Joyfull Living

On a recent trip to the mountains, we saw several waterfalls and rushing creeks.  Don't you just love the sound of flowing water?  It brings peace to the soul and beauty to the eyes. I could sit for hours and watch for hours the water that flows with seemingly no ending. Here is John 7:38 from the Amplified Bible:  "He who believes in Me [who cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me] as the Scripture has said, From his innermost being shall flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living water." I want to be a Christian with a continuous flow of Living Water.  Not stale or stagnant, but vibrant and having a freshness and newness of the Lord's presence always flowing from my mouth, heart and actions.  But as with any cycle, there must be a starting point or place to take in.  This is where reading God's Word, prayer and surrounding myself with godly things comes in.  To give out, it must be first taken in, meditated upon and acted on by sh...

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:14 This season of the year is my favorite!  I loved the sights, sounds, smells and atmosphere of joy and anticipation.  But to make this season special, I also know the stress, hurried pace, shopping in crowded malls, increased activities - lots of good things, but they have the ability to turn me and my home into chaos.  As we begin and embrace Christmas, I want to purpose in my heart to put Christ first and to let His peace rule in my heart and home.  Courtney is hosting a December challenge where once a week she will share a spiritual and practical tip to embrace peace.  The challenge this week is to write at the top of your December calendar page - I Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." This will be a reminder every time you look at your calendar and feel anxious about all you have to get done - to pray. God cares for you. Releas...

What a wonderful week and a half my family has had!  We enjoyed a trip to the mountains that included beholding God's beautiful creation and lots of family time together.  The arrival home came just before Thanksgiving where more time was spent enjoying family, fellowship and food!  The last week or so was spent indulging...staying up later, waking up later, eating much more than necessary etc.  Times like this are so enjoyable,  but if we continued basking in things like this, would not be very beneficial!!  This week it is time to get back into the regular routine.  Sleeping habits and eating habits (once the carrot cake, pecan pie and blueberry yum yum are finished) will be more structured which will enable our lives and family to excel.   Although I enjoy times like vacation and holidays, there is something special about 'getting back to normal' where routine and guidelines keep me focused and fruitful.  Even in our homema...

Our family enjoyed a wonderful time in the mountains and arrived home just in time for Thanksgiving preparations!  There won't be much time for blogging as we celebrate the Lord's blessings with family and then get a jump start on some Christmas decorating!  I'll be back next week, but in the meantime, we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Our family is taking a quick trip to the mountains this weekend.  We usually go in October and see the breathtaking beauty of the fall foliage, but we were unable to go until later this year.  Today we scoured for some waterfalls:       It’s been a great day!!

 I'll be out of pocket for a few days enjoying some great family time and relaxation!  Will be back next week unless I find time to post a few pictures!!  Here is something sweet to remember: 24 Things To Always Remember 1. The biggest handicap in the world is negative thinking. 2. He who cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass. 3. Patience carries a lot of wait. 4. It is better to be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt. 5. A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small package. 6. Inch by inch life's a cinch but by the yard, it's much too hard. 7. The best angle to approach a difficult problem, is the "try"angle. 8. Faith without works is like snow on a stove. 9. Have a positive attitude - it's contagious. 10. The more you judge the less you love. 11. What you say reveals much - what you don't say reveals much more. 12. The easiest person to deceive is yourself. 13. We should...

Since I am the mother of three sons, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen!  It seems like I have a little station between my stove and the sink where I can cook and clean and keep an eye on my guys out the kitchen window.   Even though I am the only girl in a house full of boys, I love to add ambiance to my home.  Amidst the sports paraphernalia, dirty socks, roughhousing and rowdiness, candles, flowers and the smells of home are integrated. It makes for a fun and exciting blend! In my little corner of the kitchen, there is a perfect place for a candle.  Since so much of my time is spent there, I often try to light a candle there to indulge my senses.   But usually as one of my boys are dashing by, they find other uses for this corner - to throw a towel there!  A fire hazard for sure!  So I had resigned to not keep a candle in this area. The opportunity came to review a Scentsy .  Scentsy Warmers use a low-watt bulb to melt...

A trip to the mall yesterday was a vivid reminder that the busiest shopping season is almost here.  Through the mall there were huge signs posted for Christmas "Be the Santa", Christmas music playing and plenty of merchandise being put out.  If Thanksgiving had already passed, I would have fallen in the Christmas spirit, but I like to wait until Thanksgiving is over before jumping in to celebrate the season.  Here is a cute reminder to think of the hard working store clerks as they deal with the Christmas rush.  Let's spread Christmas joy and good will when we shop by being good customers and bringing a spot of cheer with a smile and kind word. 13 Things Your Salesclerk Won't Tell You 1. The greeters who welcome you to our store aren’t really there to greet you. If we look you in the eye as you’re coming and going, you’re less likely to shoplift. 2. I won’t ask a yes-or-no question like "Can I help you?” Instead, it’s always an open-ended “What can I hel...

Have you ever heard of prayer walking?  A formal definition may be: " Prayer walking is the practice of praying on location, a type of intercessory prayer that involves walking to or or near a particular place while praying." Our church goes on a yearly mission trip and one of the ministries is "prayer walking" where people walk through the neighborhoods and pray for the people and families that live there.  As an avid walker, being outdoors and alone is a great combination for some super charged prayer time!  This fall, several from our community 'prayer walked' around our schools praying for the schools and students for the new school year.  There seems to be something special and powerful about walking or surrounding an area while specifically praying.  At a recent ladies retreat I attended, the speaker shared about prayer walking in your home.  Although any outside ministry should extend from our hearts and home, it never occurred to me...

 One of the many things I love about fall is fall baking.  As I was searching for some fall baking recipes, one of them I wanted to try called for a pumpkin bread mix.  When I got the mix home, I found on the box of the mix another delicious recipe!  These would be perfect for a weekend breakfast.  Coffee Pumpkin Bread with Coffee Icing     1 pkg. (14 oz.) pumpkin quick bread mix 1-1/4 cups brewed double-strength MAXWELL HOUSE Coffee, any variety, cooled, divided 4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, coarsely chopped 3 cups powdered sugar 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted PREPARE bread batter as directed on package, substituting 1 cup of the coffee for the water. Stir in chocolate. BAKE bread as directed on package. Remove from pan; cool completely. BEAT sugar, remaining 1/4 cup coffee and the butter in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until well blended. Spread onto bread. Cut into 16 slices to serve. Remember to buy tw...

Keep your heart with all diligence,       For out of it spring the issues of life.  Put away from you a deceitful mouth,       And put perverse lips far from you.  Let your eyes look straight ahead,       And your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet,       And let all your ways be established.  Do not turn to the right or the left;       Remove your foot from evil. Proverbs 4:24-27 Our heart is such a vital part of all that we do.  God’s Word tells us that what is inside the heart is what overflows in our outward actions.  Sometimes that may be a little unsettling!! But this beautiful verse in Proverbs not only reminds us to keep our heart diligently, it offers practical ways to guard our heart. By watching our words Keeping our eyes straight ahead Watching...

Thanksgiving Your Way 2010 is a free ebook that is full of inspiration for Thanksgiving.  It contains 64 pages of recipes, decorating ideas a great assortment of Thanksgiving themes from a variety of authors.  Click HERE and then save it to your computer, or print it out.  Let's begin now to create a beautiful Thanksgiving! 

Home is somewhere that often we don't think hard about, but is more a place that is felt in our heart. We may take being home for granted, but when thinking of how to describe 'home', we instinctively know how it feels.   It is also easy in the busyness of moms who keep the home to overlook some of the precious and vital things that go on in our homes. Home has been described as a launching pad for the family.  What is learned in the home, is what is projected when we leave home. Our attitudes, how we treat people, our work ethic, speech and actions that are practiced daily in the home are what others see in our daily walk.  How we dress, how we talk, how we play etc. begins at home.  A powerful Bible verse that reminds me of how to act in my home is found in Psalms 101:2,3 I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.  NKJV I will be careful to lead...

A friend sent this to me this week in an email and although it’s not technically a “funny”, I loved the graphics and the adorable way some great ways to ‘shape up’ were shared!  1. Wake Up !! Decide to have a good day. 'This is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.' Psalms 118:24 2. Dress Up !! The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. 'The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.' I Samuel 16:7   3. Shut Up!! Say nice things and learn to listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking. 'He who guards his lips guards his soul.' Proverbs 13:3   4. Stand Up!! . . . for what you believe in. Stand for something or you will fall for anything. 'Let us not be weary in doi...