Like you, my calendar is overflowing.
Between a husband, three kids and a wayward beagle, church life, ministry life and part time job sometime the urge to hide inside my house on the weekend is hard to resist.
Also, because of all those things I must selectively choose what I pencil in to those precious days.
And if you want a Friday night and Saturday. . .well, this better be GOOD, if you know what I'm saying?!
I want to invite you to an event that truly is an investment into a precious weekend.
Priscilla Shirer of Going Beyond Minsitries is coming to Kansas City on March 1-2 to First Baptist of Raytown. ( Her amazingly talented brother, Anthony -maybe you saw him on The Voice-will be leading worship)
I became aware of Priscilla a few years ago when I saw her on Life Today. She is a dynamo-which should come as no surprise since her Daddy is Dr. Tony Evans.
Then I read her book, Life Interrupted, and realized, not only is she a fantastic speaker, she's a; wife, mom, daughter, woman, attempting to balance it all, just like me.
Her giftedness at speaking God's word is powerful and her spirit, genuine.
I promise if you go to www.lifeway.com to purchase your ticket for the event you will not regret that
decision.
Now, I know that more than likely the laundry will still be there when you get home Saturday afternoon and you might miss one of the kids games, however the investment you make in your
spiritual life will be worth it! And face it, maybe a break from mom might be a good thing.
You'll come home Saturday afternoon and be able to face those calendars with a renewed spirit and a fresh word from the Lord, and your family will be better off because you did!
So join me in March at Priscilla Shirer Live in Kansas City-the investment of the ticket price and the harder to come by time will be worth it!
(Make sure you come by and hug my neck when you're there :)
Blessings,
I have heard a lot of numbers being quoted this week.
40 years and 55 million.
The 40 year anniversary of Roe V Wade and since that decision 55 million lives lost.
And beyond that 55 million plus lives changed forever.
I was watching a 24 hour news channel where the commentator of the show was celebrating the
anniversary. As I listened to her talking, I became physically ill to my stomach.
Have we changed so much as a society that now not only do those who call themselves 'pro choice' not only believe in the right to kill an innocent child, they actually want to celebrate that ability ?
If this particular news person and her guests were to be believed- then yes.
Tragic.
Horrifyingly Tragic.
What could 55 million people do?
We'll never know.
Cured cancer.
Found the answer to renewable energy.
Became a great evangelist.
World class chef.
Extraordinary teacher.
Loving, hard working father.
Stay at home Mom.
Kids with disabilities who society might label as 'less than' but who's families would have learned so much from.
Poor children who would be a blessing to others as they learned to care for them.
Families who where made whole by the adoption of these babies into their lives.
But we'll never know.
But, we do know that those of us who didn't get to know these children, lives are marked as well.
So, what do we do now?
My answers are simple and unsophisticated, but we love those parents who've decided to abort their children and we tell them God loves them and their lives can be made whole again.
We offer safe places for girls to go when faced with a pregnancy that was not planned or wanted.
We donate our time and money to keep those safe places open and functioning well.
And we pray.
We pray for forgiveness as a nation.
We pray for the innocent bloodshed to stop.
We pray for healing.
We pray for wisdom for our leaders that they will see the evil of this genocide and stand up for what it right.
And we love. Never shame.
We seek justice for the least of these.
40 years and 55 million. Tragic numbers indeed.
40 years and 55 million.
The 40 year anniversary of Roe V Wade and since that decision 55 million lives lost.
And beyond that 55 million plus lives changed forever.
I was watching a 24 hour news channel where the commentator of the show was celebrating the
anniversary. As I listened to her talking, I became physically ill to my stomach.
Have we changed so much as a society that now not only do those who call themselves 'pro choice' not only believe in the right to kill an innocent child, they actually want to celebrate that ability ?
If this particular news person and her guests were to be believed- then yes.
Tragic.
Horrifyingly Tragic.
What could 55 million people do?
We'll never know.
Cured cancer.
Found the answer to renewable energy.
Became a great evangelist.
World class chef.
Extraordinary teacher.
Loving, hard working father.
Stay at home Mom.
Kids with disabilities who society might label as 'less than' but who's families would have learned so much from.
Poor children who would be a blessing to others as they learned to care for them.
Families who where made whole by the adoption of these babies into their lives.
But we'll never know.
But, we do know that those of us who didn't get to know these children, lives are marked as well.
So, what do we do now?
My answers are simple and unsophisticated, but we love those parents who've decided to abort their children and we tell them God loves them and their lives can be made whole again.
We offer safe places for girls to go when faced with a pregnancy that was not planned or wanted.
We donate our time and money to keep those safe places open and functioning well.
And we pray.
We pray for forgiveness as a nation.
We pray for the innocent bloodshed to stop.
We pray for healing.
We pray for wisdom for our leaders that they will see the evil of this genocide and stand up for what it right.
And we love. Never shame.
We seek justice for the least of these.
40 years and 55 million. Tragic numbers indeed.
Last week was a difficult one.
Any week that involves both a plumber and an auto mechanic you know has to be rough.
In many ways that was only the tip of the iceberg last week, almost the easy stuff. So, if that was the easy stuff you can only imagine what the difficult stuff was.
What began with such promise and hope, suddenly become difficult and seemingly unmanageable.
My flesh wanted to pull the covers up over my head and refuse to come out until Spring or to throw myself on the floor kicking and screaming like a two year old who's candy was just taken away.
At a speaking opportunity I had in October one of the ladies graciously gave me a sweet little box filled with Scriptures that she had taken the time to insert my name into each one. (How precious is that ??)
Each of them has been a blessing, but one became a treasure last week.
I had taped it to my kitchen cabinet door and found myself coming back to it over and over; it says:
You will have perfect peace if you keep focused on Me, {Angie}. Isaiah 26:3
I found myself clinging to this life line more than a few times last week and even now as my extended family is facing some difficult journey's.
What I find hope in the most in this verse is there is no promise to take all the trials away.
It doesn't say; "try harder, believe more, do more and I'll give you peace".
No, my peace comes not from my surroundings but who my gaze is fixed upon.
My peace comes from The Prince of Peace himself.
That is were my focus needs to remain.
Even though it is so easy to become distracted by all the chaos that is floating around us.
Circumstances and people change, but He never does. That is gives me peace.
My salvation does not rest in my ability to do or be better, it is by grace alone.
That gives me peace.
And though the trials of this world will and do come, this world is not my home, my story doesn't end here.
That gives me peace.
Even though you may be facing an unimaginable obstacles today or just a grouchy boss or stubborn child, remember with me to keep our focus not on the difficulties around us, but upon our
Peace.
Blessings,
Any week that involves both a plumber and an auto mechanic you know has to be rough.
In many ways that was only the tip of the iceberg last week, almost the easy stuff. So, if that was the easy stuff you can only imagine what the difficult stuff was.
What began with such promise and hope, suddenly become difficult and seemingly unmanageable.
My flesh wanted to pull the covers up over my head and refuse to come out until Spring or to throw myself on the floor kicking and screaming like a two year old who's candy was just taken away.
At a speaking opportunity I had in October one of the ladies graciously gave me a sweet little box filled with Scriptures that she had taken the time to insert my name into each one. (How precious is that ??)
Each of them has been a blessing, but one became a treasure last week.
I had taped it to my kitchen cabinet door and found myself coming back to it over and over; it says:
You will have perfect peace if you keep focused on Me, {Angie}. Isaiah 26:3
I found myself clinging to this life line more than a few times last week and even now as my extended family is facing some difficult journey's.
What I find hope in the most in this verse is there is no promise to take all the trials away.
It doesn't say; "try harder, believe more, do more and I'll give you peace".
No, my peace comes not from my surroundings but who my gaze is fixed upon.
My peace comes from The Prince of Peace himself.
That is were my focus needs to remain.
Even though it is so easy to become distracted by all the chaos that is floating around us.
Circumstances and people change, but He never does. That is gives me peace.
My salvation does not rest in my ability to do or be better, it is by grace alone.
That gives me peace.
And though the trials of this world will and do come, this world is not my home, my story doesn't end here.
That gives me peace.
Even though you may be facing an unimaginable obstacles today or just a grouchy boss or stubborn child, remember with me to keep our focus not on the difficulties around us, but upon our
Peace.
Blessings,
I've had the unenjoyable task of packing up all the Christmas decor.
Not nearly as fun as putting it all up, and the helpers seem a little harder to find as well!
On our mantel I have my collection of Snow Globes featuring depictions of the Nativity story, and right
there in the middle is our larger nativity. While packing up the pieces, I noticed that "Mary's" hand
was broken completely off. As I sighed in frustration, I began to gather all the pieces to throw them
away. After all, how can you have a Nativity scene that's broken?
But, the longer I've thought about it, the more I'm convinced that broken handed Mary will still feature
prominent spot on our mantel next Christmas.
Why? Why would I want a broken piece of a Christmas decoration to take center stage in our living room?
Because, "Broken Handed Mary" will now serve as an in the face reminder that on that night so long
ago circumstances were less than perfect. It was dirty and smelly and the Savior of the world slept in a
feeding trough.
The perfect Savior, came into an imperfect world- an area of the world ruled by a crazy dictator, filled
with violence; into an imperfect family, who at one point his brothers thought he was crazy, where
rumors of his birth followed him his entire life.
And, although he was perfect, those circumstances weren't and didn't change because of his perfection.
That piece of broken ceramic will serve as a reminder to me, when try as I might, I cannot make my
circumstances perfect and when my family balks at being forced into a mold of perfection that does not
fit, to let it go.
Striving for perfection should never be my goal.
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Faithfulness, Goodness, Meekness, Gentleness, Kindness and Self Control;
that is what I should be striving for- at Christmas time and all throughout the year.
Perfection, or the striving for it, can be as incapacitating as any addiction. It can hold you captive and
drive others away as fast any drug induced stupor will.
So, "Broken Handed Mary" gets a reprieve from the trash and gets to keep her place of importance
and when I feel overwhelmed with the demands of the season and the pressure I put upon myself,
I will look at her and remember that when Christmas gets broken, life still goes on and can still be just
as beautiful.
From One Broken Girl,
Not nearly as fun as putting it all up, and the helpers seem a little harder to find as well!
On our mantel I have my collection of Snow Globes featuring depictions of the Nativity story, and right
there in the middle is our larger nativity. While packing up the pieces, I noticed that "Mary's" hand
was broken completely off. As I sighed in frustration, I began to gather all the pieces to throw them
away. After all, how can you have a Nativity scene that's broken?
But, the longer I've thought about it, the more I'm convinced that broken handed Mary will still feature
prominent spot on our mantel next Christmas.
Why? Why would I want a broken piece of a Christmas decoration to take center stage in our living room?
Because, "Broken Handed Mary" will now serve as an in the face reminder that on that night so long
ago circumstances were less than perfect. It was dirty and smelly and the Savior of the world slept in a
feeding trough.
The perfect Savior, came into an imperfect world- an area of the world ruled by a crazy dictator, filled
with violence; into an imperfect family, who at one point his brothers thought he was crazy, where
rumors of his birth followed him his entire life.
And, although he was perfect, those circumstances weren't and didn't change because of his perfection.
That piece of broken ceramic will serve as a reminder to me, when try as I might, I cannot make my
circumstances perfect and when my family balks at being forced into a mold of perfection that does not
fit, to let it go.
Striving for perfection should never be my goal.
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Faithfulness, Goodness, Meekness, Gentleness, Kindness and Self Control;
that is what I should be striving for- at Christmas time and all throughout the year.
Perfection, or the striving for it, can be as incapacitating as any addiction. It can hold you captive and
drive others away as fast any drug induced stupor will.
So, "Broken Handed Mary" gets a reprieve from the trash and gets to keep her place of importance
and when I feel overwhelmed with the demands of the season and the pressure I put upon myself,
I will look at her and remember that when Christmas gets broken, life still goes on and can still be just
as beautiful.
From One Broken Girl,
A new year.
A fresh start.
A blank page to write upon.
This year I've decided that instead of making resolutions that I either can't or won't keep, I'm going to pick a word for the year to focus on when things feel like they are spinning out of control-or when I am.
Several Facebook friends (come like Lessons from Aisle 12 on fb to be apart of the day to day of LFA12) have decided to join in and share their words and I'd love to hear yours as well!
So, after much thought and prayer my word for 2013 is:
A fresh start.
A blank page to write upon.
This year I've decided that instead of making resolutions that I either can't or won't keep, I'm going to pick a word for the year to focus on when things feel like they are spinning out of control-or when I am.
Several Facebook friends (come like Lessons from Aisle 12 on fb to be apart of the day to day of LFA12) have decided to join in and share their words and I'd love to hear yours as well!
So, after much thought and prayer my word for 2013 is:
Simply
When things are hard and I want to give up-
Simply TRUST.
When I feel the need for more 'stuff'-
Simply be SATISFIED.
When I want to run away-
Simply OBEY.
When I want to put a person 'in their place'-
Simply give GRACE.
When I doubt-
Simply BELIEVE.
When I let my mind wander-
Simply GUARD my heart.
When I feel it would be easier to follow the crowd-
Simply use DISCERNMENT.
When I am scared-
Simply COURAGE.
When I don't like what I see in the mirror-
Simply REMEMBER that the One who made me, loves me and thinks I'm beautiful.
And the list can go on and on.
I have printed off several copies of the word SIMPLY which I have posted in various places around my house.
(Fridge, mirror in bathroom, above the TV and in the car)
Hopefully, by putting my word in places where I could/do struggle it will bring my focus back to the ONE where it should be instead of on myself.
So, what about you? Do you have a word for 2013?
If you do I would love to hear what it is so we can walk with road together !
Blessings,
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