One Word: Imagine

Ten Months of Imagining the Plans God Has for You

My "One Word" for the year was imagine!!  

The year 2013 has been wonderful for me.  I became a launch team member of Tricia Goyer.  I committed to writing my blog 5 days a week, joined So You Call Yourself A Homeschool? and Choose NOW Ministries.  I have posted book reviews for over 10 books, edited my own breakout novel (The Breakthrough), and attended two writer's conferences.  My husband and I became grandparents.  We celebrated our 23rd anniversary and I published my book on that date.  This year has been more than I could have imagined!  But it was all orchestrated by the Creator.

• What did the past ten months look like for you?  
• If you chose "one word," how did that word find its way into your daily and monthly life?
• In the next two months, how can you put your word into practice?  
• What will you choose for your "one word" next year??

Blessings!!

Halloween: Celebrate it or Ignore it?

Don't Miss An Opportunity

When our older children were little, we made a point of celebrating Halloween by attending our church Harvest Festival.  It seemed as though it were an acceptable means of allowing the kids to dress up and get candy without the hype of the secular aspect of this pagan holiday.  
As our children grew up, they began to ask to go trick-or-treating around our neighborhood.  Since we knew most of the people in our area, we allowed them to go out with my nieces and eventually our older sons. I began to view this annual event as a night of candy begging, and I even wrote a poem about it in college!  
What I neglected to explain to my older children was the pagan meaning of Halloween and the correlation of All Saints Day.  I missed an opportunity.  But I realized that having an open discussion would give them a basis for their own investigation of the holiday.  So while you help dress your kids up, you prepare them for a night of asking, "trick or treat," and you get ready to sort through the candy they receive from well-meaning neighbors, think about ways you can jump start a conversation about how Halloween began and some of the religious aspects of the day.

Blessings!

Tip Tuesday: Five Weeks of Preparing for the Holidays

Getting in Shape for the Holidays

I love the holidays!  We usually make a turkey with all the trimmings on Thanksgiving, on Christmas morning we have a HUGE breakfast and then head to grandma and grandpa's for Christmas dinner.  My mother-in-law makes a great ham dinner!!  But with all that food and celebrating, many of us gain a few (okay, SEVERAL!) unwanted pounds.  So what can we do to offset that?  Simple.  Start working on weight loss NOW!  
Here are some tips on ab workouts you can do at home!

(C) I Love Fitness

Walking is a great cardio addition to these exercises, too.  And remember, before starting ANY exercise program, check with your doctor FIRST!

Blessings!

Tests in Life

The Path From Dream to Destiny

I'm reading a wonderful book right now by Robert Morris.  From Dream to Destiny studies the tests that Joseph faced and overcame to become the Prince of Egypt that God has planned as his destiny.  What I really like about this book is Morris goes into detail about the tests Joseph faced in life, but he further relates those tests to what we might face ourselves.  See, the tests Joseph went through and experienced weren't specific only to him.  Did you know Joseph's tests lasted 13 years!  God has tests like the ones Joseph overcame for us, too. 

(C) Amazon.com

Morris details the following tests that we must go through on the way to our destinies:

1. The Pride Test
2. The Pit Test
3. The Palace Test
4. The Purity Test
5. The Prison Test
6. The Prophetic Test
7. The Power Test 
8. The Prosperity Test
9. The Pardon test
10. The Purpose Test 

It is an encouraging book that empowers the Believer to understand what test he or she may be going through in life on the way to the destiny God has planned.  Remember, your dreams may not happen overnight or your destiny reached when you think you should.  Only after we successfully pass each test will God allow us to realize our dream.  I hope you'll get this book and learn where you are in your journey toward the destiny God created you for!

Blessings!

Upcoming book reviews!

I have been so busy with books to read for review and I am so excited to bring you my views on several books including:  A Christmas Gift for Rose, One Year: Amish Peace, Pocket Your Dollars, The Blessed Woman, and From Dream to Destiny!  Be sure to check back for my take on each of these books.

In the mean time, check them out on Amazon.com at the links below!

A Christmas Gift for Rose










 
One Year: Amish Peace   











Pocket Your Dollars      
      










The Blessed Woman  











From Dream to Destiny                












Blessings!        

Tip Tuesday: Four Weeks of Thankfulness

Fall Treats

When you think of fall, you think of pumpkin, spicy flavors and scents and sweet treats, right? Okay, so the sweets thing may just be some of us. Either way, talk about a quick cookie recipe by Amanda’s Cookin that tastes like fall in your mouth!

For more recipes like this one, visit our friends at Organized Chaos Online!!

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Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Cookies by Amanda’s Cookin’

Tales From the End Book Cover Release!!

From the author of The End of All Things comes a collection of short stories about the Infection that swept around the globe, decimating the population, and leaving behind a small number of survivors, unprepared to deal with the brutal new world which had replaced the one they'd known.

The End of All Things told the story of Carly Daniels, a young woman in Juneau, Alaska, left in a state of shock after the virus ravaged her home town. She ekes out a meager existence by scavenging for herself and Sam, the wolf puppy she found starving in the streets. Sam gives her a reason to keep going when giving up seems like the more attractive option.

Carly is discovered by Justin, an ex-soldier who is intent on making his way to a warmer climate before the winter sets in. Justin coaxes her out of her hiding place and convinces her to join him on his journey. They travel across a shattered nation in search of a safe place to settle, but it's also a journey into love. There is still hope, a light among the shadows. If the old world is gone, it is up to the survivors to build a new one.

Carly finds strength in her faith that things can be even better than they were before, that compassion and charity are not luxuries; they are what make us human. Life endures, and so does love. The End of All Things is only a beginning.

And now, Lissa Bryan gives us three new stories in Tales from the End. 

Three of them introduce us to new characters you will meet in the upcoming sequel to The End of All Things, and the fourth, "Birthday" is a visit with old friends.

The Horsemen

L.A.'s mayor has declared quarantine to try to halt the spread of the Infection. Pearl sets off across the city to buy supplies, but already the world is changing. Something strange is in the air. The Horsemen are coming ...

Veronica

When Veronica's mother doesn't come home from work and no one answers the phone when she calls for help, a nine-year-old girl is thrown into the chaos of a world coming to an end. The television shows her nothing but confusing images she doesn't understand. Veronica decides it's up to her to find her family. "Veronica" is the story of a little girl's courage in the face of the end of all things.

"I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud"

They called her Shadowfax-- the mare Carly and Justin found on their travels. But before she was found by Carly, the retired dressage horse was known as Cloud. An unusual tale of the end, told through the eyes of a confused and lonely horse, left in her pasture.

Birthday

A previously-published bonus story. Carly knows Justin has never celebrated his birthday, and after society crumbled, no one knows what date it is, anyway. But she wants to do something special for him. Celebrating the little things helps them keep hope alive, and as a blizzard rages outside, a small gesture of love warms their home.

Tales of courage, tales of survival... Tales from the End.

.¸¸•.¸¸.•´¯`• (¯`•♥•´¯)•´¯`•.¸¸.•.¸¸.

Author Links
Website ♥Facebook ♥ Twitter ♥ TWCS (Publisher) ♥ Amazon♥ Barnes & Noble ♥ iTunes ♥ Youtube book trailers

Dance in the Rain

Washing Off the Stuff of Life

Rain.  Just the mention of it makes me think of summer days when it would pour own rain and my sister and I would play in the gentle drops in Florida.  There is just something about playing and dancing in the rain that is so freeing!

As Christians, there is also the rain the Lord pours out on us.  The rain on crops makes them grow and flourish and bear fruit.  It's similar to us in our spiritual walk.  It's amazing to see what changes occur after the rain.

(C) digitaltrends.com

Well, I hadn't thought of another purpose of the rain, too.  Have you ever noticed that when it rains, it washes all the junk off of things like your car, the sidewalk and street, and stuff out of trees and bushes?  And of course we all know that when you wash your car, it rains!  The rain of the Father is like that, too.  
When we need His nurturing, His blessings, His comfort, and His forgiveness, we only need to ask Him for rain.  And in the midst of the rain, pray for more rain!  It will wash away the things that are wearing you down in this life and refresh you, restore you and renew you.
Dance in the rain today!!

Blessings!

Who's calling?!

Seeking Your Assignment from God

(Originally published on October 18, 2011, two weeks after I began writing Super Mom the Illusion)

When I was a little girl, my twin sister and I would play two things: school and TV news.  When we played school, she was the teacher and I was always the student.  When we played TV News, I was the news anchor and she was the weather girl.  I don't think back then either of us realized that we were effectively playing out our callings from the Lord.  These roles would follow us in our school years, playing out as I wrote research papers on things that interested me and as she tutored kids in our class. 

As we each grew up, we got married and raised our children.  She has three kids and I have eight.  We both homeschooled our children (I'm still in progress!), and we have begun to pursue our career goals: I graduated in 2008 with a degree in journalism and she will graduate this December with a teaching degree.  Obviously, we can look back and see that these are the career goals we were predestined for by God, but some people can't see their calling as clearly.  I certainly didn't see mine as I was in the midst of raising my kids and my husband was working as many as three jobs at a time!  I remember thinking, "How come I don't know what I'm called to do?"  It seemed as though everyone in our church knew what they were called to do except me!  What I didn't realize was that they had inquired of the Lord long before I understood that I needed to do that as well.  They asked, so they received their answers.
I would encourage you to look back to those things of your childhood.  What did you play?  What were your dreams?  God gave you those dreams to prepare you for your future calling!  Ask Him to reveal those things to you today!  Then seek in His Word what He says about you, your job, your calling for the increasing of His kingdom!  You will soon see for yourself that you knew what you were destined to do all along!!

Blessings!

TIP TUESDAY: Four Weeks of Thankfulness

Whether you own your home or are renting, you need to take care of it to honor what the Lord has given you.  You can show thankfulness for your home by taking care of it with this simple Fall Checklist from our friends at Organized Chaos Online!

(C) Organized Chaos Online

Pursuing Your Dreams

Do Something TODAY!

Over the past several months, we've talked about our visions and dreams.  Today, I want to give you some ideas of how to find just one thing to take a step toward your goals.  

• Pray.  Earnestly, honestly and diligently seek the Lord's Will for your vision.
• Do a Google search for conferences related to your dream or vision.  There are so many types of conferences!  You may just find one in your area.
• Find a class that teaches something within your vision.
• Teach a class within your vision. For example, if you've always dreamed of creating inspiring art, take an art class.  
• Realize you are not so great at your talent that you can't improve in some way.
• Write out a one-year from now plan for your vision.
• Write down where you want to be with your vision or dream within the next five years.
• If you're thinking of doing something new, buy the things needed (or at least a few things) to get started.  For example, if you're going to start painting, by some acrylic paints and a canvas board; if you're going to begin writing, by some journals; or if you're going to travel, buy some maps of the areas in which you plan to travel.
• Volunteer with an organization that relates to your vision.
• Research what it will cost to achieve your dream.  
• Have a vision-based budget not a budget-based vision!
• Find others who share your vision and meet regularly.

These are simply suggestions to get you motivated and thinking about how you can do just one thing TODAY to get your vision moving forward!  What can you do?  What will you do TODAY?

Blessings!

Speak Life

How Your Words Can Impact Others

(C) hmapr.com

Earlier this week, I was talking to a dear young lady about how some things in her life weren't going the way she had hoped and planned.  She was feeling down and said she felt worthless.  I simply told her, "YOU are of high value!"  She said that no one had ever said that to her before.  It made a big impact on her and gave her a new perspective in the midst of life changes.  

I thought about what I've said to some people in the past few weeks.  Did I encourage them?  Were my words hurtful or supportive?  Condemning or uplifting?  Could I have said something more in love than the way I actually said it?

Our words have power not only to move mountains by faith but to also to speak blessings over others.  As the week draws to a close, take time to think about what you can say to those around you to encourage them, build them up, impact their lives in a positive way like nothing they've experienced before.  Then, let the Lord work on those seeds you've planted.  

Blessings!

Walking in the Favor of the Lord

Expect the Unexpected from God

Do you know what the favor of the Lord looks like?  Do you know what to expect when God releases the favor flood in your life?  I certainly didn't know the answers to those questions until a few years ago.  

So let's talk about what the favor of the Lord looks like.  That kind of favor is when someone does something for you that they normally wouldn't do.  They might literally say, "I don't usually do this, but..."  That is how you will know something is the favor of the Lord.  A parking place close to the front door of your church, your favorite shopping store, or somewhere else is the favor of the Lord, too.  Financial bonuses that were unexpected are the favor of the Lord.  And promotions to higher positions at work, school or organizations without asking, voting or inquiring about them are the favor of the Lord!

This is what the favor of the Lord looked like for me over the past few weeks:

• I was asked to be a co-editor of a magazine based in Colorado
• There was an open space at the parking lot of my grocery store that was right at the front!
• I received a check out of the blue 
• Because of my faithfulness with one of the organizations I belong to, I was asked to take on an additional role (increased position at work!)

These things, of course, didn't happen in one day nor did they happen one right after another.  But they are events in which I can distinctly see God's hand.  Psalm 90:17 says, "And let the beauty and delightfulness and favor of the Lord our God be upon us; confirm and establish the work of our hands--yes, the work of our hands, confirm and establish it."  That means when His favor is upon us, it will come through in the things we do!  Others will see and not be jealous, but will seek the Lord and the foundation of the blessings poured out on us.  

Let's look at some of the definitions of FAVOR:

1. something done or granted out of goodwill, rather than from justice or for remuneration; a kind act: to ask a favor.

2.  friendly or well-disposed regard; goodwill: to win the favor of the king.

3.  the state of being approved or held in regard: to be in favor at court; styles that are now in favor.

4.  excessive kindness or unfair partiality; preferential treatment: to treat some people with favor and others with neglect.

I especially like the definition that says, "To win the favor of the King"!  Now, we understand we didn't do anything to win God's favor.  Instead, we are His favored, His favorites!  We are children of the Most High God, and it's time we start acting like it.  Expect to get that parking place close to the front; expect people to do things for you that they would not ordinarily do; expect financial blessings from unexpected sources; and expect these things more and more.  That's the favor flood!

YOU are highly favored!!!

TIP TUESDAY: Four Weeks of Thankfulness

Give T-H-A-N-K-S DIY decoration!

The gals at Organized Chaos Online have a great idea when it comes to making your own decor for Thanksgiving!
Decorating for the holidays gives your house a boost of cheer. The problem is that not all budgets can handle the cost of new decor each year and sometimes you have about a fifteenth of a second and limited resources. Fear not.  Organized Chaos Online to the rescue!

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Get all the details on how to make your own "Give Thanks" decoration at:  www.organizedchaosonline.com

Sharing Jesus with Others

When Opportunities to Talk About God Arise

When I was growing up, I thought that it was the job of every Christian to meet a stranger, share Jesus, lead that person to the Lord right then and there, and bring them to church.  Did anyone else share that experience in life? 

(C) Tomstuart.org

What I didn't realize was that sometimes God uses us as vessels to plant seeds into the lives of other people, praying with them and talking to them about the Lord.  He also uses us to nourish seeds already planted (ministering to those who believe, but haven't accepted Jesus), and to bring in the harvest (lead the lost to Christ through the salvation prayer).  

One of my favorite examples of this is in Amos 9:13:

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,

“when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman

and the planter by the one treading grapes.

Until I read this verse, I thought I had to do it all.  But I don't!  And neither do you.  Sometimes the Lord may make a way for all these things to happen in a person, but if not, that doesn't mean you didn't do your job.  Some are plowman, some planters, some reapers and some tread the grapes.  Just remember that our first job is to tell others about Jesus.  Let the Lord guide you as to how the rest of the adventure is to unfold!

Blessings!

When Plans Come Together

Remembering That God Has the Best Planned for You

(C) tvfiends.com

One of my favorite television shows was the A-Team (Yes, I know I'm dating myself!).  I waited for each episode when Hannibal would utter the same words every week:  I love it when a plan comes together!  

Well, I really do love it!  Sometimes things I've planned that have a low possibility of coming to pass actually happen.  Maybe not the way I planned, but the end result is the same.  Often, and I can't say why, I am surprised that the plans my husband and I have made play out so perfectly.  Why do I do that?  I trust God to take care of my needs and my wants (My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus-Philippians 4:19; The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.-Psalm 23:1).  So my plans are what I want and He says I shall not want!  It's so fun and awesome when things work out well.

(C) taylorcares.com

But then there are times when things I've planned and labored over, don't happen.  Why is that?  I don't have an answer for that.  But I do know that His plans are far better than I could EVER hope, think or imagine!  So when something doesn't go the way I planned, I just have to praise the Lord and remind myself something better is on the way!

Blessings!