OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES

Last night I had one of the hardest nights I have had in a long time. It was emotional and painful, but encouraging and sweet. It is times like that when I have to run to my Daddy and cry and yes, even TRUST. You see I am learning to trust Him, but it is not without Him speaking to me continually and showing up in tangible ways.

I am alone right now by His design for this season and for some reasons in my marriage I will not discuss, but I am not alone - He has sustained me. He has loved me, He has spoken to me, He has blessed me. I have a renewed Hope, He has spoken clearly and I BELIEVE Him. He has given me a promise, so now I wait, and hope and TRUST.

This morning my son, out of the blue, said, “Mommy you are the prettiest girl in the whole world.” He does not know how his words blessed a broken heart and a woman who feels everything but beautiful, especially right now. But once again God spoke to me through my child and they both spoke LIFE to me and shut the mouth of my accuser.

Out of the mouths of babes and unweaned infants You have established strength because of Your foes, that You might silence the enemy and the avenger. Psalm 8:2 (Amplified)

Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;toddlers shout the songs that drown out enemy talk,and silence atheist babble. Psalm 8:2 (The Message)

My sons words drowned out the voice of the enemy...Praise God!

THE DNA OF A CATERPILLAR

God created us to be someone – something! We have purpose! The days of our lives were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them (Psalm 139:16 – Amplified). We try so hard to be what we think God wants us to be, but the truth is He already sees us as that person.

Did you know that the DNA of a caterpillar is the same as the DNA of a butterfly? Did you get that? If a scientist took the DNA of a caterpillar it would be the same as that of a butterfly. Our creator did that. Pretty amazing, huh? Same with us – He already sees us as butterflies – in fact He made us that way.

Do not misunderstand, I know we all have growing and changing to do. This post is meant as an encouragement to rest and find peace in knowing that our Heavenly Father loves us with an everlasting love just the way we are, so much so that He will not leave us this way.

These are some of the things God says about us - WE ALREADY ARE:

His Children, branches of the True Vine, friends, new creations, heirs with Christ, saints, temples of the Holy Spirit, His workmanship, partakers of His promise, citizens of heaven, overcomers

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 cor 3:18

We are REFLECTORS OF HIS GLORY!

If God has all these wonderful things to say about us, why are we so quick to believe what others say? We need to start agreeing with God instead of everyone else.

...Let God be true, and every man a liar. Romans 3:4

THIS POST IS IN HONOR AND MEMORY OF CO-PASTOR LATONJA JOHNSON WHO MADE SURE EVERYONE AROUND HER KNEW WHO AND WHOSE THEY WERE!

Free photos for websites - FreeDigitalPhotos.net

THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY

The more I seek Him (especially in the hard stuff) the more I find Him. He is so FAITHFUL, He can’t not be! If we are faithless [do not believe and are untrue to Him], He remains true (faithful to His Word and His righteous character), for He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2:13

Have you fallen in love with Jesus? If not, I invite you to listen to this song with your eyes closed and experience Him and fall in LOVE.



Kari Jobe - The More I Seek You

For more Then Sings My Soul Saturday, visit Amy at Signs, Miracles, and Wonders

THERE'S STILL TIME...

There is still time to enter the book & tea giveaway...look to your left...see the book Gavin Goodfellow?...click on it...enter to win!

or click here

SILHOUETTE CHRISTIANITY

A silhouette, according to Wikipedia, is a view of some object or scene consisting of the outline and a featureless interior. Featureless is defined as 1) lacking distinguishing characteristics or features and 2) having no distinct or distinctive features.

In these silhouettes of my children you can see their features, but you do not know what color their eyes are, what color their hair is or even if they are well-behaved. We made these silhouettes today and it made me think of my Christianity. Am I a silhouette Christian? Do I have distinguishing characteristics and features of Christ? Or do I lack distinct or distinctive features? Do I have a featureless interior? Or is my interior more like Christ: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control?

A silhouette is a form of artwork and I am His workmanship, but I MUST go deeper and not be satisfied with just the outline. The main feature of my interior should be Christ. The world has had enough "silhouette Christianity" they want more, they want Jesus!

Directions to make the silhouettes found here.

JOY COMES IN THE MORNING

Yesterday was a hard day - a hard day, but a good one. It was good because I got to spend some quiet time with the Lord, listen to some worship music and prepare for my week. It was hard because my spirit was heavy as I laid down to sleep last night. I saw something on television yesterday that sparked a whole spiritual evaluation in my head. I saw a woman talking about being held at gunpoint and she talked about praying and crying out to God. The Lord revealed to me that I do not do that...run to Him in desperate or difficult situations...when I really need help.

Growing up I learned early on that I did not have people in my life I could rely on in times of trouble. The adults in my life let me down. I went to them for help repeatedly and repeatedly they let me down. That began a lifelong sense of self-sufficiency and self-dependence. It probably served me well many times in my life, but it no longer serves me as a daughter of the Most High God who longs to be His little girl that TRUSTS Him for everything. I want to run to Him for EVERYTHING. I am not there yet because we still have this trust issue, but now I have a great understanding of what is at the root of it.

Lately I feel so distant from Him and I know He has not gone anywhere, so what is the problem? The problem is I run when things are rough or when I am really struggling with stuff because I have to take care of it myself (or so I have trained myself). I become bogged down with trying to sort things out, find a solution and make everything better. That is not what He intended. I need to run to Him now and pour my heart out to Him and TRUST that He hears me and will help me.
All night this song played over in over in my head or in my sleep – I do not know how to describe it. When I woke up it was still playing, as if the angels themselves were singing to me. Has that ever happened to you? I love it when that happens. I feel ministered to when I wake up. So, remember “weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5

I had to link this video and post the lyrics, it is that AWESOME:



HOLY
Holy Holy God Almighty
Who was and is to come
God of glory You're so worthy
All the saints bow down

Holy is Your name in all the earth
Righteous are Your ways so merciful
Everything You've done is just and true
Holy Holy God are You
Holy Holy God are You

All blessing all honor belongs to You
All power all wisdom is Yours

P.S. It sounded just like this all night in my bed or in my head...!

BOOK TOUR AND GIVEAWAY

I am hosting a book tour with Candy Abbott, author of Gavin Goodfellow - The Lure of the Burnt Swamp on my other blog. There is a teaser below, but you will have to head over there to enter to win. Candy is giving away three autographed copies of her book and I am adding some Apricot tea to the prize package.

The book will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat - I couldn't put it down. It was encouraging to me spiritually as well, a great reminder of God's faithfulness to equip us for what He has called us to do.

What do twelve-year-old dyslexic Gavin Goodfellow, prophetically-inclined Uncle Warney, newly relocated mother-daughter witches from London, and a pimply-faced New Age guru have in common? Burnt Swamp-where flames from a mysterious underground fire have been smoldering for ten years. The battle is on for dominion of the swamp and possession of an ancient diary that holds clues to release or destroy the evil that dwells beneath the surface. Will Gavin respond to the Holy Spirit and embrace his God-given calling? Or will Bea Daark and her mother unleash forces that lure Gavin and the sleepy town of Ashboro deep into bondage?

Click here to read more and enter for your chance to win...

THE ENVELOPE PLEASE ...

Becoming Me, Morning by Morning and Rise Rise have awarded me with the Brilliant Web Blog Primio 2008. Thank you all! I am blessed by your thoughtfulness and encouragement.

This is a "pass it on" award, so I had to choose seven blogs to pass it to. The blogs I chose are newer blogs to me, but have recently blessed and/or encouraged me.

1. Everyday Miracles - I think my blood pressure drops every time I get to your blog - it exudes peace. To my new found friend who also sees God in everything, ie. potty training.
2. Floating in Winter Creek - Because you own a rice cooker and a nice one at that. Thank you for taking the time to answer all my crazy questions and for making me laugh.
3. Life and Love in the Rose Cottage - Thank you for not being afraid to "be real". Although we have not met in person, I trust we will soon and have tea of course. Your transparency and sharing of resources bless me tremendously.
4. Meditations and Confession of a Homemaker - Because you too see writing/blogging as an act of worship and understand being "found" by the Lover of your soul.
5. Mumblings of a Mommy "Monk" - From one "mommiemonk" to another you gave me new insight - thank you.
6. Secrets of Orual - I like you and what you write about. Oh, and you like the Thompson Twins too - extra points for that!
7. Tell Your Story Mosaic - Because you want to share publicly stories of how God saved people by His grace and were obedient to His call to do so.

The rules for this award: Put the logo on your blog. Put a link to who awarded it to you on your blog also. You need to nominate 7 other bloggers for the award and put links to them also on your blog. Finally, leave a comment for those you've nominated - so they know they've received a special award.

THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY

Two weeks ago I was so overwhelmed with everything going on I contemplated minimizing my Christianity to a more manageable pace. Gasp!

The battle that ensued in in my Spirit was agonizing. I have experienced, so much of God in the past several years that it is almost overwhelming at times, but the valleys have been as overwhelming. With the hot summer at its peak and nothing to do with three little ones under six, running a business, planning for another homeschool year, seeking the Lord about our church home and struggling in my marriage (again) - I was just wore out. Tired, lonely, sad and a host of other emotions I just wanted to check out of this “full steam ahead for you God” thing. It did not feel right, it did not sound right and I knew it was not right, but I felt out of options.

We walked into church last Sunday to Come Thou Fount and the lines they were singing were:

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love

Is that me? Why yes it is! The next lines are what gave me hope:

Here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above

So, I submitted to Him again! I had to put down my self-pity carry-on and all the other luggage I was carrying around and trust. It comes back to that again. Trust Him with it. Give it to Him, every five seconds if I have to.

The neatest thing about all this is in my bible study (Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World) this week I read (pp 102-103):

I’ve found I need solitude, a daily quiet time alone with God, if I am to have any hope of keeping my center. Left to my own devices, I am fickle and ever-changing. One day I’m hot: “O Lord, I love you! Be gloried in me.” The next day I’m lukewarm: “Sorry, God, have to run.” I have found the words of the hymnist so true:

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love

The only way I've found to fight this wandering tendency in my life is to keep my heart centered on Christ, to keep my gaze fixed on Him. But that takes time and an act of my will. I have to be willing to make room in my life if I want to experience the Better Part.

It turns out I’m not alone!

No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Joshua 1:5

Enjoy David Crowder singing Come Thou Fount


For more Then Sings My Soul Saturday, visit Amy at Signs, Miracles, and Wonders

GRACE IN UNLIKELY PLACES

Have you experienced the grace of God? The grace of God is key to our salvation “for it is by grace you have been saved”, but grace comes in smaller and not so spiritual packages too. Do you recognize it?

On Fourth of July my three-year old son said he wanted to use the potty at Arby’s of all places, so I took him and nothing, but I did the over exaggerated “good job” and the happy potty dance to encourage him. When we got home he disappeared and called out for me, guess where he was? In the bathroom! He had successfully “gone” in the potty. We went out the next day and bought him Diego and Cars underwear to seal the deal. He has been successfully (most of the time) using the potty. It was that easy!

Today he was playing with his drawing board and told me he wrote his name, so I walked over to see his version of writing his name, this is what he did:

He wrote his name! I did not teach him to write his name A-N-N-A-I-S. I receive these as gifts of God’s grace.

I have a husband, three children, I homeschool and run a small business, so God extended His grace to me in these areas that usually require much training and teaching. You see my spirit is heavy these days for many reasons that I am sorting out with my Daddy and I do not have the energy to potty train or teach handwriting and God knows that! He makes provisions and He does that through His grace.

Below is a monologue that Israel Houghton does in his song I’m Still Standing (but by the Grace of God). How many times do we say, “by the grace of God”? It is habitual for some people, but we need to know that it really is true.

I’m still standing, but by the grace of God

I feel the need to explain something
This is not I’m still standing and I barely made it and I crawled into the building
Just pray for me brother and nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen kind of standing

When I was a kid I had one of those things that you could punch it and it’d go down and it would pop right back up because it was weighted on the bottom
That would preach wouldn’t it?
So, this kind of still standing is
He’s hit me with his best shot
Life has poured all it could on me
And I got to bounce back in my spirit

So, today I am still standing, my son uses the potty and writes his name…but by the GRACE of God because I'm weighted on the bottom. I am extremely thankful and I WILL bounce back in my spirit!

MISSION STATEMENT

OUT OF DEEP WATERS is my journey of becoming mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ and growing up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ. Many posts are based on what the Lord is doing or has done in my life in an effort to:

EXHORT • ENCOURAGE • EDIFY

Psalm 18:16 says, “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.” The Lord HAS drawn me Out of Deep Waters and this blog is an opportunity to share the process. It is my goal that every post will point back to Him and His faithfulness.

EXHORT

communicate to urge or persuade the recipients to take some action

They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Revelation 12:11

ENCOURAGE

give hope or support to someone

who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 2 Corinthians 1:4

EDIFY

build up, establish, or strengthen someone

… the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, Isaiah 61:1

Click here to read the inspiration for the naming of this blog.

Mission Blog Tour hosted by Angela at Becoming Me, head over there to read hers and many others or join in.

THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAYS

This song has been running through my head since I saw it performed as a dance complete with chains being broken (construction paper of course) and keys being thrown into the audience. Get your dancing shoes on. Here are some of the lyrics:

I... want you to know - You’re about to break loose
Jesus took the keys... and gave ‘em to you

Shake loose... everything that binds you up

Who told you that you can’t make it

When God says that you can shake it

Shake loose... everything that binds you up

Praise Him like its your last chance

Get up and do the David dance

I heard you were feeling down

That Satan had you bound

No you don’t have to stay

Yes, you can leave today

Just lika' in the bible days

When men began to pray

Those jail cells start to shaken

Those chains a start to breakin’

"Satan will never oppose us more than when he thinks we're onto our callings."~BETH MOORE

For more Then Sings My Soul Saturday, visit Amy at Signs, Miracles, and Wonders

WHAT IS YOUR MISSION?

Angela at Becoming Me is hosting a Blog Mission Tour July 13-18.

From Becoming Me . . .
What is the Purpose of the Blog Mission Tour?
I started this tour for several reasons.
1) As a way to encourage other bloggers
2) To meet other bloggers with similar purposes
3) To learn from other bloggers

Read all the details here.

Hope you will join in the fun and purpose!

9 on the 9th - FAVORITE LOVE SONGS

I could not resist the invitation from Angela at All That Naz to participate in her 9 on the 9th. It was fun - Enjoy!

Okay, reviewing for this post reminds me how truly enamored I was with the whole idea of love, love songs and anything romantic. I was the poster child for “hopeless romantic”. It is agonizing to remember the drama, oh, the drama! One of our local radio stations had “music for lovers” every night and I would record them and play them over and over. I am so glad I found the Love of my life and that He is more passionate about me than I could ever be about Him.

1. Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Garden – “I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, Be everything that you need.” My, my!

2. I Cross My Heart by George Straight – Now this was my surprise at our wedding. Todd sang this to me and it was beautiful. “You will always be the miracle That makes my life complete And as long as there’s still breath in me Ill make yours just as sweet” Ugh, I wish we had a VCR, so I could watch our wedding video.

3. You Were Meant for Me by Jewel – Jewel, Jewel, Jewel! What can I say I had a little problem with idolization…I was all about Jewel. She is an awesome songwriter and she seemed to sing what I felt inside, so much of the time.

4. Against All Odds by Phil Collins – Okay, the lyrics to this one sound just like a page out of my poetry journal. Pitiful!

5. Hold Me Now by the Thompson Twins – “Both of us searching for some perfect world we know we'll never find” Interesting, huh?

6. Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper – This one could always bring me to tears.

7. Whenever You Come Around by Vince Gill - I always wanted someone to love me like that.

8. I’ll Be by Edwin McCain – Great song. VERY dramatic!

9. Love Song by Third Day – The first song that helped me truly understand the love of Christ. I did have all those things that all these other songs talk about, I just did not know it. This one is worth posting all the lyrics:

Well I've heard it said, that a man would climb a mountain
Just to be with the one he loves
How many times has he broken that promise
It has never been done.
Well, I never climbed the highest mountain
But I walked the hill of calvary

Chorus:
And just to be with you,
I would do anything
There's no price I would not pay, no.
And just to be with you, I would give everything
And I would give my life away, yeah.

And I've heard it said that a man would swim the oceans
Just to be with the one he loves.
But all of those dreams, are an empty emotion.
It can never be done.
Well, I never swam the deepest ocean
But I walked upon the raging sea.

Chorus

And I know that you don't understandthe fullness of My love
How I died upon the cross for your sin.
And I know that you don't realize how much that I give you
And I promise, well I would do it all again.

Join in the fun, post your 9 on the 9th, leave a comment and I will visit your blog.

CARDBOARD TESTIMONY

My cardboard testimony:

LIVED TO DIE (literally, thoughts of death consumed me)
DIED TO LIVE (died to self to live with Him eternally)

What is yours?

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; Revelation 12:11

SIDEWALK SISTERS

I thank God for the way He made you, distinct, special and unique. You were not made from a common mold. - Erwin W. Lutzer.

Labor Day weekend 2007 while serving on a retreat in Dahlonega something happened that would change my life forever. There were four us serving on the kitchen team who tried desperately to enter the chapel, so we could witness what God so faithfully does on those weekends and celebrate new found "freedom" with those attending. No matter what we did we could not get into that chapel - little did we know God had other plans for us. We finally resigned ourselves to “missing” it and sat down on the sidewalk. That is when it happened. We began to share with one another and pray for one another, it was an incredible time in the presence of God under a star filled sky on a cool sidewalk. We prayed earnestly and intentionally for all the needs presented by virtual strangers, but God did a knitting together that night that still bonds us today. We cried and then we laughed until we cried. We are all as different as night and day.

I do not know exactly what happened on that sidewalk, but I know my life is better for it. So, we call ourselves the sidewalk sisters. They refer to me as the “glue that holds us all together”, but if the truth be told each of them has held me together more than once over the last year.

God blessed us with an opportunity to be together yesterday for the whole day and well past midnight. We drove to Thomaston, Georgia for a tea party and worship service and it was a blast. It was part of a week long celebration at Pleasant Valley Church to celebrate, ironically, "FREEDOM". We even had an awesome prayer time at the Thomaston Dairy Queen.

Introducing the sidewalk sisters (below each picture is what makes each of them special as said by others in the group):

KEISHA

confident wisdom, fun, stylish, spunky, "don't mess with me", warrior, anointed discernment

KELLY pillar of peace, indescribable, fun, soul sister, vivacious, hilarious

LINDAstrong, pure, welcoming, encouraging, inquisitive, calm, faithful


SIDEWALK SISTERS

I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let's face it, friends make life a lot more fun. - Charles R. Swindoll

We are not trying to be an exclusive group, but you really did just "have to be there!" - Sidewalk Sisters

GROUP PHOTO AT THE WOODALL HOUSE