Sharing in the sufferings of others

Man I could write a book right now with so much love and compassion to my fellow sisters in Christ who have been so deeply hurt and felt as if they will never measure up...to what is not even real in the media or porn industry.  I grieve because of the insecurity and deep rejection and brokenness that it causes. I grieve for those that are so enslaved in sin that they can't even detect their idols anymore. I grieve for the women who think they can just tweak this or that with their outward appearance and then if they maybe change this one more thing...then so and so will love them. The problem isn't you. Fixing your outward appearance isn't going to make someone else steeped in lies love or want you. You aren't the problem.  The problem is sin and people who don't fear God, they don't know what living in His presence is like enough to want out because they are so miserable of loss of fellowship with Him. Please no ugly or rude comments either as I could write out a host of scriptures to support what I'm saying. The whole industry is designed to create addicts and we are all created to be filled. Yet with sin...it's progressive. There is never enough. You have to add more and more and more to feed the lust of the flesh until you are hung. You may start out in secrecy but you will act out eventually and those secrets will manifest. I'm talking to men and women. And you have to be radical to live in this world and not succumb to the pressure and temptation of sensuality. But I pray for this future generation and the people I stand arm to arm with now...that they will humble themselves and cry out and be free from the sin that so easily entangles them. It's going to take work, a battle plan of knowing where you went East, accountability, the Spirit of God, bathing in His word for the renewal of your mind. Prayer and fasting. We can't walk in victory in isolation.  We can't lay one idol down without picking another up. I don't even know if I'm making sense. I keep my phone on password protect because my call in life is not to decorating or painting or fashion...my call is to women. To serve them, love them, pray for them, grieve with them, and most of all to in some way point them to Jesus and that He is enough. The password protect on my phone is so peoples business stays their business and no one reads what is so personal in all of the prayer requests I get to FB or on text.  I entered into one of my friends deep pain and suffering today and I have been weeping and wanted to put it out there that no matter what you've done, no matter the sin (and yes there are consequences and He is merciful), no matter how far you've run, no matter if you were pushed into a pit like Joseph by his brothers...his own flesh and blood!!! And you may stand at a crossroads where you are exhausted and torn and lost your way. I beg you like in the psalm of accents...if the enemy has plowed your back and made his furrows long...that you would weep forward into the soil and let it produce something that only God can cause to grow. Weep forward. Don't dare let the enemy have the victory over you. You are the only person you can control. Don't dare let him drive a stake in you and wave his flag of victory over you. He can't have your salvation if you are in Christ but he can empower your witness. He can allow you to ebb away with bitterness. DO NOT LET HIM!!!!! Even if life has hit you hard by Gods grace get up and deal with the blow that was dealt to you. Get in the word. Pour out your heart to God and some safe people. This can apply to anything.   Also, grieve the loss of what was, what isn't, what you hoped it would be but grieve before The Lord and tell Him. He already knows and He grieves. He also heals. He turns gaping wounds into scars even if no one else will see them. God sees. He loves you my  sister in Christ. "The King is enthralled by your beauty, honor Him for he is your lord." Psalm 45:11. Also, all this living in darkness stuff and not being accountable. The bible is speaking to believers constantly about being free and putting off the old and putting on the new. It speaks to immorality constantly. Why????!!!!! Because God doesn't waste words and believers were going back to places of captivity. It's nothing new. Yet Gods commands are not burdensome. They are for you. They are for you. People want to pin Christians as hypocrites. Duh!  We are all sinful and sick with sin and need a Savior. We will struggle with sin until we lay these bodies down and our faith is made sight. However, you and me...we can walk in victory. 

What goes up must come down--cause and effect and consequences of sin

Ok I can't come to grips with people who can grasp Sir Isaac Newtons famous quote, "what goes up must come down"...but then can't come to grips with the cause and effects of sin. In His Great Love and Mercy we are not consumed. Let me say...my mantra is psalm 130 before anyone misunderstands me. But when others douse themselves in kerosine and light the match to their own flame and burn everything to the ground around them. Then, almost as if they had some temporary amnesia...never-mind the fact that they have shipwrecked their faith and family for the lust of the flesh...they come back and can't understand why people are hurt and relationships are torn and trust is broken.  It amazes me every-time!!! Then, if I've heard it once...I've heard it over and over...they are forgiven by God now and free without any repentance or cooperation with The Lord to be free or any proof of godly sorrow that leads to repentance...and if you don't get on board with that then you are some bitter, unforgiving, judgmental Christian!  How about NO!  Forgiveness as far as it depends on you doesn't mean reconciliation of relationship with a destructive unrepentant person!  Watch the counsel you get and compare it to scripture. People will try to emotionally manipulate you and twist scripture even to mess with your head and the devil did it to Jesus in the wilderness. Don't ever ever make the grave mistake of thinking He didn't come as fully man even though He is God (Phil 2). He was tempted in every stinking way we are and was without sin!!!! Every way!!! Even when people try to pin their sin on you as the excuse...they are calling God a liar and saying He didn't provide a way of escape. He did. (I'm not talking about true victims of abuse or childhood abuse either as I want to be so sensitive to that) They just chose not to take it!!! Again, I'm not being like James and John who were nicknamed the Sons of Thunder. I don't want to call down judgment or fire on anyone!!! That's not my seat!  I'm just saying why can we so clearly understand gravity and not get that we have consequences for our choices.  It's what's wrong with this victim mentality society we live in. No one wants to turn their finger in but only point and blame others. Even if others have failed you miserably, broken your heart, set you up for temptation, rejected you, abandoned you and the list goes on....are you going to live in a prison of victimization your whole life pining away over it and trying to get someone or something to pay you what you feel is owed only to come out worse off? How long will you lay in defeat over something that was done to you or not done 20 years ago? By Gods grace I would beg you to throw yourself at the mercy seat where the curtain was torn in two and we have access to the Most High Priest and fall into His hands like David said.  With Him is unfailing love and with Him is full redemption.  Even if you have shipwrecked things...your life isn't over!!!! Pick up His word. Deeply repent and use all of that to pay the enemy back as you seek to snatch others from the flames and turn a sinner from his ways. We are still supposed to be our brothers keeper!!! Godly sorrow leads to repentance and moreover relationship with our creator through committing to the process of knowing Him.  You can't lay one idol down without picking one up.  He has to be exalted over all until you say get away from me and throw those other idols in your life away like the bible says, "like a menstrual cloth". We live in a world where it's so hard to hear from all the noise and will we trade our inheritance for a bowl of stew, for what is cheap? For what brings shame? For what we've been redeemed from? Or will we go after Him? He is worthy and He is proved right always. Take it from someone who knows and y'all NO I'm NOT TALKING ABOUT ME OR ANYONE in my immediate family.  

Let's deal with our stuff quickly and cry out to Him for help!  He does not treat us as our sins deserve. 

Denial and acceptance

Failure to move beyond denial makes acceptance near impossible. Whether it's denial over sin, denial over reality, denial over the truth, denial over what might have been... You can't move onto acceptance and wholeness until you own up to whatever you're in denial about. It means taking a hard long look at maybe even the lies you've told yourself for so long that you've believed them...but letting The Lord search you and taking steps to face up and accept some things about your current estate. Saying goodbye to something's. Obedience isn't always easy especially if longstanding periods of disobeying got us where we are. But small steps in the right direction and willing to obey has to happen before your heart and mind change. However, the only way I know for a renewed mind and change is Gods word. Living in it. Allowing Him to heal you of waywardness or brokenness. When you try not to think about something or someone if you are like me you are like ok great plan but if I try not to think about xyz then I'm thinking about not thinking about it and I'm thinking about it. To take your thoughts captive you have to replace them. Put them on Gods word. It's the only way I know for liberation and wholeness. Letting Him thrill us and meet us in our barren places. Until then...we will only pine away for what isn't...and maybe wander around in a wasteland never moving on to the promised one. We have to exercise the will to obey. It doesn't come natural. Speaking to myself of course. ;) 

Baby girl door hanger! My sister is supposed to give birth today to a baby girl.

Here is the door hanger I made for my new niece Sadie Reese. Praying now in advance that my little sister has an easy delivery. 

Diy burlap door-hanger roll tide (even if it's a cuss word to me)

I just painted this guy real quick and he isn't dry but I get so many Alabama football doorhanger requests. 

Breast cancer awareness ribbons

Faith hope pray fight 

Breast cancer ribbons, wooden door hangers...still need more bling. 

DIY arts and crafts from tonight

Here is a dresser I've been working on. It is so sentimental because it is almost identical to my childhood dresser. I used to open the doors and change behind them for privacy since I shared a room with 2 of my sisters. 

Then this is a random thing...I cut this ceiling tile in the shape (almost) of Alabama and wrote a verse in the middle. 

This is a wreath I made for a dear friend. Hope she likes it....because it has a whole lot of ribbon going on. 

This is just a basic initial I do once football gets going. 

Oh and how I can't wait for Sadie Reese to get here. This is for her party. 

So I was sick of making Alabama stuff and redid my auburn w from last year. 

This is a football I made to hang at my parents house. 

I made this for my sweet neighbor but need to add ribbon. 

This was so fun. Nails and twine 

Mistle toe- diy crafts

So I know it's early but what a great keepsake. I stained some blocks. Painted some white paint on their feet, then covered with Modge lodge and made my bows for the top and nailed them in the wood and added their names and year along with the green star and red button. Now I'm already getting lots of sugars. 

DIY fall crafts

Diy fall decor ball jar or mason jar layered with coffee beans, then candy corn, and repeat. It smells divine. Then, I put a candle in it and used tulle ribbon to put over the top for the smell.

 I also found repositionable chalk stickers for the jars so I don't have to paint it on. So cute! Happy fall y'all. 

My poor neglected blog

Why I've decided to take a hiatus from Facebook and other social media. Gasp. I just know my time here is so short in light of eternity. The whole use it or lose it principle really was not a whisper today or wasted on me...it was like the word had a bullhorn shouting at me. I usually don't quote the NLT but I love the translation here in matt 13:12 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.

I'm in some transition and all of the hustle and bustle and chaos that comes with living on this fallen sod can so easily cheat you of your focus and contentment. Guilty. Jesus has been the uncontested love of my life and He just put me in some social media time out! 

Also, I love how Beth Moore described a problem in our day...she said that we will get a word from a teacher or pastor and immediately tweet it when we have not yet eaten it! It's so true. We live in a fast food society even when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. Yet, He doesbg entrust Himself to those who are just casual with Him.  He reveals Himself to those who seek after Him. I don't want ears that are stopped up or too dull to hear. It's so easy as I confessed in my journal tonight, to feast at the table of this world and yet almost like Chinese food, only to be hungry for something else 10 minutes later. 

This isn't so much about Facebook but about precious time wasted on pseudo intimacy most of the time...

Anyway, moving right along. 

Why can't my little people understand that they are not supposed to actually use these hand towels? They are just cutesy...not hey come wipe your spaghetti hands all over me towels?!?!? I'd rather them just use their hair for that. 

Next, I found these pictures tonight and some of you will remember well the "baby in the bunny" pic that was on my blog in the beginning. I just wept tonight before The Lord and only He knows why because it was a mixed bag and I didn't even fully know why I was crying other than just needing a good ugly cry without my kids seeing me and wondering why I lost it. 

Y'all this is my Morgan hope. It's almost identical to Blair's pics. Time is flying. She's 8 years old, and I'm getting wrinkles. 

Then, this one killed me. She and Blair could be twins minus the long hair and girl clothes...and well the gender issue. Here she was at the same age as Blair...waiting for her pop to get her. 

Y'all I could bawl. 

Here is my little mister!  He's a stud if I must say so. 

He's something! I've been teaching him about Jesus and the manly stuff in the scripts. We do a lot of grunting and roaring!  He thinks he is so big. 

Sometimes I forget he isn't...like when he cries for his mommy. 

Or when he is only a fresh 2 years old and he decides to potty train himself. Forget the baby potty. He's a man in his mind. Lol. 

Here we are...

And of course I feel like I'm 85 but in my mind I'm still 18!  

This would be me hating the rainbow loom. Do not get me started. 

And of course this is me being so serious. I'm not kidding. Winning tickets for my kids and some little kid casino in auburn al. They want the addicts early. I scored 1500 something tickets with my $20. Look at them overflowing out of my purse. This is the reason y'all that I do not set foot in a casino!!!

That's all for tonight. Finishing up some chores and lip sinking to vineyard worship as I know only Jesus appreciates my voice! 

Love.