Friday 10 List 10 things that make life easier....

I wanted to do a non-serious 10 list this week and something I think many people could comment on and identify with. My list today is the top 10 things that make life a lot easier as a wife, & mom & busness woman, that my mom may not have had when she was raising kids. These are in no particular order.

1. Clorox Wipe

2. Swiffer Wet Jet- It never fails that I have just mopped the floor and something gets spilled. Now I can just hit that spot.

3. Cell Phone- How did we survive with out them. Especially with kids going every different direction.

4. My IPhone- Answering the phone, checking my e-mail, facebook, text messages, process a Mary Kay order, send and order, process a credit card, check my monthly production for Mary Kay, listen to music all while running on the treadmill.

5. Disposible Diapers- How and why would anyone use cloth diapers I don't know. The stinch of the dreaded diaper pale from when my brother was little still lingers in my mind.

6. The internet- You have everything at the touch of your fingers and it makes running a busness so much easier.

7. Portable DVD players- Makes long trips easier with kids or just needing to run errans and keep kids happy in the car.

8. DVRs- I don't have to chose which show I watch or have to be home not to miss the new Episode of House.

9. Itunes- Now I don't have to buy the entire CD, I can just to get the one song that I want.

10. Pay at the Pump Gas- A mom can fill up her car with out dragging all the kids into the convience store to pay for the gas or have her husband fill it up the night before.

The Climb

I just got the new Miley Cyress song, "The Climb". I was watching Disney the other night and the new video for it, promoting her new movie, came on. It made me cry. I was so inspired by the words that I had to buy it for my Iphone. I tried to upload the music video but I could not get it to work. So here are the lyrics.

The Climb

I can almost see it

That dream I'm dreaming

but There's a voice inside my head sayin,

You'll never reach it,

Every step I'm taking, Every move I make

feels Lost with no direction My faith is shaking

but I Got to keep trying

Got to keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain

I'm always gonna want to make it move

Always going to be an up-hill battle,

Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose,

Ain't about how fast I get there,

Ain't about what's waiting on the other side

It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing, The chances I'm taking

Sometimes they knock me down but

No I'm not breaking I may not know it

But these are the moments

that I'm going to remember most yeah

Just got to keep going

And I, I got to be strong

Just keep pushing on,

There's always gonna be another mountain

I'm always gonna want to make it move

Always go...

Chorus

If someone would have told me 6 years ago that Darin would be fired from his first church when Brighton was three weeks old, I would have feared it the entire time I was there. I remember the last six months when things were getting bad every month at business meeting fearing that he would come home with out a job. I remember praying, "God what ever you do, move us...but please don't let him get fired." I kept praying that we would be rescued with some shred of dignity out of that town onto a better place of ministry. I just really wanted to finish the pregnancy healthy with all of the stress we were under. But then after the dust settled and I looked around, we were walking in the place I had feared for so long. God used that situation to grow me in my faith. We survived what I thought was "the worst thing that could happen" in ministry and the fear of man was lessened. I won't say it was totally taken away because I still struggle with it. But I know that I can face big things with God and Darin with me. I walked into that last business meeting and stood behind Darin through the process and made them look at me and my children as they voted to take our insurance away and give us one months severance. Looking back knowing what I know now, if given the chance to do it again, I would still go. Because I love the person I became in the process.

Going into starting the church, if I had known three years later that we would close our doors and merge with another church I might not have done it. Looking back I lived the last three years in complete fear and anxiety. I missed the lessons, and the blessings of the process because I let fear grip me. I remember crying out to God and begging him to bless the ministry and grow the church to self supporting. I feared what the "failure" would do to Darin and the sinking depression he would go into. Would he leave the ministry? Would the rug be jerked out from under us again and I would be forced to live with my parents? Would I have to uproot my family and business again for some other barren land in Texas to go serve in an established church? Could we even go back to the established church? Did I have it in me to start over again and build community in a new area? I let that fear grip me and it hurt my mothering, my marriage and my ministry to the point I was ineffective and almost did not care anymore. I dreded Saturday nights because Sunday morning was fast approaching. There was a sence of releaf for Sunday nights because there was seven full days before we had to do it again. I was dissolutioned and completely frusterated. When I finally came to the point that it was all God's anyway, and I had completely exhausted myself trying to "make it work", I let go. In January I stepped back from it all and just became Darin's wife. I did not want to know the details, I did not have to have my hands in everything and I went to work my Mary Kay as our plan "B". If that meant we were leaving New Braunfels, going back to the established church or Darin leaving ministry it was God's to do what he wanted with it. I left it to Darin to decided if we were going to keep going or not. I had to protect my home and minister to my family. But God was already working even before I released it all. He brought John & Laurie Minton into our lives and slowly developed the relationship building up to the transition of our ministry merging into theirs. I could not have planned it better, made it a smoother transition or could have imagined it being a better fit for us. There was never a time that Darin and I were left in limbo. God moved us quickly and smoothly in February to merge the Journey Church with Cross Roads Community Fellowship in San Marcos and we have not looked back. My prayer for Darin went from praying for God to make him into what I thought he needed to be, but that Darin would truly discover where his true talents were. That he would totally find where he was gifted and shine there in that ministry. Darin became John's Executive pastor and the two compliment each other perfectly. Darin has never worked for another pastor that appreciated him and used his gifts like John has. I have never been happier to serve in a church with Darin and excited about being on the verge of something HUGE!

As I wrote before we have finished two months of car production to earning our first free Mary Kay car. I am April 1st submitting to start qualifications to becoming a director in Mary Kay. It takes 4 months and $18,000 in combined production plus 30 people on my team. The hard thing is I am attempting to do it three months so I can be a director by our Seminar in July. The money would be what our family needs to get of debt and provide more for our kids. It is something I have always wanted and been afraid to try. Now that it is upon us and I have 13 weeks to pull this off, the fear is starting to set in. You can pray for me as I step out on faith in this way. I am pushing through and trying to enjoy the process of the Climb.

Charms For Julie

Today I wanted to give Julie a couple of virtual charms for her bracelet.
This one is for being my absolute BFF for the last two years.
This one is in honor of her broken foot a year ago and two foot surgeries. When I saw the crutches I had to give
them to her.

This last one is for her Faith. Julie has survived a terrible year and a half. After breaking her leg at Christmas, at Easter she lost her mother-in-law and two weeks later her father suddenly. In the middle of the emotions of her father being in ICU, Julie did one of the bravest things I have ever seen a friend do. She witnessed to her father and led him to the Lord. She got to experience one of the biggest blessings as a Christian that Christ lets us participate in. She has faced this year so bravely and dealt with her grief with Christ as her anchor and her faith as her shield. She has not let life harden her heart and she has let these tough experiences grow and stretch her.

Julie, I am so proud of you, and all that you have allowed God to do in your life. I pray that this next year will be a time of blessings on you, your house, your health, and the lives of your family. May you have a double blessing of all the enemy has taken from you. May salvation reign down on every person in your family. I pray that the spirit of the living God dwells in the walls of your house, so that every member of your family would feel it. That every time it is shown people would feel it too, they may not understand it but they would be drawn to it. I pray you feel peace as you endure the process of selling it and that the timing would be the Lords. May you feel the Lord close to you through all of this. May His Grace and Mercy reign down on your soul and His Love heal every wound and waters every dry and weary space. To God be the Glory for all that he has done and will continue to do in you and through you.

Our God is Faithful

Today was just fun. The weather was great! Darin and I both finally felt great! (We had some weird flu all last week.) Darin was home all day. It was nice to have our Sunday afternoon with him and not have the time crunch of him leaving for work. Then we went to my mom's for the afternoon. I had to run into Austin to pick up something from my MK director and Dalton rode with me. He has my love language of quality time. I know that feeling. I love to run errands with my mom. Even now if she has to go somewhere just to ride in the car with her still makes me feel special. We sang our favorite songs together on the way until he fell asleep. Then when I got back we got my Dad's golf cart out and rode around the neighborhood. It was perfect weather for it. I moved it to the back yard so the kids could take turns sitting in my lap and driving. (Even Madie had a turn and did a pretty good job.) At one point my dad jumped out from behind the fence while Brighton was driving and made a monster noise that made all three of us scream. Then he jumped on the back of the golf cart and to hear Brighton's giggles as she drove was precious. Dalton discovered hammering nails into wood and he spent the afternoon "building". I have been struggling with the kids and feelings of failure as a mom. I needed a day like today, just to play and laugh with them. God always gives me what I am needing in my spirit even when I don't voice it. We ended the night with a church meeting going over the vision for Cross Bridge. John was completely inspiring as he cast the vision with the church and I was amazed at where God brought us. He truly has guided our path. Darin is completely in his element as the church's Executive Pastor and we are on the verge of something huge. I felt blessed today as I have not on a Sunday in a long time. I can't wait to blog about the adventure I am fixing to jump into and how it is going to change our future. This is one of my new favorite songs that inspires me.
Revive - Chorus Of The Saints
There's the redeemed lost again

Confused with doubts and suffering

But if only they'd open up their eyes

And see the beauty of their God, who has never left their side

This is the chorus of the saints singing "Hallelujah our God is faithful!"

We the redeemed are lost again

With misplaced trust and desire to complain

But if only we'd open up our eyes

And see the beauty of our God

Who has never left our side

This is the chorus of the saints singing "Hallelujah our God is faithful!"

So open up your eyes

And see the beauty of your God

Who has never left your side

Friday Ten List Why I love What I do...

In honor of my Mary Kay trip this weekend I am dedicating my Friday 10 list to my awesome business. This is an exciting time for me because I have been working this business as a hobby for the last 11 years and I am now really seeing my goals come to pass. We have just finished our second month towards car production of my first free car. (And the month is barely half way over)It takes 4 month of my team and I doing $18,000 wholesale orders from the company and 12 active consultants. We have done over $9,000 and have 8 active consultants. Now it is not the Pink Cadillac yet, but a Pontiac G6 with tax title & licences paid for and 85% percent of the insurance taken care of each month. Or I can take the cash at $375 a month for two years. My faith has grown so much during this process. Plus I get 13% of that $18,000 wholesale that my team does, in cash. So other than that here is my 10 reason why I love what I get to do
1. Prizes and recognition- I get a ribbon for selling a lipstick. Most of my jewelery and purses I have won. I love being crowned queen of sales at our weekly meeting and am currently for the first time ever the number 1 consultant in my unit for the seminar year that will end June 30th. The only time I was recognized as a teacher was when I messed up Special Ed. paperwork or was late to school.

2. The personal growth and free therapy I get. You can't hang around positive women and get all of our leadership training with out being effected and it all for free. I have learned how to manage my books, manage my thinking and my time from Mary Kay.

3. All of my products for free. In mine and Darin's entire marriage I have never had to budget for my make up or skincare needs because I get it free. I have always sold enough that it paid for the 50% that we get it all for. Plus everything I use is a tax write off.

4. The awesome women I have gotten know as my customers and team members. I have developed most of my strong friends through Mary Kay. In every new area we have moved to it has provided me a community to get to know people. I love meeting new people and have them part of my life.

5. The Christian atmosphere and philosophy the company is based on. I love that in a cynical world of separation of church and state in the world of Mary Kay the name of the Lord is lifted high. We open everything major event in prayer and no one apologizes for it.

6. The extra money has paid for Dalton's private kindergarten, many Christmas Seasons, trips for Darin and I and my fun money that I would not normally get as a stay at home mom for my nails and hair.

7. The fun events I get to go to 3 times a year. In the fall there is the Y.O. retreat in Kerville and it is my favorite because of the girl time. In the Spring there is Career Conference where this year I am so excited about being recognized as a future independent sales director and on target car driver. Plus I won the conference fee and my hotel room free for my sales. The Grand Gala of them all though is Seminar held in the Summer. This is where Dallas rolls out the pink carpet for us throughout July for the 5 seminars that are held there. I love the pageantry and beauty of all the ball gowns on awards night. I signed my agreement just to have a reason to wear a prom dress every year for the rest of my life. (I am really not joking about that.)

8. I really love putting on a power suit, pantyhose and sleek heals. I love being a stay at home mom but man I feel powerful when I get dressed up in the uniform of a business woman too. I can't wait to get to wear the prestigious directors suit this summer. I feel like I get the best of both worlds.

9. I love the goal setting and meeting my goals. It is growth and a constant moving forward to areas that thought were beyond my reach. It is lesson my kids are catching as it breaks their belief barriers. You can be what ever you want to be and do what ever you want to do. As a mom I can so easily get caught up in the "would have, could have, should have, someday and maybes" as I get lost in the day to day life of raising three kids and dealing with a messy house. Mary Kay snaps me out of that so quickly and refocuses my attention to what I can do in the here and now. It has been fun these last few months hearing my kids talk about, "My mom is winning a car!" I can't wait to drive that pink Cadillac home and see Brighton's little face and beleiving that her mama won her a pink car to be driven around in.

10. It is my ministry. I do love women and making them feel special. If I can take a woman who has never taken time for herself and pamper her. Teach her how to take care of her skin, make herself feel pretty then it is worth it. You would be surprised how a woman will open up to you when she sits with you and takes her make up off. Or take a teenage girl that is struggling with her skin and help her clear it up making her feel beautiful is priceless. I have used my skincare class as a teaching tool with the teen girls to teach them of the cleanings power of the cross. It has given me an in to start a mentoring relationship with some of my teens in our church through out the years. I recently had the neatest experience and a dream fulfilled when one of my clients accepted Jesus Christ as her savior because she came and got a facial from me. I met her out shopping one day and got her name and number to book an appointment with her. At her appointment we talked about our church and I invited her. She shocked me by showing up the next Sunday and received Christ that day. Now, I would love to get to lead someone personally to the Lord through what I do and I am still waiting on that one. All of this ministry comes through playing with lipstick.

11. Now for my favorite of them all.... HellO PINK CAR! Many people would say they would not drive those tacky pink cars. Well I have wanted one since I was a little girl. This is the world I was created for. It is the only place in the world I completely fit into. It is a world of pink, glamour, femininity and fun! The spot light is big enough for everyone that wants to be in it. A place where everyone can shine and be recognized for her talents and achievements. It is a place to be inspired.

Now that some may think I am a complete dork after reading this I just wanted to share a little more insight into me and this pink world is a big part of that.

GIRLFRIENDS

Over the past few days I have been sick and in bed. Darin has been sick too and we have tried to take care of the house and the kids while trudging through it. My friends rock though. It has been awesome the way they have called and checked in on me, offered to bring me things from the store and take my kids. I have awesome family and they always are willing to help. But I love my girlfriends. I have always wanted a best friend and I had a group of girls I ran with in highschool but we all went separate ways in college. I got married at 19 and that set me apart from people in college. In 1997 at Mary-Hardin Baylor to be married and in school was to not get to participate in campus life. I had some friends from bible study and my classes but I longed for the college roommate group of girls to be silly with. Then Darin was a youth minister in various churches and I was the younger than most of the ladies in church. The one with out kids and the youth were closer to my age than the adults and a lot more fun. When Darin got his first pastorate, in the middle of no where, again there was a huge age gap between me and the rest of the girls. God gave me three of the most wonderful ladies who mentored me and took care of me through the process of Darin and I walking through fire at that church but, again no one to just be a "girl" with. No one at the same stage of life I was in that I could relate to. When we moved to Kyle and I was with my family. We knew Kyle was temporary and did not really put down roots. Mostly I was with my friends from my highschool youth group and I was the only one with kids. The first few months here in New Braunfels were lonely ones. I knew no one in this new community and had no community to plug into. The struggles of being a church planters wife and mother of two little ones with one on the way was isolating. Finally baseball season came and I was introduced to my now best friend Julie. I have blogged about her in one of my first posts so I wont go into our story again. After that there is Rachel. She mellows me out and sometimes stresses me out how mellow she is about life. Rachel moved to New Braunfels from Hawaii and I think is still in that island mentality. (Her kids never wear shoes.)Rachel is one of the most positive people I know. I met Megan at our 2nd neighborhood night out and when she came to church the first time she fit right in. Megan is kind and has one of the most giving hearts of anyone. That next fall I started a women's bible study in the back of a local coffee shop and we are on our 4th semester of it. That is where Angie was introduced into my life. Angie's laugh is the best. She is just fun to be around and we share the same Twilight obsession. Andrea who has a tough time getting out with us anywhere because she has triplet girls that are 3, is one of the most non judgemental people I know. Terry is the most recent into this group of girls and it is like she has always been with us. I love her openness and kindness. On our last girls night for Megan's birthday we were going out and Terry had her sweet husband drive us in his limo. We have seen each other through raising kids, deaths of parents and births of babies. I was once told that friendships in your 30's are much richer and deeper than in your 20's and I believe it. These are my Yaya's that make me want to stay in New Braunfels and do life with. There are other women that I have grown to love in this wonderful town, (My sweet Becca Hill that has blessed me more than I could imagine, Amber Mullins who shares my love for all things Brighton, my neighbor Karen that I walk to pick up the kids with every day and all my Mary Kay sisters I have met here.), but these that I have featured tonight are my running buddies. My girlfriends, bible study gals that I am so excited to be in a circle of friendship with. You guys are the best.

Little Girls

I love being a girl. I love pink, I love jewelry and everything about dressing up. When I found out I was having a girl when I was pregnant with Brighton I was so excited. It was another exucuse to buy and decorate the house pink. Then I cried when I found out Madison was a girl. I was so worried when I had a boy first that I would never get a girl. Now I have not one girl but two.

Brighton has been a girly girl since day one. She is prissy down to the way she sleeps. At bed time she has to hold her two pink Satin pillow cases and be covered up with her pink satin blanket with the satin side touching her. She flits around the house in her magical little world talking to her playmates that she has made up, Cinderella and Sleeping beauty. She loves jewelry, make up and everything fancy. Pink has been her favorite color since she could say it, and pink, purple, yellow and white are the only colors she would use from the color box. As she put it, "All dose odder colos awe ugly." Her new favorite song that she wants to hear every time she gets in the car is Taylor Swift's "Love Story" which she calls "Romeo & Juliet". She is a little prissy princess.

So when we brought this new little girl home I braced myself for a tom boy. I was prepared for them to be complete opposites, and that would be ok. But as soon as Madison could walk she was always inching her little foot into my shoes. She gets into my make up constantly and always wants to have a hat on. She loves boas, gloves, heals and big hats. When we leave the house she has a purse on her arm and a baby in the other. Brighton never cuddled and played with her babies like Madie does. At night while I am blow drying Brighton's hair I will send Madie to "put the babies to bed." She toddels around the room picking up the babies and putting each of them in one of the little baby beds, giving each one a kiss and covering them up. Her bed at night is full of her favorite stuffed animals. But her favorite is Elle her soft hot pink stuffed animal. When fixing her little curls she will pat her head and demand,"Bow." The other day when I was getting Brighton ready for ballet Madie went to get her self ready and came down stairs in her purple tutu and black hat with a hot pink purse over one arm and cell phone in hand. She loves babies and can't keep from hugging and kissing them when they are around. I don't know how I got it but I have two girly, prissy little girls and it is going to be so much fun getting to experience each stage of life them.

Friday 10 List- My Unanswered Questions as a Wife and Mother

For my Friday 10 list it will come from my questions that I come across in my daily routine as a wife and mother that still remain unanswered.

1. How does a little girl who is not yet two leave a path of destruction so big and so quickly?

2. Where would a two year old get water to play tea party by herself? (This happened the other day and you can only guess where I discovered the water was from.)

3. Where do all the socks go that leave a single alone that fill my basket never to be paired again? Why can't I seem to throw away these socks, hanging in to the hope that the other will some how reappear?

4. How do my husband and I have such different ideas of a clean kitchen?

5. How can all three of my kids be the same in so many ways but yet so different and unique at the same time?

6. How can I do a day full of laundry only to walk in to the bathroom to my bathroom to find a full hamper? How does it multiply?

8. How can my kids have a room full of toys and games, every movie they love and each other to play with but yet still complain of being board?

9. How can my kids forget the things I tell them over and over to do like putting their shoes away and yet remember every word to the Free Credit Report. Com commercials? (Dalton also told his sister the other day, "My butt just hung upon you." and Brighton yelled out the window, "It's my money and I need it now."

10. How can three tiny little beautiful children make their bathroom the nastiest room in the house?

11. What is the fascination with the bathroom anyway? (It is the room I am always trying to keep Madie from playing in.)

These are my way of making light of the daily struggles of being a wife and mommy at this stage of life with three under the age of 7. I am trying to see the daily blessing through the frustration of the needs of three little ones. I know these days are fleeting. I know that my kids are a wonderful blessing. They are beautiful, funny, and have strong personalities. I have a wonderful husband who I am thankful that actually tries to clean the kitchen while I am at my Mary Kay meetings each Tuesday night, so that is clean for my Wednesday morning ladies bible study. Laughing is what gets me through the hard days.

My Glorious

1. Got up on time because it was my turn to get Dalton off to school-Check
2. Made breakfast for kids with no yelling or drama-Check
3. Started my day off with two eggs and lemon water with my vitamins-check
4. Got the girls and I to the YMCA on time for Yoga-Check

So far I have not yelled at the kids, Brighton has not had a melt down and I have things off my to do list done. I did not feel like going to the YMCA today because I have a lot that needs to be done around the house while Darin is off. But I am paying for it, and I did not go at all last week. It is also one the only times I can be alone and pray. I have been convicted that I need to pray more. With this ADHD brain it is difficult to slow down and get focused to have a quality prayer time. But I learned this weekend at a retreat that quantity prayer time will get you to the quality prayer time. Yoga does a great job of quieting my spirit down where I can get to that place to hear God's voice to pray. I tried going through my prayers internally while in yoga. First starting to pray over each of my kids and their specific needs and then Darin. But I could not keep up with the instructor and pray at the same time. Plus the guy next me grunts as he struggled to stretch kept breaking my stillness. So I began to just breath and meditate on God. As I paid attention in class I concentrated my thoughts to Him and let my mind flow. It dawned on me that is part of a prayer life.
Then I went to the treadmill and started my work out. As I walked I tried again to pray and because I could not do it out loud I was still having trouble concentrating on my specific requests and things I wanted to bring before Him. These past few weeks I have struggled with frusteration and unforgivness that has blackened my spirit and I knew I needed to give it to the Lord. I was listening to "My Glorious" by Delirious and trying to pray. Finally it hit me as I was running and being swept away through the music all the Lord wanted me to concentrate on was his Glory. As the words,"My Glorious, My Glorious" rang over and over in my head, my mind began to cry out to him, "My Glorious, My Glorious, I give you my anger, I give you my unforgiveness, I bring this person I am angry with to your throne, My Glorious, My Glorious I give you my worries, my money, my kids, My future, My Glorious. Glory, Glory send your glory, Glory Glory send your glory into my life over my broken soul, My Glorious. My Glorious...." It was my battle cry to my struggles and I was swept away into His Glory and nothing else mattered. As the song ended I looked down and realized I had intended to run for only a minute and then slow to a walk for a minute and I had run non stop for a full five minutes. Prayer is not always about me talking. It is just committing the time and effort to make room for it in my life. I want to put the words to this song at the end because it blessed me today so much. So these are my thoughts from the treadmill today and my encounter with God.

The world's shaking with the love of God
Great and glorious, let the whole Earth sing
And all you ever do is change the old from new
People we believe that...
(Chorus)God is bigger than the air I breathe
The world we'll leave
God will save the day and all will say
My glorious!
Clouds are breaking, heaven's come to earth
Hearts awakening let the church bells ring
And all you ever do is change the old from new
People we believe that...
(Chorus)God is bigger than the air I breathe
The world we'll leave
God will save the day and all will say
My glorious! My glorious! My glorious! My glorious! My glorious!
God is bigger than the air I breathe
The world we'll leave
God will save the day and all will say
My glorious!

Top Ten- Prayer & Praises

I have not done my top 10 in the last few weeks because I have been so busy. So I am doing it late this week. Darin and I were in San Antonio for a Pastor's Conference. It was a lot better than I thought it would be and we were blessed. I was inspired and convicted that I needed to be in prayer more. So my list this week is my current prayer & praise list.

Praises
1. When God closes a door he leads us to a new place. When the Journey Church was coming to an end God was leading us to a new place and there was never a time that we were left in limbo with no direction.

2. God brought John and Laurie Minton into our lives knowing that we would need them. God provided an armor barrier for Darin in John. He has totally had Darin's back through this transition and walked with him. Laurie is an encourager and comfort to me and has become a great and supportive friend through this process.

3. My other new friend Terry and her husband Sterling. They have lived down the road from us for two years and it took going to church in San Marcos to meet. Sterling drove us for girls night this last Saturday night in his limo. Terry has fit right in with our ladies bible study.

4. My awesome husband who lets me run my Mary Kay, and go with the girls with out ever complaining. He also does what it takes for our family while even driving for Dominoes.

5. Going on target last month for my Mary Kay free car. Having my best month yet in Mary Kay and getting my first big commission check from the company.

Prayer
1. My prayer life- Discipline & inspiration to keep on top of it.
2. Forgiveness- I have some people in my life that need to forgive. None of these situations are offering a situation for me to go to bring resolution by talking to them. It is a struggle to just submit it and move on.
3. My Business. Going into production for my Mary Kay car is a step of faith for me and my month has started slow. I need a jump start to my sales for the month and I need team members for this month. I want more women like my Julie and Kristen who joined in February and have set the world on fire this last month.
4. Our finances- being more disciplined about spending and getting out of debt., where are areas that we cut and the discipline to follow through.
5. Our schedules- with Darin working two jobs, my business picking up and the demands of the house as we juggle it all.
6. My patience with the kids. Three very different personalities that are all wanting my attention.
7. Discipline in my diet and exersize program.

Slave to Christ

The other day I was doing my bible study and Donna was dancing on my toes. She was talking about the things we are a slave to and how we should only be a slave to Jesus Christ. He is the a good master who only has our best interests at heart. All the other things we shackle ourselves to like worry, stress, money, ect. are really only making us a slave to the enemy. There is no standing still, no middle ground where God is concerned. You are either moving closer to Him or further from Him. This concept hit me so close to home. I am a slave to people pleasing and approval. There are times when I am walking closely to the Lord that this "thorn" is kept in check. This is my first sign that I am slipping in my walk when I start picking up this burden and struggling with it. God showed me an image in my study of Satan merely offering me the chains of "shame" and "approval addiction" and me willingly accept them, and putting on the shackles. I put up no fight. I buy into every lie the enemy feeds my mind as fact and then I act upon it. It is also tied to my diet and my lack of sleep. When I am so worn down I am an easy target for his attack and being out of the Word I have nothing to combat it with. So I am taking a different approach to this struggle. I feel like the apostle Paul when he asked the Lord to remove the "thorn in his flesh". I have let the fact that I even struggle with this thorn cause me shame. Instead of trying to "fix" myself or discover the reason why, when this "thorn" raises its ugly head I need to just pray through it. I must keep myself "chained" to the cross and reject the idea the devil presents to my mind. In Mary Kay we have what we call a daily BATH. B-is a booking a day, A-is saying our affirmations to ourselves to cleanse and focus our minds. Most of mine are already scripture based along with my goals. T-Turn off the TV and listen to a positive CD. H-Hook in. Calling our director and checking the hot line message. This can apply to my spiritual life. Everyday speak the word of God over yourself and speak your affirmations about who you are in Christ. This sounds cheesy to do, and at first I felt stupid saying it out loud. But again the enemy wants us to feel this way. The bible says that life and death are in the tongue. Speak life over yourself. Turn off the T.V. and read your bible every day. Hook in with other believers in Christ. Join a bible study, have christian friends and go to church. I am feeling freedom even as I write this.