So Thankful!

Just to catch you up on the last 13 days, I am on my 4th week of the book, "So Long Insecurity," by Beth Moore. It is amazing! Life changing really. I am finding that I am falling in loving awe of the ladies that are in my small group for this study. The commonalities would be endearing if not so haunting and damaging to our self image. The honesty that presents itself in our meetings is fresh and it is clear that these women are tired of this non-sense and are ready to be free from the junk that has bound them in one too many ways. God's timing is perfect as always. I have been praying about stepping further into ministry, and honestly the enemy has come at me with guns blazing. I can't thoroughly explain the deeply rooted lies that have made me feel as though I am not worthy or good enough for this calling on my life. Maybe I should wait until I am good enough or worthy enough....if that perfection ever comes. Cause that's exactly what the enemy would want is for me to just sit down and wait till I'm perfect to start telling people about Jesus. Sorry fella....not happening!

So, in the incredibly awesome fashion that I am training you to love about me, I will now bring you up to speed on the 13 things that I am thankful for from the last 13 days. ;)

1. I am forgiven (eph 1:7)
2. I am an overcomer (rom 8:9-11)
3. I am God's workmanship (eph 2:10)
4. I am precious to God, honored by Him (Is. 43:4)
5. I am loved (I John 4:10)
6. I always triumph in Christ (II Cor 2:14)
7. I am complete in Christ (Col 2:10)
8. I am blessed (Deut. 28:1-14)
9. I am set free (John 8:31-33)
10. I am free from condemnation (Rom 8:1)
11. I know God's voice (john 10:14)
12. I am chosen (I Peter 2:9)
13. I AM WORTHY!

And So. Are. You!

Giving Thanks on Day 10

My Guitar.....

I'm not sure what I would do with my feelings if I didn't have my guitar. Songwriting is definitely one of the ways I am able to process what I'm feeling and put it into logic.....or not depending on how creative I get with the song.

I don't think there are bottles big enough some days to put my emotion into, so a good songwriting session is a must.

Giving Thanks on day 9

Thankful for God's plan in our lives because I. feel. hopeful.

I forget it sometimes actually, and that's the moment that I feel lost and all anxious.

Thank you mister enemy for bringing doubt and insecurity to the battle lines. But guess what?! You lose.

My God is greater and He defeated you long ago. He left me a few notes about how He plans to prosper me and not to harm me. He also said that I am his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which He prepared in advance for me. (Jeremiah 29:11 and Ephesians 2:10) Those are just a few of the notes. There's more!

Good news folks.....these notes were for you too!

Day 8 of Thankfulness

I'm thankful for funny kids! If ever I come up short of a reason to laugh, they've got one or two themselves.

One day Eli threw his sock out the window of my car. I explained to him that he would not be getting it back because it was lost on the road somewhere. All of a sudden, Garrett bursts into this huge sobbing fit. It really caught me off guard. I asked him why he was crying and he told me, "because Eli made me mad. He threw his sock out the window."

So funny!

Or the other day, Brooklyn was at a church activity and a friend of mine told her how much I loved spending time with Brooklyn. With her usual sass, Brooklyn says, " wow....shocker."

Then there are the moments full of general silliness, i.e.; funny faces, gross noises and conversations.

I'm so thankful for the breaks in seriousness in our house!

So Long Insecurity

A friend of mine who also is the mother of three including a set of twins, read this amazing book called So Long Insecurity by Beth Moore. She didn't just read it once but started it again a year after the first time, and different things spoke to her. But one thing would not leave her mind. "Every. Woman. Needs. To. Read. This." So she prayed about it, bounced the idea off of a close friend, and decided that, in fact, the Lord was leading her to invite a group of women to get together to confront the insecurities that the enemy is attacking us with, uproot them and replace them with the word of God using this book!

Last night was our first time getting together. It was meet and greet style with snacks and good conversation compelled by great ice breaker questions. There were 12 of us there, and 2 or 3 were missing that will be joining in the weeks to come.

As I looked around the room at the women and heard their stories about why they wanted to do this group, it was obvious to me that my friend was right. God put this on her heart. In obvious ways I could see that each woman had a partner in that room that was sharing the same struggle or place in life. There were so many parallels that were weaving our lives together. I can't wait to see the not so obvious things that God has in store for us!

I felt the timing of this group was perfect, as God's timing always is! It's been almost two years now since Dustin and I separated. One of the fall out's from that is that I have been struggling with insecurity about my life as a mother, a friend, a person...a christian. I care way too much about what other people think of me now....to the point that it causes some anxiety. I'm tired of being in this place. I'm ready to step out of this bondage and into the freedom that I have been given in Christ Jesus!

Catch Up

I'm terrible at this! :) And I'm okay with that.

Day 4: Thankful for spontaneity. Off the cuff went with my favorite cousin to the Blues game in St. Louis.

Day 5: Thankful for family. Got a really good day of hanging out on the couch with my favorite cousin. Then met up with my sister and mom to go Christmas shopping. It was a lovely time.

Day 6: Thankful for the new small group I'm in. I'll have an entry all about that next.

Day 7: Thankful for fall weather. It's so chill and laid back. It's like the dog days of summer only colder. :P I could drink coffee, read books, and crochet all day long.

Giving thanks on Day 3...better late than never.

Day 3 is here and I didn't post for Day 1 or 2. I was informed this morning by Kimberly Staples McDonald that I am now a SAHM and everyone else is blogging, so I should too. Because that's good practice in life....to do what everyone else does? :)

Anyways, let's catch up.

Day 1-I am thankful for my children. I've started keeping a jar filled with funny moments that happen each day that are written on bright colorful cardstock. My goal is to sit down with them on New Years day each year and pick out our favorites from the last year and place them in an album that we will cherish for years to come.

Day 2- I am thankful for my return to staying at home with my children. It is a gift that in my new life I didn't feel was possible. God knew it all along.

TODAY Day 3- God's word....spoken to us and through us, written down for us so that we would always remember his faithfulness. Have you ever found yourself feeling like God was nudging you to tell someone something....maybe just a word, a phrase.....something encouraging, maybe something that didn't even make sense to you? But when you swallowed the nervous lump in your throat and spoke, it made that person light up or even cry? Maybe you didn't see it. But God speaks to us and through us. God's word gives people life!