly that that is right, but I found this verse in Psalms that made me think that is what happened...Psalm 90:10 (New International Version) The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span [a] is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
Sometimes I pass information along that I have heard, but I must always make sure that I go to the source (Bible) to confirm its truth. So for the record, I maybe 100% wrong about God numbering man's days directly after the flood. I am not completely sure about the timing...

The boys continued their conversation, and I heard my oldest talk about how he accepted Jesus so he would go to Heaven one day... the conversation continued just a little more, and then I heard my middle boy say to his older brother something like this..."Moose" you also have to follow Jesus to go to heaven. That's not how it works, you can't just accept Jesus, you have to follow Him too to go to Heaven." Again, I don't know that I got all his words right, but the point is there.

I grew up where there was a big emphasis on accepting Jesus into your heart, but not a lot on what it meant to follow Jesus. Following Jesus, is more than accepting Him. I think many people believe in Jesus and would even say they have accepted Him, but yet they do not change their lives and follow Him. I am just now learning that truly following Him is about denying yourself and taking up your cross and following Him.

Do I follow Jesus everyday, every minute of my life? No, not always, but I am aware of when I am choosing my own way, and in that moment I have to pray that my will will succumb to God's will for my life, even when it is hard. I have learned so much the last year about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, and it is changing my life. The Lord is doing a work in me that I can't explain, and I am realizing now how much I need the Holy Spirit in my life to empower me to follow hard after God.

With God all things are possible...for me that means God can help me stay on the "narrow way" that leads to Him, no matter how many times I jump off that way to enjoy the broad way for a time. He will always lead me back... I pray that my children will learn this lesson as well.

Random Blog Post (catching up)

Oh my little bloggy, I have missed you. I just love blogging, but have not been able to keep up with it as I would want to...I think that is pretty normal when life happens though. So what has been going on with me??? I know you are all dying to know :)

-I completed Jillian's 30 Day Shred, and then the day after I got horribly sick...so sick that I lost about five pounds in one day. About the Shred, I didn't lose weight, but I definitely lost some inches...That made me happy. This brings me to another point, you know how "they" say that if you do anything for 30 days straight it will become a habit???? Well, I have proved that theory wrong several times... I think there is more to it than just completing something for 30 days.

-School is out for my kids, and I am praying that this summer I will be more intentional with my kids...The temptation to just let them do their own thing (play video games all day) is always lurking around the corner. I want to deny myself this summer and "sow" into my kids' lives. Not just with fun family activities, but "sowing" into their hearts God's Word. Any prayers you offer will not be wasted on me. I so need help in this area...

-I too am in a spiritual dry place... I can't exactly figure out why... For the most part, I think I am responsible... I should be falling at Jesus' feet in desperation, but I seem to make choices to fill myself up with the lesser things of life in order to not feel the emptiness and lack of contentment in my relationship with Jesus.

-On the other hand, I feel like the Lord has revealed to me some BIG things in my life that need to change... wrong thinking.... wrong theology... He has given me insight into my true self and I don't like what I see. But even in this season I can sense hope on the horizon... I feel like I am truly learning for the first time what it truly means to be a follower of Jesus... It is not as I thought... I am wrestling, but happy that truth has been revealed to my heart.

-My hubby turns 4o tomorrow... He will hit that number just about 5 months before I do. Now when we mark our church attendance record sheet, we will have to change categories, from the 20-30's to the 40-50's... I am not so happy about that :)

Well, I will stop here as I need to make my family dinner...Hope to check back in very soon, as many "posts" are running through my head :)

Oh, my hubby and I celebrated our 16th anniversary together last Friday... That is a praise!!! (see picture above)