Do you trust God?

Hand extended

Normally I don’t promote other people’s products – I want you on my site purchasing mine!  :D – and in fact, I have not even read the following book to even know whether to recommend it to you or not. 

BUT the video book trailer is what caught my eye tonight on my Google Reader.  I wanted to share it with you tonight.  Sheila Walsh does an excellent job with video, challenging us on whether we trust God.

Do you trust Him?

Hinds’ Feet on My High Places

Hind on the mountain top

Sometimes you are sailing along in life and everything is going well. Your marriage is close and happy, your kids are obeying you, your finances are being blessed, your business is thriving.  Your husband is all over you, you sold a book or audio, and someone spoke a timely and needed word of encouragement to you on Facebook!

Other times, the enemy satan  is wearing you out and all you want to do is go to bed, pull the covers over your head, and get a good night’s sleep.  You are gaining weight instead of losing, the house is a mess, and someone is verbally fencing you for no good reason, other than they don’t have anything better to do than to find fault with someone who accidentally came across their unhappy path. It’s times like these that we can go to God’s word and be encouraged and lifted up with His love, joy, and peace.

Habakkuk 3:19 (NASB) says, “ The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places.” 

When you are tired and weary, come to Jesus. He will give you living waters to drink. He will give you hinds’ feet to walk up, even to leap across, those challenging mountains of life.  God will give you the strength you need and will help you. 

You will climb higher and higher to the summit, sure footed, because God is with you every step of the way, leading, guiding, and protecting you all the way, until you are safely home in His arms of everlasting Love.

***Did you enjoy this post?  Want to draw closer to God each day?  Learn more here.

The precious women of God in our lives

Patty Bartlett, Beth Jones, Diane Bishop

Today was a long but good day.  This morning, my friends Patty Bartlett and Diane Bishop, the speakers for our Wash Over Me ladies’ retreat here in Butler, stopped by so we could pray about the retreat.

I laid out Ray’s grandmother’s antique china teacups on the dining table, lit a scented candle, put on some water to boil, and set out the honey and a variety of herbal teas for us to enjoy sipping as we chatted and prayed.  Here is a pic of the three of us, sitting in my dining room today.  Don’t ya just love the bathroom toilet as the right elegant touch for the photo’s background, LOL! 

After tea and prayer,  I met sweet friends Lois Graham and Kimberly Ehlers in my Prayer, Purpose, Passion webinar room at CWA to give them a “tour” of the room before our exciting Step Up! webinar on August 31. 

Oh, you should have joined us girls today – we had so much fun and laughs!  But the webinar will be even better.  If you have not already signed up for this event, be sure to sign up today as room is limited! It is going to be a blast!

This afternoon as I reflected on the day, I felt so thankful to Jesus for the wonderful women of God He has brought into my life. I had a poor relationship with my mother growing up as a child, and God has seen to it to bring many spiritual mothers and sisters across my path through the years to pray for me, encourage me, and impart His truth and wisdom into my life. I don’t know what I would do without these beautiful women of God who are such precious gifts to me.

What about you?  Who are the women in your life who are important and who help you to walk along in this journey of life?  Be sure to let them know how thankful you are for their presence in your life and how much you love and appreciate them!

PS:  Want to connect with women of God and make new friends?  Sign up for our Step Up! webinar here.

Holding on to those we love: Making our husbands and families priority

Family picnic

I haven’t been ignoring you lately with not blogging as much!  I’ve just been busy getting ready for three major events coming up:

• My Step Up! webinar on August 31 with Lois Graham and Kim Ehlers
• My Wash Over Me retreat on September 17-18
• My speaking engagement in Phoenix at She Shall Be Called Woman conference in October.

To help me stay on track, I use a task management system that I love, Manymoon. It will help you to  keep focused on your priority to-do’s, breaking down your tasks each day. You receive an emailed copy of your daily tasks as a reminder after you have entered them on the site.  This helps if you’re really busy the night before, and when you open your email in the morning and see the list, it’s an “Oh, yeah!” moment – and then you don’t forget your important to-do’s!    

I also use a Franklin Covey Dayplanner to stay organized, and am the queen of sticky notes.   (I LOVE sticky notes!)  What tools do you use to help you with your busy schedule? Many people use their palm pilot, laptop, cell phone, or Ipad.

No matter how much I have to do each day, though, I don’t ever want to be so busy that my family comes last place. One of the reasons wahm’s have an at-home business is to be able to spend more time with our families. Yet how often does the business take over our lives and things get out of balance – and we’re putting our husbands, kids, and friends on hold so we can get just one more thing done for the day? 

It’s important for us as wives to connect with our husbands each day to build that relationship. This is especially true if you are a woman who is struggling in her marriage and feels very alone – and needs to draw closer to her man.

This morning at work, Ray had to respond to a call  that was a house fire. His patient was a man in his 70′s, whose arms had been burned. The reason they were burned is that he was trying to pull his wife out of the fire. She was allegedly stuck in a window, and he would not let her go. Unfortunately, the wife did not live.

I thought this was an incredibly sad, but potent story.  A man who loved his wife so much, he would not let her go to save her, at the risk of his own life.  It is what Christ did for us the Church. He died so that we could have an intimate relationship and live forever with God.

I encourage you, take some time today to spend with those important people in your life, making your husband, children, family, and friends a top priority.  Hold onto those you love, making each moment count.

Step UP Webinar! Be an overcomer and fulfill your great purpose!

Woman stepping up

Are you fulfilling your great purpose right now, today?  Or are you struggling to just  get through the day?

Are you an overcomer – or are you overcome by the stress in your life?  Do you need an afternoon to relax and to be encouraged that God has a wonderful plan for your life and a great purpose? Then this webinar is just for you!

Join Lois Graham and Kimberly Ehlers at my third webinar, Step UP! You will LOVE these precious friends of mine. They are anointed women of God!

 There is no charge for this webinar, and you will receive bonus goodies just for coming.

To learn more, click here!

From Administration to Zumba: using your gifts for God

Gift bag

What are your spiritual gifts, talents, and skills?  Are you using them for God – or are you holding back? Or is someone else trying to hold you back from using them?

Tonight I went to see our daughter Heather teach her last zumba aerobics class before they take a break until September 2010.  I was so blessed to watch her administrating with the purple zumba tshirts, listen to her share a short devotional and pray, and then see her teach the hour-long class.

Usually many more attend the class, but I noticed tonight how everyone there was having a lot of fun.  (I tried to keep up with the zumba steps! LOL)  From Administration to Zumba (A to Z!),  Heather is using her gifts for God.

What about you? Do you know what your gifts are?  They can be found in Ephesians 4: 11, 1 Corinthians 12: 8-10, and 1 Corinthians 13: 27-30.   You also have natural talents and skills that God wants you to use and to bless others with.  Remember Jesus was a carpenter before He began his public ministry!

Study the gospels, and observe how Jesus used the spiritual gifts. He used them perfectly, and He is always our best example whom we should follow. 

The gifts are all rooted in God’s love. They are never earned or deserved, but are given to us by God’s grace to further His kingdom on earth.  They are never to be used to promote self, but are to be used to lift up and honor Jesus Christ.

 Women are not always encouraged to use their gifts, sometimes not even by their husbands and their pastors. But God wants you to use your gifts and talents for His glory. I encourage you to find out what they are, and then begin using them for His kingdom.  Below are videos of Heather doing a short devotional and teaching the zumba class.

Vlog of Heather using her gift of administration with the zumba tshirts:

Vlog of Heather doing short devotional and praying

Vlog of Heather and class doing grapevine in zumba class

Vlog of Heather teaching zumba class

Talkshoe interview with Heather today on missions

Heather Denney

Today’s interview with our daughter Heather Denney at Talkshoe went well overall – although I did learn from a geek’s wife in the chat room that wireless mic headsets can cause an echo; thanks for the tip, Hattie!  The replay does NOT have the echo, thank God!   :)  

In this interview, Heather was able to share about her Nashville missions trip to help the flood victims, as well as her interesting missions trips to South America and India when she attended YWAM.

Eagle Creek Church’s website is http://www.eaglecreekchurch.com/.

The Ustream live video of the Nashville missions trip is found at http://eccfloodrelief.weebly.com/live-video.html.

If you missed the interview today, you can listen here with the widget below, or download it from Talkshoe here.  Heather and I would love to hear your feedback from the show.  Just comment below, filling out your name and email address.   Enjoy!

Interview with Heather on Nashville mission

Heather Denney

Do you have a heart for missions work?  Our daughter Heather is back fom her mission to Nashville, TN, and it’s life-on-the-go as usual with Kyle’s and her two little girls getting ready for school next week, her part-time zumba class, time with friends, and church activities. 

Tomorrow I will be interviewing Heather here on TalkShoe about her recent mission trip to Nashville to help the flood victims.

You don’t want to miss this exciting call!  You can choose to talk, text chat, or just listen into the call with a land line, your cell phone, or via Skype. On TalkShoe, you can make new friends, network, and connect with people with common interests. It’s a lot of fun!

I hope to “see” you there!     Again, the link to the Talkshoe interview with Heather is here.

More than Mrs.: Your true identity

Just married car

When you feel alone in your marriage, it is very important that you understand who you are in Christ. When a woman marries a man, typically she takes his last name, all joint property become legally theirs, and she gives her body to him to consummate the marriage. She becomes Mrs.  His wife, his helpmeet.

 But this woman was God’s before she was his!  You are more than Mrs. God your creator is your Husband, and you are also His royal daughter!  As you begin to learn and walk in your true, God-given identity and great destiny, you will be a powerful witness to and influence on your husband, your children, and all those around you.

God is with you and you are not alone – no matter how your husband is treating you right now!  Learn some practical tips to tap into and walk in that royal identity.

Just click here.

Do you have the tools you need?

Pampered Chef dessert

Last night I went to my friend Genevieve’s Pampered Chef party. (No, I do not sell it!)  But I enjoyed watching the consultant Susan prepare the Cherry Cheesecake Trifle** dessert, and show us the cool gadgets to make life in the kitchen easier (some of us need all the help we can get!) 

The PC meat tenderizer, bamboo spoon, garlic press, and other tools  made me think about the different aspects of our lives:  marriage, parenting, at-home business, homeschooling, speaking, writing, etc.  Do you have the essential tools you need to succeed?

The right tool can make all the difference in the world.  When you are chopping vegetables for your fresh greens, salads or soups, you want a sharp knife, not a dull one. 

Another example is that the tool of effective, loving communication in marriage can result in closer intimacy with your husband.  On the other hand, blaming, interrupting someone, not listening, and being self-absorbed, are all destructive to good communication.

In homeschooling, choosing the right method of learning for your child, such as Charlotte Mason’s gentle ways, may mean much more joy in your children’s learning.  But insisting on using dry, dull textbooks and a rigid schedule only as the tools for your child’s education may result in frustration for both parent and child.

In your business, the powerful tool of God’s word, sincerely caring about your clients or customers and generously giving to them, and investing in knowledgeable coaches and mentors are incredible tools to achieve success.  On the other hand, being constantly disorganized or procrastinating, not backing up your computer data, and getting sucked into the Facebook black hole all day long are going to hinder your business growth and achievement.

What tools do you need to buy, invest in, or learn to be all that God created you to be and to see your dreams come true?  What essential tools do you need today to have what you truly desire in your marriage? Parenting?  Homeschooling? Your business, career, or ministry? Ask God to help you find and use the right tools for your fulfilling, successful, productive life.

**Cherry Cheesecake Trifle dessert recipe

Bottom layer…cubed angel food cake (1/2 large, round cake)

2nd layer, “light” cherry, strawberry, blueberry or other fruit filling (1 can)

3rd layer,  1/2 filling mixutre

Filling Mixture:

8 oz. Light Cool Whip

2 boxes sugar-free White Chocolate OR Cheesecake instant pudding

3 cups 1% milk

Mix milk & pudding. Fold in Cool Whip.

Directions:  Put cubed cake on bottom of glass dish, cover with pudding mixture. Scoop out fruit filling from can and pour on top of pudding mixture. 

Repeat layers, using large scoop. It looks like snowballs.

Second option:  Put pudding mixture in glass using scoop. Spoon cherry pie filling over the top, using no cake. Called “Cherries in the Snow.”  (You can also substitute strawberries or other fruit…delish!)

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