*seeking Peace in a storm

I need to learn to pray again. Ok, so just typing that sentence kind of feels like a tiny burden has been lifted. Admitting that to the world makes it more real rather than like a little secret I've kept to myself. For a while now, I have just kept that one inside, behind a tiny black door in my heart, where only I knew about it...well, God and me. I am confident that my prayer life used to be in decent shape but these days, not so much. I send up some popcorn prayers when I hear of things happening around me, like my baby sister having tests run or the recent Oklahoma tornadoes. But I will sadly admit that getting on my knees or my face...wait...to be even more truthful, just waking up and starting the day with prayer and then ending the day with prayer, that doesn't happen like it should. I don't want to be on a strict prayer schedule. I don't want to make this about routine prayer or a checklist type thing. I need my prayer life to be my lifeline! I n...

Is it weird that all I want for Mother's Day this year is a bottle of perfume (only because I have been out for probably over a year) and I want an entire afternoon with my family, cleaning the garage? :) Sounds like a lot of fun doesn't it, lol! I have always loved Mother's Day, even when I wasn't a mom yet. As a child, I loved to create a personal gift for my mom. You know the kind, a clay handprint, a painting of the sun and a rainbow, a macaroni necklace. Fun and simple, but so meaningful. As I have gotten older, I realize it isn't so much about the gifts as it is about feeling like your children really love and appreciate you. My kids are so little that I don't think they understand that yet, so I find those creative little gifts they bring home from school, daycare and children's church to be some of my greatest treasures. But as an adult, and a mom, I know what Mother's day is truly meant to be. My mom recently moved in with us for a few...

"The unbridled beauty of a comeback lies first in God's grace; second, in the decision to accept that daily dose of grace; and third, in the gain of a clear perspective that keeps you steady in Jesus' palm."--Angela Naxworth, Womb Woven and Wonderfully Made comeback--A return to formerly enjoyed status or The act of making up a deficit The Free Dictionary by Farlex I am taking back my ground; Returning to my former state of joyful hope in the Lord and His Salvation and Righteousness! Not just returning, but with a new awareness and renewed spirit! He has freshly forgiven me today, saved me again and again with each breath that I breathe...each step that I take. NEW MERCY! mercy-- compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender: lenient or compassionate treatment Merriam Webster Dictionary When I speak that word, "mercy", something within me just bows down in worship and adoration. It is such a beautiful word-a beautiful picture ...

"I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star. And the Spirit and the Bride say 'Come!' Let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take of the water of life freely....He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming quickly.' Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen"  Revelation 22:17, 20-21 (NKJV) I have been studying the Bride of Christ for quite some time now. I began studying it back in the summer in preparation of our annual Fall Women's Retreat that occurred November 2nd & 3rd. The subject matter is overwhelming to say the least and I was quite intrigued by it all. At our retreat we covered a few different subjects, 1) the Parallels Between the Jewish Wedding Customs and the Bride of Christ, 2) Preparing for the Big Day, and 3) Love Song for a Savior, but only touc...

Today I am featuring an excerpt from Marilynn Dawson's book Becoming the Bride of Christ: A Personal Journey . This is the fourth week of the blog tour and so you will get a peak into Volume 4 of her 6 volume book.  You can visit the first 3 stops of the blog tour here: Volume One: Excerpt- The Prince of Peace Rides In  http://tdtwr.wordpress.com/2012/10/11/let-the-tour-begin/ Volume Two: Excerpt- The Fire of God's Love http://christianeveryday.com/index.php/becoming-the-bride-of-christ-blog-tour/ Volume Three: Excerpt – Psalm 27  http://fromadaughter.blogspot.ca/2012/10/becoming-bride-of-christ-personal.html If you would like to download a free copy of Volume 4, follow the link at the end of this post. And without further ado, enjoy this excerpt from Volume 4 of Becoming the Bride of Christ: A Personal Journey ! ************ Psalm 30 Psalm 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for ...

This November 2 & 3 is our church's ladies ministry's 2nd annual fall retreat. Much prayer led us to the theme or topic of The Bride of Christ. We have a small congregation so the planning of this event is in the hands of two women: myself and my pastor's wife. So we began the planning and preparation for the retreat. I began looking for different ideas on Pinterest and created a Pinterest board dedicated to the retreat and named it "Bride of Christ". This is a very intimidating and serious subject and so we have not been taking it lightly at all. Our retreat consists of 3 "Sessions" and we had already figured out what #1 would be and #2 would be taken care of by our guest speaker. We were kind of stumped as to what to do about session #3...so we just kept praying... On September 22 I received an e-mail from a lady by the name of Marilynn Dawson. She just published a series called "Becoming the Bride of Christ: A Personal Journey"....

I have been so very tired lately. The busiest part of the year for me seems to be over, but I'm in such a mode of busy-ness (is that a word?), that even though things have slowed down a bit, I walk through my house after the kids have gone to bed and I look for things to do. I can't seem to sit still for long. My husband is working in TX for 2 weeks and so it's just the kids and I right now. Yesterday, I left work at 4:30, stopped by the grocery store for some grapefruit, bread, apples, and flour, then picked the kids up by 5:15. When we pulled in the driveway, the "I'm hungry"'s began and so afternoon snacks were given. I decided that we were not going to church last night-it's a 20 minute drive one way and by the time we get home it is normally 8:30 or later and I still had to go clean the revenue office...blah... So I cooked dinner and then went out back to sit on the deck for a few minutes of peace. I sat back in my chair outside and looked ar...