John 3:19-21

John 3:19-21 (New International Version)
19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

Lord,
Help me to decrease so that you may increase.

Psalm 103

From Psalm 103

"The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children-
with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all."

Prissy Business

If you are wondering why I haven't been posting lately, yes...some of it is because of the Christmas season, but most of my time is spent taking care of this little thing. She has fit right in with our family and almost thinks she owns the place.

A Hunting We Will Go........

This past weekend Doug went on his first hunting trip with his dad. This was a special time for both of them. Doug has wanted to go for the last couple of years but could never work it out with his busy schedule. So finally the day had arrived. I have never seen so much hunting gear in my life and what is it all for. I think Doug's dad could open up a sporting goods store. They worked for a couple of hours getting everything ready for the trip. Although they came back with no deer, the time spent together was invaluable.

I just had to include this picture which I titled "Men in Trees". Last year Doug had planned on going on the hunting trip but had to cancel last minute. His parents and sister got him camouflage coveralls, an orange vest, and other hunting accessories. So he was really sad that he couldn't go and wear his new gear. One morning he came downstairs all dressed up in his gear. So I handed him Jack's toy gun. It was so funny that I immediately grabbed my camera and took a few pictures. I begged him to get by this tree so that I could take his picture.....THIS IS MY MAN!!!! I feel so safe when he is around.

To My Friend, Maria

This was a poster our family made before she ran the Chicago Marathon this year.

This post is dedicated to my dear friend, Maria. She and I go way back. Our friendship began in college when we became roommates. We have shared so many special memories together: college, weddings, hanging out on the weekends together with our husbands (before kids), having babies, vacations, women's conferences, girls' weekends, and most important....growing in Christ.


Here are a few things I love about Maria:

• She has five wonderful children from the ages 2 to 10


• She homeschools


• She bakes her own homemade bread and waffles


• She ran the Chicago marathon this year


• She leads womens' bible studies in her home


• She is the most unselfish person I know


• She is consistently studying God's word and living it out


• She loves coffee probably more than I do


• She has a heart for the poor


• She is very genuine, no fluff, what you see is what you get


• She is one of the funniest people I know


• She drives a 12 seater, commercial, white van that looks like a church bus


• When we go on trips together with our kids I feel like we are on a fieldtrip


• She loves the same kind of music that I do


• She is humble


• She is a great cook
• She has a funny husband who dresses up as the Elf at Christmas time and Pizza Pat at birthday parties


• Her Christmas letter is one of the highlights of my year


• She has a Christ-centered home


• She perseveres in whatever she does

She does not do this in her own strength. Her strength comes from the Lord.

This past February Maria's mother, Janie Fuquay, passed away. She was also an extra special mom and friend. She was a great example of putting others before herself. She raised five children alone. I see alot of Janie in Maria. This past weekend would have been Janie's birthday. Thank you Lord for her life and the love of such a dedicated mother and friend.

Like mother....like daughter.

Changing Lives One Heartbeat At A Time

If I Have Not Love, I Have Nothing

This morning my daughter and I were reading through 1 Corinthians 13. We decided to read it in several different versions. One of my favorites was from the Amplified Version.

1 Corinthians 13
1IF I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God's love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2And if I have prophetic powers (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God's love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody).
3Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or in order that I may glory, but have not love (God's love in me), I gain nothing.
4Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.
5It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].
6It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.
7Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].
8Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. As for prophecy (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth].
9For our knowledge is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect), and our prophecy (our teaching) is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect).
10But when the complete and perfect (total) comes, the incomplete and imperfect will vanish away (become antiquated, void, and superseded).
11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways and have put them aside.
12For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood [by God].
13And so faith, hope, love abide [faith--conviction and belief respecting man's relation to God and divine things; hope--joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love--true affection for God and man, growing out of God's love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love.

We are not talking about worldly love that is self-seeking, we are talking about the love that comes from God. God's love is directed outward toward others, not inward toward ourselves. This has made me reexamine why I do the things that I do. Is it because of God's love in me or is it to glorify myself? I want so badly to care for others more than myself, but I can't do this on my own. His love goes against our natural inclinations. It is impossible to have this love unless God helps us set aside our own natural desires so that we can love and not expect anything in return. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to love. Thus, the more we become like Christ, the more love we will show to others.

Today, the world has contaminated the meaning of the word "love". Love is not a feeling. It is a choice and an action. The world thinks that love is what makes a person feel good and that it is all right to sacrifice moral principles and others' rights in order to obtain such "love".

When was the last time :

• you were secretly envious or jealous of someone?
• you were boastful in your accomplishments instead of giving the glory to God?
• you demanded your own way?
• you looked for the worst in a person instead of pointing out the best?
• your love faded because you got tired or didn't feel like loving someone or because they didn't love you in return, or because it was too hard?
• you were rude to someone in traffic, in the grocery store line, in a restaurant, at a ballgame, or even in your own home with your own family members? Sometimes we are more rude to our own family than we are to others. "Treat your guests like family and your family like guests".

I have probably covered most of these in the past week, but Jesus is working on my heart as we speak or I wouldn't be writing this.

How about you? What is the purpose of your love to people? Is it to gain attention from others or to gain something for yourself? Or is it to show your love to God by loving others and glorifying Him? So no matter what we say to others, what we believe, and what we do, we have gained nothing, if we have not loved. If we truly know God, we will love as He does.

1 John 4:7-10 (The Message)

God Is Love

7-10My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God.

Go Cats! Go Dores!

Just getting ready for UK Wildcats basketball season. Actually I am also a Vanderbilt fan... probably more so than a wildcat fan, but don't tell the others in the family. I almost got cut off from the entire Gold family line last year. It is an understood rule if you marry into the family that you must become a wildcat fan. However, we have Vandy basketball season tickets which our family enjoys, but my husband is a true UK fan at heart. Once a wildcat ...always a wildcat. (I believe that same line was in "Highschool Musical 3". (hee!!) He grew up in Kentucky where your blood runs blue. Actually everybody's blood runs blue. Did you know that? It only turns red when we see it. Okay...I kind of got off track a little. He has always loved the cats and I have to say that going to a game at Rupp is beyond your imagination. However, last year I grew to love Vanderbilt. So now there is conflict within our family when UK plays Vanderbilt. So pray for me during those times.

This weekend the boys are at the UK/Vandy football game, but the girls decided to have a girls weekend. We dressed Prissy up in her UK cheerleading outfit. I hope to find a Vandy outfit for her real soon, but this one will do for now.

Prissy Pajamas

This is Prissy in her pajamas getting ready for "night night". And yes I am crazy about this little puppy. I am not getting anything done these days. She is so darn cute. All she has to do is look up at me with those little eyes and I have to get down in the floor and play with her. When I take her out to potty, she hops across the grass like a little bunny rabbit. What in the world has come over me????? Haylee and Jack are crazy about her too. They carry her around like a baby. And of course, Big Doug loves her alot but he won't admit it. He came home from work at lunch time the other day just to check on her. It will be so funny to see this 6'6" guy walking this little toy puppy around. I am not sure about this training schedule that my vet gave me. I had to laugh when I started reading all about it. It reminded me so much on the schedule my babies were on when they were newborns. I am calling it the "Growing Puppies God's Way" or "Puppywise" training. It is hilarious what we will do for these little things.

Meet the Newest Member of Our Family

Meet the newest member of our family. This is our new baby. We haven't decided for sure what to call her yet. We are leaning towards either Precious or Prissy. She is 11 weeks old and is a Maltetzu (designer breed mix of a Malteese and a Shihtzu) puppy. She is so cute and cuddley. Yes. I have completely lost it. I was so anti-dog about a week ago and look what happened. I think my little girl prayed so hard for a puppy for her birthday that God changed my heart.

You Are Being Loved

You are being loved…right now…at this very moment.

Zephaniah 3:17 (Amplified Version)
17The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior [Who saves]! He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them]; He will exult over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17 (New Living Translation)
For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

This is one of my favorite verses. How awesome is it to think that right now at this very moment He is loving us and singing over us!!! When I am in my car I love listening to Steven Curtis Chapman’s song that goes right along with this verse. It is called “You are Being Loved”. I tried to get the youtube video loaded but the embedding was disabled. However, you can go over to youtube.com and listen to it. Just type youtube.com and then search for "You are Being Loved" by Steven Curtis Chapman. You will be blessed.

Have a blessed day!

Peace during Uncertain Times Ahead

No matter how the election turns out, we must remember that God is in control and He works everything out for the GOOD of those who love Him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

I am very thankful that we have the opportunity to vote and I realize that it is not always going to turn out the way we would like, but we have to remember that God is sovereign. Does that mean I don't worry about voting? No. As a follower of Jesus, I believe that we have the God-given responsibility to vote according to His Word. After reading Ephesians 1:15-23 I asked Him to make me intelligent and discerning in knowing Him personally and to open my eyes to His Word so that I may know exactly how he wanted me to vote. It was a no-brainer. Still having some uncertainty in my heart about the times ahead of us, I continued to ask Him for peace. I am so thankful that no name or no power are exempt from his rule and that he is in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments.

Lord,
Thank you that you are in charge and have final say on everything.


Ephesians 1:15-23(The Message)

15-19That's why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn't stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I'd think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!
20-23All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.

Random Things that Make Me Happy

Random Things that Make Me Happy

1. My husband’s sense of humor.
2. My back porch swing
3. Chic Chats and coffee with my little girl.
4. The beach
5. Scrapbooking
6. My little boy’s prayers
7. Blogging
8. The fact that my husband loves to watch chic flicks with me.
9. Mommy and Daughter dates
10.My can opener
11. My mother-in-law’s cooking
12. My Keurig coffee pot
13. The season of Fall
14. Watching my little girl pretend to play school every day when she gets home from school.
15. Krispy Kreme doughnuts
16. My mother-in-laws house during Christmas and any other time of the year because it is always warm and cozy.
17. Flavored coffees.
18. Spending time with the ladies that I work with.
19. Dates with my husband.
20. Lifeway
21. Books-A-Million
22. Libraries
23. most bookstores
24. New Pajamas
25. My heart friends
26. Taking pictures
27. Christian music – Steven Curtis Chapman, Jeremy Camp, David Crowder, Tenth Avenue North, Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, Matthew West
28. Running
29. Hot tea with my hubby
30. Late night chats with Granny Gold
31. When Granny Gold comes to stay a week at our house.
32. Midnight shopping adventures with Granny Gold.
33. Hanging out with my sister, even during the tough situations we have been through lately. I always enjoy her company
34. Being with my family
35. Office supplies
36. My ipod
37. My husband’s hysterical laughter at “America’s Funniest Home Videos”.
38. Family night dart tag
39. Diet Cokes and Mt. Dews
40. A Clean House
41. Playing basketball and watching it
42. Vanderbilit and UK basketball games
43. church or community cookbooks
44. Bible studies
45. My church family
46. My Bible
47. Jack’s little funny sayings
48. Christian music concerts
49. Sunday afternoon coffee with my mentor
50. Phone conversations with my dad

The Most Important Issues In the 2008 Election

Just wanted to share a video with you today from John Piper concerning the 2008 election. God is in control!

Pumpkin Patch with my little Jack-O-Lantern

I love taking pictures of sunflowers.

Braxton and Jack

Jack, Christian, and Braxton


They loved the corn maze as well as the hayride.

This is Wilbur the Pig, my favorite.


This is Jack's first grade class.


Me and My boy!

It took him forever to pick out this pumpkin. They all looked the same to me.

Today, I went with my little first grader, Jack, to the pumpkin patch. I don't know about you, but I have been to many pumpkin patches over the past few years with my kids. Some good...some not so good. So I was not very excited about it at first. However, once we got there, everything changed. The weather was absolutely beautiful. The animals were delightful. Did I say delightful? Jack and I had a great time together. I started realizing that some day I would look back on this time and wish that I had it back. At one point, I reached over and held his hand, wondering if he would be embarrassed. But no...he leaned over and hugged me and held my hand through the hayride. Tears rushed to my eyes. Thank you God for this precious gift that you have given me.

Psalm 127:3

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

Lord, plant Your Word firmly in Jack's little heart and increase his faith daily. Enable him to abide in Your love and derive strength from the joy of the Lord this day and forever.

My Girl

My Girl

This is my precious little girl, Haylee. Only she is not a little girl anymore. She is growing up so fast and since her birth I have continually asked God to slow time down. I pray that God will spare her of my painful mistakes that I made while growing up.

We constantly have “Chic Chats” on our back porch swing over coffee. And yes, I let her drink coffee with me. She loves it, just like her mom. It is probably more cream and sugar than anything. She is a lot like me in many ways. I tell her to pick up on my good habits, but leave the bad. I pray that she will have a hunger and thirst for God like no other. It will be impossible for me to pass down a heritage of faith to her unless I am consistently in God’s Word and walking closely with Him myself.

It scares me to think of the battles we have ahead to counteract the negative influences of today’s culture. A culture who believes there is no absolute truth (that will be another post for another day). What am I talking about? Today, our daughters face so many negative influences through television, movies, internet, magazines, and books (even children’s books). It is amazing to me what is out there. And yes, there are going to be times that I have to take a stand and make different decisions for her even when others don’t agree with me. I have to do what I think God has called me to do.

For an example, I had to say no about watching certain tv shows and movies. I think I finally got through to her one day. Our conversation went like this:

Haylee: “Mom, why can’t I watch this show? It is not that bad. Even, some of my church friends get to watch it. It just has a few bad things in it. Most of the show is good and it's funny.”

Mom: “Haylee, would you eat a brownie with just a little bit of poopoo in it, even if the rest of it is good?’

Haylee: “No Mom.”

I think she got the point.

If you haven’t read “Your Girl -Raising a Godly Daughter in an Ungodly World” by Vicki Courtney, it is a must. She addresses the times in which our daughters live, the high calling of motherhood, and the necessity to enter battle to counteract the negative influences of the culture. Also she has a website called Virtous Reality.

We must rely on God’s word when raising our daughters in an ungodly world.

Deuteronomy 6:5-9
5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

By the way, my six year old took the pictures of us. Not bad....

Need I say more.....

Voting for Righteousness

Hey friends~ Just wanted to share with you an article written by Kay Arthur.

Voting For Righteousness Part 2 by Kay Arthur

". . .I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity."-1 Timothy 2:1, 2

Beloved, we cannot be apathetic about righteousness. Apathy leads to apostasy. Apostasy means you turn away (depart) from something you once believed. This we have done as a nation. What we once considered sin and would not tolerate as acceptable behavior is now acceptable. And where does apostasy lead? To anarchy-no absolutes! The individual determines what is right and wrong.

The last five chapters of Judges summarize anarchy and the times in which we live: "every man did what was right in his own eyes." In the dark days of Judges, the people professed God but lived in anarchy. So they reaped what they sowed. When they did not honor God as God, God gave them over to idolatry (Judges 17, 18), immorality (Judges 19), homosexuality (Judges 19), and internal war (Judges 20, 21).

It's right where America is today, isn't it? Wouldn't you call it anarchy when local governors and courts flaunt the laws of our nation and marry homosexuals, granting them equal status with heterosexual marriages?

And what must you do about it if you are to be salt (a preservative) and light (a dispeller of darkness)? You must vote righteousness. You must choose daily, moment by moment, situation by situation, and opportunity by opportunity to do what is right in God's eyes. You must determine to be righteous even in the midst of unrighteousness. To be righteous is to live by what God says is right.

And you must vote-you must push aside the apathy and get up and go to the polls and vote for the candidate that is closest to the standards of the Word of God.
If you don't, Beloved, then you need to be prepared to bear the consequences of a nation that continues to rebel against the absolutes of God's Word. Get prepared for the judgments of God spelled out for us in Ezekiel 14:12-20, where God Himself says, "If a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness..."

Unfaithfulness is our scarlet letter, emblazoned on our foreheads. You see it not only in our relationships, our business practices, and our duties to God and His Word, but also in the chambers of our lawmakers. Our nation has been unfaithful to the God whose name is chiseled on our monuments and engraved on our currency. If you vote the economy rather than righteousness, you can rest assured the idol of greed will be crushed under the powerful hand of God; and we, like Israel, will drink the water made bitter, sprinkled with the powder of our idols (Exodus 32:20).

God gave us a wake-up call on 9/11, but time has proven we turned to Him in worldly sorrow rather than godly sorrow. We regretted our unpreparedness and accused whomever we could accuse, but we never sought our Sovereign God with a godly sorrow that would lead to repentance as described in 2 Corinthians 7. What will it take next? What will it take to get us, a nation originally founded on fear and respect for a holy Sovereign, to turn from our ungodly ways?

O Beloved, go to your knees and stay there until you’ve confessed all personal unrighteousness. Then, as Daniel did in Daniel 9, plead with God on behalf of this nation "so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." Then get on your feet and go to the polls and cast your vote for righteousness.

We can make a difference, Beloved! The polls are our God-ordained opportunity to make a difference. And if godless leaders are voted in, in spite of our votes and prayers, then we will know we did what we could, and God will see and honor our obedience.

Benjamin Franklin, who was a deist, not a Christian, concluded his remarks with these words:

"'We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this. I also believe that, without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel; we shall be divided by our little, partial, local interests; our projects will be confounded; and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a byword down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter, from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing government by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war, or conquest.'"i
At Precept Ministries International, we're so concerned about the state of our nation and we're committing to prayer every Thursday at noon to pray for our country, and for this upcoming election. We invite you to join us. Go to http://www.preceptsforlife.com/ and click the "America at the Crossroads" banner to download "A Call to Corporate Prayer." May the Lord bless you, Beloved, and may He continue to bless and preserve our great nation!

Bill O'Reilly On The View

Today is the first day that I actually enjoyed watching the view. Bill O'Reilly from "The O'Reilly Factor" was there. View for yourself.

Voter Issues - 2008 Election

I don't know about you, but I am so ready for the election to be over. I know how bad the economy is right now, but I also know that God is in control and that I totally have peace in Him. There are so many different issues out there. For me it all came down to fourteen different positions held by the candidates. http://wallbuilders.com/LIBissuesArticles.asp?id=5386. After reading this article, my advice is to pray and get into God's Word and then decide.


In the meantime, here is a funny from my little Jack:

Jack: "Well, I know I am not voting for Obama."

Me: "Why, Jack?"

Jack: "Because he wants to turn all the televisions off after school."

Kids are so funny!!!!

It's Not About Me

Have you ever asked God to put someone in your path on a particular day that you could minister to, but you got so caught up in your busyness and your daily routine that you totally forgot you had requested this? This seems to happen to me from time to time.

Philippians 2:3 says "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit but, in humility, count others more significant than yourself." And so you don't merely look out for your own interests, you look out for the interests of others.

How do you count others more significant than yourself? To begin to do this, during my quiet time, I make a list of ways I can begin to look out for the interests of other people. For instance, for my husband, I begin to write down – what are the things that speak to him or might be his love language? It's getting on his agenda, entering his world, doing things the way he likes to have them done, and to spend my time with him on his agenda. I have to admit that I have alot of work to do in this area. If you haven't seen the movie "Fireproof", it is a must see. It has totally changed the way I view my marriage.

Also I must keep my radar up for my children. What does God want to do for them today? Then my neighbors, extended family, friends, grocery store clerk, doctors, nurses, teachers, principals, janitors, cafeteria workers, waiters and waitresses, postman, ups man, banker, teller, florist, insurance rep., pest control man, plumber, and the list goes on. Please don't get overwhelmed by this list and feel that you must touch every person every day. Sometimes it may only be one person a day. Other days it may be more than one. The purpose of this list is to get you to open your eyes to those in need around you.

Several years ago, I felt like I was in my own little Christian sheltered world. I only hung out with other Christians. I asked God to get me out of my comfort zone so that I could be a light for him in a dark world. What he has made me realize over the years was that I was the one putting that shield around myself. He opened my eyes to those in need around me. They were around me all along, I was just to busy and caught up in my own agenda to notice. Recently, I have started to pray, "Lord, what is your agenda for my day?" It is not about me.........

Here are some other related scriptures regarding this topic. As you can see, I love reading the same scripture out of different versions of the Bible. Hope you enjoy!

Philippians 2:3 (The Message)
1-4If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Philippians 2:3 (NLT)
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

Galatians 5:26 (NASB)
Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

Romans 12:10
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;

Ephesians 5:21 (HCSB)
and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

Romans 12:10 (HCSB)
10 Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Romasn 12:10 (NIV)
10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Colossians 3:12 (HCSB)
Therefore, God's chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Big Sister - Little Brother

Someday you may live thousands of miles apart. You may go months and even years without seeing each other, but I want you to never forget there was a time when you spent hours and hours together laughing and playing. I hope the bond you now share will be closely guarded forever.

Fall Baseball

Just wanted to share a few pictures of our last week of fall baseball. Jack is sad, but ready to move on to basketball season.... mom's favorite.

Keeping a tight rein on our tongue

Hello friends ~ Just wanted to share with you what God has been teaching me over the past few months. I have found myself greatly challenged and convicted over my words and thoughts. Can anybody relate? As I have studied God’s word about this particular topic, I have found that I talk too much. Can you believe that? For those who know me well, you don't have to answer that.

When I was in highschool, I knew all the words to a rap song called “You Talk Too Much” by Run DMC. Does anybody out there remember this song? Wow! Have my tastes in music changed over the years!

Below are some things that God has been teaching me about my tongue. Maybe we can pray for each other about this.

The best way to improve speech is to improve the heart, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). A heart filled with the Holy Spirit and the truth of the Word of God will produce godly speech that brings life to the speaker as well as the listener. This is where we start.

We create a world for ourselves by what we speak. Words have power, and we can either speak life or death into a situation. When I say something over and over I start to believe it. The Bible says that what we say can get us into trouble or keep us away from it. It can even save our lives. “ He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction” (Proverbs 13:3).

Here are a few other verses out of Proverbs.

Proverbs 10:19 (New International Version)
19 When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise.

Proverbs 12:18 (New International Version)
18 Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing

Proverbs 17:27 (New International Version)
27 A man of knowledge uses words with restraint,
and a man of understanding is even-tempered.

Proverbs 21:23 (New International Version)
23 He who guards his mouth and his tongue
keeps himself from calamity.

Proverbs 10:8 (New International Version)
8 The wise in heart accept commands,
but a chattering fool comes to ruin.

Proverbs 29:20 (New International Version)
20 Do you see a man who speaks in haste?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

In a commentary by Nancy Leigh Demoss , she says it this way:

Proverbs reminds us that in the multitude of words—too many words—sin is inevitable. Too much talking leads to all kinds of other sins: the sin of exaggeration, lying, foolish jesting, meaningless chatter, and criticism. You get in a group, start talking, and you say too much. Invariably, I find myself about to say something—about someone else—that is critical. Almost always, I would have been better off if I had just restrained my lips and spoke less.
The tongue reveals the condition of my heart. The words that I speak are a mirror into my heart.

The words come out. That’s what’s heard; that’s what’s evident. But they reveal what is not so evident until I speak the words, and that is the condition of my heart. So if I’m a foolish person, I’m going to speak foolish words. If I have a wicked heart, the words that come out of my mouth are going to be wicked words.
Hundreds of years ago Francis DeSalles said this: “Our words are a faithful index of the state of our souls.” So, you want to know what’s in your heart? Jesus said, “Out of the abundance [or overflow] of the heart, the mouth speaks.”
So if I have a critical heart, what kinds of words are going to come out? Critical words. If I have a mean-spirited heart, what kinds of words are going to come out of my mouth? Mean words, unkind words.

If I have a proud heart, I’m going to speak arrogant words. If I have an unloving heart, I’m going to speak unkind words. A self-centered heart is going to speak selfish words. And when I speak angry words, what does that tell you about my heart? It means I’ve got an angry heart.

If I speak profane words, what does that tell you about my heart? It’s profane. Impatient words come out of an impatient heart. Complaining words come out of a discontented heart. A heart that is selfish is going to talk about what? Self.
I can remember my dad telling us as we were growing up that one of the important things in conversation is not to talk about yourself. He said, “People want to talk about themselves. So ask questions that draw them out.”
As you think about the people you know who have a lot of friends, people that others want to be around, one of the things you’ll notice is that they talk about others. They ask questions about others. They’re not always talking about themselves.

Also in the book of James:

James 3:1-12 (New International Version)

Taming the Tongue
1Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. 3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt[a] water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.


And last but not least:

Psalm 26:2 (New International Version)
2 Test me, O LORD, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;

Psalm 51:10 (New International Version)
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.


I could go on and on.

Change my heart, O God!

The Pearl Necklace

If you are wondering why I chose God's Girl Pearl for my blog name, it came from the fact that I belong to a King and that my middle name is Pearl. My mom named me after both of my grandmothers. My dad's mother was named Christine and my mom's mother was named Pearl. Both grandmothers were remarkable, self-sacrificing women and I have a lot to live up to.

Although I have never owned a genuine pearl necklace, I have loved pearl necklaces ever since I was a little girl. When I was growing up, my grandmother would let me go through her jewelry box. She had the most beautiful jewelry and I especially loved her pearls. Sometimes she would even let me wear them around her house. Over the years I have had some fake pearl necklaces, but somewhere down the road I developed this mentality that if it is not real then I don't want it. I know that is not the best way to think about some things and I have gradually changed my mind about that, but not about pearls. So it only seemed fitting to share this story in my first post. This story has meant so much to me and my walk with the Lord . I hope you enjoy!

The Pearl Necklace

The cheerful little girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them, a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. 'Oh mommy please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?' Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face.
If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself.
And, so she did.
Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere, Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green. Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night as he finished the story, he asked Jenny, 'Do you love me?' 'Oh yes, daddy. You know that I love you.' 'Then give me your pearls.'
'Oh, daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail . Remember, daddy? The one you gave me. She's my very favorite.'
'That's okay, Honey, daddy loves you. Good night.' And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.
About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, 'Do you love me?' 'Daddy, you know I love you.' 'Then give me your pearls.' 'Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper.'
'That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you.' And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.
A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek. 'What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?' Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, 'Here, daddy; this is for you.'
With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny.
He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure. So it is, with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures.
God will never ask for something from you without giving you something better in its place.

Isn't this just like us. Sometimes we just don't want to let go of things in our lives that truly don't have eternal value. God has so much more for us if we will just trust Him.

Mark 8:36
What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?