Worship Wed.

We are down to needing $1200 and 1 qualified and 2 active to finish directorship! It feels so close and yet so far away. But I refuse to give in to panic or anxiety.  God has brought me this far and he will see it through.  I stand in awe and I worship.  I was praying with two ladies last night for things because God laid it on our hearts to begin to pray.  As I was praying the task seemed so huge. Like I was pushing a huge bolder and trying to get it rolling.  The task we were praying for seemed so big when we started.  But God revealed to me that he had already started this ball rolling.  He was the one that called these ladies and I to starting praying and come along side a work that He himself started and was doing.  He wants us to cry out to him and tell him He is great and able to more than we ever imagined possible! He allows us to be apart of his plan and see Him work.  I love this video because it has the word of God in it. There is nothing more powerful that we can do than to pray His word! I shout it from the roof tops that Our God is faithful. Our God is Stonger, and Awesome in Power, He is Our God!

1st Day of School

There are so many blog posts going on in my head that I want to write and very little time to write it all out.  I am so excited to report that we are down to needing two more qualified team members (Placing $600 wholesale orders) and about $1500 in production to come to finish directorship!  I am excited but I wish I was done today.  Today marks the last 7 days to the month and I feel the clock ticking.  But, Our God is faithful and I am can't wait to see where it comes from and how He chooses to wrap this up. 

The first day of school brought a mixture of emotions.  Mainly excitement because keeping up with all three kids, business and our house alone has been overwhelming.  I did get a little teary eyed yesterday taking my excited little 5 year old to her classroom.  It is a new stage of life with another one starting school.  It was hard getting everyone to bed on time and up early the next morning. In fact Dalton woke me up at 1:00 am fully dressed and wanting to know why I was not up yet. 

The kids have been so hyper and full of energy since we went to back to school night last Thursday and I could not get them to school fast enough Monday morning. This is going to interesting getting two ready and out the door on time.  Girls have a lot more prep time that boys even at a young age. 

Brighton's dress was made by her grandmother for school.  Mimi made her 5 little dresses for school this year. 

Daddy got to help us get ready and prayed over them before we left the house.  I love this picture. 

There were some tears as we left but not over going to school and being left at home. Maddie cried because she did not want to get up and wanted to go back to bed.

It is really neat that my kids go to the same Elementary School that I went to and where Nonna teaches.  Dalton will actually be in her grade level and his classroom is right next door.  So yesterday morning we had to stop by her classroom for hugs. 

I am so excited about Dalton's teacher this year because I have known her since we were in Jr. High. It is going to make delivering her Mary Kay easier too.  She has a check for her product in his take home folder when he got home. 

I did not get a picture of Brighton with her teacher because another student was having a melt down over her mother leaving her.  I am so thankful that I do not have shy children.  It would have made leaving her so hard.  She could not get there fast enough.  The entire process of getting a new back pack, lunch box and supplies has just made her more and more excited. 

When we got back in the car Maddie announces.  "I am your only child."  She was so content to play by herself all morning.  We ate lunch together and she was a different child with out the other two.  Errands went so smoothly and quickly getting only one child in and out of the car. I did realize last night some of the draw back to having two in school now though.  There is double the paperwork to fill out and it all the same information.  Double the cost for school supplies, lunch and school expenses.  Double the time getting lunches made in the morning and breakfast.  It is going to be interesting when all three are going to school. 

Worship Wednesday

I am going back to my Worship Wednesdays! I am at a point where I am striving  to be more worshipful in my life.  I know it works to bring me back to being centered and grounded in my faith.  Worship fills my storming soul with peace and fills me with power.  Last week I was worn out and having a tough week. The kids were not helping with their fighting and my hormones were not cooperating either.  As I have stated before I can sometimes have PMS so bad it can make me doubt my own salvation. So I turned off the TV and plugged in my Iphone to the speakers in the house and played worship music.  My kids acted better, I calmed down and peace flowed through the house. Worship is such a strong weapon to use against the schemes of the devil. When there is nothing I can do about my situation and I have laid it down at the foot of the cross, all I have left to do is worship. It is what I should have done first! It clears my mind from worry and turns my lips from complaining to praise! Tell God who he is and how much you love him! Thank him for all he has done! Sometimes our breakthrough come when we express our needs to God and verbally tell him that we know he has the power to heal and to mend.  Even when your heart does not start out believing it, the mind only knows what the tongue tells it! Cry out to him that he is the supplier of our needs! That is why I love the words to the chorus of the song, "You are Holy." "You are Lord of Lords, You are King of Kings, You are mighty God, Lord of everything! Alpha Omega! Beginning and End! My Savior Messiah Redeemer and Friend. Your my prince of Peace and I will live my live to Him." To keep idle hand from making things worse then I lift them in praise to Christ!  I love to sing that song because you are telling God that he is those things. It is not a song about him it is a song to him!  Sing that enough and your mind catches up, where the mind goes the emotions catch up, where the emotions go belief follows!  It is amazing the power that is released when we take our hands off our problems and raise them instead in praise!
Just like the people used to do when the king and the men would go into battle.  They would raise their hands cheering, lifting banners high in the air.  Banners telling their enemies who they supported! Banners with the crest of of the ruling king!  Our hands are our banners! We are telling the enemy which King we serve, which King we worship and which King we follow! We are celebrating our King and his battle as he goes into battle on our behalf! I love the image of that. This life is a battle but not any victory compared to the day that the King will come riding in on the white horse ending the final battle victoriously!  Raise your hands in worship with full abandonment because we serve the ruling King who will reign eternally and is always victorious!
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!"
Revelations 5:13 

Quick Post

I am not feeling well today! Those of you out in blog land reading this if you could please pray.  Now is not the time for me to get sick.  I only need 7 more people to add or get active on my team to finish directorship and I am pushing to finish it this week!  My head is pounding, my chest is burning and I ache all over!  I really wanted to play on Taylor @ Undomestic Goddess today with her Top 2 Tuesday.  But really don't have time today.  So I thought I would just post a music video of a new song that I love.  I am not a huge Pink fan but I love her voice on this song and I love the words to this song.  Plus I gotta give the girl props. She not only nailed every note of the song singing live but she does it while swinging in the air! One more side note! I love all of my new followers and am super excited to get to 80! JUST 1 MORE!  Enjoy this song. 

Sunday Night Confessions-Posted on Monday

Yes, I know that it is Monday and I was so tired last night I did not have time to blog.  We have got to get into a better night time routine around our house with school starting soon.  My youngest two would not go to sleep last night! Grrrrr!  Yesterday in Sunday School our teacher Tricia asked us what we would do for God if we were not afraid? Then we had to get into groups and talk about it! It was neat because my group was my brother and his wife Jenny .  Jenny knows everything about me so as we talked I did not have to explain a lot.  I consider myself a risk taker and a bold person.  I am not afraid to meet people, talk to people or ask for what I need.  I have the mentality of "If you don't ask then you will never know."  But I have a lot of deep rooted fear that this question helped me dig into.  I am on the brink of having my biggest dream fulfilled and I am scared out of my mind!!!! I have wanted to be a Mary Kay sales director since I joined 14 years ago.  I mean it brings tears to my eyes I want it so bad.  To be a Mary Kay Sales director is the epitome of everything I want to be.  They are feminine, beautiful, strong leaders.  Not everyone gets to be one but it's open to anyone who wants to work hard enough to get it.  At Mary Kay events they are set a part and honored.  They have a huge platform to teach, speak and inspire other women.  The amount of income potential that a Mary Kay sales director can have is matched to Cooperate America and they don't have to sacrifice their families, motherhood or beliefs for it.  Plus, they have the most fashion forward suits that are designed for them each year and they can earn the use of the pink Cadillac.  I could work for other companies and I have been approach by every home based business that has come up over the years.  But Mary Kay is me.  It is a Christ centered company that is feminine and glamorous and so pro women. Plus, HELLO PINK CADILLAC!  It takes four months and certain qualifications to become a Sales Director and I am in my last month and I am TERRIFIED!  I finished the Queens Court of Sales two years ago and earned my 1st diamond ring.  I earned the use of my 1st car two years ago too.  But this is the hardest thing I have ever done because I have to trust others with my dream and include them in on it too.  In sales it is all on me.  I can sell this product in my sleep and have built a large clientele.  But my dream is now tied up into people recruiting under me and helping them reach their dreams.  That is where I realized my deep rooted fear lies.  I don't want to risk being disappointed in people who are not women of their words.  It is so hard for me to invest in people and they walk away.  It is hard to take someone at their word and then they let you down.  I usually do things myself because I don't want to risk being disappointed in people.  Nor do I want to be a disapointment to others.  I don't want to recruit an awesome person and dream with them and then they disappear from your life with no word.  I have to fight myself not to focus on all of the team members who did not keep their word and focus on the ones that did.  It is hard to be excited after being let down.  The last two months of qualifications have been an range of emotions and it has been difficult to risk running full speed ahead again.  But then I had a thought the other day that I have taken as my mantra, "Do not let the people who do not keep their word, stop me from seeking to find the ones that do."  I have some awesome women on my team that have rallied around my goal and begun to form goals of their own.  If not for Mary Kay and seeking them out I would not have them in my life.  I have to keep asking and seeking because I do not know who God is going to place in front of me that I was too discouraged to talk to.  It like what Mary Kay herself taught us, "Some will, some won't, so what."  I know that this is from my point of view from my little pink bubble, but it applies to life.  We have all been hurt in relationships and it can make us shut down and not reach out again.  It can make us perceive others as a threat.  But if we entrust our hearts to our heavenly father and allow him to lead us into fellowship with others then we are enriched and able to be used for his kingdom.  I can not pray for God to enlarge my territory if I do not embrace every opportunity he places in front of me.  My passion is reaching women.  If I can make a women feel more beautiful, more confident and learn who she is in Christ then that is all I could want.  My biggest accomplishment ever in my Mary Kay career is the two women who accepted Christ from a Skincare class.  It is a magical thing.  Through lipsticks and rouge women can be empowered and find a relationship with Jesus Christ.  When I put my fear in that light a what is little disappointment and frusteration? In the end it is all worth the risk.

So Inspired! Feature Friday

I have been in the middle of qualifications to becoming a director with Mary Kay.  So there has not been a lot of blogging time.   The last few month have been a wave of emotions, stress and big stories of victory.  God has been teaching me through his word about diligence and persistence as a growth of faith.  I will be blogging about my thoughts over the next few post.  But before I can have perseverance I have to have motivation.  I just got back from Seminar and I have to tell you how much I LOVE Seminar every year! It was fun going this year because I was a size smaller and had an entire new look.

Today I want to feature a new friend of mine Joy. Joy was the Queen last year of our National area and in the Queen's Court of Sales for the Saphire Seminar top 20! After talking with Joy I learned that the year she did this she had survived a brain tumor and home schooled three young children, two with disabilities.  She has one with autism and one with anger issues. As I talked with her I thought, "So what was my excuse now?"  Here is the picture of the top three with our National Sales Director in her last Seminar before retirement. 

This year Joy came back to Seminar and had not only done the Queen's Court of Sales again but now was the number two in Sales for the entire Saphire Seminar.  The Queen was not in attendance at Seminar and Joy got to give a speech. In it she thanked her family and talked about each of her children and what they had taught her.  Her oldest has taught her patience because of all the needs of her younger siblings.  She spoke of how proud she was of her.  Then she explained how her son with autism and taught her what persistence and determination looked like and thanked him for his positive attitude.  It was what she said about her last one with the anger issues.  She talked about how much she loved him and how even when things got broken in her home that God was using that to teach her not to be materialistic over earthly things.  Having three strong willed children all 8 and younger and a husband who works long hours, I thought these were good excuses as to why I had not completed all of my goals.  After getting to know Joy I need to make my children my reasons not my excuses. 

Seminar really inspired me this year and I thought I would share this years goals:

Finish Directorship Sept.1!!!

Complete the Queens Court of Sales top 20! Selling $50,000 this year!

Queen of Recruiting in the Saphire Seminar with 50 new qualified team members!

$300,000 Unit Club with my new unit!

These are some big goals but I a ready to grow and see God show up in a big way!

Thank You Jenny Childress!

My blog background disappeared and I did not have the patience to work on it.  My friend Jenny offered to help fix it and she fixed it up too! Now she is on a mission to look for me a zebra print.  I am redoing my office in Zebra and hot pink and it is my theme for Mary Kay this year.  Thank you Jenny for offering to help. You did a great job.