Sunday Inspiration

Enjoy your Sunday!

Christmas Verse

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It is at last the week of Christmas! I hope all of your days are merry and bright, full of joy, peace and thanksgiving as we celebrate Christ the Lord.

 

Christmas Verse

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Are you starting to get a little bit more excited about Christmas? I can hardly believe it is just over a week away. Let us not get caught up in the hustle and bustle of buying last-minute gifts and forget the real meaning of this special holiday, the birth of Jesus. Enjoy this wonderful Sunday, friends!



Christmas Verse

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Growing up I remember playing with the nativity set that my mother had placed on our buffet each year during the Christmas season. There were three angles hanging at the top and I always imagined them saying this verse. My mother loves telling the story about how my little sister would pull out her Barbies and have them worship the baby Lord Jesus. Do you all have a nativity set somewhere in your house? I realized last year that I didn't have a full set anywhere as decor. Back in October I found a Fontanini set at Tuesday Morning! It's the little things that add such special touches here and there.



Christmas Verse

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My favorite time of year at church is the Christmas season. I always enjoy the seeing the red poinsettas, singing Christmas songs and hearing about the events leading up to our Savior's birth. I hope you all are blessed during this wonderful time of year.



Sunday Inspiration

This is one of my all-time favorite Bible verses. Remember that no matter what you might be going through right now, the Lord is with you every step of the way. Trust in Him and He will guide you in the direction that is the very best for your life. Enjoy your Sunday!



Sunday Inspiration + Mother's Day

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Happy Mother's Day to all of the amazing women in my life! I have been greatly blessed to have the most wonderful mother that I call my own. I became even more fortunate when I married Bryan and got a second wonderful mother, too. And my two sweet grandmothers, who love me unconditionally each and every day. 

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This one's for you, mom...and for my sister...

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Sunday Inspiration

"When God laid out the plan for your life, he laid out the right people, breaks, opportunities, and open doors. But on the way to these marked moments are "no's" - closed doors, setbacks and disappointments. It's easy to grow discouraged and give up when we face these times; but it is after the "no's" in life that a "yes" will eventually come. God is in divine control of everything happening in your life. The no's we face are not a surprise to HIm, they are simply a test of our faith. To pass the test, stay focused and press through the no's when they come. If you do, you are going to come into the abundance of what God has in store."

~ Joel Osteen

He Is Risen

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die."

John 11:25-26

Thursday Thoughts

Happy Thursday, lovelies! I hope all of you have been having a good week. My days have been jam-packed with running around and my evenings have been spent with friends. Tonight is date night with my hubby. Bryan and I try to set aside one night a week to spend by ourselves. Our date can consist on pizza on the floor and a movie, but we really try to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and spend some quality time together. Since we're having such pretty weather, we are planning on hitting the mountain bike trail and then grilling something for dinner.

Did you know that kissing your spouse just 10 seconds in the morning and 10 seconds in the evening makes your relationship stronger?

"What do you wanna marry me for anyhow? So I can kiss you anytime I want."

After three and a half years of marriage, Bryan and I are finally in a small group with other young couples from our church. It is wonderful! We have the most amazing leaders, who have been such a blessing in our lives. In the short amount of time we have been meeting I cannot tell you how much it has enriched out lives to spend time with these special people.

Bryan and I are going with one of the couples to a wine and jazz evening at a local restaurant this weekend. How fun does that sound? As much as I love cooking desserts, I said the other day that I would die a happy woman if I could just have a glass of wine and piece of chocolate a day. {Both make the heart happy.}

With all of my fresh herbs in my back yard I have been thinking of ways to put them to good use. Most of you already know this, but I am a huge water girl. During the day I only drink water. {After my morning coffee.} Occasionally there is the exception of when I go out to eat and order sweet tea. This is weird, but I don't like the taste of water in lots of restaurants, thus I sometimes order tea. And on occasion I will have a mixed drink, but that is the only time I have a carbonated beverage. My favorite water right now is mint and orange water. Crush up some fresh mint and squeeze in some fresh oranges--viola! Yummy flavored water!

Those are my semi random thoughts for the day, hopefully you weren't too bored. ;) 

Sunday Inspiration

"We love him because He first loved us."

1 John 4:19

1 Corinthians 13:8

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

1 John 4:10

"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 5:8

Sunday Inspiration

 Our Lord is enthralled with your beauty. Not matter what the world's expectations are, know that He delights in you. Have a blessed Sunday, lovelies!

Sunday Inspiration

"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."

Galatians 5:13

Sunday Inspiration

As we prepare for Christmas in a week, I know that it is difficult to not get caught up in all of the hustle and bustle of the holiday. Yes, it is wonderful to give and receive gifts. Yes, it is wonderful to spend time with family. Yes, it is wonderful to have good things baking in the kitchen. But, be sure to not get forget the real reason we celebrate Christmas. We celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This verse is incorporated into one of my favorite songs by Handle that is sung at Christmas. It always puts me into a festive, worshipful mood during the holidays.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Turkey Day!  I am thankful for all of you lovely friends that I have met throughout the course of having this blog. I hope you all have a very wonderful day, full of food, fun and family!

Thanksgiving Table Manners

Sweet Southern Prep posted these table manners last week that originally come from Jack Hayford, a minister in Van Nuys, California. When I saw these I thought they would be perfect to pass along for everyone to read before we part ways for the holiday this week. Some of them even have verses to go along with the main point. Enjoy your Sunday!

Thanksgiving Table Manners

Come home and embrace the family.

For many people, there’s at least one family member we aren’t looking forward to seeing at Thanksgiving. But the challenge is that we are called to embody the love of God and embrace them. And if you’re the one asked to bless the table, don’t pray an evangelistic sermon at those who don’t know the Lord. Give thanks and pray about how much God loves every person there.

“I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse.” (1 Cor. 11:17)

Regard your host with proper praise.

Anyone willing to host a group in their home for Thanksgiving deserves honor—if not a medal—even if the food they serve isn’t as good as yours. Go with gratitude, and regard your host with proper praise.

“I received [this Table] from the Lord...” (1 Cor. 11:23).

Enjoy the feast for all it’s worth.

Folks, this is not a day for dieting. Go for it! Over the years, I’ve found a tremendous joy in fasting a day or two earlier in the week to prepare my heart before the Lord. (Be sure to start eating again the day before Thanksgiving, so your system is ready to enjoy the feast!)

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26).

Unusual prayer is fitting here.

This is a day when we ought to give more dimension to our prayer. It’s not that brief prayers are insincere, but at the Thanksgiving table, it’s appropriate to make time for gratitude—for the family, for the gift of life that has sustained us to this point. And thank the Lord for our nation. Whatever may be America’s failings, God has been merciful to us.

“For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.” (1 Cor. 11:29)

Wash your hands before you eat.

That may seem unnecessary to say, but it’s one of the keys laid out by the apostle Paul as he wrote about manners for the ultimate thanksgiving Table.

“But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup...For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged” (1 Cor. 11:28, 31).

Do all you can to share the day.

Every time we partake, we proclaim the Lord’s death. We share the day of salvation at the Cross, and today is the acceptable day of salvation.

Don’t miss dinner, even if you’re late.

Last year, a couple of our kids had to go to another dinner, and they arrived late. But it didn’t make any difference because we were all together. There are people who haven’t come to “Dinner” yet, but it’s not too late. Until Jesus comes, the invitation is still open. So you come!

Sunday Inspiration + Book

If you are like me, it can often be hard to have a daily quiet time with the Lord. The book I am sharing with you today is a wonderful simple book that does not have a lot of reading or applications, but is nourishing enough to be a great read to start your day. I know that mornings can be hectic trying to get kids or a husband or even yourself out the door. I promise that your day will be transformed if you start it out with a few minutes along for you and God. Get up 10 minutes early and have a cup of coffee before the rest of the house wakes and gets busy.

Daily Wisdom for Women, by Carol Fitzpatrick, shares a verse and some wisdom about the verse or how to apply it in your life, then there is a short prayer that correlates with it. This is an excellent book to use for your morning quiet time. (The cover of mine does not look like this.)

"But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, 'Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.' "

1 Corinthians 1:30-31

Sunday Inspiration

*Next week I'll return to the book posts.

Sunday Inspiration: Books

The second book I want to share with you is Debi Pearl's Created To Be His Help Meet. I highly suggest that you purchase the journal that goes along with this book. They go hand-in-hand together, so that as you read the book you can delve in deeper with the journal. This book and its companion are wonderful reads for a daily quiet time. It mentors women on how to have a heavenly marriage. Men and women were created differently, thus they have different roles to play in a marriage and society.

I had this book for a long time before reading it. A friend gave me the journal and at that time I could not find the book. Then when I found the book I could not find the journal. After three years of this, I was sitting on the couch one day when I glanced up at the bookshelf. There was the book. And I knew that the book was beside my bed. It might have taken me three years to read it, but it was well worth it!  

Sunday Inspiration: Books

Over the next couple of weeks I thought I would share a few books that I have read lately. Most of them pertain to being a Godly woman and/or strengthening your marriage. I am the first to admit that I am only human and continuously fail miserably in both of these areas. I'm sure that you will agree with me that we all need all the help we can get, and thus I though I would share some of the books that have encouraged me.

The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman, explains how each of has a "love language" that must be met in order for us to feel truly loved. According to Chapman, there are five love languages are: Quality Time, Gifts, Words of Affirmation, Physical Touch and Acts of Service. The chances are that you and your significant other do not have the same love language. We tend to express love though our own gift(s), but instead we need to understand what gift(s) those around us have and need in order to feel loved.

This is a book that I Bryan and I have read together. I personally feel that reading with your husband draws the two of you even closer on an intimate level. With this book, we have been able to talk about both of our gifts and how we can strive to be a better wife and husband.